Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-20
CHINA'S NAVAL POWER.
Was Not Entirely Wiped Out I'm War
With Japan,

The idea held by nine persons out of ten
in America that China's navy was entirely
wiped out during her recent disastrous war
with Japan Is entirely erroneous, Judging
from recent reports from the east. The
greater part of the Chinese navy was
knocked to pieces by the Japanese shells,
but there remained a large southern fleet
which took no part in the war. Moreover,
China has done a good deal toward recov-
ering her sea power since that war.
The southern fleet does not contain any
modern warships, but. on the other hand,
its units might be exceedingly troublesome
to the weak gunbOatS that all European ma
lions maintain in far eastern waters.
The southern ships number seven vessels.
besides gunboats. These include three 2,200-
ton ships Nan Yin, Nan Shut and Fuching.
The first two We're built at kiel in 1854.
The Fuching is Chinese copy of later date.
All carry two eight-inch Krupp and eight
4.1-inch. while they have protective decks
two inches thick The speed is an unknown
quantity.
Two other cruisers, Yang-Po and Kali
Tchi, carry three S-inch and seven 4.7-inch,
and are otherwise similar to the others.
There are also two 1,60)-ton ships, the
Pao-Min and Fee-chen of 160O tons, dating
from 1887, and armed with two 6-nch and
four 4.7-inch guns. All these have a heavier
armament by far than European gunboats.
Five fiat-bottomed gunboats, Telling,
HM-chang-ching, Ho-wei, Lung-shan, and
Tche- ten, built at Elswick in 1S77-S1, also
survived the war. They carry one 11-inch
muZz.e-loader, but they have been so ne
elected that they are probably unable to
steam.
Yet another vessel-thts time of value-is
likely to be heard of-the Schichau-buil Eel
Wing. She IS a torpedo gunboat of $50 tons,
and able to steam twenty knots in Chinese
hands. On trial she made TWENTY-FIVE
knots. She has Yarrow boilers, and is a
very curious craft to look at, being high
out of the water, and supplied with four
large tunnels.
Three other gunboats, good today for
twelve or thirteen knots. lived through the
war. These are the Kuang Ching Kuang
King and Kuang Ting. They carry three
4.7-inch quickfrers. and We're built in China.
The rest of the ships of the old fleet are
from ten to twenty in number but are of
no fighting value, and many are without
guns.
There are also a dozen torpedo boats but
they are fifteen years old, and at the time
of the were held to be useless The
Japanese sank or captured all that were Of
value
To this nucleus China has added since the
war two really good Elswick cruisers, Hal
Tien and Hai-Chi, of 1900 tons displace-
ment, and speeds of twenty-four knots
They should be able to show their heels to
most of the allied vessels, though Japan
has four similar craft. They carry two
s-inch quick-firers and ten 4.7-inch quick
frers.
Three 3OOO-ton cruisers were built at
stettin in 1897. the Hal Yung, Hal Schew
and Hal Shen. They carry three 6-inch and
four 47-inch, all quickfrers. and steam
nineteen and a half knots. A submerged
torpedo tube is part of their armament.
Finally, there, or rather were-since
England. Russia, Germany and France
have now taken one each-four German
built destroyers, that on a trial beat all
other destroyers in the world in speed.
1t is matter of congratulation that the
Hal Tung, Hai-nju. Hai-Ching and Hal
Hoha are no longer Chinese, for, well han
died, they might have done endless mis-
chief. They are extraordinary craft In an
pearance, each having two enormous fun
nels altogether disproportionate to the size
of the boats.