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Chinese Explorers 'Discovered America'?

Posted by michael on from the native-americans-don't-count dept.

FLY9999 writes: "According to British historian and map expert Gavin Menzies, Chinese explorers discovered America way before Columbus did. He will disclose his information to the prestigious Royal Geographical Society (RGS) at a conference next week."

2 of 716 comments (clear)

  1. Chinese nautical technology by danny · · Score: 5, Informative
    A good book for those interested in Chinese nautical technology is the third volume of the abridgement of Needham's Science and Civilisation in China . That looks at the Chinese invention of the compass as well as shipbuilding and the great voyages of exploration.

    Here is one quote relevant to your question:

    ... in 1962 an actual rudder-post of one of Cheng Ho's treasure-ships was discovered... This great timber is 11 metres long ... Using accepted formulae, the approximate length of the ship on which it has been used comes out between 146 metres and 163 metres depending on different assumptions about the draught of the vessel.
    Even 163 metres is only 530 feet, of course, but it shows that 1000 feet isn't that unbelieveable.

    Danny.

    --
    I have written over 900 book reviews
    1. Re:Chinese nautical technology by markmoss · · Score: 5, Informative

      This makes me suspect that the accepted formulae may be a bit off when it comes to these ships. I am not a naval architect, but I find the idea of 500+ foot wooden ocean-going ships quite dubious from a strength of materials standpoint. The problem is, the ocean has very big waves; even an aircraft carrier has times when one big wave is holding it up in the middle with both ends out of water, and this will alternate with both ends in waves and the middle hanging. Wooden structures just don't scale up in strength well, and I don't think the Chinese managed to build better than the best 19th century shipyards. Find the whole keel, and I'll believe it -- but if it's strong enough, I would think it was so thick and heavy as to make the ship unusable for cargo and too expensive to ever be built except by imperial decree. Written records would have to be carefully evaluated, to make sure that neither errors of measuring units nor poetic license had exaggerated the size.