Dingyuan and Zhenyuan ships were the capital ships of the Northern Fleet in the late Qing Dynasty.
In 1879, due to the Ryukyu Incident, the Qing government finally made up its mind. In response to the invasion of the Qing Dynasty's seas and territories by Britain, France and Japan, it was determined to spend huge sums of money to purchase warships from the great powers, make practical preparations for coastal defense, and set out to build a naval fleet.
was in this context. In 1880, the Qing court agreed with Li Hongzhang’s request to order two of the world’s most advanced first-class iron-clad warships from the German Vulkeng Factory at the time. These two warships were the world-famous Dingyuan warships. Zhenyuan ship. The
Dingyuan and Zhenyuan are first-class ironclad ships of the 7000-ton class built by the Vulkeng Shipyard in Tanterbury, Germany, commissioned by the Qing court. (In the 1880s, warships with waterline armor can be used According to the size of the tonnage, the limit is about 4000 tons, and the ones that exceed are called first-class iron-clad ships, and those below 4000 tons are second-class iron-clad ships. Among them, Dingyuan ships cost about 1.4 million taels of silver. The cost of the far ship was about 1.42 million taels of silver. Both ships were completed in 1884 and were listed in the Beiyang Navy in 1885. The two ships
are both Dingyuan-class battleships, so they are the same in terms of data, performance, and weaponry. There has not been much change: both ships
are 94 meters long, 18 meters wide, 6 meters in draft, and have a normal displacement of 7220 tons. , With a full load displacement of 7670 tons. Both ships of
use 2 horizontal three-cylinder reciprocating steam engines, 8 round coal-fired boilers, and a maximum coal load of 1,000 tons. The Dingyuan ship has a power of 6,200 horsepower and a speed of 14.5 knots; the Zhenyuan ship has a power of 7,200 horsepower and a speed of 15.4 knots. The total armor weight of the two ships
is 1461 tons. The armor thickness of the iron fort is 355mm on the waterline, 305mm under the waterline, the armor thickness of the 305 gun mount is 304mm, the gun shield thickness is 15mm, and the commander tower armor thickness is 203mm. The main guns of both ships
are equipped with four German Krupp 305mm breech guns, and one twin turret on port and starboard. The
secondary guns on both ships are equipped with 2 Krupp 150mm breech secondary guns (one at the end and one at the end), 4 75mm Krupp cannons, 8 37mm five-barreled Haqikas machine guns, and 1 57mm Haqi open. Sri Lanka rapid-fire gun, 1 47mm Haqikes rapid-fire gun, 3 14-inch torpedo tubes (one on each side and one on the stern, with 21 torpedoes). Both ships of
are equipped with 2 carrier-based torpedo boats (say 3). The torpedo ship has a displacement of 16 tons, a length of 19.5 meters, a boat of 110 horsepower, a speed of 15 knots, and is equipped with a 37mm Haqikes gun and two 14-inch torpedo tubes (one on the left and right of the bow).
After talking about the basic data of these two warships, let's talk about whether they were the strongest warships at the time.
Are Dingyuan and Zhenyuan ships strong? Strong!
Of course, we need to be reminded that what we are talking about below is only for the navy before 1890. After 1890, the navies of various countries began to build new types of warships, the former dreadnoughts, based on the British Majesty-class battleships. The former dreadnought ship is equipped with heavy artillery as the main gun and one or more light weapons. It is covered with reinforced steel armor and equipped with a coal-fired steam engine. The is comprehensive in terms of armor protection, maneuverability and firepower. Of rolling.
First of all, in terms of armor protection, take the former US dreadnought Indiana-class Oregon as an example. The standard displacement of the Oregon has reached 10,288 tons. The increase in tonnage means the increase in armor thickness. The main armor belt of the Oregon is the thickest. The height is 457 mm, and the thinnest point is 102 mm. The front of the main turret is 432 mm thick, the front of the secondary turret is 152 mm, the conning tower is 254 mm thick, and the deck is 70-76 mm thick. The protective power of
is far superior to that of iron armored ships. Take the first-class iron-clad ship Dingyuan, which is known as the “largest ship in Asia”, as an example. Dingyuan’s iron-clad fort is 355mm thick on the waterline, 305mm under the waterline, 305mm armor is 304mm thick, and the gun shield is thick. 15mm, the armor thickness of the commanding tower is 203mm. This armor protection data is also quasi-first among the first-class iron armored ships. At the time, it was also very different from the Oregon, which was not the best pre-dreadnought ship.
Secondly, in terms of maneuvering, although the former dreadnoughts also use steam engines like the ironclad ships, the boiler technology of the former dreadnoughts is more advanced than that of the ironclad ships.Dreadnoughts ran at a speed of nearly 20 knots, but you must know that first-class ironclad ships such as Zhenyuan and Dingyuan can only run at a speed of up to 15 knots when their tonnage is several thousand tons less than the predecessor. .
Finally, in the firepower configuration, the firepower of the former dreadnought ship is several times stronger than that of the iron armored ship. Unlike the previous main armored ship’s turret layout, the former dreadnought’s main turret is arranged along the central axis. This arrangement allows the main turret to adjust the firing angle more freely and allows all the main guns to face the same direction. Shoot, and then increase the intensity of battleship firepower. At the same time, the calibers of the main guns of the former dreadnoughts are basically between 12 and 14 inches. The increase in the caliber of the artillery means that the firing range is farther and the speed of ejection is faster. In addition, after 1890, new types of ammunition such as cap bombs and armor-piercing bullets have become standard equipment on warships. The emergence of these new types of bombs has greatly enhanced the armor-piercing capabilities of the former Dreadnoughts. It can be said that it has become easier. To penetrate the protection of the armored ship.
Simply put, after 1890, with the emergence of a large number of former dreadnoughts, the ironclad warship has been reduced to a second-rate warship, no longer the strongest warship in the world.
Of course, before 1890, when the former dreadnoughts were not enlisted in a large number of navies of various countries, the combat effectiveness of the first-class armored ships was still very powerful, and it was still the first-class main battleship at that time. As a result, as the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan ships of the same first-class ironclad ships, their combat effectiveness will naturally not be weakened there. In Asia, Dingyuan and Zhenyuan are definitely in the leading position. Except for the British Far East Fleet stationed in Hong Kong, it has a displacement of more than 7,000 tons, 4 German Krupp 305mm, and the thickest armor is 355mm. , It is basically an overlord who can run wild.
However, out of Asia, Dingyuan and Zhenyuan can only be regarded as quasi-first-class iron-clad ships compared with the main iron-clad ships of Britain, France and Germany, not the strongest.
takes the "indomitable" class ironclad ship, which was "the most novel style, thickest armor, and largest caliber of main guns" in Britain at that time as an example. The "Indomitable" class entered the British Navy in 1881, four years earlier than Dingyuan and Zhenyuan in the Qing Dynasty. The ship is 104.85 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, has a draft of 7.77 meters, a standard displacement of 10880 tons, and a full load displacement of 11,880 tons. 2 steam engines with a power of 8407 horsepower and a speed of 14.75 knots, with 12 coal-fired boilers, equipped with 4 main guns with a caliber of 406 mm (which can fire 764 kg of shells and penetrate 914 meters of armor up to 584 mm thick), Six 20-pound breech guns, two 355mm underwater torpedo tubes and two torpedo launchers of the same caliber. The
"unyielding" class had the most tightly protected armored fort at the time. The British used armor from 508 to 609 mm thick in the middle of the warship to enclose an iron fort with a length of 33.5 meters and a width of 22.9 meters. Vital parts such as the boiler compartment and ammunition compartment are all wrapped. At the same time, the ship also has an armored deck that penetrates the entire ship. It is located below the main deck below the waterline and has a thickness of 76.2 mm. Z3z
Dingyuan and Zhenyuan two ships are insignificant compared to the Unyielding class. No matter in tonnage, weapons, or armor protection, they are incomparable. And you must know that the Unyielding class was not the strongest iron-clad ship in the West at the time. For example, the Italian "Durio" class iron-clad ship was even stronger than the Unyielding! However, the two ships of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan are not even comparable to the Unyielding Class, let alone the Durio Class! In conclusion, in the Western navy, although the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan ships are relatively powerful, they are not the strongest and can only be regarded as quasi-first-class.
