Chinese steamer Confucius

Confucius (Chinese: 孔夫子; pinyin: Kǒngfūzǐ; Wade–Giles: K'ung Fu Tzu) was an early armed riverboat of the Qing Dynasty, and one of the earliest modern vessels of China.

Confucius
History
Name: Confucius
Owner: Thomas Hunt & Co.
Out of service: 1855
Qing Empire
Name:
  • Confucius
  • Tien Ping
Namesake: Confucius
Acquired: 1855
Fate: Unknown
General characteristics
Class and type: Steamer
Displacement: 430 long tons (437 t)
Length: 50.29 m (165 ft 0 in)
Beam: 7.31 m (24 ft 0 in)
Draught: 2.74 m (9 ft 0 in)
Complement: 40[note 1]
Armament: 3 guns

History

The steamer was originally merchant vessel Confucius of the American trading company Thomas Hunt & Co., named after the ship's figurehead, a sculpture of Confucius.[1]

Confucius was purchased in July or August 1855, funded by shipping merchants in Shanghai as a response to an increase in piracy due to the Taiping Rebellion. She was transferred to Shanghai’s Pirate Suppression Bureau, where she was used as an armed patrol vessel.[1] During her service as a patrol vessel, she was commanded by an American sailor called Gough, and American sailor Frederick Townsend Ward served as the ship's executive officer.[2][3][4] Ward would later distinguish himself in battles and assigned the commander of the Ever Victorious Army.[4]

Thereafter, Confucius became part of the Army. In 1860, she took part in the recapture of Songjiang from Taiping rebels.[5] In 1862, she took part in recapturing Ningbo, where she was commanded by Albert Édouard Le Brethon de Caligny.[6] Later that year, she took part in the Battle of Cixi, where Ward was killed in action.[7] Confucius brought Ward's body back to Shanghai.[8]

After the war, Confucius was transferred to Li Hongzhang's fleet in Jiangsu. There, the ship was renamed Tien Ping (Chinese: 天平; pinyin: Tiānpíng), after the model of the steam engine on board. She then returned to patrol duties, and her further fate is unknown.[1]

Notes
  1. The "Ever-Victorious Army" (2010) lists 40 men in 1862, while China at War: An Encyclopedia (2012) notes in 1860 Confucius had at least 83 Filipino sailors who participated in one attack.

Citations
  1. Chen 2013, p. 4.
  2. Carr 1995, p. 30.
  3. Abend 1947, p. 68.
  4. Tang.
  5. Li 2012, p. 479.
  6. Wilson 2010, p. 98.
  7. Abend 1947, p. 212.
  8. Abend 1947, p. 232.

References
  • Abend, Hallett (1947). The God from the West. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
  • Carr, Caleb (1995). The Devil Soldier. Random House. ISBN 9780679761280.
  • Chen, Yue (2013). Zhōngguójūnjiàntúzhì 1855-1911 中國軍艦圖誌1855-1911 [Album of Chinese Warships 1855-1911] (in Chinese). Hong Kong: The Commercial Press (Hong Kong). ISBN 9789620703614.
  • Li, Xiaobing (2012). China at War: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9789620703614.
  • Tang, Long. "China's American Imperial General". HistoryNet. HistoryNet. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  • Wilson, Andrew (2010). The 'Ever-Victorious Army'. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108024075.
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