Chapter 115: Grounded In Qing’ao Bay
After the three Sea Wolf-class Frigates completed their refits.
The beach dry dock was also completed synchronously.
Lin Qian ordered people to maneuver the Santa Ana into Qing’ao Bay. To ensure safety and reduce pressure on the keel during beaching, all supplies on the ship—from cannons to powder kegs to swords, cannonballs, hammocks, personal belongings—were transported off the ship.
Of course, large items like the walnut bed in the captain’s cabin, the navigation table, the long table in the officer’s restaurant, and other bulky furniture were too massive; moving them down would require sawing open the doors, which was too much trouble, so they stayed on the ship.
On the Qing’ao Bay beach.
Lin Qian watched cannon after cannon being unloaded from the crane arms of the Santa Ana, feeling quite insecure.
The Santa Ana was his absolute main force; once this ship was under repair, his strength would be greatly diminished.
But there was no choice; no matter how strong the Santa Ana was, it was made of wood.
It had been nearly half a year since setting sail from Manila.
The previous damage to the anchor chain aside.
During the fight with Li Kuiqi, several holes had been smashed in the deck.
After enduring several storms, many sails had holes, and the ropes had frayed considerably.
Leaks in the hold had become increasingly severe, reaching the point where pumping was needed every day.
Additionally, there were quite a few rats on the ship.
Waiting longer would only make the situation worse; repairing later would be too late.
Just unloading the sundries from the Santa Ana took a full day, and unloading the cannons took another two days.
On the third day, the entire ship was finally cleared, and all personnel disembarked.
Taking advantage of the midnight high tide.
Lin Qian stood on the Qing’ao Bay dock, with Chen Jiao and Jose standing behind him.
One of them was temporarily acting as department head of the Construction Department and had to be present.
The other at least had some European navigation knowledge, which might come in handy if something went wrong during beaching.
In front of the three men, several thick ropes were tied to the hull of the Santa Ana.
Those ropes extended forward to the shore, then split into several strands, pulled by five hundred captives to slowly drag the Santa Ana toward the dry dock.
As a wave receded, the bow of the Santa Ana was already on two rows of wooden ways.
The wooden stake ways were squeezed aside, countless grains of sea sand flipped up.
“Splash!”
A wave surged in.
Mute Huang immediately waved his hand.
Someone among the captives shouted loudly: “Heave!”
The captives pulled together with force, borrowing the power of the tide, and the galleon moved forward a few more steps.
As the tide receded, Mute Huang clenched his fist.
“Hold!”
The captives no longer pulled with force, but did not slacken their grip.
At this moment, the carpenters waiting on both sides of the galleon, holding scrapers, dashed forward stepping through the waves, scraping off the barnacles from the hull.
Time was extremely tight; the carpenters wielded their tools swiftly, cleaning only the parts of the hull in contact with the ways, quickly scraping the planks clean.
Once scraped sufficiently, with another wave surging in.
Another command from the beach: “Heave!”
The carpenters scraping barnacles heard the command and retreated one after another.
“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”
The captives shouted in unison, stepping forward together to haul the ropes with force.
Accompanied by sea breeze, beach, and big waves, it had quite the momentum of battling heaven and earth.
After repeated hauling like this, the galleon advanced more than ten steps, with nearly half its hull now on the ways.
The freshly scraped clean planks of the carpenters were just caught on the ways, ensuring minimal resistance during the next haul.
As the water receded, a shout came from afar: “Hold!”
The carpenters waiting around the galleon rushed forward, scraping the rear half of the hull.
An older carpenter shouted loudly: “Everyone watch your step, don’t step into the gaps!”
Due to the galleon’s repeated pressure, deep crevices had formed between the wooden ways and the beach; if one slipped into them, when the next tide came and the galleon advanced, that foot would be crushed into pulp.
Amid the waves, the carpenters were soaked through but paid it no mind, everyone gritting their teeth fiercely, scraping clean before the tide surged in.
Only a voice from afar was heard: “Heave!”
The barnacle-scraping carpenters retreated one after another.
Watching this scene, Jose asked: “Why not wait until all the barnacles are scraped off before hauling the ropes?”
Chen Jiao explained: “Because the peak of the high tide is very short; the ship must be hauled ashore during the rising tide, sent into the dock at the tide peak.
Once it’s even slightly late and the tide ebbs, all previous efforts are wasted, so we must move fast.”
The ways have a slope; once the captives slacken and release, the galleon will slowly slide back into the sea under its own weight.
Moreover, not every wave is the same size; sometimes the peak of one wave meets the trough of the previous, canceling each other out in destructive interference.
Sometimes peaks overlap, called ‘constructive interference,’ forming a larger surge.
Lin Qian noticed that the heave/hold commands were shouted only during constructive interference surges; this required precise control of the tides and meticulous observation—truly astonishing technique.
Then, another shout.
“Hold!”
By now the galleon was mostly out of the water, its bow already inside the dock.
Here there were only slight surges, not enough to float the bow.
“Apply oil!”
At the command, more than a dozen crew members waiting nearby rushed up, filling the gaps between the ship’s bottom and the ways with semi-solid grease in their hands.
Several others applied grease ahead of the ways, coating thickly; this was not waste—compared to these, damage to the ship or failed beaching would cost far more.
“Watch your step!”
“Watch your step!”
Ship workers kept reminding nonstop.
After several destructive waves, the greasing was nearly done.
“Heave!”
Repeated like this several times, nearly half the Santa Ana’s hull was now inside the dock.
At this point Chen Jiao glanced at the shoreline, couldn’t help sweating, and whispered: “The tideline isn’t moving—tide peak has arrived!”
Mute Huang also noticed the tide peak, patted his apprentice’s shoulder; the apprentice looked, throat bobbing, then took a deep breath and shouted to the crowd behind: “Tide peak! One last push!”
“Heave!”
“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”
Everyone went all out, working even harder.
Though the captives were forced labor, whether infected by the atmosphere or fearing the whip, they all exerted deadly effort.
As waves surged into the ways, the captives pulled together with all their might, dragging the galleon seven or eight steps forward.
The apprentice’s eyes lit up: “Master, we have a chance; hauling like this, we can definitely beach it!”
Mute Huang remained steady and unmoving, eyes fixed on the tides.
Moments later he clenched his fist.
“Hold!”
Surrounding carpenters and ship workers desperately rushed forward, working against the clock.
Jose muttered: “You are all a bunch of madmen!”
Europe also had this beaching repair technique, but usually only for one night, for emergency patching, then sailing away with the next rising tide.
Like this, using surges to haul a large ship so far from the shoreline to beach it, was something Jose had never seen in his life.
In just minutes, the tideline had begun retreating.
Chen Jiao whispered: “Bad, the ebb tide has started.”
Lin Qian looked toward the galleon; at this point half the Santa Ana’s hull was still outside the dock—once ebb began, brute force alone couldn’t pull it in.
Jose watched tensely and said: “Helmsman, I’ll go haul ropes too.”
Lin Qian said: “Hauling ropes is a skill; you can’t do it. Just watch.”
In the distance, apprentice Xiao Jiu reminded: “Master, ebb tide.”
Mute Huang ignored it, raising his hand again during a surge.
“Heave!”
“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”
Hundreds of men gritted their teeth, their muffled shouts pounding hearts like war drums.
Lin Qian’s expression unchanged, but his fists involuntarily clenched.
“Almost there! Everyone push!” Beside the ways, a craftsman risked danger to observe closely and shouted urgently.
At this moment, half the Santa Ana’s hull was off the ways, slightly lifted—the most dangerous time.
“Splash!” A massive tide surged in with overwhelming force, rushing unstoppably into the dock.
Mute Huang waved forcefully.
Apprentice Xiao Jiu shouted with all his might: “Heave!”
Then all the craftsmen, along with the captives, shouted together; their voices drowned out the waves and gale.
Finally, the Santa Ana tilted slowly forward, settling solidly on the keel blocks; the ship’s weight tilted the blocks outward, but thanks to the sand’s deformation, the keel blocks fit the hull perfectly.
The crowd hauled with all force, dragging the galleon along the keel blocks thickly coated in grease.
Finally, amid several creaks of timber compressing, the Santa Ana beached successfully.
Mute Huang ordered the wooden dock gate closed to block the tide, then waved behind him; the apprentice shouted loudly: “Release!”
The captives slowly released; the galleon did not budge.
Qing’ao Bay erupted in deafening cheers!
……
After the Santa Ana beached for repair, Lin Qian’s workplace moved to Nan’ao City, selecting an ordinary house near the island’s south side.
All houses on the island had been built hastily; ordinary housing and shops were only recently completed, while open ground for official offices had been reserved but not yet started.
The offices of the four departments—soldier guard, civilian households, construction, criminal law—were also scattered in various civilian houses in the city, indeed lacking yamen dignity.
No choice; Santa Ana repair was Nan’ao’s top priority now, with most island craftsmen transferred to the Qing’ao Bay dry dock.
Nan’ao City construction could only be postponed.
Even after Santa Ana repair completed, reservoir, granary, and dry dock construction priorities ranked ahead of official offices and manor.
There were also batteries; previously Lin Qian hadn’t listed them because Nan’ao Island lacked cannons.
Now trade with Fat An was steadily progressing.
By winter month or twelfth month, Lin Qian planned to procure a batch of Apostle Cannons from Fat An; these cannons were heavier, larger caliber, perfect for shore defense.
On Lin Qian’s desk now was a special basket piled with various blueprints.
Among them were battery design blueprints; in this version, preliminary sites were Lieyu outside Shen’ao Port, Southwest Longtail Mountain on Nan’ao Island, Yuan Islet east of the island, and Guan Islet south of the island.
At lunch, Lin Qian summoned Zhou Xiucai to discuss pulling Owner Hu into the fold.
According to Zhou Xiucai’s report, Owner Hu had accepted ten thousand taels deposit.
The merchant ship was loaded and had sailed to Macau, able to return to Chenghai County in at most ten days.
As long as this voyage went smoothly, Owner Hu would commit to more; even preliminarily hooked.
Lin Qian said: “For future Macau voyages, remember to buy back some canvas and ropes along the way.”
These were consumables; Nan’ao Island had no production capacity, bulk procurement would arouse suspicion—best to bring some back casually each Macau trip.
“Got it.” Zhou Xiucai nodded. “Helmsman, when do we confront Owner Hu?”
“Wait a bit longer; bind him tighter with silver first.”
Lin Qian could choose violence to force Owner Hu now, but that was inferior.
Binding Owner Hu with interests was more secure.
After discussing Owner Hu, Lin Qian asked about island literacy efforts.
Zhou Xiucai smiled wryly: “As helmsman instructed, literacy teaches only reading/writing and arithmetic. But island misters are few; only five recruited, even fewer students—under a hundred attend daily, fewer persist.”
Changing customs is the hardest task.
Islanders had survived till now by rowing, diving, agility; literacy held no meaning, so naturally no one wanted to learn.
Zhou Xiucai suggested: “Helmsman, how about giving non-attendees a free meal?”
Lin Qian slowly shook his head; people attracted by free food would never listen properly—giving meals might worsen literacy than now.
Lin Qian asked: “Where is the school? What hours?”
“On open ground near island south forest edge; classes from mao hour, end at you hour.”
Lin Qian clapped: “That’s the issue—who can afford full-time study? From tomorrow, all evening classes, shorten to two hours.”
Zhou Xiucai gaped; in his experience, no school was like this.
“Evening classes—how to see books?”
Lin Qian laughed: “Can’t see? Light beeswax candles. Don’t stint on candles; light one per desk, make the school bright.”
Zhou Xiucai looked astonished.
Lin Qian continued: “School location change too—move north to a quiet road; islanders passing home can see, if interested hear a bit, glimpse to recognize a character. Even if ignore, at least get light.”
Lin Qian’s words differed completely from Zhou Xiucai’s school concept, but thinking it over, very reasonable.
After all, not teaching Four Books Five Classics; Lin Qian only required recognizing characters/numbers, simple vernacular read/write, basic arithmetic.
Perhaps helmsman’s glance-and-learn method was most effective.
After lunch, Lin Qian took four guards to Houjiang Bay dock, boating to Qing’ao Bay repair site.
Santa Ana was his foundation; Lin Qian valued it highly, checking progress every three to five days.
The Qing’ao Bay beach was a scene of bustling activity.
From afar, the beached galleon was visible; it had shed all sail cables, hull supported by huge round logs around.
Over a hundred craftsmen busy around it.
Farther on dry beach, canvas drying in sun.
These canvases seemed unremarkable on yards, but spread on beach to dry, their vast size apparent—dozens nearly covering all Qing’ao Bay.
Small boat docked at Qing’ao Bay beach; Lin Qian disembarked, surveying the beach.
On beach, dozens of carpentry apprentices planing planks; holding planes, shaving swiftly, wood chips scattered everywhere.
Seeing Lin Qian arrive, some greeted with raised heads; most too busy to look up.
Farther, near forest on beach, captives hauling logs—most timber felled on arrival or air-dried years at Shen’ao Port.
A master carpenter marking out log cuts.
Lin Qian approached; the master held a wood template, measured on log long, then pocketed it, took ink line, had apprentice stretch one end, snapping a long line.
Master snapped fingers; straight ink mark on log, shifted ink line inches down, snapped again—two parallel lines; connected endpoints with charcoal pen, outlining vertical plank shape.
Master led apprentice forward steps, snapping ink line repeatedly; one giant log now patterned with various plank designs.
Even crooked branches unused; master drew curved plate with charcoal.
Apparently for frame timber or bow planking material.
Though island wood plentiful, craftsmen used precisely; every tree fully utilized.
“Helmsman?” Marking done, master looked up, saw Lin Qian beside.
Seeing Lin Qian studying log, master explained: “This is camphor wood, for deck planking; I’m laying out the timber.”
“No matter, carry on.” Lin Qian said amiably.
“Yes.” Carpenter acknowledged, called captives to carry away templated log.
Next, apprentices used axe and saw to rough-cut planks along ink lines.
Rough-shaped planks sent some to fire-bend, others to plane/smooth/drill.
Entire beach busy yet orderly.
“Helmsman.” Then Lin Qian heard call from behind.
Lin Qian turned, saw Jose grinning obsequiously behind.
Since last beaching, Jose stayed at Qing’ao Bay helping galleon repair.
Lin Qian asked: “Progress these days?”
Jose said: “Just finished barnacles; these days inspecting ship’s bottom.”
Jose led way toward beached dry dock while speaking.
“Santa Ana overdue for repair; many bottom planks have shipworms, many need replacing.”
Passing hard sand patch, dozens of cannons placed here; most covered with cloth, several exposed with ship workers wiping oiled cloths.
Jose saw Lin Qian eye cannons, explained: “Cannons need regular oiling against rust. Several rusted, but lightly—still usable.”
Lin Qian asked: “The four new Siren Cannons here?”
“Yes.”
Jose called ship workers to uncover rain tarp.
Four bronze cannons revealed, gleaming cold blue-gold in sun.
Those four cannons about seven to eight feet long, muzzle half foot, slender barrel fine at head thick at tail—very balanced, mounted on wooden gun carriages.
Lin Qian examined closely; four cannons smooth-surfaced, straight-barreled, exquisitely made.
Near cannon rear by powder chamber, engravings of monster head bird body—seemingly siren image—with Portuguese inscription below.
Lin Qian pointed to inscription, asked Jose meaning.
Jose said: “Portuguese cannon foundry name: Figueiroa Foundry, renowned for fine craft.”
Lin Qian compared Portuguese cannons to ship’s Spanish ones; Portuguese smoother surface, fewer vents.
Lin Qian greatly admired Portuguese “craftsman spirit.”
Beside cannons, five or six ship workers oiling/wiping cannonballs.
Lin Qian asked ship worker for one; heavy in hand, chill creeping up palm.
Lin Qian felt cannonball surface—very smooth, no sharp edges/raised parts.
Compared to muzzle, minimal gap.
Lin Qian returned cannonball to crew member, grabbed sea sand to wipe grease from hands.
By feel, this cannonball about ten-odd pounds; by later classifications, roughly twelve-pounder.
Current Europe had no habit of classifying cannons by shot weight.
Iberians liked biblical angels/monsters for names, so this Siren Cannon; larger bore called Apostle Cannon.
Other European nations named after birds/beasts: eagle cannon, snake cannon, falcon cannon, etc.
By continental European habit, this Siren Cannon equivalent to half-snake cannon.
Seeing Lin Qian interested in Siren Cannon, Jose explained naming origins, Figueiroa Foundry history, etc.
Lin Qian had rain tarp recovered, walked toward galleon.
At temporary dry dock edge, sand pit surrounded by wooden wall against collapse.
Pit bottom slightly seeping water, but not severe.
Hull bottom barnacles now cleaned, leaving rings of white traces on bottom planks.
Over ten ship carpenters in pit, tapping bottom planks with hammers.
Seeing Lin Qian at pit edge, Mute Huang came to salute.
Lin Qian jumped into pit: “Carry on; I’ll watch nearby.”
Mute Huang led Lin Qian back to ship side, tapping bottom planks carefully with wooden mallet—every plank tapped.
Apprentice Xiao Jiu explained: “Helmsman, searching for shipworms.”
Lin Qian nodded.
With tapping, finally one bottom plank sounded different.
Mute Huang bent down, called for oil lamp to check, tapped more, pointed there signaling Lin Qian.
Lin Qian bent like him, raised lamp; indeed several tiny holes in that plank.
Mute Huang called apprentice to fetch people with axe/saw to remove plank.
In time for incense stick, plank removed; Mute Huang brought to Lin Qian.
Jose got goosebumps, whispered: “Helmsman, better not look at shipworms.”
Lin Qian: “No matter.”
He knew shipworms’ appearance, just wanted to see damage extent to Santa Ana.
Mute Huang used small axe, split plank gap effortlessly, then snapped apart.
Cross-section showed five or six holes, noodle-like worms oozing from tunnels.
This was shipworm.
Looked like maggot but was bivalve, quite tasty—thinking so avoided disgust.
At least how Lin Qian overcame it.
Shipworms drained, Lin Qian took plank; cross-section multiple light-through holes, thinnest half hand-span.
Shipworms ate wood, weakening strength—that’s why such thick plank snapped barehanded by Mute Huang.
Without dry dock cleaning like now, in one-two years shipworms would eat through entire bottom, ship flooding/sinking.
Around that shipworm plank, others found infested; craftsmen removed successively, soon bottom patch empty.
Apprentice Xiao Jiu: “Helmsman, galleon entirely teak; oily rot-resistant, effectively prevents shipworms…”
Seeing Lin Qian eye infested plank, Xiao Jiu explained: “Once shipworms found, usually more nearby; galleon at sea so long, only this much—already little.”
Shipworms most in tropical/subtropical seas; Santa Ana high-intensity half-year there, lucky teak hull else wouldn’t endure.
Seeing no question, Xiao Jiu continued: “Pity teak from Nanyang; no on Nan’ao Island, so master substitutes camphor wood.
This wood brittler/less oily than teak, but also rot/insect-proof, resists shipworms.”
Mute Huang nodded repeatedly; apprentice voiced his thoughts.
Xiao Jiu encouraged: “Galleon frames, wales etc. use lychee wood: rot/insect-proof sturdy, not inferior teak, just too hard to work—so only key spots.”
Lin Qian unfamiliar; hadn’t realized ship wood so particular—professionals for professional work indeed.
Lin Qian asked more on timber.
Per apprentice, timbers varied vastly; e.g. Nanyang priciest ironwood, strength near steel.
Lin Qian’s sextant ironwood; half-year use, no deformation.
Fast-growing poplar/willow soft, weak, non-corrosion-resistant, prone cracking/infestation—basically unusable for seagoing ships.
Timber differences exceed steel; to build large sailing warships, even with silver/tech/productivity, need massive quality timber.
Lin Qian asked: “Best timber for ships?”
Mute Huang pointed to Santa Ana.
Apprentice: “Master says galleon’s teak. Pity scarce in Great Ming, mostly Nanyang Annam, Mubo areas.”
“Oh.” Lin Qian showed nothing, secretly noted teak sources.
