Ron van Maanen
The Chinese navy consisted of 32 in Europe built and heavily armed gunboats, 6 armoured corvettes of 4 being build, 3 ram ironclads, 2 non armoured cruisers, 2 frigates, 3 aviso’s, 1 floating battery, 17 transports and 3 custom steamships, totally 60 units armed with 277 guns and 28 machineguns, a good organised torpedo service with 11 torpedo boats.
China possessed two armoured turret ships both built in Germany namely the Dingyuan also spelled as Ting Yuen and Ting Yuan and her sister ship Zhenyuan.The first was laid down on 31 March 1881 at the Stettiner AG Vulcan yard at Stettin, Germany on 31 March 1881, launched on 28 December 1881, completed in 1884, commissioned on 29 October 1885 and scuttled by her own crew on 10 February 1895 after being damaged by a Japanese torpedo and further more gunfire. The Zhenyuan was also spelled as Chen Yuen. She was laid down at the same yard on 1 March 1882, launched on 28 November 1882, completed on 1884, commissioned on 1 March 1885 and captured by Japan on 17 February 1895 and served in the Japanese navy as the Chin'en until she was broken up in 1914.
