Dus-lan Ring
| History | |
|---|---|
| Themiclesia | |
| Name: | Djuh-lan ("long life") |
| Owner: | Monarchy of Themiclesia |
| Ordered: | 1804 |
| Builder: | Westwoods Shipyards |
| Laid down: | 1805 |
| Launched: | Nov. 3, 1807 |
| Struck: | 1975 |
| Fate: | burned to the waterline in 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | one-off |
| Tons burthen: | approx. 5,500 t |
| Length: | 135 m |
| Beam: | 40 m |
| Draft: | 25 m |
| Armament: | (none?) |
The Djuh-lan Rêng (壽延𦫊, djuh-lan-rêng) is a Themiclesian ship constructed in 1807, on the government's instructions, as a birthday present to the Themiclesian emperor by the Westwoods Shipyards. It is one of the longest and heaviest ships built up to that point in Septentrion.
Origin and construction
Since the Raid on Rad destroyed most of the Themiclesian Navy at home port, admirals have petitioned to have the fleet rebuilt to answer the threats posed by the Tyrannian Royal Navy in the Halu'an Sea; however, Themiclesia's commitments towards the Second Maverican War drained necessary resources to rebuilt large numbers of warships at the same time. After the war ended in stalemate, Themiclesia's political scene became untenable for the large re-armament that the Navy desired. The government, wishing to test public reaction towards naval re-armament and the aptitude of the procurement process after its desolation in the recent war, ordered possibly the largest ship that Westwoods, the most prolific naval shipyard of the age, has ever built, on the pretext of the Emperor Hruh-mrjang's upcoming 70th birthday. Though the government's opponents thought this was a waste of public funds in a time of recovery, it was understood as a smaller commitment than a complete re-armament that the Conservatives were suspected of harbouring, since the Themiclesian admirals were all vocally Conservative.
While it is not unusual for Themiclesian emperors to receive boats as birthday presents, it is the first time that Westwoods has been commissioned to build the ship. Prior to this example, royal cruise boats and galleys were usually built by the Middle Engineers, who had been partly disbanded to support the war effort and was not restored following it. Since Westwoods usually produced warships rather than cruise boats, some conservative courtiers were concerned if it would impinge on the emperor's dignity to be on a warship. The Conservative government pointed out that Westwoods has built transport ships before and proceeded to ignore these concerns. Additionally, it is widely thought the Admiralty wished to test an even larger ship for future building, though the government very strictly denied this; plans were shown to the parliaments to demonstrate that the vessel built was not a warship in any way. Westwoods has had much experience building large, stable ships, especially on short notice, so Djuh-lan showed much more Casaterran influence than previous royal ships. Nevertheless, the Middle Engineers were re-assembled at the final months of construction and commanded to finish the woodwork and furnishings of the ship in the customary style.
Launching and initial voyage
While the ship was not a surprise to the emperor, who must have heard of it when the annual budget was read to him, it nevertheless generated an occasion for the court to leave the capital city of Kien-k'ang on excursion to Tonning, where the ship was to be launched. The government, high-ranking administrators, privy council, gentlemen-at-arms, and the empress' courtiers (but not the empress herself—she was taken ill) were present for the ship's maiden voyage, from Tonning to a minor port in Gwrje-dêng and then back. The charted course was designed to avoid going south and west, where Mavericans and Tyrannians respectively still posed a risk. The Court Oracle appointed Mar. 4, 1808 as the day the emperor boarded the ship, and the Middle Engineers tested the ship regularly in coastal waters, as customary, for seaworthiness. While the Navy's officials were present while the ship was tested, they were not when the emperor himself boarded the ship.
In February, the ship was outfitted with bronze bells, whose tolling would indicate the emperor's presence while sailing. The emperor's guards, the Gentlemen-at-Arms, were invited onboard and assigned their chambers on the bottom deck. Next, rooms were designated for other courtiers and for meetings. The emperor's state apartments were located, per modern accounts, close to the stern of the ship, but this may have been moved after the ship's launch; at the time, the location of the sovereign's bedchambers was an official secret. Per custom, the rooms directly adjacent to the emperor's bedchamber were occupied by shipwrights. The tradition dates to at least the 9th century, when Emperor Hmen of Dziai drowned with a ship glued, rather than nailed, together by spiteful shipwrights; the emperor had commandeered their services without compensation for years, to provide warships against Hallian raiders. Since then, shipwrights who built the ship (or their supervisors) were to be onboard during her maiden voyage. The Middle Engineers have filled this role since their institution as royal shipwrights; in the event the ship should become unsafe, the Middle Engineers were to rescue the sovereign, as they built the ship itself and are the most familiar with it. As they did not build Djuh-lan, the responsible officer of Westwoods was onboard as well, though in more a symbolic capacity.
On the appointed day, the emperor was led onto the ship by a Royal Attendant, with tribunes following; he was told that this was the largest ship the country had ever commissioned by length, width, and amount of timber used. The emperor replied that he wished to share the use of the ship with his courtiers, who bowed in response. During her maiden voyage, she was captained by the Director of Middle Engineers (中校令, trjung-krawh-mrjêngh) and crewed by his subordinates. Despite being a rather large ship, her complement seems to have been unusually small, probably limited by the reduced stregth of the Middle Engineers due to the Maverican Wars. The ship sailed for the next twenty-two days, according to the charted course; each day, the emperor held banquets for his courtiers and administrators. This was clearly not his initial voyage on the open ocean, but he said to the prime minister that he "never before had seen such a great ocean view". When he asked who built the ship, the Director of Westwoods was presented to him, and he said that he "is comforted that those who brave the waves have such excellent ships to rely upon." He ordered a special grant of 100 hmrjing to the Director of Westwoods and Director of Middle Engineers, each.