Junk (ship) facts for kids
Junk is a type of ancient Chinese sailing ship that is still in use today. Junks were used as seagoing vessels as early as the 2nd century AD and developed rapidly during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). The first records of junks can be found in references dating to the Han Dynasty (220 BCE-200 CE). They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages.
Junks were created during the Song Dynasty (960-1129) They were used during the 2nd century. They were found throughout South East Asia and India. They were mostly found in China and most famously in Hong Kong. Found more broadly today is a growing number of modern recreational junk-rigged sailboats.
It is considered as one of the most efficient ship designs. For long travels with few crew, the simplicity of the junk rig in terms of construction, maintenance and handling makes it an important alternative to more other designs. Most notably the safety that follows from extremely simple reefing, which is particularly important with few crew and bad weather conditions, this minimizes the need to work on deck while exposed to bad weather. Simple construction means lower cost and simpler repairs.
The term junk may be used to cover many kinds of boat—ocean-going, cargo-carrying, pleasure boats, live-aboards. They vary greatly in size and there are significant regional variations in the type of rig, however they all employ fully battened sails.
Images for kids
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A modern junk in La Rochelle in 2009
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The Bedar Naga Pelangi, after her circumnavigation sailing off Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia in 1998
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The Kangxi Emperor (r. 1654–1722) on a tour, seated prominently on the deck of a junk ship
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Junk near Hong Kong, circa 1880
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Illustration of a jong, large Javanese trading vessel, extant until 17th century CE. Shown with the characteristic tanja sail of Southeast Asian Austronesians. Vessels like these became the basis of Southern Chinese junks.
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Detail of a ship on Along the River During Qingming Festival, by Zhang Zeduan (1085–145)
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A large four masted junk from Longjiang shipyard, the same shipyard that built the Chinese treasure ships.
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Cropped portion of Indian Ocean in the Miller Atlas, showing 2 jongs, one is a 6-masted ship viewed from aft, the other is a 7-masted ship. The sails featuring crescent moons suggests that these jong hailed from one of the Islamic sultanates of Indonesia.
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Ships of the world in 1460, according to the Fra Mauro map. Chinese junks are described as very large, three or four-masted ships.
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A junk Sin Tong Heng and a lorcha Tek Hwa Seng in the Dutch East Indies (1936)
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See also
In Spanish: Junco (embarcación) para niños
