The Opium Wars: The Ship That Sank China's Junk Navy

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

The Opium Wars: The Ship That Sank China's Junk Navy

Listen for free

View show details

In this episode, Lucas and Luna focus on a single warship that changed the course of the Opium Wars: HMS Nemesis. Built by John Laird in 1839, this iron-hulled paddle steamer was a radical new design — shallow-draft, heavily armed, and fast. We trace her journey from Liverpool to China, her role in the Battle of Chuenpi in January 1841, and her devastating effect on Qing coastal defenses. We discuss how the Nemesis could navigate rivers and shallow waters that British sailing ships couldn't reach, allowing her to bypass forts and bombard towns at will. We also look at the Chinese response — from fire rafts to chain barriers — and why nothing could stop her. Along the way, we touch on Captain William Hutcheon Hall, the Congreve rockets she carried, and the psychological impact on the Qing forces who called her a "devil ship." Finally, we reflect on how this single vessel symbolized the technological gap between the industrialized West and the agrarian Qing empire, a gap that would define the century to come. #OpiumWars #HMSNemesis #BattleOfChuenpi #WilliamHutcheonHall #CongreveRockets #IronHulledWarship #PaddleSteamer #JohnLaird #QingDynasty #DaoguangEmperor #LinZexu #GuanTianpei #BogueForts #Humen #NavalHistory #19thCentury #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

No reviews yet