Large seagoing vessels built at Mingzhou reportedly exceeded 1,100 tons. In 1090, shipyards at Mingzhou and Wenzhou received orders to construct 600 ships annually, with another 300 assigned elsewhere. Fleet exercises could involve about 700 vessels. Coastal naval administration also required payments in cash, silver, silk, and rice, alongside staff salaries. Building and operating a navy on this scale depended on sustained shipyard output and an administration able to supply fleets and bases.
Chapter · 43:25-45:00
Building and sustaining the Song navy
Song shipyard orders and fleet exercises reveal the industrial and administrative scale required to maintain a standing navy.