The fleet's great scale is easier to establish than the exact dimensions of its largest treasure ships. The reconstruction in this passage treats it as plausible that some were larger than HMS Victory, while descriptions of nine masts and concrete construction illustrate their technical ambition and survivability. These claims remain part of a debated reconstruction rather than settled dimensions. The largest ships may not have rounded the Cape of Good Hope, but smaller vessels in the mixed fleet could have sailed farther.
Notable Point · 18:54-19:39
Treasure-ship size and construction debate
The debated scale and sophisticated construction of Zheng He's treasure ships show both Ming maritime capability and the limits of confident reconstruction.