Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada / Edition 1

by James P. Delgado

Overview

In 1279, near what is now Hong Kong, Mongol ruler Khubilai Khan fulfilled the dream of his grandfather, Genghis Khan, by conquering China. The Grand Khan now ruled the largest empire the world has ever seen—one that stretched from the China Sea to the plains of Hungary. He also inherited the world's largest navy—more than seven hundred ships. Yet within fifteen years, Khubilai Khan's massive fleet was gone. What actually happened to the Mongol navy, considered for seven centuries to be little more than legend, has finally been revealed. Renowned archaeologist and historian James P. Delgado has gone diving with a Japanese team currently studying the remains of the Khan's lost fleet. Drawing from diverse sources—sunken ships, hand-painted scrolls, drowned bodies, and historical and literary records— in this gripping account that moves deftly between the present and the past, Delgado pieces together the fascinating tale of Khubilai Khan's maritime forays and unravels one of history's greatest mysteries: What sank the great Mongol fleet?

Copub: Douglas & McIntyre

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520265851
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	07/23/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

James P. Delgado is the President of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. His many previous books include the British Museum Encyclopedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology, and, most recently, Gold Rush Port: The Maritime Archaeology of San Francisco's Waterfront (UC Press). Delgado has hosted the National Geographic television series "The Sea Hunters."

Table of Contents

Timeline of Chinese, Japanese and Korean Dynasties and Periods vi

Maps viii

Introduction 1

Prologue: A Divine Wind 8

1 Hakozaki 14

2 Asian Mariners 23

3 Enter the Mongols 35

4 Khubilai Khan 47

5 The Song 61

6 Tsukushi 75

7 The Bun'ei War 87

8 The Mongols Return 99

9 Kamikaze 112

10 Takashima 126

11 Broken Ship 140

12 Distant Seas, Distant Fields 154

Epilogue: The Legacy of Khubilai Khan's Navy 168

Acknowledgements 179

Sources 185

Notes 196

Index 217

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Engaging and highly readable . . .Delgado writes with an attractively direct style. . . . This trim volume, covering only a small part of a vast subject, is . . . a valuable addition to the shelves."—The Guardian

"Splendor galore . . . This consistently interesting, well-organized book addresses more than its title suggests. [It] will appeal to anyone interested in modern underwater archaeology or Asian, maritime, and military history-who, after all, isn't amazed that Khubilai's second fleet was the largest ever assembled until Operation Overlord some 650 years later?"—Foreword Magazine

"[Delgado] writes so well, on such a human level. He makes history come alive."—Huffington Post

"This is a well-written and valuable book exploring an area of scholarship that is still in its infancy in Asia."—China Review
International

Editorial Reviews

[Delgado] writes so well, on such a human level. He makes history come alive.

Huffington Post

Engaging and highly readable . . .Delgado writes with an attractively direct style. . . . This trim volume, covering only a small part of a vast subject, is . . . a valuable addition to the shelves.

The Guardian

This is a well-written and valuable book exploring an area of scholarship that is still in its infancy in Asia.

China Review International

Splendor galore . . . This consistently interesting, well-organized book addresses more than its title suggests. [It] will appeal to anyone interested in modern underwater archaeology or Asian, maritime, and military history-who, after all, isn't amazed that Khubilai's second fleet was the largest ever assembled until Operation Overlord some 650 years later?

Foreword Magazine

This is a well-written and valuable book exploring an area of scholarship that is still in its infancy in Asia.

China Review Ícaro|Ícaro|Ícaro|International