This striking observation comes from the Portuguese chronicler Gaspar Correia in his monumental work, Lendas da Índia (Legends of India).
Correia was describing the jongs (or "juncos")—large, multi-masted wooden sailing ships—that dominated the waters of the Malay Archipelago long before the arrival of Europeans. These vessels were not just "big" by regional standards; they were often significantly larger and more robust than the Portuguese naus (carracks) and caravels.
Why the Portuguese Were "Terrified"
The quote highlights several technological and psychological factors that gave the Acehnese and Javanese ships an advantage in initial encounters:
- Immense Height: These ships featured incredibly high "castles" (the raised structures at the front and back). When a Portuguese ship attempted to board, they often found that their own decks were lower than the enemy's, making it nearly impossible to leap across or fire down onto the opposing crew.
- Layered Armor: Correia notes that these ships were built with multiple layers of thick planks (sometimes up to four layers). Portuguese cannons, which were effective against most contemporary vessels, often failed to penetrate these "wooden walls." In one famous account, a jong from Pasai (Sumatra) shrugged off a full broadside from Afonso de Albuquerque’s fleet.
- Construction without Iron: Unlike European ships, which used iron nails that could rust or shatter, these Southeast Asian ships were often built using dowels and vegetable fibers. This gave the hull a degree of flexibility that allowed it to absorb the impact of cannonballs rather than splintering.
The "Terror of the Universe"
The most legendary of these ships was the Espanto do Mundo ("Terror of the Universe"), an Acehnese galley captured later in 1629. It was reported to be:
- 100 meters in length.
- Equipped with three masts.
- Capable of carrying 700 men and 98 guns.
Even for a seasoned maritime power like Portugal, seeing a ship of this scale—crewed by fierce Acehnese warriors—was a humbling experience that challenged their perceived naval superiority.
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The standoff between the massive jongs (Southeast Asian junks) and the Portuguese naus was a clash of two different naval philosophies. While the Portuguese relied on superior long-range bronze cannons and maneuverability, the Malay and Javanese powers relied on sheer scale, structural resilience, and height.
1. Key Naval Battles & Encounters
The "Behemoth" of Pasai (1511) During Afonso de Albuquerque’s voyage to conquer Malacca, his fleet encountered a giant jong off the coast of Samudra Pasai (Sumatra).
- The Encounter: The Portuguese bombarded the ship with their largest cannons. To their horror, the cannonballs simply bounced off the hull.
- The Struggle: The ship was so tall that the Portuguese could not board it; their own ships' masts barely reached the jong's deck.
- The Outcome: It took two days of continuous bombardment to finally pierce the hull. When the Portuguese finally boarded, they found the ship had four layers of thick teak planking. Albuquerque was so impressed he wanted to send it back to Portugal as a trophy, but it was too damaged and eventually sank.
The Great Jong of Pati Unus (1513) : Two years after the fall of Malacca, the Javanese prince Pati Unus (the "Lord of Japara") launched a massive retaliatory strike.
- The Fleet: He led 100 vessels, but the centerpiece was a legendary "Great Jong" that reportedly carried 1,000 men.
- The Construction: According to Portuguese chroniclers like João de Barros, this ship had seven layers of planks reinforced with a mixture of bitumen, lime, and oil.
- The Result: Despite its near-invulnerability to cannon fire, the ship was slow. The Portuguese used their smaller, faster caravels to harass it. Though they couldn't sink it, they forced it to retreat. It became a symbol of Javanese defiance, though it marked the end of the era of these "super-jongs" as the Javanese shifted toward smaller, more agile galleys.
The "Terror of the Universe" (1629) : Over a century later, the Sultanate of Aceh built the Espanto do Mundo.
- The Siege: During the 1629 Siege of Malacca, this massive galley (a hybrid of European and Asian design) led the Acehnese fleet.
- The Capture: After a brutal naval battle, the Portuguese managed to capture it. They found it equipped with nearly 100 cannons—many of them large-caliber bronze pieces gifted by the Ottoman Empire.
2. How the "Giant Ships" Were Built
The construction of these vessels, known as the "Lashed-lug" or "Shell-first" technique, was fundamentally different from European ship-building.
- Layered Armor (The "Wooden Wall"): As you noted, these ships were incredibly thick. Shipwrights would add new layers of teak planks as the ship aged or for extra protection. A ship with 3–4 layers was standard, but royal flagships could have up to 7. This created a "spaced armor" effect that absorbed the kinetic energy of 16th-century cannonballs.
- No Iron Nails: While the Portuguese used iron nails (which could rust or cause "nail sickness" in wood), Southeast Asian jongs used wooden dowels (treenails) and vegetable fibers (like rattan and ijuk). This made the hull flexible. When hit by a cannonball, the wood would "give" and then spring back, rather than shattering into deadly splinters.
- The "Tanja" Sail: They used unique canted rectangular sails (Tanja sails) made of woven mats. These allowed the giant ships to sail closer to the wind than the square-rigged Portuguese carracks, though they were still difficult to turn quickly.
- Double Rudders: Unlike the single stern-post rudder of European ships, jongs used two large lateral rudders (one on each side). This gave the massive vessels better control in shallow coastal waters.
SUMMARY COMPARISON
| Feature | Portuguese Nau | Malay/Javanese Jong |
| Material | Oak/Pine with iron nails | Teak with wooden dowels |
| Hull | Single-layered | Multi-layered (3–7 layers) |
| Main Weapon | Long-range artillery | Height (for boarding) & Archers |
| Philosophy | "Floating Battery" | "Floating Fortress" |
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4/1/2026: 11.06 a.m
