### L2406 number of crewman for a Chinese trading ship > The Yongle Emperor organized his expeditions on a grand scale. In 1405, he ordered the construction of an imposing fleet, including some of the largest wooden ships ever built. Sixty-two large junks known as “treasure ships,” 225 support vessels, and no fewer than 27,780 men are said to have made up the first expedition. Big oceangoing vessels were nothing new in China by Zheng He’s time. When the Venetian traveler Marco Polo accompanied Princess Kokocin to Iran in 1292, he sailed with fourteen great ships, each with four masts. The Islamic traveler Ibn Battuta described large Chinese ships in 1347 that had twelve sails and carried a thousand men, of whom four hundred were soldiers. NOTE: Useful to note the number of people involved. - [[Beyond the Blue Horizon by Brian Fagan#L2406 number of crewman for a Chinese trading ship|View in Vault]]