The concept of placing ships inside bottles has been around since the early 18th century. This means that for the past 300 years, people have been fascinated by how something as large as a ship can fit through such a small, narrow neck of a container. Not only can it fit, but it can also be carried around! However, getting them in there is no easy task; it requires a long pair of tweezers and steady nerves, especially in Minecraft Bedrock.
Builder Jason Yu didn’t use tweezers in Minecraft Pocket Edition to create his ship in a bottle, but rather crafted a vase instead. “When I first started making the vase, I had no idea what I was going to end up with or where to begin,” he shares.
Initially, the vase faced constant challenges as Jason experimented with the “deform” command, which allows objects to be rotated at various angles. “To test the command, I first created a completely vertical vase,” Jason explains. He then tilted it to the angle he deemed appropriate, resulting in what you see in the image.
“At that moment, I thought it would be great if I could add some roses spilling out of the vase,” he expressed. He began creating roses that would fall from the vase when it tipped over. The sight during construction was surreal, reflecting light blue and white stained glass. He realized that the ship needed to be more vibrant than the flowers—no offense to our beloved florists reading this.
“I have little experience in building ships, so I had to rely on many reference images. I wanted to make the ship slightly smaller for easier placement inside the vase, yet big enough to fit snugly into its neck. Once I settled on the dimensions, everything else became a bit simpler,” says Jason Yu. “Basically, I just needed to build the vessel and insert it into the vase, make a few adjustments, and the project was complete.”
Jason’s assembly includes numerous details he struggled with. He recalls worrying about every aspect. “How big should the waves be? How many masts should the ship have to better highlight the shape of the vase?” The complexity of the build increased due to the angled structure. Most Minecraft projects are built on flat ground or water, providing a nice advantage for quick starts. Jason’s vase was already tilted, so constructing the ship required a different approach.
“First, I had to maintain the correct shapes to ensure proper positioning,” the builder notes. He points out that the front mast leans forward more than the others, allowing anyone viewing the assembly from the side to clearly see that the ship is tall and wouldn’t fit into the neck of the vase.
“Since these tiny ships are made inside a bottle, they essentially can’t have intricate details,” Jason explains. He depicts the vase and ship broadly because modest detailing makes the project feel more realistic.
“All I wanted to convey to the viewer was a simple idea of how the ship emerges from the vase. To communicate such a straightforward message, it’s sufficient to represent the concept broadly. The ship features white sails, a brown hull, and red flags. It’s the most navigable ship imaginable in Minecraft. While I could have added many extra colors and details, it likely would have distracted from the main idea, which emphasizes its style and creates a unique atmosphere,” Jason Yu states.
When people construct ships inside bottles, it usually serves a specific purpose, but does that purpose need to be something enjoyable? Are they planning to simply place it on a bookshelf or something grander? For Jason, however, the goal was much simpler. “I love my work, and I enjoy the projects I’ve created; I’m satisfied,” he says.
I’m quite pleased too! In fact, I haven’t slept in two weeks because thoughts of how I might retrieve that ship from the vase without breaking it keep haunting me 🙁
