Chapter 169: The Navy

On January 15, 1915, the Empire Capitol.

Chen Cihu, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives and Joint Meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, knocked on the small hammer on the table: "The result of the vote was 528 votes in favor, 35 votes against, and 15 abstentions. The Speaker announced that the Imperial Navy Supplementary Act of 1915 will be passed in accordance with the law and will take effect from now on."

There was a burst of cheers in the audience:

"Long live the empire!"

"Long live the Imperial Navy!"

"Our army will win-"

The attending Prime Minister Yang Zhengjin smiled and turned to General Lin Taizeng, Minister of Defense and Navy: "Minister Lin, the people have high expectations for your navy."

Lin Tai nodded modestly and said, "The broad support of the people is the fundamental basis for our army to win greater victories. We hope that the wartime system that the whole country can be established and improved as soon as possible."

Even though he said that, Lin Taizeng could not help but be immersed in the joy and pride brought about by the successful passage of the bill.

The just-passed Naval Shipbuilding Supplementary Act was formulated on the basis of the Navy's 1915 Supplementary Memorandum formulated by Lin Tai. The bill determined that the construction plan for the construction of the main ships stipulated in the 1910 Naval Act was completed three years ahead of schedule, that is, from 1925 to 1922.

Its main contents include:

1. Continue to complete four modified battleships of the Haizi battleships that started construction in 1913-14

2. Plan to start construction of two battleships in the sky and two battleships in the long-sized battleships in 1915

3. It is planned to start construction of two Tianzi battleships and two Far-sized battleships in 1916.

4. It is expected that four modified battleships in Tianzi will be started in 1917-18, and four foreign battleships will be started in 1919-20.

5. Continue to complete the construction of three Leopard light cruisers and two Kunlun heavy cruisers that started in 1914. It is planned to start construction of six Leopard light cruisers and two Kunlun heavy cruisers from 1915 to 16.

7. Continue to complete the six Yangzi destroyers that started construction in 1914, and plan to start construction of 40 Yangzi destroyers and 16 new destroyers (large fleet destroyers) from 1915 to 16.

8. Continue to complete the construction of 8 Shark Three submarines and 6 Whale Three submarines that have been started in 14 years. It is planned to start construction of 36 Shark Three modified submarines and 36 Whale Three modified submarines in 1915-16.

9. The two Dapeng-class fleet aircraft carriers that were started in 14 years will be planned to start construction of four Feifeng-class fleet aircraft carriers in 1915 and four Ruiyun-class aircraft carriers in 1916. In 1915-16, 2-3 high-speed ocean-going cruises will be transformed into fleet aircraft carriers.

...

Lin Tai once clearly remembered that since the launch of the epoch-making new battleship "Beiyue" class, the Imperial Navy has undergone a period of rapid leap forward and leapfrog development, especially in the development of the main battleship, I am even more proud when I think about it.

After the Beiyue level, the so-called Yue character modification development was developed.

Due to the successful construction of the Yue-class, the great powers also built their own new warships, all pursuing the Yue-class in firepower and protection. In order to continue to maintain their leading position in naval construction, the empire decided to build improved models and increase protection and firepower, so that the great powers could not overwhelm their new warships. Originally, the Navy Committee of the Congress proposed that the new warships should be equipped with 5 305 turrets, but due to the strong opposition of the Navy's Headquarters, it believed that the extra turret would occupy the few budgets of the navy, and proposed a plan of 4 30550 times the power of the artillery was enough to suppress the new warships of the great powers. Congress failed to succeed. The Yue-class was able to equip a new 30550-caliber artillery, and the new artillery increased by 17% compared with the previous 30545 guns. In terms of protection.

Although the thickness of the main armor belt has not changed, the protection of the turret, ammunition and drug storage and power system has been thickened, and 30 mm of ground armor is thickened in these parts. This seems to echo the Americans' "key protection theory" proposed in 1912. However, at this time, the Empire's warship defense design was not completely separated from the scope of comprehensive protection, and the head and tail of the ship still occupied part of the armor weight.

In terms of building the shipyard, Jiangnan Manufacturing in Shanghai and Beiyang Heavy Industry in Dalian were still selected. Although the empire had already begun to move the strategic naval base southward and built the Guangzhou Shipyard and Mawei Shipyard. Since they were new shipyards and had no experience in building 10,000-ton warships, some naval technical officials and Shanghai were specially allocated. Dalian Shipbuilding technicians helped build the new shipyard.

The budget for this class of ships was successfully passed in 1907, and two ships were built, namely the "Xiyue" and the "Dongyue".

Next is the "Dragon Hard" level in the transitional stage.

It was also in 1907 that the great powers proposed the plan to build main ships equipped with larger caliber artillery in their respective naval annual military expansion filings. For example, the British 343 guns had entered the test state. The German 350 guns also entered the research state. In the argument for the firepower and protection ground of the new battleships, the Imperial Navy proposed a plan based on the 350 guns. The requirements for protection were also due to the excessive power of the 350 guns, which could no longer be compared with the 305 guns in front. The Imperial Navy only required to "use the other spear and attack the other shield, and the two were equal." For this reason, it made a big joke among the army and the people because of this. However, the "Dragon Power"-class service later shocked the great powers again, and the protection was also considered to be a step further.

Due to the previous technical reserves, there was already a pre-development plan for 350 artillery, and the research of 350 artillery is progressing quite quickly. Unlike Germany, it is not as skilled as Germany. At this time, Germany had just built the 305 artillery "Helgolan" class. Their first dreadnought "Nasan" class was only equipped with a 280 caliber main gun.

The protection of this battleship dwarfed the British battleships of the same period. Whether it was the "Orion" on the ship platform or the "George V" class that had passed parliamentary approval, the British proposed a plan for the "Iron Duke" class battleship for this battleship.

The budget for this class of ships was adopted in 1909. There are two ships in total, namely the "Longwei" and the "Fengxiang".

Then there is the "Wo" battleship called the "East Asian Association General Battleship".

Although the "Dragon Wild" class built in the 1909 plan has great firepower and strong protection. However, the number is insufficient to resist the large number of warships built by the great powers at this moment. Britain started construction of three warships on the 343 caliber, and the United States also improved its technology by purchasing British artillery and built new warships equipped with 356 caliber. At this time, the United States' "Two Ocean Fleet" plan has begun to enter the implementation stage. They will build 2 new warships a year and serve them in the Pacific. If the American plan is successfully implemented, by 1915, the number of warships equipped with 356 mm main guns will reach 10, and the mass and quantity will far exceed that of the Imperial Navy. For the Empire, Britain is just a threat far away from the Atlantic Ocean, and the speed of the US Navy's dreadnought construction will lead to a sharp imbalance in the Pacific Navy's power - the United States has become the most direct and serious threat to the Empire.

In view of this, the Empire decided to build an improved model of the "Bo" class - "Dragon Wire". This warship changed the original two-level strategy of the Empire and built four in one fell swoop. It was also preparing to form the second team of Zhenyang Fleet, stationed in Hong Kong as Ningbo Port. The Bozi size focused on strengthening the speed and used a new type of fuel unit. Due to the Empire's breakthrough in engine technology, the Empire dared to adopt new technology to make it the world's first battleship using fuel units. The speed was increased from the 22 knots of the "Dragon Wire" class mixed with kerosene to 25 knots, which can be called the world's fastest battleship. The 35,050-caliber artillery originally scheduled to be equipped with the Bozi size was not equipped in time due to technical lag, and it was prepared to equip it on the next level of the "Sea" font in the Navy proposal.

The 35045 main gun that was finally used was adopted with new technology. The barrel life has increased to 300 rounds, rather than 200 rounds at the "Dragon Hard" level. Other weapon systems have basically not changed. In terms of protection, it is only learned from the experience of Yuechang, and has made key efforts in turrets, command stations, turbine hangars, and fuel warehouses, so that the maximum armor thickness of these sections reaches 380 mm.

In terms of construction style, in addition to using the "flying scissors" type underwater bow on the "Yue" font size, the "Wave" font size also adopts an inclined armor layout. The main armor belt and command platform and other parts are all inclined outward by 15 degrees. In close-range artillery battles, the main armor belt with a thickness of 330 mm is equivalent to 345 mm steel plates.

Then came the famous "Sea" battleship.

The service of the "Wo" class greatly stimulated the British Empire. The "Iron Duke" class of the United Kingdom was surpassed before it was put into service, and the Empire's 350 artillery also left the British who pursued firepower for the first time. Although the British Navy also tried to produce a 356 caliber main gun, it was not equipped, but only used for export. The stimulated Britain decided to build the "Queen Elizabeth" class battleship in the naval plan in 1912. In order to completely suppress the "Wo" font size, this warship used the 381 artillery developed under the name of "Trial 356", and its firepower far exceeded that of the Empire's design equipment of 35050 times the main gun area (i.e., the original design case of the "Sea" font size).

The United States is not showing any weakness, and then started construction of the "Pennsylvania" class equipped with four 3-seat 35650 main guns. Compared with the original "Sea" font design, it has an absolute advantage.

At this point, the Imperial Navy quickly launched a research on 380 guns. Combining the artillery technology of the great powers and its own 35050 caliber gun technology, the Empire finally developed a warship main gun with a caliber of 38045 times the caliber in 1913. It was finally confirmed that the "Sea" font-sized firepower of the four double 38045 main guns was finally not inferior to the "Queen" class. In terms of protection. Although the main armor thickness of the "Sea" font is still 330 mm, the armor at key positions such as the command station, turret, fuel depot and ammunition depot all reached 380 mm. Due to the further increase of the angle of the inclined armor (changed from 15 degrees to 17 degrees), the protection force at the key positions was equivalent to the armor thickness of 406 mm.

Even so, the displacement of the warships with the "Sea" font was still controlled at the standard of 32,000 tons and the full load of 36,000 tons. The corresponding increase in displacement did not cause a reduction in speed. Since the Empire invested very much in warship engine manufacturing technology, the power supplied by the new crew could fully support the ideal speed of the "Sea" class to reach 25 knots. By the time the war started in 1914, the word "Sea" was the world's first-class warship at that time.

The artillery originally planned to be equipped with 35,050 times the size of the "Sea" has been manufactured by the Jinling Arsenal. Due to the huge number of manufacturing, in order to avoid waste, the Empire decided to use this batch of artillery for the new battlecruiser, Lei Font, which was originally equipped with 30,550 times the main guns, which were originally equipped with the Yuezi. Since the Empire did not have the experience of manufacturing battlecruisers, the final mount patrol was also in 1904. With the help of investigation and agents, the Empire drew on the "Markenson"-class drawings of the German land and the "Lion"-class drawings of the British. The Empire's first battle cruiser, Lei Font, was also started construction in 1911.

Next is the "sea"-level improved type.

After the construction of the "Sea" font, the British Empire also started to build the "Queen" class improvement - "Revenge" class. This was mainly due to the multiple challenges facing the "Sea" font that China is building, the "Bavarian" class that Germany plans to start construction before 1914, the "Normandy" class that France plans to build, and the "New Mexico" class that the United States plans to build. The United Kingdom originally planned to build 4 "Queen" classes, and later used the donation of the Malay chief to add one. However, even so, only 5 "Queen" could not compete with so many challengers. Considering this situation, the United Kingdom decided to start construction of the "Revenge" class before 1914. The empires that had identified the main enemy as Britain and the United States also acted quickly and started to build the "Sea" modified warship through an emergency budget.

The "Sea" font size modification has not been strengthened in firepower. It is only designed more properly in terms of protection. The inclination angle of the main armor is increased to 19 degrees, and other key parts are thickened to 400 mm, further improving the survival ability of the "Sea" modification. The maximum speed is still 25 knots, but the power system is more reliable after design correction. The failure rate is greatly reduced. The "performance" in other aspects is not much different from that of the "Sea". The first ship "Zhenhai" was started in 1913 and is planned to be put into service around 1916.

The latest "Tian" warship, scheduled to start construction in 2015, is designed with the American "Colorado" class warship equipped with 406mm main guns as its opponent, and is scheduled to be equipped with 410mm double main guns. It also maintains a high speed of 25 knots, and the main armor is as thick as 400mm. It adopts a large number of mature technologies previously used in the "Sea" font, hoping to reduce the cost. It shortens the construction cycle, but no matter how fast it is, the first two "Tian" fonts will not be completed until mid-1917.

Compared with the development of warships step by step and follow the rules, there are some interesting "interludes" songs in the development of the imperial battle cruiser.

The protagonist of this "心" song is the battle cruiser with a font size of "Thunder".

Originally, the Empire had considered building a "Invincible" class battle patrol in Britain, but during the demonstration in 1909, it was found that the protection of the battle patrol was not good, which was no different from the "crispy watermelon". After watching the battle patrol, British Navy Minister Churchill also said that "the battle between battle cruisers is like two egg shells fighting with spears." In terms of speed, it was just as the Empire launched its argument for the "wave" class. Battleships with a speed of 25 knots are also feasible. For navies that were about to build fast battleships, battle patrols were useless.

Because the sea-class overturned the original 35050mm gun plan. Jinling Heavy Industry Group has built three demonstration gun barrels and 14 are ready to be equipped with the "Sea" font size 35050 guns. Originally, when Chile came to China to discuss purchasing warships, it was very popular for Beiyang Heavy Industry to propose the design of the 35050 main gun. However, due to the small output, the 35050 gun has become very expensive, and it is obviously losing to its competitor British 356 guns in terms of price. In this way, the two major military-industrial groups in Beiyang and Jinling hope that the navy can help.

Naturally, the Navy will not struggle to grab the budget just to satisfy the wishes of military giants. At this time, the Navy is mainly inspired by the enthusiasm of the great powers to create battle patrols in recent years - the latest "Lion"-class battle patrols built by Britain have a high performance level, and the "Deflinger"-class built by Germany can also compete with the original 305-cannon dreadnought. The United States also proposed to build a battle patrol - being stimulated by the above. The Navy is preparing to build a battle patrol to compete with the British "Lion" and the German "Markenson"-class battle patrol. The Empire, combined with the technology of its own battleships and the experience of the great powers, decided to start construction of this "Thunder"-class battle patrol.

On the other hand, due to its northward position, the coalition's southward strategy required the Japanese navy to follow up quickly. After purchasing two "wave" characters, the Japanese Navy also hoped to purchase this new war patrol. Of course, the Japanese Navy's interest in the "thunder" characters was largely due to their interest in this new type of artillery in the warship. While proposing the intention to purchase the ship, it also required the empire to teach Japan the 35,050 times the main gun technology of the ship to Japan. This gave Japan the ability to independently produce large-caliber battleship main guns.

In this way, the total number of orders for the Lei Font size reached 6, requiring 48 35,050 times the main guns, and also requiring the same number of spare gun barrels, which is naturally great good news for the Jinling Arsenal. Beiyang Heavy Industry also solved the cost of the main gun and successfully won the order for the warships in Chile.

After the "Thunder" ships started successfully, the Empire planned to deal with the new war patrols of the United States, the "reputation" class in preparation for the United Kingdom and the "York" class in Germany. It is planned to build a war patrol equipped with 38,045 times the artillery, which is the "Far" battle cruiser that was first passed, which was stipulated in the 15th year of construction. The normal speed of this new war patrol was mentioned from 28 knots of the Thunder font to 30 knots, but by spraying special hydrates into the combustion chamber, the extreme speed of 33 knots can be maintained in a short period of time. Since the boiler life will be reduced, this special speedup method is only allowed to be used in the "most important" situation. Of course, whether the "Far" font can really be driven to 33 knots through special means, it will take at least two and a half years to actually verify.
Chapter completed!