Jiangnan Shipyard was formerly known as Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing Administration, where China's first lathe was born, China's first steam-propelled warship "Huiji" and the first ironclad warship "Jin'ou" were built independently, and the
China's first rifle, first steel cannon, first pound of smokeless gunpowder, and China's first furnace of steel...
In the history of the late Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan Shipyard was the most technologically advanced and well-equipped large-scale factory in the country. In 1905, the division of bureaus and docks was implemented, and Jiangnan Shipyard officially operated independently. Only in the six years from 1905 to 1911, it
136 ships were built, with a total displacement of 21,000 tons. During World War I, Jiangnan Plant also undertook orders for 10,000-ton transport ships from the United States and built four giant ships including the "Guanfu", which is a milestone in the history of Chinese shipbuilding.
But compared to the glorious achievements in the past, May 3, 1925, was an even more unusual day. All the workers in the shipyard were waiting anxiously. At about ten o'clock, with the cheers of countless workers, the standard displacement reached 6,700
The ton-ton Zhenjiang was slowly launched into the water, becoming the first modern giant ship built by Jiangnan Plant.
The Zhenjiang light cruiser is the first-class light cruiser designed by China. It is also one of the bodyguards tailor-made for aircraft carriers. There are four ships of the same class, two of which were built in Jiangnan Plant and two of which were built in Lushun. They are the Zhenjiang
, Taizhou, Liaoyang and Fengcheng.
Two months ago, the Liaoyang was officially launched. This class of warship is 165 meters long, has a standard displacement of 6,700 tons, and has eight twin 127mm main guns, equipped with 12 40mm anti-aircraft guns. The maximum speed is 32 knots.
, with a cruising range of 8,000 nautical miles.
The various performance data are basically similar to the Atlanta-class light cruisers built by the Americans before World War II. This standard was also proposed by Zhang Tinglan himself. His weapons knowledge was not rich, but at least there was an aircraft carrier craze in later generations, and he also understood it.
The history of some aircraft carriers is still very clear for the Atlanta-class cruisers with outstanding military exploits.
Construction of the Atlanta class began in 1940. There are a total of four ships of the same class. They participated in all important Pacific naval battles and became an important air defense force for the aircraft carrier formation.
When Zhang Tinglan was designing his own aircraft carrier battle group, he naturally would not let go of this best option. Since capturing the Yarmouth, Chinese engineers have conducted detailed research. At the same time, they are ordering warships from Italy.
After that, China also sent specialized technical personnel to participate in the construction process and accumulated rich experience. In addition, China also obtained some key warship technologies from Germany.
With these reserves, in 1924, shipyards in the north and south of China began to build warships at almost the same time. Currently, there are four shipyards in China. The Huludao and Lushun shipyards with the most powerful technology and the most talented people are both located in Fengtian. There is also Qingdao.
Shipyard and Jiangnan Factory.
In contrast, the Jiangnan plant has many advantages over the Qingdao plant, so it has received special attention. The shipyard's management system has been innovated, and supporting equipment has been added to make the Jiangnan plant more complete.
With the successful launch of Zhenjiang, the history of Jiangnan Plant has also turned a new page. In order to congratulate the launch of Zhenjiang, Navy Commander-in-Chief Shen Honglie personally rushed to the scene to participate in the launching ceremony.
Also present were celebrities from all walks of life. The most important of them was Sa Zhenbing, the veteran of the navy. As a naval veteran from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, Sa Zhenbing witnessed the rise and fall of the Beiyang Navy. At one time, he was a little desperate. But then With the rise of Fengjun, he defeated the United Fleet and rekindled the old man's confidence and hope.
At this time, when he saw the Zhenjiang being launched, Sa Zhenbing burst into tears. Shen Honglie also personally invited Sa Zhenbing to board the deck of the Zhenjiang.
After Sa Zhenbing got on the ship, he looked left and right. His big rough hands kept stroking the cold main gun, which made him nod repeatedly: "It's great. Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were only so big back then!" "
"Sa Lao, the standard displacement of the Zhenjiang is 6,700 tons, which is slightly smaller than the Dingyuan. However, the full-load displacement is about 8,300 tons, which is also a bit larger than the full-load displacement of the Dingyuan."
When Sa Zhenbing heard this, he frowned, as if he had some doubts. Shen Honglie said with a smile: "Now the idea of building warships has changed a lot. A warship will be used for ten or twenty years, so it must be Leave enough space for modification and install more weapons in the future."
When Sa Zhenbing heard this, he nodded frequently: "The navy has progressed too fast. We people have long been eliminated by the times. We can see the navy become prosperous again. When the old man reaches Jiuquan, he can also talk to those old brothers. Already."
While talking, Sa Shijun, who came up with Sa Zhenbing, suddenly asked: "Uncle, since the Zhenjiang and the Dingyuan are similar, why is the Dingyuan equipped with a 305mm Krupp main gun, while the Zhenjiang is only equipped with With a 127mm main gun, the gap is really too big. Is this kind of firepower enough?"
Sa Zhenbing's eyes widened: "Children, don't talk too much. How to build a warship is based on tactical considerations. Don't ask more about things you shouldn't know!"
Shen Honglie smiled and said: "Sa Lao, you must also have this question, right?"
Sa Zhenbing's face turned slightly red. Indeed, as an old navy man, he was even more obsessed with warships, but he knew that some things needed to be kept secret.
"Sa Lao, it's okay to tell you. Anyway, this secret can't be kept for long. Within half a month, the Fengtian will be launched!"
Fengtian? Upon hearing these three words, Sa Zhenbing and Sa Shijun, old and young, all widened their eyes. There are very rules for naming warships. According to the current situation, heavy cruisers are named according to provincial capitals. They are named after Harbin and Jilin, while the light cruisers are named after ordinary cities, such as Zhenjiang and Liaoyang.
There is no doubt that Fengtian is named after a provincial administrative region, and Fengtian is different from other provinces. It is the place where Zhang Tinglan started, and it is also the most important shipbuilding base in China. Obviously, this Fengtian has a milestone significance. Otherwise, you will definitely not be qualified to get this name.
Sa Shijun's face instantly turned red. He is Sa Zhenbing's grandnephew. He was born in a naval family. He has been determined to wash his wings since he was a child. Starting in 1913, Sa Shijun entered the navy and served on many warships. To get some experience. But the warships he served on were all river gunboats, nothing big.
But Sa Shijun has been paying attention to the development of the navy. Especially since the Mackensen returned to China, his heart has been hanging. He has been collecting information about the Mackensen through various materials. Enthusiasm and energy Far ahead of the military fans of later generations, because the current information is not developed enough, there is not much information available. However, as long as he sees the news about the Mackensen, he will collect it, and there is also a sticker on his bedside. A photo of the Mackensen sailing into Huludao.
There is no doubt that light cruisers are the limit of China's current shipbuilding capabilities. The only one that can match the Fengtian is the modified Mackensen. Thinking that this warship will be launched in half a month, Sa Shijun is simply overjoyed. mad.
The same was true for Sa Zhenbing. The wrinkles on the old man's face were all smiles, and the goatee on his chin was shaking up and down. He clapped his hands and said, "Okay, that's great! In the first few years, I heard the analysis from that guy Zhong Zhao, saying that it was To complete the Mackensen, I think it is quite reliable, and it seems that this navy still has hope."
"Uncle, I saw the news. Not long ago, the Japanese battlecruiser Akagi was launched. I heard that the larger Waka has also entered the final stage of construction. These two battlecruisers are targeting Ma The Kenson is designed so that even after the Fengtian is taken off, it will still have to face the superior Japanese combined fleet."
A triumphant smile appeared on Shen Honglie's face: "Don't worry, just wait. When Fengtian comes out, a large number of people will have their jaws dropped!"
…
"I would like to say that three phases of construction treasury bonds have been issued this year, with a total amount of 70 million, which is a great increase compared with last year." Wang Shuhan introduced with a smile: "People's enthusiasm for buying is still quite high, and sales are very hot. I think You can also issue a little more.”
In fact, since the beginning of the First Five-Year Plan, China has issued a large number of bonds. At first, the people did not approve of it. However, Zhang Tinglan took the lead and bought 3 million bonds. This suddenly ignited the enthusiasm of the people. Even the vice president dared to buy it. In short, No problem, right? Under this blind trust, bond sales became more and more popular. In the first year, 95 million was purchased, which greatly supported economic construction.
Zhang Tinglan also smiled and said: "Although China is poor and weak, after all, the country is big enough and there are still many rich people. It is okay to issue more bonds, but this time it will issue more bonds for military construction, and the navy will have to make big moves."
When Wang Shuhan heard this, he also smiled and said: "Sure, the economic situation has improved in the past two years, and the army should keep up, but I don't know how much will be issued?"
"Let's issue 30 million first, and then increase it later depending on the situation."
Upon hearing Zhang Tinglan's words, Wang Shuhan couldn't help but be stunned. It seemed that this action was indeed quite big.
In the blink of an eye, on May 20th, Huludao Shipyard gathered several times as many people as Jiangnan Shipyard. Vice President Zhang Tinglan, Defense Minister Yang Yuting, Chief of General Staff Jiang Fangzhen, Navy Commander Shen Honglie, Air Force Commander Zhang Xueliang and other important figures all came. Arrive at Huludao Shipyard.
There are stars gathering on the slipway, and everyone is paying attention. If a bomb comes at this time, I am afraid that the squadron will be completely paralyzed. However, this possibility does not exist. As early as a few days ago, Liu Shaoqing and Feng Yongshuang personally A large number of manpower was deployed to strictly guard against it.
At 12 noon, Zhang Tinglan held a champagne bottle in his hand and hit it heavily on the bow of the newly built Fengtian. In an instant, foam splashed everywhere, and the seawater slowly rose in the dock...