In February 1897, China's Spring Festival just passed, and it was still cold and cold in northern Western Europe.

However, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the British Empire's shipyard is still working day and night. On the largest shipyard, a row of unprecedentedly large and complex keels are being quickly assembled.

William White, the director of the Navy shipbuilding of the British Empire, and John Fisher, the Second Minister of Sea, visited here almost every day, paying attention to the entire construction process from every detail, grasping the various shortcomings and omissions that arise at any time, and making timely adjustments.

For the Royal Navy of the British Empire, what they are doing is unprecedented, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is an era to be opened. However, no one of the big names who really understand the inside story is happy. Looking at the giant steel on the changing ship platform, I felt all kinds of regrets and helplessness in my heart.

On this day, Director William White received the news and immediately rushed to the shipyard. In the project control room, he saw representatives from Armstrong and Whitworth.

The middle-aged fat man, who is about forty, has a slightly bald head. There is no wrinkle on his shiny forehead, but there is no last trace of youth left behind. His eyes, which look exhausted due to his irregular schedule for a long time, look a little dim, but when he sees the director, he still inevitably shows a brilliance of flattery and joy.

"Dear sir, I have to report you good news in advance. The main gun of the large-caliber battleship hosted by our company has been successfully developed! I came today to ask you to personally inspect the samples we tried, hoping to satisfy you."

The voice of the middle-aged fat man is full of sweetness that makes people feel repulsive, which is obviously not the quality that a qualified salesman should have. If you understand the current trend of the British Empire, you can think that this guy must be a big family member of a big man in the private military factory. Otherwise, how could he take on such an important task?

Promoting the main guns of battleships is a big deal. In modern warship manufacturing, it can occupy up to one-third of the cost. For the "Dreadnought" test ship being constructed on the ship platform, if the investment is as high as 2 million pounds, the 10 main guns in the design account for a huge number of nearly 600,000 pounds. If converted into steel weight, the price is almost as high as the silver of the same weight.

This is really a big deal, and no one can ignore the huge profits contained in it.

Sir William White frowned and instinctively disliked the fat man from the bottom of his heart. However, he was a person who strictly required himself to always concentrate on his work and was not allowed to be distracted by unnecessary things. Therefore, just a little unpleasantness flashed through his heart, and he immediately placed his energy on the new main gun mentioned by the other party.

“Let me look at the design blueprint and related data.”

Jazz said lightly, waved his hand to signal the engineers who followed him to take bundles of design drawings and test reports from the other personnel.

A warship main gun is not just a simple accumulation of a pile of seamless steel pipes.

Structurally speaking, the main gun of the battleship has to withstand instantaneous pressure of tens of thousands of times the conventional atmospheric pressure per unit area and also has to withstand instantaneous high temperature burning up to thousands of degrees. Its strength requirements are very high and it is particularly difficult to process. From metallurgical formula to the purity of molten steel, to forging during mechanical processing, and drilling and cutting after forming, heat treatment and surface strengthening processes, they all represent the peak of a country's metal technology.

This is still not safe enough, so in addition to the processed inner barrel, steel wire should also be wrapped and reinforced to ensure that the radial instantaneous high pressure expansion will not cause rupture. A gun barrel requires the fine reinforcement of steel wire for dozens of kilometers, which is not a high-tech that ordinary people can play with.

In addition, the casing needs to be reinforced on the outer layer to ensure that it is foolproof. This is so numerous that it causes high costs.

However, this is only an industrial technical requirement. Before that, it is necessary to accurately calculate a series of data calculations such as what diameter tube is used, what capacity of the gun chamber is needed, what kind of launching medicine is filled, what weight of warhead is pushed, and so on.

It can be said that without years of experience, it is purely a fantasy to design an advanced and excellent cannon out of thin air.

In this regard, the British Empire has unparalleled experience. Whether it is a state-owned shipyard, arsenal, or a newly joined private arsenal, everyone has shared the data accumulated over the past few hundred years, so they are not worried about not being able to create a good main gun with excellent performance.

The only question is, who will handle this matter.

In addition, a very critical question is how to ensure that excellent cannons can perform their performance. Specifically, it is the application in combat. In design, it is the superiority of the turret carrying naval guns and the mechanism for reversing and reversing.

The most advanced main gun used by the British naval warships was Armstrong's 40-caliber 305mm main gun. That guy can reach a firing rate of one shot in two minutes, which is much faster than all previous large-caliber main guns, but in terms of qualitative changes in performance, there is no. It is still a retreat structure. If you want to reset after each launch, don't expect to restore the original pitch angle. You must move and aim again. Therefore, it cannot be faster at all.

This time, the newly designed "Dreadnought" requires a very superior performance integrated structure of frame and pipe retreat, allowing the dual-mounted turret to be quickly reset to its original pitch angle and balance after launch, ensuring that the second loading will not be affected.

Correspondingly, the main gun fire rate required by the design is 1-15 rounds per minute.

The fat man with a very confident face helped spread the design drawings and presented the blueprint of more than one meter wide to the Jazz reality. He also showed off his proudly: "Dear Jazz, what you see is the most powerful naval gun system in the history of the British Empire. We successfully designed a long-barrel main gun with a diameter of up to 45 times. It weighs only 577 tons, has an initial launch speed of up to 831m/second, and a firing rate of up to 15 rounds per minute. Whether it is range or armor-piercing ability, it is a world-class top work!"

"Oh? If it's true, it should be a satisfying data."

The Jazz showed a little satisfaction with his reserved look, and his sharp eyes quickly swept the overall design composition. Various data were quickly calculated in his heart, and he nodded sincerely: "It's great, it's indeed much more ideal than we thought. But, is it just to this extent? I remember that at the Navy Joint Conference last year, we made a request for a long-body barrel gun of 50 times the diameter. So, why didn't I see it?"

"Chicky old guy!" The fat salesman complained silently and replied without changing his face. "Dear sir, with your wisdom and professionalism, you should understand that the increase in the diameter of the artillery is too difficult, and it even exceeds the expansion of the caliber. Given the urgent demand of the naval side, we have done our best, and we are doing our best to do this. You see, it has a range of more than 20,000 yards, and its firing rate and accuracy are unprecedentedly high. At present, it has far exceeded the need at present."

Twenty thousand yards, or a larger range, are converted into a range of about 20 kilometers. In the naval battle at the end of the 19th century, the era when warships on both sides often had to fight at a distance of less than five kilometers was indeed far worthless.

In the era without optical rangefinders, if you only observe and aim at enemy ships with your naked eyes, you don’t expect to be able to hit it accurately if you exceed 10,000 meters. Even if you can shoot a cross-fire, it will become meaningless due to the rapid change in the direction between each other and the slow fire rate of the main gun.

But that will always change, right? Especially now, with the pearls and jades of Chinese naval ships in front, the combat distance of 10,000 yards will become the mainstream, so the main gun with a longer range, higher accuracy and faster firing rate is required to ensure attack efficiency.

Sir White was not easily moved by the other party. After quickly flipping through all the drawings, he slowly frowned and stared at the other party with sharp eyes and asked, "Is it only the main gun? I remember this should be a design drawing containing advanced gun mounts."

The fat salesman's expression froze, his eyes twitched and said with a strong smile: "Actually... I'm about to explain this to you. Our company focuses on the design of the main gun. Given the tight construction period, all the manpower is spent on completing the most critical part..."

Sir White waved his hand to interrupt his quibbling and said unhappily: "That is to say, your company has not completed the scheduled work. Just a main gun cannot solve the problem at all. So do you think this can complete the commission of the Navy Shipbuilding Commission?"

The bald fat man subconsciously rubbed his hands and sweated on his forehead. He was indeed powerless to do anything about this, and he muttered dissatisfiedly: "Damn old guy, isn't it enough for us to achieve such excellent results in such a short time? You were so stingy that you only spent a little money and thought about getting everything. It was so naive that it was impossible!"

But he didn't dare to say it out loud. After all, the authority of this director can determine the success or failure of any company's products, and he must maintain superficial respect.

Sir White sighed in a slight disappointment and turned to the engineers busy calculating gun data: "Suspend the evaluation of Armstrong's gun mount, first integrate the Vicks' dual gun mount into this main gun, and carry out the assembly and testing of the entire turret. We are now racing against time and don't have time to wait for the progress of others."

"Yes, sir."

In the Navy Shipbuilding Committee, the Jazz has an undisputed professional appeal, and his unique insights are enough to represent everyone's views, so they can be implemented without a doubt.

The bald fat man carefully wiped his forehead, secretly glad that this level was finally passed. As long as Mr. Jazz can accept their products, nothing is wrong. If the cannon stands and turrets are lost for the time being, there is nothing to do if he loses it for the time being. The key is the big order in his own hands!

Sir William White was anxious, but he had no choice but to assemble the existing things.

Fortunately, the design that was produced in half a year was excellent enough, and it was not difficult to combine Armstrong's 305mm main gun with the Vicks gun mount system. Installing it on the original rotating base will not bring much engineering volume.

In a few days, a fully installed double-equipped turret was completed. Under the personal witness of many naval masters, an epoch-making double-equipped majestic battleship main gun was successfully launched. In the Navy's naval gun test field, they personally saw that the combined complete cannon bombarded the armor-piercing projectile weighing 389 kilograms at a speed of 15 rounds per minute and more than 20 kilometers!

Applause! Applause warmly!

The members of the Admiralty Committee who came to visit received warm applause and expressed no stingy to express no false appreciation for Mr. Jazz and his great achievements under his personal supervision.

The First Minister of Maritime Affairs Sir Hoskins asked enthusiastically: "Sir Director, can we optimistically believe that the Royal Navy already has the strongest warship firepower comparable to the Chinese Navy?"

Sir White's extremely professional answer: "From my personal judgment, we can only think that we have excellent main guns that are enough to threaten the other side. But this is only part of the overall combat effectiveness of the warship. We must ensure that we keep up with the rest in order to have the inevitable grasp."

"Oh? So, based on your experience, what's the difference?"

His Excellency the Minister of Maritime Affairs obviously doesn't like to hear bad news. He especially hopes that he can achieve a dazzling good result from the beginning of his taking office. There is no doubt that building a battleship with unprecedented power and performance will greatly enhance the influence of the navy and ensure that his status is not shaken.

William White pointed out very pragmaticly: "Our biggest trouble at present is that the shipbuilding platform is not enough. Gentlemen, the test ship we have done our best to build is only 160 meters in length and the standard displacement is only 18,110 tons, which is already the limit that major shipyards can withstand. The Chinese warship, with an estimated length of nearly 200 meters, means that it has a larger displacement, may carry more main guns or have larger calibers, and must have surprising configurations in range and armor. Therefore, we cannot be too optimistic."

"Damn Chinese, I can't believe where they got the advanced equipment!"

The Minister was very unhappy and scolded the dirty words. This was a sign of severe blow to superiority and self-confidence. As a senior official of the British Empire, which was the world's number one, he could not accept that in terms of industrial technology, Britain was actually surpassed by a backward Eastern country that was expected to be in the wilderness era.

Sir White mercilessly took the blame: "But this is the reality. Dear Your Excellency, there is no doubt that the shipbuilding equipment and steel accessories we obtained from China, as well as power systems such as steam turbines, have unquestionably excellent performance and quality. We can quickly start construction of the "Defaultless" and we should also thank the other party for their generosity and trustworthiness."

But this is an unpleasant gap after all, isn't it?

Sir Hoskins was very much like grabbing Sir White's clothes and collar reminding him that the other party was an enemy, a competitor in the Far East, a threat to the British Empire, and a powerful villain who challenged the Royal Navy!

But just thinking about it, he realized the reality very discouragedly.

Based on the data from the British intelligence department, it is believed that the three suspicious warships that appeared in China are representatives of two highly related advanced maritime weapons. One has a smaller caliber, while the other has a caliber, which undoubtedly reaches the highest 305mm long-body tube main gun in the contemporary era.

This is not a problem. What is terrible is the shooting of the triple turret. After careful calculations by naval experts, it is believed that the guy has a weight of at least 700 tonnes! This means that, almost twice the total weight of the strongest double turret at present, it requires a larger crane and gantry crane to complete the installation operation.

Correspondingly, the volley of the triple main gun requires stronger warship keels, better observation and aiming methods, more advanced tactics and other series of innovations. The British Empire is ahead of the world, but it is not guaranteed to be able to defeat the other side in these aspects!

There is no doubt that China's courage to sell incredible advanced machinery and equipment to various countries shows that they have more advanced and more complete self-use. It is quite unrealistic to count on overwhelming opponents technically.

"This is a warning, the Chinese are announcing their rise, requiring all countries to pay attention to it and not to continue their usual wrong views. After all, China has too long advanced history, and their temporary backwardness does not mean permanent decline. Anyone who despises an ancient empire with a territory of tens of millions of square kilometers and a population of more than 400 million will pay a huge price for this! Even if the British Empire is far away on the other side of the earth, it cannot be taken lightly!"

Sir Hoskins's meaningful comments sounded in his heart, and the joy in his heart disappeared.

"But fortunately, the industrial capacity of the British Empire has always been advanced. Even if we fall behind temporarily, we will definitely catch up quickly. A two-hundred-meter ship platform is nothing, and a twelve-inch main gun is nothing. We can do better, build faster, and have a larger caliber!"

A crazy thought arose from the minister's mind. He decided to immediately make a new suggestion, and Britain immediately began designing a longer tube, larger caliber naval gun, and at the same time launched the design of a larger tonnage battleship. Britain must and must ensure its lead at sea, which is a prerequisite for the empire to dominate the earth for a long time.

There is no doubt that the proposal was quickly passed, and companies such as Armstrong couldn't wait to put the design of the 50-diameter 12-inch main gun and 365mm main gun on the agenda.

At the same time, after working overtime to complete the transformation of the ship platform, the three new first-class improved warships equivalent to the "Default" battleship were put into operation and construction.

The British Navy can no longer wait for the first test ship to complete all the tests before starting construction. The threat from the Far East and the competition from Germany and France to build ships always reminds them that they must take risks. The steel plates and power systems purchased from China inevitably expose the data of the battleship.

This is also a helpless choice. If you follow the first "Default" method, get some steel plates of inappropriate size and process them yourself and drill them again, the efficiency will be too slow and the UK will not be able to delay it.

The consequence of this is that Yang Hao judged the displacement of the warship under construction from the steel plates and equipment purchased by the British without any effort, and couldn't help but smile easily. Such competition is really pleasing to the eye! r1152

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Chapter completed!