Blue Star In June 1865, after the destruction of the "Glory" fleet, the "Warrior" fleet of the American country was temporarily confused about the situation. In order to be safe, it returned to Nanzhou, and China's maritime blockade was completely lifted.
Small battleships have the same fighting style as small battleships, but if you want to carry out landing operations and attack coastal cities, you still need giant ships.
After all, heavy artillery can blow open the city wall with one shot and destroy all the fortifications in a short period of time, which can save a lot of trouble.
Blue Star In early 1865, Zhang Zhidong had secretly gone to the Fujian Shipyard to research and manufacture the largest ironclad ship in history (the "Blue Whale"), with a length of 200 meters and a width of 25 meters.
The displacement is expected to reach 22,000 tons, and the thickness of the armor in important parts is as high as 250mm. In other words, with the performance of the current artillery shells of the Western powers, the same position cannot be penetrated by three consecutive shells.
There are 6 twin-mounted main gun turrets (300mm and 400mm main guns) in the ship, two at the bow, one at the stern, and one behind the boiler room amidships, arranged on the center line of the hull; 2 boilers Between the cabins, there is a symmetrical arrangement on each side. In addition to the main gun, there are 50 200mm secondary guns, and there are also 5 18-inch underwater torpedo launchers.
The ship is equipped with 18 coal-fired steam boilers and 4 steam turbine units with a power of 23,500 horsepower and a maximum speed of 20 knots.
Blue Star In December 1865, Shi Dakai and Zhang Zhidong went to the Fujian Shipyard together.
The factory is located on the coast and is surrounded by tall walls. The iron chains on the walls shine coldly in the sun.
On both sides of the gate, two huge stone lions stand majestically, as if guarding this mysterious and important place. When you walk into the gate, the first thing you see is a wide pier, with many brand-new warships docked on the pier.
Walking along the pier, you can see rows of huge factory buildings. These factories are built of solid stone and steel, and the roofs are covered with thick smoke and steam.
In the factory, workers are busy busy, and the sounds of cutting, grinding, and welding come and go, forming a symphony of labor.
Between the factories, complex production lines are operating in an orderly manner. Workers, wearing heavy work clothes and safety helmets, holding tools, busily shuttled between the production lines.
Around the factory, there are green trees and blooming flowers. There are winding paths leading to every corner.
On both sides of the path, there are many tall towers and observation towers, which are used to monitor the surrounding environment and ship conditions.
It can be said that this is the warship manufacturing plant that symbolizes the peak of Blue Star's military industry in the 19th century.
Shi Dakai was wearing a simple coat and walking in the factory area. In front of him was a huge ship frame and steel structure. A giant crane hangs high in the air, swinging its giant arm, and workers are using huge force to install giant steel plates to the hull.
Shi Dakai gently stroked the hull with his hand, feeling the power that this giant ship was about to possess.
He whispered to himself: "Once this ironclad ship comes out, it can be said to be one of the eight wonders of mankind."
Zhang Zhidong walked up to Shi Dakai and introduced the design and planning of the ironclad ship in detail, and explained the structure of the hull, the layout of the naval guns, and the advancement of the firepower system.
"President, once we complete the construction of the "Blue Whale", the navy of any country in the world will be crushed by us. By then we will be able to dominate the global ocean, and the situation like Blue Star's 1863 Battle of the Yellow Sea will never happen again."
Zhang Zhidong was full of pride.
"The number of M-shaped national railway ships is nearly 10 times that of ours. It will be safer to gradually fight a war of attrition."
The craftsmen worked silently on the sidelines. They used hammers and rivets to hammer the steel plates and fix them to the hull.
Blue Star In December 1865, after a whole year of research and development and manufacturing, the "Blue Whale" finally came out. Its appearance is majestic and spectacular, like a hill in the sea, solemn and solid, and like a huge whale, domineering The earth swims in the ocean.
Its surface is covered with a thick layer of armor, which is indestructible, like a work of art carefully polished by the years.
The bow of the ship is raised, sharp as a sword, as if to declare sovereignty over the ocean. The stern of the ship is wide, like the tail of a giant dragon, agile and powerful.
Around the hull, turrets made of steel stand proudly. The turrets are loaded with various artillery pieces, and they shine brightly in the sun.
The deck of the "Blue Whale" is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the light of the sun. It travels in the waves, like a sleeping giant slowly waking up. Its appearance has undoubtedly brought endless deterrence to naval fleets around the world.
In the current world, the navy of the United States is the largest navy. The Navy of the United States has 2,000 ironclad ships with a displacement of nearly 800,000 tons. The combined displacement of the countries ranked 2 to 6 is not as large as that of the United States. Therefore, ability Become an empire on which the sun never sets.
The second most reliable one is the Chinese Navy. The Chinese Navy has a total of 90 submarines, 5 supply ships, 200 small ironclad ships, and 1 giant ironclad ship (more than twice the size of the "Warrior"). The displacement is still the same as before. Although the 150,000 tons are lower than those of the Gallic Kingdom, the weapons and equipment are far ahead of the Western powers.
Even if the Navy of the United States were to have a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy, it was hard to say who would win.
