Unlike the Air Force, the Ming Navy was completely started from scratch, but it was already lagging behind the West when Zhu Cihong took over.
In order to improve the size and combat effectiveness of the naval fleet, Zhu Cixiang spared no effort and spent huge sums of money.
After completing the thirteenth batch of shipbuilding plans (1709-1717), the Ming Navy already had fourteen battleships (two Scharnhorsts, twelve kings), forty-four cruisers (twenty-four Blücher, 20 Bismarcks), 135 destroyers (18 Dingyuan, 112 Yoshino), 88 frigates (42 Laiyuan, 40 Six ships reach far).
Compared with 1710, there were four fewer Bismarcks and eight Dingyuans. Two Scharnhorsts, six Kings, and four Blüchers were added.
It can be seen that the Ming Navy is gradually phasing out older ironclad ships and gradually increasing the displacement and combat effectiveness of single ships.
The decommissioned warships are not restricted or dismantled at the port, which is undoubtedly a waste of natural resources, but directly sold to allies at friendly prices after repairs...
Louis XIV looked down on second-hand goods, but heads of state from other countries, especially those who were short of money, were eager for cheap ironclads.
If you want to buy a large ironclad ship with a larger displacement but a relatively small age, such as a large ironclad ship that has been in service for about 20 years, you can only buy it from Zhu Cixiang.
At the same time, a certain emperor also wanted to use this trick to stimulate a certain European emperor, so that he would not have to think about it and even suffer from persecution paranoia!
According to Zhu Cixiang's own regulations, any country that has friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty can enjoy the treatment of purchasing an ironclad ship of more than 5,000 tons at a preferential price.
This is how four Bismarcks and eight Dingyuans were sold, but the discounted prices were not cabbage prices.
A second-hand Dingyuan costs at least 10 million silver coins, and a second-hand Bismarck costs 15 million silver coins.
It's just that it can be paid in installments, with a twenty-year loan and an annual interest of 5%.
Being able to obtain a level four ironclad ship with a down payment of 500,000 silver coins is of course extremely tempting to heads of state from other countries.
For the sake of face, it is also very cost-effective to buy it back and use it as your own ship and the flagship of your fleet.
Any country with a coastline will be willing to pay this money...
In recognition of their close cooperation at the time of the partition, Zhu Cihong gave Leopold, Frederick the Younger, and Karl the opportunity to purchase a level-5 ironclad ship with a down payment of 750,000 each.
The coastline of the Holy Roman Empire was not long, and was located in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The need for large ironclad ships was not very urgent.
However, Leopold still showed strong interest in purchasing a 10,000-ton cruiser at a preferential price.
Especially when he saw that the ships of many heads of state of small countries that were much weaker than the Holy Roman Empire were actually larger than the largest ironclad ship in his country, this was unacceptable to Leopold.
When moored together in the port, those large ships were simply openly showing off their wealth, and Leopold, who was deeply stimulated, had no room for consideration.
Frederick the Younger had little interest in ironclads, but through the war against Poland and with the support of the Ming Empire, Sweden became the undisputed northern hegemon.
…
So for Brandenburg-Prussia, it is very important to gain the support of the Ming Emperor. At least it must not become the enemy of the Ming Empire.
Even if the army's expenditure is reduced, a 10,000-ton cruiser must be purchased first, which can be regarded as a gesture of goodwill to the emperor of the Ming Empire.
After developing the Poliska copper mine and receiving dividends, the financial pressure on Prussia from purchasing cruisers was not great.
Karl is the one among the three who is really willing to continue purchasing large ironclad ships.
For the Swedish Navy, only by continuously strengthening its own strength can it continue to consolidate Sweden's dominance in Northern Europe.
The Swedish Navy used to be dominated by small ironclads such as Level 1 and Level 2. Due to financial reasons, it could only take such procurement measures to maintain the number of ironclads in the navy.
After allying with the Ming Empire and winning a series of victories, especially the elimination of Boli, the Swedish navy's strategy changed fundamentally.
Today, the Baltic Sea is divided between Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, and the Ming Empire. These four countries are actually one big and three small.
Of course, Karl would not be stupid enough to unite with the other two to challenge the larger one, which was the Baltic Fleet of the Ming Empire.
The wisest way is to continue to move closer to the Ming Empire and continue to squeeze the living space of the other two companies.
The base of the Baltic Fleet of the Ming Empire was Boluo Fort. The permanent fleet consisted of one level seven ironclad ship, two level six ironclad ships, two level five ironclad ships, four level four ironclad ships, and four level three ironclad ships.
It can be seen that there are no small ironclads below four thousand tons in the entire fleet, all are large and medium-sized ironclads.
People in the industry are very clear about the role of such a fleet. This fleet deployed in the Baltic Sea is not used for fighting, but serves as an armed deterrent.
Regardless of the parties, as long as they do not attack the Ming Empire's fleet and maintain the safety of trade routes, then everyone can live in peace and make money together.
otherwise……
The closest to the Baltic Fleet is the Mediterranean Fleet of the Ming Empire. The type and configuration of the ironclad ships are almost the same as the former.
The two fleets, one located in northern Europe and the other in southern Europe, are almost unable to help each other in a short period of time.
But no one dares to mess with it, because everyone
Dear, this chapter is not finished yet, there is still the next page^0^ As you all know, these two fleets are just two overseas squadrons of the Ming Empire Navy.
Perhaps it would be possible to severely damage a certain squadron, if we work hard.
In today's world, who can withstand the wrath of the main fleet of the Ming Empire's navy?
Coupled with the equally powerful air force and army, the consequences would be disastrous...
So if you dare to sneak attack the Ming Empire's squadron, are you planning to destroy yourself?
A certain emperor kept selling off the navy's large armored ships, and Jie Xuan did not show any displeasure at all.
The reason is very simple, that is, the Ming Navy has begun to transform.
From a fleet dominated by artillery to a fleet dominated by artillery and carrier-based aircraft.
There are two main types of carrier-based aircraft, one is fixed-wing, and the other is rotary-wing aircraft, also known as helicopters.
The twelfth batch (1702-1709) shipbuilding plan included four amphibious assault ships modified based on the sixth-level ironclad (Blücher).
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Since the displacement of the sixth-level ironclad ships is not large, these four amphibious assault ships can only be regarded as experimental products, serving as large-scale carriers for the Marine Corps' landing operations.
The previously completed thirteenth batch of shipbuilding plans includes four amphibious assault ships modified from the seventh-class ironclad (King).
The displacement of this type is close to 30,000 tons, and the resulting amphibious assault ship looks impressive.
After the war against Boli ended, the Ministry of War also began to tilt the production of armed helicopters towards the navy.
The Type 1 (Level 6 ironclad) amphibious assault ship can carry eight "Black Hawk" armed helicopters, and the Type 2 (Level 7 ironclad) amphibious assault ship can carry 16 "Black Hawk" helicopters.
If eight amphibious assault ships are dispatched together, they can form a huge attack group of nearly a hundred aircraft at a time to carry out saturation air attacks on enemy positions and fortresses on the beach.
Unlike later generations of amphibious assault ships, Zhu Cixi asked the Academy of Sciences to not consider reserving space for the landing craft during the early modification design.
The priority of the hull is the hangar, followed by the fuel depot, and finally the crew's living quarters.
In wartime, small landing craft can be carried by merchant ships. Just install the corresponding boom on the merchant ship.
After tasting the benefits of amphibious assault ships, in the fourteenth batch (1717-1724) of the shipbuilding plan, the number of Type II amphibious assault ships increased to eight.
There are only four aircraft carriers of the same type, but there is no doubt that the Navy prefers amphibious assault ships because the latter are more practical.
Unlike amphibious assault ships, aircraft carriers are equipped with angled decks in order to place more carrier-based aircraft without affecting normal takeoff and landing.
Different from later generations, the angled deck is used to park carrier-based aircraft, while the through deck is used for normal takeoff and landing.
The reason is that the power of the catapult is insufficient, and the longest take-off distance must be retained to ensure that the carrier-based aircraft does not fall directly into the sea.
The second type of aircraft carrier is not bad, but the appearance of the "Black-footed Albatross" is really not small, and it needs a carrier with a larger displacement to carry it.
For the Navy, there is another problem, that is, the armed helicopters carried by the amphibious assault ships can at least frequently strike coastal targets.
After the "Black-footed Albatross" took off from the aircraft carrier, apart from fighting deep inland, it was almost a group of tourists with the same name as it at sea!
If you really fly into the hinterland to attack the target, you can just use the same type of fighter jets from the Air Force. There is no need to dispatch carrier-based aircraft units that are time-consuming, laborious and expensive.
In view of the existence of this useless thing, with the persistence of Zhu Cixiang and Jiexuan, it is already a good thing to be able to build four aircraft carriers in the previous batch of shipbuilding plans.
The Ming Navy already has two Type 1 aircraft carriers, four Type 2 aircraft carriers, and two experimental aircraft carriers of the Academy of Sciences, for a total of eight.
In each of the three batches of shipbuilding plans, the 14th, 15th, and 16th, the Navy will purchase eight Type II aircraft carriers, for a total of 24 ships.
Although the span is as long as twenty-two years, the lead of the Ming Navy is very large.
All twenty-four aircraft carriers have been launched, and they can still maintain technological advancement.
After the French Navy saw the new warship such as the aircraft carrier, Louis XIV approved Tourville's suggestion.
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A 10,000-ton merchant ship was modified and put on the through deck to be used as a test ship.
The carrier-based aircraft is naturally the "Albatross" fighter. Since this fighter aircraft is smaller in size and weight, and requires smaller take-off and landing conditions than the "Black-footed Albatross", it is still very suitable as a carrier-based aircraft for the French Navy.
The only problem is that the "Albatross" is a single-engine fighter, and one engine means it is not very reliable. It may fall into the sea while flying...
This is the main reason why Zhu Cixi rejected the use of the "Albatross" as a carrier-based aircraft, preferring to purchase the very expensive "Black-footed Albatross".
It can be said that none of the Ming Dynasty naval aviation, especially the carrier-based aircraft unit, is cheap.
The "Black-footed Albatross" costs four times as much as the "Albatross" and the "Black Hawk" costs three times as much as the "Albatross".
The aircraft carrier was also modified from an ironclad ship, and no merchant ships were used to make do with it.
Normally, one would not be able to tell the difference between the two.
But in wartime, the ability of merchant ships to withstand attacks is truly amazing...
The second type of aircraft carrier is only a transitional product. Zhu Cixiang has asked the Academy of Sciences to develop the third type of aircraft carrier, which is the Zeppelin type aircraft carrier.
A beveled deck was installed on the left side of the hull.
Dear, this chapter is not finished yet, there is the next page^0^. In order to balance the weight, two elevators will be installed on the right side of the hull.
The pass-through deck is also longer than the prototype, and new, more powerful catapults will be installed.
The hangar is larger than the Type 2 aircraft carrier and is expected to be able to carry twenty to twenty-four "Black-footed Albatross".
Since the fourteenth batch of shipbuilding plans has already begun, Zhu Cixiang feels that if there is enough time, the Zeppelin aircraft carrier will appear in the fifteenth batch.
As a result, the previous aircraft carrier construction plan will have to be revised.
The fifteenth batch purchased one Zeppelin aircraft carrier test ship and four König-type aircraft carriers. Starting from the sixteenth batch, it became the purchase of four Zeppelin-type aircraft carriers.
As for whether to continue to purchase the King aircraft carrier, we have to wait for the results of sea trials after the Zeppelin aircraft carrier test ship is launched.
If the test data is good, then the King-type aircraft carrier will be directly axed. Otherwise, four of each type will be built.
The reason why there is no large-scale construction of aircraft carriers is that it is not necessary yet. Zhu Cixiang still wants to use artillery-type warships to fish...
Aircraft carriers will be the maritime overlords fifty years from now, but at present, artillery battleships are still the rulers of the oceans.
Besides, raising a Type II aircraft carrier is much more expensive than raising a fellow battleship.
Aircraft carriers are different from battleships. The latter can be dispatched alone, while the former must be equipped with an escort fleet.
Even in normal times, if a carrier-based aircraft falls into the sea, even if it can be fished out, if water enters the engine, the entire aircraft will need to be overhauled.
Most of the time it is a one-time reimbursement and you have to buy a new one.
To train a qualified carrier-based aircraft pilot, even if he is transferred from the Air Force, he must be prepared to fly a few more aircraft.
Even for the wealthy Ming Dynasty Navy, they lost three or four "Black-footed Albatross" a day.
After a year of accumulation, the total amount is absolutely unbearable...
Therefore, it is reasonable for the fleet to have a small number of aircraft carriers and a small scale of carrier-based aircraft.
During the summit, Louis XIV also hoped that Zhu Cihong would let Jiexuan help Tourville to train carrier-based aircraft units for the French Navy.
Zhu Cixiang agreed, but the other party could only scratch the surface because the carrier-based aircraft used by both sides were completely different.
The "Black-footed Albatross" will not be exported in the short term, and it is useless for the French Navy to learn to use this kind of fighter aircraft to take off and land on aircraft carriers in the Ming Dynasty.
Even if it is exported, ordinary people cannot afford it, because the wholesale price is as high as half a million silver coins!
Retail sales and installment payments are not accepted. The starting quantity is only fifty, with a total price of 25 million silver coins!
In order not to overly stimulate Louis XIV, Zhu Cihong also declined Poirot and Ibrahim's purchase.
Both of them are wealthy owners, and they especially hope that their country's air force will be equipped with this excellent-performance fighter jet.
The specific time for export was suspended in 1740, more than twenty years later.
Zhu Cixiang is very confident in the cutting-edge weapons manufactured by Ming Dynasty, and its performance will not lag behind by then.
Like the Black Prince in the late Ming Dynasty
Dear, this chapter is finished, I wish you a happy reading! ^0^
