In Zhu Jingyuan's mind, he had the development history of modern naval ships in his previous life, as well as a large number of experiences and lessons learned by future generations.
Based on these theoretical foundations, how to plan the naval ship system of the Ming Empire in the next thirty years?
Simply considering the total cost of construction and use, enough battlecruisers can be built in batches to serve as the main force of the current era.
After the aircraft carrier tactics mature, these old battle cruisers will be fully upgraded and transformed with new technologies, and equipped with anti-aircraft guns to serve as an air defense escort platform for the aircraft carrier.
Until guided weapons are fully mature, large artillery battleships are completely eliminated.
No other new dreadnought battleships can be built during the entire process.
In the original history, the life cycle of dreadnought battleships and battleship cruisers from their birth to their elimination was just over fifty years.
In this world, with its own guidance and acceleration, the cycle will shorten again, perhaps only thirty to forty years.
The lifespan of a capital ship is roughly that many years.
Simply considering the cost of construction and use, it is indeed possible to formulate such a plan.
However, if we consider the need to maintain sea control, maintain the more important world maritime hegemony, and maintain strategic deterrence, we cannot do this.
The current world situation is very close to the situation before and after World War I in my previous life.
It was a period when the second industrial revolution was in full swing and weapons and equipment technology was developing rapidly.
With the current level of industrial technology of the Europeans, it is estimated that a 40,000 to 50,000-ton dreadnought battleship will be built in more than ten years.
More than 20 years later, if the United Kingdom follows the example of Japan in Zhu Jingyuan's world line in his previous life, it will not be impossible to build a 60,000-70,000-ton warship.
By that time, if the Ming Dynasty still only had battlecruisers with a similar reputation, it would obviously be unable to restrain their urge to use battleships for decisive battles.
Therefore, before the aircraft carrier can form combat effectiveness, Ming Dynasty cannot only have battle cruisers with similar reputation as the main force, but also have cutting-edge battleships similar to Iowa and even Yamato.
Considering the Ming Dynasty's international status, even if the aircraft carrier has initially formed combat effectiveness, it still cannot directly give up the super battleship.
The aircraft carrier, which was born as a cruiser, still needs to prove itself in actual combat, and it needs to send multiple battleships to the seabed to cultivate coral.
Let all naval countries clearly understand that aircraft carriers have absolute advantages over battleships, and aircraft carriers can become the absolute main force in naval battles until they can truly form a strategic deterrent.
Before that, Ming Dynasty still needs to continue to maintain a number of super battleships.
If there is no war like World War II and the aircraft carrier cannot quickly prove itself, this process will be longer.
In this case, super capital ships, like super nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the new century, are an important fulcrum supporting the empire's strategic deterrence capabilities.
Their existence itself is their meaning, and there is no such thing as a waste if they cannot fight.
Unless, like Japan in the previous life, Yamato was kept secret until they were eliminated...
The current international status of Ming Dynasty is completely different from that before World War II, and is more similar to the United States in the new century.
Therefore, Ming Dynasty’s super battleships will be publicly promoted and displayed.
Just as Zhu Jingyuan said to the old emperor before, they will be the glory and symbol of the empire and navy.
After considering this, how to plan the design of future warships?
First build a batch of battle cruisers with similar prestige, and then build a batch of super battleships in a dozen years?
Or is it the same historical context as in the previous life, with battle cruisers and traditional battleships built together?
After waiting for relevant technologies to mature, merge the technologies of the two lines to form a complete "new high-speed battleship"?
However, since as a time traveler, I already know that high-speed battleships are the complete form of dreadnoughts, I also know what their cutting edge is.
Can I skip battle cruisers and traditional battleships and go directly to design and build high-speed battleships?
It's definitely impossible to get it right in one step, but it shouldn't be a big problem to come up with a semi-finished product.
On the last generation of cutting-edge high-speed battleships, many designs have little to do with technical level. Many of them are formed by new ideas and ideas, as well as the accumulation of experience and lessons.
For example, key protection design, horizontal armor and core armor box, inclined main armor, multi-layer protruding mine protection structure, application and defense of water bombs, armor stripping cap design, hood capped armor-piercing projectiles, etc.
Most of these technologies can be reproduced quickly and can be directly applied to radical dreadnought designs along with small water tube oil boilers and steam turbine technology.
As for complete damage control programs, complete anti-aircraft weapons and command systems, better observation and firing command systems, radars and ballistic computers, etc.
These are currently not mature enough, or are technologies that have not yet been established. Space margins can be left in the hull design in advance.
Then take the initiative to promote the development of the corresponding technology, and wait until it is basically mature to install it through upgrading and transformation.
By then, this semi-finished high-speed battleship will be ready to be completed.
Under such a framework, after the high-speed battleship becomes a complete body, there is definitely no need to worry about its combat effectiveness.
The key is the combat effectiveness during the semi-finished product period...
It seems there is no need to worry too much.
The defensive power of a battleship of this design will definitely exceed that of a traditional battle cruiser, and its sinking resistance should not be weaker than that of a traditional slow-speed battleship, which is what military fans jokingly call the Iron Bastard.
But since it is a high-speed battleship, the most important thing is speed.
If the speed cannot be increased, then she will be an iron bastard with a more fashionable defense design.
If the power bay needs to be stretched too far and the defense or firepower needs to be weakened to reach a speed that is not too low, then it is just a battle cruiser with a better design.
Of course, even if they can only do this, they are still more useful than traditional battleships and battlecruisers.
As for the specific level that can be achieved, details need to be confirmed with the relevant power system manufacturers during the formal design.
At the same time, these warships will not be clearly divided into one or two batches for design and construction.
Because during the design and construction process of warships, it should not put too much pressure on the empire's finances, but the shipbuilding manufacturers should always have orders and maintain the production and construction technology of large warships.
Therefore, we must continue to build evenly, and at the same time, we must also continue to optimize the design in depth.
Then gradually differentiate the mature design to form two to three optimal design solutions with different sizes and uses.
Small battleships lead the activities of the screen cruiser fleet, large and medium-sized battleships are built in large numbers as the main body of the decisive battle fleet, and large battleships exist in small numbers as a strategic deterrent.
Although, due to the existence of the cost trap of medium-sized ships, small capital ships are not cost-effective for big countries.
However, Zhu Jingyuan believes that the small battleships are at least 30,000 tons, similar in size to France's Dunkirk-class battleships, and are the absolute main force at the current stage.
After all, even now, including Ming Dynasty himself, the world's largest battleship has a tonnage of less than 20,000 tons.
When the 30,000-ton battleships become "small" battleships, Ming Dynasty will probably not build new capital ships of similar size.
These early-built battleships, like the battle cruisers in history, were upgraded and transformed again in the era close to World War II, and were used as "small" battleships.
Generally speaking, Zhu Jingyuan only needs to complete the design of "small" battleships now, and medium and large battleships will be gradually upgraded with technological development.
As for the design of aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers, the same logic can be used and we can go straight to the optimal design of the World War II era.
If you can't make a complete product now, you can make a semi-finished product first. Even a semi-finished product is much easier to use than the conservative first version.
In this mode, the design and construction costs of a single ship will definitely be relatively high.
After all, the tonnage of the main ship has soared by 70%, and a large number of new technologies must be used at the same time.
However, there will be a longer period of peace and development after the peace talks, and new warships do not need to immediately explode in production capacity and quantity.
We will actively catalyze the maturity of relevant technologies, maintain continuous construction, and continuously reduce the actual cost of a single ship, so that it can eventually fall within an acceptable range.
