Zhu Jingyuan did not directly comment on Wang Lai and the craftsmen's concerns, but first asked about other situations:
"Let's not talk about our future plans. Several design plans based on the initial indicators I requested have now been basically finalized, right?"
Wang Lai nodded solemnly and said:
"Battleships and aircraft carriers have produced a total of six detailed design drafts for both types of battleships, and they have all been finalized.
“What we should do now is to select the two most suitable design plans from these basically completed plans.
“Draw out formal design drawings, then break them down into engineering drawings and hand them over to the shipyard to start construction.
“However, everyone looked at the various data of the new naval guns and shells, and was a little dissatisfied with the existing design indicators, and wanted to modify the indicators and redraw the drawings.
"However, I believe that the most critical issue is the choice between the two design tendencies of a purely decisive battle warship and a warship that continues to participate in low-level battles.
"Now even if the design indicators are changed, we still have to face this choice, but it is at a higher level."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded gently after hearing this.
I have participated in most of the design meetings, so I know roughly where the current problems are.
The so-called decisive battle battleship, as the name suggests, is designed to compete with the enemy's fleet, and other uses are basically not considered.
Craftsmen believe that the decisive battleship has a single purpose and can adopt the "absolute core protection" design proposed by Zhu Jingyuan.
It is what craftsmen call an "extreme or blank" protective design.
For the most important core areas on the hull, that is, the engines, boilers, ammunition depots, turrets and other compartments, the armor defense design level is directly upgraded to the highest standard within the limitations of the hull size and tonnage.
For other unimportant areas on the hull, armor protection can be completely abandoned, with only the structural frame and hull like civilian ships.
This is almost stud...
The protective effect of the core area of this kind of battleship is of course very good.
Even if the bow, stern and upper deck are completely smashed, as long as the armor box in the core area is not broken, the ship itself will most likely not sink.
The shortcomings are also obvious. The bow, stern and superstructure are easily damaged, and may even turn around or cut off the tail.
The navigation and maneuverability of a ship are directly related to the shape of the hull.
As long as the hull structure is damaged, the navigation performance will plummet.
The ability to rush to the scene was simply gone, and it was impossible to continue fighting with the fleet, so we could only slowly move back to repair the ship.
There is a high probability that this kind of ship will not die no matter how hard it is hit, but it will be easily injured as long as it participates in the battle. If it is injured, it will have to go back to repair the ship.
It may happen: repair the ship once, go out once, participate in a battle, go back and repair the ship immediately, and so on.
Therefore, the craftsmen believe that they are suitable to join the decisive battle fleet that will decide the outcome.
If the decisive battle fleet is won and our fleet controls the sea, no matter how slow it is on the way home, it doesn't matter. It can be temporarily repaired on the battlefield before leaving, or it can be dragged home by teammates.
If you don't win, then sink yourself, lest you be captured by the enemy and taken back.
Another type of battleship is a "universal battleship" that considers various types of battles.
They have to take into account avant-garde battles and decisive battles, break-up and counter-break battles, and need to deal with encounters under special sea conditions and climate, etc.
They can't just go back to the dock after one fight. They need to fight continuously and maintain their combat effectiveness for a long time.
It needs to cruise on the ocean for a long time, continue to drive and hunt enemy cruisers, and also needs to tangle with enemy screen ships and capital ships.
Craftsmen believe that if such comprehensive combat needs are to be considered, the only choice is to adopt a "graded protection" design.
Depending on the importance of different parts of the battleship, different thicknesses and types of armor are arranged, and the armor box is also divided into three to four levels.
Most areas of the hull have armor of varying thicknesses, so they will not be easily damaged or distorted.
In the case of minor injuries, it usually does not affect navigation and combat capabilities, and there is even no fear of being washed on the deck.
In a real naval battle, battleships are absolutely overwhelming in size. If a cruiser wants to challenge a battleship one-on-one, it will basically die.
When a cruiser faces a decisive battleship, there is a certain chance that the battleship will be sent back to the shipyard for repairs.
Facing a general-purpose battleship, you may just let the battleship's paint be spent, without affecting her ability to fight in the decisive battle, or you may continue to massacre the next group of cruisers.
Obviously, the graded protection is a universal idealized design, so it is called a universal battleship.
The shortcomings of this design are also very obvious.
Under the same tonnage, the core compartment protection effect of a general-purpose battleship is definitely lower than that of a battleship designed with "absolute core protection".
Because the protection of non-core areas takes up the armor share.
To achieve the same level of core protection, the tonnage of general-purpose battleships must continue to increase.
Here comes the paradox.
After the tonnage of the absolute core-protected battleship increases, it can continue to strengthen its core defense level!
In the original history of the Earth Navy, the pure "absolute core protection" design and the traditional conservative hierarchical protection design existed for a very short time.
Basically, it existed around the 1920s, less than twenty years in total.
At that time, it happened to be the "Naval Holiday" period caused by the Naval Treaty. None of the naval powers built new ships, and most of the designs were shot on the design drawings.
On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, those cutting-edge battleships of the new era, except for the "final decisive battle weapon Yamato", were basically a mixture of the two ideas.
They are all "radical version of hierarchical protection designs influenced by core defense concepts."
Or “an optimized core defense design that draws on hierarchical protection design ideas.”
This design direction is actually the most difficult to master.
Protective armor needs to be designed in stages. How many levels should it be divided into? How to divide it specifically?
To what specific level should the different areas and equipment on the battleship be classified?
What is the best value for the difference between the armor thickness ratios of different levels?
What proportion should main armor and horizontal armor account for?
In the era without computer simulation, it was difficult to directly find the real optimal range, and one could only rely on the experience of the navy and designers.
Therefore, although most of the new battleships of World War II in history were designed in this style, the design effects were uneven.
The outstandingly designed Richelieu-class and Veneto-class ships were talked about by later generations.
The Bismarck class, which had little design experience, was derided as the best World War I battleship.
Yamato, the final battle weapon, was not intended to be universal, and went back to adopting the most extreme and absolute core defense design.
Now, in this world, under the guidance of Zhu Jingyuan, Ming craftsmen are also heading straight for the ultimate goal of hybrid design.
But Zhu Jingyuan himself only knows the concept and direction, and has no ability to grasp the "degree between radical and conservative".
The craftsmen also did not have enough experience. Before Zhu Jingyuan provided guidance, they did not even have a mature core protection idea.
After half a year of going back and forth about computing power, the craftsmen were still not fully sure of the final choice.
So the final result is that three different plans have been formed in the design of the new battleship, and we hope to continue to modify them.
This seems to be a matter of course for Zhu Jingyuan.
Design experience needs to be accumulated.
Battleship design is not something that can be done once and for all. It needs to be constantly iterated and updated.
Specific to a warship, after it is built, it can still be significantly upgraded and renovated, original problems can be corrected, and new equipment can be replaced.
A one-off design that leaves no margin at all is an immature design. Design problems like Zumwalt have nothing to do with whether there is margin.
Zhu Jingyuan stood up and came to the discussion table, where a pile of staged design drawings were now placed.
There are several overall overview drawings that are close to being finalized and are placed at the top.
There are three sets for battleships and three sets for aircraft carriers.
The Battleship One plan adopts an absolute core protection design, and other parameters have also been extremely adjusted to meet the needs of the decisive battle.
It uses four triple-mounted 360mm naval guns. The main armor thickness is 360mm, tilted at 20 degrees, and has a maximum speed of 23 knots.
This is a typical "Iron Bastard", and its defense level is obviously beyond the standard in this era.
If placed in the original history of the earth, it would become the second largest battleship in the world after Yamato, far surpassing cutting-edge battleships such as Iowa and Richelieu.
Zhu Jingyuan glanced at it and gave up immediately. From the beginning, he did not want this kind of battleship that would soon be eliminated.
Although the design plan includes plans to upgrade the boiler and increase the speed to 27 knots.
Although Zhu Jingyuan is also considering upgrading the boiler, he must also prepare for the possibility of not upgrading the boiler and directly using it for elimination.
There is really no way to join the aircraft carrier formation activities in the 23rd knot, and the 27th knot is relatively conservative.
The Battleship II plan adopts a mixture and compromise of the two ideas, while leaning towards a more traditional design.
The main gun was reduced to three, and the main armor thickness was reduced to 280 mm. It was still arranged at an angle of 20 degrees, and the maximum speed was 30 knots.
On the basis of having a complete primary and secondary armor box, the overall protection of the superstructure above the main armor has also been significantly strengthened.
Battleship Plan No. 3 is also a hybrid plan of the two ideas, but in the opposite direction to Plan No. 2, it is more inclined to strengthen core protection.
The thickness of the main armor has been increased to 300 mm, and the upper armor extending upward from the main armor has been abandoned. There are also obvious trade-offs in the protection of the superstructure.
The bow of the ship is completely unarmored and will "turn around" as long as it is hit by another ship. This is a reference to the historical battleship Wisconsin.
In the history of the original world, the new battleships of World War II were basically the last plan.
Because World War II was already an era in which spears were slightly larger than shields, shields must be strengthened as much as possible within the controllable range.
After Zhu Jingyuan thought about it for a long time, he turned to Wang Lai and the other craftsmen:
“A final plan must be selected today, and construction must officially start before the end of the year.
"The No. 1 ship plan is abandoned immediately. Let me see how many hands are raised that support the No. 2 plan?"
After Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, the craftsmen at the scene hesitated for a while, and almost half of them raised their hands, including Wang Lai.
Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly, and then asked the craftsmen who supported Plan No. 3. As a result, almost one-third of the craftsmen raised their hands.
Obviously, the remaining one-sixth are the real radicals who support Plan 1.
The more radical the proposal, the smaller the number of people who support it.
The most conservative option is the most popular.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at Wang Lai:
"Mr. Wang, please tell me why you and most of the craftsmen support Plan 2."
Wang Lai has a relatively gentle character. When he is in charge, he will comprehensively report on the situation of the craftsmen and be as impartial as possible.
But when you are a craftsman, you will stick to your own personal point of view:
"I believe that the current naval combat plans of various countries in Europe and the West still remain at the level of bayonet washing the deck at a close range of five kilometers.
“Our long-range combat ideas are not yet fully mature, and we still need to prepare for possible close-range raids by cruisers.
“So my suggestion is that this battleship Fearless is used as an experimental ship, and the superstructure still needs to provide protection against small-caliber artillery.
"At the same time, the new armor developed based on the new armor formula provided by His Highness has completed trial production, and the defense effect has been significantly improved.
"The tilted armor installation method proposed by His Highness can once again improve the defense effect of armor of the same thickness.
"Now our 280mm armor is enough to defend against the latest naval guns of the European and American countries at a distance of ten kilometers.
“Moreover, we can expect that after our new 360mm fifty-fold caliber naval gun enters service, the combat range of our new warships will continue to increase to fifteen kilometers or even further.
“Under such circumstances, the relatively conservative design of Plan 2 can improve the sustained combat capability as much as possible while ensuring the absolute superiority of our fleet.
"This design fully meets our needs without pursuing the more extreme options 1 and 3."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded lightly with great satisfaction:
"Okay, then we will finalize Plan No. 2, complete the formal drawings on the way back to the capital, and start work directly after returning to the capital."
Historically, the most chosen direction during World War II was the direction of Plan 3.
But the new Ming Dynasty battleships in this world appeared too early.
When the defense of the core area is sufficient, it is a natural choice to strengthen the protection of other areas and increase the continuous combat capability.
But some craftsmen seem reluctant to accept this option.
There has always been a clear difference in personality between craftsmen and officials with craftsman backgrounds and officials with meritorious backgrounds who are required to take exams in ordinary universities.
The characters of the craftsmen are obviously more straightforward. Wang Lai's kind is relatively rare, and Li Rui's kind is typical.
In addition, Zhu Jingyuan has always been very kind to the craftsmen and mingle with them all day long, so the craftsmen will not be too afraid.
So, just as Zhu Jingyuan announced his decision, a craftsman in his thirties immediately spoke:
"Your Highness, Plan No. 2 is still too conservative. We cannot guarantee that the enemy's naval gun manufacturing technology and gunnery skills will not improve by leaps and bounds in the next ten years.
"Emperor Shizu said at the beginning that things that most people agree with may not be correct, and the truth is often in the hands of a few people.
"So I don't agree with the voting decision. I still hope that His Highness can reconsider Plan No. 3. If Plan No. 2 must be adopted, then please His Highness continue to increase the tonnage limit to 50,000 tons."
Zhu Jingyuan laughed directly after hearing this:
“Our ship Fearless will be able to serve as a battleship for the next ten years or so, and will gradually take a back seat in the future.
“The main force’s position will be given to a new generation of capital ships with larger tonnage.
“After more than ten years, the enemy has upgraded, and it’s time for us to have battleships with larger tonnage.
"Don't go to 50,000 tons, go straight to 60,000 tons, and use 420mm naval guns. That will be everyone's new task in the future."
The craftsman was obviously stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously and said with longing:
"Sixty thousand tons! Forty-two centimeters! This is really great!"
Zhu Jingyuan was suddenly speechless.
This guy obviously prefers a bigger boat. As for the choice between Plan 2 and Plan 3, it doesn't seem to be particularly important to him.
Many craftsmen at the scene also understood what had just happened, and suddenly burst into suppressed laughter.
