As an emperor, Zuo Mengeng had a strong purpose no matter where he went.
The reason why we inspected the Zhoushan Islands is because a major event happened here that could affect history.
The Ministry of the Navy reports that Zhoushan Shipyard has completed the construction of the first-class battleship and is ready for launch.
A first-class battleship is naturally an absolute important weapon of the country, and it is certainly worthy of Zuo Mengeng’s visit.
Among all the shipyards in the empire, Zhoushan Shipyard was established the latest.
But precisely because of this, Zhoushan Shipyard has an unparalleled advantage in accepting new technologies.
In addition, the harbor here is deep enough, the area is vast, and the climate is pleasant, so the construction period will not be delayed due to cold.
So the Navy Department placed the construction of first-class battleships here.
As early as the launch of the third-class battleship, the Navy had already begun research on the first-class battleship.
Because of the detailed drawings drawn by Zuo Mengeng, the research work progressed fairly smoothly. After eight years, the first-class battleship was finally transformed from drawings into real objects.
This is a huge event. Not only Zuo Mengeng, but also the leaders of the three major fleets Zuo Hua, Zhang Keda, and Shang Kexi, Luo Shuilin, Vice Minister of the Navy, E Honglue, Dean of the Naval Ship Academy, and Wang Yun from the Cabinet Jiang Wei and Dang Huanchun all attended the launching ceremony.
When you walk into the dock, you will see what looks like a castle standing across the plains, blocking out the clouds and the sun, with unparalleled oppressive power.
Seeing the real thing for the first time, Zuo Hua and others were all excited and excited.
Such a behemoth naturally gives people an invincible domineering air.
Especially since such a sea fortress still belongs to our side, it makes everyone smile.
On the dock, the officers and soldiers waiting to receive the new ship had already gathered together.
Everyone is wearing the latest and cleanest uniforms, and everyone is in high morale and high energy.
In the navy, there are naturally three, six, and nine levels.
Working on a bigger ship makes you feel prouder and superior to others.
"Your Majesty, as well as all the officers, have lived up to their trust, and we can finally give an account."
Fan Xianrong, director of Zhoushan Shipyard, is only forty years old, but he looks as if he is over sixty.
There is no way, the construction of first-class battleships is really a test of the capabilities of Zhoushan Shipyard.
From the factory director down to every worker, they all devoted 120% of their energy and worked day and night for three years before finally completing the construction of this battleship.
Zuo Mengeng walked to the shore, looked up at the world's first first-class battleship, and kept comparing it with the Victory in his memory.
Overall, this first-class strategic ship has many similarities with the legendary Victory, but there are also differences.
After all, the empire's shipbuilding had opened up many new paths at the beginning of its development, so it had many unique features in the technical field.
The drawings drawn by Zuo Mengeng only gave the ship designers more reference, and they also incorporated their own skills and understanding into them.
For example, the first-class battleship in front of me is much simpler than the Victory in terms of sails.
This is also the consistent style of imperial sailing ships.
Just because the quality of the canvas produced by the empire is far ahead, spanning almost two hundred years of technological research and development and accumulation.
The better the quality of the canvas, the more economical it will be in manufacturing sails, which will also simplify the number of sails.
Reducing the number of sails will make them more convenient to operate and can greatly reduce the occurrence of accidents.
Zuo Mengeng still remembers that when he visited the Victory, he only felt inexplicable fear at the dense ropes on it.
On the imperial sailing ships, the use of various instruments such as winches, chains, and levers greatly reduced the number of ropes and left ample remaining space on the deck.
The most intuitive change brought about by the leap from third-level battleships to first-level battleships is the number of artillery.
Three decks can bring more terrifying firepower.
Fan Xianrong stood aside and introduced with great pride.
"This warship used more than 7,000 trees of various types and 40 tons of steel. Its displacement reached 2,500 tons. It is the largest warship in the world today."
Zuo Mengeng nodded, knowing that these data had surpassed the Victory, and it would be difficult to catch up within a hundred years.
Only with such battleships can we confidently say that the Imperial Navy is the true king of the ocean.
Zuo Hua was already itching to see it, and he quickly asked about something he was more concerned about.
"How protective is this warship? How fast can it reach? How much wind can it withstand?"
This is a professional who knows very well which parameters are the key to combat effectiveness.
Fan Xianrong did not dare to neglect.
"For the first time, we have installed iron armor below the waterline. Currently, all front-loaded artillery in the world has no possibility of penetrating."
Just one sentence made everyone in the navy excited.
In addition to the imperial army, the artillery used by countries around the world today are all front-loaded round cannonballs.
This kind of artillery and shells are used to attack wooden sailing ships. As long as the hull is slightly larger, the effect is not satisfactory. Now this first-class battleship is equipped with iron armor below the waterline, which means there is almost no possibility of being sunk.
Fan Xianrong added: "This ship can reach a speed of eleven knots under extreme conditions. Even in ordinary stormy weather, it can be safe. Of course, it is better not to take unnecessary risks."
Hearing that the new ship actually had a speed of eleven knots, everyone in the navy couldn't help but burst into cheers.
Common sense dictates that the bigger the ship, the slower it must be.
At present, the main force of the navy, the third-class battleships, can only reach a speed of about twelve knots.
And this first-class battleship can actually reach an average speed of about ten knots. This means that the overall formation will not be hindered when fighting at sea.
Just doing this, with the powerful firepower of the first-class battleships, is enough to double the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Navy.
Compared with third-level battleships, first-level battleships carry an astonishing eighty guns and carry 420 people.
The similar Victory had one hundred and two guns, but because they were all front-loaded guns, there was no comparability in terms of firepower.
The number of crew members is 850, more than double that of the new ship.
The new ship requires only about half the number of crew members of the Victory, which means that it can carry more ammunition and supplies.
In this way, it can sail on the sea for up to three months at a time without the need to dock for resupply.
This ability will be of great help to ocean exploration.
"Your Majesty, the auspicious time has come. Please name the new ship and complete the launching ceremony."
(End of chapter)
