"Sir, with all due respect to your requirements, the superyachts that are popular internationally are no longer considered small. If this size cannot meet your needs, we can only redesign a new structure...but..."
The person in charge of the shipyard said with some embarrassment: "You know, redesigning a yacht that is hundreds of meters long is a huge workload. There are also various tests to be done later. It is very troublesome in terms of both cost and construction time."
…
Alan looked at the workers shuttling back and forth on the half-finished frigate in the dock, and looked at the frigate with some envy.
"For a ship this big, can I just use their ship's blueprints and modify it?"
Alan's idea was simple. There was no need to redesign it, and he didn't want to be a sucker. But since there was a ready-made one, he might as well make it accordingly.
"this……"
The shipyard manager looked at the frigate and then at Allen.
According to this line of thinking, it is not impossible, but it just feels a bit weird.
Moreover, using this kind of ready-made hull blueprint for modification can only take a few shortcuts. The superstructure and the internal layout of the hull still need to be redesigned, which is costly.
Thinking of this, the person in charge of the shipyard expressed his concerns.
…
"How much does this ship cost?"
"About £140 million, including the weapons system."
“…”
"Moreover, if we exclude the weapon system and redesign the interior of the ship, we won't save much money. If you insist on using this plan, then... your yacht will cost at least 100 million pounds, and it will take three or four years to build."
“…”
When Alan heard the price, he felt for the first time that he was really poor and couldn't afford anything.
One hundred million pounds for a ship?
Is there still law?
Is there still law?
…
"Tsk... Never mind. Is there any other way to compromise? I think the construction time is too long."
Alan's face was a little embarrassed...
I originally wanted to be heroic, but now it seems that I can’t be heroic anymore.
He could accept that a new castle took three or four years to build, but he couldn't stand it if a yacht also took three or four years to build.
It seems that you just spend money and won't see anything real in a few years.
…
The shipyard manager looked at Alan's face and rubbed his hands awkwardly.
His Excellency's meaning is very clear. He wants something higher-end, but the construction period has to be short and the price has to be within a certain range.
Just look at the way he stares at the frigate in the dock...
There is no way around this warship today.
But... I can't afford the new one, so why not use the old one?
…
"Sir, if you think the construction period is too long, why not try to modify it with an old ship? For example, you can buy a retired warship and remove its weapon system and superstructure. That way, the construction period can be greatly shortened."
Military boats...
They are all big toys, slow to build but much faster to dismantle.
If we modify old ships, we can achieve similar results. After all...
The most important hull does not need to be built slowly, and the construction time can be saved by at least half.
…
"Oh? Let me think about it."
After the reminder from the shipyard manager, Alan's mind was instantly opened.
New warships are too expensive to build, but as for old warships, that doesn’t matter.
He has connections and his major is suitable for him.
Looking at the shipyard manager who was looking nervous, Alan smiled. The suggestion he gave was good.
"Hmm... any kind of warship will do? Even a destroyer will do?"
"Sure! If you have the connections, as long as the hull hasn't been too damaged, it can be modified. The specifications of warships are much higher than those of civilian ships. If we use the hull of an old warship to transform it into a yacht, there will be absolutely no problem with its protection!"
"Okay! That's it for today. I'll go back and think of a solution."
Since there is a shortcut, Alan doesn't want to stay here any longer. He can't wait to deal with the old warship.
…
Originally they were planning to stay in Plymouth for one night before coming back, but the negotiations ended quickly and Alan was too lazy to waste time here, so he asked the driver to drive a little faster and rush to the manor.
In the evening...it was getting dark and I didn't return to the manor until after seven o'clock.
The first time he saw Hut, Hut cast a concerned look at Allen and said, "Master, did the negotiation at the shipyard go smoothly today?"
"It went smoothly. It went very smoothly. However, there were some changes in the plan. It ended early, so I rushed back. Please tell the kitchen to make me something to eat. I have a poor appetite these past two days and don't want to eat anything too greasy."
"OK!"
…
After taking two steps, Allen paused and called Huth again, "By the way, call Thomas and ask him to come over tomorrow. I have something to tell him."
"Got it! I'll call him after I notify the kitchen."
"Well, go ahead."
…
He took a hot bath first, then walked to the study in his bathrobe. William and Harry should be playing games in the room at this time. Alan didn't see them come out, and he didn't bother to ask.
I took out a pen and paper and wrote down a few key words of my thoughts for today, for fear that I would forget them tomorrow.
The suggestions given by the shipyard manager today were very good, and Alan also had some ideas of his own.
…
Things like the hull of an old warship are really beyond the reach of most people.
But if you have connections, it's relatively easy.
Any major country, especially a naval power, has many ways of dealing with old warships.
The most common is retirement and then scrapping.
These are all from the factory to the service, and then after serving for decades, they reach the end of their life. The warships are also old and it is time to retire.
For the navy, about half of these old and retired warships will be towed directly back to the shipyard and dismantled and processed as scrap metal.
In this process, great benefits will be generated.
For example, generally speaking, there is a specific date for the retirement of a warship.
Before decommissioning, whether for the sake of taking better-looking photos or for the sake of decency, warships that are about to be decommissioned will generally undergo a little maintenance.
The oil and water came from this maintenance.
For example, replacing the gun. The machine gun hidden in the basement of Allen's house was obtained in this way.
The old count asked someone to use his connections, and when the warship was about to be decommissioned for maintenance, he had someone replace the warship with a new machine gun. Anyway, if something was broken here or there, he could just assemble a new one with a bunch of parts.
Just give the ship's old machine guns a slight refurbishment and that'll be enough.
The newly assembled machine gun was taken home as scrapped.
As long as you are brave and have connections, not to mention machine guns, even torpedoes will do...
The old count had tried it, but making torpedoes was not cost-effective. They were not easy to use on land, and besides taking up space, there were risks in storing them, so he only made one and kept it at home for fun.
…
In addition to being towed back to the shipyard for dismantling, retired warships have other destinations, such as being refurbished and then sold to some backward countries. This is the most cost-effective and profitable way.
Outsiders have no chance of getting involved in this kind of work, as it is generally the traditional area of interest for the bigwigs within the navy.
If a foreign region wants to buy, they have to give gifts and money, and sell it to whomever... and they can even get kickbacks after the sale. There is a lot of money to be made here.
In addition to these two methods, the service life of old warships can also be extended.
This involves transformation and upgrading.
Tow the old warship back, dismantle the old equipment and upgrade it.
Anyway, the cost-effectiveness is too low. With the time and money, it is better to build a new one.
Unless it is a critical period, generally speaking, this is not done.
The above three methods are the common ways that Allen knows of how the Navy Department deals with old warships. There is money to be made in these three methods. The Navy Department has the final say on how much a broken warship is worth. Every time an old warship is retired, everyone from top to bottom will get a share of the profits, and of course the big guys get the most.
If Allen wants to get an old warship, he has to choose one of these three methods.
The first method is to tow it directly back to the shipyard and dismantle it as scrap metal. This is the most cost-effective. As long as you find a way to buy the old warship, the price will be only slightly higher than the scrap metal.
This excludes the normal channels for decommissioning warships.
If you want an old warship that is not too old and is in relatively good condition, there is a very covert and unconventional way of dealing with it. This method is more suitable for special situations and requires some operational skills.
…
After writing down a few key words, Hutt came in pushing a food cart.
Today's dinner is just a simple sandwich and a bowl of Tremella soup.
While eating, Alan watched Huth take out a small black bag and put it on the desk. He stuffed the sandwich into his mouth in a few bites, wiped his hands, grabbed the bag and shook it, and there were some tiny collision sounds inside.
"This is?"
"Master... this is a sample of broken diamonds. Take a look at it. If you like, buy it according to its quality."
"oh?"
Alan unzipped the drawstring on the small bag and dumped it onto the desk.
The broken diamonds were spread out, a bit like a rice bag turned over, spilling a pool of rice.
Except for the dots and bright spots that are larger than rice grains, everything else is almost the same.
Looking at these broken diamonds, Alan suddenly remembered the illegal traders in Hong Kong movies who liked to put diamonds in small bags like this and use them as hard currency.
Xiao Huang, who was dozing off next to him, heard the sound, stretched his head, and curiously looked at the shiny thing on the desk, and then...
“Ding.”
With a gentle peck, a small diamond was gone.
"Go away, this is not edible."
Alan watched it eat one and didn't take it seriously. It wasn't that valuable anyway.
…
Even though a few hundred kilograms cost more than 100 million yuan, it’s just a few hundred kilograms!
These raw materials of broken diamonds are not valuable in themselves, and they are of unclean origin, so the price is even worse. The reason why they are a little more expensive is because of the labor cost of cutting!
As we all know, one carat of diamond is approximately equal to 0.2 grams, and one carat is equal to 100 points. These broken diamonds are basically around 20 points or 10 points, so they are called broken diamonds.
This is not the case when a piece of rough diamond is broken into pieces and then called broken diamonds.
Except that crushed diamonds are not as big as regular diamonds, other processing techniques are the same as those of ordinary diamonds.
They all have 57 facets, and only diamonds processed in this way can sparkle with the help of so many facets.
The diamonds sold in jewelry stores on the market are expensive because of their weight, procedures, and publicity. There are also many subcategories. In fact, ordinary diamond rough stones are not expensive as long as you can find a channel.
That is to say, the labor cost for this cutting process is the most expensive.
Even if these broken diamonds are replaced with artificial diamonds of the same size, the price is actually about the same.
But now due to technological limitations, those are no longer called artificial diamonds, but artificial diamonds. This kind of artificial diamond, in terms of color and clarity, is several grades inferior to these broken diamonds.
If you spend the same money and the processing fee is the same, why buy artificial diamonds with inferior effects instead of broken diamonds?
…
Grabbing a handful of broken diamonds, watching them slowly sprinkle onto the table, I gotta say, it feels pretty good.
"Okay, just follow this quality, just keep an eye on it."
Alan was too lazy to worry about these things. It was up to Hut to keep an eye on them. He didn't have the time to see if there was anything fishy going on.
"Okay, Master... The designer said that he has left a little surprise for you on the outer wall of the castle. You can take a look at it after the castle is built."
"Haha, okay, go ahead and get busy. Did Thomas make an appointment for me?"
"I have an appointment. I just called him."
…
It's by the stream not far from the manor.
Ever since the construction of the new castle began, the more Alan looked at the current manor, the more he disliked it.
The weather is hot now, and since the old buildings in the manor have poor ventilation, the house is stuffy and humid.
After breakfast early in the morning, I asked the servants to build a shed by the stream.
Alan was wearing shorts and sitting by the stream, sticking his feet in the water. The fishing rod was just placed on the rack next to him, not caring whether he could catch any fish or not.
“Ah…hahahaha.”
There were two naughty kids nearby, running and playing with water guns, splashing water everywhere. With the noise they made, it was impossible to catch anything, let alone fish.
Alan scratched his feet twice, picked up a fist-sized stone, aimed at the side of William, swung his arm, and threw the stone far away.
“Plop!”
William, who was dodging Harry's water gun, was startled by the sudden splash of water in front of him.
Before I had time to get angry, Alan's scolding came over.
"You two! Can't you see I'm fishing? Go play somewhere else!"
…
Harry held the water gun and stared at Alan blankly, while William also looked at him with a frown.
All three stopped.
After waiting for a long time, William suddenly picked up a pineapple-sized stone from the stream and threw it into the stream in front of Alan.
“Boom!”
This time the splash was even bigger!
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the water splashing on Alan's face, William laughed and pulled Harry away.
…
"damn it!"
Alan picked up a stone and stood up to chase him. As soon as he turned his head, he met Thomas' eyes, who was in shock.
"Uh... Your Excellency, I just arrived and I didn't see anything."
Thomas is the balding MP who is quite influential in Wales.
At this time, he was a little panicked.