Chapter 387 Central Ironclad Fortress (First update, please subscribe)
It is the lifeline of Nanhua!
The future is here!
Looking at Luanda who was a little excited, Zhu Xianhai was about to applaud. At this moment, he saw hope in this young man.
It's not because of his knowledge, but because they truly see the future.
Looking straight at him, Zhu Xianhai couldn't help but applaud him.
"Very good, then tell me what you think!"
"In order to ensure the safety of this lifeline, we must control a series of bases in the Pacific Ocean, just like the company's current layout in the Pacific Islands. I believe the Marshal has already made preparations in this regard. These islands are like a necklace, connecting South China and China. What is now facing South China is how we can ensure that this line is not cut off!"
How to guarantee?
We must build a strong navy!
There is no doubt about this. In fact, Zhu Xianhai has already had a plan for this. In recent years, 300 students have graduated from the Naval School every year, which is actually preparing talents for the expansion of the navy.
In fact, compared with shipbuilding, Zhu Xianhai paid more attention to talent reserves. Why could the late Qing Dynasty never build a strong navy?
Even the Beiyang Fleet was lacking in successors? This lack of strength was essentially due to a lack of talent. Although there were two naval academies in the country, Mawei and Beiyang, only a few dozen officers graduated each year, and less than 20% of them studied navigation.
Is it possible to expand the navy with just this few people?
Although the Beiyang Fleet was established in 1883, it did not establish a modern mechanism for recruiting and training talents until the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, and the navy did not establish such a mechanism until the demise of the Qing Dynasty.
In comparison, what about Etajima? As early as the 1880s, more than 200 naval officers graduated every year. Relying on the seniority-based "Etajima Hammock" linked to performance, the Japanese Navy established a system of employing people regardless of origin or background. Through the cultivation and accumulation of talents, it was normal for the Japanese Navy to surpass the Qing Navy.
In the expansion of the Japanese Navy, it was always people waiting for ships, rather than ships waiting for people. Within just ten years after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Japanese Navy established a powerful navy that ranked among the best among the great powers, relying on the accumulation of talents.
It is precisely because of the accumulation of such talents and continuous investment that they have a world-class navy, second only to the United States and the United Kingdom.
It is for this reason that Zhu Xianhai attaches great importance to the training of reserve talents. From the Naval School to the Merchant Marine Rotary School, and the training of naval crew members to merchant ship crew members, all are essentially preparations for the expansion of the navy.
Ten years ago, Nanhua did not have a single merchant ship of its own, but now Nanhua has more than 370 merchant ships and ocean-going fishing vessels with a total tonnage of more than 200,000 tons, hundreds of captains, and tens of thousands of crew members. Why? All of this is to develop naval potential.
"We need to build a strong maritime force. The battleships of this maritime force are completely different from the battleships of various countries now. They should have the same firepower and defense as battleships, and at the same time, they should have the same speed and seaworthiness as cruisers. This is because our warships need to be used for naval battles and have better ocean-going capabilities. In peacetime, they need to protect important maritime traffic and ensure that they have enough firepower to strike at opponents who "covet" their maritime interests..."
Currently, the main ships of the South China Coast Guard are six cruisers. The establishment of these cruisers is also for the purpose of maintaining South China's overseas interests and protecting sea transportation lines.
But how can a cruiser fight against a battleship?
There is simply no possibility.
"What kind of warship do we need? A warship with a displacement of about 7,000 tons, a speed of up to 16-18 knots, 200 mm armor and at least four 254 mm naval guns. If possible, in order to strengthen the firepower, we should design 280 mm to 305 mm naval guns."
Pointing to the sketch on the frame, Ruanda explained his ideas one by one. His idea was undoubtedly extremely advanced in this era, because in this era, there was a clear distinction between battleships and cruisers, and he could adjust some requirements for warships according to actual needs. This concept was undoubtedly extremely advanced.
"Powerful firepower, high speed, and armor thicker than a cruiser but slightly inferior to a battleship, all combined together is..."
"Battle cruiser."
Zhu Xianhai smiled.
His concept is a battlecruiser. However, unlike later battlecruisers, its two twin turrets are located amidships, which is somewhat similar to the "Tianlong class". In fact, from the 1,600-ton "Fubo class" to the two 2,800-ton "Shanxi class", they all fully borrowed from the "Tianlong class" purchased from the UK, but further improved the turrets and ship structure.
Zhu Xianhai had never intervened in the design of naval ships, but now facing this sketch, he raised some targeted questions, from the layout of artillery to the distribution of armor belts. After learning that due to the limited tonnage, only 200 mm of armor could be used, he asked directly.
"We need a warship that is difficult for the enemy to attack. Its anti-sinking ability must be good enough to withstand the largest artillery now!"
"In this case, the tonnage of the warship will have to increase by at least 3,000 tons, the speed will be reduced, and the manufacturing difficulty will be further increased."
Although we have full confidence in Nanhua's shipbuilding capabilities, isn't it a bit too much to build warships of tens of thousands of tons right from the start?
"Do you know the castle?"
Zhu Xianhai picked up a pen and drew a simple diagram in a corner of the drawing.
"You are currently using a full-length side armor belt. In order to ensure the thickness of the armor, you have to reduce its size. If it is thicker, the heavy armor belt will affect its seaworthiness. We can completely change our thinking and design an armored fortress!"
Zhu Xianhai then drew an armor belt on the paper.
"We shortened the side armored defense zone to about two-thirds of its length, and formed a central armored fort in the middle. Our main parts such as the turret, ammunition compartment, boiler room and main engine room are all protected by this rectangular armored fort. The bow and stern parts at both ends of the armored fort are protected by horizontal armored decks. By adding watertight compartments, we can gain a certain degree of anti-sinking ability, but the key is still the central armored fort. As long as it is not penetrated, the warship cannot sink. After shortening the length of the armored belt, we can get thicker armor!"
This was the most popular "Central Ironclad Fortress" in the 1870s and 1880s. In another world, the "Zhenyuan" and "Dingyuan" adopted this design. They both showed excellent protective performance in naval battles. After being hit by shells below 152 mm, none of them were penetrated. The main facilities in the ship remained in good condition, and the damage was basically limited to the deck. Facts have proved that the design of the "Central Ironclad Fortress" achieved their purpose.
This is also the reason why Zhu Xianhai proposed this idea. On the one hand, it is because it was successful, and on the other hand, it is because of the technology - this technology itself is the technology of this era. Of course, more importantly, he does not understand the technology such as "key defense" in the pre-dreadnought era at all.
The technology of the "central ironclad fort" is relatively simple and direct, and there is no technical difficulty. Even the angled turret layout for installing large-mouthed artillery was taken over by Zhu Xianhai. Its main gun layout and appearance are very similar to the Beiyang Navy's "Dingyuan" class ironclad ship, both of which have two twin 254mm main guns arranged at an angle, a bit like a slightly smaller "Dingyuan".
After briefly sketching out its main structural concept on the sketch, Zhu Xianhai smiled.
"In this way, we should be able to obtain a battle cruiser with heavy armor, advanced defense capabilities, and relatively fast speed. What do you think?"
(End of this chapter)
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