After crossing the hurdle of his own death, Jochen was naturally in a good mood, but he was originally a big and simple character, and there was nothing too obvious about it, but he put down a big stone in his heart, and naturally there was a lot more smile on his face when he was relaxed, so he seemed more gentle and polite and approachable.

Because he was in a good mood, even if he didn't deliberately express himself, Jochen seemed more and more cheerful, which made the crown prince and his wife even happier. Since the eldest son, William, was studying at the University of Bern, and the second son, Heinrich, was traveling around the world (Note 1), the younger son liked to communicate with him, which naturally made the couple extremely happy, and Jochen took this opportunity to start selling his "private goods" everywhere.

August 1879

"Father, I heard that the Qing people asked the British about the four gunboats (Note 2) that they had returned to China. I heard that the "Times" also said that the Qing State had more firepower than the British? ”

"Yes, the Epsilon class ship has a small gun, and it is indeed excellent, this kind of gunboat can have strong firepower with less money, and it is naturally a sharp weapon for coastal defense to fight big with a small fight."

"So the Imperial Navy built something like a Vespa-class armored gunboat a few years ago, right?"

"Huh? Jochen, you don't seem interested in this, huh? ”

"Of course, father, this kind of thing doesn't mean much to be honest, the Admiralty guys just saw the British invent a new ship, and then they didn't understand it, but they looked very powerful and decided to follow suit." The little guy pursed his lips sarcastically.

This was a great surprise to Crown Prince Frederick, though the youngest son was a genius who often had some very eye-catching ideas, and could even give advice on such aspects as the manufacture of firearms. But this is the first time I have seen such a sarcastic attitude towards the decisions of the Imperial Army.

"Jochen, such a sarcastic gentleman of the Navy is not the proper attitude of a polite child."

"Father, of course I say this for a reason.

First, shooting at sea will shake with the waves, and the hull should have both horizontal and longitudinal shaking on the sea surface, as well as yaw due to the rudder surface effect during navigation, and the guns on the ship will also be affected by these three aspects, and the smaller the hull, the greater the effect. And this effect will lead to a decrease in the accuracy of shooting. Moreover, the larger the caliber of the main gun, the greater the recoil, and this will also affect the stability of the hull, further reducing the accuracy of the shot.

Second, the rate of fire of large-caliber guns, the extremely low rate of fire and the very unstable firing platform made the gunboats almost worthless in actual combat, because the rate of fire was low, and it was likely that if one shot missed, there would probably be no chance to fire a second shot. Of course, if hitting stationary targets on the shore provides fire support, then let's talk about it separately.

Third, the tonnage of the gunboat is already low, and it is necessary to install large-caliber artillery, which will naturally affect other attributes, such as speed and armor, and without speed and armor, the gunboat is actually the best target for being attacked by small and medium-caliber artillery, of course, his small size may reduce the probability of being shot, but in the face of the absolute number of small and medium-caliber artillery, it is actually of little significance.

This is also related to the one I mentioned earlier, the enemy can easily take out these gunboats by quickly closing the distance with small ships with high speed and then using small and medium-caliber rapid-fire guns.

Fourth, the so-called cost performance of small boat heavy artillery is actually not high. If you use a larger hull to install more guns, it seems that the cost of a single ship will rise very strictly, but the increase in combat effectiveness and the overall cost should be reduced, I will give you an example, suppose that 4 500-ton ships, under the same armor and speed, become a 2000-ton ship, the total weight of its armor must be lower than 4 500-ton ships, because your protection area is reduced, and then I am even more exaggerated to say, you can also save 3 bridges, 6 anchor chains and 3 masts. And I think that with the same speed, a 2,000-ton ship would definitely need less power than four 500-ton ships because of the reduced contact area with water. Then father, with the same firepower, speed and armor of 4 500-ton gunboats, the 2000-ton ship not only has a more stable firing platform, but also cheaper, and with so much money I can go back to strengthen the armor and speed. So why would I build 4 ships that are inaccurate, slow, and indurable?

So, father, what is wrong with the gentlemen of the Navy making such useless things to waste the Empire's mark, saying that they are following the trend? ”

Crown Prince Frederick was a little frightened at this time, as the crown prince was often involved in some military decisions despite his father's advanced age, and the current Admiralty Albrecht von Stosch (Note 3) was a close personal friend of him. But I don't know how to do it, and I often just listen to reports. And his youngest son's remarks made him feel badly impacted.

"So...... Well...... Jochen, according to you, warships should be built bigger and bigger, right, that sounds unreliable. ”

"Of course not, father, this is relative. Firepower, defense, and speed are the most basic attributes of a ship, and how to make the most suitable and balanced combination of the three attributes depends on many factors: design, metallurgy, processing, and assembly. And it's not purely a technical constraint. Cost, demand, utilization, supporting facilities, etc. should also be considered.

Therefore, under the constraints of many aspects, with a suitable large platform, and then the firepower, protection, and speed of the three to achieve a balance as much as possible, such a large is reasonable, not big and inappropriate, oh, this is a Chinese proverb I learned, which means that although it is big, it is not appropriate to guide zhì useless.

Also, while the largest possible platform is better from a performance standpoint, it is true that offshore defense requires a large number of small tonnage ships, but such small ships should not be equipped with large-caliber heavy artillery. They should take advantage of the small size and flexibility of their ships, making it more difficult for enemy fire to hit them. Weak, not even armored, all the weight is used to increase the speed, then use the high speed to move forward, shorten the distance to the enemy, and then give the enemy a fatal blow. Because heavy artillery is not used, and small and medium-sized artillery is not lethal enough, the torpedo is a weapon that is very suitable for such a small and fast ship, which should be like a dagger, short, but fast and deadly. ”

"Well, I don't know where you got so many new ideas in your little head. But even if you have a point, don't say that to the gentlemen of the Admiralty in that tone, it's rude, you know? "Crown Prince Frederick, who was completely convinced, had no choice but to reprimand Jochen a few words lightly." By the way, this is your train of thought, do you want to talk to your grandfather and the gentlemen of the Admiralty? ”

"Father, you have a good relationship with Mr. Albresit, how embarrassed I am to say, can you go and show off? I'm not going to join in the fun. ”

"Stinky boy, you actually made a joke about your father." Crown Prince Frederick smiled helplessly but happily.

That being said, Jochen didn't escape the "three-class trial" in the end.

This was also Jochen's first appearance in front of the top of the empire, and when a group of bearded men, including Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Frederick, Bismarck, and Stosch, gathered together, there was still a terrifying sense of oppression.

But it doesn't mean anything to the little guy who has always had big nerves. Not only did the mosquito boats, which had once again severely criticized the waste of tax money, severely shocked the bearded men, but also when the bearded men were frightened and asked what they thought of other German ships, they "dared" to severely criticize the cutting-edge Saxony-class ironclads and Bismarck-class light cruisers (Note 4), which had been completed one after another since 1878.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Your Excellency the Lord of the Admiralty, Gentlemen, on September 9, 1870, the 7,787-ton ironclad ship of the British sank in a storm with full sails, which completely opened the prelude to the replacement of sail power by steam power, and now that steam power is gradually becoming the mainstream of naval power, the cutting-edge Bismarck-class cruisers are still equipped with sails, And it only has a speed of only 12.5 knots as a cruiser is even more disqualified, I know that some of you still think that the ship power can not be without sails, mechanical power can only be used as an auxiliary, but the sails can not run high speed! Technological advances in mechanical power will make warships faster and faster, so even if the sails have such and such advantages, the future speed is the top priority! As for the sailboats, we can use them as training ships, and fighting the wind and waves on a sailboat with complex rigging and maneuvering is good for improving the ability and courage of our soldiers. "Knowing that there are still a large number of old stubborns who are loyal fans of the sail faction, so Jochen can't beat the sail to death with a stick, so he has to talk about the speed of the voyage, and find a way out for the sailboat by the way, so that the old stubborn can go down a step.

"The need for offensive ships to protect merchant ships in the navy proposed by His Excellency Albrecht, and the need for ships to protect the areas stationed overseas, then the naval construction plan proposed in November 1872 was clearly carried out around this idea, and this plan was also very pragmatic and highly feasible, and the plan has been carried out very smoothly so far, and the strategic mission of the navy proposed by His Excellency Albrecht is very clear and in line with the situation of the Empire." Jochen paused and nodded to the Admiralty, who smiled and nodded in return.

"And the core of which is to meet the maintenance of routes, overseas protection ships should be able to quickly deploy high-speed ships, they should be able to arrive in the fastest time and protect our country's overseas rights and interests of ships, the two Leipzig class built in 1877 close to 16 knots of speed is quite satisfactory, However, the speed of 12.5 knots of the six Bismarck-class ships that have been completed one after another, while the 13.7 knots speed of the Corolla-class that was planned in 1875 and is now ready to be built cannot meet the most fundamental speed requirement for safeguarding China's overseas rights and interests, and it is a pity that our ships cannot carry out our naval strategy well. Jochen shook his head slowly. He went on to say, "It is even more unreasonable to be a long-term overseas garrison (Note 5), and we do not even have overseas bases (Note 6). And even if we have overseas bases, we should station high-speed ships so that we can quickly deploy around the base and expand our influence on the surrounding area. After a pause, looking at the changing faces of these bearded men, and seeing that no one had picked up the stubble, it was probably because there were no overseas colonies that stimulated the gangsters, and Yoheng went on talking to himself

"Let's talk about our Saxon class, in fact, the performance number of the Saxon class is actually quite good, but there are a few problems.

The main thing is the problem of fire utilization, the Saxon class has 6 260 mm Krupp guns, which seem to be powerful, however, both forward and backward, only two main guns can be put into it, and only 4 main guns can be put into the sides, so forward or backward, the fire utilization rate is 33%, and to the left or right, the fire utilization rate is 66%. If the Saxon class is equipped with twin open-air batteries in the front and rear (Note 6), then we only need 4 main guns to put in two main guns in the front and rear, and 4 main guns in the left and right, with a 50% utilization rate of front and rear fire, and a 100% utilization rate of left and right. And if you have to install 6 guns, then you can directly install 3 twin rotating turrets, and the forward and backward firing firepower remains the same as 2 guns, but the broadside shooting can put 6 main guns. "Jochen took the opportunity to start peddling the central axis firepower layout right now.

"Then there are the four chimneys, not to mention whether four chimneys are necessary, even if you use a curved flue to merge the parallel chimneys into two chimneys, you can save a lot of deck space, right? Obviously, a design that is too straightforward and doesn't know how to adapt will result in a lot of wasted utilization.

The third is the ramming angle, every ship of the Navy is expensive and the highest technology crystallization of the shipbuilding industry, and the assumed design will not only not be conducive to combat capability, but will affect the performance of the ship. I know that the Battle of Lissa, in which the Austrians killed the Italians in one fell swoop, made the naval development think that the ramming tactics were extremely effective. However, times are evolving, and ship designers should not only learn from the experience of previous successful designs, but also have a forward-thinking outlook for future developments! With the progress of the power system, the speed of the ship is getting higher and higher, with the progress of artillery technology, the ship gun will shoot faster and faster, and with the improvement of observation means, the shells will fall more and more accurately! Installing ramming angles seems to be beneficial for ships to have an advantage in close collisions, but if you think about it, the Saxony class only has a speed of 13 knots, who can she hit? Is the enemy standing still waiting for you to come and crash into it? And if the enemy loses momentum, then why are you going to hit him? Wouldn't it be nice to shoot the target directly? After the collision, are our valiant sailors ready to engage in broadside battles? The results of the collision of the Austrians in the Battle of Lissa were brilliant, but they also exposed the embarrassment that they could not solve the problem in the artillery battle, but as our artillery became stronger, faster and more accurate, the probability of such an embarrassment would become smaller and smaller! Then there will be less and less need for me to collide and solve the problem! So with the advancement of technology, this design is not only useless at all, but I don't know if the enemy will be sunk after the impact, but our own bow will definitely be damaged, so will it affect the ability to sail later? Will it affect the combat capability later?

Tonnage utilization, firepower utilization, space utilization, etc., etc., the navy's ships are the highest achievements of the industry with large investment, high technology and long cycle, and the design of the ship must not only be excellent under the current technical conditions, but also have enough foresight, so that he will not fall behind too quickly with the progress of technology. The balance of all aspects and the visionary design are very challenging for the designer's thinking. And simple, crude, and even taken for granted design often leads to great waste. So gentlemen, remember the word, forward-looking, we need that forward-looking.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that a ship that is more in line with the needs of the mission, with a more reasonable design, a more balanced performance, and a higher utilization rate of tonnage and firepower can meet the maritime strategy of our German Empire. The above are my personal thoughts, I hope that the inappropriate places please forgive me, thank you. ”

"Your Highness Joachim, your idea is very, very good, I am from the army, I don't know naval technology, but as you said, excellent ships can meet the needs of my German navy, I once heard His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederick say that you have a very strong interest in naval ships, and like to collect information on ships of various countries, I think if you want, you can come to the Admiralty more often, I believe your ideas will give us more inspiration." It seemed that His Excellency the Admiralty who had been slapped on the back by Joheng in front of His Majesty the Emperor looked in a good mood, and naturally responded with a peach.

When the others saw that the Minister of the Navy was affirmative, they naturally praised him, and even the old Bismarck said a few words about His Highness's really talented and intelligent sycophants.

Looking at this little son who was facing the sycophants around him and pretending to be humble with a straight face, Crown Prince Frederick smiled with satisfaction.

Note 1: Albert Wilhelm Heinrich, the second son of Frederick III, became an honorary naval officer at the age of 15 and traveled around the world in 1878~1880.

Note 2: It is Zhenbei, Zhennan, Zhenxi, and Zhendong in the six towns of the Beiyang Naval Division, these four ships are also called Zhenbei class, and the later Zhenzhong and Zhenbian are not the batch in 1879, but were purchased later. The Epsilon class was the name given when it was built in the United Kingdom.

Note 3: Albrecht von Stosch, who served as the Minister of the Navy of the Second German Reich in 1872~1883, was a lieutenant general of infantry when he was Minister of the Navy, but this Minister of the Navy laid the foundation of the German Navy and was the first person to plan the construction of the German Navy. The true father of the German Navy.

Note 4: At this time, there was no such classification as cruiser within the German Navy.

Note 5: In the 1871 German Navy Development Plan, the German Navy's mission was defined as overseas security, and to be honest, I don't understand the need for the Germans, who did not even have colonies, to develop guard cruisers stationed abroad for a long time.

Note 6: It was not until 1884 that Germany had its first overseas colony, German Southwest Africa.

Note 7: Pictures are related to the technology: Historical Saxony-class open fort structure

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