Remember the West Coast Fleet of the United States? It's been mentioned before. This is the main adversary of the Chinese Navy in the North Pacific, and the threat of the British is still in the backyard of the South Seas.

As the contradictions between China and the United States in Hawaii gradually intensify, there are more and more opportunities for warships on both sides to meet each other on the vast ocean. The Americans sailed their warships to Tokyo Bay, and although Chinese warships did not visit San Francisco or Los Angeles, they also roamed the Bering Strait and the Bay of Alaska more than once, and even went to Vancouver Island on the doorstep of Seattle.

After the establishment of the US West Coast Fleet, Los Angeles and San Francisco were their two main bases, and as for Alaska, it was completely abandoned.

But don't take the Americans' 'abandonment' as their weakness, just last year when China and Russia were fighting fiercely, Washington transferred two second-class ironclads to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

These are not those unprotected cruisers, these two second-class ironclads have limited ocean-going combat capabilities due to their design, but they both have good combat effectiveness in coastal defense, and they are both considered large. The former has a displacement of 6,500 metric tons and is armed with two 12-inch 35-diameter guns. 6 6-inch rapid-fire guns, 12 6-pounder guns and 4 14-inch torpedo tubes. The main armor belt and turret are 12 inches thick [although very narrow], with an output of 8,600 horsepower and a speed of 17 knots, and it was only commissioned in 1885. In terms of combat effectiveness, it lags behind the development of the times, but it is also very good.

The Maine had a larger displacement of 6,900 metric tons and was armed with two diagonal twin 10-inch breech guns. The secondary guns were 6 single-barreled 6-inch guns and 7 6-pounder guns. 4 1-pounder rapid-fire guns "Habkes", and 4 1-pounder "Driges Schroeder" guns. The coal carrying capacity is 896 tons. Twin-shaft propulsion, 9,293 hp, 8 boilers, 2 triple-expansion steam engines, 3,600 nautical miles per 10 knots. 4 18-inch torpedo tubes, 214 watertight compartments on the ship. Cruiser-shaped stern, ramming angle-shaped bow. The thickness of the armor at the waist is 12 inches, the deck is 2~3 inches, the main turret armor is 8 inches, and the armored command tower is 10 inches. bulkhead 6 inches. The center line of the hull is divided by longitudinal watertight bulkheads to separate the left and right engine rooms, and there are double-layer bottom and keels. In the 80s of the 19th century, this was the proud capital ship of the US Navy. It can be called "the American version of Saxony".

Don't think that Americans are making a fool of themselves. The US Navy of this era and the design of their warships were indeed inferior to the Germans who walked on one leg. You must know that the warships of the US Navy are restarting a new journey after more than 20 years of shutdown in the 60s and 70s. It is true that the Americans have money, but they are now so capable in the design of warships.

The USS Tennessee is a second-class ironclad ship, which is largely modeled after the Chinese version of the Saxony-class ironclad ship. For example, the double mast, double chimney, diagonal battery, and superstructure are arranged in the center, and the main gun can fire in the direction of the bow and tail of the ship, which is suitable for the bow of the ship against the enemy. The keel was laid on October 17, 1884. Launched on November 18, 1886, and officially commissioned on September 17, 1887, it was built by the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. The layout of the Commander Tower's navigation bridge and gooseneck davit makes the Maine look a little more "modern" than the Dingyuan, and the freeboard height seems to be slightly higher than that of the Dingyuan. More suitable for ocean voyages, but also limited. To a certain extent, these two second-class ironclad ships can also be classified as coastal defense ironclad ships.

Again, the lead ships of the previous US West Coast Fleet were two so-called first-class protective cruisers, that is, Columbia-class protective cruisers. Compared to other American warships. The two Columbia-class ships are very different, and their firepower is weak compared to ships of the same class. There were only 1 8-inch gun, 2 6-inch guns and 8 4-inch guns. 12 6-pounder guns. Plus 4 torpedo tubes, the protection is also decent. However, with a power of up to 21,000 horsepower and a maximum speed of 21 knots, it can be said to be the fastest warship in the American fleet!

The first ship "Columbia" has four chimneys, and the second ship "Minneapolis" has two chimneys. It has a great endurance and is a typical trade breaker attack ship. This is also the strategy of the US government in the face of the Chinese Navy, the decision of the West Coast Fleet at the beginning of its establishment!

In addition, the West Coast Fleet has the "Denver" class of small protective cruisers, the "Cincinnati" class of modifications, the "Cincinnati" class of small protective cruisers and the "Montgomery" class of small protective cruisers, two each. The tonnage has repeatedly not exceeded 2000 metric tons.

As well as a protective cruiser "Olympia". These are the two warships that the United States hastened to build after sensing the threat from China in Hawaii. In 1884 it was put into service. They were two warships that cruised between Hawaii and the continental United States before the formation of the West Coast Fleet. Their manufacturer is the San Francisco-based United Steel Corporation.

Displacement 5200 metric tons. was the American ship designer according to William. Sir White is a modification of the Veinticincodemayo, a modified version of the Armstrong Cruiser designed by the British company Veinticincodemayo. All are twin-masted twin-chimney flat deck layouts. The ship's main guns are arranged along the central axis, and the superstructure is very tall and majestic. The Olympia had four 203mm/35x diameter guns, mounted in the bow and stern turrets on the ship's central axis, each weighing 250 pounds and containing 115 pounds of explosives. In addition, 10 40-caliber 127-mm secondary guns were arranged. The 14 6-pounder guns and 14 1-pounder guns were all arranged on the broadside, which was very much in line with the tactical needs of seizing the T-shaped horizontal formation in naval battles, and facilitated the full play of the firepower on one side. The warship is equipped with sliding iron doors on the side of the warship, and as soon as it is slid open, the muzzle of the gun will stick out, and then the fire can be fired.

In addition, there were four turn-tube machine guns on board the ship, which were very familiar to the Wehrmacht. There was even a mountain cannon for use on land after landing. It's completely a cannon depot on the sea, and the firepower is very high. and the last four 14-inch torpedo tubes.

The strength of the US West Coast Fleet is so weak that the warships of other countries in the entire East, except for China, will not be able to compare. With such strength, the Americans were not at ease and added two second-class ironclad ships.

Liu Xian really has to concentrate all the main forces of the Chinese Navy in order to have any hope of winning the West Coast Fleet. After all, China has not made a breakthrough at all in terms of capital ships in recent years, only those five main ironclad ships.

Moreover, Liu Xian has already received news from the Military Intelligence Agency that the United States is likely to be secretly building large armored cruisers. Liu Xian is having to follow up! It is impossible for him to watch the U.S. West Coast Fleet become strong and carry out a coup d'état in Hawaii.

"In the past few years, we have cooperated well with Italy in the manufacture of warships. Ed Alter. The set of armored cruiser blueprints in Masdio's hands has been in possession for half a year for the Navy. I didn't find anything wrong with it, so let's build two and try it first. One maintains the original map, and the other makes appropriate adjustments. Like a water-tube boiler and a flying shear bow, all installed. There is also exterior steel armor. Use that best nickel alloy steel. ”

Liu Xian has always held the right to decide on the expansion of the navy. With those small cruisers of three or four thousand tons, I have accumulated a lot of experience, and it is time to build big ones. At least judging from the design drawings, the parts of the Garibaldi-class armored cruiser can be produced and manufactured in China.

Liu Xian did not shy away from Liu Sheng when he made a decision on this. His eighteenth birthday has passed, and Liu Xian is considering giving him the official crown prince after the year. But in the next war, he would not ask Liu Sheng to enter the army and navy.

This is not grooming the heirs of the empire. As for Liu Sheng himself, because Liu Xian has deliberately 'persuaded' since he was a child, he is not very enthusiastic about the army and navy. It stands to reason that his father left a glorious trace in the world's military history, and Liu Xian's son should be full of interest in military affairs and war.

Just like Liu Xian's third, fourth and fifth sons, among the many sons, these three were the most enthusiastic about war. And all of them, without exception, are in love with the Army. On the contrary, the sons of some famous army generals in the DPRK and China signed up for the naval academy.

"Father, look at the results of this experiment of his son." After the attendants left, the eldest son of the emperor, who had stayed quietly by Liu Xian's side before, happily took out a page with a photo of an airship attached to it. The paper was filled with sets of experimental data. From the size of the airship to the difference in engine horsepower, to the resulting difference in flight speed and carrying weight.

Liu Xian did not cultivate the interest of the emperor's eldest son in the navy and army, he cultivated the interest in the air force. Liu Xian gave him a lot of time, money, manpower, and material resources, so that his eldest son could boldly test and build airships.

In this era, the time is ripe for the emergence of airships in China. The time is also ripe for military application. They will be the substitutes that preceded the advent of airplanes, and they would be the first bombers.

As early as 1884, French officers Lunard and Crib built an airship "France", 51 meters long, with a maximum diameter of 8.4 meters at the front, powered by a battery-powered electric motor. At 4 a.m. on August 9, accompanied by an observer from the French Academy of Sciences, the cable was unmoored for a trial voyage. The airship flew south and then towards Versailles, returning 4 km from the departure point. At an altitude of 300 meters, the gas valve was opened to discharge the hydrogen and landed, and it was rotated back and forth several times during the landing to aim at the landing site. When the airship reaches an altitude of 80 meters, it drops the cable and pulls it down from the ground. The test flight lasted 25 minutes and reached a maximum speed of 24 kilometers per hour. This is the first manoeuvring airship that can be maneuvered.

As the crown prince of China and the eldest son of the current emperor, Liu Sheng has all the resources at his disposal that are suitable for airships. Liu Xian doesn't think Ferdinand. Graff. Zeppelin, a retired general of the German army, can hold more capital in his hands than his eldest son,

So he waited slowly. Waiting for his son to turn his hobby into a giant airship. After graduating from university, Liu Sheng will enter the army and enter the airship army that has been formed at that time. He will appear in front of the eyes of the people as the founder of this army. (To be continued......)