On January 17, 1916, the shipyard in Boston, USA, was crowded, and everyone looked at the unprecedented steel hull in the center of the slipway, as if it could completely eliminate the lack of national inferiority complex in the immigrant country. Large wooden planks painted with the word "Colorado" are hung on both sides of the ship, and the "BB-40" number on the bow is particularly eye-catching. When U.S. Secretary of the Navy Daniels appeared on the viewing platform, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd!

A year and a half ago, a worldwide naval disarmament agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., and the Americans, as the host, finally obtained a letter of permission to retain the four new capital ships that had already started. The U.S. Navy, which had already despaired of the disarmament conference, went from hell to heaven in an instant after learning of the results. Without bloodshed, they gained the status second only to the German Navy, which had reached the peak after a bloody battle, and on the top 16-inch main gun carriers, they could have the same number as the other side!

For the Americans, they achieved almost everything they wanted from this treaty. The former Dreadnought, and the original Dreadnought South Carolina class, which was useless in high-end naval battles, were all removed from service and replaced by 4 cutting-edge capital ships; The latter is the culmination of the Americans' ten years of experience in the development of all-heavy gun ships, and its performance is far superior to all previous capital ships!

In this plane, due to the role of Qingying, the Anglo-German dreadnought race entered a white-hot stage from the beginning; And the US Navy, which is on the other side of the ocean, was undoubtedly swept up in this vigorous storm. The arms race is like sailing against the current, and if we do not advance, we will retreat. Americans who have embraced the Monroe Doctrine from the beginning understand this truth better than anyone. With the new capital ships of Britain and Germany entering the era of 15-inch main guns. and the subsequent launch of planning ships equipped with 16-inch guns. The Americans, feeling the pressure, also significantly accelerated their research in the field of large-caliber artillery. At the beginning of 1913, the development of the 16-inch gun was put on the agenda, and after more than a year of technology accumulation, they finally felt confident and bold to use the gun on the "Colorado" and "Lexington", and relied on these two capital ships as the core backbone of the U.S. Navy during the treaty.

"Your Excellency, what is now before your eyes is the pinnacle of our design, and it will be one of the most powerful battleships in the world in the next twenty years!" Tykes, chief engineer of the U.S. Bureau of Repair and Repair, stood beside Daniels. Said to him with a proud look on his face. With a standard displacement of 35,800 tons and 10 406 mm L45 guns, judging from these two numbers alone, this type of Colorado-class battleship is completely superior to the Pennsylvania class, which is equipped with 12 356 mm L45 guns, and has become the unshakable absolute main force of the US Navy!

A few steps away, the slightly chubby Daniels was full of smiles, and he was also very satisfied with this new class of battleships, and the overall performance was a qualitative leap compared with the previous American battleships. Ten 406-mm naval guns weighing more than 100 tons will be packed in five twin turrets, which can fire 957.1kg shells at a speed of 792 m/s at a single gun rate of 1.5 rounds per minute. According to the results of the US Navy's research. In the case of the same number of guns, the cost and tonnage of 4 10-gun capital ships are 10%~15% less than that of 5 8-gun capital ships. It also has better command and coordination, and is less of a threat to torpedoes on the battle line. This made the Americans no longer simply satisfied with the simple improvement of replacing the Pennsylvania-class triple 14-inch main gun with a twin 16-inch gun. As long as the tonnage of a single ship does not exceed the upper limit of the treaty, then it is the right thing to make the ship bigger!

"While the 3223's layout is more weight-efficient than the current five-seater twin piggyback, we found some drawbacks to the triple turret after the Nevada class entered service. Its salvo dispersion is surprisingly larger than that of twin guns, reaching 830 meters at a distance of 17,300 meters, and such a huge dispersion of distance and distance will undoubtedly be extremely disadvantageous for hits in actual combat. In order to achieve the desired striking effect, we reverted to the traditional twin turrets on the Colorado Class, and hopefully reduced the salvo spread by a quarter at this distance. Although the Bavaria class of the Germans was equipped with a larger number of guns, their 400 mm guns were slightly smaller in caliber than ours, and their power was certainly lacking; Second, if they use triple artillery, they will inevitably face the situation of excessive dispersion, and their actual striking capability will be reduced. All things considered, our Colorado class has a firepower that is not inferior to the opponent's at all. Chief designer Tykes said with a smile.

"However, according to the information we have, the German Bavaria class has the same power output as the King class, and the overall speed is very likely to exceed 23 knots. Our Colorado class, on the other hand, has only 36,000 horsepower and a top speed of 21 knots. "Deputy Secretary of the Navy Franklin on the side? Roosevelt said coldly.

Tykes's smile stiffened on his face, and he explained after a while: "Mr. Roosevelt, what we use on this ship is an electric motor drive, which not only has an absolute advantage over the gear reduction drive in steering control and reverse speed, but also maintains the steam turbine at the most efficient speed level, thus greatly improving the endurance of the battleship. With a full load of 3,700 tons of heavy oil, its cruising range can reach a considerable 13,000 nautical miles/10 knots, which is extremely meaningful for the United States Navy that needs to fight in two oceans! In addition, the rest of our battleships were only 21 knots, and a 2-knot increase in the speed of the new ships would not be of much benefit to the fleet. That's why we've maintained the standard speed of 21 knots, opting for improvements in range. ”

Seeing that the corners of Roosevelt's eyes were fluttering, but in the end he didn't hold on to this issue anymore, Tykes couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart. The main reason for the low speed of the Colorado class is that the design bureau chose a heavier electric drive to meet the Navy's requirements for endurance, but the core problem is that they have not yet developed the ideal traditional power. The Pennsylvania class is driven by reduction gears, but it takes 2,400 tons to achieve 31,500 horsepower, and this is achieved with an all-oil-fired boiler! If Roosevelt Jr. knew that even 100% coal-fired German power could easily achieve a power output of 50,000 horsepower on a capital ship with this weight, it is estimated that all the American designers responsible for designing the power would be sent to Alaska to lie on ice and drink snow!

"The biggest highlight of the Colorado class is its protection, which is a huge improvement over the Pennsylvania class. Its main armor belt, while still 343 mm thick, is arranged at 15 degrees inward, which greatly increases the ship's vertical defenses and is completely impregnable at the current engagement distance. According to the photographs taken back by our intelligence officers, it was precisely this inward-tilted main armor belt used in the new battleships of the Germans. Sensing that Roosevelt was still haunted by the flaws in the power of his work, Tykes quickly added that "in addition, its horizontal deck has been thickened from 89 mm to 102 mm, further improving its defense in long-range artillery battles." It can be said that it is a natural king of the battle line, and any enemy will tremble under its blow. ”

Hearing what Tykes said, Roosevelt finally nodded slowly. Although the Colorado class is a little slower, it has achieved good results in attack and defense, and considering that the main fleet is fighting in a group, this small flaw can be endured. What's more, the US Navy is not without fast capital ships: in addition to two regular battleships, two other Lexington-class high-speed combat cruisers, which started construction at the same time, will also be launched this month. As long as they can form combat effectiveness, the US Navy will be able to sweep away the problem of insufficient rapid reconnaissance force that has plagued it for ten years!

"The ghost animal of the United States has gone ahead of us. After the Colorado class, their Lexington-class cruiser was also launched at the New York shipyard: this cruiser is over 240 meters long, and it will be faster than our King Kong! ”

In a room at the Tokyo Ship Headquarters, a skinny man in his forties placed a large stack of photographs on his desk; Through the freeze frame of the black and white film, a giant and slender battleship is shown from different angles. On the empty deck, four huge turret seats stood out in view, and the middle-aged man sitting behind the desk took a peek and saw that the diameter of the seat was obviously a full circle larger than his own King Kong.

The Mi claimed that the standard displacement of this type of cruiser was 34,600 tons, and it was equipped with eight 16-inch L45 guns, and from this hull length, it is very likely that its speed will reach 30 knots. In terms of tonnage, firepower, and speed, this type of cruiser surpassed the Imperial King Kong type in an all-round way; If we start a war with the United States, these 2 Lexington-class ships will be the most dangerous adversary of the combined fleet! ”

The thin man spoke quickly, and there was a hint of urgency in his voice. The Japanese Navy was not very afraid of the American two-thirds more heavy artillery iron turtle herd; With the superiority of the reconnaissance fleet, Japan could choose the right of engagement relatively calmly, and by virtue of the reconnaissance advantage, it could achieve a cross-cut in a T-shaped formation. However, once the other side also has a strong reconnaissance force, the advantage of the Japanese Navy built on this foundation will collapse in an instant like building blocks! (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you book friend Xichen, and I like the cat's monthly pass support ~~~