Russian Baltic Shipyard. Makanov looked thoughtfully at the busy slipway in the distance, while Rozdvinsky was discussing with interest a group of senior Admiralty generals about the new warships that would be added under the St. Andrew's banner. After being ridiculed by the Italians in the Qing Dynasty's "North Sea Parade", the Russian tsar was furious, claiming to give the Italians some color, and not long ago, the Italians reminded the Russians with practical actions who is the third navy in the world. The newly started 9,000-ton Cruiser Garibaldi dominated the European cruisers with its powerful power and new armor and weapon systems, and the British believed that this nearly 10,000-ton battleship with 10-inch guns was no longer a pure cruiser in a sense, and it could participate in a fleet duel when necessary. It undertook the tasks of part of the battleship, so the British called it a second-class battleship. While the Italians were sharp, the Russians naturally did not lag behind, and the design ideas of this armored cruiser also inspired the Russians. Since the Russians could not be compared with the British, who hindered their domination of the oceans, in the main fleet, why not follow the old path of the British and start with a cruiser war?

The French "green water navy" theory emphasizes the use of high-speed attack ships with smaller-caliber guns and greater endurance to sabotage enemy shipping routes in the open ocean, and then contain and consume the opponent's strength. The Russians, especially Makanov, the oldest and most prestigious member of the Russian Navy, were dismissive of this method of warfare. "The French may be a good idea, but it is definitely not suitable for Russia, the French have colonies all over the world, and warships can dock in any port for replenishment and repair, and what about Russia? The seemingly powerful fleet is divided in the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Far East, and cannot form a joint force, and the Baltic Fleet, as the main force, must pass through the North Sea if it wants to go out, which is the doorstep of the British. The Black Sea Fleet was even weaker, even the Dardanelles could not be accessed, the breakdown of diplomatic relations was even more on paper, and the only hope was in the Far East, where there was a lack of ice-free ports and colonial supply depots. In this case, the cruising war of the French simply could not be talked about. Makanov said. But this time, the Italian Garibaldi-type battleships gave the Russians a new idea.

It is still difficult to break diplomatic relations in the ocean because of the geographical environment and the lack of restrictions on overseas bases, but in the selection of battleships, with the Garibaldi type as a reference, the Russian navy top brass completely abandoned the French idea of small cannon clippers, and decided to produce a new type of cruiser with a larger endurance, firepower than ordinary cruisers, and a speed faster than battleships. To put it bluntly, he can run long distances, beat faster than him, and run better than him. It was built in the same way as later battlecruisers. In terms of ship selection, the Russians decided to make these battleships, which carried the new hopes of the Russian Imperial Navy, into armored cruisers, although the cost of protective cruisers was low, but between the mission of breaking diplomatic relations in the ocean and going to the battle line if necessary. In the face of a rain of bullets from rapid-fire guns, the sidestrings of the protective cruiser will definitely be beaten into a sieve, even if it can ensure that the core area will not be penetrated, the hull will tilt and sink due to excessive water ingress or the battleship will be burned because the protective area is too small. will deprive the empire of a valuable ocean-going assault ship, so the Russian Navy decided to build armored cruisers, and armored cruisers also have their own problems, first of all, the Russians only have steel armor, no hardened armor produced by the Italians, according to past experience, if you want to resist the attack of rapid-fire guns above 8 inches, the thickness of the side chord must be at least 10 inches. Therefore, the displacement of the entire battleship will not be small. Another problem was that the Russians' own 8-inch guns were suspected to be too powerful compared to the 10-inch guns newly equipped by the Italians, but the 12-inch guns were too large, so the Russians decided to abandon the long-used 8-inch guns and develop a new 10-inch gun. In this case, the Russians decided to build two types of warships, which would cooperate with each other. As a result, history changed at this moment, and some of the battleships that were supposed to come out were gone, replaced by another batch of new ships. …,

After numerous wranglings and disputes, the Russians finally finalized two new cruisers, one is a 7,200-ton Azov-type cruiser, equipped with two twin 8-inch guns at the bow and stern, four 6-inch guns and four 12-pounder guns on the side chords. The armor is Kangbang armor (i.e., steel-faced iron armor). Thickness 8 inches to 4 inches. The output is 10,000 horsepower, and the speed is 19 and a half knots. Carrying 1,200 tons of coal. The basic dimensions are tentatively 120 meters long, 19 meters wide, and 8.5 meters draft. In the design of the Admiralty, for how much ocean voyage, a high freeboard and a large cruising power were a must. The 8-inch steel-faced ironclad against the 6-inch gun is no problem, but it is not good in the face of the 9.2-inch, but there are generally only 2 9.2-inch guns on the cruisers of the British, mainly 6-inch guns, and the 8-inch steel-faced ironclad is barely enough. The other warship is the perfect type of battleship, which can be described as the culmination of the design of the Russian Navy. In order to fully suppress the British first-class cruisers, the Russians can be said to have spared no expense, which is later known as the culmination of the Russian cruisers of the 19th century, the Rurik-class armored cruiser that concentrates French and Russian technology, this armored ship of more than 10,000 tons debuted, and the shock produced was no less than that of the Italian Garibaldi type battleship. Not only did it directly contribute to the mass production of battleships of the 2nd rank of the Prestige class (there was only one in history), but it also forced Italy to urgently introduce an improved version of the Garibaldi-type armored ships. And what makes naval historians talk about it is not only the performance of this battleship, but the service history of this battleship!!

The 12,000-ton warship was equipped with a newly developed 12-inch 40L heavy gun, which was developed in 1891 and commissioned in 1895. And imported from France is developing a new type of turret (turret structure this thing the French also developed a set in the 90s, France's bouvet 274MM and 305 guns are used in this type of turret structure, it is said that the former can reach 1 minute 3 rounds and the latter is 1 minute 1 round, the author expressed doubts, this advanced performance is somewhat incredible!! IN THE 4TH CORNER OF THE BATTLESHIP, THE RUSSIANS ALSO DECIDED TO USE THE FRENCH TURRET, BUT THE ARMAMENT WAS A SINGLE 254MM GUN, 10 6-INCH GUNS WERE INSTALLED ON THE SIDE CHORD, AND THERE WERE ALSO 10 12-POUNDER GUNS, SO THAT THE BATTLESHIP'S SIDESTRING FIREPOWER REACHED AN ASTONISHING 2 12-INCH GUNS 2 10-INCH GUNS AND 5 6-INCH GUNS 5 12-POUNDER GUNS. The 12-inch guns and 10-inch guns were turret guns, and the rate of fire was amazing, and the firepower was no less than that of a first-class battleship. And in terms of power, the Russians also introduced the French water-tube boiler as power. The maximum power of 17,000 horsepower can completely allow this battleship to run at a high speed of 20 knots, and the speed will be even higher under strong pressure and ventilation! And in order to ensure endurance, the maximum coal load of this battleship actually reached 2000 tons!! In terms of armor, in order to ensure that Rurik can survive under the fire of the opponent's 9.2-inch naval guns, the Russians equipped it with 10-inch steel-faced iron armor, and in order to ensure the survival rate of the core cabin, the Russians designed a coal bunker at the back, and also placed a layer of dome armor! What he did was exactly the same as Garibaldi in Italy!! So much so that it was later believed that the modified battleship was based on the drawings of the Garibaldi part obtained from "special" sources. Of course, this is just a rumor, not credible. (Later, with the advent of Harvey's hardened armor, this battleship also reduced the armor to 7 inches, and correspondingly expanded the height of the armor belt, although it took some time to modify the drawings, but it was still completed before the first day of service) and the defense of the turret part is as high as 12 inches, which is called an indestructible turret!! And the main dimensions of this battleship have reached 137 meters long, 22 meters wide, and a draft of 8.5 meters!!

"Your Excellency, our new cruiser is on the slipway, and I hope that one day I will be able to fight for the glory of the Russian Navy under your command." A designer said flatteringly.

"On behalf of the Admiralty, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Excellency for the work you have done, and if these three new cruisers can be deployed to the Far East, I think it will be enough for the British." Rozdvinsky, who was on the side, said with a smile. (Actually, this person is not as incompetent as history says, it is enough to bring the fleet over to participate in the Battle of Tsushima!!) ）

"How many Rurik-type battleships are to be built?" Makanov asked suddenly.

"At the moment, there is only a budget for one, and the start date is still to be determined, and the cost of a Rurik is as high as 850,000 pounds, which is not cheaper than a battleship." Rozdvinsky whispered.

"The Sea of Azov can only break the relationship, and the performance is not enough to fight the Italian Garibaldi-type battleships, only Rurik is the most suitable, with the speed of a cruiser, and the firepower of a battleship. It can withstand 9.2-inch naval guns, which is the best choice. There was a hint of loss in Makanov's tone.

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