Chapter 547 Milan-level battle cruiser starts construction
Today, many people gathered in a large shipyard at the Venice Naval Shipyard. These people came to attend a ceremony, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Milan-class first ship, the Milan.
Speaking of which, the Milan-class battle cruiser also had a bumpy road. It was supposed to start construction in March last year, but who caused the Messina earthquake to suddenly break out in Italy? The earthquake caused more than 100,000 casualties and caused direct economic losses of 5 billion lire.
Such huge losses require the Italian government to prioritize disaster relief, and the military's funding can only be reduced again and again.
But things are getting better now. After breathing a sigh of relief, the Italian Navy can finally find the funds to start construction of the Milan-class battle cruiser.
To be honest, the navy has very complicated feelings about this Milan-class battle cruiser, because its construction cost is not low at all.
The current Milan-class battle cruiser has undergone some minor changes compared to the previous one, mainly in the firing director and radio. In addition, in order to solve possible air defense problems, 18 40mm anti-aircraft guns have been added. This anti-aircraft gun is also
A masterpiece of Italian military industry.
In order to deal with possible attacks by enemy airships, the Italian military developed this anti-aircraft gun. This 40mm l/50 anti-aircraft gun has a maximum firing height of 85 degrees, a shell muzzle velocity of 714 meters, a maximum firing height of 4500 meters, and is fired every minute
60 rounds of artillery shells.
Although this data does not look good, in this era, it is enough as an anti-aircraft weapon. After all, the fastest aircraft in the sky now can only reach a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, while huge airships are even slower.
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However, no matter how it is modified, the first keel of the Milan will be laid here today, which represents the beginning of a new generation of battle cruisers. Of course, as the Navy's first major event in 1910, it is natural to hold a groundbreaking ceremony.
Therefore, Admiral Yagier, who is the head of the navy, visited the shipyard and personally laid the first keel of the Milan under the witness of everyone.
When Admiral Yagir laid down the first keel, there was warm applause. The navy was applauding the start of building large warships again, while the shipyards were applauding the new large orders. Although they had different purposes, they both
They were applauding the Milan which was being built in front of them.
Then the shipyard very thoughtfully brought champagne, and then the dock turned into a cocktail party, where the middle and senior management of the shipyard and the navy mingled with each other, promoting emotional exchanges with each other.
This is normal. For a shipyard, if it wants to get an order from the Navy, it must have a good relationship with it. Those who think that they only need strong skills are gods who live in ivory towers and do not eat the fireworks of the world.
In this kind of mingling occasion, there is also a focal point, and Admiral Yagier, the Minister of Navy, is this focal point.
"Your Excellency, Admiral, I heard that the Navy wants to resume the construction of the fourth Cavour-class ship?"
As the most well-informed person in the shipyard, General Manager Horn stood next to the admiral and asked cautiously.
"Why, your shipyard still wants to build the Andrea Doria?"
Although the admiral did not say it clearly, the implication of his words was that it was confirmed that the Cavour IV ship would be built. Of course, the admiral's tone was not very good, and he was obviously expressing some of his dissatisfaction in testing himself.
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Horn, as the general manager of the shipyard, could not hear the dissatisfaction of the Minister, but for the sake of the local interests of the shipyard, he had to go ahead.
"Yes, Your Excellency, our shipyard is currently the strongest in Italy, and we are very confident that we will successfully complete the construction of the fourth ship, the Andrea Doria."
In response to General Manager Horn's full assurance, Yagier did not answer, but raised his glass. His meaning was already very clear, and he did not want to talk about it now.
Since the Lord of the Admiralty didn't need to talk, what else could the others say? They could only raise their glasses and drink together.
In fact, the Navy has not yet made up its mind about Cavour's No. 4 ship. It has already been decided to build it, and there is quite an attitude of rushing to get started while the funds are abundant. However, as for who to give the order to, the Navy
Haven't made up my mind yet.
Being unable to make up your mind is simply a matter of disagreement.
Some people in the Ministry of the Navy believe that naval orders cannot be patronized by their own shipyards. Although the Venice Naval Shipyard is strong, it cannot rely on this one shipyard to solve the navy's orders. Since several strong shipyards are needed, then in terms of order allocation
, the navy cannot show favoritism to anyone, as this is not conducive to the navy's shipbuilding plan.
Another group of people objected. They believed that the Navy gave priority to its own shipyards for orders. What's wrong with this? Not to mention that the Navy's own shipyards are strong and can better assist the Navy in completing shipbuilding work. Of course, there are other
Several shipyards and naval orders can also be allocated, but they need to satisfy the requirements of their own shipyards.
The problem now is that the two groups have their own opinions, and no one is convinced by the other. It is difficult for him, the Lord of the Navy, to make a direct decision. That's why he pretended not to hear General Manager Horn's inquiry.
As for the admiral's pretense of being deaf and dumb, others of course did not dare to continue mentioning this matter and could only continue to socialize.
In fact, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Milan was not long, and it only took one hour to complete. However, the cocktail party that followed was much longer and lasted until the evening.
However, Admiral Argyle did not stay long, he only stayed for a while and then left. He was also in a hurry to return to Rome to deal with many affairs of the Admiralty, so he could not stay out for a long time.
Early the next morning, Admiral Yagir appeared in the Admiralty Building in high spirits.
"Hello, General!"
"Hello, General!"
"Hello, Minister!"
"..."
Amid warm greetings, Admiral Yagir came to his office.
"Blanc, what's your priority today?"
As soon as he entered the office, he asked his secretary. If he wanted to be the secretary of the Lord of the Navy, he had to meet a requirement. Every morning before Admiral Yagir arrived, the documents that needed to be processed by him were arranged in order of importance and urgency.
Arrange them so they are easy for him to handle.
"Your Excellency, the top document has priority."
When I came to the desk, there was indeed a stack of coded documents on the table.
Admiral Yagir sat on the chair and immediately reached out to pick up a document on the top. When he saw the title, he immediately knew why the secretary put it on the top.
The title is very simple, discussing the tactical role of battle cruisers and their cooperation with the main fleet.
Regarding this title, Admiral Yagir ignored it and looked at the author column, where the names of Leifer and Gomes were clearly written.
Admiral Yagir read carefully what these two people wrote. The document was not thick, about 8,000 words, and it would be finished in a few minutes if you read it quickly. But Admiral Yagir was different.
After reading it for an hour and a half, he raised the document in his hand and gave instructions to his secretary.
