The temptation of battleships to the navy does not need to be emphasized. Men all like silly, thick and dark men. Relatively speaking, aircraft carriers are too delicate and weak.
However, the Normandy-class battleship does not meet Rock's requirements. When the project was established in 1912, the performance of the Normandy-class battleship was already lagging behind, and now it is more than ten years behind. If Southern Africa purchases the Normandy-class battleship, it will also have to deal with the Normandy-class battleship.
Adapted appropriately to suit Southern Africa's needs.
This problem could not be solved by Edward Dockyard. To solve it, it had to turn to the Royal Navy, so Rock had to go to Balfour, who was still in bed, hoping that the Royal Navy could provide appropriate help to southern Africa.
"France is going to sell the Normandie-class battleship?" Balfour didn't know the news yet, and his shock level was probably equivalent to the British selling the "HMS Hood" battlecruiser.
"Yes, France's current economy continues to be sluggish, and the navy has not restarted the strength of the Normandy-class battleships, so it is preparing to sell them off. The problem now is that these five battleships have fallen seriously behind, and the original design plan must be significantly modified.
"For example, the speed of the 'Hood' with a displacement of 1,000 tons has exceeded 30 knots, and the maximum speed of the Normandy-class battleship with a displacement of only 1,000 tons is only 21 knots. This is definitely not possible." Rock attaches great importance to speed, and the firepower and protection of the Normandy-class battleships
Everything is passable, the biggest shortcoming is the speed.
Based on the experience and lessons of the Battle of Jutland, the Normandy-class battleship has strengthened underwater protection, and its 12 340mm main guns can also ensure considerable firepower. What Rock criticized the most was the fastest speed of 21 knots. If it is not correct
If the power system is adjusted, the Normandy-class battleship will seriously slow down the speed of the entire fleet, thereby affecting the entire fleet.
The "Transvaal" class aircraft carriers in southern Africa have reached an unprecedented speed of 32 knots.
Rock does not require the Normandy-class battleships to reach a speed of 32 knots, but at least around 30, so that the Normandy-class battleships can accompany the fleet in future operations.
Yes, the biggest role of future battleships is probably to escort the aircraft carrier fleet. The situation in the Battle of Jutland will most likely not happen again.
Belfort said nothing and leaned against the bedside with his eyes closed to weigh carefully.
The purchase of Normandy-class battleships in southern Africa will not pose a threat to the Royal Navy, but will become a powerful supplement to the Royal Navy.
Balfour's only worry was that once southern Africa was equipped with battleships, it would stimulate the southern African navy.
By then, even Rock's prestige in southern Africa may not be able to suppress the increasingly expanding ambitions of the southern African navy.
This is a double-edged sword.
"Don't worry, Locke, this kind of deal cannot be reached in a day or two. Even if the Royal Navy Shipyard and Edward Shipyard cooperate again, it will still need the approval of Congress." Balfour could not decide in one word, after all, the interests were too involved.
wide.
Before the outbreak of the World War, the Royal Naval Dockyard and Edwards Dockyard had a honeymoon period.
During that time, the Royal Naval Dockyard obtained aircraft carrier-related information from Edwards Dockyard, and Edwards Dockyard obtained the most advanced power and artillery technology from the Royal Naval Dockyard.
Of course, looking back now, both Edwards Dockyard and the Royal Navy Dockyard have their own agendas.
Edwards Shipbuilding has not revealed all the technologies related to aircraft carriers.
The Royal Navy Dockyard did not have any reservations. At least at that time, Britain had the ability to manufacture 15-inch naval guns. The Royal Navy only gave Southern Africa the relevant technology for 14-inch naval guns.
14 inches is 355 mm, which is enough for the Southern African Navy.
The main gun of the heavy cruiser "Johannesburg" is only 203 mm.
Back at the station, Rock was not in a good mood. It was too difficult to do something real. Rock wanted to buy a Normandy-class battleship, which needed the approval of the Southern African Congress; Balfour wanted to help Edward Shipyard, which also needed the approval of the British Congress.
The improvement of his status did not bring more conveniences to Roque, but instead brought more and more constraints.
Stoudemire and Irving also knew that Rock was in a bad mood, so they invited Rock to relax.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about health care, it’s about sitting in a bar, drinking some “juice” and chatting.
This "juice" is of course in quotation marks. Add a certain amount of water according to the proportion and it will turn into wine. This was the popular wisdom of the American people during the Prohibition period.
"Don't be depressed Locke. My father was also very ambitious when he first came to Southern Africa. That's why my father founded the South African Company, occupied Rhodesia, and started the Boer War - you all know what happened later. Some people are like this. They
Sitting in the office and thinking wildly, trying to control everything in one's own hands, the results are often counterproductive. Locke, if one day you become the Prime Minister of Southern Africa, you'd better dissolve the Congress directly. The truth will always be in the hands of a few people."
Stoudemire is Rock's staunchest supporter, and I have to say that old Cecil Rhodes has indeed a vicious vision.
Less than half an hour after Cecil Rhodes met with Roque, he decided to "sell" Nyasaland, with a total area of 200,000 square kilometers, to Roque for one pound. It would have been really difficult for another person.
You may not necessarily have the courage.
After Rock acquired Nyasaland, the return to the Rhodes family was far more than 200,000 square kilometers. Now the combined area of Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia exceeds 1.6 million square kilometers, second only to the Cape.
The second largest continent in southern Africa.
The key is not the size. In another time and space, when Southern Africa was established, Rhodesia did not join the Southern African Federation and was still a British colony.
What happened later was unbearable to look back on. After World War II, Britain was unable to maintain its huge colonial system. Rhodesia was split into Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was reduced from the "bakery of Africa" to the least developed country in the world. The Rhodes family also gradually disappeared, never to be the same again.
brilliant.
"Let's not do this. If Congress is used properly, it will still be very useful." Owen started from the interests of the Matilda family. Without Congress, the influence of the Matilda family will be greatly affected.
Regardless of whether Roque is still part of the Matilda family now, in the long run, Roque will form his own family sooner or later, and then the interests of the Roque family and the Matilda family may conflict.
Don't think that if there is a family marriage, the relationship will be unbreakable. George V and William II were still related, and they did not prevent the outbreak of world war.
"Congress still needs to exist. One person is responsible for his shortcomings and two others are responsible for his strength." Roark held a cup to cover his face while speaking. Owen could not see Roark's eyes and expressions.
"Ah, my lord, what a coincidence-" Kato Yusaburo also appeared in the bar, which was probably not a coincidence.
"Good evening, Mr. Minister." Roque was neither salty nor cold. He knew why Kato Yusaburo appeared here.
Although Rock clearly rejected Kato Tomosaburo in New York, Kato Tomosaburo did not give up and was still actively creating opportunities to communicate with Rock through various "chance encounters".
As time went by, Rock felt helpless. Kato Yusaburo had the unique tenacity and persistence of the Japanese. If it weren't for the grudges between the Japanese and the Chinese, Rock would still admire Kato Yusaburo.
"Lord, France wants to sell the Normandy-class battleship, do you have any ideas?" Kato Yusaburo already knew that Roque and Albert Salau had met, and this kind of thing could not be hidden from other people.
"No, the Normandy battleship is an outdated battleship, and Southern Africa is not interested." Roque did not continue, saying that whether Southern Africa was interested or not had nothing to do with the Japanese.
"Lord, if you feel that the performance of the Normandy-class battleship is not good enough, then the Empire of Japan can provide more advanced artillery-" Kato Yusaburo offered an olive branch to Rock.
"Hahahaha, Minister Kato, what technology do you have that is more advanced than the British Empire?" Xiao Si laughed. Japan is still a country that is very unfamiliar to many Westerners.
In other words, it's very mysterious.
Tomosaburo Kato sneered and said nothing. Of course Japan has its trump card, such as the 410mm main guns of the "Mutsu" and "Nagato". The British really don't know how to make them.
Of course, the calibers of the main guns of the "Mutsu" and "Nagato" are top secrets for the Japanese Navy, and Tomosaburo Kato will definitely not tell them.
"Your Excellency Minister, let's talk about the tonnage of the battleship. The naval meeting has been held for half a month and there has been no progress. We cannot waste our precious time on boring arguments." Rock got straight to the point. Now Rock is really
I regret that I should not have come to Washington. There are still a lot of things going on in southern Africa.
Of course, Roark being in Washington did not affect the processing work, but it was just a little more troublesome. Telegraph communication was needed with the southern African mainland.
It takes almost three hours to send a telegraph from Washington to southern Africa, and the time is mainly wasted on transit——
"Yes, that's true, but 300,000 tons is indeed not enough for the Japanese Navy." Kato Yusaburo was also tired of the endless quarrels.
"Then how much do you want?" Rock doesn't care. The Japanese Navy's future opponent is the United States, so Rock really doesn't care about the tonnage of the Japanese Navy's capital ships.
In fact, the more the better.
The more battleships Japan has, the more trouble it will create for the United States.
"350,000 tons——" Kato Yusaburo gritted his teeth.
"Haha, 350,000 tons, 'Kongo' class battleship tons, 'Fuso' class battleship tons, 'Ise' class battleship tons, 'Mutsu' and 'Nagato' are tons, the total tonnage adds up to more than 300,000 tons
"Where did the 350,000 tons come from? Unless you want to build new battleships -" Roque listed in detail, these data are all public, and it is impossible for Tomosaburo Kato to deny them. "-Think about the words of Mr. Secretary of State, you
If you build one ship, the United States will build four. If you think Japan is capable of engaging in an arms race with the United States, then please do so."