Chapter 1154: A "Revolutionary" New Technology
William Pitt Junior was falling into silence when Grenville's attendant tapped on the door. "Prime Minister, Lord Duncan wishes to see you."
Lord Duncan was the commander of the British North Sea Fleet, ranked among the top five naval commanders in Britain. For him to come see the Prime Minister personally, it had to be something major.
As William Pitt Junior prepared to excuse himself, Grenville called out to the attendant, "Show him in."
Duncan entered the room, glanced at William Pitt Junior, and bowed to Grenville. "Prime Minister, I have some matters regarding the large-scale failures in the Mediterranean Fleet that I wish to discuss with you."
"There is no need for secrecy. Please, speak freely."
"Well, actually, I have received reports that Chatham Dockyard has been plagued by staggering corruption in recent years, which directly led to the widespread mechanical failures of our steam warships..."
In truth, such systematic corruption in the navy had existed for centuries, but it only became an issue when the ships being built failed to perform.
Once a failure occurred, it inevitably triggered a bloody purge within the naval hierarchy.
When Admiral Jervis arrived at 10 Downing Street, he immediately tensed up upon seeing the naval insignia on the carriage parked outside.
"I must see him immediately. This concerns the very future of the Navy!"
Helpless, the attendant led him inside.
While still several meters from the Prime Minister's office, Jervis heard Duncan's voice echoing from within:
"According to evidence obtained by the investigative committee, Chatham Dockyard has embezzled at least 60,000 pounds, and that does not even include the money from the government investment fund."
"And I regret to find that our First Lord of the Admiralty and the Comptroller of the Navy Board likely knew of this situation but chose to..."
Jervis brushed past the attendant and, with great discourtesy, pounded on the door. "Prime Minister! I have an urgent matter!"
Duncan's voice stopped abruptly. After a moment of silence, Grenville cleared his throat. "Come in."
Jervis glared venomously at Duncan before giving a perfunctory bow to Grenville. "Prime Minister, some people love to use rumors of unknown origin to influence affairs of state."
"Regarding the matter of Chatham Dockyard, I am certain it has nothing to do with the investment fund or any other officials. It was entirely the doing of Sir Hope and the people from that steam engine company."
Duncan gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice. "The dockyard's ledgers are already locked in the investigative committee's safe. My men are at the Boulton-Watt Company as we speak. Oh, and I have evidence proving this company may have questionable ties to the French government..."
"That is irrelevant!" Jervis interrupted rudely, looking at Grenville. "Prime Minister, as you know, steam warships are of decisive importance for our control of the Mediterranean. Only by controlling those waters can we completely sever French maritime trade."
"Therefore, Chatham Dockyard must be protected!"
He knew that the Prime Minister's stance would determine who took the fall. Sir Hope was high-ranking enough; throwing him to the wolves should be enough to silence Parliament.
Duncan sneered. "Admiral Jervis, the facts have proven that steam warships are not suited for the Royal Navy."
"We invested 700,000 pounds—excluding the money from the government investment fund—and the result cannot even guarantee a normal voyage."
"That money would have been enough to build over ten third-rate ships of the line. If that capital had been funneled into Portsmouth Dockyard instead, we could have used a massive fleet of thirty battleships to forcibly blockade Toulon!"
"You don't understand the situation in the Mediterranean at all! Lumbering battleships would only be toyed with by steam warships there..."
"No, I am quite familiar with the Mediterranean. I served in the Mediterranean Fleet for three years in my youth." Duncan had completely cast off all pretense of civility as he addressed Grenville. "Prime Minister, in truth, Portsmouth Dockyard has made many significant improvements to our battleships in recent years."
"For instance, their technicians have invented a 'traversing gun carriage' that allows cannons to adjust their firing angle horizontally. This enables them to aim accurately at small targets without the entire hull having to move."
"Furthermore, on the new generation of battleships, all cannon calibers have been standardized to 24-pounders and 32-pounders, increasing firepower by thirty-five percent compared to before."
"If those little steam boats ever appear within range of a ship of the line, just two shots would be enough to cripple them!"
Because the British Navy had poured the lion's share of its funding into Chatham, established yards like Portsmouth and Deptford felt the heat and had pushed their designs to the limit to win back their budgets.
This allowed them to acquire certain technologies years ahead of historical schedules, such as the traversing gun carriage. Previously, naval guns were fixed pointing sideways; the ship had to turn to aim. The traversing carriage used curved iron rails on the deck, allowing gunners to pivot the weapon for easier aiming.
However, the British technicians relied too heavily on test results.
In a controlled range environment, experienced British gunners could indeed hit fast-moving targets by leading their shots.
But in actual naval combat, with the hull pitching in the waves and moving itself, hitting a nimble steam warship still required more luck and faith than skill.
In reality, it wasn't until warships were equipped with rifled guns and high-explosive shells that they could truly threaten high-speed targets.
Duncan was clearly well-prepared. He continued, "Additionally, Portsmouth has significantly improved steering efficiency by using a new type of longitudinal triangular sail on the stern combined with stay-sails between the masts."
"And by extending the studding sails, they have increased speed in light winds. This gives our ships of the line exceptional mobility even in the Mediterranean."
Of course, if the Royal Navy actually built these ships and tested them in the Mediterranean, they would find that the turning speed only increased by five percent and the cruising speed by a mere three percent.
When faced with revolutionary new technology, patching up old platforms simply could not solve the core problem. But when people encounter setbacks, they instinctively retreat to the paths of their past successes.
Duncan went on to describe new technologies like hull reshaping and the application of iron water tanks.
Never mind laymen like Grenville and William Pitt Junior; even Jervis was deeply shaken, beginning to wonder if these new ships really could reclaim dominance in the Mediterranean.
He dazed for a moment before shaking his head vigorously.
"Steam warships possess unique advantages, they cannot..."
Duncan snorted coldly.
"Aside from being unable to fight, they are indeed quite lovely."
Grenville frowned and raised a hand to stop the bickering.
"I will personally look into the situation at Chatham Dockyard and discuss this with the Navy Board. You both may take your leave."
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