Chapter 1182: The Naval Expansion Plan
Chapter 1182: The Naval Expansion Plan
Joseph looked a bit puzzled. "The hardness of brass shouldn't be that low, should it?"
Sané hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, if we increase the zinc content, it does improve hardness, but it also leads to the 'porosity phenomenon,' so..."
'So they're using low-zinc brass,' Joseph thought to himself. 'They really aren't worried about the budget, are they?'
Copper was several times more expensive than zinc.
He let out a breath and said, "What you are describing is 'dezincification.' Essentially, the zinc in the alloy is oxidized as an anode. In fact, adding a small amount of tin can prevent this process."
Sané immediately tried to apply the logic. "Is this... sacrificing the tin to protect the zinc?"
Joseph rubbed his forehead. "No, it's that the tin 'holds onto' the zinc through atomic bonds, making it harder for the zinc to leach out..."
Sané simply kept nodding, his expression that of someone who had utterly given up on trying to understand the science.
Joseph glanced out the window and saw a Tier 3 battleship propped up high in the distance. Over a hundred craftsmen were clinging to the hull like tiny spiders, rhythmically hammering rivets to secure large sheets of copper plating.
As the clanging of the hammers faded into the distance, the carriage pulled up in front of the shipyard's main design office.
Though called a "design office," it was actually a three-story building with over a hundred rooms. The shipyard's designers and master craftsmen gathered here daily to debate and refine their blueprints.
The newly appointed Minister of the Navy, the Marquis de Lessart, stood waiting at the entrance alongside Borda, the Inspector General of Naval Construction, and several other officials. As soon as the Crown Prince stepped down from the carriage, they stepped forward to offer their salutations.
There was no ceremonial band present, much to Joseph's satisfaction. He nodded to the Marquis de Lessart and followed him into the conference hall on the second floor.
Sané followed behind, excitedly whispering to Borda and the others about the plan to switch to iron ribs.
Joseph gestured for everyone to take a seat and turned his attention first to Nicolas Blondot, the Director of the Brest Shipyard. "Monsieur Blondot, if we were to begin construction on Class 4 steam warships immediately, how many could you complete each year?"
Blondot had come prepared. He answered instantly, "Your Highness, if we suspend all other construction on ships of Tier 3 and above, we can complete three to four per year."
Thanks to ample funding over the past few years, the shipyard had managed to produce about one Tier 3 sailing battleship annually. After all, heavy warships were still indispensable for long-range ocean escorts.
Joseph nodded. "If funding is not an issue, how long would it take to expand your production capacity?"
Blondot's eyes lit up. The shipyard was finally going to see some real action!
"Expanding Docks No. 2 and No. 3 would take about five months. We've already planned for new docks on the southern side of the shipyard; if we have enough labor, we could start production there in about a year."
Joseph pressed further, "And what would the output be then?"
"We could build seven Class 4 ships per year, Your Highness. Or three Tier 3 ships."
Joseph was still slightly dissatisfied. "Could it be any faster?"
He estimated that they would need at least twenty-five Class 4 steam warships to face the British Navy head-on in the Atlantic. To truly hold the advantage, they would need closer to forty.
If Brest Shipyard produced seven a year, he estimated the Toulon Shipyard could manage four at most. Toulon's primary focus was on smaller and medium-sized vessels suited for Mediterranean operations, and more than half of their capacity for steam frigates was already occupied.
As for the Rochefort Shipyard, being a private yard, they would be lucky to produce one Class 4 ship a year.
Blondot looked conflicted. "That... might not be easy, Your Highness. To expand further, we would have to build docks on the beach two kilometers away, but that's currently a wasteland. It would take at least two years to become operational."
At that moment, Sané suddenly interjected, "Monsieur Blondot, I believe it is possible to reach an output of eight ships or more."
"Oh? Please, explain your reasoning."
"The Crown Prince and I were just discussing the technology for using iron ribs," Sané said. "If the trials go well, this will significantly reduce the time spent working with timber."
"But what about the corrosion issues...?"
"His Highness has already solved that."
Blondot was an expert in his own right, and his face immediately lit up with surprise and delight upon hearing this.
Shipbuilding timber couldn't just be used straight from the forest; it had to be seasoned for a long time. During processing, work often had to stop after drilling holes to allow the wood to dry out again.
But if they used iron ribs, provided the steel mills could keep up with the supply, the shipyard could cut the time required to lay the framework by nearly fifty percent.
Sané continued, "I was just thinking that we could also reinforce the keels with long iron bars. This would make the selection of timber for the keels much less restrictive."
The material for a warship's keel was traditionally very specific; the wood had to have a natural curve that matched the required lines, as any manual bending would compromise its strength.
This made finding suitable timber extremely difficult and expensive.
However, if reinforced with iron, they could use slightly thinner timber, which would also dry faster.
To Sané, it felt as though the entire horizon had expanded now that the problem of maritime corrosion for iron products had been addressed.
Blondot nodded to him and then looked toward Joseph. "Your Highness, using the techniques Monsieur Sané mentioned, we should be able to reach a production of eight, perhaps even nine Class 4 warships per year."
He added cautiously, "But this will require a massive investment, both for the dock expansions and the construction costs themselves."
Joseph nodded. "What is your estimate for the total?"
Blondot thought for a moment. "The expansion will cost roughly nine million Francs. The construction of a Class 4 steam warship is about 1.1 million Francs per vessel."
"Wait a moment," said Borda, who finally found an opening to speak. "In the future, all cannons on our warships might be switched to iron. This could reduce the cost per ship by about 200,000 Francs."
Joseph knew that Védrine had already begun experiments with the Rodman casting method and would surely have it solved within six months. He nodded and said, "Then we shall calculate based on 900,000 Francs per ship. The first construction phase for the Brest Shipyard will be... fourteen ships."
Everyone in the conference hall stared at him with wide eyes.
These were Class 4 battleships, not mere frigates.
To start fourteen new builds at once!
To put it in perspective, the main force of the entire Dutch Navy currently consisted of only six Class 4 ships.
The Brest Shipyard was about to build two and a half Dutch Navies in a single go!
What they didn't know was that the Toulon Shipyard also had a quota of seven ships. Even Rochefort was expected to build one or two.
Blondot's voice trembled slightly. "In that case, we will need a total of 21.6 million Francs in funding..."
The navy truly was a gold-consuming beast.
Joseph smiled unconcernedly. "The shipyard will receive ten million Francs in funding within the next few months. The Ministry of Finance will continue to disburse funds throughout the year.
"The Navy has been poor for so many years. This time, you can finally give it your all."
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