Chapter 1183: Training Ships
Chapter 1183: Training Ships
The eyes of everyone in the conference hall burned with a sudden intensity.
It was as if they could already see it—the dawn of an era belonging entirely to the French Navy was just over the horizon.
Joseph had only announced the total number of warships to be built here. Once the Toulon shipyard calculated the budget for expanding the drydocks and the cost per vessel, the Ministry of the Navy would sign a formal agreement with them.
The construction costs in Toulon might be slightly higher than those in Brest, but to achieve strategic surprise, this small extra investment was entirely acceptable.
Joseph estimated that the total investment for building twenty-five fourth-rate steam warships would be around thirty-five million francs. To reach forty ships, they would only need to invest another thirteen million francs—since the shipyard construction would already be complete, the production costs would naturally decrease.
Of course, those were just the construction costs. The future expenses for maintenance, operation, and personnel training would be equally staggering.
Joseph was prepared to invest eighty-five million francs into the navy over the next two and a half years.
If one wanted to contend for maritime supremacy, it was impossible to do so without pouring in massive amounts of capital.
As for the source of these funds, it would depend on the execution of the loans and War Bonds Joseph had previously arranged.
Once Joseph finished outlining the naval expansion, he turned his gaze toward the Minister of the Navy. "Marquis de Lessart, how is the expansion of the Le Havre Naval Academy progressing?"
Indeed, more than half a year ago, he had ordered the Ministry of the Navy to begin expanding France's only military academy capable of training naval officers.
The Marquis de Lessart hurried to respond, "The expansion plan was completed two months ago, Your Highness. We have currently reached a capacity to admit 120 midshipmen and 380 petty officer candidates annually."
Joseph performed a quick mental calculation. A fourth-rate warship required 15 commissioned officers and 45 petty officers. Thus, one year's worth of graduates from the Naval Academy was only enough to fully staff eight warships.
Even factoring in the officers promoted from within the navy each year, the academy could likely only meet the staffing needs of twelve fourth-rate ships.
Yet Joseph wanted forty fourth-rate warships built in two and a half years. The officer shortage remained significant. One had to consider that it took three years for midshipmen to graduate and eighteen months to two years for petty officers. Those enrolling next year would not be ready for combat in time.
In reality, the Naval Academy had already more than doubled its recruitment; previously, only about fifty commissioned officers graduated each year.
After a moment of reflection, Joseph asked Lessart, "Is it possible to reduce the classroom instruction time by half?"
The Marquis waved his hands frantically in protest. "Your Highness, that would surely have a severe impact on their combat capabilities."
Joseph nodded in acknowledgment. "True, they would lack theoretical knowledge. However, they could spend the other half of their time as interns aboard ships, being trained directly by veteran officers.
"Furthermore, we can recruit candidates from sailors with extensive sailing time. They have rich nautical experience and will learn command skills much faster."
The Marquis de Lessart paused, considering the proposal. "Increasing shipboard internship time would indeed accelerate training, but this would require a massive increase in the time warships spend at sea... perhaps by more than four times."
Most of the time, naval warships remained at their anchorages. These gold-consuming beasts burned money incessantly the moment they set sail. When a fourth-rate ship left port, the supplies alone cost three to four thousand francs. The costs for inspections, wear and tear, and repairs were even more exorbitant.
Taking warships out just to train students would cost ten times more than studying at the academy.
Joseph was about to say "cost is no object," but he suddenly thought of a specific piece of military equipment from his memories of the future—trainer aircraft.
Those machines didn't need the combat capabilities of a proper fighter, nor did they need to fly particularly fast, but their cockpits and instruments mimicked the fighters as closely as possible. This allowed pilots to familiarize themselves with a fighter's operations.
The price of a trainer was less than a fifth of a fighter's cost, so losing one during practice wasn't nearly as painful.
So, could they develop "training ships"?
For instance, they could convert large civilian steam paddleboats, mimicking the cabin layouts of warships and adding a dozen or so gun ports.
Such a ship would only cost forty to fifty thousand francs. Even with the cost of conversion, it wouldn't exceed sixty thousand. The hulls were light, making them very efficient on coal.
At the same time, because civilian ships were so common, they could be inspected and maintained anywhere, and the costs would be equally low.
Using such vessels to train recruits would cause the expenses to plummet.
Once the trainees were familiar with the training ships, they could spend a few months on an actual warship before being ready for naval warfare.
Joseph shared his idea with the Minister of the Navy, whose eyes immediately lit up. "That is indeed a brilliant idea, Your Highness!
"We could even buy some used vessels for this purpose. The Toulon shipyard would only need half a month to complete the cabin conversions. In fact, their drydocks are large enough to fit five paddleboat transports at once to begin work simultaneously.
"Furthermore, we can use this method to train the sailors currently in port.
"For example, if we offer an eight-franc subsidy for a week of training aboard a training ship, I'm sure many would be willing to come."
In this era, ordinary sailors were usually recruited temporarily before a war began. The navy's standing force of sailors was only about three to four thousand men.
Whenever a merchant ship finished a voyage, the sailors would rest in port for a period. Inviting them to train on "warships" during this time would ensure they were far more capable than those newly transferred from merchant vessels once war broke out.
Currently, France had a vast number of steam paddleboat merchant fleets in the Mediterranean, so there was no shortage of ordinary sailors. If they truly lacked manpower, they could even recruit in Genoa. Italian sailors were very eager to serve on French ships because the pay was higher.
Joseph nodded. "You've reminded me; we should take this opportunity to increase the number of regular navy personnel.
"Specifically for roles in the engine room, bridge, and mechanical engineering—it's best to have these positions filled entirely by career soldiers.
"Have your people assess the specific recruitment scale and then submit it to me."
As they entered the era of steam warships, the professional requirements for sailors were much higher than those for sailing ships. It was far more reliable to use professional soldiers to operate the vessels.
After all, if an inexperienced sailor pressed the wrong button on a steam engine, it could cause the entire ship to lose power.
Moreover, career sailors received far more combat training than ordinary sailors, further enhancing the navy's overall combat strength.
As for the military budget, even if they added ten thousand professional naval soldiers, the annual expenditure would only increase by four or five million francs.
Compared to the massive investment required to build the fleet, this small amount was negligible.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The Minister of the Navy did a rough calculation and continued, "Your Highness, then we shall first convert fifteen training ships. That should be sufficient for the next six months. After that, depending on the situation..."
Joseph added, "After that, place orders directly with the shipyards that produce steam paddleboats. Build a batch of training ships that are even closer to warships in all aspects, based on merchant standards. It doesn't matter if they are a bit more expensive."
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