Chapter 1414: Changes in the Maritime Situation
Upon hearing this, Joseph smiled.
"It seems I'll have to write a letter of congratulations to His Majesty Carlos."
In recent years, after losing the Dutch port of Rotterdam and Cuxhaven in Hanover, Porto had become their last major supply port on the European continent.
This meant that if the British fleet wanted to interfere with the North Atlantic shipping lanes, they would have to set sail from their home islands. This drastically reduced their resupply efficiency and reaction speed compared to before.
More importantly, the distance for British transport ships to support Gibraltar Fortress had suddenly increased by more than four times.
The French and Spanish coalition forces would soon capture Gibraltar!
Berthier continued:
"Your Highness, General Junot's army has been reinforced, including eight newly manufactured 330mm mortars."
This type of short-barreled howitzer was developed by the Namur Royal Ironworks specifically for attacking fortresses. It could fire 72-kilogram shells, launching them into the fortress from above via a curved trajectory.
Indeed, the limited deflagration speed of black powder meant that exploding shells of this era were very weak—a typical 12-pound howitzer firing an exploding shell could only kill unarmored soldiers within about five meters of the impact point. It was often better to use solid shot, which could ricochet for dozens of meters and, with luck, mow down a large number of people.
But this 330mm mortar was different. A 72-kilogram shell could hold at least 20 kilograms of black powder. Even with a slow deflagration rate, the sheer volume would be lethal—this weapon had a killing radius of over 25 meters.
Aside from the cannon's excessive weight and astonishing ammunition consumption, it had virtually no downsides, representing the most formidable firepower achievable with current technology!
In fact, besides the giant mortars, over ten 36-pound naval cannons were also deployed around Gibraltar, relentlessly tearing at the fortress day and night.
"According to the General Staff Headquarters' plan, General Junot's army will occupy Gibraltar Fortress by the end of this year."
Joseph nodded. "Please inform General Junot that it's perfectly fine if it takes a little longer; the priority is to minimize soldier casualties."
"Yes, Your Highness."
No sooner had Berthier left than the Marquis de Lessart, Minister of the Navy, arrived, bowing to Joseph and saying:
"Your Highness, the British have fled Porto..."
Joseph raised a hand, interrupting him:
"I already know this news; there's no need to repeat it."
He shook his head inwardly. 'The General Staff Headquarters and the Ministry of the Navy operate independently; coordinating their efforts in future campaigns would be a pipe dream. It seems a unified Ministry of Defense needs to be established quickly to oversee both the army and navy.'
The Marquis de Lessart paused for a moment, then continued:
"Your Highness, with Britain losing its naval ports on the Iberian Peninsula, its control over the Bay of Cádiz and surrounding waters will be significantly weakened.
"The Spanish Ministry of the Navy wishes to increase the number of merchant ships sailing to America, and they hope our nation can dispatch a fleet to assist them with escorts."
For Britain to dispatch a fleet from its home islands to the Bay of Cádiz, which is the Atlantic shipping lane off the coast of Spain, involved a journey of approximately 700 nautical miles.
This meant many warships would have to navigate the open sea between their home port and their destination, reducing the actual density of warships available for blockading.
America was Spain's economic lifeblood, and Madrid constantly yearned for more ships to reach the continent. Now was an excellent opportunity.
Joseph frowned upon hearing this and asked:
"What is the Navy Ministry's opinion?"
He now aimed to cultivate the independent operational capabilities of each department, thus requiring them to first present their proposals before reporting to him.
The Marquis de Lessart promptly replied, "We believe that deploying a fleet in the Atlantic still carries significant risk. We should continue to exploit gaps in the British fleet's patrols, primarily relying on small-scale merchant convoys for transport."
This was also the current modus operandi for French and Spanish merchant ships.
The vastness of the Atlantic Ocean meant that even if the entire British fleet were deployed, it would be impossible to completely blockade all shipping lanes. Many French and Spanish merchant ships would try their luck sailing to America.
Roughly sixty to seventy percent of merchant ships managed to evade British warship surveillance and slip into the open sea.
Naturally, most shipowners were unwilling to risk a one-in-three chance of ruin. Consequently, since the war began, Spain's Atlantic shipping had been only half of its normal volume, and France's even less, at under a quarter.
The Spanish Navy was willing to risk escorting merchant ships, as the gold and silver mines of America were their lifeblood. France, however, focused on the European continent and the Mediterranean Sea, and had no need to take such risks.
If the number of escort warships could be increased, they could continue sailing into the open sea, even challenging smaller British fleets.
However, this would also introduce new risks—a large number of escort warships would draw the main strength of the British Navy for a crackdown. Once engaged, the losses would be far greater than those of dispersed merchant ships.
Joseph recalled that, historically, France, after its Great Revolution, had opted for a large-scale convoy system, which subsequently led to two major engagements: the "Glorious First of June" and the "Battle of Cape St. Vincent."
These two naval battles saw the combined Franco-Spanish fleet lose seven and four battleships of third-rate or higher, respectively, with even more losses among smaller warships.
The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, in particular, saw the British defeat the Franco-Spanish fleet of over 30 warships with just 15 of their own, clearly highlighting the disparity in skill between the two sides' commanders and sailors.
It was certainly commendable that the Navy Ministry's judgment was very accurate—after all, the current French Navy had not suffered the loss of numerous excellent aristocratic officers due to the Great Revolution, as it had historically.
Joseph looked at the Marquis de Lessart. "So, you believe we should reject Madrid's request?"
"Given the current circumstances, that would be for the best, Your Highness."
Joseph nodded. "Perhaps we can help them in other ways."
He knew well that Spain's protracted campaigns besieging Porto and Gibraltar had led to severe financial deficits. It was necessary to offer them a hand, especially since Spain had also dispatched troops to Mantua during the previous Anti-French Coalition War.
And at least for the time being, France still greatly needed the Spanish Navy.
The Marquis de Lessart inquired, "You mean?"
"Increase our nation's maritime trade volume to tie down the British fleet."
"Oh?"
Joseph glanced at the map on the table:
"Our nation and Spain possess very long coastlines. If we fully utilize our ports, the British will be forced to further disperse their fleet for blockading, which will significantly increase the gaps in their patrols."
Currently, the coastline France could utilize also included the Netherlands, and even Denmark would provide some convenience.
In other words, almost the entire western coast of Europe served as an outlet for French and Spanish merchant ships.
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