Chapter 1435: Epoch-Making Battleship
A dense, cloud-like pall of gunpowder smoke immediately enveloped the sea.
Moments later, the golden fleur-de-lis banner on the bow of the steam battleship emerged from the thick fog, followed by its jib, main sails, and funnel.
The sailors standing rigidly at attention on the deck saluted the Neptune, their ship.
Queen Mary, dressed in a guard's uniform, watched the steam battleship sail past in the distance, then glanced at the main sails of the Neptune, the ship she was on, and asked Clauzel doubtfully, "That new ship doesn't seem to be as large as this old one."
Clauzel, who had some knowledge of warships, quickly explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty, although the Décision isn't large, it is a battleship that ushers in a new era!
"Powered by the formidable 230 horsepower thrust from its steam engine, it can race at nearly 13 knots and perform turns with a radius of just 300 meters."
Queen Mary blinked, responding with a smile, "Ah, that truly is remarkable."
Joseph turned to them, lowering his voice. "Currently, even Britain's most powerful battleships can only reach a speed of 11 knots with a very favorable wind. Hmm, rumor has it they've improved their sails and can now hit 12 knots.
"As for their turning radius, even with the most skilled helmsman, it would exceed 500 meters."
"Yes, exceptionally agile."
"But it's still a small ship."
"Uh, yes, that's correct..."
Joseph quickly ended the awkward conversation. "They have different purposes, Your Majesty."
As he spoke, something suddenly occurred to him.
Constructing a single Décision could be kept absolutely secret, but once steam battleships were built in large numbers, it would certainly be impossible to hide from British spies.
Therefore, it would be better to proactively spread information to divert British attention.
He turned and gestured to the Minister of the Navy standing on the other side. "Marquis de Lessart, Commodore Sirois can now be 'arrested.' During the investigation of the corruption case, it will be revealed that he used his influence to push the navy into developing plans for mass-producing 'useless' fourth-rate ships. Be sure to repeatedly condemn how these fourth-rate ships wasted valuable funds."
Poor Commodore Sirois was the one who had previously sold French naval oak reserves to the British at exorbitant prices.
Lessart immediately understood, adding, "Your Royal Highness, a large number of officers and technicians implicated in this case can also be dismissed from the shipyards and secretly reassigned to build the Décision-class ships."
Half an hour later, the Décision's demonstration voyage concluded, and she docked at the easternmost berth in the Port of Brest, securing her moorings.
Joseph then boarded a small boat and headed towards the brand-new steam warship.
En route, shipyard director Vauclaire presented the latest construction plans to the Crown Prince. "Your Royal Highness, we have redesigned the Tunisia-class. With the LJ115 steam engine, only one unit is needed to perfectly propel this cruiser.
"Furthermore, the simplification of the mechanical systems has reduced construction time by 20% and significantly lowered costs. The hull in critical areas like the command bridge has also been reinforced."
Indeed, while a single LJ115's output power was less than that of three 52 horsepower steam engines combined, its structural weight was significantly reduced. Moreover, by avoiding power loss caused by transmission mechanisms, the actual power-to-weight ratio even improved.
This allowed the improved Tunisia-class to carry two additional 24-pounder cannons without any change in its speed.
This was the combat advantage brought by advanced technology.
Marquis de Lessart interjected, "The plan is to build 26 new ships.
"As for the previous 12 Tunisia-class ships, we also intend to replace all of their engines with single 115 horsepower steam engines."
While cruisers couldn't be used for decisive fleet battles, their role in reconnaissance and harassment was still highly significant.
Especially if a British reconnaissance warship encountered a steam cruiser, it wouldn't even be able to escape.
This would severely limit the British fleet's ability to assess battlefield conditions.
As for the smaller Light of the Mediterranean-class steam frigates, all had now been allocated to the Mediterranean Fleet — the rough, windswept Atlantic was not suitable for these smaller vessels.
Soon, the ferry boat stopped beside the Décision, and Joseph, accompanied by a host of naval generals, boarded the world's first steam battleship via the gangplank.
Meanwhile, Queen Mary, along with a few attendants, quietly returned to the dock. Remaining on these maritime behemoths was nothing short of torture for her. Furthermore, she was somewhat superstitious, believing that women brought bad luck to ships, and since this was a new warship her son valued highly, she thought it best to stay away.
After a brief tour of the engine and boiler rooms, Joseph proceeded directly to the upper gun deck.
Along both sides of the spacious gun deck, 26 carronades were neatly arranged: eight 24-pounders and eighteen 32-pounders.
Their squat, thick barrels looked somewhat comical, yet these cannons could deliver devastating firepower.
It's worth noting that even third-rate battleships of this era typically only mounted 18-pounder cannons on their upper gun decks, carrying at most six to eight 24-pounders.
While carronades had a short range, once within striking distance, their terrifying caliber could relentlessly suppress enemy ships.
Currently, Britain, the inventor of the carronade, only installed them on open decks. The feasibility study for using these short-barreled cannons on the upper gun deck was still ongoing.
Joseph, however, knew very well that the widespread adoption of carronades was the prevailing trend in the age of sail warships.
This time, the French Navy had surged ahead of the British.
Joseph walked among the cannons, raising a hand to touch the cool iron ribs of the ship, a sense of security welling up within him.
In fact, the iron keel and iron ribs contributed almost as much to the warship's combat performance as the steam engine.
These rigid steel supports would render all cannons smaller than 24-pounders effectively useless against the ship.
Even 32-pounder cannons would need to close to within 400 meters to have any chance of damaging the Décision — and that would still depend on the enemy's luck. If a cannonball struck precisely at an iron rib, it wouldn't even penetrate at 300 meters.
Joseph instructed Vauclaire, "Please cover all the iron ribs with a layer of thin wooden planks. This should be done even during construction."
Although he believed that with Britain's current forging capabilities, they wouldn't yet be able to replicate iron ribs suitable for battleships, it was always best to take precautions where possible.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
As he spoke, Joseph descended the stairs to the lower gun deck and immediately saw the immensely formidable 32-pounder cannons.
Indeed, the lower gun deck was a warship's core firepower zone. Heavy cannons had to be placed as low as possible to avoid affecting the ship's center of gravity.
Joseph walked further forward, quickly noticed an issue, and looked at Vauclaire with a frown.
"If I'm not mistaken, 24-pounder cannons are mounted at both the bow and stern of the ship?"
Vauclaire quickly replied, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. In the center are ten 32-pounder cannons, while the remaining sixteen are only 24-pounders."
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