Chapter 546 Alternative Design

"As far as I know, the tonnage of the Nagato-class battleships being built by the island nation has exceeded 40,000 tons. Why is the tonnage of our warships still around 30,000 tons?" Arthur looked at the chief designer of the warship with a little curiosity and asked the question in his heart.

"Your Majesty, considering the impact of naval restrictions on us and avoiding the forced demolition of warships under construction, the tonnage of the R107 battleship is designed to be around 33,000 tons. But we also have a backup plan." Richard Harding Davis, chief designer of the R107 battleship, took out the backup design that had been prepared long ago and explained.

Arthur nodded, took over the design, and was immediately attracted by the data marked in the design drawing.

It is said to be a backup design, but it is better to say that it is the design of a new battleship.

This is the 108th design draft, and its code name is naturally the R108 battleship.

Compared with the R107 battleship, which has a standard displacement of only 33,000 tons, the R108 is like a fat man, with a tonnage increased to 45,300 tons.

The standard displacement is 45,300 tons, and the full load displacement is 53,500 tons. Such data is absolutely huge in the design of the main battleships of all countries in the world.

The R108 battleship is 245 meters long, 31.1 meters wide, and the draft depth exceeds 10 meters.

For such a big ship, the biggest improvement is the battleship's protection capability.

Compared with the R107 battleship, the R108 battleship's side armor is 381 mm thick, and even the deck armor thickness is as high as 203 mm.

You should know that the deck armor thickness of the British main battleships during World War I was less than 100 mm. Such armor protection capability has almost doubled, which is also the real reason why the standard displacement of the R108 battleship is as high as 45,300 tons.

The protection capability of the R108 battleship is not only in a single place, but also a perfect enhancement of the entire battleship.

The front armor thickness of the gun mount and turret is as high as 387 mm to 408 mm, and the thinnest part of the connection is 305 mm.

Although the armor thickness of the command tower is slightly thinner, the thickness of the two sides is 356 mm, and the thickness of the front is 305 mm.

What makes people feel even more exaggerated is the firepower system of this battleship.

The news that the British are studying 18-inch main battleship guns is known to Australasia, and even Australasia is also a part of the research.

And on this big guy, it is also expected to be equipped with three triple-mounted 18-inch 45-caliber guns (457 mm).

You know, even the exposed island country Nagato-class battleships, the firepower system they carry is only a 16-inch naval gun (410 mm).

If the R108 battleship is really equipped with 18-inch guns, in terms of firepower alone, it is undoubtedly a qualitative crushing of battleships from other countries.

In addition to the main guns, the caliber of the secondary guns and the number of anti-aircraft firepower have also been greatly enhanced.

If such a huge battleship encounters an aircraft carrier from another country in this era, it is really hard to say who will win or lose.

After all, this era is still dominated by battleships. Although the concept of aircraft carriers is leading, countries still have a lot of room for improvement in aircraft carrier technology and experience as well as aircraft technology.

What's more, the power unit of the R108 battleship has been qualitatively improved compared to the R107 battleship.

The number of oil boilers has increased to 12, and the number of steam turbines has also increased to 4. The maximum power is expected to reach 80,000 horsepower, and the maximum speed is expected to reach 24 to 25 knots.

Although these data are only estimated results, the design data of the R108 battleship has been improved by more than a little bit compared to the R107 battleship.

Even ordinary people like Arthur who don't know much about warship design can see the huge gap between the two battleship designs at a glance, not to mention these experts who specialize in battleship design.

"Why didn't you come up with the design of the R108 battleship earlier? According to the design data, this is the battleship that Australasia should build." Arthur asked.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say that Australasia should temporarily reduce the research and development of main battleships in accordance with future naval meetings?" Richard Harding Davis reminded boldly.

Arthur slapped his forehead and remembered that he did say such words.

But you have to know that Australasia has such an advanced warship design. Even if you find all kinds of excuses, you have to postpone the time of the naval restriction treaty for two years to ensure that the new battleship is built.

"We do have to abide by the future naval limitation treaty. But the naval limitation treaty has not been formally formulated, and there are still no restrictions on the construction of warships." Arthur said: "The designs of these two battleships can be retained. Now we mainly improve and start the construction of the R108 battleship. After the naval limitation treaty is implemented, the R107 battleship will be the main battleship we can build. The two are not in conflict."

Historically, after the signing of the naval limitation treaty, many countries privately built larger battleships.

Not to mention that now that the limitation treaty has not been signed, various countries have rushed to build a large number of main battleships before the treaty is signed, and Australasia naturally cannot miss such an opportunity.

"When can the construction of the R108 battleship start? What is the fastest launch time?" Arthur asked the most critical question.

It is impossible to sign a naval limitation treaty in a short period of time, because it would take years to investigate the economic and industrial conditions of each country.

Coupled with the time it takes for countries to argue over the specific scale and proportion, the signing of a naval limitation treaty will take more than a year at the earliest, or even two or three years later.

As long as Australasia is determined to delay, there is absolutely no problem in delaying it for a year or two. Two years is enough time to build a battleship. Even if it has just been launched, it was built before the treaty was signed and has no impact on the implementation of the treaty.

"This design has gone through our preliminary experiments and there are basically no problems. If construction starts now, it is expected to be officially launched as soon as the end of 21 or early 22." Richard Harding Davis carefully After thinking for a while, I came up with a more reasonable time frame.

"Based on the scale of our current shipyard, how many battleships like this can be built at the same time within one and a half to two years?" Arthur continued to ask.

"Generally speaking, if two battleships are started at the same time, they should be completed within a year and a half. If some of the manpower is removed and all the efforts are made to build the R108 battleship, it should be possible to start the construction of three battleships at the same time and launch them before mid-1922. "Richard Harding Davis once again thought carefully for a long time before giving an answer.

Who says technical experts like Richard don't have ambitions? While ensuring that they can be completed within two years, Richard also wants to build more battleships. After all, the design of this battleship is his hard work. Naturally, he also hopes to see more battleships of the same level being built and sailing in the world. On the blue ocean.

"Mid-1922?" Arthur's face became a little solemn after hearing this. After pondering for a while, he said: "Then start construction of three ships at the same time! Inform the Royal Sydney Dockyard to start the construction of R108-class battleships immediately. We must rush to It will be launched for testing before mid-1922. Any questions can be addressed to the government or the Kent Steward. During the construction of the battleship, all problems will be solved first. Mr. Richard, the important task of the country will be handed over to you. I appoint you as the chief builder of the R108 battleship. The division will cooperate with the Sydney Shipyard to take full responsibility for the construction of new battleships. The naming and testing of the battleships have been postponed. I hope to see the completion of three new huge battleships within two years."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will definitely live up to your expectations. I will inform the Sydney Shipyard immediately." Richard Harding Davis's face instantly turned red, and he stood up excitedly and said impatiently.

After waving his hand and letting Richard do his own thing, Arthur also decided to end his tour in Melbourne.

There are more important things at the Melbourne Shipyard right now, so there is no need for Arthur to disturb them.

Whether it is the R107 battleship or the R108 battleship, the design fully refers to the British battleship design, and even has the help of the British. The overall design idea is quite reliable.

If Arthur remembers correctly, the island nation's Nagato battleship, known as the most powerful battleship of this era, only has a displacement of about 40,000 tons.

Due to the technical limitations of the island nation, it is not easy for the Nagato-class battleship to be equipped with a 410 mm 16-inch main gun. It is simply impossible to equip the 18-inch main gun.

But no matter what, the Nagato-class battleship in this era, in 1920, was definitely one of the most powerful battleships in the world.

If Arthur remembers correctly, the maximum power of the Nagato-class battleship seems to have exceeded 80,000 horsepower, and the speed can reach 26 knots.

But the islanders are not that stupid, so it is naturally impossible to announce the true speed of the Nagato-class battleship.

Whether in history or now, the islanders have concealed certain data about this so-called most powerful battleship that is already quite famous and is about to complete the sea trials and will be commissioned.

According to the official data announcement by the islanders, the Nagato battleship has a maximum speed of only level 23 and a power of only about 58,000 horsepower.

The reason why Arthur retained the design of the two battleships R107 and R108 was actually because he had the same idea as the islanders.

Even if the naval limitation treaty is signed in advance in the future, the data of the R108 battleship under construction in Australasia can be temporarily withheld and replaced with the data of the R107 battleship.

Anyway, the two battleships are quite similar in appearance. They are from the same designer. As long as the confidentiality work is done well, the fake ones may be real.

Of course, the best news is that three R108 battleships were launched for testing before the treaty was signed. In this way, other countries will have no excuses, and Australasia can legitimately equip these three powerful battleships.

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