Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1142 King Charles' New Battleship

The Fourth Fleet stayed in the Thames River for about ten days or so. They were sure that Li Jinde and others had gained a firm foothold in London, so they moved to Portsmouth Harbor under the leadership of the sailing battleship Crown Prince to monitor the traffic to and from the English Channel. European fleets.

At this time, due to the decline of the Royal Navy, Britain could not control the English Channel. The merchant ships of the Netherlands and the Spaniards could run amok here, and the French navy also rose during this period.

However, the British Royal Navy is not idle either. They are always watching the European continent and protecting the British Isles. When wars break out between the fleets of Spain, the Netherlands, and France, they will appear on the edge of the battlefield to watch the battle.During the war, Britain would even lease ships to Spain and other countries to act as transport ships, paying more attention to its own interests instead of taking a firm stand.

When the Spanish Empire was strong, Britain supported the independence of the Netherlands to divide the Spanish Empire.When the Netherlands was strong, Britain and the Netherlands broke out the Anglo-Dutch war against the sea coachmen.The real rise of the British navy came after the bourgeois revolution, when Charles I was still worrying about building a powerful navy.

More than a dozen warships from the Fourth Fleet came to the port of Portsmouth, where the battleship Crown Prince and more than a dozen other ships of the Royal Navy stayed.Because of the arrival of the Fourth Fleet, the number of troops stationed in Portsmouth has doubled. The battleship Shuhan is a three-deck battleship with 74 guns, while the battleships Wei Guo and Soochow are two-deck with 54 guns. Battleships, others are frigates with 36 guns and 24 guns.The arrival of such a fleet with hundreds of artillery pieces will not only increase the military strength of the Royal Navy, but also promote the development of the local shipbuilding and maintenance industries, and the production of suitable artillery shells for the Fourth Fleet is also a considerable amount of income.

The Fourth Fleet wanted to have a bridgehead in Europe to protect Chinese merchants from the danger of plundering by privateers.

When Sun Xu arrived in Portsmouth, it was the British Admiral Pennington who took over for him.

"Our king is recruiting funds from the whole country for our navy, and soon we will add more ships." Pennington looked enviously at the Fourth Fleet moored in Portsmouth Harbor.

More than a dozen warships of the Fourth Fleet are all new ships built in the Dalian Shipyard. They have just been put into use not long ago, and the brand new hulls are eye-catching.

If it was just the Fourth Fleet itself, Pennington would not be surprised. What he really envied was that China could send such a fleet to Britain permanently.

In other words, the eastern empire has a large number of warships, and even sending a fleet to Britain will not affect the country's defense.And the name of the Fourth Fleet has already told Pennington Huaxia that besides the fleet it sent, there are at least three other fleets.

"Please take care of me for the next period of time. If a war breaks out, we will fight side by side with you." Sun Xu said to Admiral Pennington.

"Our officers and soldiers staying in Portsmouth port have prepared a banquet to welcome you. When our Royal Navy regains its former glory, we can work together to monopolize the trade on the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. All ships must pass Only with our permission can we sail on the sea." Pennington was in a good mood.

At least at present, the Royal Navy has an additional cooperative fleet to resist the expansion of Spain and the Netherlands on the ocean.

As Pennington tells it, Charles I was trying to raise funds to add new ships to the Royal Navy.

At the Woolwich Shipyard on the banks of the Thames, a huge sailing battleship is under construction, with a keel as long as 39 meters.Peter Pater, director of Woolwich Dockyard, is re-examining the blueprints for the sailing battleship Charles I commissioned his shipyard to build.

"His Majesty the King wants to increase the number of guns of this large battleship under construction to 104, making it the largest warship in the world." An official sent by King Charles conveyed his thoughts to Peter Pater.

Peter Pat frowned slightly: "According to the original design plan, this battleship is equipped with 90 artillery pieces. Even so, this battleship is already very heavy. If the number of artillery pieces is increased to 104, it is hard to say whether the effective firepower will be improved. , will even affect the performance of the entire warship. The bulky warship will become the first target of the enemy's attack, and it lacks flexibility..."

"Director Pate, you should understand that His Majesty the King has invested more than 4 pounds on this warship. His goal is to revive the Royal Navy and replace the Spanish and Dutch hegemony on the sea." Charlie The official sent by I said.

"Of course I understand the painstaking efforts of His Majesty the King, but I believe that a battleship with 90 cannons is enough for the navy. Forcibly increasing the number of cannons from 90 to 104 will not only affect the performance of the battleship itself, but also increase the number of constructions for no reason. Cost. This is an irrational decision, and I hope you can go back and report to His Majesty the King, so that he can revoke such a decision." Peter Pater said.

"Director Pate, the reason why His Majesty the King raised a lot of money to invest in the construction of this huge ship is not only to add a capital ship to the Royal Navy, but also to boost the morale of the people and make the gentry and citizens everywhere value the navy. We Britain is isolated overseas, and trade with other countries is inseparable from ships. We must have a strong navy to protect our interests. His Majesty the King raised another 2 pounds to invest in the transformation of this ship, and it must be built into a The most magnificent battleship in history." The official sent by Charles I said.

"...Since His Majesty the King has even provided follow-up funds, our Woolwich Shipyard will modify this battleship according to His Majesty's wishes. I will try my best to ensure that the performance of this giant ship will not be reduced due to the increase in the number of artillery pieces." Peter Pater said helplessly.

Since Charles I's main purpose was to make this 6-pound battleship a symbol of the navy, it was inconvenient for him to say anything as a shipbuilder.After all, the funds for building this giant ship are enough to build ten 40-gun ships with slightly inferior performance.

"It is said that in order to raise funds to expand the navy and plan to establish a standing army, His Majesty the King collected a 'ship tax' from the whole country, and also asked the Chinese people for gold and silver. I don't know if it will cause any problems." Pate muttered.

"The raising of funds is the business of His Majesty the King, so you don't have to worry about it. It is estimated that Woolwich Shipyard will receive more orders for battleships in the future." The official sent by Charles I said.

(End of this chapter)