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Chapter 389 Newcomers, New Ships

"Oh... let's wait until next time. Mr. Li, how has Shen Yourong been doing in the past few months?" This answer disappointed Hong Tao, as if he had worked hard to dig a hole but failed to step on his prey. As for whether the herdsmen were too unresisting and surrendered too early, it’s better not to pursue the issue further and talk about something else.

"...General Li Shen is a strong general, quick in thinking, careful in thinking, and literate in writing. He can board the ship and go to sea after he is familiar with the warship. If he wants to command independently, it depends on his grasp of the nautical charts. .”

Yuan Keli thought he had nothing to do today. He looked through the window at several eunuchs in the yard playing with sand on a huge table and was very curious. Suddenly he was called by the emperor and almost didn't react.

"It's too slow. Let him get on the ship directly and learn while getting familiar with it. With the navigator and staff watching, nothing will happen. I don't plan to let him command the warship. He can slowly become familiar with the charts."

After listening to Yuan Keli's evaluation, Hong Tao felt somewhat comfortable. It seems that the history books are not all written in vain. This general who has fought against the Jurchens, Mongols, Japanese pirates, and the Dutch, and is amphibious is indeed somewhat capable.

"Your Majesty, with the addition of Dan civilians, the navy is now free of personnel constraints. The first batch of new warships will not be completed until the end of next year at the earliest. There is plenty of time."

Yuan Keli had no objection to letting Shen Congrong join the navy. This veteran was considered to be experienced in battles and did not have a deep factional background. It was reasonable for him to hold a relatively high position in the navy.

But he did not want the emperor to be blinded by the temporary success in front of him, be overly optimistic and expand blindly. It is more conducive to the development of the navy to proceed step by step as before.

Because the navy is very different from the armies of the garrison, frontier army, and Beijing camp, the most critical point is that the professional knowledge is relatively complex. Without a period of study and mastery, it will be difficult to adapt to the new combat and command system. At this time, being older and more experienced actually becomes a hindrance, and the learning time will be longer than that of young people.

It has only been 7 years since the navy was established. Its growth rate is obvious to all. It was basically built from scratch. It has firmly controlled the Bohai Sea, East China Sea and parts of the South China Sea. It not only protects the security of the coastal areas of Ming Dynasty, but also provides benefits to neighboring countries. It has sufficient deterrence and the trend is quite good.

Since the raid on Thang Long last year, South Sea teak, which is more suitable for manufacturing ocean-going warships, has been continuously transported from Siam through Annan to the two shipyards of Songjiang and Haihe. The construction of the first batch of six new warships is being stepped up.

This kind of warship, designed by the emperor himself and named Qin-class, not only uses higher-grade materials, but also makes all-round improvements and innovations in the hull proportions, internal structure, sail shape, and cable system.

The larger length-to-width ratio and sharper hull cross-section can improve the steering ability and ocean seaworthiness; the new ribs and thickened ship plates make the hull stronger and increase its ability to resist wave impact and shell attacks.

The biggest change is the sail. The current warship has three masts excluding the bow girder. The layout from front to back is transverse, transverse, transverse and oblique. The fore mast and main mast each have three layers of transverse girder sails, and the aft mast has one layer of girder. There are two small staysails and a large spinnaker that is not usually used on the bowsprit.

The mast layout of the Qin-class battleship has not changed much, but the sail type has changed to horizontal, diagonal, and diagonal. The fore mast has three-layered girder sails. The mainmast and mizzen mast have canceled the girder sails and replaced them with two-layer stay jibs. The bow staysail and spinnaker remain.

The emperor gave a detailed answer as to why this change was made. He said that the old warships of the Navy and most European warships and armed cargo ships were of the full-sail type, with square sails predominating.

This type of sail is very suitable for high speeds in tailwind and crosswind conditions. It has a high thrust-to-weight ratio and can carry more cargo, weapons and personnel. However, when encountering headwind or unstable wind direction, the power will be significantly weakened, turning and turning around will be very difficult, and the boom sail must be constantly retracted and lowered to adjust the sail direction. In the Arabian Sea and the southern Mediterranean, there is also a popular type of sailing ship based on jibs and gaff sails. Its characteristics are exactly the opposite of full sails. It is simple to operate and adapts to various wind directions. However, it has a small thrust-to-weight ratio, poor downwind and high speed, and cannot Suitable for vessels with large displacement.

The sail type of the Qin-class battleships is called a hybrid type according to the emperor. At best, it is called a hybrid type, and at worst, it is a hodgepodge. The square-spread sail of the foremast has the advantage of a large thrust-to-weight ratio downwind, while the gaff staysails of the mainmast and mizzen mast inherit the flexible and maneuverable characteristics of the triangle sail, which is moderate.

Regarding this explanation, Yuan Keli raised questions on the spot. If the Qin-class warship can't run as fast and pull as much as a full-rigged sail when going downwind, and can't run as fast and turn as quickly as a full-triangle sail when going against the wind, this doesn't mean it's not as good as a fully-rigged jib when facing the wind. The European square-rigged warships suffered losses, and the Arabian triangular-rigged warships still suffered losses. What's the use of it!

But the emperor's answer was clever and shameless. He said that victory in combat often does not depend on who has outstanding advantages, but more often depends on who has fewer shortcomings and who is more likely to exploit their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.

The Qin-class battleship is not as fast as the European battleship when the wind is downwind, but its speed and steering are superior in headwind and weak wind conditions. When encountering Arab warships, it is not flexible enough in headwind or weak wind conditions, but its downwind performance becomes an advantage.

In a word, no matter what kind of sail warship it faces, the Qin class can find its own advantages and use them. The rest is left to the captain, sailors and gunners, and of course luck.

In addition, reducing the horizontal sail and increasing the girder stay sail can also solve the current shortcomings of the Ming Navy, personnel! An old warship, not counting gunners, must have at least 70 crew members to meet the needs of a long voyage, but the Qin class only needs 40.

Using half the manpower to operate a battleship of the same level, even if the defensive and offensive performance remains unchanged, is still a big advantage. In this way, the navy is equivalent to doubling its size and doubling its combat effectiveness.

At the same time, the emperor also pointed out a common misunderstanding in the minds of navy and shipyard craftsmen. In a sailing naval battle, the tonnage of the battleship and the number of artillery are not the only indicators of victory.

According to the level of shipbuilding, cannon casting, navigation technology, and different understandings of sea power, the development directions of navies in various countries are different. Specifically for the Ming Dynasty's navy, the most appropriate ship size was around four thousand materials.

To this end the emperor also invented a new unit for measuring ship size called the ton. One ton is almost equal to 1675 kilograms, and a new warship made of 240 materials is approximately equal to a displacement of tons.

As for how to calculate displacement, most of the craftsmen in the shipyard don't know how to use it, but it doesn't matter. The emperor sent several internal officials to stay there. They didn't have to do anything. They just followed the master craftsman with the drawings every day and answered the drawings anytime and anywhere. The difference with the model is also the relationship between tons and materials.

What is the level of a battleship with 4,000 materials? The answer is very frustrating. Even if it is pulled to Hao Jingao, it is not a big boat, but it is not small either, and it is above average. But I heard from Portuguese sailors that many of the real Spanish galleons exceeded the expectations. Compared with them, the Qin class is a bit small.

(End of this chapter)