Rebirth of the Spanish Empire.

Chapter 52 Dreadnought Ship Launched

June 1876, 6, the port of Barcelona, ​​Kingdom of Spain, one day had passed since the Anglo-Russian agreement was reached.

The five pre-dreadnought-class battleships that Alfonso requested to be built when he took over were finally completed today.

The construction time of these five former Dreadnought-class battleships alone has exceeded 16 months.

Moreover, it still needs to wait until the Royal Spanish Navy is truly familiar with these five pre-dreadnought ships before they can be considered to have truly formed combat effectiveness.

The pre-dreadnought ships named "Castile" class are now the most powerful warships in the navies of various countries in the world.

It has a displacement of 1.6 tons and a full load displacement of 1.8 tons. It is a well-deserved giant battleship.

它还装备着4门343毫米主炮，10门152.4毫米速射炮。在装甲方面，舷侧中部主装甲带最厚处达457毫米，然后分别以406毫米和356毫米向前和向后递减。

Because during this period in the 19th century, countries around the world had not yet developed armor steel technology, so the armor of these five pre-dreadnought ships was all made of ordinary steel with an astonishing thickness.

In terms of speed, the five front dreadnoughts reached an astonishing sixteen knots, with a maximum speed of eighteen knots.

The first ship was named "Queen Isabella". The next four pre-dreadnoughts were named "Carlos", "Magellan", "Columbus" and "Alfonso".

The total tonnage of these five pre-dreadnought ships exceeds 8 tons. Coupled with the assistance of the 3-ton old-fashioned fleet, this directly brought the total tonnage of the Kingdom of Spain's navy to more than 11 tons.

It has exceeded the 11 tons of the Russian Imperial Navy, slightly less than the 13 tons of the German Imperial Navy, one-half of the total tonnage of the French Navy, and one-quarter of the British Royal Navy.

At this time, the U.S. Navy only had 10.28 tons. Therefore, in terms of navy, the Navy of the Kingdom of Spain has officially crushed the U.S. Navy, ranking fifth in the world in terms of total naval tonnage.

…………

As Castro, who personally trained the Spanish Navy, he looked at the five behemoths parked in the port with excitement today.

Ever since he took over as Lord of the Navy, he had been waiting for this day with great anticipation.

The Infrared-class ironclad ship launched by the British in April has a maximum displacement of only 4 tons at full load and a maximum speed of 11880 knots.

As the latest level battleship of the current naval overlord, this also represents the highest level of warship technology in the world today.

Now, these five pre-dreadnoughts built by the Kingdom of Spain have directly broken the British's leading position in naval technology.

These five pre-dreadnoughts, both in terms of firepower and speed, have far exceeded the British Flesh White class.

I believe that when the watering ceremony is over and the data about these five pre-dreadnought ships is known to countries around the world, it will definitely cause an uproar.

Standing next to Alfonso was Castro in a navy uniform, accompanied by more than a dozen senior officers, who are now the pillars of the Kingdom of Spain's navy.

Escorted by the guards, Alfonso and his party arrived at the port.

In the specially built stand in front, Alfonso, wearing a navy uniform, stood tall and tall at the front of the stand and straightened the microphone used to speak.

The periphery of the port was already filled with dense crowds. Although Alfonso kept something secret during the construction period of the pre-dreadnought, now he plans to make it public.

On the one hand, there is no way to hide this. On the other hand, I also want to give the people of the Kingdom of Spain a shot of tranquility through the launch of these five pre-dreadnought ships.

Now that the Kingdom of Spain can build the five most advanced battleships in the world, it can be said that it can bring great national pride to the Spanish people.

Nowadays, the title of the Kingdom of Spain's world's number one army has become less and less recognized, but the title of the world's most advanced army has still been retained.

On the one hand, countries have gotten over the shock of machine gun fire and cannon fire. On the other hand, it is also because the number of the Royal Spanish Army is too small and cannot support such a heavy name.

With the launch of these five pre-dreadnought ships, the prestige of the old colonial empire of the Kingdom of Spain can be effectively protected, and it can also deter some eager enemy countries. As an old colonial empire, the Kingdom of Spain’s decline in naval strength is undoubtedly a major blow to the maintenance of overseas colonial rule.

After all, the strength can be really weak, but the reputation must be resounding. The general meaning is that you are not really awesome until everyone thinks you are awesome.

For example, the Qing Dynasty before the Sino-Japanese War. Before experiencing this war, Western countries regarded him as a second-rate power.

However, with the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, the Western powers saw through the Qing Dynasty's essential weakness, and finally set off a frenzy to carve up China.

…………

Alfonso held a bottle of champagne in his hand and threw it on the five pre-dreadnoughts one by one.

The ritual of throwing bottles is a distant tradition, the purpose is to pray for the ship to be safe and smooth in the future voyage.

In later generations, when the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth was launched, the Queen displayed it in front of the public.

"Now I announce that the launching ceremony has officially begun!"

Alfonso directly announced the start of the launching ceremony, the national anthem was played slowly, and the salute began.

The navy on board the five pre-dreadnoughts all stood at attention and performed Spanish military salutes. Several old-fashioned ironclads also began to slowly drag the five pre-dreadnought ships away from the shore.

The crowd of onlookers began to cheer, five behemoths, and several ironclad ships responsible for towing. More than a dozen warships began to move, and the people's national pride also emerged at this time.

The "Queen Isabella" was the first to enter the water, and then the steam engines of the remaining four pre-dreadnoughts began to start, and black gas began to float into the sky.

After the five pre-dreadnought ships sailed into the sea, the salute began again, and the military band also played cheerful music.

At this time, the onlookers also began to cheer and applaud. This kind of pride in their country can be easily satisfied.

The launching ceremony of the "Castile-class" battleship was a perfect conclusion. I believe that when the Globe spread the news the next day, countries around the world would be disappointed with the battleships currently being built.

The maximum displacement of the German Empire's Saxony class is 8000 tons, the Dutch "Prince Koning" is 5400 tons, and the Russian "Peter the Great" is only 10500 tons.

This time, the Kingdom of Spain can be said to be at the forefront of the world.

Countries around the world are already building warships that are even just sketches. Without being put into service in the water, it has been declared obsolete.

For Britain and France, which have strong shipbuilding capabilities, it may not be a big deal.

But for countries like the Kingdom of Italy and the Russian Empire, which have high hopes for new warships, it must be an extremely cruel blow.

Although it did not cause as much commotion as the later dreadnoughts, the emergence of the former dreadnoughts will still cause naval competition among countries around the world.

The country bearing the greatest pressure is definitely the arrogant British Empire.

"It's a pity that Wilhelm II has not yet ascended the throne of the German Emperor. What a loss to the Kingdom of Spain!"

Alfonso couldn't help but sigh. William II had not yet come to power, which also prevented the German Empire from catching up with the fearless arms race.

And this will also make the British focus more on their Kingdom of Spain.

……

(End of this chapter)