Chapter 650 Funding the Navy
Antwerp Airport Command.
Charles and Vice Admiral Gaiprat are discussing the development direction of the French Navy.
"Our destroyers have been influenced by the 'Green Water Navy' and have always been small." Vice Admiral Gaiprat said worriedly: "The destroyers we produced before were only 800 tons, and we only had destroyers of this tonnage because Argentina ordered 1,000-ton destroyers."
Charles has read the relevant information, and it is still a shame for the French Navy.
In 1910, Argentina ordered 1,000-ton destroyers from Britain, France and Germany at the same time. As a result, France's construction was slow and the trial performance was poor, so Argentina cancelled the order.
In the end, France could only keep this 1,000-ton destroyer for its own use. This is the French "Adventure Class" destroyer, which was the most advanced destroyer in France during World War I.
(The picture above shows the French Adventurer-class destroyer, which entered service in 1914 with a standard displacement of 1,000 tons)
"The problem now is." Vice Admiral Gaiprat handed Charles the information about the destroyer and said, "Many of us are not sure whether the destroyer should continue to be small or large."
Charles had previously discussed with Wells that the future development of the navy was destroyers, but he did not point out in which direction the destroyers should develop, so there was such a disagreement in the navy.
Charles said with certainty: "Of course it is better to develop in a larger direction. 1,000 tons is far from enough. In the future, we will develop 2,000 tons, 3,000 tons, or even larger tonnage."
"Why?" Gaiprat expressed his confusion: "If so, what is the difference between them and light cruisers?"
During World War I, light cruisers were generally 4,000 to 5,000 tons, and the tonnage of the two seemed to overlap.
However, Charles knew that they were not the same thing.
"General." Charles replied, "We all know that the main targets of light cruisers, including cruisers with larger tonnage, are enemy warships, right?"
"Of course." Gaiprat nodded, "They all cooperate with battleships to fight, and can use their speed advantage to seize favorable positions in battle."
"Therefore," Charles said, "They are still mainly stacked with armor and artillery, right?"
"What's the problem?" Lieutenant General Gaiprat looked at Charles in confusion.
What else can a naval battle be if it is not mainly based on enemy warships?
Charles did not answer, but looked at Lieutenant General Gaiprat calmly and asked, "When torpedo attack aircraft appear, the function of warships will change accordingly, right?"
Lieutenant General Gaiprat said, "Hmm," "Obviously, it should enhance anti-aircraft firepower."
"Just enhance?" Charles smiled without saying a word.
Lieutenant General Geprat was confused: "Then, what else can we do?"
Charles replied:
"Today, bombers carry torpedoes. One day, we can also mount bombs on bombers."
"Although it currently has accuracy problems, it will be solved one day."
"And as accuracy improves, does it mean that the fleet is often sunk by enemy aircraft before seeing the opponent?"
Lieutenant General Geprat was stunned.
Although what Charles said was hard to imagine, Lieutenant General Geprat thought deeply and felt that what he said was right.
At least it is true in this special sea area of the North Sea, which is 643 kilometers wide. The "Caproni" bomber can almost fly back and forth with auxiliary fuel tanks.
This is even more true for the English Channel, which is only 180 kilometers wide at its widest point. There is no need to consider the range issue at all. Even the short-legged "Camel" fighter can fly back and forth.
So, can the enemy warships see the opponent?
Before they see the opponent, their position will be discovered by French reconnaissance, and then torpedo attack aircraft and bombers will be sent to bomb them.
Charles then added: "If the enemy warships can't even see the enemy warships, what's the point of having cannons and armor?"
Vice Admiral Geprat thought for a while and answered thoughtfully: "I understand. The focus of destroyer development should be air defense, not anti-ship."
Charles nodded. This is the direction of future warship development.
Even more so after the aircraft carrier.
Battleships' main guns and secondary guns of various calibers are useless.
Because the main task of warships is not anti-ship, most naval battles can't even see enemy warships, so what's the point of having so many main guns? Directly reduce to one or two naval guns to deal with extreme situations.
Thick armor is useless.
The main attack comes from the sky rather than the sea. Bombers attack the deck from top to bottom, or torpedo attack aircraft launch torpedoes under the waterline. No matter how thick the side armor is, it's useless.
Instead, various anti-aircraft firepower, multiple air defenses at long, medium and short distances, provide layer after layer of firepower protection for aircraft carriers.
Of course, as the escort of aircraft carriers, destroyers must also take into account anti-submarine and anti-ship, but they are secondary to air defense.
No mistake, read the content of the first 6-9 book!
This is why battleships will be eliminated in the future. Their main advantages, artillery and armor, are basically redundant and useless after the emergence of aircraft carriers.
Therefore, it is inevitable that battleships will be replaced by destroyers that focus on air defense.
(Note: During World War II, many warships had to remove their secondary guns and replace them with anti-aircraft guns due to changes in battlefields and missions)
"So." Charles concluded: "The increase in the tonnage of destroyers is completely different from that of cruisers. It is mainly aimed at air defense. Simply put, the weight of the cruiser's armor and artillery is gradually replaced with anti-aircraft firepower."
Lieutenant General Geprat's face was uncertain, sometimes happy and sometimes worried. After a long time, he sighed and said, "This is good news, but it is also bad news."
"Oh?" Charles asked with interest, "Why?"
Lieutenant General Geprat replied: "The good news is that if the future naval battle really develops as you said, then our losses will be much less than those of Britain and Germany, and there is still hope to catch up with them."
Charles nodded to show his understanding.
France has few battleships, while Britain and Germany have dozens or dozens of battleships.
Once the battleships are abandoned in the naval battle, the losses of Britain and Germany will inevitably be greater.
Vice Admiral Gaiprat continued, "The bad news is that our navy construction is almost at a standstill, and we have no spare capacity to develop new destroyers."
After the outbreak of the war, France spent almost all its funds on the army, and the navy could only rank second, with only two destroyers under construction.
Charles didn't think much about it and agreed to it.
"I think I can contribute to this." Charles said, "I mean, the Bernard Group can provide funds for the navy."
Vice Admiral Gaiprat's eyes lit up: "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course." Charles answered with certainty.
This is a good opportunity to control the navy, how could he miss it easily?
