Chapter 546 Alternate Design

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

"Your Majesty, in consideration of the impact of naval restrictions on us and to avoid forced dismantling of warships under construction, the tonnage of the R107 battleship is designed to be around 33,000 tons. But we also have backup plans." Richard, chief designer of the R107 battleship ·Hardin Davis took out the backup design that had been prepared and explained.

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

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

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

Compared with the R107 battleship, which has a standard displacement of only 330 million tons, the R108 is like a big fat man, with the 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 definitely considered huge when considered in the main battleship designs of all countries in the world.

The R108 battleship is 245 meters long, 31.1 meters wide, and has a draft of more than 10 meters.

For such a big guy, the biggest improvement is the battleship's protective capabilities.

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

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

The R108 battleship's protective capabilities are not just in one place, but have been completely enhanced for the entire battleship.

The thickness of the frontal armor of the gun mount and turret is between 387 mm and 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 on both sides also reaches 35 to 305 mm.

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

Australasia knows that the British are studying the 18-inch main naval gun, and even Australasia is part of the research.

As for this big ship, it is naturally expected to be equipped with three triple-mount 18-inch 45-caliber artillery pieces (457 mm).

You know, even the Nagato-class battleship of the island nation that has been exposed only has a firepower system of 1410 mm).

If the R108 battleship is really equipped with 18-inch guns, in terms of firepower alone, it will undoubtedly qualitatively crush the battleships of other countries.

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

If such a huge battleship encounters the aircraft carriers of other countries in this era, it is really hard to say who will win and who will 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 the technology and experience of aircraft carriers and the technology of aircraft.

What's even more terrible is that the power plant of the R108 battleship is qualitatively improved compared to the R107 battleship.

The number of oil-fired boilers has been increased to 12, and the number of steam turbines has also been 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 is definitely improved by more than one point 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, let alone experts who specialize in the design of battleships.

"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 will temporarily reduce the research and development of main battleships in accordance with future naval meetings?" Richard Harding Davis reminded boldly.

Arthur slapped his forehead, remembering that he had indeed said such a thing.

But knowing that Australasia has such an advanced warship design, even if every excuse is found, the naval limitation treaty must be postponed for two years to ensure the completion of new battleships.

"We do have to abide by the future naval limitation treaty. But the naval limitation treaty has not yet been formally formulated. At present, we still have no restrictions on the construction of warships." Arthur said: "Both battleship designs can be retained. Now we mainly focus on improving them. 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. There is no conflict between the two."

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

Not to mention that now that the restriction treaty has not been signed, countries are rushing to build a large number of main warships before the treaty is signed. Naturally, Australasia 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 that countries have to argue over the specific scale and proportion, the signing of a naval limitation treaty will take more than a year at the earliest, and it may even take 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 the R108 battleship is fully built, it should be possible to start the construction of three battleships at the same time and be in time." Richard ·Hardin 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.

"After hearing this, Yi Se's face became a little solemn. After thinking for a while, he said: "Then start building three ships at the same time! Notify the Royal Sydney Dockyard to start construction of the R108-class battleship immediately and must rush to the first water test. Any questions can be directed to the government or the Kent Steward. During the construction of the battleship, all problems will be resolved first. Mr. Richard, the important responsibilities of the country are entrusted to you. I appoint you as the chief builder of the R108 battleship, and you will be fully responsible for the construction of the new battleship in cooperation with the Sydney Shipyard. The naming and testing of the battleships have all been delayed, and I hope to see three new huge battleships completed within two years. "

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will definitely live up to your expectations. I will notify the Sydney Shipyard immediately." Richard Harding Davis's face turned red instantly, 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, the Nagato-class battleship can be equipped with a 410 mm 1-gun. It is simply impossible to equip an 18-inch main gun.

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

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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