1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 391 Evacuation or War

Liang Yao joined forces with the pirates in Southeast Asia in the South China Sea, and then headed south in a mighty manner to the waters near Pontianak.

With such a large-scale fleet sailing, it was natural that it could not escape the eyes and ears of the Dutch and Indian authorities.

After learning of Liang Yao's intentions, Tevez ordered General Cruson to immediately organize a fleet and head to the waters near Pontianak to intercept Liang Yao's fleet and prevent Liang Yao from landing in West Borneo.

Even the Dutch armed merchant ships anchored in Batavia Port were directly requisitioned by the Dutch and Indian authorities.

"A lunatic, simply a lunatic. Is the American government endorsing him behind his back, or is he acting arrogantly?"

Tevez felt puzzled and angry at Liang Yao's series of incredible actions.

After reading the information sent back, Krusheng's expression gradually became serious.

Four modern steamships of over 1,000 tons, one of which is the most advanced hidden-wheel warship.

This is a maritime force that cannot be underestimated.

After the Anglo-Dutch War, the Netherlands' national power declined, and Belgium's independence in 1830 severely damaged the country's vitality.

At this time, the national strength of the Netherlands was no longer what it used to be. It was just trying to maintain the dignity of the last great powers and was the weakest link among the great powers.

Tevez's intensive mobilization finally assembled 9 sailing warships, one of which was the three-decker Rotterdam with a displacement of up to 2,300 tons and 95 guns. This was the only second-class ship left by the Dutch and Indian authorities.

The Dutch and Indian authorities’ final cards.

It's just that the Rotterdam is a ship built in the late 20th century, and the hull is a bit old.

The remaining eight sailing battleships are fourth-, fifth- and sixth-level ships with displacements ranging from 400 tons to 1,500 tons and armed guns ranging from 20 to 60 guns.

Like the Rotterdam, these sailing battleships are relatively old and the condition of the ships is worrying.

Does the Dutch and Indian authorities have any new ships?

Yes, after all, the Netherlands was once a coachman on the sea. The emergence of steam battleships also gave insightful people in the Netherlands a premonition that steam battleships that were not constrained by wind would be the future of the navy.

Starting in 1848, the Dutch began to concentrate financial and material resources to develop their own new generation of steam warships.

The result of the Dutch is Soembing (the name of a volcano on the island of Java, I don’t know how to translate it. If someone knows more about it, I will change it into Chinese translation).

The Soembing is a three-masted steam paddle steamer that uses both steam power and sail power. It has a displacement of 781 tons, a power of 110kw, and a length of 66.8 meters. It is equipped with a single-cylinder coal-fired steam engine and 6 forward cannons. It is the most advanced steamship in the world.

one.

Historically, in order to promote Japan's opening to the Netherlands, after the Black Ship Incident and the founding of Japan, under the lobbying of Hendrick, the president of the Dutch Trade Association with Japan, William III of the Netherlands agreed to send a steamship as a gift to Germany.

Sichuan Shogunate.

Of course, the Dutch are not doing charity. The real purpose of the Dutch is to allow Japan to further open its market to earn more business benefits.

Hendrick also carefully considered that if ordered from the Netherlands, the construction period would be very long, and the Soembing currently serving in the Dutch East Indies was a new ship that had just been commissioned in 1853.

But in terms of numbers and momentum, Liang Yao, who came out in full force, was obviously superior.

"This sea area belongs to us, the Netherlands! You have entered the Dutch sea area. I will give you ten minutes to consider whether to evacuate our sea area or go to war!"

Krusheng also issued an ultimatum to Liang Yao, requiring Liang Yao's fleet to evacuate the waters near Pontianak.

While issuing the ultimatum, Cruson had already issued a semaphore, ordering each ship to seize the windward direction in order to obtain a powerful maneuvering position after the war started.

Cruson's East Indies fleet has a very low steamization rate. Only one Soembing and two steamed old sailing warships can fight without the help of wind.

The rest of the ships are still sail warships, and they must follow the combat rules of the age of sail in order to maximize the advantages of their own warships.

The so-called upwind and downwind are not the same as tailwind and headwind.

But in the wind direction perpendicular to the direction of the sail warship, the direction above the vertical wind direction is the upwind direction, and the direction below it is the downwind direction.

The upwind direction and the downwind direction each have their own merits. In short, the advantage of the side in the upwind direction is that it is easy to obtain maneuver advantages, but the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, it may lose its firepower advantage.

In the battleships of the sail era, the waterline of the lower deck was very low, and the layout pattern of the deck guns on each deck of the sail battleship was that the gun firepower of the lower deck was stronger than that of the upper deck.

Taking the second-class battleship USS Christian as an example, the bottom deck has 28 42-pound guns, the upper deck has 28 24-pound guns, and the top has 26 12-pound guns.

The artillery on the lower level is the main firepower output of the sail battleship.

If it is in the upwind direction, the tilt of the ship's hull can easily cause seawater to flood the lower or even upper decks facing the enemy, causing only the top deck with the weakest firepower to fire.

On the contrary, the enemy's ship will tilt under the influence of wind, but the muzzle pointing upward in the wind direction, that is, the muzzle pointed in the direction of the own ship, is basically not affected by wind and waves.

Therefore, the enemy can ensure maximum firepower output.

In the age of sail, the navies of various countries had different regulations on whether to gain the upper hand or the lower wind during a battle.

A general rule is that naval powers tend to seize the upper hand in order to gain maximum maneuverability and gain the initiative on the battlefield.

Countries with relatively weak naval power tend to seize the disadvantage and wait for work.

The British Navy and the Dutch Navy are representatives who like to seize the upper wind direction.

The French navy, which has relatively weak sea power, prefers to wait for its work in the leeward position when fighting the British navy.

Because of the difference in quality of sailors between the British and French navies, after the French navy's gunners fired one salvo, the British navy's gunners could often fire three or more rounds of salvos.

The gap in sailor quality makes up for the loss of firepower output of the British Navy in the upwind position. Therefore, in sea battles, the British Navy is often more inclined to seize the upper hand, gain maneuverability advantages, and strive for the initiative on the battlefield.

The French Navy, on the contrary, generally does not like to seize the upper wind direction and exchange fire with the British Navy while losing its main firepower output.

Of course, strength is also relative. When facing the British Navy, the French Navy likes to fight at a disadvantage, but when facing opponents with weaker maritime capabilities than itself, the French Navy will also take the initiative to gain the upper hand.

When fighting the Spanish Navy, the French Navy often went against the norm and seized the upper hand during the battle, gaining a rare maneuverability advantage to engage in battle.

Wind direction is only one factor that can influence the outcome in naval battles in the age of sail, but it is not the decisive factor.

The commander's decision, strength comparison, equipment level, sailor's morale, combat experience and tactical literacy, and even accidents, can all become factors that determine the outcome of a naval battle.

(End of chapter)