Reborn As a Pirate

"Lorraine Drake's ship is called the Valkyrie. It was designed and manufactured by Drake Marine Group. The type in the shipyard's product list is the Valkyrie class, a special privateer Galen ship."

"She is different from all current ship types, with an aspect ratio of 4.5, the physique and displacement of a second-class ship, the crew and gun ports of a frigate, a full Bermuda sail, and under the same mast height, the sail area is larger than the standard configuration. A 40% increase."

"Her firepower configuration is also very unique, single-layer gun bay, 54 guns, except for two bow guns equipped with 32-pound mortars, all of which are American-made 24-pound short guns, authorized by the US Department of the Navy."

"This kind of ship equipment makes her application area very narrow. Within 150 meters, her firepower is much higher than that of a fourth-tier ship, but at a distance of 500 meters, she is not even as good as a Brig."

"But she also has a full-covered metal shell and a top speed of 14.5/4.5. As a large ship, even the large Bermuda Sloop, which has only become popular in the navies of various countries in the past two years, may not be faster than She's faster."

"In short, Lorraine Drake tailored a warship for himself that was specially designed to reach the sword. enough money for us to build two mighty Victories."

"The Valkyrie is the pinnacle of privateer firepower."

Shaq racked his brains to organize his vocabulary, not only carefully avoiding the reality of Lorraine's over-limit configuration, but also using Valkyrie's public data to prove her dominance.

This is very important.

As the No. 3 figure in the Admiralty, the Deputy Chief of Staff, he didn't need to go to Windsor Castle to deliver the letter.

But the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Staff still invited him to make an important reply to George III on the basis of Lorraine's impressive record in Muscat.

The Secretary of the Navy told him bluntly that the success or failure of this plea would affect the future of the Royal Navy, and would determine whether Britain would become a bully like Portugal in a few decades, or rule the Seven Seas and become an invincible king. An unstoppable overlord.

Shaq has a heavy load on his shoulders.

He cleared his mind and took a deep breath.

"The scale of the Gahailier naval battle was very small. Only two 60-door ships and two 70-door ships participated in the battle. The battle began to count, and the entire naval battle did not last more than two hours."

"It makes it easy for us to overlook the special significance of this naval battle."

"Colonel Emmons said in his report that Drake's armed merchant ship, the Lady of Artis and ships of the same class, only possess the ability to dominate in fourth-tier engagements, but their cost is as high as 82,000 pounds, far exceeding the third-tier Ship cost, the practical value of the navy is close to zero.”

"The Valkyrie and the Valkyrie class have gained the strength to challenge the third-tier ships by leapfrogging with their unique configurations on both offensive and defensive ends. However, based on the Lion, which I am most familiar with, the two sides will win 50-50 per ship, and the more complicated the sea conditions, The greater the advantage of the Lion, the more difficult it will be for the Valkyrie to approach."

"Gaihailier naval battle, Valkyrie pierced through the tail of the T, and was shot six times during the approach, two direct hits, one damage to the bow armor, one injury, and no damage to the hull."

"Turning to the attacking wheel, she met the enemy on both sides. Da Gama was shot seven times and failed to penetrate the hull three times, but with accurate mortars, she interrupted Da Gama's bow and mast. The foremast, which paralyzed da Gama."

"Dias was bombed in the vulnerable poop,

Nine shots hit, two shots penetrated, and one of them caused a martyrdom explosion, which led to the destruction of the Dias. "

"Your Majesty should have discovered that the Valkyrie itself does not have the strength to compete with two 74-door ships alone. The Voyager class uses the same 1770 French standard as the Lion, and wants to penetrate their oak hulls. The distance of 100 meters is 32 pounds. Two guns are needed, the twenty-four pounds must be zoomed in to 50 meters, and four guns are needed."

"This naval battle is not a battleship's victory!" Shaq waved his fist decisively, "It is the suppression of the quality of the sailors, and it is the decision of tactical thinking!"

George III fell into thought following Shaq's reply: "Mr. Drake, is the close-in tactics really the general trend?"

"I know your Majesty's concerns." Shaq comforted, "The scale of the Royal Navy is too large. Excluding the elite mainland and the New World, in Asia and Africa, there are still 64 third-level and older fourth-level ships before 1750." Class ships bear the primary responsibility for fire deterrence."

"These two types of ships are inherently insufficient in terms of applicability, and Great Britain does not have sufficient financial resources to complete the replacement of the fleet in a short period of time."

"But this is not a problem. The update rhythm of the Royal Navy is very healthy, and other powerful countries are not ahead of us in terms of ship configuration."

"For maritime disputes in the next 20 years, the old third-level and fourth-level teams will still be the absolute main force on the stage. In the next 20 years, the decisive battle at sea will still be a bloody battlefield where 108 teams will lead and 74 teams will win."

"The development of the tactical field will replace gun ports and calibers as a new point of growth for maritime power. Naval tactics need to flourish. The next hegemony will only belong to the country that first gets rid of its dependence on the battle line."

"We are gaining the upper hand!" Shaq's eyes burst into frenzy, "Your Majesty, the Sea School has studied approach tactics for more than 20 years, and it is exerting a greater and greater influence on our admiral."

"Among the veterans, Lord Hood and Sir Parker clearly supported the White Blade of the Sea. Lord Hood believed that the battle line should be launched within 300 meters, and Sir Parker opened the second battlefield on the flank of the Windward Islands, redefining the role of small ships in the ocean. role in large-scale naval warfare.”

"Among the young generals, Major General Cornwallis, Colonel Nelson, and Lieutenant Colonel Collingwood are all experts in approach tactics and standard bearers. Lord Hood specifically recommended him to the Admiralty as a young captain, thinking he is a top talent that the Royal Navy cannot afford to miss."

"However, Your Majesty, the military career of these young people is generally not going well. The conservative faction of the Royal Navy still holds a huge voice. They scoff at the high-risk approach and think that this tactic is contrary to the elegance of the nobility."

"Their stupidity is bleeding us!"

Shaq took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, Lorraine Drake is an excellent seaman trained by the sea school. In Ghailier, he has shown us the general appearance of naval warfare in the next 20 years."

"Now it's our turn to choose whether to become Lorraine Drake or become the laughing stock of history like Scolari."

George III did not speak for a long time.

The silent time passed, and Queen Charlotte suddenly stood up holding Princess Amelia.

"Your Majesty, Frederick has been riding for too long. I'll go and call him back. I'm going to cook tonight. Adele taught me how to look up to the sky pie, and I'm about to try it."

George III squeezed out a little smile: "Sorry, Sophie..."

"Good women don't get involved in politics, and I'm going to teach Amelia that."

Watching Queen Charlotte walk away, George III suddenly lowered his voice: "What's the opinion of the Admiralty?"

Shaq snapped his legs and stood at attention: "Your Majesty, the Admiralty believes that a change in naval tactics is imminent, and the naval academy should have a greater say."

"How to get it?"

"Directly report to the Navy Headquarters, appoint more senior principals, and break through policy restrictions, stipulating that only sea school graduates can become naval officers above the school level."

"Too greedy!" George III reprimanded dissatisfiedly, "Haven't you considered that this will cause huge turmoil?"

"After thinking about it, both the minister and the chief of staff believe that the upgrade of the sea school should not be done overnight. We can use 50 years or more to transition, but this requires the joint efforts of the royal family, the prime minister and future ministers and chiefs of staff. They should have a consensus on the choice."

George III nodded slightly: "What else?"

"Guide the local ship technology to a new type of change. The Admiralty's opinion is to give sufficient policy preferences, introduce several large shipbuilding groups in the New World, use their technology to impact the local shipbuilding industry, and break the conservative thinking of designers."

"A shipbuilding group introduced to the New World?" George III asked curiously, "Is there a goal?"

"From the perspective of technology and scale, Drake Marine Group is the best choice at this stage."

"Your brother's property...can you let him move the headquarters to the mainland?"

"I can't do it." Shaq didn't look sideways, "If I invite him, he might give money to build a factory in France."

George III rubbed his temples with a headache: "You two brothers are really... I remember you were very close back then..."

"This is the subject's family business, Your Majesty!"

Seeing that Shaq was angry, George III pursed his lips covertly: "I will consider this matter. Does the Admiralty have any other considerations?"

"Protection." Shaq said solemnly, "Your Majesty, because of the style of approach tactics, commanders in this field are less stable than traditional officers, and are prone to making mistakes."

"The Admiralty can provide them with limited protection, and only higher levels of attention can give them the space to exercise their full capabilities."

George III was inexplicably shocked: "Mr. Drake, do you want me to take sides?"

"No, sir. I don't like most of them, especially that Colonel Horatio Nelson. But this is the request of the entire Admiralty, and it is the private wish of your Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Staff, and Under Chief of Staff based on their positions. "

"Your Majesty, please give them the attention they need as they will shape the future of the Royal Navy."

George III weighed the pros and cons.

"I swore justice to the Lord when I was crowned at Westminster, and your request violates the oath I swore to the Lord..."

Shaq couldn't help showing a disappointed expression.

"But I'm on vacation, my general, and I've got a lot of leisure time. Maybe you can get me some papers, and show me what naval warfare has become in the eyes of young people."