Reborn Brazil as a Plutocrat

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fangyuan Group Shipyard.

Fang Lang is leading a team to inspect the shipyard owned by his family. Because of the strong support of Global Shipbuilding of the United States, this relatively short-established shipbuilding company has directly become the largest shipbuilding company in Brazil and even South America.

Factory.

It has nearly 30,000 professional shipbuilding workers, most of whom are German and Italian skilled immigrants from Europe and the United States, as well as a large number of Chinese immigrants and Brazilian natives.

It mainly produces 10,000-ton container ships, and there are currently ten container ships under construction on the slipway at the same time. Production orders have been scheduled for five years.

Due to the advancement of welding technology, Fangyuan Group adopted the most common segmented shipbuilding method in later generations, so the shipbuilding speed is very fast. Although it cannot be compared with the Victory Ship during the American war, it only takes about two months to complete.

Launch a boat.

This has reached the world's advanced level in this era, and today Fang Lang brought a group of officers and soldiers from the aircraft carrier formation to visit. Of course, he was not here to visit these 10,000-ton container freighters.

"Boss, this is the 500-ton inland river patrol boat we designed and built according to your requirements. It is 56 meters long, 9 meters wide, with a draft of 1.5 meters and an armor thickness of 35 millimeters.

Equipped with three diesel engines produced by Mercedes-Benz, it has 3,900 horsepower and a maximum speed of 22 knots.

The front and rear are equipped with a 105mm gun, a 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, and four 12.7mm heavy machine guns."

Osman Aragon, the general manager of the shipyard, pointed to an armed inland river patrol boat that looked very small next to the slipways of many 10,000-ton cargo ships, and introduced it to Fang Lang.

Fang Lang carefully looked at the brand new inland river patrol boat in the slipway, and asked the general manager of the shipyard with interest:

"Oh! Mercedes-Benz diesel engine? Is it produced by the Mercedes-Benz factory in Brazil?"

As the general manager of the shipyard, Ousmane Aragon knew very well that the boss in front of him introduced the Mercedes-Benz factory in Brazil. Therefore, he certainly knew what the other party was concerned about. He nodded and replied:

"Yes, it comes from the Brazilian Mercedes-Benz factory jointly established by our group and Mercedes-Benz. A single engine has a horsepower of 1,300 horsepower, three engines are installed, and a three-axis layout is adopted."

After hearing this, Fang Lang nodded with satisfaction and said to de la Torre and other officers beside him:

"Everyone, go up and take a look. This can be regarded as the first modern warship built independently by Brazil."

Then he turned to Uthman Aragon and asked:

"By the way, how far is the cruising range of this ship! Don't be a short-legged general by then."

Osman Aragon on the side smiled when he heard this and said:

"Don't worry, boss, this is designed and built exactly according to your requirements. The cruising distance is 2,000 nautical miles. Although it is less than one-half of the entire Amazon River, it is enough to be used as a standing patrol force."

The people who came with Fang Lang were all naval officers from the aircraft carrier fleet. Of course, they looked down upon this small boat that could not even be called a warship.

But I can’t stand the fact that this is the first armed patrol boat produced independently by Brazil! Look at the 10,000-ton giant ships around us. With the experience of designing and manufacturing patrol boats, will we soon start producing and building warships with larger tonnage?

What?

Although building patrol boats and building warships are two different things, it can't stop everyone's inner expectations!

Therefore, everyone showed great enthusiasm for visiting this small patrol boat. They climbed up and down, got in and out, and pointed at it. It was very lively.

Seeing that everyone was watching lively, Fang Lang also walked up and took a closer look before asking Osman Aragon:

"When can I launch a sea trial?"

"Of course it can be done at any time. In fact, we have already conducted tests. It is very stable when firing and so on during the march, and it definitely meets the design requirements."

Uthman Aragon answered immediately without hesitation.

Hearing this, Fang Lang nodded and said to him:

"Then let's go into the water and try it. General Laita from the National Defense Forces Logistics Department will come to our factory to visit this inland river patrol boat this afternoon. Don't make any mistakes then.

If this boat performs well, we may receive a formal order soon."

Osman Aragon looked at Fang Lang in surprise:

"Boss, is it really true? But the military didn't commission us to develop it! Can the inland river patrol boat we designed according to our own ideas meet the military's requirements?"

Fang Lang smiled and patted the other party's arm and said:

"Haha... don't worry! It doesn't matter whether the military has approved a project or not. The key is that the military is in urgent need of such a weapon, and we happen to have it. Isn't it a perfect fit?

As for whether it is suitable, you don’t have to worry about it. I personally participated in the design and I have confidence in him."

In fact, as early as when the Eddie brothers declared rebellion in the town of Bittencourt, Fang Lang had already determined that the Brazilian military was in urgent need of an inland river patrol boat that could maintain stability in the Amazon River and attack enemies.

Otherwise, the few old pre-World War I antiques that the Brazilian Navy currently has on the Amazon River that are almost rusted through will not be able to meet the needs of the Brazilian army.

Maybe, the next time they want to launch an attack, the sailors responsible for the security of the Amazon River Basin will rebel, because letting them drive such a warship to fight the enemy will definitely cause strong dissatisfaction.

Coupled with Fang Lang's current influence in the Brazilian army and his relationship with General Laita, Fang Lang is not worried at all that the Brazilian military will not buy it.

With his boss's guarantee, Osman Aragon immediately beamed, patted his chest and promised:

"Haha... Boss, don't worry! I'll have someone arrange to get into the water right away, and I'll make sure the chain won't fall off."

After speaking, he gave instructions to a staff member who was following him.

At the same time, Fang Lang said to his chief of staff, De La Torre:

"How do you feel?"

De La Torre, who was looking down at the stern engine, looked up at Fang Lang and said with a smile:

"Boss, I can't see any problems now. I still have to go into the water and try it before I know, but I think this guy is good."

As he spoke, he patted the Mercedes-Benz diesel engine next to him.

Fang Lang knew that the other party was from the old navy and had his own standards for judging the quality of ships. However, it was obviously his first time contacting this kind of inland river patrol boat and he could not give an accurate evaluation.

But I am very satisfied with the three 1,300-horsepower engines on this boat.

"Then you will take people up to test it later to see if it can meet the design standards. The inspection standard can be set higher. After all, this is the first warship produced by Brazil.

If this inland river patrol boat can meet our requirements, the next step is for them to start trial-producing a destroyer. After all, the Brazilian Navy still has a very large gap in destroyers."

De La Torre nodded when he heard this, stroked the cold body of the patrol boat with his hand, and said seriously:

"No problem, boss, please rest assured, we are professionals."

Hearing this, Fang Lang smiled and nodded, and continued to ask Osman Aragon:

"What about a small fast patrol boat?"

If you want to move freely in the complex Amazon jungle, it is obviously not possible to rely solely on a patrol boat of about 500 tons. After all, many small waterways are obviously not suitable for such ships to enter, and they may run aground.

Or after losing mobility, they were pressed to the ground and rubbed.

Therefore, when designing patrol boats, Fang Lang designed two patrol boats. One is a 500-ton inland river patrol boat. It is mainly used on the main road of the Amazon River and can remotely attack local ships through artillery.

.

Or provide fire support to the army through 105mm artillery. After all, transporting a 105mm howitzer into the jungle is basically an impossible task.

There is obviously no problem if it is mounted on a ship to provide long-range fire support.

But if the patrol boat cannot enter the jungle, it will definitely not be able to cause effective damage to the enemies hiding in the jungle. Then this kind of 500-ton patrol boat may only be able to patrol the main river to restrict the activities of enemy ships.

Scope. In the end, it became a tasteless product that was a pity to throw away.

In this case, the emergence of a small fast patrol boat has become an inevitable option. If it cooperates with a 500-ton patrol boat, the enemy will have nowhere to hide.

Osman Aragon, who was excited about the opportunity to win an order from the Brazilian military, felt a flash of embarrassment on his face after hearing Fang Lang's words, and he slowly said with a little hesitation:

"Boss, this... We don't have much experience in manufacturing this kind of small speedboat, although we have built a prototype boat.

However, the pump-injection engine you requested cannot yet meet your requirements. Therefore, in order to complete the trial production task within the time you requested, we still use propeller technology.

Please rest assured that we are already organizing manpower to work on the pump-jet engine technology you require! We expect to be able to produce qualified finished products within two months."

Hearing this, Fang Lang's brows knitted together tightly. No matter in his previous life or in this life, Fang Lang had an indissoluble bond with ships, so Fang Lang still had some understanding of the pump-jet technology of ships.<

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The so-called pump jet is also called water jet propulsion. Different from the common propeller propulsion method, the thrust of water jet propulsion is obtained through the reaction force of the water flow ejected by the propulsion water pump, and the jet is distributed and changed through the control rudder and reverse rudder equipment.

The direction of the flow is used to control the ship.

This propulsion method is generally used on high-performance, high-speed ships, which allows the ship to have excellent high-speed maneuverability, a smaller turning radius when turning, and a shallower draft.

Of course, it is not without its shortcomings. For example, in waters with a lot of aquatic plants or debris, the inlet is prone to blockage, which affects the speed of the ship.

As far as Fang Lang knew, this technology had been invented as early as 1661, and it appeared 19 years earlier than propeller technology.

He didn't expect that at this time, the fast patrol boat he wanted would be stuck on this technology.

Seeing his boss frowning, Osman Aragon quickly explained:

"Boss, I'm really sorry. Please listen to my explanation. Although pump-jet technology appeared very early, the advantages of propellers and the shortcomings of water-jet propulsion have been basically recognized by everyone in recent decades.

Most countries in the world have given up on research on pump injection technology. We lack the necessary technical reserves for this technology, so the current situation has occurred.

Please rest assured that after receiving your entrustment, we have hired more than 20 relevant experts from Europe and the United States to conduct research at our shipyard.

Although I was unable to produce a pump-jet engine that meets your requirements in time, after this period of research, I have figured out some technical methods and applied for more than 20 related patents. It is expected that it will be completed within two months.

You can make its performance meet your requirements."

Fang Lang, who was still a little dissatisfied at first, felt much better when he heard that Osman Aragon said that he organized research by European and American experts and actually applied for more than twenty patents.

He stepped forward and patted the other party's shoulder and said:

"Oh! I actually developed more than 20 patents. Not bad, not bad. Don't wait and do your own research. This spirit is commendable.

However, now our military really needs this kind of high-speed patrol boat. Let us first take a look at where our prototype boat is. If it doesn't work, just take it out and use it first. After the pump injection technology breaks through, we will try again.

Make modifications."

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Although the speed does not reach the 28 knots you requested, it still reaches 24 knots, which can be regarded as a fast patrol boat."

Hearing that propeller propulsion could reach a speed of 23 knots, Fang Lang's calm mental arithmetic relaxed a little. As he followed Osman Aragon forward, he asked:

"The speed of 24 knots is still acceptable. What kind of engine are you using?"

Seeing that his boss commented that the speed was acceptable, Osman Aragon breathed a long sigh of relief. While leading the way, he turned back to Fang Lang who was following him:

"We use two Porsche diesel engines to power the ship, with an output of 325 kilowatts. According to our calculations, using this engine to power the waterjet propeller can completely make our high-speed ship

The patrol boat reached a speed of 28 knots."

Unexpectedly, the speedboat used Porsche's car engine technology. This made Fang Lang sigh. His decision was really wise. If he hadn't imported Mercedes-Benz and Porsche from Germany, he would probably have no choice but to produce boats now.

There are no domestically produced engines available!

But he quickly thought of a problem. Car engines can be used on these small ships, but what about the 10,000-ton giant ships!

"Oh! So our two patrol boats use our domestic diesel engines!"

"Yes, boss!"

"Then what kind of engines do the 10,000-ton container ships we produce now use?"

"Uh! Now our 10,000-ton cargo ships still use low-speed diesel engines imported from General Motors in the United States. Brazil does not yet have the production capacity for such heavy-duty low-speed diesel engines."

Hearing this, Fang Lang frowned and said unsatisfied:

"Don't Global Shipbuilding have relevant production capabilities?"

It’s not to blame that Fang Lang doesn’t even know much about his company. It’s because he is too busy with his work and it’s difficult to cover everything.

Hearing the boss's inquiry, Osman Aragon shook his head helplessly and said:

"As far as I know, Global Shipbuilding is currently using low-speed diesel engines manufactured by General Dynamics. It does not have its own engine production capabilities."