Wild North America 1846

Richard kept a record of the Yankees' accounts in his mind, and chose to endure it for the first time. All the suspects involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Wang Jia were secretly executed. A purge movement was launched in the military, and a large number of officers and soldiers who failed to pass the political review were retired.

from May to July

He successively inspected North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and the eight former Mexican states in the south including Chihuahua and Sinaloa, and returned to Chang'an (San Francisco) by train at the end of July.

, ended this nationwide tour.

One day in early August

At the Navy Pier in the San Francisco Bay Area, accompanied by Navy Commander Count Pan Hengchen, Richard personally boarded the steam armored patrol ship "Endeavour" to experience the world's first ironclad battleship with modern significance.

The "Fenyong" steam iron-clad patrol ship was designed using a European bidding method. Among as many as a dozen design plans, after repeated discussions, the design plan of the famous British ship designer Sir Owen Jessrob was finally selected.

The design adopts an upwardly pointed bow, and the overall ship shape is in the shape of a date core. It is equipped with 6 boilers at the rear, two medium-sized marine horizontal steam turbines, and a dual-propeller drive form.

The side wheels were abandoned and only one main mast was retained to meet the normal coastal patrol speed requirement of 4 to 5 knots. The entire ship has a designed displacement of 582 tons, uses main power to drive a maximum speed of 16 knots, and is equipped with 5 artillery pieces.

The bow of the ship is equipped with an 1852-type Colt breech-loaded 30-pound gun, and two 12-pound guns are equipped on each side of the ship. This firepower is extremely fierce for a patrol ironclad ship.

Due to the small tonnage of the ship, the caliber of the broadside artillery cannot be too large, so as to avoid the strong recoil after firing, causing the entire warship to roll seriously, so the 1852-type Colt 12-pounder cannon can only be selected.

on trial voyage

The naval officers and soldiers demonstrated artillery shooting for His Majesty the King. When the new Colt 30-pound main gun on the bow of the ship opened fire violently, the entire sailing warship felt a clear sense of frustration. The thick smoke filled the entire upper deck, and the power was truly astonishing.

.

According to Navy Commander Count Pan Hengchen, the Colt 1852 30-pound breech main gun uses a new trigger fuze shell, which is more powerful than the old 60-pound naval gun. It has a fast rate of fire and fierce firepower, which is equivalent to three old 60-pound naval guns.

The amount of ammunition thrown per unit time.

Due to the addition of new technology, the firepower of this type of steam-iron armored patrol ship is no less than that of a British 1,000-ton sail frigate. The Navy is very satisfied and has begun large-scale construction work.

From early 1849

It took three and a half years, after soliciting design plans from Europe, and repeatedly conducting demonstrations by the Navy Ministry. After winning the bid for construction and improvement work at the shipyard, the Navy finally got its desired warship.

This class of patrol ships has a coal-fired range of 1,260 nautical miles. It is specially equipped with a heavy oil tank with a capacity of 16 tons to support combustion in emergencies. It can drive the steam ironclad ship to a high speed of level 18 in a short time, with a total duration of no more than 6 hours.

in the cockpit

Richard stood next to the helmsman and watched. This is the captain's command position. The entire cockpit is small and crowded, and can accommodate 8 people, including the captain, helmsman, navigator, signalman, messenger, signalman, and gunner.

Gunnery commander, second officer, etc.

"Mr. Owen, when sailing in the sea is bumpy, will there be crowding in this cockpit?" Richard asked with a frown.

Ship designer Sir Owen Jessrob was also on board, responsible for improving the design in accordance with the requirements of the military and assisting in completing sea trials and other tasks.

This is a middle-aged British man of short stature, bald, wearing a pair of elegant gold-rimmed glasses, and has the rigorous and introverted personality of an engineer.

When His Majesty asked about this, he bowed politely and replied, "Your Majesty, since the main mast is designed behind the cockpit, and the main mast must be located at the center of gravity of the entire ship, sufficient main gun positions must be left in front.

So the cockpit can only be designed to be narrower."

"Can't it be designed in a concave shape?"

"Uh... Theoretically, it's possible, Your Majesty."

"If it is designed in a concave shape and some support ribs are added, will the main mast be stronger?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, I will improve it in subsequent ship designs. This is a great idea."

"Mr. Owen, from my point of view, an iron chair can be set up at the command position, fixed on the ground. Several downward-turning movable positions can also be set up on the deck panel behind this, equipped with wide-point restraints. Driving

The platform is equipped with a tie rod that can be grasped by hand. This way the ships will not be crowded together no matter how they rock."

"Your Majesty, your idea is very thoughtful. I will make improvements immediately."

"Um."

Richard nodded and enthusiastically walked to the helmsman's position to experience the steering for himself. Then he left the wheelhouse and inspected the coal bunker, living quarters, and even the power cabin one by one, and put forward many suggestions for improvement.

.

For example, the reasonable layout of steam pipes, ventilation of the bottom tank, etc., everything is handled carefully, no matter how small it is.

The level of seriousness made all the accompanying naval officers feel ashamed, feeling alarm bells ringing, and secretly reflecting on their many shortcomings.

At this time, the 582-ton steam-armored patrol ship was only 42.5 meters in length and 8.3 meters in width. No matter how carefully it was, it could only be seen in a short while.

Overall

It has many advantages but also many disadvantages, especially the lack of attention paid to the comfort of the crew in this era and the inadvertent settings of the beds for officers and soldiers on the ship.

The officers were a little better. Although it was crowded, at least they were still in their cabins.

The sailors were in dire straits. They were under the rigging, in the aisle, on the cabin roof, on the coal pile, beside the gun emplacement, in the power cabin...

Let's put it this way

Except for the fact that you can't sleep in the cockpit, other places are basically full of holes, but there is really nothing you can do about it. The steam-iron armored patrol ship is such a big place, and there is really no room for improvement.

But this is indeed a groundbreaking steam ironclad, and it is also the first ironclad warship in service in the world today. Its significance is very important.

Naval delegations from the United Kingdom, France, Prussia, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Netherlands and other European countries came in droves to visit and appreciate the actual navigation performance of the "Endeavor" and expressed their praise.

The Kingdom of Sardinia was so excited that it immediately ordered 6 steam-armored patrol ships of the same model. Each ship cost NT$27,000, totaling NT$162,000. The price did not include the new Colt cannon.

This is because the Colt 1852 breech-loading cannon is expensive. The price of one is more than five times that of the old 30-pound cannon. The Kingdom of Sardinia has many old cannons in stock, so there is no need to spend this wasted money.

After the "Fen Yong" class armored patrol ship was finalized, it was immediately started production at the Seattle and Chang'an shipyards at the same time. It will be followed by nine ships including Fen Wei, Fen Wu, Fen Wen, Fen Zhan, Endeavor, Fen Hao, Fen Ling, Fen Shen and Fen Wei.

, as well as the 6 ships ordered by the Kingdom of Sardinia, all of which will be delivered before the end of 1854.

By the end of 1854;

The Navy of the Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty will form a naval lineup consisting mainly of two third-class sail battleships, five sail frigates and 10 steam iron-clad patrol ships. Its naval strength ranks third in the entire Americas.

The first place is the United States, the second place is Brazil, and the third place is the Navy of the Kingdom of Tang Dynasty.

This is only a ranking based on tonnage data on paper, because both the United States and Brazil have sailing battleships and frigates of more than 2,000 tons, and both paper data and naval tonnage exceed those of the Tang Dynasty.

The United States and Brazil have had navies for longer and have more experience in training and operating ships, so they have stronger combat capabilities by default.

The "Fen Yong" class steam iron-clad patrol ships equipped by the Tang Dynasty did not cause much disturbance in the Americas, but it deeply touched maritime powers such as Britain and France, prompting them to promote the service of iron-clad ship equipment earlier than in the original history.

The maritime hegemon, Britain, responded the fastest. In 1853, the British launched the "Warrior" ironclad ship, which was based on sails, steam and wooden ships and laid a waterline with an iron armor belt. This was 7 years ahead of schedule.

Unlike the stingy Tang Kingdom, which took several years to build a 582-ton steam-armored patrol ship, the proud British Empire Navy looked down upon such a small ship.

As soon as the British Royal Navy took action, it modified the "Warrior" with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons.

The battleship "Warrior" is 128 meters long, with a displacement of 9,284 tons. It has traditional sails and a wooden hull. Its keel and ribs are made of iron and then nailed with wooden boards. This way, the ship can be made very large without relying on long and huge trees.

.

The "Warrior" is still powered by sails. The steam power efficiency is very low, and the coal load is not enough. The endurance of the steam power alone is insufficient.

When the sea is windy and sailing by sail, the propeller is hoisted to reduce underwater resistance. When steam is needed, the propeller is hoisted down and installed.

This operation of disassembling and assembling the propeller requires 600 sailors.

Based on the traditional sailing wooden ship, the British "Warrior" has a layer of waterline armor "belt" that is 65 meters long, 1.8 meters high, and 114 mm thick on the waterline.

Broadside cannon.

Ironclads with this layout, also known as broadside ironclads, were the mainstream warships of the great naval powers in the mid-19th century.

This kind of warship has high freeboard, large displacement, and is more durable after being equipped with waterline armor. It is the mainstream warship of the world's naval powers, Britain and France, and has become very popular for a while.

Speaking honestly

The large-tonnage broadside ironclads of Britain, France and other countries have strong firepower and strong defense. Their combat effectiveness is far from comparable to that of the Tang Dynasty's Douding steam patrol ships. The two sides are not at the same level at all.

The "Fen Yong" class steam iron-armored patrol ship has a nice name, but in fact it has no armor. It is a patrol ship made of thin iron plates. It can deal with pirate ships, but it cannot deal with large-tonnage warships.

This type of ship is positioned for daily tasks such as coastal patrol, combating piracy and anti-smuggling, and protecting fisheries. It is enough to occasionally deal with small Central American countries.

Expecting it to fight against the thousands-ton ships of powerful naval powers is simply an old man eating arsenic... He is too impatient to live.

In line with the principle of gradual progress, the Navy of the Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty has hired the famous British ship designer Sir Owen Jethrob as the chief designer. Based on the successful design of the "Fen Yong" class steam iron-clad patrol ship, the navy will explore the next step of 1,000-ton

The design concept of the steam ironclad frigate.

At the same time that the "Fen Yong" steam ironclad patrol ship and the "Warrior" broadside gunport ironclad appeared, various designs of ironclad ships appeared in the navies of various countries around the world. The imagination of strange ship types opened up, which is simply breathtaking.

This is especially true for the layout of the USS Virginia, a semi-submersible ironclad ship in the southern United States. This ship completely eliminated the sails and sailed purely on steam. Its speed was very slow, only 5 knots.

The part above the water surface is entirely covered with iron armor, but the height of the armor is very low, which makes the "Virginia" ship's freeboard very low, often being submerged by waves, and its ocean navigation ability is extremely poor.

A big wave hits and the ship may sink.

The "Squad Leader" in the North of the United States is even more extreme. The entire hull is almost submerged underwater, leaving only an iron head on the water. This can reduce the weight of the armor as much as possible.

The disadvantages of this design are also obvious;

The "Squad Leader" is almost a semi-submersible ship. Its overall shape is similar to that of a submarine. Its seaworthiness is extremely poor, its freeboard is almost zero, its reserve buoyancy is extremely low, and it may sink if it gets a little water.

In this era, armor was very heavy and could not be installed much.

Either the freeboard is very low and it is easy to ride waves, but this can reduce the armor coverage and weight of the armor, and can lower the center of gravity to ensure stability. The United States is the representative practitioner of this type of ship.

Either the freeboard is high, it is not easy to ride waves, and it is suitable for ocean going, but it can only be covered with a layer of iron armor "belt" to protect the waterline. The upper body cannot protect the whole body, and can only focus on protecting the waterline part from being penetrated.

The world's maritime hegemons, Britain, France and other countries, adopted this type of design. The Tang Dynasty followed closely behind, making innovations based on the designs of Britain, France and other countries, and embarked on a new and eye-catching path.

During this period

Richard couldn't hold back anymore and redeemed the formula of Harvey Steel from the system store. As the flagship product of Taoyuan Special Steel Smelting Plant under General Heavy Industries Holdings, it was quickly marketed around the world for its excellent performance.

When the United Kingdom, France, Prussia, and the Kingdom of Sardinia built new armored ships, they all needed to purchase Harvey steel from the Kingdom of Tang Dynasty. This prompted the Taoyuan Special Steel Smelting Plant to rapidly grow into a famous enterprise in the world's steel industry, bringing huge financial resources.

In the original history

In 1892, Harvey steel (a kind of naval steel) was invented by American Harvey, which is carburized and surface-hardened nickel alloy steel. It is widely used in the bulletproof armor belts of ironclad warships. It is a high-value special steel.

steel.

Nowadays, the Datang Kingdom's research and development team led by Professor Harvey from the Steel Research Laboratory has taken the lead in testing and putting into production Harvey steel, which has been widely recognized by the world's naval powers and is widely used in the armor belts of battleships.

It is a pity that Professor Harvey, who worked hard for research, died of a stroke shortly thereafter. It is a great regret to lose a talented person.

Traditional armor steel mainly controls the carbon content to increase the hardness. However, as the carbon content increases, the toughness of the armor steel will drop rapidly, and the "ballistic resistance" will be reduced.

Thus, the so-called surface hardened armor was born.

In particular, bulletproof steel plates represented by Harvey steel can change the content of carbon in the surface and bottom layers of the armor through a carburizing process that lasts for several weeks. This way, carburized armor with high surface hardness and high bottom layer toughness can be obtained.

It has balanced performance in all aspects and is especially suitable for bulletproof armor belts.

Excellent performance brings high prices. Ordinary steel only costs 16 to 17 yuan per ton, while Harvey steel is worth 190 to 200 yuan per ton, which is 12 times the former.