Chapter 362 "Blue Dragon" class heavy cruiser

  At the warship formation ceremony, Li Fushou has always been in high spirits, chatting with the big people around, especially the commander of the Borneo Fleet who is the most popular.

  The commander-in-chief of the joint fleet is a wartime post. After the official end of the war with the Dutch East Indies Governor’s Mansion, the joint fleet was disbanded and assigned to various local fleets, and the post of the commander-in-chief was naturally cancelled.

  Currently, Queensland has three fleets, namely the Borneo Fleet, Shangri-La Fleet and Queensland Fleet.

Among them, the Borneo fleet is the most powerful. He Fang is the commander of the fleet. It occupies more than half of the navy. Its home port is in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The garrison ports are Macin and Semuda, as well as Sulawesi. On Makassar.

The Borneo Fleet directly faces the governor of the Dutch East Indies in the south, the governor’s mansion of Luzon occupied by the Spaniards in the north, and the governor’s mansion of the Straits occupied by the Western British. Land is a barrier to the northwest of Australia, and its geographic location is extremely important.

The second most powerful is the Shangri-La fleet. Li Jie, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, serves as the commander of the fleet. The home port is in Moresby. The garrison ports are Tianshu Port, Longmen Port, Jayapura Port and Paradise Island. Immigration and trade and transportation are also important areas to guard against foreign enemies.

  The lowest strength is the Queensland Fleet, with Coast Guard Captain Geng Baogui as the fleet commander. The home port is located in the Red River Valley, and the port is stationed at Brisbane, Songjiang, Beilun, Darwin Port and Cairns.

  The Queensland Fleet has no real and potential enemies. The only thing that can threaten the Queensland Fleet is the Royal Task Force of the British Empire in the South Pacific. This is because the family does not need to guard against it, and the combat effectiveness is just like that.

  This fleet is purely a nursing home stationed in the third battle fleet of Calcutta in the Indian subcontinent. It is still equipped with old sail battleships. It lays in the harbor for more than half a year, and the total time to go out to sea will not exceed three months.

  The southern state has not yet come up with naval power, and several anti-smuggling small steamers are crushed into **** every minute, which is completely weak.

At this grand warship enlistment ceremony, all the leading figures of the fleet were present, smiling at the mighty and majestic warships, and their eyes looked at the distant berth from time to time. What really made the senior navy officials dream about The four warships in front of them are the big guys under construction on the berth.

The 8,800-ton "Blue Dragon"-class heavy cruiser and subsequent sister ships "White Tiger", "Suzaku", and "Xuanwu", each of which is a first-class iron-clad battleship capable of deterring Asia, is only better than the British Empire's 10,000-ton iron-clad battleship Slightly inferior, but unfortunately it is only called the heavy cruiser, which is really dumbfounding.

  This kind of feeling is like a tiger in sheep's clothing, and it really keeps people speechless.

In order to achieve the purpose of hiding their strength, the four 8800-ton heavy cruisers forcibly reduced their firepower from the original 305mm naval gun to a 280mm double-mounted high-diameter long-barreled naval gun, the bow, and the midship. There is a dual-mounted main battery at the rear of the ship, equipped with a total of six 280 mm main guns using the latest hydraulic reclamation technology. The firing rate has been increased from 1 to 2 rounds per minute to 6 rounds per minute. The projected firepower per unit time far exceeds. 305mm main gun.

The classification of heavy cruisers and battleships in the world today is based on the caliber of the main guns, heavy cruisers below 280 mm (including 280 mm), and battleships above. The main gun caliber of British 10,000-ton battleships has reached the level of 343 mm, which is amazing. The main gun of the German 10,000-ton battleship has a caliber of 305 mm, which is one level different from that of the United Kingdom.

   Out of the principle of low-key, the firepower of these four "Blue Dragon"-class cruisers in Queensland was forcibly reduced, which is not a bad thing in essence.

The 8800-ton heavy cruiser carries only a 280mm twin-mounted small gun. It focuses on ocean navigation performance and high-speed performance while reducing firepower. The maximum speed can be as high as 22.5 knots, and the armor protection is strengthened. It is simply a pile of iron. lump.

   To put it another way, it can be called an ocean-going assault ship, which is almost a nightmare on the trade route.

The "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser twin-mounted 280mm naval gun adopts a hydraulic transmission loading mechanism. The entire twin-mounted turret weighs 113 tons. The whole ship is equipped with three turrets along the central axis, which can be used within 160 degrees of the opposite side at the same time. All main gun firepower.

Due to the use of a new type of hydraulic reclamation mechanism, the firepower density projected per unit time is almost twice and a half of the firepower of the four 305mm main guns at the mouth of the German "Saxon"-class battleship and the Manchu-Qing "Zhenyuan"-class battleship. Is it weak?

  The two ships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan ordered by the Manchu Qing court in Germany have been completed, but due to the ongoing Qing-French war, the Germans have not delivered the ships for the time being.

Dingyuan-class battleships have a displacement of between 7220 tons and 7600 tons (even if the battleships of the same class have different tonnages due to slight differences in equipment, it is normal to fluctuate from tens to hundreds of tons), and the British Empire's Far East Fleet in Hong Kong The two second-class iron-clad battleships are of similar level, stronger than the battleships of the French Far East Fleet, and are second to none in East Asia.

  Compared with the "Dingyuan" class battleship as a benchmark, the 8800-ton "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser is more than one level higher in terms of speed firepower and protection, and its strength is not on the same level.

  Single-ship firepower aside, the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser is equipped with two high-horsepower new steam boilers, 12 round coal-fired boilers, with a total power of 11,000 horsepower, which can propel the huge hull to a maximum speed of 22.5 knots.

  Compared with

The total power of the Zhenyuan-class battleship is 6,200 horsepower, which is only a little more than half of the total power of the "Qinglong"-class heavy cruiser. The speed is 14.5 knots, and the speed difference is not a star and a half.

The "Zhenyuan"-class battleships use ordinary armor with a total weight of 1461 tons. The "Qinglong"-class heavy cruisers use the latest reinforced armored steel. While the average defense power is nearly doubled, the total armor weight reaches 2550 tons and adopts dense defense. The sinking compartment design is like a heavy armored warrior who can't break the defense, can cover and hit hard with the firepower of a large-caliber shore gun. The power is evident.

  In terms of secondary artillery firepower

The "Zhenyuan" class battleship is equipped with two German Krupp 150mm artillery, 4 German Krupp 75mm artillery, 8 legal Haqikes 37mm cannon, 57mm, 47mm French Haqikes Two guns each, 3 torpedo tubes (one on each side and one on the stern, with 21 torpedoes).

The "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser is equipped with 4 dual-mounted 150mm guns produced by Azure Weapon Company (two on the left and right sides), a total of 8 guns, and 4 double-mounted 95mm Miss Australia cannons (two on the left and right sides) , A total of 8 guns, 4 double-mounted legal Haqikais 37mm cannons, (two on the left and right sides), a total of 8 guns, 4 torpedo tubes (two on each side, and 28 torpedoes) ).

Due to the hydraulic recoil firing method, the firing rate of the 150mm artillery produced by Azure Weapon Company has increased from 2 to 3 per minute to 8 rounds per minute, and the 150mm secondary artillery is equipped with 8 guns, which is much higher than " Two doors of the "Zhenyuan" class battleship.

In a comprehensive comparison, considering only the 150mm secondary guns, the firepower intensity of the secondary guns of the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser per unit time is 12-15 times that of the "Zhenyuan" class battleships. It can be called a monster full of fire. The intensity of firepower that burst out in an instant is daunting.

  4 double-mounted 95mm "Miss Australia" artillery, both in power and projection density, are also 8-10 times that of the opponent.

  The only firepower of the two is the eight 37mm legal organ guns. The "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser lacks two 57mm caliber and two 47mm caliber guns. The caliber of the guns is streamlined to the extreme, which may not be a blessing in logistical supply.

  And in terms of the shape of the hull, the two are not the same style at all.

The "Zhenyuan"-class battleship is a standard German-made battleship construction style. The ship is 94 meters long and 18 meters wide. It has two tall sail masts in front and one rear. The hull is refined and practical, and there is no complicated and beautiful floating bow. The tall chimney is located at the rear of the forward conning tower. Two German Krupp twin-mounted 305mm main guns are arranged at the bow and stern, 27 times the caliber, the armor belt on the waterline is 14 inches (355 mm) thick, and the conning tower has 203 armor. Mm, cruising range 4500 miles/10 knots.

The "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser has a much more beautiful shape. The hull is longer and narrower to adapt to high speeds. The length is 107 meters and the width is 17.2 meters. The effect is excellent.

  Furthermore, the middle part of the ship is equipped with fin stabilizers, which further increases the stability of ocean navigation to adapt to the harsh sea conditions in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

  This class of ship cancels the tall front and rear sail masts, leaving more space, and can be equipped with a double-mounted 280 mm turret on the amidships, 36 times the caliber of the long-barreled artillery, and the firing range is longer and more accurate.

  Because of the vast sea area under Queensland, this class of ship pays more attention to ocean navigation performance, with a cruising range of 6,300 nautical miles/13 knots, a capacity of 375 people, and a long and narrow hull to provide more living space for officers and soldiers, which is conducive to maintaining combat effectiveness for a long time.

   is even more abnormal in terms of armor configuration. The thickness of the armored belt on the waterline is 422 mm, the armor of the commanding tower is 312 mm, and there are many watertight cabins. The defense force has reached the most advanced ten thousand ton battleship level.

  According to the three elements of firepower, protection and speed, the Royal Navy of the British Empire is the first in firepower, second in protection, and third in speed.

  The German Navy is the first in protection, second in firepower, and third in speed.

  The Queensland Coast Guard ranks first in protection, second in speed, and third in firepower.

  The different needs of each country have caused different warships in various countries, and each has its own strengths. It cannot be said which warship is better and more powerful, but it can only be said that it is more suitable for the needs of its own naval fleet.

  For the long-term planning and positioning of the Queensland Coast Guard, there is no intention to fight for the Royal Navy of the British Empire at sea. This is impossible, unnecessary, and even more impractical for the foreseeable 40-50 years in the future.

What he has to do is to maintain the security and stability of Queensland’s territorial waters, to deter potential enemies including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the Spanish, and to maintain the necessary awe for Queensland’s strong ships and guns. Otherwise, the "Blue Dragon" class will be heavy. The cruiser led a group of younger brothers at any time to cut off their maritime trade routes, attack trading ports, and harm their substantial interests in Asia.

  From the perspective of national strength, you can not kill me, but you can't ignore me, otherwise you will be beautiful every minute.

  Able to do this, it is enough.

  (End of this chapter)