Chapter 322: Chapter 282: Obtaining the Blueprint, Visiting the Ruhr District

On July 1st, 1910, Arthur, accompanied by the farewell of many British people, embarked on the Australasian battleship and left the Port of London.

From the expressions of the British people bidding farewell to Arthur, it could be seen that many of them were reluctant to let him go, as Arthur was, after all, a part of the Victorian era.

Upon boarding the battleship, Arthur’s mood was actually quite good in the angle where those British people couldn’t see.

After several days of lobbying by Arthur, and the payment of hundreds of thousands of pounds in funds, he finally obtained the consent of the UK Cabinet Government. The British government agreed to provide the St Vincent-class battleship as a condition of this aid, permanently providing it to Australasia at a cost.

Of course, the condition for providing it was the technical information of the Australasian Monarch-class battleship, as well as the purchase prices of grain and meat trade below the market price.

However, this was not too bad for Arthur, as he could gain all the information of a more powerful battleship in exchange for these things, which was a sure win deal.

Moreover, under Arthur’s constant request and lobbying, King George V agreed to provide the technology to build the St Vincent-class battleship to Australasia, including the much-desired 50-caliber 305mm main gun.

Although both were 305mm main guns, the difference between 45-caliber and 50-caliber was huge.

Although these specific technologies had to be gradually taught to Australasia by British experts after their assistance arrived,

it was expected that these technologies could be mastered by Australasia within a few years.

In other words, Arthur was confident that within a year, with the help of British experts, he could build a St Vincent-class battleship on his own.

In two to three years, Australasia would be able to master the ability to independently build the St Vincent-class battleship, raising Australasia’s shipbuilding capabilities once again.

It had to be said that Arthur’s close relationship with the British royal family, along with his good reputation and status among the British people, and Queen Victoria’s extreme love for him, allowed Arthur to obtain the powerful St Vincent-class battleship that the British Empire was currently building diligently.

Without any of these factors, the chances of Australasia obtaining the St Vincent-class battleship would be greatly reduced.

This also couldn’t help but illustrate the truth that it’s good to lean on a big tree, as the battleships that Arthur got from the United Kingdom may be advanced warships that other countries cannot build even with their full strength.

The St Vincent-class battleship was 163.4 meters long, 25.6 meters wide, and had an average draft of 8.5 meters.

It was equipped with two sets of four-shaft Parsons direct-drive steam turbines, along with 18 mixed-fuel boilers, reaching an unprecedented power output of 24,500 horsepower.

Of course, these were not the most important factors. The true reason for the St Vincent-class battleship’s terrifying capabilities was the five 50-caliber 305mm double-mounted guns, sixteen 102mm 50-caliber single-mount guns, and three 450mm underwater torpedo tubes.

In terms of firepower, the St Vincent-class battleship was the most powerful among all the battleships built in 1910, surpassing the American Delaware-class battleship, the German Monarch-class battleship, and the Helgoland-class battleship being built at the time.

Both the Delaware-class battleship, the Monarch-class battleship, and the Helgoland-class battleship represented the most powerful battleships being built by the other powers besides the British Empire.

The fact that the St Vincent-class battleship could surpass these three battleships spoke volumes about its extraordinary performance and the research capabilities of the British Empire.

Of course, the reason for only comparing these three dreadnoughts with those of America, Germany, and Australasia was that other powers were extremely slow in the development of dreadnoughts, and there was simply no need for comparison.

Aside from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Australasia, the only other powerful nation with a dreadnought at the time was Russia, which showed just how far behind other countries were in the development of dreadnoughts.

After leaving the British Empire, Arthur decided not to return to Australasia directly, but instead turned his direction to Germany.

After all, both Germany and Russia had good relations with Australasia, and it was necessary to visit these countries while in Europe.

Of course, Arthur would not choose to share the St Vincent-class battleship’s blueprints and technology with Germany.

This was because it was acquired from the United Kingdom and relied heavily on the emotional bond between Arthur and the British people.

If the British were to find out that Arthur had shared the blueprints and technology of the St Vincent-class battleship with Germany, they would undoubtedly be dissatisfied.

Arthur couldn’t bring himself to do something that would harm himself and benefit others, but it was still okay for him to mention the importance of large-caliber guns to William II.

When Arthur attended the funeral of Edward VII in London, William II had invited him to visit Germany.

Arthur had agreed at the time, but the visit would have to take place after his visit to the United Kingdom.

On July 3, Arthur successfully arrived in Germany and had a friendly exchange with William II for five days.

Arthur also visited the famous Krupp Factory in Germany, German shipyards, and the military, giving high praise.

After various events, the Germans finally began to pay attention to the caliber of ship guns and focused on their development.

After visiting the Krupp Factory, Arthur learned that the Germans had already begun research on the 50-caliber 305mm main gun, and had achieved some results.

If all goes well, the Germans should equip the next generation of dreadnoughts with a 50-caliber 305mm main gun. Although slightly behind the British, they are still ahead of other major powers.

Of course, during these few days, Arthur also visited Germany’s Ruhr Industrial Zone, which is one of the world’s largest industrial zones and the core area of German industry.

As of now, Ruhr Industrial Zone has an annual coal production of 100 million tons, coke production of one million tons, steel production of 10 million tons, and power generation of 100 million kWh, making it the heart of German industry.

From an industrial layout perspective, Ruhr Industrial Zone’s design is quite reasonable. Most industrial products and mineral products in the industrial zone are processed and consumed locally, avoiding unnecessary transportation.

Although the two world wars had a huge impact on this area, even in the 1970s, coal production in the Ruhr District still reached 120 million tons, accounting for 80% of Germany’s total production at the time, and an annual steel output of 20 million tons, accounting for 70% of Germany’s total production. There were also nearly 10 billion cubic meters of coke oven gas, and nearly one million tons of coal tar.

The development of the Ruhr Industrial Zone not only relies on abundant coal resources but also on superior water transportation conditions.

In addition, a large number of railways, highways, and extensive canal networks facilitated transportation within the Ruhr Industrial Zone and laid the foundation for the development of the industrial zone.

The construction of the Leonora Industrial Base in Australasia partly drew from the Ruhr Industrial Zone. Arthur’s idea was also to build the Leonora Industrial Base into the Ruhr District of Australasia.

Arthur was very envious of the Ruhr area in Germany and even determined to build the Leonora Industrial Base well.

For this purpose, Arthur personally requested William II to hire relevant German experts to help Australasia build the Leonora Industrial Base.

Arthur’s requirements were not high; if the production capacity of Leonora Industrial Base could reach one-tenth of the current Ruhr area within ten years, it would meet Arthur’s expectations and goals.

William II readily agreed to Arthur’s request, seeing it as a common need for national development and considering the good relationship between Australasia and Germany.

It’s worth mentioning that William II also proudly invited Arthur to visit the German airship factory, precisely the Zeppelin Airship Factory.

After the fame of Australasian airships worldwide, both Britain and Germany began to pay much higher attention to airships.

Australasia’s rigid airships were already learned from Germany, so it was relatively easy for Germany to surpass Australasia.

Currently, Zeppelin airships have gone through several generations and are no longer the lz-1 airship when Arthur first established the Aerospace Laboratory.

Upon introduction by William II, Arthur realized that Zeppelin airships had developed to the fifth generation.

As the development of Zeppelin airships had gained government attention, the progress was much faster than in history. The performance of the current lz-5 airship is far more advanced than Australasia’s AU-2 airship.

The lz-5 airship is larger than Australasian airships, with a terrifying payload capacity of 17 tons.

It should be noted that even though the Aerospace Laboratory had conducted numerous airship studies, the payload of the AU-2 airship remained at only 11 tons.

The Germans’ ability to increase the payload of the airship to 17 tons is not a small improvement.

The average flight speed of the lz-5 airship is also relatively fast, reaching 42 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 45 kilometers per hour.

Arthur inquired about the stability of the airship and was told it was very stable. The Germans had organized hundreds of experiments for this airship, and to this day there have been no accidents, proving its stability.

As of now, the lz-5 airship has improved its payload, speed, and stability, making it not only practical but also playing a crucial role even when used merely as a transportation tool.

William II firmly believed in Australasia’s statement that airships could carry bombs for aerial bombing and had even organized an airship fleet specifically trained for precise aerial bombing with dozens of airships and hundreds of personnel.

For this, Arthur could only awkwardly smile, and could not directly say that the practicality of airships is far from that of airplanes and that airplanes could easily shoot down airships in the air!