Chapter 47

William let out a faint hum and said, "Fortunately, our German Navy did not develop too quickly. We only built four Brandenburg-class battleships four years ago to replace the old ironclads, without mass-producing new warships. This time, the Naval Design Bureau was able to correct the previous mistakes, which at least did not hinder the expansion of the German military. Apart from the innovation in the main guns, are there any other highlights in this design?"

Tirpitz looked somewhat embarrassed. Although he did not directly oversee the Naval Design Bureau responsible for ship design, the significant errors made by the department in charge of battleship design were his responsibility as the Chief of the Naval Staff. Fortunately, he had taken timely measures to rectify the situation, which earned him the emperor's leniency. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Tirpitz said, "Your Majesty is wise and indeed has exceptional talent and passion in the field of ship design. The design I present now also incorporates Your Majesty's ideas. In fact, besides the main gun system, this design has made significant modifications in four areas: secondary guns, hull, defense, and propulsion, based on the practical performance of the Brandenburg in the Battle of the Yalu River."

"In that battle, the Brandenburg should have been the absolute king of the battlefield; however, due to its only 8 105mm secondary guns and lack of any armor protection, it could only counter torpedo boat attacks, which was clearly insufficient. To change this, the new ship will be equipped with 12 150mm quick-firing guns with a 40-caliber barrel, capable of firing 6 rounds per minute, sufficient to effectively strike armored cruisers. Even in battles between battleships, the 150mm secondary guns can cause significant damage to unarmored areas of enemy battleships, creating opportunities for the main guns to strike." Tirpitz pointed to the 12 gun ports on the side of the design with a small stick and explained, "To make room for these 12 secondary guns, the midship main turret has been raised one level, aligning with the bow main turret."

William nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Compared to the weak 8 105mm secondary guns on the Brandenburg, the 12 150mm secondary guns on the new battleship represented a significant leap, both in terms of weight and quantity. The only drawback was that the 150mm quick-firing guns from Krupp fired shells weighing only 40kg, slightly less than the 45kg shells from the 152mm Armstrong quick-firing guns used by the British.

Seeing the emperor nod in approval, Tirpitz felt greatly encouraged. He moved his small stick slightly, pointing to a cross-section of the armor layout.

"Based on the sea trial data from the Brandenburg-class ships, especially the unique long-distance voyage of the lead ship, we carefully designed the new battleship. During its 7-week voyage, the problem of water splashing onto the aft deck was not as severe as we had feared, and it was within acceptable limits. Moreover, the current German Navy mainly operates in the Baltic and North Seas, so it does not require high long-distance navigation capabilities. Therefore, the aft deck of the new battleship is lowered by one level. With a full load of coal, the freeboard height at the stern is 3.2 meters, and at the midship and bow, it is 5.6 meters, which has no impact on combat. By doing this, we saved a large amount of weight that would have been used for the structure, allowing us to allocate it to more useful areas."

"In terms of armor protection, thanks to the relatively low freeboard and the large tonnage, the waterline armor of the new battleship extends from 2.3 meters below the waterline to 3.2 meters above it, covering the entire freeboard except for the forecastle. In the Battle of the Yalu River, the Brandenburg was severely damaged by the 152mm and 120mm quick-firing guns of the Japanese Navy, which penetrated its thin armor and caused fires, significantly affecting its combat capability. With the extensive armor covering the entire freeboard, this situation will be completely resolved!"

"Wait a moment," Wilhelm II frowned slightly, uncertain, "Are you saying that the armor protection extends from 2.3 meters below the waterline to the middle deck? How can such a large area of armor be thick enough?"

"Has Your Majesty forgotten about Krupp's hardened armor?" Tirpitz gently reminded him.

William was taken aback, then understood and nodded in agreement. A year ago, Krupp had already developed hardened armor for Germany, which provided almost the same protection as double the thickness of ordinary armor. Due to limited production capacity, only the "Brandenburg" and "Wiesenburg" had their waterline sections equipped with Krupp hardened armor, while the other two ships still used the old composite armor. Even if the armor thickness was halved, 230mm of hardened armor would be equivalent to 400mm of composite armor, and with the development over the past year, the technology had advanced even further. In an era of unprecedented technological progress, a year was enough to achieve significant breakthroughs!

Seeing Wilhelm nod slowly, Tirpitz did not elaborate further. He steadied himself and slowly moved his small stick along a red line, saying, "Your Majesty, do you see this red line? This is another innovation in the ship's protection, which we call the torpedo bulkhead! In the Battle of the Yalu River, both the Qing and Japanese navies had ships hit by torpedoes, and those ships sank within 3 minutes. Although these ships were relatively small and had already been damaged, their vulnerability to torpedo attacks was evident. To avoid a similar fate for our German battleships, the new battleship is equipped with a longitudinal bulkhead that runs from the main armor belt to the bottom of the ship. This can absorb the shock waves and shrapnel from torpedo explosions, significantly reducing the damage to the aft watertight compartments and enhancing the ship's survivability. Every German battleship is invaluable and must not be lost to such a small weapon!"

"Very well. The German Navy has fewer ships than others, so we must prioritize survivability." Wilhelm picked up the water jug on the stone table and poured half a cup of warm water, pushing it to Tirpitz, "Alfred, have a drink to moisten your throat."

Tirpitz, who had been talking for a long time, was already parched. He looked gratefully at the emperor, picked up the cup, and drank it in one go. A strong wind blew, and his long mustache fluttered in the air. Wilhelm couldn't help but smile and gently brushed the water droplets from his mustache, saying, "Previously, you mentioned the propulsion system. I assume that in the past four years, Germany has made improvements in this area as well."

Tirpitz wiped his mouth and nodded, "Indeed. Thanks to the development of thermohydraulics and improvements in boiler and steam engine technology, we have made significant advancements in propulsion. In this design, we use the latest water-tube boilers. Compared to the cylindrical boilers widely used on warships, water-tube boilers have a smaller internal cross-section, which greatly increases the steam flow rate. The steam produced on the heated surface is immediately carried away, significantly improving the boiler's thermal efficiency. Additionally, the new triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines have higher mechanical efficiency than the previous simple reciprocating steam engines, because..."

William held up his right hand to interrupt Tirpitz, "Alfred, I don't understand the mechanical principles you're talking about, and I don't want to hear them. Just tell me what the design speed of this ship is!" Tirpitz paused, then said, "Yes, Your Majesty. To put it simply, the ship's design power is 12,000 horsepower, and if everything goes as planned, its speed will reach 17.5 knots!"

Hearing this, Wilhelm suddenly let out a puzzled "Hmm," his eyebrows furrowed, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Alfred, are you sure it's 17.5 knots, not 16.5 knots? I clearly remember that the Brandenburg, with a full load displacement of 11,000 tons, could only reach 16 knots with 10,000 horsepower. This new ship has a standard displacement of 13,500 tons, so how can it reach 17.5 knots with 12,000 horsepower?"

Tirpitz had anticipated this question and answered, "The new battleship's speed is indeed 17.5 knots. When studying the 'Chiyoda' and 'Olympia,' the designers found that the underwater hull shape of our German ships was quite rough, wasting a significant amount of the power output from the propulsion system. The new battleship has an improved underwater hull shape, reducing resistance significantly. According to the physical formula P=f×V, with reduced resistance, the speed naturally increases." (This is not a fabrication by the author; historically, the underwater hull shape of German battleships was indeed poor, wasting the powerful propulsion provided by the water-tube boilers.)

---

As long as there is interest, there is motivation to learn. Wilhelm, fascinated by the idea of a high-seas fleet, had studied naval ship design for years and had developed a considerable expertise. His ability to keenly recognize the relationship between the area of protection and the strength of the armor demonstrated that his knowledge of ship design was far from the poor reputation he had in later times. The concept of uniform-caliber main guns, the bow and stern twin-turret layout, and the idea of high-speed battleships (which Wilhelm indeed proposed first) all showcased his high naval expertise and creative talent.

"Has Your Majesty forgotten about Krupp's hardened armor?" Tirpitz gently reminded him.

William was taken aback, then understood and nodded in agreement. A year ago, Krupp had already developed hardened armor for Germany, which provided almost the same protection as double the thickness of ordinary armor. Due to limited production capacity, only the "Brandenburg" and "Wiesenburg" had their waterline sections equipped with Krupp hardened armor, while the other two ships still used the old composite armor. Even if the armor thickness was halved, 230mm of hardened armor would be equivalent to 400mm of composite armor, and with the development over the past year, the technology had advanced even further. In an era of unprecedented technological progress, a year was enough to achieve significant breakthroughs!

Seeing Wilhelm nod slowly, Tirpitz did not elaborate further. He steadied himself and slowly moved his small stick along a red line, saying, "Your Majesty, do you see this red line? This is another innovation in the ship's protection, which we call the torpedo bulkhead! In the Battle of the Yalu River, both the Qing and Japanese navies had ships hit by torpedoes, and those ships sank within 3 minutes. Although these ships were relatively small and had already been damaged, their vulnerability to torpedo attacks was evident. To avoid a similar fate for our German battleships, the new battleship is equipped with a longitudinal bulkhead that runs from the main armor belt to the bottom of the ship. This can absorb the shock waves and shrapnel from torpedo explosions, significantly reducing the damage to the aft watertight compartments and enhancing the ship's survivability. Every German battleship is invaluable and must not be lost to such a small weapon!"

"Very well. The German Navy has fewer ships than others, so we must prioritize survivability." Wilhelm picked up the water jug on the stone table and poured half a cup of warm water, pushing it to Tirpitz, "Alfred, have a drink to moisten your throat."

Tirpitz, who had been talking for a long time, was already parched. He looked gratefully at the emperor, picked up the cup, and drank it in one go. A strong wind blew, and his long mustache fluttered in the air. Wilhelm couldn't help but smile and gently brushed the water droplets from his mustache, saying, "Previously, you mentioned the propulsion system. I assume that in the past four years, Germany has made improvements in this area as well."

Tirpitz wiped his mouth and nodded, "Indeed. Thanks to the development of thermohydraulics and improvements in boiler and steam engine technology, we have made significant advancements in propulsion. In this design, we use the latest water-tube boilers. Compared to the cylindrical boilers widely used on warships, water-tube boilers have a smaller internal cross-section, which greatly increases the steam flow rate. The steam produced on the heated surface is immediately carried away, significantly improving the boiler's thermal efficiency. Additionally, the new triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines have higher mechanical efficiency than the previous simple reciprocating steam engines, because..."

William held up his right hand to interrupt Tirpitz, "Alfred, I don't understand the mechanical principles you're talking about, and I don't want to hear them. Just tell me what the design speed of this ship is!" Tirpitz paused, then said, "Yes, Your Majesty. To put it simply, the ship's design power is 12,000 horsepower, and if everything goes as planned, its speed will reach 17.5 knots!"

Hearing this, Wilhelm suddenly let out a puzzled "Hmm," his eyebrows furrowed, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Alfred, are you sure it's 17.5 knots, not 16.5 knots? I clearly remember that the Brandenburg, with a full load displacement of 11,000 tons, could only reach 16 knots with 10,000 horsepower. This new ship has a standard displacement of 13,500 tons, so how can it reach 17.5 knots with 12,000 horsepower?"

Tirpitz had anticipated this question and answered, "The new battleship's speed is indeed 17.5 knots. When studying the 'Chiyoda' and 'Olympia,' the designers found that the underwater hull shape of our German ships was quite rough, wasting a significant amount of the power output from the propulsion system. The new battleship has an improved underwater hull shape, reducing resistance significantly. According to the physical formula P=f×V, with reduced resistance, the speed naturally increases." (This is not a fabrication by the author; historically, the underwater hull shape of German battleships was indeed poor, wasting the powerful propulsion provided by the water-tube boilers.)