Chapter 73

As time entered the second half of the 19th century, with the continuous development of metallurgical technology, the artillery systems of warships also underwent changes: massive gun turrets replaced the gun positions on the sides of the ships from the age of sail, and the armor-piercing capabilities of their guns saw a significant leap. At the time, the main battleship-caliber naval guns could easily penetrate armor plates over 400 millimeters thick at a distance of one kilometer; even smaller-caliber guns could effectively strike objects behind 150 millimeters of armor. Therefore, if a warship wanted to defend against direct bombardment from large guns on its sides, it needed to install a very thick vertical armor belt along the waterline. Large ironclads, due to their robust size and massive tonnage, still had the capacity to allocate weight for installing these heavy armors along the relatively short waterline. However, cruisers, with their smaller tonnage and longer waterlines, had no conditions to install such armor like battleships. In this situation, designers had only one choice for cruisers: to abandon direct protection against guns.

Despite the strong armor-piercing capabilities of guns, which forced designers to abandon waterline armor on cruisers, this compromise, in a sense, was indeed the most suitable choice for naval battles at the time. Due to technological limitations, the naval guns of the era were old-style recoilless guns with extremely slow firing rates: even small-caliber guns below 100 millimeters required two minutes to fire one round, and the larger the caliber, the slower the firing rate. The 457-millimeter guns of the Italian Navy took half an hour to complete a reload. This weak initial fire density, when multiplied by the probability, made the mathematical expectation of a shell hitting the waterline extremely low.

In addition, the shells were also a significant factor. Most armor-piercing shells at the time were solid, capable only of penetration and not of explosion. Under these combined circumstances, designers opted for a secondary defense: an inclined armor layer inside the ship's hull. The armored cruiser was thus born. The abandonment of vertical armor saved a large amount of tonnage, which could be used to enhance weapons and propulsion, significantly improving the ship's firepower and speed. The sacrifice in protection was minimal due to the slow firing rate of recoilless guns; during a battle, the waterline would rarely be hit by shells. Even if a shell did hit, it would only create a hole in the waterline, and the higher, curved armor behind it would be sufficient to prevent water from entering the core compartments. This cost-effective design quickly became popular worldwide, and countries like Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Italy, and Austria began building their new armored cruisers. Even Germany, not wanting to be left behind, built the "Augusta Victoria" to show off. For a time, various armored cruisers sprang up like mushrooms after rain, becoming the new darlings of the great powers' navies.

However, with the development of technology, by 1895, the technical premises on which armored cruisers relied had all disappeared.

In terms of guns, the development of new recoil-operated guns and smokeless powder increased the firing rate by at least ten times: guns that previously took three minutes to fire one round could now fire more than five rounds per minute. The rapid increase in the base rate also significantly increased the mathematical expectation of shells hitting the waterline. The use of new Shimose powder also greatly increased the power of the shells. In the other timeline without Qing Ying's穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越" in English, but it is often used in the context of time travel or alternate history, so I will translate it as "alternate history" here), the Beiyang Fleet lost four warships—Chaoyong, Yangwei, Guangjia, and Zhiyuan—during the Battle of the Yalu River, all of which were sunk due to their waterlines being penetrated by the dense, rain-like bombardment, causing massive flooding on their sides. Without vertical armor, cruisers, when faced with the rapid-firing, high-powered new guns, would be turned into sieves in minutes.

In terms of armor, the emergence of new Harvey and Krupp hardened armors ended the long-standing situation where offensive capabilities surpassed defensive ones in the navy. Especially the new Krupp hardened armor, which could achieve the same anti-armor capability as 16 inches of wrought iron armor with just 6 inches of thickness, with almost no difference in density. In the historical Battle of Tsushima in 1905, facing a 6-inch (152 mm) thick Harvey armor, which was less effective than Krupp, only one 305 mm shell managed to penetrate it, while no other shell could cross this barrier. The threshold for defending against direct shell fire suddenly lowered, reversing the balance between guns and armor. Now, a thin layer of new armor could withstand most shell attacks, making it a natural step to restore waterline protection. Continuing to adhere to the design concept of armored cruisers would be suicidal!

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After listening to Qing Ying's arguments, Wilhelm II was shocked and his mind was in turmoil. Although he knew his son had a profound understanding of naval development and ship design, he never expected such a penetrating and insightful analysis. Although the arguments were unprecedented, the logic was clear and convincing, even to someone as knowledgeable about the navy as himself. It was like finding a path in a rock climb or a bridge over a cliff, how could it not be exhilarating?

"Very well said, Eitel," Wilhelm, moved, clapped his hands and sighed, "You can accurately grasp the core of so many factors and trace their roots, adapting to the situation. This insight and creativity surpass most people, and I must applaud you! I must admit, even Alfred and I did not think of the two points you mentioned. It seems that building armored cruisers is indeed no longer necessary."

Flattered by Wilhelm's praise, Qing Ying's face turned slightly red. The analysis he had presented was based on information he had collected from the internet in his future life. The experts on forums had thoroughly studied the technological developments of this naval transformation era, and he had merely stood on their shoulders and made a small effort. Smiling, he said, "Father, you flatter me. An ancient Eastern philosopher once said: 'Those who are in the game are confused, while those who watch from the side are clear.' Father and Tirpitz have far more knowledge and ability than I, but being in the game, you are like a leaf blocking your view. I, being outside, have a broader perspective and, by chance, can see more clearly."

"Very well, being in the game and blocked by a leaf!" Wilhelm laughed heartily, his voice full of joy and satisfaction. "Then, what kind of warships do you think the German Navy should build?"

Without realizing it, Wilhelm had already begun to treat Qing Ying as a naval expert. "Father, since armored cruisers without waterline armor are outdated, we should build armored cruisers with waterline armor. According to Krupp's estimates, once the latest surface-hardened armor is developed, its anti-armor capability will be almost three times that of the original wrought iron armor. In this case, all newly built cruisers should be equipped with vertical armor, just like battleships," Qing Ying replied.

"Then, do you mean to convert the original five 6,400-ton armored cruisers into five 6,400-ton armored cruisers?" Wilhelm asked himself, then added regretfully, "However, this would mean that each ship would lose at least one main gun due to the additional armor along the waterline."

"If we only make minor adjustments, directly adding a layer of waterline armor to these ships would be the simplest improvement. However, the development of the German Navy must have a clear philosophy, ensuring that each ship can maximize its role. Under this premise, simply converting armored cruisers to the same tonnage is not the optimal solution," Qing Ying shook his head.

Wilhelm was slightly taken aback, then felt embarrassed. He had been so immersed in Qing Ying's theory about the obsolescence of armored cruisers that he had not thought through his suggestion for minor adjustments. He gave Qing Ying a look, signaling him to continue.

Qing Ying nodded slightly and said, "What is the purpose of developing fast cruisers for Germany this time? A significant part of the reason for building them is to use them for overseas patrols to protect the empire's interests in distant seas. Currently, Germany has few colonies overseas, and the two third-class cruisers and eight fourth-class cruisers previously sent overseas were all small cruisers built for colonial patrols. Their service over the years has shown that they can handle patrol duties. Using 6,400-ton cruisers for colonial patrols would not only be inconvenient for port calls but also wasteful."

Qing Ying handed the documents back to Wilhelm and continued, "Moreover, developing fast cruisers has another important significance: to form an independent reconnaissance fleet separate from the main fleet to counter similar ships in enemy navies. In the current lineup of the French Navy, only a batch of 3,000 to 4,700-ton armored cruisers are suitable. They lack waterline armor and have a very low freeboard. With our rapid-firing guns, we can send these outdated ships to the bottom of the sea within half an hour! Therefore, whether in terms of combat against France or colonial patrols, 6,400-ton cruisers seem to be overkill."

"However, Eitel, you must understand that the power of naval warships is never excessive. Yes, the French currently have no outstanding fast ships, but who knows if they will start building more powerful new cruisers next year? Normally, due to secrecy, countries only learn the approximate data of other countries' ships long after they have started construction. This time, the Russians leaked the information, which is an exception. If we wait until the enemy's ships have been under construction for one or two years before designing and building countermeasures, it will be too late, and Germany will always be behind. Therefore, a certain degree of amplification and breakthrough is necessary for naval construction."

Hearing Wilhelm's words, Qing Ying was greatly surprised. Historically, the German Navy had always followed the British Navy, often imitating them. Now, it seemed that Wilhelm II had long had the intention to break through and innovate, but he lacked a clear understanding of ship design, forcing him to follow the British to avoid falling too far behind.

Qing Ying had originally planned to save the 54 million marks and invest the money elsewhere to support the future development of the German Navy. Now, with Wilhelm's progressive mindset, Qing Ying changed his mind. The design and construction of German warships had matured, and in the latter half of 1895, it was time to start preparing for the final naval showdown between Britain and Germany 20 years later!

Today, I updated 3,700 words. The author is really working hard to update, so please give some support with favorites and recommendations...

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