Chapter 40

On February 8, 1633, it was the Spring Festival. The recent accidental skirmish with the Spanish near Lake Rocha seemed to have passed like a gentle breeze, leaving no visible trace. However, the increasingly frequent militia military training at Tartan Port and Fort Dingyuan suggested that the matter was still simmering beneath the surface.

The Spring Festival was also a statutory holiday for the Executive Committee, and the festive atmosphere in Tartan Port was quite strong, organized by the committee. These European immigrants might not fully understand the significance of the Spring Festival, but they were happy to know that there would be free drinks and food today. Happiness was so easily generated.

The atmosphere at the naval shipyard located at the mouth of the Big Fish River was particularly lively, as the first large ship built there was about to undergo sea trials today. Wang Qian, who had previously only been able to command shore defense artillery, finally ended his solitary career. He now had his first warship, the 250-ton "Eagle of the East Coast."

The "Eagle of the East Coast" was completed after a year of effort by over 60 European shipbuilders and more than 200 apprentices, with the assistance and guidance of several European instructors from the navigation school. This round-sterned galleon had three masts: the foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast. It was 27 meters long, 7 meters wide, and had a draft of 3.1 meters, with a displacement of 250 tons. The mainmast and foremast were equipped with hoistable upper and top sails, the mizzenmast with a triangular sail, and the bowsprit with an upper sail. Between the lower and upper sails of each mast, there were also mast houses.

The "Eagle of the East Coast" had a crew of 30 sailors, and in addition, it required over 80 gunners. Wang Qian assigned 60 students from the 32nd class of the navigation school to intern on the ship, working under the guidance of instructors and a group of European sailors. Additionally, 80 shore defense artillery soldiers were temporarily reassigned to serve as gunners. After all arrangements were made, the "Eagle of the East Coast" raised its main sail and slowly left the port for sea trials.

"Wind direction: northeast! Adjust the braces to control the sail edges..." Yulian de Aubry shouted, his voice hoarse. After a year of teaching at the navigation school, his appearance had changed significantly from the spirited young man he was a year ago, but he looked much more mature.

"Understood! Adjust the braces!" Jiwén, a student from the 32nd class of the navigation school, responded loudly. He and his classmates quickly untied the halyards and sheets fixed to the bowsprit, and with a cheer, they worked together to rotate the mainmast yard. Once in position, Jiwén secured the sheets to the bowsprit.

"Wind speed too high! Lower the mainmast auxiliary sails..." Yulian continued to command.

"Understood! Lower the mainmast auxiliary sails!" The intern students quickly removed the two detachable auxiliary sails below the mainmast sail.

The gunners on the bow, who were currently idle, cheered at the sight of the young students' swift actions. The young students seemed a bit shy and laughed, then dispersed.

Wang Qian, along with Lu Ming, John Stone, and other members of the navigation school, watched the students' operations with great interest. These students learned navigation theory in the morning and practiced at the shipyard in the afternoon, almost participating in the entire construction process of the "Eagle of the East Coast," making them thoroughly familiar with the ship.

Below the forecastle was a storage room, above it was a sailor's rest room, and the top deck was a gun deck equipped with two 12-pound steel guns and shelters for soldiers to shoot from.

Leaving the forecastle, they stepped on the wooden grating above the midship deck and arrived at the stern. The stern had a low, integrated poop deck, divided into three levels: the lower level was the officers' quarters, the middle level was the captain's cabin, and the upper level was the bridge. The poop deck also had a gun deck equipped with two 12-pound steel guns and could accommodate a certain number of army soldiers for shooting.

The levels of the poop deck were connected by stairs. Wang Qian descended to the dark, low officers' quarters. This was where the mid-to-low-ranking officers of the "Eagle of the East Coast" lived. Under the dim oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, he observed the room. A long table was placed near the stairs, surrounded by long benches, used for the officers' rest and entertainment (such as playing cards and drinking tea). On the opposite side of the cabin wall, there were hammocks for the officers to sleep in, with their personal belongings stored below.

The second level of the poop deck was the captain's cabin and the residence of senior crew members and officers. The interior decoration of the captain's cabin was relatively simple compared to ships of other countries at the time: a desk, chairs, storage cabinets, and nautical charts. The floor was covered with imported Turkish wool carpets, which were probably the most luxurious items in the room. Behind the captain's cabin was an open veranda, part of which was covered, serving as the toilet for the captain and senior officers. The rest of the veranda deck was above the rudder compartment, where the helmsmen operated the rudder using a long wooden lever. A skylight was also installed on the deck to help the helmsmen observe the sails.

The third level was the bridge, where officers observed the enemy, issued orders, or commanded battles, making it one of the core parts of the ship.

Wang Qian carefully examined the ship, marveling at the intricate knowledge and details of 17th-century sailing ships, even for a 21st-century naval officer.

By now, the "Eagle of the East Coast" had left the port and was sailing in the open sea. Yulian looked at the ribbons on the mast houses and shouted, "Wind direction: northeast 15 degrees, headwind; turn the rudder to the left, heading northeast 30 degrees!"

"Understood! Turn the rudder to the left, heading northeast 30 degrees!" Mitning, a 32nd class navigation student, poked his head out of the deck hatch and repeated the order.

"Raise the mizzen top sail!"

"Understood, raise the mizzen top sail."

...

The "Eagle of the East Coast" sailed north against the wind. Sailing against the wind was a highly technical task. European sailors had developed techniques for this, known as "tacking," but the specific principles were not fully understood until the 18th century.

Although there were few science and engineering experts among the穿越者 (time travelers), they could easily handle the force analysis of this high school physics level problem. The navigation school had invited a former high school physics teacher to lecture, who, after a detailed analysis of the forces acting on the ship due to wind and water currents, pointed out that if the ship sailed at a small angle to the wind, it could move forward in a zigzag pattern due to the combined effect of wind force and the water resistance generated by the ship's active keel. This method significantly increased the distance traveled but was very practical for navigating in complex and changeable seas, making it one of the basic skills in navigation.

The 250-ton "Eagle of the East Coast" sailed at a speed of 3 knots, and the gunners began to get busy, preparing for the ship-to-ship gunnery training. The sea was rough, and the ship was heavily rolling, making accurate shooting almost impossible (even in calm seas, the accuracy was poor). However, Wang Qian just wanted everyone to get a feel for naval combat. The skills for accurate shooting at sea would come with extensive live-fire practice and experience.

In addition to the two 12-pound guns at the bow and stern, the "Eagle of the East Coast" had 8 guns on each side of the midship deck: 2 24-pound guns, 2 18-pound guns, and 4 12-pound guns, totaling 20 guns of various sizes. For a 250-ton ship, installing 20 guns, especially large-caliber ones, was a significant burden. If not handled properly, it could easily lead to instability, as seen with the Swedish "Vasa" in 1628, which capsized due to an unstable center of gravity.

However, with the lightweight steel guns, the "Eagle of the East Coast" with 20 guns still sailed steadily on the turbulent South Atlantic. Under the command of Lu Ming, the acting captain and a former artilleryman, the two 12-pound steel guns at the bow fired first, but the results... well, the results were not ideal. Wang Qian, holding a telescope, watched the designated impact area for a long time but did not see the shells land.

Lu Ming remained unperturbed, walking to each gun and shouting, "Fire!" The remaining 18 guns fired in sequence, with mixed results. After firing, the gun crews began to reset the guns. The gun deck was built with a slight incline to make it easier and faster for the gunners to reset the guns after firing.

"Don't be too anxious," Wang Qian said with a smile, "Our gunners are used to firing from stable gun platforms. For their first gunnery training at sea, this is already quite good. I know our young men; give them some time to train, and they will adapt quickly, improving their accuracy."

"I wasn't too worried either," Lu Ming replied with a smile. "In this era, naval battles are fought at close range, with ships broadsiding each other and firing at point-blank range, sometimes even boarding and fighting hand-to-hand. This is because the range and accuracy are so poor. We definitely need more training, but we only have about a hundred gunners and as many sailors as the navigation school can provide. Isn't that a bit too few?"

Wang Qian did not immediately answer Lu Ming's probing question. The issue was complex and even involved the rivalry between the navy and the army. He couldn't answer immediately, so he just laughed it off.