Chapter 283: Obtaining the Blueprints, Visiting the Ruhr Region
On July 1, 1910, Arthur left London port aboard the Australasia battleship, waved off by many British citizens. From the expressions of the British people bidding him farewell, it was clear that many felt reluctant to see him go. After all, Arthur was considered a part of the Victoria era.
Once aboard the battleship and out of sight of the public, Arthur was in a rather good mood. After several days of negotiation and having spent hundreds of thousands of pounds, Arthur finally obtained the agreement of the British Cabinet. The British government agreed to provide the Saint Vincent-class battleship as a condition of the aid and to permanently offer it to Australasia for a fee.
The terms included the provision of the Monarch-class battleship data and lower-than-market prices for food and meat trade. For Arthur, this wasn't a bad deal, as it allowed him to exchange these for the full design data of a much more powerful battleship, a deal that was bound to be profitable.
Moreover, after Arthur's persistent requests and negotiations, George V agreed to provide the technology to build the Saint Vincent-class battleship, including the coveted 50-caliber 305mm main gun. Although the 305mm gun was the same size as the earlier models, the difference between a 45-caliber and a 50-caliber gun was vast.
Though the specific technical details would only be transferred to Australasia once British experts arrived, Arthur was confident that, with the help of these experts, Australasia would be able to construct the Saint Vincent-class battleship within a year. In two to three years, Australasia would master the independent construction of the Saint Vincent-class battleship, raising the country's shipbuilding capabilities to a new level.
It was fair to say that Arthur's close relationship with the British royal family, his good standing among the British people, and Queen Victoria's deep affection for him played key roles in securing the Saint Vincent-class battleship—something that might have been impossible for any other country, no matter how much they invested.
The Saint Vincent battleship was 163.4 meters long, 25.6 meters wide, with a draft of 8.5 meters. It was powered by two sets of Parsons direct-drive steam turbines and 18 mixed-fuel water boilers, reaching an impressive 24,500 horsepower. However, these details were not the main selling points. What truly made the Saint Vincent formidable were its five 305mm 50-caliber twin turrets, sixteen 102mm 50-caliber single guns, and three 450mm underwater torpedo tubes.
In terms of firepower, the Saint Vincent was the most powerful battleship built in 1910, surpassing the Delaware class battleships being built by the United States, the Kaiser class and Helgoland class battleships by Germany. Both the Delaware and Kaiser class were the strongest battleships being built by any other power, aside from Britain. The Saint Vincent easily surpassed these due to Britain's superior technological capabilities.
Of course, comparisons were only made with the Delaware, Kaiser, and Helgoland classes because the other powers' dreadnoughts were progressing so slowly that any comparison was unnecessary. Aside from Britain, the United States, Germany, and Australasia, the only other power currently possessing dreadnoughts was Russia, which highlighted just how far behind the other countries were in dreadnought development.
After leaving the British Empire, Arthur did not immediately head back to Australasia. Instead, he redirected his course to Germany. After all, both Germany and Russia had good relations with Australasia, and since he was in Europe, it made sense to make the most of the opportunity.
However, Arthur had no intention of sharing the Saint Vincent battleship's blueprints with Germany. After all, he had acquired them from Britain, with some degree of reliance on his relationship with the British. If the British were to find out that Arthur had shared the designs with Germany, it would surely cause dissatisfaction.
Arthur was not willing to make a move that would harm Britain's interests, although he had no problem emphasizing the importance of large-caliber artillery to Wilhelm II.
During the funeral of Edward VII in London, Wilhelm II had invited Arthur to visit Germany. Arthur had agreed, though the visit would only take place after his stay in Britain.
On July 3, Arthur successfully arrived in Germany, where he engaged in five days of friendly discussions with Wilhelm II. Arthur visited the famous Krupp factory in Germany, along with the country's shipyards and military facilities, and he gave them high praise.
After these events, the Germans began to place more importance on the caliber of naval guns and began to focus their research efforts accordingly. After visiting Krupp's factory, Arthur learned that the Germans had already begun researching the 50-caliber 305mm main gun and had made some progress. If all went well, the Germans were likely to equip their next generation of dreadnoughts with these 50-caliber guns, though their progress still lagged behind that of the British. Nevertheless, compared to other great powers, Germany was still ahead.
During his visit to Germany, Arthur also took the time to tour the Ruhr Industrial Region. The Ruhr was one of the largest industrial regions in the world and the heart of Germany's industrial power.
At present, the Ruhr Industrial Region produced 100 million tons of coal, 1 million tons of coke, 10 million tons of steel, and 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, making it the heart of Germany's industrial economy.
The region's industrial layout was also quite rational. Most industrial and mining products were processed and consumed locally, minimizing unnecessary transportation.
Although the two world wars would significantly affect the region, by the 1970s, the Ruhr still produced 120 million tons of coal, 80% of Germany's total output, and 20 million tons of steel, which accounted for 70% of the national output. It also produced nearly 100 million cubic meters of coke oven gas and almost 1 million tons of tar.
The Ruhr's development relied not only on its abundant coal resources but also on excellent water transport conditions. Coupled with an extensive railway network, highways, and canals, the region's transportation system was very efficient and laid a solid foundation for industrial development.
Australasia's Leonora Industrial Base was partly modeled on the Ruhr. Arthur's goal was to develop the Leonora base into Australasia's version of the Ruhr.
Arthur was envious of the Ruhr's success and was determined to make the Leonora Industrial Base a success. To that end, Arthur personally asked Wilhelm II to send relevant German experts to assist in the development of the Leonora Industrial Base.
Arthur's request was modest. If the Leonora base could reach just 10% of the Ruhr's current output within ten years, he would be satisfied with the progress.
Wilhelm II smiled and readily agreed, as this was a common request for national development, and given the good relations between Germany and Australasia, there was no reason to refuse.
It is worth noting that Wilhelm II proudly invited Arthur to visit Germany's airship factory, specifically the Zeppelin factory.
After Australasia's rigid airships became famous worldwide, both Britain and Germany significantly increased their focus on airships. Australasia's rigid airships were originally based on German designs, and Germany was keen to surpass Australasia in this field.
The Zeppelin factory had already developed several generations of airships and was far ahead of Australasia's AU-2 airship, which had been based on the earlier LZ-1 design.
Arthur learned from Wilhelm II that the Zeppelin factory was already on its fifth generation of airships. The development of the LZ-5 had progressed much faster than the LZ-1 due to government support. The LZ-5 had a carrying capacity of 17 tons, significantly surpassing Australasia's airship, which could only carry 11 tons.
The LZ-5 was also faster, with a cruising speed of 42 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 45 kilometers per hour. Arthur was told that the airship had been extensively tested and was very stable, a far cry from earlier designs.
Arthur inquired about the stability of the LZ-5 and learned that it had been proven to be exceptionally stable, with hundreds of tests confirming its reliability. Given its increased capacity, speed, and stability, the LZ-5 had become a highly practical and useful tool.
Wilhelm II was convinced by Arthur's suggestion that airships could carry bombs and conduct aerial bombings, even going so far as to form an airship squadron dedicated to precision bombing.
Arthur could only smile awkwardly at this, knowing that airships were not as useful as airplanes, which could easily destroy airships in combat.
(End of Chapter)
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