MTL - Restart Spain-Chapter 71 Naval Cooperation Program

The advent of Spanish warships can be said to have had an extremely serious impact on the navies of European countries.

The envoys from England and France have not yet come to Spain, but the Russian and Italian naval ministries have exploded.

Unlike the Britons with a big family, the "Peter the Great" and the "Kaou Dulio" are all warships with a displacement of over 10,000 tons, and now they have been declared out of date just after they were launched.

Anyone would find this unbearable. Italy, which has no crisis for the time being, is better. The Russians, who have always been committed to the hegemony of the European continent, really can't stand it.

The attitudes of the British and Spanish in the Near East are both inclined towards the Ottomans. The Russian navy has no chance of winning, and now it is further declared out of date, which makes Alexander II, who is in power alone, angry.

"Krabi, can you tell me whether the Navy has a policy for dealing with the 'Castile' class warships?"

Alexander II looked at the nervous minister of the admiralty, but he did not anger the veteran minister who had worked hard for decades. It is estimated that the British did not think of the Spanish battleship this time.

"There is no His Majesty for the time being, but we are already stepping up the design of comparable warships to deal with the naval pressure of Britain and Spain."

To be honest, Krabi said that the Russian Navy was indeed not sufficiently prepared for this time.

"At present, my country's newly launched 'Peter the Great' class has fallen behind in performance. In order to avoid the situation of falling behind in service, I suggest suspending all shipbuilding plans."

Warships all over the world are now facing this situation. The Spanish navy is indeed insufficient to build ships on a large scale, but it does not mean that countries with large-scale shipbuilding capabilities will not follow up quickly.

"Then let the Admiralty come up with a new plan to hire a group of designers from the Netherlands to expand our research team."

Alexander II closed his eyes and said solemnly that the relationship between the Netherlands and Russia has always been very good. It just so happened that the Dutch people used to be called sea coachmen, and the country still has a group of excellent designers.

"Yes, Your Majesty, but what I want to say is. If our country wants to design a new warship, the data must not be lower than the Spanish 'Castile class', otherwise we still have the possibility of falling behind."

If the design and construction are only started now, the progress must be several years slower than that of the Spaniards. For this reason, we can only seek greater breakthroughs, and this requires taking risks.

"Go!" Alexander II didn't answer this question directly, but waved his hand lonely.

The Russians have always sought a breakthrough in the navy, but they have never been able to truly break through the suppression of Britain and France.

......

In Madrid, Spain, Alfonso, who came back after attending the launching ceremony, was also in the reception hall of the Royal Palace of Madrid at this time to meet Harrison, the British ambassador who had recently left the country.

"Your Majesty, the five warships your country has recently commissioned really shocked our country. I wonder if your country intends to sell this technology. The British Empire will show enough sincerity."

Harrison is unambiguous, knowing that something is impossible, he needs to say it at the beginning, because his purpose is really not here.

"Your Excellency the Ambassador is joking. Is this what your government means? It doesn't look like Prime Minister Disraeli would say something."

Alfonso smiled awkwardly and directly signaled Harrison to hurry back to his real purpose.

"As an ally, as far as we can, if your country's sincerity can impress us, our country will definitely come forward."

"Actually, my country hopes that His Majesty Alfonso can order your navy to sail in the Black Sea to deter the Russians. We hope that your country can dispatch at least three of the latest 'Castile class' ships."

Harrison also mentioned the British proposal. The British wanted to know the practicality of this warship. Under close observation, the ability to launch earlier than other countries belonged to the British front-dreadnought.

Although there is no previous fearless statement, the unique design of the 'Castile class' still makes many European professionals believe that this is a watershed in the new era of the navy.

Strictly speaking, the former Dreadnought is just a mature ironclad ship. Compared with the ironclad ships with iron-clad barrels, the former Dreadnought uses all steel, smokeless powder, armor-piercing projectiles and high freeboard applications, so that the 'Castile class' can be From any angle, it is an epoch-making warship.

At present, the Spanish Navy cannot build dreadnought warships, and the most important armored steel technology is not up to standard.

"Your Excellency, the soldiers of the five new warships in our country are still in the stage of being familiar with warships, and they do not have proficient combat capabilities. I think sending them out to perform tasks at this time will not help at all."

The navy on the five battleships has just come into contact with the battleships, and it is impossible to form combat power in a short period of time.

"Unless the British Navy can provide us with a group of naval instructors, maybe we can participate in this operation against the Russians."

This is the condition proposed by Alfonso. The Spanish love of sailing makes the navy not short of sailors and people who yearn for the navy. Although the warships have the latest, many tactical concepts are still unable to compare with the British Empire.

It just so happened that Alfonso didn't know anything about tactics, so he could only let the navy absorb the experience of the British and develop something of its own.

"If you just want the assistance of naval officers, then we can promise you, Your Majesty Alfonso."

Harrison promised that the most important thing in the British Empire was naval officers.

"But we also have one condition. In addition to participating in deterrence activities against Russia, we also want to observe your country's 'Castile class' up close. I wonder if your country can agree to it."

This is the condition of the British. It is estimated that there will be countless British naval designers participating in this observation activity. It can be said that the purpose is unabashedly stated.

But Alfonso knew that even if he handed the blueprint to the British, they couldn't make it now.

The former dreadnoughts had an important necessities, that is, the cannons that used smokeless powder, which far surpassed black powder in terms of power and other aspects.

The research difficulty of smokeless gunpowder, even if it is composition analysis, according to the level of science and technology in this era, it cannot be done in a few years.

This is also why Spain has no army weapons with any technical content. It can be the only one in the world. It is as strong as the Maxim machine gun. In the original history, it was only after the advent of smokeless gunpowder that it really showed its combat effectiveness.

"Yes, there is one small request."

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Harrison bowed slightly.

"I hope that our merchant ships can be protected by your country on the eastern route through your country, and can ask for the help of British warships in times of crisis. In exchange, British ships will also be protected by Spanish warships in Spanish territorial waters."

Spain, which has officially traded with our big country, can save a lot of unnecessary trouble if it can be protected by the British on the eastern route. This is not difficult for the British navy.

"It's natural, Your Majesty, the Spaniards are our friends, and we should help our friends!"

Harrison also felt that it was not difficult. Before realizing the Spaniard's careful thinking, he even thought that the Spaniard was surprisingly generous.