Chapter 1011 Founding Celebration (11)

This port area is across a river mouth from the Victory Port Naval Base. There are two comprehensive docks and about ten trestles. There are currently at least two hundred ships docked here. Zhang Jinbao contacted the owner of the ship who was a local and got the review

Zhang Jinbao got the inside information relatively early and occupied a good, unobstructed position on the pier a few days in advance. Although the price was not cheap, looking at other ships, people even climbed up the mast. Zhang Jinbao felt that he

The money was well spent.

The boss of the ship led Zhang Jinbao and his party to the bow deck, pointed to the east coast and said: "Here, look over there, the warships participating in the military parade in the afternoon are parked there."

Zhang Jinbao squinted and looked around. There was indeed the official viewing platform across the harbor, which was only a few miles away. The military ships participating in the military parade were anchored on the east bank of the Tiandu River estuary. At a cursory look, large and small

There were at least twenty ships. Zhang Jinbao was still calm. Several students immediately shouted excitedly when they saw the warships. Although they had seen military warships when they were in Danzhou, almost all of them were

It is an "exploration-class" warship with a smaller tonnage. This is the first time I have seen a fully-manned fleet.

Zhang Jinbao saw the boat boss looking at his students with a big smile. He knew that most people regarded his group as rural nouveau riche who had never seen the world. He quickly stopped the students and paid for the remainder of the position.

The payment was made.

After collecting the money, the boss of the ship said: "I have food and drink on my ship. If you need it, just buy it in the back cabin."

Zhang Jinbao nodded in agreement, thinking that Sanya's business was prosperous, and even the fishing boatman was so good at doing business. The rumors were indeed true. However, the cost of chartering this boat had already made him feel painful once, and he did not intend to do it here again.

Money was spent on the boat.

After waiting for about an hour, two blue fireworks were fired from the naval base pier on the east coast. The people immediately started making noises, knowing that the naval parade was about to begin.

The Navy assembled most of the military ships stationed on Hainan Island for this military parade, and equipped two "Dignity-class" steam sail warships as the flagship of the formation. The number of ships in the entire fleet to be reviewed exceeded forty, covering almost all

All the specifications of the navy's existing combat ships. The fleet being reviewed is personally commanded by Navy Commander Wang Tom, and the specifications are still quite high.

When the fleet left the Tiandu River mouth and slowly headed south, the people watching in the West Bank port area suddenly burst into cheers. Almost all of these warships were produced at the Victory Port Shipyard, and the shipyard currently employs more than three people.

Thousands of people, including the families of employees and some supporting raw material suppliers, there are at least about 10,000 people in Sanya who rely on the shipbuilding industry to make a living. Plus the family members of the navy, the mass base is very deep. Seeing the emergence of this fleet will also

Feel extremely proud and proud.

"Haihan's fleet...has been changed to a double flagship now?" Van Diemen looked at the slowly approaching fleet in the distance and said to himself with some confusion.

"Perhaps this is just a temporary fleet put together for the sake of a military parade." Su Keyi was very optimistic about this: "Mr. Governor, look at their ship establishment, it should also exceed the number of ships we know."

According to the normal establishment, Haihan's fleet consists of a majestic-class flagship, at least four exploration-class and eight expedition-class warships, two light reconnaissance ships, six to eight comprehensive supply ships, one to two

Troop transport ships, and an ambulance and repair ship. But the number of ships in the fleet seen now is obviously much higher than the normal level of the Haihan fleet.

Van Diemen nodded and said: "I heard that there is also a formation called a task force in the Haihan Navy, which is to mix two or more fleets together. Perhaps what we are seeing now is such a fleet.

Special fleet."

The task force is not a product of the aircraft carrier era. In fact, the Zheng He fleet that sailed to the Western Ocean during the most powerful period of the Ming Dynasty was an unprecedented maritime task force. At that time, the Zheng He fleet consisted of more than 200 ships.

It consists of ocean-going ships of different types and purposes, with more than 20,000 personnel, and is large enough to wipe out small countries in Nanyang in one fell swoop. The scale of Haihan's fleet is naturally not comparable to that of Zheng He's fleet, but its actual combat power is already very powerful, and

This has been proven in several actual battles. Without considering supplies, these two majestic-class flagships on the sea alone are enough to run rampant in the South China Sea.

For some countries that have had experience in sea battles with Haihan, the sense of oppression brought by this fleet is very strong. The existence of a sea-killing weapon like the Majesty-class is simply an unsolvable problem for these countries.

Yes. Warships of the same tonnage can probably be built somewhere on the other side of the earth, but they cannot have the same level of firepower output and high speed. The overall performance is still incomparable to the Haihan warship.

For those countries that saw the true appearance of Haihan's regular fleet for the first time, the visual impact brought by this scene was too strong. The water combat vessels of most countries in the Far East are still at the equipment level of the cold weapon era.

, far less than the Ming Dynasty's almost abandoned navy, and such a well-organized fleet is even more unthinkable. Envy, jealousy, hatred, and all kinds of emotions are present, but the most important thing at the moment is to find an opportunity to ask Haihan first.

Ask about the prices of these ships. Envoys from some countries heard that Annan had equipped many warships of the same model, and some of them immediately went to Zheng Zha for confirmation.

Annan has indeed installed a batch of Haihan-made warships in his own navy, but they are all export models with the smallest tonnage. Their combat effectiveness can only be said to be better than the previous ones, and the cost is not cheap at all. One ship costs

In the past, it cost more to build three or four ships by yourself, and the artillery and ammunition had to be purchased separately. It took Annan four to five years to barely cobble together a fleet made entirely of Haihan, but it was still far from the requirements to control the Annan coastline.

Very far.

The speed of building the fleet is so slow. On the one hand, Haihan consciously controls the supply of warships for Annan. On the other hand, it is also because the ship price is too high. It is difficult for Annan to afford the large scale with his limited military budget.

Fortunately, regardless of whether Annan is willing or not, at least there is Haihan as a military ally. The Haihan Navy stationed on the Annan coastline is still in charge of most of the patrol affairs in Annan's waters. Perhaps in the future, after the Annan Navy's establishment is improved, patrols

Affairs will be slowly handed over, but the military base deployed by Haihan in Annan will probably remain.

The fleet sailed slowly on the sea about 100 meters away from the pier's viewing platform. During this period, the crew members gathered on the port side and formed a neat line to salute in the direction of the viewing platform. The Shanghai and Han military personnel on the shore also stood up collectively and saluted.

Return the favor with military salute at sea.

It took the fleet about twenty minutes to sail past the viewing platform from beginning to end. However, the guests saw that Haihan and others were sitting still. They knew that the military parade might not be over yet, so they all sat obediently and waited for the show to begin.

.

Compared with the morning parade, the navy has a great advantage in that the venue is more open. The entire Victory Port has been closed to navigation, leaving the space in the harbor for the fleet to perform. Naturally, Wang Tom will make full use of this condition to demonstrate well.

Let’s talk about the power of the navy.

As the ship's trumpet sounded, gray-white smoke quickly rose from the chimneys of the two majesty-class flagships. This was the effect of water vapor mixed with soot. Immediately after, the water surface surged at the stern, and the two flagships were visible to the naked eye.

The speed was slowly accelerating, and soon it broke out of the fleet and rushed to the front. This sight made the guests on the viewing platform who saw the steam battleship for the first time were so surprised that they couldn't open their mouths from ear to ear, because they had never seen it before.

Warships can gain speed in a short period of time in this way.

The two flagships turned westward at the mouth of the bay very briskly, drew an arc along the west coast of Victory Port, and then turned back eastward. The other ships chose a smaller turning radius, almost simultaneously with the two flagships.

Completed this 180-degree turn at sea. Although it seems nothing special, knowledgeable seamen know how difficult it is for so many ships to achieve synchronous turns at sea. If you are a soldier who has served at sea,

Better than ordinary people, he understands the important role of this ability to turn in seizing a favorable position in a sea battle.

On the pier on the west bank of the harbor, the people who originally thought they could only watch from a distance cheered excitedly when they saw the warships approaching along the coast. Zhang Jinbao and his students thought that after the fleet passed the viewing platform from north to south

Even after it was over, just as he was planning to leave, he saw the fleet making a big circle on the sea and heading in his direction. Everyone suddenly became excited again. When the ship boss saw this, his face changed a little, and he quickly greeted everyone

Hold on to the side of the boat beside you, lest you lose your footing when the next wave comes.

The two flagships passed quickly less than a hundred meters from the coastline, and the water split by the bows formed waves, which rushed to the shore one after another. The ship Zhang Jinbao and others were on was a fishing boat with a displacement of only about ten tons.

When the waves came over, they suddenly swayed from side to side. If the boss of the boat hadn't told them to grab something to stabilize their bodies, they might have been knocked down.

The students were yelling and staring at the two huge battleships with excitement. From this distance, the dark gun windows on the ship's side could be seen clearly, and the people on the deck could also be seen.

Under the command of the boatswain, the crew was busy operating the sail ropes to correct the course. The speed of the two ships was so fast that everyone felt stunned for a moment. The two ships had already passed by, faster than they had just passed by the East Coast Observation Deck.

It was more than twice as fast.

This high-speed performance along the coastline of Port Victory not only shocked the spectators, but the guests from all over the world who were seated at the viewing platform were even more stunned. Most of them saw this for the first time.

The large ship that emitted smoke left a deep impression on it with its flexible steering and extremely high speed. I had heard that Haihan's navy was invincible in the past, so I was somewhat skeptical, but after witnessing Haihan's fleet with my own eyes, I was absolutely convinced.

Most people will feel that it is indeed worthy of its name. Probably no warship from any country can stop this high-speed gunboat.

In fact, let alone these foreigners, even the Haihan travelers who are also sitting in the auditorium, as long as they are not related to the fields of military industry, shipbuilding, and the military, most of them have never really seen their own navy at close range in wartime.

It’s in such a good state that there are a lot of people cheering while watching it.

In this era, no one has the clearest understanding of the importance of sea power than this group of time-travelers from several centuries later. Haihan built a country based on the sea, and the control of maritime territory is the most important thing. To realize Haihan's strategy

The means to the end are the armed sailing ships we see in front of us. Although these ships still look very primitive and backward in the eyes of travelers, they are already black technology that surpasses this era, and they are extremely difficult to build and the cost is very high.

In the eyes of travelers, these ships are not just piles of wood floating on the sea, but piles of quantifiable real money and silver. In order to build a sailing fleet to guard various places, Haihan spends an annual amount of money on building warships.

As much as one million, and the more advanced the model, the higher the cost of shipbuilding. Like this majesty-class warship that was outfitted before the celebration this time, due to the adoption of many new structures and new materials, its

The construction cost is one-third higher than that of previous ships of the same type. The extra cost would have been more than enough to build an exploration-class warship, which shows how expensive it is.

The high military budget will become the focus of debate among all parties at special discussions every year. The navy's military expenditures are rising almost every year, causing the most controversy. But in the end of every dispute, the opposition almost always chooses to compromise.

, because this is the actual situation. Haihan's ever-expanding territory must be guarded by enough naval fleets, otherwise it will be difficult to ensure the safety of overseas colonies and major trade routes.

Although there will be arguments about this for several days every year, the navy's budget will still be satisfied in the end. After all, although military expenditures are high, the market and labor value brought by the increase in the control area are also very considerable, which is enough to make up for Haihan's military losses.

field expenditures.

After the naval review fleet made a full circle in the bay, it slowly sailed south and out of the harbor. Wang Tom did not want to waste such a rare gathering opportunity, so he planned to take advantage of this opportunity to pull the fleet to the open sea for a training session.

After all, the area of ​​​​this harbor is too small. You can play with skills, but if you want to practice fleet tactics, you still have to go to a wider sea. However, the training content after this is not public, and the guests attending the ceremony are also

No chance to see you.

"Everyone, today's military parade has come to an end. Next, we will have a grand dinner. Guests are invited to exit in turn under the guidance of the staff. There will also be a fireworks show in the evening, and we will also organize a viewing...

"With the sound coming from the loudspeaker, the military parade during the celebration finally came to an end. The guests who were still unfinished were still excitedly exchanging their impressions and discussing various topics about the Haihan Naval Fleet.
Chapter completed!