Chapter 217: Chapter 204: The Epoch-making Dreadnought

As Arthur had expected, the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia did not encounter any opposition in Europe.

Even with the strong support of the German Empire and the Russian Empire, the two major monarchies currently in power, most of the monarchies in Europe congratulated the newly established Kingdom of Australasia.

The stance of the United Kingdom was rather complex; the British public congratulated and celebrated the formation of Australasia, while the government had some reservations. After all, the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia would replace the British Empire as the legal nation in the Oceania region.

However, in the end, Edward VII expressed his opinion, and the British Government also congratulated the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia.

Of course, although ambassadors were mutually dispatched among all the major countries, it was evident that the establishment of Australasia was not the mainstream news in Europe at the time.

The reason being that, during this period, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of the British Empire built a battleship in just four months that was capable of changing the global warship system, which caused a sensation throughout Europe and even the world.

Although the British kept the construction of the Dreadnought-class battleship a secret, it was eventually discovered by spies from other countries as soon as it began to undergo its sea trials.

With the efforts of foreign spies, especially German spies, the true specifications of the Dreadnought-class battleship were revealed to major European countries.

“This is truly a groundbreaking and magnificent warship!”

That was the impression of the rulers and naval experts of all countries after seeing the design of this battleship.

Since the Dreadnought-class battleship extensively employed new technologies in every aspect, it overturned the previous design concepts of battleships and achieved absolute dominance over existing battleships.

What does this mean? The previous battleships had advantages in firepower, defense, and speed. They either had extraordinary firepower, strong armor protection, or some achievements in speed.

These battleships each had their strengths and played their roles in naval battles.

But the Dreadnought was different. It featured main guns of uniform ballistic performance, which not only significantly enhanced the firepower of battleships but also allowed commanders to more easily direct all main guns at the same target, which greatly increased the efficiency of concentrated firepower output and improved the accuracy of the main guns accordingly.

Moreover, the Dreadnought-class battleship was equipped with ten 305mm main guns, twenty-seven 5.4kg artillery, and five underwater 457mm torpedo tubes, which greatly enhanced its firepower and gave it an absolute advantage over old-fashioned battleships.

At the same time, the Dreadnought-class battleship had a total armor weight of about five thousand tons, which was an improvement over previous battleships.

More armor also meant more comprehensive protection. The armor thickness of key parts such as turret, engine room, ammunition depot, and command tower reached over 280mm, with armor fully enclosing the hull.

More crucially, the Dreadnought-class battleship also saw significant improvements in its battle cruising speed.

The design requirement of the Dreadnought-class battleship was to reach a maximum speed of over 21 knots and maintain it for an extended period.

However, it should be noted that before the Dreadnought, the fastest battleships could only reach a maximum speed of about 19 knots and maintain it for a short period.

Such a speed was undoubtedly groundbreaking, but the British shipyards and experts utilized new steam turbines and steam boilers to solve the power requirements.

Dreadnought battleship was equipped with eighteen drum-wheel coal-fired steam boilers and four Parsons steam turbine sets for power.

Its power output was as high as 22,500 horsepower, and during its first sea trials, it even reached 24,700 horsepower. The theoretical design speed was up to 21 knots, but during the sea trials, it reached a peak of 22.4 knots.

In summary, the Dreadnought-class battleship could completely overpower old-fashioned battleships in all aspects of firepower, armor protection, and speed.

The previous situation where battleships that could not overcome their opponents could at least flee would not occur. Faced with Britain’s Dreadnought, other countries’ battleships could neither defeat nor outrun it.

This also means that the world naval structure would undergo a major reshuffling, with all previous old-fashioned battleships becoming like paper tigers in the face of the Dreadnought.

If the number of older battleships previously represented the strength of a navy, then now the number of new Dreadnought battleships represents the new naval power.

Leading the warships into a new era is the British Empire, but at this moment, the most troubled is also the British Empire.

The reason is simple. After the birth of the dreadnought, old-fashioned battleships all became obsolete. Although Britain would gain some advantages in the construction of dreadnoughts, it also meant that most of the ships in the Royal Fleet would become products of a bygone era.

It so happens that the countries with the most old-fashioned battleships, Britain and France, were the ones affected by this naval transformation.

But for some emerging countries, this was also a good opportunity, such as Germany, which had always wanted to catch up with Britain in naval power.

If according to the previous battleship system, it would have been virtually impossible for the German Navy to catch up with the British Navy.

Although the German Navy was growing increasingly large, the British Royal Fleet was expanding even faster, and there was still a huge gap between Germany and Britain.

But after the birth of the dreadnought, the strength of a navy depended on the number of dreadnoughts it possessed.

For the latecomers to the world stage, including the German Empire, the United States, and even Australasia, this was a great opportunity.

Of course, where there is hope, there is also disappointment, and even some despair.

Some had the opportunity to catch up, while some naturally faced the risk of falling behind.

Maintaining the existing naval size was already difficult enough, but after the birth of the dreadnought, the existing battleships became essentially obsolete and no match for countries with dreadnoughts.

Of course, the countries that suffered from this were not limited to just one. If there had to be one that suffered the most, it would probably be the island nation that had just split the Far East hegemony with Russia.

The island country gained part of the Far East’s rights after the last Russo-Japanese War and effectively occupied the Korean Peninsula.

But these benefits were not enough to make up for the island country’s losses during the war, especially the loss of a large number of warships.

With the navy’s strength barely maintained at the level of the weakest powers, if they did not follow up on the construction of dreadnoughts, they would gradually widen the gap with other powerful countries, and the island country’s expansion dreams would still be blocked.

In general, the birth of the dreadnought accelerated the naval competition in Europe and led almost all powerful countries to invest in the research and development of dreadnoughts.

Due to their lack of experience, major countries, including Germany, designed their dreadnoughts based on the Dreadnought-class battleship.

In fact, they fell into Britain’s trap again. When various countries came up with their dreadnought designs, the British Empire once again launched the super-dreadnought, regaining a certain lead in the three major warship designs.

Almost immediately after receiving the intelligence, William II ordered Germany’s major shipyards and navy to produce their dreadnought designs and start construction work as soon as possible.

These scenes occurred in almost all powerful countries, and the warship designers of the major powers were busier than ever.

It is worth mentioning that since German aid was not considered for the birth of the dreadnought, these German shipbuilding experts are still working for Australasia, and they will become the leaders in Australasia’s research on dreadnoughts.

Soon, through the efforts of all the major powers, the dreadnought designs of each country were quickly completed.

It is worth mentioning that the South Carolina-class battleship of the United States was one of the first battleships in the world to adopt all heavy guns, with a design time similar to that of Britain’s Dreadnought.

However, due to budget delays, the start of construction for the South Carolina-class battleship was later than that of Britain’s Dreadnought-class battleship. The first South Carolina-class battleship, the South Carolina, did not officially enter service until March 1910, more than two years later than the Dreadnought-class battleship.

As the dreadnought design shocked the world, the American people strengthened their determination to build and invest in the South Carolina-class battleship, and the U.S. Navy urged Congress to quickly allocate funds.

Many other powerful countries also took action, including Italy’s Dante Alighieri, the island country’s Settsu-class battleship, and Germany’s Nassau-class battleship.

Among these, besides the British Empire, the United States, and the German Empire, which were determined in naval matters, Italy and the island country currently have limited investments in dreadnought construction plans.

Italy’s Dante Alighieri has only one ship, and its design is just getting started, with real construction not starting until a year later.

The situation is similar for the island country’s Settsu-class battleship. Although the design already exists, the island country’s financial situation does not allow for immediate construction, and it has to wait at least a year, with no more than two ships at most.

Of course, these two struggling powerful countries are actually not that bad, at least they have domestic plans for the construction of dreadnoughts, which just require a longer waiting time.

There are also two prominent countries that do not currently have any dreadnought construction plans, one is the former hegemon of the European continent, France, and the other is the European bulldozer, the Tsarist Russian Empire.

The Tsarist Russian Empire does not lack dreadnought construction plans, it is just that its R&D design capabilities are not strong, and it does not currently have a more perfect battleship design plan.

The first dreadnought in Tsarist Russia’s history was the Gangut-class battleship, which had two important factors for its birth.

The first was the completion of Italy’s Dante Alighieri, and the second was the construction of Tsarist Russia’s dreadnought under the guidance of British shipyards after the easing of tensions between Britain and Russia.

At present, Italy’s Dante Alighieri only exists in design, and the tension between Britain and Russia has not yet eased. Whether Russia’s Gangut-class battleship can be successfully born remains a question.