My Italian: Chapter 583 Roman class launch

The situation in Crete is now temporarily stabilized. Of course, if the two parties want to decide the outcome, it depends on what the supporters behind them think.

But for Italy, this can be regarded as making up for it after suffering a dark loss. At least Crete did not completely fall into Yingxi's hands. It can be regarded as the great fortune in misfortune.

Of course, what happened in Crete will not affect Italy's preparations for the war.

As a symbol of Italy's influence in the Mediterranean, the Navy is also constantly replenishing its armaments.

As the most technologically advanced Venice Naval Shipyard in Italy, it has always been the preferred construction base for battleships of all levels of the Italian Navy. Italian battleships of all levels have been built in the Venice Naval Shipyard, and the ones built are often the first ships of the class.

The large number of orders has also made the Venice Naval Shipyard's technology stronger, and its boatmen with experience in battleship construction are also increasing.

And today, it is also a big day for the Venice Naval Shipyard, because it is a good day for the launch of the largest tonnage warship Rome in Venice.

Speaking of which, the Venice Naval Shipyard didn't make much money at all to build the Roma. Because the time given by the Navy was relatively urgent, the Venice Shipyard had to work overtime for construction work. This has brought about an increase in workers' wages and electricity bills, which has also led to higher construction costs for the Roman shipyard at the Venice Naval Shipyard.

However, for a shipyard that does not take profit as its first goal, the Venice Naval Shipyard has fulfilled the requirements of the Navy excellently, and the Roma was launched ten times earlier than originally planned.

Of course, the Italian Navy attached great importance to the launching of the Roma. In addition to the normal participation of the admirals, even King Carlo was invited by the navy to attend the launching ceremony.

"This is really a huge battleship."

Beside the dock, Carlo, accompanied by a group of admirals, looked at the Roman, which was about to be launched.

And what Carlo said was right, the standard displacement of the Roma was as high as 30,000 tons, and it was the first battleship to use a 380mm main gun, making it the veritable number one battleship in the world. Even if the British Queen Elizabeth class and the German Bavarian class are in service, they still cannot shake the status of the Roman class.

Because they have a clear gap in performance compared to the Roman class.

The first is the Bavarian class in Germany. Although this class uses the same main gun as the Roman class, its speed is 2.5 knots lower than that of the Roman class (influenced by Italy, Germany's wooden heads are finally willing to improve the power. Bavarian Affected by this, the design speed has been increased from 22 knots to 23 knots. Of course, this also has a lot to do with the use of more oil-fired boilers.)

Although Bavaria adopts comprehensive protection, which is better than the key protection effect of the Roman class (both with a maximum armor of 350 mm), the speed difference of 2.5 knots is enough to put the Bavarian class at a disadvantage in actual combat (grab t).

As for the British Queen Elizabeth class, according to the knowledge of Italian intelligence. The speed of this class of warships is similar to that of the Roman class (one 25 knots, one 25.5 knots), but there is a gap in armor and firepower.

Both classes of warships use key protection, but the thickest part of the Elizabeth class's midship and turret is 330 mm, which is 20 mm behind the Roman class's 350 mm, and its protection is slightly lower than that of the Roman class. The problem of firepower is even greater, because the Elizabeth class is equipped with a 381 mm 42-caliber main gun.

As we all know, when the caliber of the main gun is the same, and the weight of the ammunition and propellant are not much different, the higher the multiple, the more advantageous it is. The 380mm 45-caliber naval gun jointly developed by the three countries is definitely much more powerful than the 381mm 42-caliber naval gun.

The 380mm naval gun jointly developed by the three countries uses 854 kilograms of armor-piercing projectiles. The new propellant used weighs 254 kilograms and has a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second. The artillery has a rate of fire of about 2.5 rounds per minute. No matter in terms of armor-piercing capability or rate of fire, the 380mm 45-caliber naval gun jointly developed by the three countries is much stronger than the British 381mm 42-caliber main gun.

The British Empire is actually very aware of the inferior performance of its own artillery. The British Navy made two preparations. On the one hand, it developed a 16-inch (406 mm) main gun with a larger caliber, and on the other hand, it improved the propellant and shells. As for the study of higher multiples of the main gun, the landlord's family has no food left, so the caliber should be given priority.

One more thing needs to be said here, because the demand of the Austro-Hungarian Navy is not large, and Vienna has already stated that it is not ready to pay for the research on the next generation of naval guns.

Regarding the actions of the Austrians, although Germany and Italy are very unwilling (there is one less money-paying guy), Vienna has a firm attitude and can only give up. Therefore, the current research work on the 410mm naval gun is supported by Germany and Italy.

At present, the research and development of the 410mm main gun in Germany and Italy can be described in one word, that is, there are many difficulties. Because larger caliber main guns have higher requirements for material performance, German and Italian R&D technicians need to compare a large number of materials every day. Try to find the best option.

According to the estimates of the artillery researchers of the two countries, it will take at least next year to come up with a sample gun, and the finished product needs to wait for the results of the sample gun experiment. If it goes well, the development will be completed in 1915.

The slow development of new artillery made the Italian Navy hesitate to build new battleships with 410mm main guns.

That's right, the Italian Navy, which has sufficient funds, can't sit still, and they can't wait to start building new battleships.

Carlo has also heard about the navy's ideas. But he knows what he knows, but he has no good way to stop the Italian Navy's desire for new ships.

Yes, Carlo can use the familiar historical trend to order the Navy to suspend the construction preparations of new battleships. Then, how does Carlo need to explain his purpose to the Navy?

Moreover, the current history has been changed a lot by Carlo. It is still unknown whether the First World War can still break out according to the original history. What will he tell the navy. Forcing the demands of the navy is by no means what a qualified monarch should do.

At present, the Italian Navy has completed the design of the new ship. The warship of this class is 211 meters long, 31.4 meters wide, and has a draft of 9.6 meters.

The standard displacement of the ship is about 34,000 tons, and the full-load displacement is about 39,000 tons.

In terms of power, this stage is designed to use 14 Navy Type IV oil-fired boilers (the boiler has better specific efficiency than Type III and is also larger), 4 steam turbines, 4-axis three-blade propeller propulsion, and a maximum power of 90,000 horsepower. The design maximum speed is 26.5 knots. The endurance is 7,500 nautical miles at 15 knots and 4,200 nautical miles at 21 knots.

In terms of protection performance, this level is designed as a key protection. The main armor belt on the waterline of the midship is 350 mm, the front of the turret is 380 mm, the side is 300 mm, and the top is 180 mm. The conning tower is 350 mm, the deck armor is 75-130 mm, the waterproof compartment armor is 100-130 mm, and the estimated armor weight is 13,500 tons.

As for the choice of firepower, this is the most difficult thing for the Italian navy, but after some thinking, the navy plans to make two-handed preparations. One is that the development of the new 410mm main gun was successful, and it could be produced in 1915, so the navy adopted this gun as the main gun. If the gun is difficult to develop and cannot keep up with the construction speed of the new ship, then the 380mm main gun will become the only choice.

This is why the word about is needed in terms of displacement, because the artillery has not yet been determined.

Of course, the hesitation in the selection of artillery will make the construction speed of this level absolutely not fast. It is very suitable to be able to launch in 1916.

Of course, if there are various difficulties in the middle of the new main gun and need to be postponed, then the navy cannot wait any longer, and it is inevitable to speed up the construction of this class of warships.

Of course, no matter how you look at it, the navy is not at a loss. If the 410mm main gun can’t keep up, then this Roman-level enhanced version is still very powerful. Not to mention it will become the world’s number one after the completion of construction, but at least it will not fall to the top three.

If the 410mm main gun has caught up with the progress, then there is nothing to say, it is the strongest warship in the world (at least when it is in service), of course, this is a digression.

For the current Italian navy, the most important thing is to keep His Majesty the King's attention to the navy.

Therefore, how to make the king have a strong interest in the navy and try to show the importance of the navy to the kingdom is the most critical thing.

"Your Majesty, please see that the Roma, which is about to be launched, will become the largest warship in the navy. The use of such a powerful warship is also the result of His Majesty's emphasis on the navy."

For Admiral Yagier's flattery, Carlo looked at the other party and shook his head with a smile. "You, everything is fine, but this habit can't be changed."

Then, under the leadership of the Navy, Carlo watched and listened to various introductions along the way, which gave Carlo a general understanding of the Venice Shipyard.

"Your Majesty, the launching ceremony is ready."

Mr. Horn, the person in charge of the shipyard~www.mtlnovel.com~ After checking the time, he reminded him in a low voice.

"It seems that the time is up, so let's go."

Following Carlo's words, a group of people came to the dock to participate in the launching ceremony.

After Carlo smashed the champagne heavily on the bow, the huge Roma slowly slid to the sea with the cooperation of the boatman. With a huge plop, the battleship stopped firmly in the sea.

This represents the completion of the launching ceremony of the Roma, followed by the intense outfitting work and the advance familiarization of the officers and men of the ship with the battleship.

As for Carlo, after participating in the launching ceremony of the Roma, he did not return to Rome, but planned to stay here for two more days in Venice. After all, Venice is also the eighth largest city in Italy. In addition to shipbuilding, glass manufacturing and optical products are also very good.

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