Chapter 271: Selecting a Site for the New Naval Base
There's a saying that to deal with a snake, you strike at its seven inches – a vital spot. Italy had gathered 250,000 troops on its eastern front, while Archduke Albrecht had just 80,000 men on his side, so it was no surprise he couldn't force his way into Venice. However, once a breakthrough appears, Archduke Albrecht wants the war to "blossom on all fronts." Even using limited forces on the eastern line against the Kingdom of Italy is already a victory. The next step is to see if the Austro-Hungarian Navy can open up a fresh front at sea.
…
Adriatic Sea
A large fleet was sailing rapidly, having set out from Fiume (present-day Rijeka in Croatia). It was the Austro-Hungarian Navy's fleet.
"Now it's our turn to fight back! Last time, we didn't follow up on our victory against the Italian Navy—I've always regretted that. This time, we must ensure the Italians once again recognize the progress our Imperial Navy has made!" Standing on the deck, Wilhelm von Tegetthoff addressed his subordinates with confidence.
"This time we shall uphold our victory!"
"Long live the Empire!" …
Such was the aura Wilhelm von Tegetthoff's name lent to the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
After winning the Battle of Lissa, Tegetthoff became a national hero in Austria. Franz (the Emperor) urged him to head south along the Dalmatian coast to develop naval bases there.
Unlike in actual history, this time Tegetthoff conducted a thorough, systematic upgrade of the naval bases on the Dalmatian coast, because in the original timeline of 1867, he had been occupied by a sorrowful mission—bringing back the remains of Emperor Maximilian, who was executed by Benito Juárez in Mexico. However, in this alternate timeline, Maximilian I was still alive and even served as commander-in-chief of the East African Navy, so Tegetthoff didn't lose time to that mission. The two even exchanged ideas on the future of naval development.
In 1868, Tegetthoff became Austria-Hungary's Minister of the Navy, joined the Military Committee and the Imperial Council's upper house, and was made a baron. He vigorously promoted comprehensive reforms of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
Over the past two years, the Austro-Hungarian Navy had rapidly closed its gap with the Italian Navy in terms of warships, making it much stronger than in actual history. Meanwhile, because East Africa bought two old warships from the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the navy used that as an excuse to commission two new modern warships, which Franz approved—after all, he was covering for his younger brother, Archduke Ferdinand. Although Ernst paid some nominal sum, it was basically a giveaway.
Regrettably, those two new warships were still in the Trieste shipyard, having only just had their decks laid. They wouldn't be ready for this battle.
"Report: we've spotted Italian warships to the northwest!"
"Have the Lissa draw closer!"
In 1867, Austria-Hungary began construction of the ironclad SMS Lissa. The ship utilized the newly developed central battery design and had a displacement of 7,000 tons, matching the standards for first-class ironclads of its day. Lissa was the ancestor of Austro-Hungarian battleships and was now serving as Wilhelm von Tegetthoff's flagship.
Compared to the confident Austro-Hungarian Navy, the Italian Navy was feeling far more constrained. Although Italy had acquired Venice as a naval base from the previous war, major budget cuts left the navy in dire straits. Starting in 1869, just as the Italians were finally moving past the shadow of the Battle of Lissa and about to embark on a naval expansion plan, war erupted again—this time with Austria-Hungary.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 had renewed the strategic significance of the Mediterranean, making Italy keen to build a powerful fleet to protect trade routes and uphold its interests. But before they could even finalize a plan, Austria-Hungary declared war. The timing was a massive blow to Italy's navy—had the conflict been delayed by a few years, they might have reequipped by then!
"Report, General—an Austro-Hungarian fleet is approaching at high speed from 24 degrees southeast!"
…
East Africa, Indian Ocean Waters
While the Austro-Hungarian and Italian navies were about to clash, the East African Navy was conducting cross-sea exercises. The training area lay between Bagamoyo and Pemba Island, in waters close to East Africa.
"This place is called Jishui City (present-day Chake-Chake in Tanzania)! But the name sounds odd—did the locals come up with it?" asked Ferdinand, commander of the East African Navy, as he surveyed the small town before him.
"It used to be called Chake-Chake—just a small town under the Sultanate of Zanzibar. Jishui City is a name His Highness Ernst personally chose, but we don't know its deeper meaning," answered Jishui City's mayor, Laender.
The transliteration definitely sounded strange. "Jishui" was once the name of a long-gone river, a faint reflection of Ernst's old homeland.
"Anyway, it's not a bad harbor. If we renovate it, it might be workable," observed Archduke Ferdinand.
"Jishui City serves as the capital of Pemba Island, though it only has about 2,000 immigrants, with barely 10,000 inhabitants across the whole island. Transforming it won't be easy," Laender replied.
"Er… Weren't you allocated any slave labor from above?" Ferdinand asked.
"Since we seized this island from Zanzibar, we had to maintain stability. We deported all Zanzibar's Pemba population back to the sultanate. We don't even have enough manpower to harvest the clove plantations, let alone upgrade the harbor," Laender explained.
Pemba Island produced abundant cloves. Historically, it supplied 40 percent of the world's cloves (and, together with Zanzibar Island, about 70 percent).
"I see! Still, Pemba Island's conditions are well-suited for a naval base. It would be a shame not to utilize its harbor," Ferdinand said.
He had studied the island's terrain: Pemba Island mostly consisted of hills and plains, with a winding shoreline that provided plenty of bays suitable for building ports. They lay mainly on the west coast, facing away from the Indian Ocean's rough waters. That meant calm seas, facing the East African mainland near Mombasa and Tanga. This gave it a natural position for interlocking defenses. It was an ideal site for a naval base.
"If it's a naval base, I can suggest somewhere you can use right away. The foundations are all there, but no one's around," Laender said.
"Oh? Where's that?"
"Mkany, in the island's south. It's basically an empty town now, but was once the Sultanate of Zanzibar's hub linking the main island and Pemba Island. After we took over, it no longer functioned for that route. Its residents were sent back to Zanzibar as well, so the port's been vacant for over two years, probably a bit run-down now."
"Yes, Mkany. The site is indeed decent," Ferdinand recalled. While sailing, he had passed by Mkany on Pemba's southwestern coast. As Laender described, it was an empty town: a thousand houses or so, but only a couple hundred East African settlers left there.
"For a naval base, it's perfect. We can just use the existing infrastructure, and housing isn't an issue," Ferdinand mused.
No reason to hesitate then. Mkany would become East Africa's second naval base.
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