Chapter 125: Naval Expansion
"Your Grace, there is another issue we need to address, which is the naming of the replicated cannon. Please, Your Grace, give our new cannon a name to reflect its power," said the Australian expert with a smile.
Naming the cannon was naturally something that could only be left to Arthur. This was also a good opportunity to flatter him.
"Since it is a cannon jointly replicated by German and Australian experts, why not call it the GA-1902 cannon? I hope that the GA series of cannons can become famous worldwide with the efforts of all the German and Australian experts," Arthur said after a brief moment of thought.
Now, Australia had two types of rapid-fire cannons that could be independently produced: one was the CA-1 machine cannon, developed during the time of Duke Arthur, and the other was the newly acquired GA-1902 cannon.
If the CA series and GA series could succeed and become famous worldwide, it would be a clear sign that Australia's military industry had truly succeeded.
"The faster the production line is built, the better. I will have the Ministry of Defence send you the procurement list as soon as possible. The next task for the military factory is to master the construction technology for the GA-1902 cannon and equip our army with these cannons in large numbers," Arthur instructed.
Since the cannon had already been researched and replicated, it was time to create a procurement list for production.
Currently, the Australian artillery was still relying on the few CA-1 machine cannons, and it was about time they saw something better.
"Yes, Your Grace!" The Australian experts quickly responded.
Arthur acted swiftly. Just a few days after leaving the military factory, he summoned the Minister of Defence, Kent, and confirmed the detailed procurement list from the Ministry of Defence.
Since rifles like the Lee-Enfield and machine guns like the Maxim, as well as small-caliber cannons, had already been procured, this new procurement list was quite simple. It only included over 100 GA-1902 cannons.
Although this number might seem small, producing these cannons would take a considerable amount of time—at least four to five months.
If you add at least a month to build the production line, the completion of this batch of cannons would likely take at least six months.
Fortunately, the Australian military could afford to wait. The reorganization of the First and Guard Divisions would take at least six months to a year as well.
Before Arthur could relax for a few days at the estate, he received another piece of very good news for Australia. After more than a year of learning and research, the shipyard experts had finally, as a first step, mastered the theory and construction technology of the Brunswick-class battleship.
Of course, building a complete battleship in this era was not that simple. Even with the guidance of many German experts, these Australian experts had only mastered the first step in the building technology.
Unless the entire construction process was guided by the German experts, the Australian experts were still far from being able to independently build a full battleship.
However, this was still very good news. Now, with the German experts already on hand, as long as they successfully built one or two ships under their guidance, Australia would have fully mastered the Brunswick-class battleship construction technology.
But Arthur was not yet ready to have Australia purchase two battleships. With the advent of the Dreadnought in a few years, these current battleships would soon become nothing more than piles of scrap metal.
Spending nearly several million pounds now to buy two scrap metal ships was not something Arthur would consider.
To help these experts gain more skills, even the ability to independently build battleships, Arthur devised a plan: to send them in batches to Germany for further learning. Thanks to the good relationship between Australia and Germany, these experts could learn the actual process of building large warships at German shipyards.
Of course, most of the experts would stay in Australia. Although Australia did not have plans to build large warships in the short term, there were still some smaller and medium-sized warships to be built.
While this might not teach them new abilities, it would help them familiarize themselves with the process and prepare for the future Dreadnought construction plan.
At present, Australia's navy was very weak. The most powerful warship it had was a light cruiser with a tonnage of just over 4,000 tons, built more than ten years ago.
Most of the navy consisted of coastal defense ships and small frigates, with most of their tonnage below 3,000 tons. While useful for patrolling the coast, in the face of a real navy, these ships would either be cannon fodder or have to retreat to port.
After considering all factors, Arthur indicated that the government should order two ironclad cruisers and three frigates from the shipyard to expand Australia's naval strength.
These two ironclad cruisers were modifications of the British Orlando-class ironclad cruisers into the Duke-class cruisers. The ships would be 93.5 meters long, 17.63 meters wide, and 7.01 meters high, with 6,500 horsepower. The regular cruising speed would be 18 knots, and the maximum speed would be 19 knots.
In terms of firepower, the Duke-class ironclad cruiser would have two 234mm main guns, ten 152mm guns, and several six-pound and three-pound small guns.
The Duke-class light cruisers would have a tonnage of 5,800 tons, which far exceeded the current largest warship in Australia's navy.
After ordering these two light cruisers, Australia's navy would see a significant increase in strength, at least making it more secure in guarding the coast.
The total cost of the two Duke-class light cruisers and the three frigates was relatively low, only slightly over £100,000.
Of this, the cost of the two light cruisers accounted for nearly £70,000, and the cost of the three frigates was even less than half that of the cruisers.
Once these five warships were completed and commissioned into the fleet, Australia's naval power would grow substantially.
Although it could not compete with European countries, it would at least not be as dismal as before.
A year later, Australia's navy would be among the top five in Asia. While not the best, it would still be a significant improvement.
The person most delighted by the navy's expansion was Minister Kent. As a talent from the British Empire, Kent had long advocated for the importance of the navy, believing it to be even more crucial for Australia than the army.
Indeed, as a large island nation, Australia also had overseas territories like New Guinea and many other islands. In such a situation, the importance of the navy was greatly heightened and was indeed more important than the army.
To maintain national stability, ensuring the strength of the navy was essential, not only for defending the coastline but also for ensuring the safety and stability of any overseas territories.
Of course, this was something all Australians should be made aware of.
This was where the importance of controlling public opinion came in. In just a few days, the entire nation learned of the navy's expansion plan, and the vast majority of people supported and wholeheartedly agreed with it.
Most Australians were of British descent, and since Britain was the world's first and most powerful naval nation, Australians had a special affection for the navy. Upon hearing that the government planned to expand the navy and purchase new warships, many Australians spontaneously took to the streets, holding banners to support the government's actions.
Some even inquired about financial vacancies, offering to help raise funds if the government faced financial difficulties.
Arthur naturally rejected their requests. The cost of purchasing the warships was only £100,000, which was a small amount even for the Australian government.
However, the love these Australians had for their country made Arthur see the hope of Australia rising.
If the majority of Australians held such deep recognition and love for Australia, then the country would undoubtedly grow into a strong and powerful nation.
As the saying goes: "Where the people's hearts go, victory follows, and the path is paved." Any nation that possesses the hearts of its people has immense potential, even if it is currently underdeveloped or in decline. With the people's hearts, it will grow into a strong and prosperous nation.
Not long after Australia announced the expansion of its navy, congratulations were received from New Zealand.
Under the encouragement and promotion of the United Party, New Zealanders had become highly attentive to Australia's situation.
Even with the United Party's selling of newspapers about Australia, they had earned a fair amount of revenue.
New Zealanders admired the expansion of Australia's navy. Like Australia, New Zealand's navy was also formed by the British, and it was still small. Much like the early Australian navy, it consisted mostly of small coastal defense ships and frigates, and many of their ships were old, with some being older than Arthur himself.
Time flew by quickly, and May soon passed.
Apart from the emergence of the GA-1902 cannon and the expansion of Australia's navy, two significant events occurred worldwide.
One was the independence of Cuba. On May 20, 1902, a special day, Cuba officially "gained independence" from American control and, under the support of the U.S., formed the Republic of Cuba.
Unfortunately, Cuba was still under U.S. control, and even a year later, the U.S. forced Cuba to lease two naval bases.
The second event was related to the British Empire: the end of the Second Boer War.
The Second Boer War began on October 11, 1899, and lasted until May 31, 1902, for a full two and a half years. It was a war between the British and the Dutch-descended Boer settlers in South Africa, ultimately ending with a pyrrhic victory for the British Empire.
The British Empire sent over 400,000 troops and even called upon Australian forces before Australia's independence.
In total, 22,000 people died during the war, making it the British Empire's greatest loss in recent wars.
Even the end of the war did not conclude in a total victory for the British. Due to the huge losses and international pressure, the British Empire hastily signed a treaty with the Boers.
How great were the losses for the British Empire in this war? The two-and-a-half-year war consumed £220 million in war expenses, and the loss of other weapons and resources was incalculable.
After this war, the British Empire consolidated its southern African colonies, controlling the corridor to the Great Lakes region in central Africa. However, it also marked the end of the British Empire's overseas expansion. The high costs of modern warfare led British politicians to reconsider their policies on further expansion, shifting toward defending existing territories and abandoning isolationism.
(End of Chapter)
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