Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1829 Submarine
"I think even though our cannons can solve most of the problems, we still have a backup plan. Diversification is the development trend of civilization, isn't it? Now our enemy is still a wooden boat, in case our enemy also uses it someday If an iron-clad ship is killed, or an iron-clad ship betrays our country, this secret weapon can still come in handy.”

Chu Yun was not optimistic about torpedoes in the Imperial Shipyard, and when almost everyone was only concerned about the victory of cannons, he still advocated the research of new weapons.

While his men enjoyed the benefits of the ship's cannon, they also faced the risk of solidifying their thinking, that is, relying too much on already known technology and resisting the research of new technology.

Being able to use existing solutions to solve problems, the uncertainty and costs brought about by unfamiliar new technologies are daunting.

But Chu Yun from later generations can see the prospect of torpedoes.

He knew that the torpedo would become an effective weapon. Even if Huaxia didn't research it himself, someone would definitely come up with it in the future. It's best to keep these threatening technologies in his own hands.

"We will do our best to study and try to overcome difficulties such as depth determination, course control, and materials." Although the director of the Imperial Shipyard is not very optimistic about the prospect of torpedoes, the Imperial Shipyard is a government-run factory and needs to follow the orders of the government for production. It is different from private factories.

Factories can raise objections, but it is up to the government to decide whether to adopt it in the end.

The passenger ship followed the torpedo boat to an uninhabited sea area outside the shipyard, where a dilapidated steam iron ship anchored quietly.

"Do you want to use a steam iron ship as a target ship? The cost is a bit high." An officer asked.

"That iron ship is an old ship we bought from the private sector. It is 19 years old and is one of the earliest iron ships produced by our shipyard. The cost of dismantling such an old ship is more than the income from selling scrap iron High, we usually use it as a target ship, and use it to test the accuracy and destructive power before equipping the ship with new artillery. Our artillery is too powerful, and ordinary wooden ships can't see the explosive shells at all. Power, the fire generated by the explosive bomb can easily burn the wooden boat."

"Using an iron ship as a target ship was a very luxurious thing in the past, because the iron ships used to be new ships, but now there are many aging iron ships, and it is no longer a luxury to use an iron ship as a target ship. It’s a luxury thing, it’s better to say it’s the final ownership of the decommissioned iron ship. It can also be used as a sea breaker after being sunk.”

"The torpedo heads we usually use for training are not filled with explosives, but filled with sand and gravel. After all, the cost of using explosives for training is quite high, and it is impossible to launch and recover repeatedly."

The factory manager explained to Chu Yun and others on the passenger ship how they usually use torpedoes for experiments.

The naval officers on passenger ships are still full of interest in torpedoes, a new type of weapon. The older generation of officers went from the age of sails to the era of steam ironclad ships, and then new types of ships such as torpedo boats appeared. They are also trying to accept new ships and weapons. tactics.

Officers will also resist new equipment, even high-level officers, just like when breech-loading guns first appeared, officers who are used to front-loading guns will find breech-loading guns unbearable.

Of course, if the new technology shines in a certain battle, everyone will start to praise the new technology again.

The first torpedo boat was ready, and there were only about 10 people operating the torpedo boat. They were going to launch the torpedo and let the torpedo hit the scrapped iron ship parked in the harbor.

This time they are not training, but showing the generals of the Admiralty a technology that is currently being studied but is controversial.

"My lord, binoculars." Personnel on the passenger ship gave each of the officers a pair of binoculars so that they could watch the scene when the torpedo hit the target.

"Let's experience the power of torpedoes and see what happens to new weapons that can rival cannons."

"The new weapon researched by the military master should be able to play a big role."

A group of them stood on the deck, and the scrapped iron ship in the offshore area appeared in the field of vision of the telescope. The torpedo boat they saw was approaching the iron ship.

About 60 meters away from the iron ship, the crew on the torpedo boat raised a flag to indicate that the torpedo had been launched.

Officers on the passenger ship looked at their pocket watches, as if they were counting the time.

After a while, a column of water appeared in the telescope, which was the movement of the explosive explosion after the torpedo hit the sailboat!

"Torpedo hit!"

"I don't know how powerful it is, can a torpedo explode in water really produce enough destructive power?"

Under the observation of everyone, the shock wave generated by the explosion soon spread to the hull, tearing a big hole in the iron ship, and even cut off the scrap iron ship in the middle!

The explosion of the torpedo and the resulting shock wave finally sank the iron ship, and the iron ship of about 100 tons became a part of the anti-wave lift.

The officer who was skeptical about the power of the torpedo underwater was shocked!
They thought that apart from the large-caliber artillery produced by the Imperial Shipyard, there were no other weapons that could destroy iron ships. They didn't expect that this new weapon could destroy an iron ship in an instant!
"Although our official ironclad ships have thick enough armor, this torpedo weapon is too terrifying. If it carries a larger amount of explosives, it may not even be able to resist the Dahan-class ironclad ship."

"The explosion of explosives underwater can cause such a great destructive force, which is something I never expected."

Zheng Zhilong was also surprised by the power of the torpedo.

It was hard for him to imagine an iron ship being easily scrapped by a torpedo.

Don't underestimate the power of water.Chu Yun muttered in his heart.The power of the torpedo is not only the terrible explosive load, but also the shock wave of the water and the energy of the foam will destroy the hull, and the hit is more terrible than the shell.

Not only the officers who came to visit the torpedo test were shocked by the power of the torpedo, but even the director of the Imperial Shipyard was a little surprised, and found a designer who specialized in the early torpedo: "Why is the torpedo in this test more powerful than the last time?" It’s much bigger? Last time it wasn’t to the point of directly sinking an iron ship.”

The torpedo designer wiped the sweat from his brow: "Isn't the military lord coming with the high-level officials of the Admiralty, so we filled the new torpedo with more explosives?"

"Looks like this torpedo thing is going to be an ironclad nightmare."

"The iron-clad ship we built at a cost of several 10 taels of silver will be scrapped by a torpedo worth several thousand taels of silver.

However, the torpedo designer still poured cold water on them: "This time the target ship is easy to be hit when it is stationary in the water, but the target ship in actual combat is moving fast, and the undercurrent in the open sea is extremely complicated. The hit rate is extremely low. It is difficult for a torpedo boat to hit an iron-clad ship with artillery, especially since the Imperial Arsenal seems to be researching some rapid-fire guns recently, and the torpedo boat can easily be smashed into a sieve by the iron-clad ship. To improve the shortcomings of the torpedo, there are still countless technical difficulties."

"What if there is a kind of ship that can hide under the water and launch torpedoes to attack the iron-clad ships on the surface?" Chu Yun said at this time.

"A ship that sails underwater? Is there really such a ship?" The factory director, ship designer and naval officer all wondered.

"The torpedo you saw before can sail underwater? If you enlarge the torpedo, it will be a ship that can sail underwater."

Chu Yun thought of the submarines of later generations, and when he thought of torpedoes, he would naturally think of submarines.

Maybe at this time someone has the idea of ​​making an underwater vessel, but no one has put it into practice.

Because this kind of idea is too crazy, just like before the appearance of airships and airplanes, people can only watch birds flying in the sky, but few people think that people will be able to fly in the sky one day.Not many people thought that people could go down to the depths of the sea.

After being reminded by Chu Yun, many ship designers present fell into deep thought, and some showed expressions of sudden realization.

The torpedo can advance on the seabed with its engine and propeller. It uses a fully enclosed structure to prevent seawater from entering and destroying the engine and explosives inside. The watertight technology seems to be mature.

After some simple thinking, the designers of the Imperial Shipyard gathered together to discuss the feasibility of building a ship that was similar to a torpedo but hundreds or thousands of times larger than a torpedo.

"My lord, there are no people on torpedoes, so many problems don't need to be solved, but it's different for ships carrying people sailing underwater. The first thing to consider is how to provide enough air for the engine to run for a long time and enough air in the closed cabin on the seabed. Oxygen for the crew, and then there's the matter of steering underwater, fighting the water pressure..."

"The air problem may be solved by flotation for ventilation, ventilation pipes, chemicals, compressed air, etc. I'm just offering an idea. It's up to you to really solve the problem." Chu Yun didn't know much about submarines. He really couldn't come up with any effective solution, "This kind of ship will definitely appear in the future, but we are not in a hurry to build it."

Both submarines and torpedoes are "concept weapons" that are not very practical at this time, and will play a huge role in the future. At present, ship cannons are the most effective.

It is not practical because there are still various technical difficulties, and secondly, there is no demand. Is it necessary to use inaccurate torpedoes to attack wooden sailboats...

"My lord, you really have all kinds of fantastic ideas. Who would have thought of building ships and torpedoes that can sail underwater? I guess that after I retire, the five fleets of the Admiralty will add many new members. I really hope I can live See that day come." Zheng Zhilong, a veteran who has known Chu Yun for 30 years, said to him.

"It's hard to say whether we can see it, but our children can definitely see it." Chu Yun replied.

"I heard that your eldest son is going to get married after returning from a mission in Europe. I wonder which family's daughter it is?"

Zheng Zhilong asked bluntly.

(End of this chapter)