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Chapter 954 Order of Steamships from the Admiralty (Part [-])

Dalian Port Shipbuilding No. [-] Factory, the factory manager, shipbuilding engineers, and senior skilled workers gathered in the factory building, and some people stood on the suspension bridge due to lack of space.Early in the morning, the factory manager called them over and explained that there was an important announcement.

In addition to the designers and workers of the British Royal Manufactory that were summoned by the system, the Han workers in southern Liaoning have become the backbone of the No. [-] Shipbuilding Factory after years of training and growth. Some of them are talented and hardworking. Has been promoted to become an engineer and a senior skilled worker.It can be seen that as long as there is an atmosphere of respect for science and technology and an appropriate reward mechanism, there will never be a shortage of human resources in the local area.

"Early this morning, I received a notice from the Ministry of the Navy - the Ministry of the Navy has submitted an order to our No. [-] Shipbuilding Factory. They plan to produce the first steam iron-hulled warship!" The director of the No. [-] Shipbuilding Factory announced.

"Steam iron-hulled warship?! Has the Admiralty finally agreed to build a steam warship?"

"Has the Admiralty decided to order 'Secret Class' steam warships?"

"Our first shipyard will become the only shipyard in Dalian Port that can produce steamships!"

The engineers in the workshop were overjoyed when they heard that the steam iron-clad warship designed by himself and others in the later stage of producing the Dongfang cable-laying ship was appreciated by the Admiralty and decided to produce it.

The No. [-] Shipbuilding Factory produced the world's first steam shipping ship "Yongchang" and the first steam cable-laying ship "Dongfang". If it can manufacture the first steam warship, the No. [-] Shipbuilding Factory will go down in history.

"Don't be impatient, everyone. The Ministry of the Navy has indeed submitted an order to our first shipyard, but it is not a 'secret-class' steamship, but a small and medium-sized iron-clad warship with an estimated capacity of 3000 tons, code-named 'experimental-class' steamship. Warship. This is the plan obtained by the Ministry of the Navy after careful consideration." The captain showed the revised design drawings of the Ministry of the Navy to everyone present.

"If this 'experimental-class' steam warship can make the Ministry of the Navy feel that it is worth the money after it is produced, then the Ministry of the Navy may order a 'secret-class' steam warship from us in the future. Therefore, everyone must work harder and strive for Even if the project is completed, reliable performance must be ensured during the construction process. If there is a problem in any link, report it in time! If there is a problem in the production process, you can solve the problem by adding budget and delaying the construction period. The most fearful thing is that an unqualified warship will be handed over to the navy. Ministry, if there is another problem at that time, our entire shipyard will be held accountable, and don’t want to receive orders from the Ministry of the Navy in the future!” The director reminded.

"We understand!" The engineers and senior technicians present said in unison.

In the shipbuilding industry, the most important thing is safety and reliability, and accidents must be held accountable!
"Let's see if this 3000-ton 'experimental class' is feasible. Not only the hull itself, but also the artillery, recoil, and armor placed on the iron-clad ship... Warships are so different from ordinary ships. , We must be careful and careful when we manufacture the whole ship for the first time. You can see if the proposal of the Admiralty is feasible."

The director of the factory summoned a group of engineers to analyze the revised design blueprint of the Ministry of the Navy.

"There are some problems here. People in the Admiralty don't understand steamships enough..."

"The 'experimental class' is smaller than the 'secret class'. It turns out that the 'secret class' is a large steam warship, and the power required is also based on the consideration of the 'secret class'. However, such a power system is not suitable for the 'secret class'. It is too much to say, I suggest two reciprocating steam engines and four round coal-fired boilers, with a horsepower of about 5000-6000 horsepower and a speed of more than 15 knots."

The engineers quickly launched the "experimental level" steam warship they envisioned, and re-modified the revised design blueprint.

"The speed of 15 knots is not enough. The Ministry of the Admiralty is emphasizing the speed this time. It is best to increase the speed to 18 knots." The director of the factory said.

"If the speed is increased to 18 knots, six boilers may be needed, and the steam engine will provide more than 7000 horsepower. The tonnage of the ship may increase from 3000 tons to 3700 tons. Stronger power comes at a price."

"I propose to add a place to install a generator on the new warship to provide electricity for the ship's searchlights and the interior lighting of the cabin."

The engineers discussed again enthusiastically, full of expectations for this experimental ironclad warship.

"The first factory is really booming. They have already built two steamships, and I heard that they will produce a third steamboat, while our second factory is still producing wooden sailboats."

"Isn't our third factory producing wooden sailboats for merchants? Although we produced dozens of sailboats when they spent several years producing the Dongfang, after all, we use mature technology and there is no challenge. Or Create a steamboat thrill!"

When the directors of other shipyards in Dalian Port learned that the No. [-] factory was about to start building steam iron-hulled ships, they were hit hard.There is an age difference between wooden sailboats and steamships. The No. [-] factory produces steam iron-hulled boats again and again, which shows that the technology is constantly improving. Facing the lead of No. [-] factory, several other shipyards are somewhat somewhat Not convinced.Why is it that one factory can build steamships, and the government pays more and more attention to it, while other shipyards serve civilian galleons.

"Our third factory also plans to start developing steamships. It is best to encourage those big businessmen to build steamships! Those big businessmen have money and need shipping!"

The director of the third factory summoned the engineers and workers of the third factory, intending to embark on a shipbuilding road different from that of the first factory—they planned to build a large number of commercial steamships for the people, while the first factory built large ships for the government.

"Freight and passenger transportation have a great demand for steamships!" The second factory also keenly sensed the changes in ships and began to enter the field of steamships.

The shipyards in Dalian Port are the first batch of shipyards established by the Kyushu Army. They have the most advanced technology here, and changes here will affect other coastal and riverside shipyards.

Influenced by the Liaonan Shipyard, the Nanjing Shipyard began to build steamships for water transportation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, because steamships can travel up the river effortlessly!

The Fujian shipyard built ocean-going merchant ships for merchants traveling to and from Southeast Asia. Steam power brought many benefits.Because after the three provinces of Nanyang were merged into the territory, some overseas Chinese living in Nanyang often traveled between the southeast coast and the Nanyang Islands. The rise of fixed flights in Nanyang also created the demand for steam ships.

Although the major shipyards produced mainly relatively cheap wooden sailboats, building steamships was an emerging trend.

(End of this chapter)