The sun never sets in America

Chapter 185 Voyage: Steam Sailing Ship

Over the Pacific Ocean, dark clouds were gathering, and it looked like God was about to lose his temper again.

boom... boom...

At random, there was a burst of lightning and thunder, exploding in the dark clouds, like the sound of a drum, sometimes low, sometimes high, and the subsequent heavy rain gave people the feeling of watching an aerial opera.

It's just that the opera is just beautiful, but the opera performed by God will make people feel the power of the sea, how terrifying it is! !

A sailboat with white sails and black smoke was drifting on the sea. If it was just an ordinary sailboat, it might have been buried in the belly of the fish at this moment in such a terrifying Pacific Ocean.

But this sailing ship is the second generation of the Han Dynasty motor sailing ship. It has sufficient power and its survivability at sea is much higher than that of the old sailing ship. (The so-called motor sailboat is actually a steam-driven sailboat. The sail on the mast has changed from the original main power source to an auxiliary power source. The main power is driven by the steam engine in the cabin)
The current proportion of such motor-driven sailboats in Han China is probably one to one compared with ordinary sailboats.

It's not because there aren't that many of them built, but it turns out that because of the immigration, too many old-fashioned sailing ships were built, and it's impossible to eliminate them all at once, so they can only make do with them.

Of course, some people in the Han Dynasty also proposed selling old-fashioned sailing ships belonging to the official fleet to South America and even the Far East to raise funds.

At present, this plan has been reviewed by the Ministry of State-owned Enterprises. As for whether it will be passed, in the eyes of those who support the sale, it should be passed. After all, this is the era of steam engines. The elimination of teacher sailboats that only use sails as power will almost It has become inevitable. (The Ministry of State-owned Enterprises, a department specifically in charge of state-owned enterprises in Han Dynasty, is responsible for collecting profits handed over by enterprises. Taxes are still collected by personnel sent by the Taxation Department. After all, the rights are overlapping)

The earliest motor-sailing ships of the Han Dynasty were launched around the third year of Longwu. Due to the hull design and the uncoordinated placement of the steam engines, these motor-sailing ships were ordered to be returned to the factory after being used for less than three years, and were then dismantled. untie.

The second-generation motor-sailing boat learned from the lessons of the first generation, referred to a large amount of foreign data, and re-developed it. It was not officially launched until June of the fifth year of Longwu. Up to now, it has only been less than three years. That’s all.

This generation of motor sailboats has relied heavily on foreign data, so the one chimney in the middle of the hull has been changed to two, and the latest model of steam engine has been installed. Both horsepower and maneuverability have been improved.

Objectively speaking, the emergence of motorized sailing boats has greatly increased the sales of Han national transportation immigrants. The time for a single immigration trip has been reduced by one-third. Moreover, during the voyage, because there is no need to borrow wind, it can also Avoid areas that are relatively threatening.

Moreover, it is simpler to operate, reducing a large number of personnel that originally needed to be equipped, and reducing the expenditure and personnel burden of a fleet.

In addition, the impact of motorboats and sailing boats is not limited to this. In addition to the civilian field, the greatest impact is in the military field.

The Han navy was undoubtedly the most affected by this.

After the emergence of mechanical sailing ships, the Han Navy was very sensitive and included the plan to build steam warships in its naval outline.

Among them, the Navy plans to eliminate 70.00% of the current forty sailing warships, which will either be sold or converted into merchant ships. (The boundary between warships and merchant ships during this period was actually very low. You can understand it by thinking of sail warships as merchant ships with thickened copper skin)
The remaining 30.00% is actually the battleship carefully built by the Han Navy.

Among them, the first-class and even third-class warships of the Navy, mainly the Huo Qubing, have become objects that the navy cannot let go of.

Since you can't give up, you can transform them. Anyway, many of the early machine-made sailboats were transformed from old-fashioned sailboats. It is also possible to transform warships.

Among them, the Huo Qubing had a large number of its original decks removed, the number of guns reduced, and a large number of protective steel plates were filled.

This is mainly because of the chimneys and the war.

Among them, the chimney was the biggest problem. After all, two thick sticks that big were inserted into the hull and would get in the way.

But the current mainstream is this. Before the ironclad ship comes out, it is the best way to modify and modify it as much as possible within the framework of the motor and sailboat.

For example, how to shorten the chimney, install more protection, reduce the bomb-receiving area, and bring rifled guns onto warships are all topics the Navy is currently studying.

In the process of transforming these warships, Huo Qubing, Qi Jiguang, and even Baiqi were the three most successfully transformed warships.

Three of them are first-class battleships.

The remaining ones are third-level ships, five in total.

Finally, there are more than a dozen level five and level four battleships.

A total of twenty modified steam warships have become the absolute main force of the Han Navy.

It seems that the number is less than half of the original number, but from a combat perspective, it has more than doubled. After all, the speed of the robot ship is more than twice as fast as a simple sailboat.

On the real battlefield, more than double the speed is enough to crush ships other than steam battleships.

To sum up, I am fast. After I beat you, I can leave the battle line immediately, but you can't. If you install the latest model of Dragon King artillery, you can even stage a show at sea, and a new era of fast mounted shooting at sea is coming.

(The Dragon King Artillery is a naval version of the rifled gun that was modified from the Navy's Army Storm Artillery and produced by Jinshan Arsenal. It is mainly used for coastal protection and has become the main source of firepower on ships)
This wind and wave of motor-driven sailboats has also spread to the civilian field. Currently, major shipyards in Han Dynasty no longer accept orders for old-fashioned sailboats, but instead produce the latest machine-made sailboats.

We even took orders to transform old-fashioned sails into sailboats. After all, people’s money doesn’t come from strong winds. Just replace it if you say it will? ?

So in the end, in order to seize the market, modification is inevitable.

This trend of refitting has even spread to the United States. The largest shipyard in New York has learned from the refitting experience of the Han Dynasty and renovated hundreds of old sailboats in the United States.

It has to be said that the catfish of Han has brought greater and greater fluctuations to this time and space.

In some countries in Europe and even the Far East, old-fashioned sailboats are still used.

Don’t ask, it’s tradition. If you ask again, it’s the national conditions! !
These countries are destined to be eliminated by the tide of the times! !

Of course, not all of them are conservative and recalcitrant people. Most countries, such as those European powers, are very interested in sailing ships. In the original time and space, they were the first countries to try to put steam engines on sailing ships, and they were among the first batch. Team.

Note that the Royal Navy of the British Empire has a 30.00% plan. This 30.00% plan is a change made taking into account the huge total navy of the British Empire and the needs of the colonies.

30.00% As the name suggests, it is to eliminate and transform hundreds of thousands of royal warships of various types and auxiliary ships, and to build new steam warships as supplements.

Among them, most of the modified ones are capital ships, that is, British battleships. This kind of ship is the same as the Han Dynasty's Huo Qubing and Qi Jiguang. It is expensive to build and cannot be decommissioned, so it can only be transformed with great efforts.

The combat strength after transformation is definitely not as good as that of redesign and construction, but just like sugar cane is not as sweet as both ends, transformation can easily weaken the combat effectiveness, just like the Han warship, but the money spent is relatively economical, redesign and construction, strong strength, but In a word, where is the money? ?

If you have money, you can build anything. If you don't have money, just go to sleep, and you will have everything in your dreams! !

And more importantly, this weakening of strength is only compared to steam battleships. Facing ordinary sail battleships, they still have a crushing advantage, and they are still the well-deserved overlord of this era.

Besides, the era of robot ships has just arrived a few years ago, and everyone is still in the exploratory stage. How many serious steam battleships are there in this world? ?
There may be, but it is estimated that either there are not many of them, or they are still in the shipyard and still in the design draft! !
But just like a certain technological product in later generations, it will definitely not work at the beginning, and may even feel stupid. But as it continues to be upgraded and iterated, this product will definitely change the world.

This is true for technological products, and the same is true for sailing boats.

Perhaps, only when the armored battleship is launched, will the curtain of the era be truly unveiled! !
.............................................

After passing through the thunderstorm area just now, the motorboat named Lucky finally came to a relatively quiet sea area.

As soon as they arrived in this sea area, Bai Erwen and Luo Daniu, who were responsible for cleaning the deck, were asked to clean the deck because there were a lot of fish and seaweed on the deck that had been hung on the ship during the storm. These things, especially seaweed, This kind of mayfly creature can cause great damage to the hull, so cleaning it up is inevitable.

"Damn it, I know this kind of work must be done more than three times a day. How many times have I done it today? Damn it, at least five times!!"

Bai Erwen squatted on the ground and collected the seaweed and starfish. While doing so, he kept cursing.

"Who says it's not? If we hadn't gotten up late, we wouldn't have suffered like this!!" Luo Daniu agreed at first, and then brought the matter to what happened in Yunshan City a few days ago.

"I said you have no end, I have already said it. I am happy, do you understand?" Bai Erwen was made a little uncomfortable by Luo Daniu's casual thoughts, and then retorted. "Besides, aren't you having a great time drinking? I remember who was drunk at that time and wanted to go to Ziyi Lane to have a good time??" Bai Erwen told Luo Daniu about going to Ziyi Lane. (Hualiu Lane, the largest local area, is full of brothels, with more than a dozen)
"You..." Luo Daniu, who was wiping the mast, was immediately speechless. In the end, he said, forget it, it's all over, let's not talk anymore, ending this unpleasant conversation.

"Alas, you two, come down quickly, we are short of manpower..."

Just when the two of them had finished cleaning the machine deck, a voice shattered the aftermath of the two people's work and pulled them back into the nightmare.

"what……"

"what……"

This was the first reaction of Bai Erwen and Luo Daniu after they turned around. Their faces instantly revealed expressions of lovelessness.

The person who called them just said coldly: "Hurry down and help, don't wait any longer!!"

Then he walked into the cabin...

Bai Erwen and Luo Daniu looked at each other and could only sigh helplessly, and then walked into the cabin.

...............

Inside the motor sailing boat is a power group composed of several steam engines, and a furnace that is burning hot and glowing red.

Steam engines are just like machines in factories on land. They use the power generated by burning coal to drive the entire ship.

In fact, it is more appropriate to compare a motorized sailboat to a wooden boat with added machinery.

In other words, the ship itself is a small steam factory wrapped in a wooden shell and copper skin.

The only difference between a steamship and a machine in a factory is that one is on land and the other is at sea.

Different locations have different responsibilities. On land, the role of a steam engine is to generate energy to supply machines in factories, or to drive trains, and to mobilize machines and transport goods at docks and other places.

On the ship, the principle is actually not much different from that of a train. The energy generated by coal is used to manipulate and drive objects forward.

It’s just that one is in the sea and the other is on land! !
On the deck of the motor-sailing fleet, two thick exhaust pipes were exhaling smoke all the time, causing black clouds to continuously appear over the entire sailing ship, disappearing as the motor-sailing vessel moved forward, and finally reappearing.

Playing a little trick of appearing and disappearing.

Now, the motor boat is also in trouble. This trouble is the same as the trouble in the factory, that is, the chimney is blocked.

In factories, chimneys are blocked, mostly due to workers of short stature or children who have to clean them.

But on the ship, we can only slowly pound out the soot along the outside, little by little.

The cinders fell to the ground, raising a burst of smoke, and the sound of coughing was everywhere in the power room.

Bai Erwen and Luo Daniu, who had just walked in, couldn't stand the air and yawned on the spot. They didn't stop until someone brought two towels and covered their mouths and noses.

"People have been replaced..." When they saw Bai Erwen and Luo Daniu come in, the people inside's eyes lit up and they immediately shouted to the people who were still pounding ashes above.

"You, go up..." the man pointed at Bai Erwen and ordered, "get him some clothes and a mask." The man then asked someone to get a coat like a raincoat for Bai Erwen and put it on him. There's also a mask and even a little cap.

Then Bai Erwen looked at the man just now, climbed up the ladder, and came to the entrance of the cave.

Seeing that it was barely stuffed into a person's hole, Bai Erwen was a little hesitant, but the urging sound from below left him with no choice. He just stuck his head into the chimney where he couldn't see his fingers, and used the tamper that he brought with him to smash the things that were not there yet. The clean ash blocks and dust were all pounded out.

The gray block hit Bai Erwen on the head. Fortunately, he was wearing a safety helmet, otherwise he might not know what happened! !

After finishing the outer layer, Bai Erwen continued to climb inside using the small escalator that could be inserted into the chimney, and then cleared the blocked openings over and over again.

Fortunately, Bai Erwen is not big or tall, otherwise it would be easy to get stuck in it.

This is why most factories in this era use children. In addition to being cheap, the biggest reason is this.

After all, in the early industrial era, the more chimneys, the better. Even the number of chimneys became an important indicator of whether a country was strong.

A country with few chimneys must not be very powerful. In this era, it has almost become a necessity! !

The emergence of chimneys also gave rise to the so-called chimney repairmen.

In fact, they are cleaners, but most factories find people to clean up themselves.

Of course, not many people are willing to do this kind of thing. Not to mention it smells bad and is dirty. If it falls, it is likely to kill someone.

After all, the taller the chimney, the greater the risk! !
And when Bai Erwen stumbled down the escalator, he felt as if he had been to Africa, pitch black and unable to see his fingers.

"Second son, are you okay??" Luo Daniu walked up to Bai Erwen and comforted him. He was halfway through the job. Luo Daniu was going to take over from Bai Erwen. Bai Erwen felt that he was already dirty and didn't care. At that time, I helped Luo Daniu do it, and I have been doing it until now.

Bai Erwen didn't say anything, he just took off his clothes that were already pitch black and covered with soot, revealing a clean sailor's long-sleeved striped shirt underneath.

Then he walked out without saying a word.

Luo Daniu on the side followed cautiously, as if he was sorry for Bai Erwen.

It wasn't until Bai Erwen packed up his things, took the soap, and was about to take a bath that he said to Luo Daniu: "Do you have a bath ticket? Lend me one. I've used it this month, and I'll pay it back to you next month." The bath tickets that Bai Erwen mentioned were actually a method devised by the ship to distribute fresh water.

After all, the fresh water on the ship is limited, so it cannot be supplied in unlimited quantities, and the coal on the ship has to be used to burn the steam engine, so the water allocated to the crew is even less. Drinking water is okay, and bathing water is only available once a month. Okay. Sometimes there are two, but most of the time, there is only one.

Usually, no one is given a bucket of hot water for drinking and cleaning water for the day.

This is also something that can't be helped. After all, this is the case in this era. Otherwise, why are the ports in this era not so clean? In addition to being unhygienic, the personal hygiene of the crew is also a big problem! !

When Luo Daniu heard that Bai Erwen asked for bath tickets, he immediately nodded in agreement, and then took a blue note from the cabinet with the two characters "bath tickets" written on it.

"Thank you..." Bai Erwen took the bath ticket and planned to leave.

"Second son..."

Luo Daniu's voice called Bai Erwen back.

"I think you are right. Working for others is not a job with a bright future after all. After this time, we will work alone!!"

Luo Daniu said loudly to Bai Erwen.

Bai Erwen nodded and left here.

　Ask for a reward, ask for a monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)