I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1182 Naval Expansion Plan
Joseph was puzzled: "Brass shouldn't be this hard, right?"

Sane hurriedly said, "Your Highness, increasing the zinc content can indeed improve hardness, but it will also cause 'porosity,' so..."

Joseph thought to himself, "So they're using low-zinc brass. You guys really don't care about the budget."

Copper is several times more expensive than zinc.

He sighed and said, "What you're talking about is 'dezincification,' which means the zinc in the alloy is used as an anodizer. Actually, adding a small amount of tin can prevent dezincification."

Sane immediately drew a parallel, saying, "Is this sacrificing tin to protect zinc?"

Joseph rubbed his forehead: "No, it's because tin 'holds' zinc together through the bonds between atoms, making it less likely to fall off..."

Sané just kept nodding, looking like he had given up.

As the two were talking, the carriage had already passed by the busy shipyard.

Joseph turned his head and saw a third-rate battleship being raised high in the distance. Hundreds of craftsmen were "stuck" to the bottom of the ship like little spiders, constantly hammering rivets to secure large pieces of copper sheet.

As the clanging sounds gradually subsided, the carriage stopped in front of the shipyard's main design room.

Despite being called a "design studio," it's actually a three-story building with over a hundred rooms. The shipyard's designers and craftsmen gather here daily to discuss and refine their blueprints.

The newly appointed Minister of the Navy, Marquis Vald de Lessar, along with officials including the Director of Naval Shipbuilding, Paulda, were already waiting at the door. Upon seeing the Crown Prince alight from his carriage, they immediately came forward to greet him.

There was no band around. Joseph nodded with satisfaction to the Marquis of Lassalle, who then led him into the conference room on the second floor of the design studio.

Sane, meanwhile, excitedly whispered to Porda and the others about the plan to replace the iron ribs.

Joseph gestured for everyone to sit down, then looked at Nicola Brondeau, the engineering director of the Brest shipyard: "Mr. Brondeau, if we start building fourth-class steam warships right now, how many can we complete each year?"

The latter had already made preparations and immediately said, "Your Highness, if we suspend the construction of all other warships of level three and above, we can build three to four ships per year."

In recent years, thanks to ample funding, the shipyard has built approximately one third-class sailing battleship every year. After all, these heavy warships are still indispensable for long-range escort missions.

Joseph nodded: "With sufficient funding, how long would it take to expand production capacity?"

Brondo's eyes lit up immediately; the shipyard was finally going to make a big splash!

"Expanding docks No. 2 and No. 3 will take about five months. A new dock has already been planned on the south side of the shipyard. If there are enough workers, it can start production in about a year."

Joseph then asked, "What will the output be by then?"

"Your Highness, we can build seven Tier IV ships per year. Or three Tier III ships."

Joseph was still somewhat dissatisfied: "Could you go a little faster?"

He estimated that at least 25 fourth-class steam warships would be needed to confront the British Navy head-on in the Atlantic, and around 40 would be needed to gain an advantage.

If the Brest shipyard produces seven ships a year, the Toulon shipyard is estimated to be able to reach a maximum production rate of four ships per year. After all, the latter's main business is building small and medium-sized warships suitable for Mediterranean operations, and more than half of its steam-powered frigate production capacity is there.

As for Rochefort shipyard, it would be good if it could produce one fourth-class ship per year, after all, it is a private shipyard.

Brondo hesitated for a moment and said, "This... I'm afraid it won't be easy, Your Highness. If we continue to expand production, we'll need to build a shipyard on the beach two kilometers away, but that's still a wasteland. It will take at least two years before it's ready for use."

Just then, Sane suddenly interjected: "Mr. Brondeau, I think it's possible to reach an annual production of more than eight ships."

“Oh? Please tell me your reasons.” “Just now, His Highness the Crown Prince and I discussed the technology of using iron ribs,” Sane said. “If the trial construction goes smoothly, it can greatly reduce the time spent using timber.”

"The problem is corrosion..."

"His Highness has already resolved it."

Brondo, being an expert, immediately showed a look of delight upon hearing this.

Shipbuilding timber isn't something you can just cut off a tree and use; it has to be air-dried for a long time. During processing, because of the holes being drilled, you have to stop frequently to wait for the drilled areas to dry.

However, if iron ribs are used, as long as the steel mill can keep up with the supply, the shipyard can reduce the time to lay the frame to almost 50% of the original time.

Sane continued, "I was just thinking that the keel could also be reinforced with long iron bars, which would allow for more flexibility in the selection of materials for the keel."

The materials used for the keel of a warship are very particular; they must be made from trees that have naturally grown to the curves required for the keel, because any artificial bending will reduce its strength.

This makes finding suitable timber extremely difficult and expensive.

However, if iron is used for reinforcement, then finer wood can be selected, and the drying time will be shorter.

Sane felt that after solving the problem of iron products rusting at sea, even the sky seemed wider.

Brondo nodded to him, then looked at Joseph and said, "Your Highness, using the technology Mr. Sane mentioned, we should be able to produce eight or even nine Tier IV warships per year."

He added cautiously, "But this requires a significant investment, including expanding the dock and construction costs."

Joseph nodded: "How much do you estimate it will cost?"

After a moment's thought, Blondo said, "The expansion will cost about 900 million francs. And the cost of a fourth-class steam warship is about 100 million to 110 million francs per ship."

“Please wait a moment,” said Polda, who hadn’t had a chance to speak until now. “In the future, all the cannons on all the warships may be replaced with iron ones. This will reduce the cost by about 20 francs.”

Joseph knew that Vedrina had already begun experimenting with the Rodman casting method and would definitely be able to resolve it within six months, so he nodded and said, "Then let's calculate it at 90 francs per ship. The first batch of construction plans at the Brest shipyard is 14 ships."

Everyone in the conference room stared wide-eyed.

This is a Tier IV battleship, not a frigate.

They built 14 new ships at once!
It's worth noting that the Dutch Navy currently only has six fourth-class ships as its main force.

Brest shipyard builds two and a half Dutch navies at once!

Unbeknownst to them, the Toulon shipyard also had a construction task for seven ships. Even Rochefort needed to build one or two.

Brondo's voice trembled slightly: "So, a total of 2160 million francs will be needed..."

The navy truly lives up to its reputation as a money-devouring behemoth.

Joseph smiled nonchalantly and said, "In the coming months, the shipyard will receive 1 million francs in funding. The Ministry of Finance will also continue to allocate funds throughout the year."

"The navy has been poor for so many years, this time you can go all out."

(End of this chapter)