Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 275 Ships
With the arrival of a large number of immigrants, the social life and even the natural environment of Qiming Island have undergone profound changes.

The large influx of immigrants from the Ming Dynasty transformed large tracts of wasteland and forests along the coast into fertile farmland.

Large and small settlements are scattered all over the island, especially on the southeast coast of Qiming Island, where small towns such as Shixing, Guangfeng and Xinning have emerged, with relatively dense populations and initial economic development.

These towns were not only centers of agricultural production, but also gradually became distribution centers for handicrafts and trade.

People live and work here in peace and contentment, and their living conditions are improving day by day.

At that time, there was a lot of land and few people in Xinhua. As long as people were willing to work, except for the extremely stupid natives, most people could obtain a piece of land of their own after completing the agreed service period, accumulate considerable wealth, and become an enviable wealthy person.

Getting rich and becoming successful are so desirable and attainable.

Therefore, all immigrants are grateful to have come to this place full of hope, and are working hard to run their own businesses and strive for a better future.

Some farmers would hunt animals for furs during their slack season, and during the fishing season, they would use simple fishing nets or wooden barrels to catch countless migratory salmon in streams and rivers.

Some farmers, with the encouragement of local governments and after simple training from shipbuilders, cut down trees such as western red cedar, yellow cedar, pine and fir in the forest, roasted them into tar and rosin, and then sold them to shipyards, or directly participated in shipbuilding as odd jobs.

These handicraft activities not only increased income, but also provided important raw materials and auxiliary labor for Qiming Island's shipbuilding industry.

From the technological perspective of later generations, even in the mid-18th century, there had been no breakthrough in the development of ships.

A ship is actually a kind of machinery and equipment, and it stands to reason that it should be able to receive corresponding technical improvements.

Due to the war, maritime trade developed extremely rapidly, and there was no reason why ship technology could remain for such a long time without much improvement.

Because, during the magnificent Age of Exploration, some very eye-catching maritime discoveries were made by some originally inconspicuous small boats.

In the hands of an experienced seaman, an ordinary wooden sailboat can prove itself to be a satisfactory tool.

Therefore, there was no urgent need to improve ships, and people did not introduce new mathematical and physical theories into ship design.

Normally, shipbuilders do not pay much attention to theory, but instead try to find a successful design based on their own experience that represents a compromise between various relative factors.

Since its establishment, Qiming Shipyard has always adhered to a production method that combines theory and practice. When building new ships, it will conduct data verification and repeated tests in test tanks in order to improve and optimize various elements that do not conform to the design in the initial stage of ship construction.

This scientific method enabled Xinhua's shipbuilding technology to gradually approach that of the current era in a very short period of time, and even surpassed many European countries in certain design concepts.

For example, the shipyard combined the respective advantages of European soft sails and Chinese hard sails to design a semi-rigid sail with a curved surface for the ship. Such a sail can better utilize the Bernoulli principle in headwind and crosswind, making the ship relatively faster.

For example, a detachable watertight compartment design was adopted, using a yin-yang groove similar to the door of a rural granary, and the bulkhead of the watertight compartment near the central axis was made into a detachable device. When loading and unloading cargo at the port, part of the watertight compartment would be removed to make the bottom hold fully accessible, and then reinstalled during navigation.

In addition, considering that the clipper-type immigration express ship may shake violently during navigation, the shipyard also fully borrowed the black technology brought by the Ming Dynasty shipbuilders - anti-roll water tanks (to reduce longitudinal shaking) and anti-roll fins (to reduce lateral shaking).

In order to make the ship's operation more labor-saving, a balanced elevator is used.

In order to safely cross the vast Pacific Ocean and prevent the ship from capsizing due to severe sea conditions, the shipyard also borrowed European anti-sinking technology and designed the hull into two layers, one layer along the outside of the ribs and the other layer along the inside of the ribs.

When the outer hull of a ship breaks, seawater will rush into the space between the two hulls instead of directly into the bottom hold.

They also imitated the construction methods of European ships in the mid-to-late 18th century and built a passage above the waterline, which allows access to the interlayer between the two hulls to carry out necessary repairs and plug leaks.

Due to the shortage of hemp rope raw materials and the influence of later shipbuilding technology, when Qiming Shipyard built three new immigrant ships last year, it abandoned the traditional hemp fiber anchor cables and some rigging, and replaced them with iron anchor chains and iron rigging (the UK only began to use iron anchor chains and rigging in the late 18th century).

Made from a one-time mold, the iron anchor chain is not much more expensive than a hemp rope anchor cable, and is also less likely to be damaged or broken.

Hemp ropes are highly susceptible to the alternation of wet and dry seasons and will soon rot, especially in tropical waters.

Iron anchor chains are not affected by this and will not break easily even if they get stuck in the rocks.

When not in use, the anchor chain can be stored in a small compartment, while the cable needs to be wound into the cable box by the most experienced sailors so that it can be pulled out quickly without tangling, otherwise it is likely to get blocked.

To outsiders, it was undoubtedly too extravagant for Xinhua's ships to replace the anchor chains and some rigging with iron ones.

You know, in any country or region, iron is an extremely important strategic material and will not be easily "wasted" on unimportant things.

Xinhua's arrogance is due to the rapid growth of its own steel production.

After several years of technological accumulation, Xinhua's steel production has become increasingly stable and gradually increased.

Last year, due to the needs of the war, Guangfeng Iron and Steel Plant produced a record 210 tons of pig iron and 28 tons of steel, providing sufficient industrial raw materials for the development of Xinhua's machinery, hardware, military industry and other industries.

Of course, from the perspective of future generations, this output can be said to be insignificant, even less than the output of a small steel plant in later generations in a few days.

But during this period, compared with many countries and regions that can produce steel, it is undoubtedly one of the "big players" in steel production.

As the country with the largest iron production in the world, the output of the official iron factory in Zunhua (now Tangshan area) of the Ming Dynasty was no more than 70 jin (one jin in the Ming Dynasty was 600 grams), equivalent to more than 420 tons (the total iron production of Zunhua during the Zhengde period was probably around to tons).

Looking at European countries, Spain's annual iron production was approximately 1000-1500 tons. The Holy Roman Empire's iron production was similar, around 2000 tons. France's output was slightly higher, at 3000-4000 tons. England's output was around 1 tons. Sweden had the highest iron production, leveraging the highest-quality ore from the Dalarna region, producing 1.5-1633 tons annually. Xinhua, with a population of just over (by the end of ), produced tons of steel, surpassing even the entire American region.

Although the mining industry in the entire Spanish American colonies was "developed", the corresponding industry was extremely backward. Moreover, due to restrictions imposed by the Spanish local government, the steel industry was almost non-existent. There were only a dozen or so small smelting workshops, and the iron production was only a pitiful few dozen tons, mainly to meet the daily needs of the colonies.

In fact, with the technology and concepts that the time travelers possess that are ahead of their time, and the blacksmiths and apprentices who have been trained for several years, there is still a lot of room for growth in steel production.

However, due to the shortage of manpower, the scale of steel smelting cannot be expanded rapidly in the short term.

It should be noted that at this time, whether in the East or Europe, the fuel for steel smelting was mainly charcoal, so the furnace temperature was relatively low, which greatly limited the efficiency of the blast furnace and the quality of steel.

The Guangfeng Iron and Steel Plant had already started using coke to smelt iron, and this smelting technology alone had left all other countries and regions far behind (China had used a small amount of coke to smelt iron since the Northern Song Dynasty, but due to the different locations of coal and iron reserves, it had never been promoted on a large scale).

"If we can develop a powerful steam turbine, we can start building iron ships right away." Zhou Yong, head of the Qiming Shipyard, looked at a large ship under construction and laying its keel in the dock and said with emotion, "By then, we can build you giant ships of not only 1,000 tons, but also 10,000 or 20,000 tons!"

Tang Qidong, Chief Engineer of the Qiming Shipyard, glanced at him, shook his head slightly, and said, "Just wait and see! Xinhua Heavy Industries has only produced two experimental water pumps so far, and they break down every now and then. Judging from the situation, it's probably going to take seven or eight years before they can develop a practical steam engine."

"That's okay. If seven or eight years doesn't work, then ten or twenty will. As long as we're willing to invest, it's only a matter of time before we develop a steam engine. I have no doubt about it!" Zhou Yong said confidently, "I believe the main limiting factors affecting steam engine manufacturing are the lack of precision in many components and substandard materials. That's why we haven't been able to develop a usable machine."

"We still have too small a population, and lack the corresponding advantages of industrial scale!" Tang Qidong sighed. "Even though we have established several independent operating entities, such as the so-called Light Industry Group, Heavy Industry Group, Grain Reserve Group, Chemical Group, and Transportation Group, the scale and production technology of these enterprises cannot even compare to the five small township enterprises of later generations."

"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry!" Zhou Yong smiled and waved his hand. "The progress of industrial technology and the expansion of scale advantages require steady progress, step by step, to be achieved slowly. As long as we go in the right direction and climb up bit by bit, every day we advance step by step, and our efforts will eventually reach the sea. Don't you agree?"

"..." Tang Qidong glanced at him, curled his lips and said, "Why do I feel that what you said is a bit old-fashioned?"

"We've been here for nine years," Zhou Yong said leisurely. "And I just celebrated my 31st birthday last month. I suddenly feel old."

"Haha..." Tang Qidong couldn't help laughing when he heard that. "You feel old at thirty, then Director Luo and the others are in their forties, right?"

"Yes, in this era, many people in their forties are considered grandfathers..."

After saying that, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

"You said that the copper mine discovered in Yongjiabao (now Port Albany) should be able to be mined by next year, right?" Zhou Yong asked.

"Why, do you want to cover the bottom of the ship with copper?" Tang Qidong immediately guessed his intention.

"Yes, adding a layer of copper to the bottom of the ship not only better protects it, but also reduces maintenance costs, eliminating the need to constantly clean barnacles and seaweed." Zhou Yong said, "If you don't pay attention to maintenance, the bottom of the ship will quickly be damaged by shipworms. Furthermore, too many attachments to the bottom of the ship will affect the speed of the ship."

"In addition, the iron bolts below the waterline will be replaced with copper bolts to reduce the degree of corrosion on the hull. Last year, after the immigrant fleet returned to Xinhua, when the old ships were taken in for maintenance, our craftsmen discovered that the iron bolts on the rudders had corroded so much that the rudders were almost corroded as well."

"I remember that the British proposed covering the bottom of ships with a layer of copper in the early 18th century. However, it wasn't until the eve of the American Revolutionary War that they experimentally covered the bottom of a warship with a thin layer of copper plate. This proved to be very effective, and then began to promote its large-scale application."

"Before, we were short of copper and could only smuggle some from Spain. We didn't even have enough raw materials to cast copper cannons and auxiliary coins, so we naturally put this idea aside. If the copper mines in Yongjia Fort could be mined and smelted on a large scale, we wouldn't have to worry so much about the shortage of copper."

"Mining is definitely underway, but I suspect the initial scale won't be large." Tang Qidong thought for a moment and said, "Yongjia Fort is located deep in the bay (the narrow Albany Inlet). It's said there aren't many Indian tribes nearby, which means the labor force available for mining won't be sufficient. In a year, at best, we'll only produce a few dozen tons of copper, which isn't enough for our shipyard."

"If we are really short of people, we can send out the army to capture them."

"Where can we catch them?"

"There must be many Indian tribes deep in the interior of the island, in the Jinsha River basin, in the Seattle area, and even along the Columbia River. We can definitely find thousands or even tens of thousands of people."

"Slave hunting?"

"Look at what you're saying!" Zhou Yong smiled, a look of disapproval on his face. "We're leading them into a new era, allowing them to live a more civilized and enlightened life. Of course, this requires them to pay a small price."

"They may not be willing to give up their current free life."

"That's not up to them." Zhou Yong glanced at the Indian auxiliary workers busily moving around in the dock and said expressionlessly, "For the sake of development, for a wider living space for future generations, some people are bound to make sacrifices."

"Does it also include those Ming Dynasty immigrants?"

"Of course." Zhou Yong turned and looked at him, "Even, including... us."

"You..." Tang Qidong was speechless for a moment.

After the battle with the Spaniards, Xinhua finally gained a firm foothold in this land.

Therefore, in order to accelerate development and integrate human resources, the various conciliatory and moderate policies previously implemented towards local indigenous peoples will inevitably have to be adjusted.

Everyone will be tied onto the high-speed train of Xinhua. No matter how reluctant you are or how fiercely you resist, you will be forced to come in and rush forward with it.

Either you follow along to the finish line, or you'll be pushed off the bus and run over.

No one can stop the progress of this high-speed train, and no one can slow down its speed.
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(End of this chapter)