Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 563 New Type of Warship Enters Service
While the postal service was busy and the Shah was visiting local areas, a grand ceremony was also taking place at the naval base in Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Inside the naval port, a colossal sea monster sat silently. It was adorned with Iranian and naval flags, and the sailors aboard held their heads high, proud to serve on this vessel.

On the dock, a band was playing naval anthems. Meanwhile, First Lord of the Navy Xerxes, along with a group of high-ranking naval officers, boarded the warship.

At the invitation of Captain Carra, Xerxes delivered a speech to the ship's thousand officers and men.

"After five years of construction, outfitting, and sea trials, the Madonis has finally entered service. The commissioning of this warship signifies that Iran possesses the capability to independently build large warships, and also gives us the strength to compete with other navies. This is a small step in the development of the Iranian Navy, but a giant leap for the Iranian shipbuilding industry."

This is not the pinnacle of our navy, but merely a new beginning, the first step for the Iranian navy to transform from a regional navy into a global one. The small Black Sea cannot confine the Iranian navy; in the not-too-distant future, Iranian warships will sail freely across the globe, and our presence will undoubtedly be seen in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans as well.

General Xerxes' words drew applause and cheers from the naval officers and men present. A stronger navy is essential to giving more naval personnel hope; every officer and man who joins the navy dreams of having a presence in the world's oceans, like Britain and France. Currently, the Iranian navy is confined to areas of its own specific interests, and its officers and men dream of breaking through these limitations and appearing in any corner of the world.

However, this is unrealistic for Iran at present; neither its strength nor the current situation allows its navy to do so. That's why they were pleased that Xerxes spoke his mind, because it meant that the naval leadership shared the same thoughts.

After stepping down, Xerxes asked his first captain, Colonel Calais, "How are the sea trials going? How are the crew's handling of the ship?"

"The sea trials are going well so far. The officers and soldiers are operating the equipment in full swing. They have memorized the equipment they are responsible for managing. I believe that after a few more training sessions, they will be able to initially achieve combat capability."

The warship that has entered service this time is the Shahrbaz-class warship, which was valued at 4.5 million riyals in the previous tender. It has a displacement of nearly 10,000 tons and possesses extremely high offensive and defensive capabilities.

This was a major test for the shipyard, but fortunately they completed the task. This warship will become a new starting point for the Iranian Navy.

Kalai's answer made Xerxes stop in his tracks. He looked calmly at the captain. "Do you feel like I'm rushing you?"

Faced with the Minister of the Navy's question, Kalai didn't know how to respond. He did feel the minister's urgency; he hadn't even finished some minor tasks during the sea trials before being immediately ordered to serve. Now, being asked these questions made him uneasy. Was it to fight against Britain and France or to invade Japan? He had heard that the Shah had ordered the gathering of 30 troops to occupy Japan, but he didn't know if it was true.

Seeing the rather interesting expression on Kalley's face, Xerxes knew perfectly well that the captain had misunderstood. He had no choice but to reveal the answer. "Our new battleship construction plan has been rejected by the Shah." "Ah, rejected again."

It's no wonder he said that, because the navy had submitted several plans to build battleships before, all of which had been rejected. It wasn't that they wouldn't build them, but rather that the new battleship designs couldn't satisfy His Majesty. Because of this, the designers were almost depressed.

"Yes, it was rejected again this time. Now you know why I've been so eager to get the Madonnis combat-ready."

"General, please rest assured, I will expedite the process and get the warships combat-ready as soon as possible. However, there will be some delays in ammunition consumption and logistical support..."

Hearing the other party's assurance, Xerxes patted him on the shoulder and said, "The Navy will fully cooperate with you on this. There will be enough ammunition and supplies for training and living. You just need to get the officers and soldiers to form combat capability as soon as possible, and then you can restore the Navy's reputation."

Xerxes' gaze swept over the towering smokestacks of the Madonna, from which spewed a special fuel blend of premium Welsh coal and Caspian crude—the latest result of the Navy's collaboration with the Baku refinery. As he turned, the heels of his boots clicked crisply against the galvanized deck, mirroring the decisive tone of his voice: "Starting tomorrow, live-fire training will increase to three sessions daily. I've already ordered two thousand rounds of armor-piercing ammunition from the Basra arsenal, three hundred of which are the new capped armor-piercing rounds from Krupp, Germany."

Colonel Carrai gasped. Each of these expensive shells cost the equivalent of half a year's salary for a major, and they were only used three to five times a year during annual exercises. "General," he cautiously reminded him, "according to the manual, the main gun's lifespan is only two hundred full-charge firing cycles."

“That’s why those bookworms in the Ordnance Department need to be reformed!” Xerxes suddenly patted the barrel cover of the main gun. “Do you know how the British train in the Mediterranean Fleet? They fire live ammunition at moving target ships until the barrels are red-hot!” He took a thick file from his adjutant, the cover of which was printed with the gold lettering “Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet Training Notes - 1868”.

“And right now, there’s something even more urgent,” Xerxes gestured to his adjutant to unfold the nautical chart. “The Russians’ new warship, the Alexander II, is going to sea trials next month.” He drew a circle on the Black Sea with a red pencil. “380mm main guns, armor 1.5 times thicker than ours—though its speed is as slow as a tortoise.”

Just then, a soldier carrying a whole box of oranges passed by, the rich aroma of the fruit mixed with the salty smell of the sea breeze wafting over. Xerxes suddenly broke open an orange, threw the pulp into the sea, leaving only the intact peel: "In any case, Iran will definitely go to war with Russia in the future, and before that, the navy must be able to fight."

While Iran's annual fiscal situation appears good, it is still financially strained. Commencing the construction of large warships is a major undertaking, and for Iran, building a maximum of two to three more battleships is likely the limit, as the navy will need to build other vessels.

Although the Shah is wealthy, it doesn't belong to the government. It would be a failure for the government to always rely on the Shah to foot the bill. The Shah will replace everyone. Currently, the government has approved the construction of two Shahrbaz-class warships over the next three years, in addition to plans for eighteen other small and medium-sized warships. This is sufficient for Iran's current needs!

　The warship data can be viewed in Chapter 410.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)