Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 681 - 590: The Song of Poland

Chapter 681: Chapter 590: The Song of Poland

(Today was plagued with writer’s block, so the typing was very slow, and this chapter is not yet completed. Please refresh the page in an hour and a half to see the update. The author sincerely apologizes!)

Joseph’s design layout for Sané was naturally excellent, as he had copied it directly from the “Napoleon” battleship that would appear more than half a century later.

Although the “Napoleon” was the first sail warship in the world to be equipped with a Steam Engine, its overall structure was very reasonable due to the meticulous design by French designers.

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In many ways, the year 1815 marked the end of the Age of Sail and the struggle for naval supremacy. Although the Netherlands, France, Spain, and even Russia had once cast covetous eyes and fiercely competed, England was now the undisputed ruler of the seas (Britain’s colonial ambitions and appetites. As Rhodes, who once served as Colonial Minister, said: “Subjecting most of the world’s people to our laws would mean an end to all wars”). Despite the changing nature of naval warfare and the use of artillery and Steam Engines signaling the emergence of a new order after 1850, Britain still firmly held naval dominance until the end of the Age of Sail.

Britain made good use of its sea dominion, substantial financial strength, and the early advantages of the Industrial Revolution to support its aggressive commercial policies and maintain the balance of power in Europe, avoiding costly and fruitless wars”(From the late 18th century to the early 20th century, the British Navy, with its overwhelming advantage in surface vessel power in the world’s three oceans, wielded sea hegemony for over 150 years, contributing significantly to Britain becoming an Empire with colonies 150 times larger than its own territory) The British meticulously crafted the Royal Navy as a long-term means of armed deterrence. From 1815 to 1830, a new fleet of battleships was assembled, each using the best timber, employing scientific wood preservation methods, and adopting improved hull designs. This new fleet was so successfully built that it was unmatched and for a very long time found no occasion for use.

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The total tonnage of this British battleship fleet was maintained at around 250,000 tons, while at the same time, the French fleet had decreased from 180,000 tons in 1815 to 84,000 tons by 1840. France had now accepted its position in the naval race, far behind Britain but well ahead of other nations. Naturally, this led to a certain degree of division in France’s strategic orientation and material allocation, emphasizing the development of three-masted frigates to disrupt Britain’s maritime commerce; focusing on the construction of battleships in an attempt to break Britain’s maritime blockade (the persistent and stubborn blockade by Britain had brought French maritime trade almost to a complete halt); and expressing the desire to play the role of a dominant sea power, subduing smaller nations.

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As for the Russian Combined Fleet operating in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, its size was always larger than the French fleet, reaching nearly 160,000 tons in total tonnage by 1840. However, the quality of the timber used for their construction was inferior and their designs lagged an entire generation behind the latest Western technology in terms of design. It was only in the 1830s that the Russian fleet began to raise British concerns, but for Britain, the only important naval adversary at sea was still France. The Americans also built some heavily equipped battleships to break the British blockade lines and send ships out to sea for “pursuit battles.”

(Above image) On August 27, 1816, Lord Exmouth, a British Vice Admiral, led the Anglo-Dutch Combined Fleet in attacking the defensive forts at the port of Algiers in North Africa. The Allied Forces began by burning the Pirate fleet of Algiers, then bombarded the city of Algiers. Exmouth’s attack forced the Governor of Algiers to surrender Christian slaves and abandon pirate practices. However, the problem of North African Pirates was not completely resolved until 1830 when France occupied Algiers.

Given that its own security depended entirely on the sea, Britain did not wish to share naval hegemony with other countries, and so, immediately after the Battle of Waterloo, began to play “policeman” in the world’s oceans. While the Americans and Russians were discussing how to combat North African Pirates, British Admiral Exmouth led a fleet demanding that Algiers stop its piratical activities and the imprisonment of Christians, and he even launched an attack. With the help of Dutch vessels, he engaged in close combat, knocking down port defenses, burning the enemy fleet, and even bombarding the city. Although the British also suffered heavy casualties (losses amounting to 16% of the total crew), Algiers finally surrendered.

From 1815 to 1830, the activities of the British Navy in Europe were constrained by the close alliance of France and Russia, prompting Britain to declare the “Two-Power Standard” in 1817, stating that the strength of the Royal Navy of England should be equal to the combined sea power of the two secondary naval powers. This “standard” was the core of British naval policy for an entire century. In 1823, despite British opposition, the Franco-Russian alliance restored autocratic rule in Spain. However, Britain strove to prevent Spain and its allies from restoring the Spanish American colonial empire, most of which had already been liberated by Lord Cockney’s mercenary fleet. During his tenure as Foreign Minister, George Canning made it clear that the British fleet would support the Monroe Doctrine of the United States, which opposed European conquest of the Americas. At that time, indeed, only the Royal Navy of England had the capacity to prevent France or Russia from engaging in military activities in the “New World.”

The last major sea battle of the Age of Sail occurred during the Greek War of Independence in 1822-1832. (In this conflict, control over the sea played an important role. In 1821-1822, Greeks started an uprising to free themselves from Turkish rule. In 1827, the combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet entered Navarino Bay and once again ruled over Greece Athens) To control the conflict, Britain sided with France and Russia, but it had bigger ambitions at play. On October 20, 1827, British Vice Admiral Sir Edward Codrington led the combined British, French, and Russian fleet into Navarino Bay, deciding to strike first before Turkey could attack the Greek Hydra Island, inevitably leading to battle.

The Turkish and Egyptian fleets suffered a devastating blow, with countless smaller vessels almost being completely annihilated under the might of the Allied Forces, especially Codrington’s flagship—the newly equipped 84-gun “Asia.” However, a new minister in London regarded Navarino as a “troublesome affair” and ordered Codrington to be relieved of his duties, providing the French and Russians the opportunity to celebrate this rare victory together.