The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1029 - 774: Vigorously Develop Submarines_2

When one looks at the naval size of the various countries of the world, Australasia actually does not hold an advantage.

However, if one examines the navies of these countries in detail, a clear characteristic becomes evident: there are numerous old-fashioned warships.

Especially the fleets of Britain and France, which are filled with a large number of outdated warships serving to inflate their numbers. Here, the old-fashioned warships are not only those dreadnoughts that have fallen behind the times, but also products of the last century—namely, pre-dreadnought battleships.

In comparison to the British and French fleets, most of the Australasian fleet consists of dreadnoughts and super dreadnoughts, including many battlecruisers and aircraft carriers, generally making for a majority of modern warships.

It's actually reasonable for Britain and France to have a multitude of old-fashioned warships, considering they have vast and broad colonies that require numerous fleets for patrolling and escorting the coastline.

But for the Island Nation, having a large number of outdated warships within is entirely a situation caused by the country's finances.

While Britain and France need those old-fashioned warships, Islanders are simply reluctant to discard those old ships.

In such a situation, Britain and France and even the Island Nation, while maintaining a huge size of old-fashioned warships, must also build a considerable number of new ones, incurring far more military expenses than Australasia.

If a new round of naval arms race were to truly break out, Britain and France have colonies to loot, Australasia has the Persian Gulf Territory and rich mineral resources, while other countries have basically nothing.

This kind of expenditure, on the other hand, actually favors Arthur's plan and could also take the opportunity to further drain Britain and France's control over their colonies, indirectly weakening the British and French.

At such a Cabinet Meeting, Arthur's firm support for military expansion made the Cabinet members feel astonished.

They seemed to have received a signal, as they one by one changed their previous attitudes and also became staunch advocates of war.

After all, these officers were not fools. In Australasia, the government's decisions depended largely on Arthur's attitude, not those of the officers.

As long as Arthur expressed a pro-war stance, the people would become enthusiastic activists. Could the officers afford to lag behind the populace? The best approach would obviously be to follow Arthur's lead, as he would be the one facing the forefront in case of any incident.

Although the initial decision was to let the Naval Limitation Treaty unfold on its own, this did not mean that the Australasian Government would really do nothing.

Especially against potential competitor Island Nation, the necessary competitive means had to be available.

The Intelligence Department began to rigorously monitor the Island Nation's naval building plans. Once it was discovered that the Islanders were secretly constructing super-large battleships, Australasia would publicize the Islanders' wrongdoing and occupy the moral high ground in public opinion.

However, the Islanders did indeed do a good job in intelligence work in this area. They understood that the Naval Limitation Treaty was in their favor, therefore, they would not blatantly break the treaty before its expiration.

On the other hand, Australasia had already begun researching super-large battleships, new submarines, and aircraft carriers.

As potentially the last series of battleships, Arthur specifically ordered the major shipyards to exert their maximum capacity to build the largest, fastest, best protected, and most powerful battleships.

The major shipyards have now joined forces and started to research, aiming to design a battleship that will be the most powerful and largest in the world.

As for aircraft carriers, Arthur's demand is to improve the existing ones, increasing the number of airplanes they can carry as well as their cruising speed.

Last comes the submarine. Up to this point, the role of submarines has become incredibly important.

Australasia's submarines blend the technologies of Britain, France, and Germany. Through the efforts of Australasian experts, they have combined these to create a unique submarine technology indigenous to Australasia.

The current most advanced submarine in Australasia is the AU-7 ocean-going submarine.

The whole submarine is 66.5 meters long, accommodating 42 to 46 crew members. Its maximum surface speed can reach 17.5 knots, and under water, it can go up to 8.4 knots, which is relatively fast among submarines.

The submarine's most outstanding feature is its endurance. At a cruising speed of 5 knots, the submarine can travel 6500 nautical miles, which is equivalent to 12,000 kilometers.

However, this figure is only for reference. Even though the submarine's fuel can cover 12,000 kilometers, the supplies onboard may not last that long.

Considering the consumption of oxygen inside the submarine, it can travel underwater at a speed of 5 knots up to 120 nautical miles (approximately 222 kilometers), or stay submerged for 24 hours before it must surface to replenish oxygen.

This is a characteristic of the submarines of this era. Although the impression of submarines is of combat beneath the sea, they spend most of their time traveling on the surface.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

After all, people need to breathe, and once inside the ocean, the consumption of oxygen inside a submarine presents a significant challenge.

Turning back to the design of the submarine, the AU-7 class is quite advanced. The design depth for the submarine is 150 meters, with a maximum experimental dive depth reaching 220 meters.

This depth is sufficient to evade detection by most countries' radar systems, so it's not an exaggeration to call such submarines phantoms of the sea.

If it weren't for the limitation on how long they can stay submerged, these submarines would definitely be a major weapon of the current era.

But this does not diminish the strategic role of submarines at present. During World War I, Germany inflicted heavy losses on British and French merchant ships with its unrestricted submarine warfare tactics.

The submarine technology possessed by Australasia is even more powerful now, so the strategic role they can play is naturally even more significant.

In terms of firepower, this submarine could be considered heavily armed. It has a total of five torpedo launchers, which can carry up to 14 torpedoes.

Regarding the distribution of torpedo launchers, there are four mounted at the front of the submarine and one at the rear.

After all, the submarine's front usually faces the strategic target most of the time. The rear torpedo launcher is meant as a precaution against particular emergencies and serves as a last resort for the submarine's self-preservation.

Apart from the undersea weapons, the submarine is also equipped with a heavy machine gun and a small-caliber firearm on top.

Since submarines spend most of their time surfaced, it is inevitable to encounter enemies at sea.

Moreover, submarines need to dock occasionally to resupply. The weapons on top of the submarine are quite important and, in certain situations, may serve as a lifesaving tool for the crew.

Overall, the design of such a submarine can be considered well-balanced for offense and defense. Not only can it become a ghost and reaper in the sea, but with its relatively fast cruising speed and considerable dive depth, it can elude enemy detection.

Because it can dive for a maximum of 24 hours, it can effectively avoid being tracked by the enemy. However, after 24 hours, the submarine must surface.

Lack of oxygen is currently the biggest challenge for submarines, and it is also the main factor limiting how long they can stay submerged.

Once the oxygen issue is resolved, the time a submarine can stay submerged could double. Only then will submarines truly become the phantoms and reapers of the sea, achieving an effect of coming and going without a trace.

Although there has been no movement on the front of the main battleships, the Ministry of Defence has already put forward a new plan for submarine construction.

The plan was quickly submitted to Arthur's desk and received his approval.

Over the next five years, Australasia plans to build 120 submarines. In the first two years, 55 submarines will be constructed, all of which will be the AU-7 class.

After two years, the AU-8 class submarines, which are currently in the testing phase, will become the mainstream vessels for naval construction, replacing the AU-7 class, with 65 units to be built.

A total of 120 submarines is not a small number. Coupled with Australasia's existing naval submarine fleet, the total number will exceed 200 units, ranking within the top three in the world in its history.