Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 29, Battleship - Harmony

1906 was a magnificent year, the Russo-Japanese War was still going on fiercely, but the Anglo-Boer War had come to an end!

With the complete annihilation of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the Boers hoped that the Anglo-Russian War would break out, so their idea of ​​protecting themselves by taking advantage of changes in the international situation fell through, and they had to make compromises with the British.

Similarly, the Anglo-Boer War, which lasted for nearly nine years, also made the London government miserable. Therefore, the Boers were not persecuted too much. The conditions of the truce were similar to those in history, and some places were even more favorable!

In fact, the Anglo-Boer war was not continuous. Since the outbreak in 1896, the British army was defeated in 1897 due to lack of preparation, and the two sides entered a three-year truce.

It was not until 1901 that the British used diplomatic means to deal with the supporters of the Boers in the European continent, and then started the war again, and the bloody battle between the two sides really began!

By 1904, the major war between Britain and Borussia had basically stopped. The two sides had conducted a series of negotiations, and agreements had been reached on major aspects. Seeing that the war was about to end, the Russo-Japanese War broke out again. \u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

The Boers once again saw hope. They expected the Russo-Japanese War to drag the British down. Once a war broke out between the two sides, the British would have to abandon South Africa.

Unwilling to fail, the Boers took up arms again and played hide-and-seek guerrilla warfare with the British on the South African continent.

It was not until after the defeat of the Russian Navy in 1905 that the two sides came to the negotiating table again.

This time the negotiation went very smoothly. The Boers no longer had enough chips in their hands, and the British were also frightened by the guerrilla warfare. Both sides were eager for peace. So the war ended and the Boer Republic became a protectorate of the British!

Due to the Ferdinand butterfly effect, the loss of the British on the South African battlefield was far greater than that of the same period in history, especially the tens of thousands of extra mercenaries supported by European powers, which made the lobster soldiers miserable!

In this war, the British army invested a total of 480,000 people, the Boer Republic mobilized 88,000 people, and recruited 45,000 mercenaries. \u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

By the end of the war in 1906, the number of British casualties had reached 136,000, and more than one-fifth of the casualties were caused by guerrilla warfare. For the first time, the world saw the power of guerrilla warfare!

After the Anglo-Boer War, Britain united its colonies in southern Africa and controlled the corridor leading to the Great Lakes in the heart of Africa. Relying on the vast South African interior, the Cape of Good Hope region became one of the most important outposts of the British Overseas Empire.

In terms of economy, the British obtained the world's largest Rand gold mine, and the London government controlled the lifeline of the global economy. Gold from South Africa made London quickly become the center of the global financial industry and gold trading.

At the same time, the Boer War was also the end of the British overseas expansion. The politicians in London found that the cost of modern wars was too high, and the war funds of 290 million pounds were enough to make them feel pained!

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Since then, the London government has abandoned its long-standing diplomatic isolation policy, and has carried out strategic contraction on a global scale.

The London government handed over some of its colonies to the Dominions of Austria, Canada, and New Zealand. The British's strategic focus returned to Europe, laying the foundation for the outbreak of the First World War!

Although he knew about the changes in the British foreign policy, Ferdinand could only follow the trend. Bulgaria still does not have the capital to participate in the global strategic game!

However, there is also a lot of good news. On May 18th, the first coastal defense-class battleship jointly developed by Bulgaria and Sweden - Harmony was successfully tested, marking that the Bulgarian naval industry has once again entered a new era!

Displacement] 768o tons

[Crew] 465 people

[Size] 121.6 meters in length, 18.6 meters in width and 6.7 meters in draft \u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

[Armed] (Dixov Shipyard)

2 twin 11-inch turrets (4 in total,

45 times diameter, reload only 17 seconds)

6 single-mounted 6-inch turrets (6 in total, 5o diameter)

[Armor] (Bulgarian steel factory)

2o3mm in the center of both sides of the hull

76.2 to 152mm at the head and tail ends of both sides of the hull

Deck 41.3mm

redoubt1o2mm

Main gun mount 2o3mm

Main gun turret 152mm\u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

Smaller turret 63.5 to 127mm

[Boiler] 4 penhiet heavy oil boilers designed to output 2oooo horsepower up to 22.8 knots

Cruising range 12 knots/8ooo km

Oh, this warship is very good in adhering to Ferdinand's philosophy: "If you can't beat it, you must run it; if you can't run it, you must beat it"!

Even in the dreadnought era that is coming soon, it is not considered backward. It can challenge all warships except battleships, and can outrun dreadnoughts, so its survivability on the battlefield is guaranteed!

Although the voyage is a bit short, it is enough for activities in the Mediterranean area. At least for now it is used to suppress the Ottoman Navy, its performance is sufficient. \u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

Of course, in order to build this warship, Ferdinand spent a lot of money. From the beginning of research to the completion of sea trials, the investment has already approached one million pounds!

Of course, this cost also includes the cost of introducing technology to Sweden, otherwise, in terms of shipbuilding costs alone, two Harmony ships can be produced!

Compared with the smooth progress of the coastal defense ships cooperating with Sweden, the battleships that the Admiralty worked with the Dutch were in some trouble.

Battleships have entered the early 20th century, and the concept of shipbuilding in various countries has been changing. Designers have opened their minds, and there are all kinds of strange ideas.

In fact, before the British made the dreadnought, the designers had similar ideas!

This time, Bulgaria is responsible for paying the money, and Dutch designers are the main Bulgarian designers, and they naturally have to open their minds. \u00261t;i\u003e\u00261t;/i\u003e

As a result, the warship was designed, but the industrial strength of the two countries was not sure to turn it into reality. Even the combat effectiveness of this battleship is a mystery, which is embarrassing!

Of course, there is also Ferdinand's credit for this. According to his understanding of the dreadnought, he forced a few words in front of the designers.

Then a theoretically powerful battleship was designed. From the perspective of parameters, Ferdinand was very similar to the early dreadnoughts, but it would be troublesome to convert it into a battleship.

Since there is no precedent yet, no one is sure whether the battleship designed by this type has combat effectiveness. After all, not everyone is the British Empire and has the courage to dare to be the first in the world!

Neither the Dutch nor the Bulgarians dared to gamble. If a battleship costing more than two million pounds could not exert its due combat power, it would be a big loss!

For this reason, the shipbuilding was delayed, and Ferdinand was happy to wait. Let's take a look at what the British dreadnought looks like first, as long as he is sure that there is no problem with the design, he dares to go directly to the berth!

As for the technical issues, in Ferdinand's view, they are not a problem now! Bulgaria doesn't have it, neither does the Dutch, isn't there still the French?

The "Triple Entente" did not join in vain. The French promised to support Bulgaria and Russia in terms of technology!

The French shipbuilding industry in this era is still very powerful. If there is a technology that the world's second largest naval power does not have, then do you need to think about it?

It must be before the design. After all, there is no qualitative gap between the major powers in shipbuilding technology, and the British are only slightly ahead!

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