"Your Majesty, do you mean that we are going to equip a naval gun with a caliber larger than 350 mm?" Tirpitz was a little surprised.

"That's right." Jochen nodded: "The design and use of the triple turret allows our battleship to have a sideboard firepower of 12 naval guns, and a salvo can project 5400 kg of shells. ”

"If the shells of a 350-mm naval gun are 600 kg, we need only 9 naval guns to meet this standard." Tirpitz explained worriedly: "And the largest caliber naval gun we have developed now is only 305 mm, if there is too much improvement, the technical span is too large, and the development risk of the guide is probably difficult to control." ”

"With 9 naval guns, are you going to use 3 triple turrets? Alfred, you should know that the development of a turret for a triple 305-mm naval gun alone is already quite difficult, right? ”

Due to the use of non-saddle independent turrets in the triple turret of the new 305 mm naval gun, the turret volume is larger than that of the turret with the saddle gun mount, and there are 3 ammunition lifting channels installed in the turret mount, so that each ship gun is equipped with a set of hoist, which in turn makes the diameter of the turret mount extremely large, and these designs make the total weight of the entire turret heavier and the torque larger.

In order to withstand such a heavy weight of the new turret and such a large diameter turret seat, the diameter and load-bearing requirements of the new ring bearings are extremely high, which is a huge challenge for the bearing manufacturing process, and in order to drive such a heavy turret and cope with the huge torque, the power of the new drive motor is also greatly increased, and the requirements of other load-bearing structures are also higher, which is why the triple turret was adopted on the German third class battleships.

However, it is not unworthwhile to pay such a price, the non-saddle independent gun mount allows each ship gun to pitch independently, and also increases the spacing of each ship gun. Combined with the delayed firing device of the middle naval gun with a delay of 0.3 seconds, the shooting accuracy of the triple gun can reach an acceptable level.

Don't underestimate this accuracy problem, when the Japanese Navy's Fuso-class battleships were designed, the British Vickers Company once built a Japanese to learn from the Americans to use a triple turret, but the stubborn Japanese rejected this construction on the grounds of poor shooting accuracy and insisted on using a twin load. In the end, a design with a six-seat twin turret was chosen. Of course, in the end, the Fuso class designed by the Japanese themselves was a great failure, and that was another matter.

It seems natural that each naval gun should be equipped with a set of ammunition lifting equipment, but historically, the combined forces battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire only had two sets of ammunition lifting equipment in the triple turret, and the firing speed of the naval guns in the middle of the guide turret was affected, and the advantages of the triple assembly could not really be brought into play.

In order to give full play to such firepower performance, the design of the new ship has been improved, so the tonnage has also been greatly increased, exceeding 24,000 tons, which is close to the standard of the historical Caesar-class. Historically, the Germans examined the combined forces class of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and evaluated that the tonnage of the combined forces class would be better if it were enlarged to 25,000 tons, and now the design of the new German warship meets this standard.

Therefore, arming 9 350-mm naval guns was not too much of a problem for Germany. Because the weight difference between the 4 triple 305 mm naval gun turrets and the 3 triple 350 mm naval gun turrets will not be too large, and the tonnage of the hull will not rise viciously, but other problems will follow.

"Alfred, if the 350 mm naval gun is a triple design, then we will have to continue to increase the diameter of the turret seat, increase the weight of the turret, the turret torque will continue to increase, and the difficulty of the bearing of the turret seat will continue to rise. When the time comes, it will not only be a question of the naval guns themselves. Jochen shook his head in denial.

Seeing Tirpitz open his mouth, Jochen continued. Tirpitz's words were blocked: "I know you want to say that you can consider equipping 5 twin 350 mm naval gun turrets, so that not only will these problems be solved, but the shell projection of 10 naval guns will exceed 6000 kg, and the firepower of the whole ship will be improved, right?" ”

Tirpitz nodded, looking a little nervous, he had already reacted. I also know what His Majesty the Emperor is going to say.

Jochen saw Tirpitz's iron-clad face and knew that he understood the problem, but decided to continue: "First of all, the 5 turrets can only be arranged in the front 2 and 2 in the rear, and the position of the seat ring and ammunition depot in the middle turret will crowd the space of the power compartment, which is not conducive to the layout. Moreover, when the central turret fires diagonally to the side, the muzzle is closer to the superstructure, and the muzzle storm is easy to destroy the searchlight, ship-based boats and other ancillary equipment, and this will lead the hull to become longer, which is not conducive to shortening the length of the armor belt, and the firing range of the middle turret is limited, which is not conducive to carrying forward the firepower, and the 5 twin 350 mm naval gun turrets will definitely be much larger than the 4 triple 305 mm naval gun turrets, which has a huge impact on the overall performance of the battleship, so I do not agree with the use of 5 twin turrets. ”

Historically, when the Bavaria-class was designed, the Minister of Fleet Ship Design, Bruckner, used this reason to refute the design plan of the five twin-mounted 350 mm naval gun turrets of the Minister of Naval Armament Goodsa, and history has proved that these theories are also correct, and the Fuso class is the best negative teaching material.

Tirpitz was no stranger to these truths, after all, now that Germany had so many years of experience in the use of warships with central turrets, he was only worried about the difficulty of developing larger-caliber naval guns.

It was precisely this concern that Bruckner's proposal for four twin 400 mm naval gun turrets was sternly rejected by Tirpitz when designing the Bavarian class.

He considered the Navy's thirst for 400-mm guns to be irrational and more out of unrealistic illusions about the complete overwhelm of the British Navy, and that industry could not supply such a large artillery within the foreseeable deadlines. Moreover, from the perspective of the daily service and combat application of naval vessels, it is also a long process to master the operation skills of guns with a caliber of 305 mm to 400 mm. In the event of the forced development of 400-mm guns, the displacement of the battleship would exceed 30,000 tons, and the German shipbuilding industry still lacked experience and confidence in building such a large ship.

In hindsight, in fact, these problems are not a problem, the Japanese turned to their ally Britain for help after experiencing that the dreadnought Hanoi-class was a failure, and obtained 4 Kongo-class battlecruisers by purchasing 1 self-built 3 ships, and then began to build the Fuso-class with a standard displacement of 30,600 tons, and the level of shipbuilding of the Germans was not lower than that of Japan, right?

The difficulty of providing 400-mm naval guns within the predictable deadlines is a real problem. But in fact, even with the selection of a slightly smaller caliber 380-mm naval gun, its progress still slowed down the commissioning of the Bavaria-class, and the two completed Bavaria-class ships missed the Battle of Jutland because they did not complete their training.

As for mastering the operation skills, jumping from 305 mm to 380 mm and jumping from 305 mm to 400 mm is actually not much different, anyway, you have to learn from scratch.

"Then your majesty, do you mean that it is more appropriate to choose the caliber of the amount?" Tirpitz asked, a little worried about hearing an unacceptable figure from the mouth of His Majesty the Emperor, after all, there was also a voice within the navy to develop a 410-mm naval gun. If His Majesty the Emperor agrees with this opinion, it will be really a big trouble.

"I think that the caliber of the new naval guns has the following requirements and limitations, the first and 8 naval guns salvo projection volume should be greater than 5400 kg, and the second and second turrets should be not much different from the current triple 305 mm naval gun turrets, neither too light to cause waste, nor too heavy to bear. Third, the diameter of the turret seat is basically the same, and the requirements for the seat bearing will not be increased too much. So I think that the caliber of 380 mm, the weight of shells above 800 kg is more appropriate. Jochen said with a smile.

Now Germany can be said that the conditions are exceptionally good, and the development of the new triple turret has successfully made the seat bearing and drive motor. The load-bearing structure has made great progress far beyond history, and Tirpitz's doubts about the 400 mm naval gun also include the question of whether the bearings can be built to meet the requirements, and the pressure of jumping from a twin 305 mm turret ring bearing to a twin 400 mm turret bearing is not a star, but now this problem is not a big problem.

"However, the step from 305 mm to 380 mm is too big, and I am very worried about whether we can complete the development of such a large-caliber naval gun with our current technical strength." Although he hadn't heard the most exaggerated figure from the emperor, Tirpitz was still a little worried.

"It's done, Alfred. The main question is time, and whether there is time is the real problem. However, I don't think it's a big problem, if the research capability is insufficient, then let Krupp and Skoda jointly develop it, and for a long time, this kind of naval gun will be the main naval gun of our navy, so that one will have an opinion. And there is no reason to let one side of the research and development strength is insufficient, and the other side has nothing to do. Jochen said.

Tirpitz thinks that the span from 305 mm to 380 mm is too large, and this idea is actually very common in the eyes of military fans in later generations, but a careful study of the history of the development of naval artillery by the Germans will find that in fact, the Germans really did it step from 305 mm to 380 mm.

The development of the SKL45 380 mm 45 x diameter naval gun equipped with the Bavarian class began in 1913, and the equipping of ships was in 1916. The time was 3 years, and the SKL45 350 mm 45 times diameter naval gun, which was planned to be equipped with the Mackensen class, was developed in 1914, because the Mackensen class was not built in the end, and this naval gun was put into service as an army train gun in 1917. Therefore, it can be seen that the development time of the 380-mm naval gun is earlier than that of the 350-mm naval gun, and the service is also early, and the development cycle is basically the same.

And look at Skoda's K14 type 350 mm 45 times the diameter of the naval gun, the development began in 1912, as a train gun put into use in 1916, the development cycle is 4 years, although the performance is much better than the Germans, but from the point of view of time is still too late.

So if the step is big, maybe it will pull the egg, but once the egg is not pulled, then the advantage of the big step will be revealed, the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship will be in service for 1 year earlier than the Bavarian class, if the British Elizabeth class was not in service when World War I broke out, and Germany has more than 5 battleships equipped with 380 mm guns, then against the British one-vote tinplate battleships equipped with 343 mm guns, the fun is actually not ordinary.

Therefore, Jochen believes that since Germany has now successfully developed a 305 mm naval gun in advance, it should not be a big problem to combine the forces of Krupp and Skoda and give them 3-4 years to create a 380 mm naval gun.

Of course, this naval cannon is certainly stronger than the historical Bavarian naval guns. The Germans, who have always adhered to the idea of high-speed light bullets, equipped the 380-mm naval guns of the Bavarian class with 750-kilogram shells! You must know that in history, the 800 kg shells of the Bismarck class have been complained about to death as a negative teaching material for the use of light bullets, let alone 750 kg.

If it weren't for the fact that the British used soft quilt cap armor-piercing shells and shell fuse sensitivity, otherwise the 871 kg shells of the Queen Elizabeth class could really teach the Germans how to behave.

As for why the 400 mm was not chosen, Jochen mainly considered the number of ships actually equipped, and if the development period of the 400 mm naval gun was longer, then it is likely that only warships that started construction after 1913 would be able to equip this naval gun. But if the 380-mm naval gun could be completed before 1913, then the battleships that started construction in 1911 could be equipped with such naval guns.

Seeing that Tirpitz was still a little hesitant, Jochen continued to add a fire: "And we are now about to be armed with 305mm naval guns, do you think the British will not react at all?" In order to press us, they will inevitably make larger-caliber naval guns, and what will we do then? Follow them to make naval guns of the same class? By the time our naval guns of the same class were successfully developed, the British would have long been equipped with naval guns of a larger caliber.

Isn't it precisely because we have always been one step ahead of the British that we are now able to maintain the superiority of capital ships? If we follow behind the butts of the British, then we, as chasers, must always be behind. ”

In order to completely overwhelm the Germans in the shipbuilding competition, the British spared no effort, not only in terms of the number of battleships "two ships against one ship", but also in the performance of the battleships, and the most intuitive performance of the battleships is naturally the caliber of the guns.

In 1909, after learning that the Germans had started construction of four new battleships equipped with 305 mm guns, the British approved a budget for the construction of eight capital ships. And 4 of them, the Orion class, which is planned to be equipped with 343 mm naval guns, is about to start the era of super-dreadnoughts.

Although now because Krupp and Skoda are developing two kinds of naval guns separately, so the development of Skoda can be hidden in the shadow of Krupp, but this kind of construction with the start of new warships is estimated not to be hidden for long, the British to develop a new naval gun is already a certainty, and the development of 350 mm naval guns is no future, anyway, 380 mm naval guns will definitely be developed, it is better not to waste time and resources from the beginning.

As for whether the British would have developed a 381-mm naval gun earlier after learning that the Germans had developed a larger-caliber naval gun, Jochen also thought it was unlikely, although Jochen had heard a famous little joke before. That is, the British once again played their "specialty" of tampering with intelligence after the start of construction of the King-class battleships in Germany, and rewrote the caliber of the main guns of the King-class battleships from 305 mm to 350 mm. The move irritated the British public and Parliament, which were already in a state of madness.

Believing this, the British government immediately approved the 1912 annual plan for the construction of Queen Elizabeth-class battleships armed with 381 mm naval guns.

However, Jochen didn't believe much in this paragraph, because the King-class battleship was a German plan ship for 1911, not to mention that it was inappropriate to equip 305 mm naval guns with the tonnage of the King class, and it was reasonable to equip 350 mm naval guns, and how the British knew about the firepower configuration of the King class when the construction of the King class had not even been built a few months after the construction of the ship had not been built.

Falsifying the information on the caliber of the guns of German battleships for the sake of building larger caliber naval guns would have been a bit of a fart - too much.

Because as early as 1910, the Vickers company began to develop the MK-J 356-mm 45-fold diameter naval gun. This new naval gun, which was developed on the basis of the British MK-V 343 mm 45 times diameter naval gun, falsely called 12 inches to the outside world, and was called a 14-inch gun of the 45 caliber (Note 1) in the Japanese Navy, was tested in March 1911, and the Japanese Navy's Kongo-class battlecruisers were equipped with this naval gun.

At the same time, the Americans also began to develop their MK-I 356-mm 45-diameter naval gun. Therefore, the British can use this as a reason to develop a larger caliber naval gun, and there is no need to use Germany as an excuse.

Therefore, Jochen's assumption that the British's 381-mm naval guns began to be developed in response to the 14-inch naval guns of other countries should be more in line with the facts.

Therefore, as long as the secrecy is done well, the British will still think that the 343 mm naval guns have an advantage over the German 305 mm naval guns, so there is no need to worry too much about the premature production of the British 381 mm and even larger caliber naval guns.

In the face of such a good reason, Tirpitz's attitude finally relented: "In this case, let the Navy first gather researchers from Krupp and Skoda to discuss it first, first make an assessment of the technical difficulty, and then decide whether to start the development work." ”

"Yes." Yochen nodded: "I have a few requirements, you convey to them, I want the result must not be lower than this level, let them be evaluated according to this standard." ”

"Your Majesty, please speak." Tirpitz promised, "I'll let them do their best." ”

Anyway, they have basically agreed to the development of a 380 mm naval gun, so the other requirements are also within the range of 380 mm naval guns in terms of high standards, so Tirpitz is very happy this time.

"First, the development time should be controlled within 4 years, the second and second times the diameter shall not be less than 50, the weight of the third shell shall not be less than 885 kg, and the muzzle velocity shall not be less than 750 meters per second. Let them evaluate according to this standard. ”

"Your Majesty, are you hoping to use super-heavy bullets to gain a curved trajectory with a slower muzzle velocity to attack the enemy's horizontal armor?" This time, Tirpitz immediately understood the intent of Jochen's request.

"That's right, the muzzle velocity of the shell at this level is not so important, such weight and lower speed have a good survival rate at long distances, which ensures the stability of its trajectory, and it should have a good table for attacking the enemy's weak horizontal armor at long distances, as long as our observation and sighting equipment and fire control system can meet the requirements of such long-distance shooting, its performance will be maximized." Jochen nodded.

If the new naval gun can really use 885 kg shells, then it will be the first German naval gun that will actually use super-heavy shells, because the performance advantages of naval guns below 305 mm are not obvious even if they use super-heavy shells, so although the current German naval guns use heavy ammunition ideas, they are still relatively safe.

Although the 450 kg shells used in the 305 mm naval guns are heavier than the 405 kg shells used by the German guns of the same class, the 386 kg shells used by the United Kingdom, the 394 kg shells used by the United States, and the 432 kg shells used by the French, they are far lower than the 517 kg super-heavy shells used by the Americans in World War II, and the 470 kg shells used on the Russian Gangut-class battleships. However, Jochen decided that this weight of shells was sufficient.

However, at the 380 mm level, the British used 871 mm shells, and in World War II they replaced them with 879 kg shells, while the Italians prepared 884 kg shells for their 381 mm 40 times the diameter naval guns in World War I, so Jochen thought that it was worth using 885 kg shells for the new naval guns, and it was worth sacrificing some muzzle velocity in exchange for performance.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tirpitz promised. (To be continued......)

PS: Note 1: The caliber of the Japanese is actually the meaning of double diameter, which is a unique name in Japan, and for example, the 460 mm gun, where the metric is actually the meaning of millimeters.

I didn't finish writing it yesterday, and I don't want to split the chapters, so I have a little more words today