Chapter 238: Ironclad Warship
At the time of the outbreak of the Near East War, other regions of the world were also in turmoil. The conflict between Great Britain, France, and Russia presented an opportunity for the United States across the ocean.
First, Cuba created a stir, but their efforts were thwarted by the Spanish, resulting in a major setback. They also faced warnings from Britain and France, forcing them to retreat and lay low.
The Americans did not give up, however. In July 1853, the United States caused the Black Ships incident in Japan, using military threats to force the shogunate to accept their terms, resulting in the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa.
Given the opportunistic nature of the great powers, they did not want to see the United States monopolize the benefits in Japan. As a result, nations such as Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands quickly followed suit and pressured the shogunate to sign similar treaties.
The news reached Vienna and presented an opportunity for the Austrian colonial faction, which was considering entering the fray. The Austrian government deliberated whether to take advantage of the situation.
Prime Minister Felix spoke up, “Your Majesty, Japan is too far away, and the benefits we can gain there are limited. It’s not worth expending too much effort.
Our focus now should still be on domestic development, especially the consolidation of Southern Germany. Rather than taking action in East Asia, infiltration into the German Federal Empire would be more in line with our interests.”
Navy Minister Filkos disagreed, saying, “Prime Minister, taking action in East Asia doesn’t cost us much. Even the Dutch can pressure the Japanese government into compliance, so it wouldn’t be difficult for us to obtain similar benefits.
Currently, the Japanese government is like a frightened bird, hardly daring to say no to what we want to propose.
Even if diplomatic efforts fail, we have treaties with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal that allow us to receive supplies from their colonies. It wouldn’t be difficult to send a fleet to Asia to intimidate Japan.”
Austria had made efforts to establish overseas colonies. One such measure was the signing of treaties with declining colonial empires, under the condition that Austria would not covet the colonies of these nations.
In the short term, this was like a blank check, since Austria had no overseas colonies. However, no one doubted Austria’s ability to establish overseas colonies.
As per tradition, a rising empire would inevitably encroach on the spheres of influence of established empires. Since the Austrian government expressed a willingness to coexist peacefully, no one objected.
Metternich analyzed, “There are many countries that covet Japan, and now that they have opened their doors, it’s likely that everyone will rush in.
In fact, the Russians had plans to colonize Japan a long time ago. If it weren’t for the outbreak of the Near East War, the Americans might not have had the chance to get there first.
Under the current international situation, it wouldn’t be a big problem for us to join in and take a share, but to obtain greater benefits, we must dispatch a naval fleet.”
Austria’s navy wasn’t very impressive, even after some expansion under Franz’s reign.
However, strength is relative. Compared to the naval powerhouses of Britain and France, Austria’s navy was hardly worth mentioning. But bullying Japan at this time wouldn’t pose any pressure.
Yet, this doesn’t justify Austria dispatching a naval fleet to the Far East. The key consideration is still the matter of benefits.
After a moment of hesitation, Franz made a decision: “The Far East is not our focus for expansion. Even if we pursue overseas colonization, we must avoid conflicts with European countries as much as possible.
For now, let’s focus on unclaimed territories. Even if they are desolate, it doesn’t matter; we can start by accumulating experience.
What we should do now is send out more exploration teams to survey lands not yet occupied by other countries. Any area that is easy to govern, we can take over to practice. There’s no need to excessively chase immediate benefits.
As for Japan, we will simply follow the steps of other countries and secure our share of the benefits without further expansion.”
Franz spoke these words with apparent ease, but deep down it was with a heavy heart. It was a struggle to catch the last train of the colonial empires, but due to the limitations of the navy, Austria could only pick up the leftovers from Britain and France.
Even older colonial empires such as Spain and the Netherlands, not to mention Britain and France, could cause Austria considerable trouble if it recklessly attempted to seize richer territories.
Overseas colonization was not only about power; it was also about methods of governance. As a newcomer who hastily joined these old empires, these empires do not even need to use force. Just setting a trap for them could cause significant losses.
In the historical case of the Americans seizing the Philippine Islands, it appeared to be a victory, but the difficulties were known only to themselves. The land that was rich under Spanish rule became a loss-making asset in their hands.
This was the case even in the resource-rich Philippine Islands. If this were a more remote and poorer region, the losses would probably be even greater.
Colonization was costly. Without experience in managing colonies, blindly joining the colonial forces was a sure path to financial loss!
In comparison, Franz was more inclined to plant a flag on uninhabited islands, where just a few soldiers could be stationed to declare sovereignty without worrying about competition.
Of course, such islands are either geologically inhospitable or too small to be of much use. At best, they could serve as resource reserves.
Navy Minister Filkos suggested: “Your Majesty, we have always been developing on the European continent and haven’t made our presence felt globally, which is very detrimental to our future colonial expansion.
How about organizing a global sea voyage, visiting countries around the world, while looking for opportunities to claim some unclaimed lands as our first step out of Europe?”
Almost every rise of a naval power had been accompanied by a major naval battle. Obviously, Austria lacked such an opportunity and could not find such a stepping stone.
Britain and France are simply unbeatable and would remain so even after twenty years of development. Franz has no intention of courting death by challenging the maritime superpowers.
If Austria had to compromise, it was a pity that there were no other countries worth opposing. Looking at the map, the rest are out of range and have insufficient conflict of interest.
Unless one considers attacking the Ottoman Empire, whose navy once ranked fifth in the world, barely qualifying as a worthy opponent.
However, given the current situation, Franz seriously doubted that the Ottoman government had the financial capacity to build such a fleet.
Without a suitable opponent, the only path left was a different one. After all, Austria was an established empire and didn’t need to fight a war to assert its status as a great power. Already on the stage, why bother fighting for a ticket to enter?
As a civilized man, Franz detests war. In his view, war means risk, and those who recklessly start wars without sufficient benefits are doomed to fail in this era.
The current proposal of the Minister of the Navy is actually based on the international political environment. As Austria pursues a conservative colonial strategy, military deterrence becomes crucial.
Even if it can’t intimidate Britain and France, it should at least show strength to deter other countries to avoid unnecessary trouble in overseas colonization.
Historically, the United States established its status as a naval power in the early 20th century through an impressive global naval voyage.
This is feasible, but it assumes that the Austrian navy has the necessary strength, which Franz seriously doubts. Crossing the ocean is not so easy in this day and age, and circumnavigating the globe still poses significant challenges.
In the event of an accident along the way, what began as a show of strength could turn into a major embarrassment, and that would be quite a spectacle. The Austrian Navy has no experience in global navigation, and whether their warships can withstand such a voyage is a question in itself.
If a warship broke down en route, where would repairs be made? How would they manage logistical support during long ocean voyages? How would sailors cope with prolonged life at sea? All of these issues must be considered.
Franz asked directly, “Filkos, are you sure our navy can do this without becoming an international joke?”
Of course, given the gravity of the situation, Filkos couldn’t guarantee success. Not even the British or French navies would dare to guarantee a trouble-free voyage around the world.
Filkos encouraged, “Your Majesty, this is a medium-term strategic concept, and it’s certainly not feasible at the beginning. We could start by choosing a long ocean route to gain experience, and then attempt to circumnavigate the world when the time is right.
In addition, our navy has been preparing. To close the gap with the naval powers of Britain and France, we have developed our own ironclad ship technology, which is now mature.
We have already placed orders, and the first ironclad is expected to join the Navy within two years.
This epoch-making warship will rewrite naval history, rendering all current naval vessels of other nations obsolete.”
As a new challenger looking to gain an edge in naval power, the best strategy was to drive technological innovation, phase out old warships, and bring everyone back to the same starting line.
Historically, the explosive growth of the German navy was due to the advent of the dreadnought era, which allowed them to catch up with the British.
The Austrian navy was no exception. If they tried to catch up with the British and French by developing sailing warships, nobody had the confidence to bridge such a large gap.
When Franz introduced the concept of ironclad ships three years ago, it caught the attention of the Austrian Navy. After careful study by shipyard engineers, it was determined that ironclad ships were theoretically feasible.
Since they were feasible, it was only natural to proceed with development. In recent years, Austria’s increased naval budget had been largely invested in warship research and development, and now it was finally bearing fruit.
Regardless of how many sailing warships the British and French had, once ironclad ships were introduced, those vessels would become obsolete.
Blocking technology was impossible; at the time, the world’s navies were only a conceptual breakthrough away from ironclad ships, and there were no significant technical barriers.
During this period, the French Navy also began to develop ironclad ships. After receiving information about the French ironclad ships, the British had a similar plan by 1856.
Of course, it will take time to move from research and development to actual service. The introduction of new technology can’t be smooth sailing. Even if research and development had started a few years earlier, Franz wasn’t sure who would be the first to build an ironclad warship.
What he demanded was the construction of ironclad warships, not just ships with a layer of iron on the exterior of the vessel. If it was just adding a layer of iron, that concept had already been around for hundreds of years and wouldn’t require any development.
Prince Windisch-Gr?tz questioned, “Ironclads? Mr. Filkos, are you sure a fully iron warship, after being armed with cannons, won’t sink and will still be able to move?”
This was the opinion of many, with the first impression being that it would sink. Ironclads would certainly be much heavier than wooden warships. Adding cannons, ammunition, and personnel, whether they could move was a wonder.
Filkos, dissatisfied, said: “Your Highness, please do not question my professionalism. If it’s the same tonnage, an ironclad can’t carry as much as a wooden warship because of its weight.
However, wooden warships are limited by raw materials. With current technology, nations can only build warships with a displacement of about 4,000 tons, but ironclads don’t have this limitation.
We just need to increase the tonnage of the warship to compensate for this small issue.
The armor of an ironclad can withstand enemy cannon fire. Even a 48-pound cannon will only cause minor problems.
And because the body of an ironclad is more stable, we can equip it with explosive shell guns. Against sailing warships, as long as it hits a critical spot, one shot can take out the enemy.
Ironclads use steam power, so you don’t have to worry about speed; you can look to steamships for reference.
On the battlefield, one ironclad can easily take down a dozen sailing warships.”
These are the advantages of ironclads, but of course, their disadvantage is the skyrocketing cost, something Filkos certainly wouldn’t mention.
Anyway, as long as Austria wanted to engage in colonial expansion and the Cabinet saw the power of ironclads, they were unlikely to give them up.
Prince Windisch-Gr?tz continued, “My apologies, Filkos. I’m not questioning your expertise. I’m just puzzled. If ironclads have so many advantages, why aren’t other countries building them? Have we become the world's number one in shipbuilding?”
Filkos said confidently, “Your Highness, that statement is not entirely accurate. We are not the only ones interested in ironclads.
As far as I know, the French also have similar designs, but they haven’t started implementing them yet.
Both Britain and France have a large number of sailing warships. When the era of ironclads arrives, all these warships will have to be decommissioned.
This is not only an economic loss, but more importantly, they would lose much of their naval advantage. Everyone would have to start from the same starting line.
Therefore, even if they have plans in this direction, they must weigh the pros and cons. Rushing to innovate in shipbuilding technology will not only bring benefits but could also lead to disaster.
As a latecomer, we don’t have that kind of pressure. Due to the lack of overseas colonies, our navy can’t compare with theirs.
Even if we start from scratch, we are at an advantage. In fact, right now, just two ironclads could match the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy.”
Finance Minister Karl exclaimed in shock, “What, the displacement of an ironclad exceeds ten thousand tons? How much money would that cost?”
This was not surprising; naval warships were not very large in this era, and the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy was only this much.
The Finance Minister’s surprise wasn’t about the size of the ship, but a professional reaction to how much it would cost to build such a warship.
Filkos said calmly, “Not that much. I exaggerated a bit. The displacement of an ironclad is about eight or nine thousand tons.
The exact data will be known once it’s built. As you all know, the effect of new technology is full of uncertainties. A small discrepancy in the final displacement is acceptable.
The cost is a bit higher than ordinary warships, but the outstanding performance of an ironclad is worth the price. Including weapons and equipment, it costs about three to four million guilders, and it won’t exceed five million.
This is the first ironclad, and a lot of the technology has to be experimented with. As we build more, the cost will come down.”
A single warship, including its weapons and equipment, would consume a third of the Navy’s annual budget. Franz knew that the era of the Navy burning through money had arrived.
With the amount of money it takes to build one ironclad, you could build five or six first-class sailing ships. This will inevitably put even more financial pressure on the colonial empires.
Everyone fell into deep thought, beginning to weigh the pros and cons, contemplating whether to spark a new round of naval arms race.
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