pappabearbooks Chapter 121 Brazilian Warships
Chapter 121 Brazilian Warships
October 8, 1910, 3 p.m., Dock No. 7.
The two Dreadnought-class battleships ordered by the Brazilian Navy—the "São Paulo" and the "Minas Gerais"—are docked side by side at the cargo terminal. These are the last batch of warships delivered under Lanfang's "Three-Year Offensive" plan, and the last two of the six South American ships in stockpile.
Wang Wenwu stood on the reviewing stand, watching the bustling scene below. Workers were dismantling the last construction scaffolding on the ship, sailors were conducting final inspections on the deck, and cranes were hoisting the last batch of supplies into the hold.
"Minister Wang, these two ships are 22 days ahead of schedule." The speaker was Rear Admiral Eduldo Santos, head of the Brazilian Navy's acceptance team. This fifty-year-old Brazilian naval veteran had shaved his beard today, and his dark blue uniform was pressed crisply, but his eyes still couldn't hide his eagerness.
"What about the quality?" Wang Wenwu asked.
"Impeccable." Rear Admiral Santos handed over the acceptance report. "The 'Saint Paul' achieved a maximum speed of 23.8 knots during sea trials, exceeding the contractual requirement of 23 knots. In the main gun salvo test, the eight 305mm guns achieved a dispersion radius of 87 meters at a distance of 15 kilometers, 13% better than the contractual requirement of 100 meters. In the watertightness test, all compartments remained leak-free after 48 hours of pressurization—the contract only required 24 hours."
Wang Wenwu flipped through the two-hundred-page acceptance report. Each item was backed by the signatures of both the Brazilian and Lanfang engineers, and some items even included photos and test graphs.
"I'm glad Your Excellency is satisfied." He closed the report. "According to procedure, we can now begin the handover ceremony."
"Wait a minute." Major General Santos raised his hand to stop him. "Minister Wang, before the formal handover, I'd like to ask a question—a personal one."
"Speaking."
"These six warships," Rear Admiral Santos pointed to two giant ships on the dock, then to the distance—where four ships of the same class already delivered to Argentina were moored—"are you really just 'pre-built inventory'?"
Wang Wenwu smiled. He had anticipated this problem.
"Why do you say that, Major General?"
"Because it's too perfect," Rear Admiral Santos said. "I've inspected British-built warships, French-built warships, and even American-built warships. Never before has a warship been like this—from the first steel plate to delivery, the entire process was flawless with zero major accidents, zero design modifications, and zero performance defects. It doesn't feel like a hastily built stockpile ship; it's more like... a product meticulously planned over many years."
Wang Wenwu looked into the eyes of the veteran naval officer. Rear Admiral Santos had participated in the Brazilian Navy's modernization program and overseen the construction of three capital ships; his suspicions were justified.
"Your Excellency, Major General," Wang Wenwu said slowly, "you are right. These six ships were not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Three years ago, when we began building the 'Revival', the President said: 'We are not just building a warship, but a system.'"
He pointed to the dock area:
"This system includes standardized design processes, modular construction techniques, strict quality control, and a trained workforce. When we were building two ships for Chile, we were actually preparing for subsequent orders in South America. So when Argentina and Brazil made their requests, we did have 'inventory'—not ready-made warships, but ready-made production lines, ready-made processes, and ready-made talent."
Major General Santos was silent for a few seconds, then smiled—a smile of admiration.
"So you planned this from the beginning? Not just to build a few ships and make some money, but to establish... a sustainable shipbuilding industry?"
"A sustainable defense industry," Wang Wenwu corrected. "Your Excellency, Lanfang is a small country, with a population only one-tenth that of Brazil and a territory only one-thousandth that of Brazil. Our only advantage is our ability to concentrate our resources on major undertakings. And shipbuilding is one of the major undertakings we have chosen."
"What about the Super Dreadnought-class?" Rear Admiral Santos pressed. "Brazil signed letters of intent for four ships, but is the design actually complete?"
Wang Wenwu pulled a document from his briefcase. It was only three pages long and contained preliminary parameters for the "Nanyang-class" battleships—an internal designation; when sold internationally, they would be called the "Super Dreadnought-class."
Main guns: 8 x 356mm/45 caliber guns, mounted in four twin turrets. Armor: 350mm main armor belt, angled at 18 degrees. Propulsion: oil-fired boilers, four steam turbines, designed speed 25 knots. Displacement: 28000 tons standard, 32000 tons full load.
Major General Santos quickly glanced at the list: "Cost?"
"The initial estimate is £580 million per ship. But this is the price in 1910; if construction had started in 1913, it could have risen to £600 million."
"How much better is its performance than the Orion-class?"
"Firepower and protection are 20% stronger, speed is 6% stronger, and range is 15% stronger. Most importantly—" Wang Wenwu pointed to the power system section, "oil-fired boiler. This means faster acceleration, cleaner exhaust, and fewer operators. At the same speed, fuel consumption is only half that of a coal-fired boiler."
Rear Admiral Santos took a deep breath. If these parameters were accurate, this class of warship would surpass the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers currently being designed by Britain, becoming the most powerful in the world—at least on paper.
"Can you really build it?"
"The first ship was delivered at the end of 1913," Wang Wenwu said. "The prerequisite was that Brazil signed a formal contract in the first half of 1911 and paid a 30% advance payment. We needed this money to improve the design and expand the dry dock."
"The pressure is immense," Rear Admiral Santos said, closing the file. "Minister Wang, Brazil is a large country, but also a poor one. Four Super Dreadnought-class destroyers cost over 23 million pounds. That's equivalent to ten years of the Brazilian Navy's total budget."
"So Brazil needs allies," Wang Wenwu said bluntly. "Argentina bought four Dreadnought-class destroyers, Chile has two, and Peru and Colombia are also contacting us. The arms race in the South Pacific has already begun, and if Brazil doesn't keep up, it will fall behind."
"Following suit will lead to bankruptcy."
"That depends on what Brazil values more," Wang Wenwu said. "Is it temporary financial difficulties or long-term regional dominance?"
The conversation paused here. In the distance, the sound of a ship's horn could be heard; the "Saint Paul" was testing its steam turbines, white steam billowing from its chimneys.
"Minister Wang," Major General Santos concluded, "I will report this truthfully to Rio de Janeiro. But my personal suggestion is... Brazil should sign this contract. Because in the next thirty years, there will be no more than five countries in the world capable of building warships of this caliber. And you are probably the only ones willing to sell to Brazil."
"Thank you for your trust, Major General." Wang Wenwu extended his hand. "So, may we begin the handover ceremony now?"
"Can."
The handover ceremony was held at the dock and was very simple. There were no foreign diplomats, no media reporters, only delegations from both sides and representatives of the shipbuilding workers. Wang Wenwu and Major General Santos signed the handover documents, exchanged texts, and then shook hands.