"The British are indeed unwilling to be lonely and chase after them. Even the Japanese are stronger than in history!" After a rough scan of the collected information, the prince had to sigh at the depth of the British. Sometimes they lacked a little in theory, but once they recognized the direction and rely on their strong scientific and technological strength and industrial foundation, the British could quickly smooth out the gap between the two sides. Now, they do the same!

The Japanese really started this British naval technological revolution. During the Battle of the Philippines, the Japanese experienced the strength of the Asama-class armored cruisers. While their ambitions and self-confidence were extremely expanding, they did not forget the potential danger. Although they relied on deception to obtain four German armored cruisers this time, they successfully survived the crisis and made great achievements, but they also knew very well that once the relationship between Germany and Russia eased, it would be difficult for Japan to obtain new warships from Germany.

When the news of Russia ordering a new generation of super warships from Germany came out, the Japanese finally couldn't help but ask the UK to purchase a new generation of battleships the next day. And they require that their performance data in all aspects should not be lower than that of Russia ordering a new generation of warships from Germany!

When the initial order was issued, the Japanese were not clear about the data on Russian ordering warships, so they decided to set up the warships they ordered in the future based on the Asama number. Because they are battleships, they must have a 12-inch main gun. Based on practical experience, the Japanese believed that the second-level main gun was also needed. The former had a better damage effect (although they could not wear the main armor belt, the larger caliber cannon has better damage effect on the superstructure.) and the latter had a faster fire rate.

While requiring the warship to have two double-unit 12-inch guns, the Japanese required that this class of battleships also had a second-level main gun. However, on the issue of the second-level main gun, the Japanese and the British had a dispute. According to the British, since the Armstrong 8-inch gun sold to you was used well, then continue to use it. It is cheap and has a high firing rate. Each battleship can only install a double-unit 8-inch turret in each corner.

But the Japanese disagreed because they suddenly discovered that the dual-equipped 10-inch l45 main gun developed by the British for the first-class new second-class battleship had a good fire rate. They hoped to replace the dual-equipped 8-inch gun with a dual-equipped 10-inch gun. The British thought about it and felt that there was no reason to return the door-to-door business, so they said that they could, and then gave the Japanese a high price that was almost unacceptable, 1.2 million pounds!

Faced with high prices and performance, the Japanese finally compromised. They adopted a compromise design, and still deployed second-class main guns at 4 corners, but replaced the dual-mounted 10-inch gun with a single-mounted turret. At the same time, a large number of 6-inch guns were used to make up for the insufficient firepower. Compared with the 10-inch gun that requires complex servo equipment, the 6-inch gun is much more convenient. Basically, the loading and pitch control are manpower.

Therefore, two battleships with similar battleships in the later period, almost in the later years, started construction at the Armstrong Shipyard in the United Kingdom. The two battleships were named Kazuna and Kashima. The two battleships had a displacement of up to 15,000 tons and were equipped with two double-mounted 12-inch turrets, four single-mounted 10-inch l40 turrets, up to 14 first-class 6-inch cannons, and a large number of 12-pound anti-lightning guns. The main armor belt is 9 inches, which is sufficient in height.

The turret and command tower are 10 inches thick. There are dome armors with thicknesses between 3 inches and 2 inches to provide protection. Moreover, this class of battleships must be at high speed according to Japan's requirements, and at least the same speed as the two second-class battleships, Fuji and Hachishima. Therefore, the British also learned from Germany and used kerosene mixed boilers, and designed speeds of more than 19 knots! It is a fairly appropriate battleship, at least better than the self-produced warships of the French and Russians.

In history, Hase and others disappeared into the long river of history. According to the contract signed by the British and Japanese, at least 4 warships of this class will be built, but what is unexpected is that the Japanese regretted the two warships as soon as they started construction. The reason is that they obtained the specific data of the four super warships built by Germany for Russia! The Liurik level 2 super warship, which has 4 12-inch l40 guns and 4 10-inch l40 guns, showed sharp fangs to the Japanese. The Kasui-class battleship was already behind the times before it was launched...

So, the Japanese who were anxious and red-eyed no longer cared about the money issue. They urgently asked the British to come up with a weapon that completely overwhelmed their opponents. The British were not vague and decided to increase the second-class main gun of the Kasui-class battleship to 12! Therefore, the Satsuma-class battleship in history once again appeared on the drawing board of the British Design Institute. There were two double-mounted 12-inch turrets at the beginning and the tail, and there were 6 double-mounted 10-inch turrets on the side of the hull. Other data remained basically the same, and the tonnage of this class of battleships successfully increased to 19,000 tons! From the perspective of performance, it almost reached the peak of the quasi-dreadnought in history!

"The progress of history is almost five years ahead of schedule." After reading the information, the prince had a rough assessment in his mind. It is worth noting that the British seemed to be considering the design of the dreadnought, because among the alternative Satsuma-class battleships designed by White for the Japanese, there was a plan that all used 12-inch main guns. The artillery layout of this plan refers to the Invincible Class of later generations, and four double main guns distributed in quadrilaterals formed his main firepower. But for some reason, the British finally gave up this plan, and it is said that Japan was not aware of it... The meaning of this is intriguing.

The Japanese ordered 4 battleships, 2 Kato-class battleships, 2 Satsuma-class battleships, plus 2 Fuji-class second-class battleships, 4 Asama-class first-class armored cruisers and 1 captured armored cruiser Carlos V. Before 1903, the Japanese had at least 6 battleships and 5 armored cruisers. In terms of quantity, the number was smaller than in history. (The premise is that no additional orders were added) But in terms of quality, the Japanese fleet in this plane could easily crush the Japanese Fleet of 68 in history. There is no way, the concept is almost a generation short of the past, can the standard pre-dreadnought and quasi-dreadnought, compare?

Of course, the prince just checks out these things. After all, as long as the ship is sold, what does Japan and Russia have to do with the prince? Anyway, depending on the situation of the Russians, it is unlikely to order warships from Germany. What the prince really cares about is the cruisers built by the British for themselves. You must know that Germany will face the Royal Navy in the future. These cruisers may be of no use in the war in the North Sea, but it is a huge threat to the attack ships deployed by the Allies outside!
Chapter completed!