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It has been a week ever since I and Einstein combined our effort to develop new equipment for the Belkan Army. During the said week, Dreamer and Mobius also swung by our office, depositing their plans for screening. Many of them include designs for infantry armor systems, auxiliary armaments, and weapon accessories...
Dreamer, in particular, has also notified me that the first sets of factories and shipyards have been converted to produce upcoming modern equipment. She cited that the process was made quicker due to an influx in the workforce after the war went into hiatus. By the time the void reactor completes its trial run, our heavy industries will be ready to receive new orders from the government. It will take a few months for that to happen so right now, I am off to supervise one of the shipyards with Admiral Donitz. It's imperative that the workers are well-trained in the new construction method as we don't want any defects in the final product.
"As you can see here your Highness, the work environment has been revamped according to your specifications. We have made sure that the shipyard and its auxiliary components have sufficient lighting and safety measures have been raised to the highest degrees." Admiral Donitz introduced me to the shipyard. Standing on a raised platform, we have a bird-eye view of the manufacturing facility below.
The shipyard is clean, for an industry that is, and the workers move in an organized manner with a clear purpose in mind. Of course, with the nature of their work, all of them are decked in protective gear, a bit stuffy, yes, but they all don't seem to mind it that much. Rather, they have a spirited expression and their steps have a certain strength to them.
Admiral Donitz then goes on to say. "They are in high morale, mainly due to the fact that their working condition is drastically improved, their wages and hazard benefits are now better. All of them are grateful for the importance the Reich has placed on their lives and works, so, they want to repay it by doing their best. This sentiment is shared by the entire industrial sector, not just this shipyard alone, your Highness."
"I see." I nod with a smile, watching with fascination as the dock workers band together to make armor for our warships. They have a strange rhythm that is much like a choreographed dance.
"The Reichsmarine will be strong with them supporting us." I gave Admiral Donitz my compliment. After all, the Admiral is the one that helped me revamp the shipbuilding industry.
The Admiral bows. "I only do what I must for the Reich, your Highness."
The Admiral then leads me to a meeting room, knowing that it's time to discuss paperwork. There, the Admiral and I take a seat at the conference table while being served coffee. After making ourselves comfortable, I have Erika place the required plans and blueprints on the table for both of us to peruse. The Admiral takes a look at them all before commenting.
"This is crazy, insane, and everything that is synonyms to them... And I fucking love it!"
I snicker at his choice of words, nonetheless, it seems like my sale pitch got his vest interested. "Though it will take time to build up a proper fleet with these designs, the end result will be a fleet of unquestionable quality and might. It will take the enemy years to even hope to catch up with us in our naval capability, that is if they still exist in the future."
The Admiral nods as he envisions the future of naval warfare with these ships in play. There are currently seven primary designs, each is capable of changing the doctrine of the Belkan Navy on its own.
The first is a design for an aircraft carrier, one that, on paper, is no different than a floating fortress. With a displacement of 95000 tons and holding up to 90 aircraft, the Yggdrasil-class aircraft carrier will be the proud jewel of the Reichsmarine. The carrier has an angled armored flight deck with four mana-electric catapults, a cruiser-like hull, four rudders, and four shafts, and is slated to be fitted with eight miniaturized void reactors. At full combat load, the ship is prospected to be able to go up to 33.5 knots. It's such a ridiculous speed that put some cruisers to shame. The Yggdrasil has a defensive armament of 6 x twin 150mm L/55 dual-purpose turrets, 32 x Gepard 57mm turrets, and 8 Gepard 30mm Gatling turrets with numerous smaller 20mm guns.
"It's just that the Yggdrasil-class will take a lot of effort and manpower to get one up and running."
I add. "The crew count per ship will be at least 5000. The construction of a Yggdrasil will require the biggest shipyards we have available. Right now, we only have three such shipyards, each can only build one Yggdrasil in a span of more than one year, two years at max."
Admiral Donitz interjects. "Counting the necessary tests and shakedown cruise, we will be barely able to fully field them in five years." Shaking his head, Donitz says. "That's such a tight timeframe."
I just grin. "Yes, but it will be worth it. With them working together with other ships, we will have three capital strike groups that can project power all across the globe, 24/7, with minimal supplies. These upcoming ships," I point at the blueprints on the table. "don't need refueling with a void reactor as the power generator."
"I can see the benefits they provide, especially so when we aim to expand to a worldwide scale. Though I think my personal favorite will be this design." Admiral Donitz grasps a blueprint before showing it to me.
I chuckle, knowing the reason why he likes it. "Well, it's a bold design, even in my book."
"Bayern-class battle carrier, also capable of fulfilling the role of an amphibious assault ship. A large island superstructure to starboard, decked to the teeth with auxiliary guns, with an angled flight-deck 2/3rds of the length of the total deck; the foredeck will be taken up with its main armament."
"Aye, displacing 52000 tons at 32 knots, the main armament is a pair of twin 380mm, carrying 32 aircraft, and has a well deck to facilitate amphibious warfare. She also can go to places with six reactors and four shafts. This is the wet dream of all captains and admirals and I intend to build at least eight of them."
Admiral Donitz laughs boisterously at the way I worded it. "Let's not forget her secondary weapons, a pair of 150mm dual-purpose, 8 Gepard 57mm, and 3 Gepard 30mm on each side of the ship. Oh, and the 20mm autocannons, let's not forget about them."
"Now then, on to the next one, the Bismarck-class battleship. You must have figured that it's based on the hull we secured at Arash." I said, to which the Admiral nodded.
"Though the future of naval warfare lies in the capability to engage a target at a stand-off distance, hence the Yggdrasil and Bayern designs, the ability to constantly bombard an enemy shore, at a cheap price, is too good to let go off. Hence, it's a given that we will be putting in limited production for these bad girls."
I take a breather before saying. "The ship has a displacement of 60000 tons, armored heavily in an All-or-nothing scheme, it has eight reactors and four shafts, giving it a top speed of 33 knots. The main armament is comprised of 3 x quad 432mm 57 caliber gun turrets, positioned in an A, B, X format. While the secondary armament is 8 x twin 150mm L/55 dual-purpose turrets, 48 Gepard 57mm, 6 Gepard 30mm, and numerous smaller 20mm autocannons. Complimentary weapons include 10 x 533mm torpedo tubes and two anti-submarine rocket launchers."
"It's a floating fortress." Admiral Donitz commented.
"That's the plan, can't have them sink when they are considered morale boosters."
"Having them paired up with the Bayerns will be a good idea. That or just stick them with a Yggdrasil, double the trouble for any enemy." The Admiral proposed and I can see the benefits in doing that.
"With the capital classes out of the way, I think it's about time we take a closer look at the workhorses of the fleet." The Admiral helped me put away the capital designs, leaving behind the design for a heavy cruiser, light cruiser, destroyer, and submarine.
We then trade our opinions on the designs, having made it clear that they are a must-have for any strike group. Finally, we settle for these specifications.
The heavy cruiser, Hindenburg-class, has a displacement of 20000 tons, thanks to its three reactors and three shafts, it can go to a speed of 33 knots. The main armament will be 4 x three 203mm turrets in an A, B, X, Y format. While secondary guns will comprise 4 x twin 128 mm L/61 dual-purpose turrets, 4 x Gepard 57mm, 2 x Gepard 30mm, and 24 x 20mm autocannons. Auxiliary armament will include 4 x 4 533m torpedo tubes. Its survivability is approaching the upper limit of what's acceptable for a heavy cruiser.
The light cruiser, Munchen-class, is lighter than the Hindenburg by a lot, sitting at 13000 tons. It has six reactors powering three shafts, letting it has a top speed of 37 knots. Of course, its armor will be more lacking than the Hindenburg to reach a speed limited to the destroyer class, yet, its armament is no slouch. Armed with 6 x twin 150mm L/55 dual-purpose turrets, 12 x Gepard 57mm, 6 x Gepard 30mm, 24 x 20mm autocannons, 4 x 4 533mm torpedo tubes, one anti-submarine rocket launchers, and lastly suite of depth-charge projectors. This is not a light cruiser you want to underestimate for it can chase you to the other side of the Earth.
Up next will be the destroyer, Elbing-class with a displacement of 2000 tons. These are the hunter-killer of the fleet with a staggering speed of 40 knots owing to their four reactors and two shafts. Armed with 4 x twin 128mm L/61 dual-purpose turrets in an A, B, X, Y format. Complimented by 4 x Gepard 57mm, 2 x Gepard 30mm, two quintuple 533mm torpedo tubes, an anti-sub rocket launcher, and a suite of depth-charge projector or mine laying/clearing equipment. With a capability like that, they will the first ship of the fleet to make contact with the enemy.
Last but not least is our submarine design, the Nassau-class. This is probably the most classified design that I've ever made. Displacing 1800 tons on surfaced and 2000 tons submerged, the Nassau has six reactors and three shafts, giving it a 21 knots top speed on the surface. When submerged, it has a top speed of 18 knots and a silent-running speed of 10 knots. Thanks to the void reactors, it's extremely silent and the cigar-shaped hull only serves to further lower its signature. The Nassau has six bow and two aft torpedo tubes with a total complement of thirty torpedoes. It has a small aft bay for mine deployment and decoy units. In the future, it can be upgraded to hold a few sub-launched missiles with the removal of the aft deployment bay.
Of course, all of the designs are made with some special traits when compared to contemporary fleets. First, their superstructures and hulls are very angular to maintain a small radar signature. Second, without the need for a boiler room and smokestack, these ships have a lot of room to be updated in the future, ensuring their life expectancy and combat effectiveness. Given enough time, these designs can be fitted with anti-surface and anti-air missiles. Third, and this is a rehash of the old information, all of these vessels are powered by void reactors. Meaning they have an unlimited operational range for a nigh unlimited amount of time, as long as they don't sink that is.
Yes, they will be an expensive investment, but the cost of maintaining them will be much lower than the fleet we're having right now. That said, we also have settled for a standard strike group formation.
A carrier or expeditionary strike group will have:
Strike leader: 1 Yggdrasil-class aircraft carrier or 1 Bayern-class battlecarrier.
Optional sub-leader: 1 Bismarck-class battleship or 1 Bayern-class battlecarrier.
One to two Hindenburg-class heavy cruisers.
Two to three Munchen-class light cruisers.
Three to four Elbing-class destroyers.
One to two Nassau-class submarines.
Two to three auxiliary vessels.
That said, a strike group of this scale is nigh unbeatable against other naval forces. They're perhaps too advanced and the force multiplier that is the upcoming jet and multirole aircraft that I've been cooking up will be too much for this era. Well, no such kill is overkill, I say.
To wrap up this fruitful day, we also agree to modernize our current naval ships up to the new standard. An example would be the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau receiving the same twin 380mm SK C/34 turrets as the Bayern. Their secondaries will be replaced for a suite of 9 x twin 128mm L/61 dual-purpose and their anti-air guns revamped to the Gepard standard. This refit will be implemented fleet-wide for it to maintain operational integrity in the future.
At the end of the discussion, almost approaching dinner time, Admiral Donitz escorts me back to my vehicle. Along the way, he suddenly says as if finally remembering a piece of news.
"Oh right, your Highness, I heard words that the Long Dynasty is getting restless, and they want to modernize their military."
I respond with a raised eyebrow. "The Chinese? Well, that's not surprising considering the Imperial Japanese is raising a ruckus."
"Aye, and I think sooner or later, they will come to us to buy some hardware."
Frowning, I say. "Though I've expected this, I don't think they will be doing this soon."
Admiral Donitz adds. "We are on good terms with them so having them procure weapons from us will be a great deal for both sides, judging from our upcoming developments. Yet, no doubt that the Japanese will be coming to us in protest sooner or later."
I sigh. "I have my own ways to deal with them, right now though, I just want to take some rest. You should too, Admiral."
The Admiral nods, having escorted me to Erika's assembled convoy. "Have a good night, your Highness."
I just wave at him as I mount the Mercedes. Letting out a tired sigh, I think to myself.
"All the time in the world and I put 90% of them into work. Better do this now for a long vacation in the future, I guess."