Laid before Wilhelm II was the exterior blueprint of the New-style Battleship Oscar had designed. Though this New-style Battleship still existed only on paper, the shock it brought Wilhelm II was no less profound.
Although Wilhelm II had not come from a naval background, it was precisely through his support and insistence that the German Navy had begun to develop rapidly. That made Wilhelm II something of a half-expert.
"The Battleship Oscar designed is completely different from previous Battleships! It has done away with secondary guns, adopted heavy guns across the board, and they are even Triple Turrets." Wilhelm II frowned.
The Battleships the German Navy had already completed or begun constructing all carried main guns of two different calibers. Moreover, they were basically twin turrets; Triple Turrets had never been attempted.
For the German Navy, both the All-big-gun Armament and Triple Turrets were brand-new things. Not to mention that this warship used a combination of Oil-fired Boilers and a Steam Turbine for propulsion. The German Navy had never attempted that either.
However, Wilhelm II saw the uniqueness of this Battleship.
"This type of Battleship seems far more formidable than existing Battleships. Once it is completed and enters service, it will bring enormous benefits to the German Navy's strength." Wilhelm II muttered. Of course, those technical difficulties would not be easy to overcome. But that did not prevent Wilhelm II from recognizing the advanced nature of this New-style Battleship. He vaguely felt that this was the trend of future Battleship development.
"Essen, go see whether Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz is still here. If he is, have him come see me immediately." After a slight hesitation, Wilhelm II made up his mind. If this type of Battleship was to be built, it had to receive Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz's approval. Naturally, Wilhelm II also wanted to learn from Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz whether this Battleship could be put into construction and whether they possessed the technical conditions to build it.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Essen von Jonath immediately went to find someone.
More than ten minutes later, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz arrived at Wilhelm II's office.
"Your Majesty, you truly work tirelessly for the Empire. You did not even have time to attend the Christmas dinner." The moment they met, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz sent over a bout of flattery.
Wilhelm II waved a hand, though he was still quite pleased inwardly.
"The Empire is facing a tremendous crisis right now. I must devote all my energy to state affairs. As for banquets and the like, there will be plenty of time for them after we defeat our enemies."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz praised.
"Your Excellency, take a look. This is the Christmas gift Oscar gave me. I hear he designed this Battleship himself—a New-style Battleship unlike anything before it, different from all the Battleships we have had until now." Wilhelm II said with some pride.
If Oscar's design proved successful, would that not mean Oscar was also a genius in warship design? Naturally, that put Wilhelm II in a good light. The son he had always looked down upon possessed such great talent—truly an unexpected delight!
"A New-style Battleship designed by Prince Oskar?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz's eyes immediately lit up. If he had once regarded Oscar with disdain, then after their conversation at the dinner, his impression of Oscar had undergone a fundamental change.
Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz promptly walked over to the desk. When he saw the Battleship blueprints on it, he too was stunned.
"Three Triple Turrets, secondary guns removed, and both the ram at the bow and the Torpedo launch tubes eliminated. The hull layout is much more compact." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz immediately spotted what set this New-style Battleship apart.
Wilhelm II nodded. "That is not all. In the notes, Oscar also believes this Battleship should use a combination of Oil-fired Boilers and a Steam Turbine, raising its speed to over twenty-one knots."
"Oil-fired Boilers and a Steam Turbine? We do have research in this area, but we have not achieved much success. Especially the Steam Turbine—apart from the British having experience using it aboard large warships, no other country has experience in this regard." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz frowned.
"Your Excellency, is this New-style Battleship much more advanced than existing Battleships?" Wilhelm II asked.
Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded. "The All-big-gun Armament layout is indeed refreshing. However, secondary guns remain extremely important in naval warfare. The Sino-Japanese War of old undoubtedly proved that. If everything is replaced with heavy guns, I fear it may be impossible to guarantee the Battleship's firepower."
The Battle of Tsushima had yet to begin, and the navies of every nation were still feeling their way forward in Battleship development. Even the British did not dare assert the direction naval development would take. Before the Dreadnought, they had also built a great many Pre-dreadnoughts equipped with secondary guns.
"As for Oil-fired Boilers and the Steam Turbine, although we still face technical bottlenecks in this area, we can entirely substitute Coal-fired Boilers and Triple-expansion Steam Engines. At most, that will have a certain impact on the Battleship's speed." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz continued.
Wilhelm II nodded lightly. "Why does Oscar believe that Battleships with an All-big-gun Armament are the direction of future development?"
"Your Majesty, perhaps this is merely Your Highness's own view. At the dinner, I spoke with Your Highness for quite some time. I must admit that Your Highness possesses an exceptionally clear understanding of the future international situation and the direction of naval development. He is even more farsighted than many of the Empire's senior figures. Perhaps this time, his proposition truly is correct!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said approvingly.
Wilhelm II was taken aback. He had not expected Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to think so highly of Oscar.
"Essen, go find Oscar. I want to ask him what exactly he is thinking." Wilhelm II ordered.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness is probably no longer in the banquet hall. Not long after our conversation ended, he left. He does not seem to enjoy such occasions. Among all the Princes, and even among the younger generation, that makes him a lone pine standing apart. There are already very few young people able to endure solitude like that."
Wilhelm II paused, then said, "Even if he has already gone to sleep, wake him up."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Essen von Jonath nodded and immediately sent someone to find Oscar.
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