Veto

"Your Highness, regarding oil-fired boilers and steam turbines—while we have indeed begun research in this area, we have yet to achieve any breakthroughs so far. Moreover, we lack experience in this field. All battleships built previously have used coal-fired boilers and triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines. To rashly adopt oil-fired boilers and steam turbines would leave performance and reliability far from guaranteed." Bruckner, Chief Engineer of the Naval Technical Committee, voiced his opinion.

"Oil-fired boilers and steam turbines are indeed new developments. But we cannot dismiss their performance simply because they are novel. The British have already tested steam turbines on large warships and achieved very favorable results. This shows that steam turbines outperform triple-expansion reciprocating engines and even represent the future direction of development. Even if we lack experience in this area, we can still begin research and trials from now on. I believe that, with the technological strength of the German Empire, breakthroughs in this field are entirely achievable. I hope we will not fall too far behind the British in this regard," Oscar said.

"Oskar, if we adopt oil-fired boilers, wouldn't that mean we consume vast amounts of heavy oil? Germany is short of petroleum. If war breaks out and our overseas trade routes for importing oil are cut off, the consequences would be disastrous. Therefore, I believe coal-fired boilers are the better choice." Crown Prince Wilhelm jumped in, seemingly having forgotten that at the start of the Demonstration Conference, he claimed he had only brought his eyes and ears. Now, he had cast those words aside.

"Oil-fired boilers have significant advantages over coal-fired ones. Although Germany lacks petroleum, we can stockpile as much oil as possible before the war. That way, once war breaks out, we will have enough oil to use. As long as our navy can defeat the British at sea and break their blockade, then none of this will be a problem," Oscar continued.

He knew that Germany did have some oil fields on its own soil, but their output was small and extraction difficult. Given the current state of technology, mining them was hardly feasible. Thus, stockpiling sufficient oil before the war became the best solution to the problem. After all, if the German Navy won, all issues would naturally resolve themselves. If the German Navy lost, then none of it would matter anyway.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the battleship design Prince Oskar has put forward?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked.

"Your Excellency, it appears to be a very fine battleship. Its performance and combat capability are both outstanding. If we could possess such battleships, the strength of the High Seas Fleet would be further enhanced," said Prince Heinrich, Commander of the High Seas Fleet.

Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded. He was well aware of the gap between the German Navy and the British Navy, and he knew that if the German Navy wanted to defeat the British, it would have to take an unconventional path. However, from the current situation, the experts of the Naval Technical Committee clearly had many reservations about Oscar's design. This made turning his design into reality extremely difficult.

Of course, if Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz used their authority to forcibly push for the construction of the new-style battleship, no one else could do anything but grudgingly accept it. But that would be a serious trampling of the German Navy's traditions and regulations, and would trigger a host of problems.

"Your Excellency, can we overcome the novel elements in Prince Oskar's design?" Prince Heinrich asked.

If a member of the royal family could emerge as an outstanding naval warship designer, it would undoubtedly be a source of pride for the House of Hohenzollern. Prince Heinrich was happy to see that possibility.

"There are some issues, but if we concentrate our efforts on tackling them, the problems won't be too great," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

"Then it comes down to the Naval Technical Committee's decision," Prince Heinrich sighed.

"Gentlemen, are there any further doubts on this matter?" Count von Wollen asked.

"Your Highness, I notice that the main guns on the battleship you designed are 305 mm. However, we currently only have older 305 mm guns. Those guns lack power, have short range, and a low rate of fire. Their overall performance is inferior to Krupp's 280 mm 45-caliber guns. Therefore, I believe adopting Krupp's 280 mm guns would be more appropriate," Commodore Gussad said.

"Krupp's 280 mm main guns are indeed excellent. But the disadvantage of a smaller caliber severely impacts the armor-piercing capability of the shells. Against enemy battleships with thick armor, they would be greatly limited. Given Krupp's capabilities, developing 305 mm main guns quickly shouldn't be a problem, should it? As far as I know, the British have already widely adopted 305 mm main guns. They are even developing larger 343 mm guns. In terms of main gun caliber, we have fallen considerably behind the British," Oscar countered.

"No, we can't let Oskar go on any longer, or those experts will be convinced by him," Crown Prince Wilhelm thought anxiously.

"Gentlemen, time is about up. Prince Oskar has addressed your doubts. So, can you now reach a conclusion?" Crown Prince Wilhelm asked with a smile.

The experts of the Naval Technical Committee began to ponder.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I believe we should be more cautious. Your design is a bit too bold," Sir Dietrich said.

"Your Highness's design incorporates many new technologies. We have not yet mastered any of them. Furthermore, there is no evidence to prove the superiority of all-big-gun armament. Therefore, I think this design should be reviewed again," Bruckner also opposed Oscar's view.

Then, the other experts voiced their opinions one by one. Not a single person supported Oscar's design.

"Your Highness, the opinion of the Naval Technical Committee is clear: your design may be correct, but under the current circumstances, it is unsuitable. Therefore, it cannot be approved for now," said Count von Wollen, Chairman of the Naval Technical Committee.

"Oskar, don't be discouraged. Even though your design was rejected, you are still young. There will be other opportunities," Crown Prince Wilhelm consoled him. But Oscar could clearly see the barely concealed schadenfreude in his eyes.