Veto

"Your Highness, although we have begun research into oil-fired boilers and Steam Turbines, we have yet to make any breakthrough progress. Nor do we have any experience in this area. The Battleships we built previously all used Coal-fired Boilers and Triple-expansion Steam Engines. If we rashly adopt oil-fired boilers and Steam Turbines, I fear neither their performance nor reliability can be guaranteed." Bruckner, chief engineer of the Naval Technical Committee, voiced his opinion.

"Oil-fired boilers and Steam Turbines are indeed new things. But we cannot dismiss their performance merely because they are new, can we? The British have long since tested Steam Turbines on large warships, and the results have been quite excellent. This shows that Steam Turbines outperform Triple-expansion Steam Engines and may even represent the future direction of development. Even if we lack experience in this field, we can begin research and trials now. I believe that with the German Empire's technological strength, making breakthroughs in this area will not be a problem. I hope we will not allow the British to leave us too far behind in this regard," Oscar said.

"Oscar, if we use oil-fired boilers, does that not mean we will consume enormous quantities of heavy oil? Germany lacks petroleum. If war breaks out and our overseas trade routes for imported oil are severed, the consequences will be unthinkable. Therefore, I believe Coal-fired Boilers would be better." Crown Prince Wilhelm jumped out to speak. He seemed to have forgotten that, when the Demonstration Conference began, he had said he had brought only his eyes and ears. Now, he had cast his own words to the back of his mind.

"Oil-fired boilers possess major advantages over Coal-fired Boilers. Although Germany lacks petroleum, we can stockpile as much oil as possible before the war. That way, once war breaks out, we will have sufficient oil to use. As long as our navy can defeat the British in a naval battle and break through their blockade, then nothing will be a problem," Oscar continued.

He knew that Germany itself had several oil fields as well. However, their output was low, and they were difficult to exploit. Under current technological conditions, extraction was extremely difficult. Thus, stockpiling sufficient oil before the war was the best solution. In any case, as long as the German Navy won, all problems would naturally be solved. If the German Navy lost, then none of it would have any meaning anyway.

"Your Highness, what do you think of this Battleship designed by Prince Oskar?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked.

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

Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded. He knew full well the gap between the German Navy and the British Navy, and he also knew that if the German Navy wished to defeat the British Navy, it had to blaze a trail beyond convention. Yet from the current situation, the experts of the Naval Technical Committee clearly held many objections to Oscar's design. This made turning Oscar's design into reality exceedingly difficult.

Of course, if Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz used their authority to forcibly push through the construction of the New-style Battleship, no one else could do anything but pinch their noses and accept it. However, that would be a grave trampling of the German Navy's traditions and regulations, triggering a whole series of problems.

"Your Excellency, can we overcome those novel aspects of Prince Oskar's design?" Prince Heinrich asked.

If an outstanding naval warship designer emerged from the imperial family, it would undoubtedly be a source of pride for the family. Prince Heinrich was also happy to see such a thing happen.

"There are some problems, but if we concentrate our efforts on tackling them, they will not be too serious," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

"Then what comes next depends on the Naval Technical Committee's decision." Prince Heinrich sighed.

"Gentlemen, do you still have any doubts?" Count von Warren asked.

"Your Highness, I noticed that the Battleship you designed uses 305mm Main Guns. However, at present we only possess the old-fashioned 305mm Main Guns. Those guns are not very powerful, their range is not particularly great, and their rate of fire is low. Their overall performance is even inferior to Krupp's 280mm 45-caliber guns. Therefore, I believe using Krupp's 280mm guns would be more appropriate," Commodore Gussad said.

"Krupp's 280mm Main Guns do indeed perform very well. However, the disadvantage of their small caliber will greatly affect the armor-piercing capability of their shells. They will face enormous limitations against heavily armored enemy Battleships. Given the strength of Krupp Company, developing 305mm Main Guns as soon as possible should not be a problem, should it? As far as I know, the British have already widely adopted 305mm Main Guns. They are even developing 343mm Main Guns of still larger caliber. In terms of main-gun caliber, we are quite far behind the British," Oscar countered.

No, we cannot let Oscar continue. Otherwise, those experts may be persuaded by him. Crown Prince Wilhelm grew secretly anxious.

"Gentlemen, the time is about up. Prince Oskar has already addressed your doubts. Then you can draw your conclusions now, can you not?" Crown Prince Wilhelm asked with a smile.

The experts of the Naval Technical Committee immediately began to deliberate.

"I am very sorry, Your Highness, but I believe we should still be more cautious. Your design is a little too bold," Sir Dietrich said.

"Your Highness's design employs many new technologies, technologies that we have not yet mastered. Furthermore, there is no evidence whatsoever demonstrating the advantages of All-big-gun Armament. Therefore, I believe this design should undergo further review." Bruckner also opposed Oscar's proposal.

Afterward, the other experts voiced their opinions one after another. Not a single one supported Oscar's design.

"Your Highness, the Naval Technical Committee's opinion is already very clear. Your design may perhaps be correct. However, under the current circumstances, it is unsuitable. Therefore, it cannot be approved for the time being," Count von Warren, chairman of the Naval Technical Committee, said.

"Oscar, do not be discouraged. Although your design has been vetoed, you are still young. You will have plenty of opportunities in the future," Crown Prince Wilhelm consoled him. Yet Oscar clearly saw the undisguised gloating in his eyes.