The Power Company (Seeking Collection)

In naval combat, larger main gun caliber undoubtedly provides an advantage. Oscar hopes that Miss Beta Krupp, and future leaders of the Krupp Company, will understand this and intensify research into large-caliber main guns, so that Germany no longer lags behind the British in this regard.

In this era, the German Navy was clearly at a disadvantage in main gun caliber. They faced British 305mm, 343mm, and 381mm guns with their own 280mm, 305mm, and 380mm weapons. Although the superior quality of German military industry allowed the German Navy to hold its own even with smaller calibers, and the British Navy's shell fuse issues gave Germany an edge, if the German Navy had matched the British in main gun caliber from the start, wouldn't their chances of victory be even greater?

Now, Oscar undoubtedly hopes to use his own efforts to accelerate the development of Germany's military industry, so that Germany can have a greater chance of victory in future wars.

"Hopefully Miss Krupp will keep her promise and speed up the development of large-caliber main guns," Oscar couldn't help thinking as he got into the car for the return trip. Although Miss Beta Krupp was an outstanding businesswoman, she still lacked boldness. Unfortunately, Gustav had not yet married into the Krupp family. Otherwise, cooperating with Gustav Krupp would have been less problematic. As a leader who could take the Krupp military-industrial empire to new heights, Gustav Krupp was undoubtedly more visionary.

Oscar gave the Krupp Company two years to develop the new large-caliber main gun. The expansion of the German Shipyard wouldn't be finished until the second half of the year, and only then would construction of the Nassau-class battleships begin. For the German Shipyard, which had never built a battleship before, two years should be enough to launch the Nassau-class. By then, the large-caliber main guns developed by Krupp would be ready for fitting.

An excellent battleship should balance speed, firepower, and defense. Overemphasizing any one aspect would severely compromise its performance.

With armor and main guns both entrusted to the Krupp Company, the defense and firepower issues of the Nassau-class were essentially solved. As long as Krupp kept its promises and didn't falter at critical moments, there should be no problems.

The remaining factor was speed, which depended entirely on the battleship's propulsion system.

The Nassau-class battleship Oscar designed used a combination of oil-fired boilers and steam turbines. This would maximize the ship's power, giving it stronger propulsion, higher speed, and greater range.

For steam turbines, Oscar had already sent people to the United States to acquire the technology for the Curtis steam turbine. At the time, Curtis's invention had not received much attention, leaving his company struggling. On the verge of bankruptcy, it was the perfect time to strike. Facing a purchase offer from Germany, Curtis had no choice but to accept.

Once the full set of related technology was obtained, German engineers could be assembled to develop even more powerful steam turbines based on it.

As for oil-fired boilers, Oscar had to commission the largest boiler manufacturer for German military warships, the Sulzer Boiler Company, to develop them. Oil-fired boilers were far superior to coal-fired ones. Storing fuel oil on a warship was also much easier than storing coal.

Although Germany lacked oil, its boiler manufacturers had technical reserves in oil-fired boilers. However, this didn't suit Germany's national conditions, so previously produced boilers were almost all coal-fired. After all, Germany's Ruhr region had abundant coal resources, unlike oil, which required imports. This avoided the risk of being cut off in wartime.

Oscar placed an order for 48 oil-fired boilers with the Sulzer Boiler Company in one go, greatly boosting their morale. The profit from 48 oil-fired boilers was already substantial, even if they still needed to invest in key technologies for development. But for the Sulzer Boiler Company, this was nothing.

Moreover, Oscar assured them that the 48 boilers were only the first batch. In the future, the German Shipyard would purchase even more oil-fired boilers. Of course, Oscar also demanded that the Sulzer Boiler Company invest more in research and development to produce better-performing boilers.

As warship tonnage increased, armor would grow thicker, and main gun weight would rise. Under these circumstances, more powerful boilers and steam turbines were needed to drive them. Otherwise, the battleship's speed would be severely affected.

In combat, this could mean being unable to catch up to enemy ships or escape pursuit—a nearly fatal flaw.

The Sulzer Boiler Company readily agreed to Oscar's demands. They were eager to secure a cooperation agreement with the German Shipyard, a major client, as it would bring them greater profits.

At the end of January 1905, Oscar left Berlin for Augsburg in Bavaria. His goal was to recruit a technical expert to join his new company.

Yes, Oscar was now planning to establish his own company. The name was already decided: the German Power Manufacturing Company. Its main products would include various engines—automobile engines, warship steam turbines, aircraft engines, and submarine diesel engines.

Although the company was registered and recruitment had begun, it still lacked a technical heavyweight to hold things together. So Oscar set his sights on Diesel, the father of the diesel engine.

As the inventor of the diesel engine, Diesel was undoubtedly a genius. His invention had propelled humanity forward in the field of engines. If he joined Oscar's company, it would undoubtedly lead to greater achievements in diesel engine technology. Future tank engines and submarine engines would all rely on diesel power.

Of course, Oscar also had another goal: to save this genius, Diesel, from leaving the world prematurely.