Battlecruiser

"Father Emperor, Your Excellency, these are the blueprints for the Battlecruiser I designed for the Empire." As he spoke, Oscar spread the blueprints for the Battlecruiser he had designed across the desk.

Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz were both taken aback. Clearly, neither had expected Oscar to have completed the design so long ago.

"Oskar, you really came prepared!" Wilhelm II said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness had everything prepared long ago. Before this, he was merely trying to persuade us!" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz wore a broad smile as well.

"Of course. That is called making preparations in advance," Oscar said with a laugh.

"However, Father Emperor, Your Excellency, the Battlecruiser was not my invention. The British have likely already completed the design plans for their first class of Battlecruisers. Construction should begin very soon as well. Therefore, we must pick up the pace." Oscar's expression turned solemn.

Oscar clearly remembered that the British Navy's first class of Battlecruisers, the Invincible-class Battlecruisers, had begun construction in 1906. However, aside from their high speed, the Invincible-class Battleships were garbage in every other respect. Although their four twin-mounted 305mm Main Guns had respectable firepower, the performance of British artillery left much to be desired. In another time and space, the Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy led by Admiral Hipper had blasted the British Navy's Battlecruiser Squadron to pieces. Those thin-skinned, overstuffed British Battlecruisers simply could not withstand a single blow before Battlecruisers that possessed both overwhelming firepower and astonishing defenses.

"The British are building Battlecruisers too?" Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz cried out in surprise.

If they had still held even the slightest doubts about building Battlecruisers before, those doubts had now vanished completely. How could a warship the British were preparing to construct possibly be inferior? Although Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz had both set their sights on surpassing the British Navy, they had to admit that the German Navy simply could not compare with the British Navy in foresight. If Oscar had not put forward his design at this critical moment, the German Navy would likely have been left far behind in this round of the arms race. By then, catching up to the British Navy would have become even more difficult.

"Yes, Father Emperor. The British also understood perfectly where their weaknesses lay. They urgently wished to build warships with powerful firepower and high speed to protect their maritime transport routes and prevent us from striking at them. That was why the British designed the Invincible-class Battlecruisers," Oscar said.

"Oskar, can the Battlecruisers you designed surpass the British Invincible-class Battlecruisers in performance?" Wilhelm II asked. Since the British were also going to build Battlecruisers, he naturally hoped that their Battlecruisers would outperform those of the British. Only then could the German Navy's advantage be guaranteed.

"Of course, Father Emperor. The British Navy's Invincible-class Battlecruisers have a full-load displacement of 20,700 tons and a maximum speed of 25.5 knots. Their armament consists of four twin-mounted 305mm Main Guns, sixteen single-mounted 102mm guns, and five submerged 450mm Torpedo tubes. In terms of protection, their main armor belt is 102 to 152mm thick. Their deck armor is 38 to 64mm thick. Their turret armor is 178mm, their conning tower armor is 254mm, and their torpedo bulkheads are 64mm thick," Oscar explained.

Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz could not help frowning.

"Looking at it this way, the Invincible-class Battlecruisers' defenses truly are not much to speak of. Armor of this thickness cannot even withstand medium-caliber main guns, much less the large-caliber main guns of Battleships." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz shook his head.

"This is the consequence of excessively pursuing firepower and speed. A maximum speed of 25.5 knots and four twin-mounted 305mm Main Guns are indeed formidable," Wilhelm II said.

"The British design philosophy likewise is not to use Battlecruisers for clashes in the battle line, but to deal with enemy cruisers. To put it bluntly, they fear that we will send cruisers to destroy their maritime transport routes. Based on that design philosophy, there is nothing wrong with their overall design. However, compared with our Battlecruisers, their overall strength falls somewhat far short." Oscar shook his head.

If Oscar had not been a transmigrator, he naturally would have had no way of knowing the future direction of British naval development in advance, much less making targeted preparations beforehand. This undoubtedly gave the German Navy an enormous advantage in this regard.

"Your Highness, please introduce your design proposal to us," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

"Very well, Your Excellency." Oscar nodded.

"The class of Battlecruisers I designed has a length of 165 meters, a beam of 26.6 meters, a draft of 8.9 meters, and a full-load displacement of 26,000 tons. Its armament consists of three triple-mounted 305mm 50-caliber Main Guns, ten single-mounted 150mm secondary guns, twelve 120mm Quick-firing Guns, and four 88mm Quick-firing Guns. Its power plant consists of eighteen improved Sulzer oil-fired boilers and four Steam Turbines, driving four shafts. It has a maximum output of 48,000 horsepower and a maximum speed of 26 knots. In terms of armor protection, the main armor belt is 305mm thick, the deck armor is 45mm thick, the frontal turret armor is 305mm thick, and the conning tower armor is 305mm thick," Oscar explained.

Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz nodded repeatedly. At least on paper, the Battlecruisers Oscar had designed completely crushed the British Invincible-class Battlecruisers. This was particularly true in terms of protection. Due to performance issues, the British 305mm Naval Guns might not necessarily be able to penetrate the German Navy Battlecruisers' 305mm armor. However, the armor of the Invincible-class Battlecruisers would be like papier-mâché before the German Navy Battlecruisers' 305mm Main Guns. Once hit, their armor would be torn open, followed by destruction.

"Oskar, we are very satisfied with this Battlecruiser," Wilhelm II said.

"Father Emperor, does that mean the Navy has decided to place an order?" Oscar could not help smiling.

"Your Highness, of course we must order such an excellent warship. However, the specific number to be ordered still requires further discussion," Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

For Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, this day had truly been blissful. Not only had he received four Nassau-class Battleships, but the construction of five Helgoland-class Battleships had also been finalized. Next, they would be ordering Battlecruisers as well. This would undoubtedly be an enormous boost to the strength of the German Navy.