nucmednet Chapter 159 Amelianci Rules the Ocean
Chapter 159 Amelianci Rules the Ocean
Xinxiang, a colony thousands of kilometers from the mainland, gradually became a sizable town after the arrival of the Amerlanxi ocean-going colonization team. As the first new city in the New World, the Amerlanxi New World Affairs Department attached great importance to it, and over the years, ships have been constantly traveling between the two continents.
The "Great Western" was the first modern merchant ship that the Emerald West Shipyard II attempted to build, modeled after the "Liberty Ship," after it had built various types of ironclad warships and steel merchant ships. It was the first ship to use steel components and modern production methods.
After the war of unification ended, the western seas of Amerlane became safe, and foreign merchants flocked there for profit. Ships from Burnia, the Church, the Desert Empire, and the East soon entered Amerlane's harbors laden with funds and goods after the enactment of the Foreign Shipping Law.
Against this backdrop, Amerlane urgently needed a vessel that could completely overwhelm all potential competitors in terms of capacity and safety. The Liberty was born out of this need. Under an order from the Amerlane Import and Export Group, Hilla Second Shipyard obtained technical personnel and materials from the Amerlane Shipbuilding Group, laying the foundation for the first Liberty.
In the port of Hira, a magnificent golden galleon from Burnia stands prominently among a group of smaller wooden boats, its blue-painted exterior and gleaming golden figurehead proclaiming Burnia's glory to the world.
Meanwhile, the galleys from the church were about to lower their sails. Although the demons and the church were still locked in a standoff on the front lines, with the church's tacit approval, exchanges among the people began to take hold, and goods from Amelansi and the church's cross coins began to circulate together.
Fighting is necessary, but goods must be bought and sold.
Merchant ships from various tribes within the territory of the Afrikaans Chiefdom are also indispensable. "Trinity" is actually another name for "kingdom" in the local context. Within this tribal confederation, tribes of all sizes are centered around cities, and the chiefs cannot refuse Afrikaans goods.
The port of Hilla became the northern economic center of Amelia. Due to the level of industrialization, the ports of Brittany and Versailles have now become nothing more than transit points. Merchant ships from various countries compete for attention in foreign harbors, and competition is forming invisibly.
Among the medieval wooden and sailing ships, the Great Western stands out with its cold, mechanical beauty. As the first civilian Liberty ship to be put into service, the Great Western's modern machinery seems out of place in this scene. Its towering 10,000-ton hull is daunting, and its hundred-meter length makes it seem undeniably imposing.
Despite the original design being very inexpensive, Amerlane had neither the need nor the means to build a bunch of "disposable ships." Therefore, the designers changed the original design, reinforced the hull structure, and added equipment. The deck of this bulk carrier is covered with steel overpasses, and behind the modern bridge are tall smokestacks that spew out thick smoke.
Even by ramming, the Great Western could sink a sailboat. Its modern all-steel hull gave it that confidence. Not to mention, to deal with dangerous situations, a 105mm breech-loading gun was mounted on the bow, something that no other country could manufacture.
Now, the mission of the "Great Western" is to deliver an undersea fiber optic cable to the distant New World colony of Xinxiang. The thick cable sinks to the bottom of the sea at her stern, and under the gaze of foreign sailors, this modern behemoth roars its horn and sails across the calm sea toward the west.
While other countries were still using wooden boats, the steel behemoths of Amelia were proclaiming their dominance over the seas. The flagship of the Amelia Navy's Western Fleet, the Dreadnought-class battleship HMS Dreadnought (BB-04), appeared from the other side of the bay. Following the third ship of the Sovereign-class, HMS Glory (BB-03), this newest and most powerful battleship in the Amelia Navy, and indeed in the world, undoubtedly became a colossus that other countries could only look up to with awe.
The ship is 160.6 meters long and has a full-load displacement of over 2 tons. It is equipped with 10 MK2 305mm naval guns and was manufactured by the Trian Gun Factory using the latest electroslag remelting process.
Three battleships, two ironclads, several auxiliary ships, and two destroyers—the first main fleet of the West Coast Fleet of Amelia was setting sail, while ten galleons from Burnia were approaching them head-on.
The contrast between the two was so stark that a reporter pressed the shutter, capturing both the sailboat and the dreadnought in the same frame. It was a meeting of two eras, and the contrast was laid bare.
It is clear that other countries will not be able to manufacture the same steel ships for at least the next five years.
“Sir, we all know that sea power is the key to our kingdom, and such a behemoth will inevitably be the master of the future.”
Gazing at the mountain-like main fleet of the Emerald West, the Burnians sighed in awe, while several naval officers sketched the ships.
"These demons, they've practically built a steel mountain that sails on the sea... Clearly, they've at least shown us one fact: steel ships can indeed sail on the sea."
"We, the people of Burnia, also need to have our own steel ships."
Several pairs of eyes watched the behemoth sailing past them. They saw the giant cannons raised high. The unique beauty of the industrial design etched the image of the Dreadnought into the minds of many. In the years to come, the Dreadnought and the First Fleet of the Amelian West Ocean would become something they would think about day and night and never forget.
After the unification of Amelansis and the rampage of those terrifying steel ships in the Western Ocean, almost all nations, including Burnia and the Church, recognized or acknowledged Amelansis' dominant position in the Western Ocean.
No matter how many wooden sailing ships there are, they cannot compare to dreadnoughts. Even ironclad ships or destroyers can easily destroy their wooden sailing ships.
The epoch-making advantages were enormous. Even the most conservative people had to admit the superiority of Amerlancy technology when faced with the direct threat from the dreadnoughts. The dwarves were no exception. It was the various new technologies that emerged during the Amerlancy unification war that led other countries to form alliances and begin to learn from and guard against Amerlancy.