Chapter 269: Chapter 243: Peter Pavlovskiy

Time quickly came to the end of November 1907, which was the day when the first of Russia’s two dreadnought battleships, Peter Pavlovskiy, was officially completed.

The Russians had high hopes for these two dreadnoughts and paid a considerable price for them.

With an investment of 5 million Pounds, they obtained two powerful dreadnoughts and some small warships. It could be considered as Russia’s last investment in the navy.

At least for the next five years, the Russians probably wouldn’t invest any more in the navy, as they were genuinely out of money.

However, the good news was that these two dreadnoughts had significantly improved Russia’s naval strength.

No matter which squadron these two dreadnoughts served in, they would have a more significant impact in their respective regions.

Currently, the Island Nation had no plans to build any dreadnoughts. If Russia were to equip two dreadnoughts in the Far East beforehand, could the Island Nation be Russia’s opponent?

The answer, of course, was no. Although dreadnoughts had not yet participated in actual battles, their data was well-known to all countries.

There was a relatively unified and standard answer from all countries: a single dreadnought could indeed be equivalent to two or three old-fashioned battleships.

Of course, this is only from a theoretical perspective. If they were really involved in a naval battle, the outcome would be ever-changing, but the dreadnoughts’ advantage was an undeniable fact for everyone.

The Russians took the completion of Peter Pavlovskiy very seriously and even sent General Makarov, the commander of the Pacific Squadron, to personally attend the launching ceremony of the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship.

Of course, naval officers and soldiers from the Russian Pacific Squadron were also present, as they would join the maritime test of the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship after the launching ceremony.

On the one hand, they would be able to truly appreciate the power of this dreadnought; on the other hand, they would be able to master the control of Peter Pavlovskiy more quickly and develop combat capabilities faster.

Russia is currently an important ally of Australasia and one of the countries with the best relationship with Australasia.

As a result, General Makarov’s arrival was taken seriously by Arthur, who dispatched Minister of Defence Kent to accompany him in attending the launching ceremony of the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship.

The launching ceremony was straightforward. After Peter Pavlovskiy was transported from the shipyard to the nearby port and successfully launched, the sounds of cannons and cheers rang out over the harbor.

Although this warship belonged to the Russians, it was independently built by the Australasians themselves, hence attracting some Australasian onlookers.

After all, according to the government’s construction plans, Australasia’s navy would be equipped with such warships in a few years, which was the real reason for the Australasians’ curiosity about the Monarch-class battleships.

The main gun currently equipped on the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship was a 283mm main gun, as Australasia had not yet mastered the 45x caliber 305mm main gun.

However, this situation would change soon. According to information from Germany, by mid-1908 at the latest, Germany would fully master the technology of the 305mm main gun and be willing to share it with Australasia.

This meant that the battleships built by Australasia after mid-1908 could be equipped with larger caliber main guns, resulting in a significant increase in firepower.

Of course, Arthur had not forgotten the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship, and even promised that once Australasia mastered the technology of the 305mm main gun, they would replace the main gun on Peter Pavlovskiy for free.

Before seeing the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship with his own eyes, General Makarov was skeptical about the Australasians’ shipbuilding capabilities.

After all, only seven years ago, Australasia was a colony of the British Empire, and General Makarov did not pay much attention to the combined Australian Six Colonies at that time.

It had only been seven years since then, and General Makarov did not believe that Australasia could master the technology to build the most advanced battleships.

However, the reality soon slapped General Makarov in the face. When General Makarov saw the already completed Peter Pavlovskiy battleship for himself, he couldn’t help but be moved to tears.

This was Russia’s most significant investment in the navy in recent times, and it was currently Russia’s genuinely world’s strongest battleship.

“This is amazing! Such a beauty,” General Makarov couldn’t keep his eyes off the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship since he first saw it.

Indeed, there was nothing more exciting for someone like General Makarov, who was deeply in love with the navy and warships, than seeing the powerful warships of his own country.

“General Makarov, would you like to go aboard and have a look?” Seeing that General Makarov truly loved the battleship, Minister Kent proposed with a smile.

“Of course, of course. Let’s go, Minister Kent, let’s see how beautiful this dreadnought is. Australasia is truly an incredible country, and I apologize for my previous doubts,” General Makarov nodded eagerly and candidly said.

“It’s normal, General Makarov. After all, it is a valuable asset worth several million pounds, so it’s natural to be cautious.” Minister Kent said with a smile.

After all, before this, Australasia had only exported a Brunswick-class battleship to the island nation.

As for the most powerful dreadnought, currently only the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australasia have the true capability to build them.

There is no need to mention the United Kingdom and Germany, as they are currently the two most powerful countries in the world, their abilities won’t raise any doubts.

Australasia has been developing for a little over seven years, and it is a surprise and doubt that they suddenly claim to be able to keep up with the great powers in dreadnought development.

Smiling, Minister Kent accompanied General Makarov onto the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship and personally introduced all the equipment on the warship to the general.

Naturally, the most attractive feature is the 283mm main gun on the Peter Pavlovskiy. Although the caliber of the gun is not yet equal to the British Dreadnought-class battleship, this design is indeed the most advanced at present.

General Makarov looked at the neatly installed 283mm main guns on the warship and nodded with satisfaction.

Even with just a 283mm main gun, its firepower already surpasses most of Russia’s battleships.

Not to mention that the dreadnought-class battleship also has excellent armor protection capabilities and advanced power systems using steam turbines and boilers.

“Minister Kent, when can we start testing the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship?” General Makarov asked impatiently.

For an outstanding general who has dedicated his life to the navy, he is already eager to see the true strength of Russia’s new warship.

“If you are willing, we can start now,” Minister Kent said with a smile.

The testing and sea trial of a warship is an extremely lengthy process, used to test the warship’s stability, combat capabilities, and the actual errors of the data on paper.

Since General Makarov is here, this test is naturally not a boring stability test.

Generally, testing the speed and stability of a warship takes several months, so that the design and equipment of the warship can be thoroughly tested for any issues.

This test mainly focuses on the maximum speed and firepower.

Accompanying the Peter Pavlovskiy is another battleship from Russia Nation.

Although it is an old-fashioned battleship, it is currently one of the main warships of the Russia Nation’s Pacific Squadron.

This time, it will accompany the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship to truly experience the difference in speed between the two warships.

The maximum speed of Russia’s old-fashioned battleships is only 18 knots, while the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship can reach a maximum speed of 21 knots. This difference may not seem significant, but in reality, it is immense.

This can be seen from the moment the two warships set sail. The Peter Pavlovskiy took the lead from the start, outpacing the Russian old-fashioned battleship by one body length. After sailing for more than a minute, it even increased the distance from the old-fashioned battleship by more than 100 meters.

As time passed, the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship has taken a commanding lead, with the distance between the two warships even exceeding one kilometer.

Keep in mind that the sailing time of the two warships did not exceed ten minutes. This means that in ten minutes, the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship has completely crushed the speed of Russia’s old-fashioned battleships.

Looking through the telescope at the old warship in the distance, General Makarov nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, General Makarov’s satisfaction with the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship had reached its peak, and he eagerly anticipated its true service.

After sailing for another half an hour, the Peter Pavlovskiy finally slowed down.

Here, the Peter Pavlovskiy was to undergo a firepower test, including the accuracy and impact of the guns.

The advantages and disadvantages of the 283mm gun compared with the 305mm main gun are obvious. The 283mm main gun has a much higher firing rate than the 305mm main gun, which was the reason for Germans’ confidence.

However, this advantage is not so friendly to the Australasian and Russian naval soldiers aboard the Peter Pavlovskiy battleship.

Since both the Russian and Australasian naval soldiers were operating such a designed warship for the first time, they were unfamiliar with this kind of operation and needed more time to practice and become proficient.