Chapter 1618: Rebuilding the Blockade 3
Chapter 1618 Recasting the Blockade 3
"Now that our mine performance has passed the standard, the number of German submarines breaking through the English Channel has been greatly reduced. At least 80% of German submarines entered the Atlantic through the North Sea. As long as we deploy enough aircraft in the Shetland Islands, then we The communication lines in the Atlantic will be much more stable. As long as we can deploy 400 to 500 various aircraft there, we hope to reduce the frequency of German submarine attacks by at least 30%. It is very cost-effective in terms of cost performance. " Sir Salmond said eagerly.
"However, this construction period may take several months, and it may be difficult for us to get the required aircraft in a short time. Ocean patrol requires large aircraft, and now, the French aviation force is no longer available. We are on the Western Front and the Mediterranean battlefield at the same time. Supported by the above, the empire is now ready to further reduce the production quantity of the V1500 because the production cycle of this bomber is too long. Lieutenant General Trenchard even suggested a complete suspension of production in order to produce tactical aircraft. The twin-engines of the entire five wings are even A four-engine aircraft is too difficult." Churchill thought for a while and said.
Although the war was short-term and fast, some big projects still had to be done. For example, in World War I, the British deployed more than 70,000 mines in the Strait of Dover, as well as shipwreck obstacles and so on. Another example is the Manhattan Project done by the Americans during World War II...
Churchill quickly thought about it. It seems that building an airport in the Shetland Islands that can accommodate 400 to 500 twin-engine and 4-engine aircraft is more difficult than the anti-submarine system of hundreds of destroyers, anti-submarine ships and thousands of various auxiliary ships. It’s nothing. (Historically, the total number of auxiliary ships such as trawlers and sailboats used by the Allied Powers to cooperate with anti-submarine warships reached more than 4,000.)
"If it is difficult to deploy these aircraft, then I have a cheap idea. Now the Navy already has two aircraft carriers, the Hundred-Eyed Giant and the Furious class. If possible, integrate them into the blockade fleet and use carrier-based aircraft to carry out the operations. The investigation will definitely get twice the result with half the effort." Sir Salmond said after glancing at Jericho secretly.
"Hmm?! This method seems good, doesn't it? Does it make use of existing equipment?" Churchill was a little moved and was about to ask Admiral Jericho, the commander of the Grand Fleet next to him.
"No, this is absolutely not possible! The two aircraft carriers Fury and Hundred-Eyed Giant are as useful as two battleships. They can turn the tide of the war at critical moments. They should be with the large fleet." Jericho said loudly , the firmness in his words told everyone that he had no intention of compromising on this issue!
"Well, even taking the Furious aircraft carrier as an example, the number of attack aircraft equipped on one battleship is only 20. Even if they are all equipped with torpedoes, the effect is not obvious when considering the interception by the German carrier-based aircraft. ." Churchill thought for a moment and said.
Although, the Wrath of this plane did not start to have a superstructure like it did in history, and the good straight-through flight deck was divided into two sections.
But after all, the British have no time travellers. Their emphasis on aircraft carriers and their research time are far less than that of Prince Ruprecht. They still have a skeptical attitude towards aircraft carriers, so the number of carrier-based aircraft will not be large. Taking Fury as an example, after it became an aircraft carrier, this aircraft carrier was equipped with 40 aircraft, including 16 Camel fighters, 4 reconnaissance aircraft, and 20 Tujuan MKB torpedo aircraft.
But even so, officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy are still actively considering how to use this new warship to play a role in future naval battles. Moreover, with the efforts of relevant personnel of the Grand Fleet, the British have already had a rough plan on how to use this aircraft carrier. Under this situation, Admiral Jericho naturally did not agree to hand over the two aircraft carriers to others.
"If it is just for detecting and dealing with submarines, ordinary seaplane carriers will be enough. We can provide three seaplane carriers and 12 seaplanes for the Royal Naval Air Force in the Shetland Islands," Jericho said. .
"We need a real aircraft carrier, seaplanes are too inefficient and the requirements for takeoff and recovery are too demanding," Salmond said. Although seaplane carriers can still perform reconnaissance missions, their scant aircraft capacity determines that their search capabilities are too limited. Moreover, the number of available ships in the UK has been greatly reduced, and there are fewer and fewer ships that can be used to transform large seaplane carriers. , it would be great to be able to give you a 5,000-ton seaplane carrier, but a 5,000-ton ship performing long-term missions in the North Sea is not optimistic!
"If conditions permit, I think an aircraft carrier should be deployed on the North Sea blockade." Churchill thought for a while and said. After all, he was not a professional naval officer, but from a balanced perspective, he still preferred Salmond. .
"Then at least wait until the Royal Navy fleet has more than four aircraft carriers." Jericho thought for a while and said.
"Are you crazy? You still want 4 ships?" Salmond said in surprise.
"Of course not. We have two more ships under accelerated construction in our plan. One of them is modified with the hull of the Cavendish-class light cruiser. This warship will be completed by the end of this year, while the other one is The conversion of a cruise ship will be completed early next year. After all plans are completed, the newly built aircraft carrier can be assigned to the North Sea blockade," Jericho said.
"This plan is a bit too ambitious." Churchill now wanted to use his power to force Jericho to bow his head, but unfortunately, Jericho was very determined and even threatened to resign to force the Admiralty to make concessions. This kind of thing has happened many times in history. For example, the British government asked for the establishment of a convoy system, which required a large number of destroyers. Jericho believed that this approach would greatly weaken the Grand Fleet and refused. Therefore, this guy was fired. ……. At the time, he was First Lord of the Admiralty. but now. Haha, the Grand Fleet has no successor, so the Grand Fleet cannot bear the price of Jericho's resignation.
"I hope that Admiral Jericho can come up with sufficient reasons. Otherwise, I will forcefully allocate new warships in the name of the First Sea Lord. And your resignation will not be allowed." Don't choke. Churchill had no choice but to say angrily to Jericho at the end of the meeting.
"You will see a perfect plan. In the next battle, the Royal Navy will completely overwhelm its opponents with its new advantages." Jericho said calmly.
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