Chapter 2641: Adjustment of the U.S. Navy 3

"Even if we pay a high cost to rush the work, in the next nine months, thanks to God's blessing, the Karadjono-class battleship will be launched and completed. The actual combat effectiveness of this class of battleship is actually about the same as the Helgoland-class at best. The speed of both sides is similar, the Calacciono-class cannon is larger, and the Helgoland-class battleship has better defense. And the Italian 15-inch naval gun is incompatible with ours. This makes it very difficult for the navy to deal with it. If the government really If you decide to purchase, then I hope that the unified Helgoland-class battleship will be better," said Colonel Leahy.

"But what if the Germans cannot provide enough warships, or the warships they provide contain a lot of political requirements?" Roosevelt asked.

"We are soldiers and don't care about politics." Colonel Leahy's answer was very simple. He was joking. Why are you talking to me about political matters? Not to mention that soldiers themselves are somewhat resistant to politics. Even if political issues really need to be considered, That is also a matter for the new fleet commander Sims and others.

"Well, to put it another way, if we prepare 6 fast battleships for the Navy of the United States, can we get rid of our dependence on the Su Xiong fleet?" Taft, who had been silent, finally spoke.

"Impossible." Colonel Lacey thought for at least 4 minutes before answering. It wasn't that he didn't know the answer, but because he knew that his answer would make these political bigwigs very unhappy.

"Why? Aren't 6 fast battleships enough to replace the 4 Bavaria-class battleships?" Taft's words were full of dissatisfaction and anger.

"First of all, in terms of combat effectiveness, 6 Helgoland-class battleships are still inferior to 4 Bavaria-class battleships. Secondly, now. The U.S. Navy personnel are stretched thin, and we can only use a large number of new people to fill these fast battleships. Regardless of Whether from the perspective of business proficiency or experience, these battleships are far from able to exert their combat effectiveness in our hands. Not to mention compared with the Germans' experienced elites. You can accuse the Germans of anything, but in terms of combat effectiveness, They are absolutely beyond doubt."

"General Su Xiong still has the ability to fight back when faced with extremely bad situations. But if it were us, the result would probably be very bad." Colonel Leahy said very tactfully.

"In addition, I really want to know how to get these 6 fast battleships together. And if we are willing to pay the purchase price and related expenses of 6 fast battleships, it is probably enough for us to hire the German fleet until the end of the war, right? "

Colonel Leahy calculated very carefully. In fact, because the currency is gradually depreciating, the same battleship that could have been built for 2 million pounds 10 years ago would probably cost 2.5 million pounds or more now. , and everyone knows that this is a seller's market. When the Americans are in urgent need of warships and the Germans have survival ships, price increases are inevitable! Can the estimated cost of 6 battleships and other expenses come down to 20 million pounds? Hiring the German fleet won't be so costly, right? and,

Is there no political cost to buying weapons? Obviously impossible!

"Money is not a problem. As long as we can cultivate a strong maritime force in this war, then all the efforts will be worth it. Due to the superb tactical level of the German Navy, we still need to hire some German warships and personnel. However, the final command will be in our hands. After the fleet we ordered is in place and training is completed, we will only hire a maximum of two German battleships," Taft said.

"Six Helgoland-class fast battleships and two Bavaria? This is indeed enough. Even if we encounter the Japanese fleet under unfavorable conditions, we have many options." Colonel Leahy said: "But I still think The tactical level of senior officers of the U.S. Navy is difficult to make up for in a short period of time. Even if we make up for the shortcomings in hardware, the gap will still seriously affect our combat effectiveness in actual decision-making."

The root cause of the U.S. Navy's defeat was actually Benson's error in judging the battle situation. If the U.S. fleet defended the landing site and did not pursue it, the Japanese fleet would at most destroy a pre-dreadnought fleet and take advantage. And when Benson was deceived, no matter how sophisticated the tactics were, it would be difficult to recover. So, even if the Americans make up for the fleet's hardware problems, what about the command? Colonel Leahy has no good way, so he can only learn war in war.

But overall, the Navy is quite satisfied with this plan. First of all, through the purchase of warships, it will obtain the combat power that the U.S. Navy urgently needs. Then reduce dependence on the Germans by reducing the size of the German fleet hired. After all, if only two fast battleships are hired, then the German generals will only have the power of suggestion but no decision-making power, even in the squadron. This will undoubtedly make the U.S. fleet's order execution higher.

"I believe that the Navy will have a deeper understanding of tactics and strategy after experiencing the baptism of war, is that true?" Roosevelt asked.

"Yes, Mr. President, the Navy of the United States will one day become the most powerful existence on the planet, and we are now taking the first step." After Colonel Leahy said these words, he already agreed on behalf of the Navy. Government proposals.

"So what is the government's attitude toward the proposal to convert South Dakota-class battleships into fast battleships?" Colonel Leahy asked.

"We agree in principle, but revising the drawings and designs will take time, and we can't directly convert all six South Dakota-class battleships into fast battleships. Can we modify two ships first, and after accumulating a certain amount of experience, can we modify other battleships?" Roosevelt said.

"Okay." Colonel Leahy thought for a while and said. It is not realistic to directly ask for six ships. Taking small steps and running quickly is the best choice. The Americans also follow this routine in building battleships. The super-dreadnoughts are currently being built as two level one ships. As for Lexington? Roosevelt didn't mention it, and Colonel Leahy didn't bother to say it. It was enough to get the government to make concessions on new warships and the formation of a future fast fleet. I don’t pay much attention to the battlecruiser Colonel Leahy, because after concentrating on the rapid transformation of the South Dakota-class battleship, the Lexington-class project may be delayed indefinitely, right?

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