The Rise of the Empire

Chapter 2666: When buying a ship



"How are the German preparations?" Colonel Leahy said to Nimitz, who was also busy next to him. Nimitz was originally the liaison officer of the U.S. Navy's fleet in Suxiong. And now, as Su Xiong's fleet finally lays down, his liaison officer has also been sent to Germany because of his rich experience in dealing with Germans, as an assistant to Colonel Leahy, to deal with orders for warships from various European countries. As Germany and the United States reached an agreement on the sale of warships, the work of the entire U.S. Navy's ship purchase team has also increased.

"After on-site inspections, I think the first two fast battleships purchased are best to choose a German battleship and then an Austro-Hungarian battleship." Nimitz said to Lech.

"Why?" Leahy asked.

"From the point of view of construction time, the Austrians' warships were later. From the perspective of combat experience, all German warships that can be sold were hit hard in the Norwegian Sea. Even if they were repaired, there were still some problems. Although Austria’s warships are also unlucky, some warships did not suffer much damage in the entire naval battle, and the ship conditions will be very good. Moreover, if such a large order is given to Germany, the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not be considered. I am afraid that the latter will be unhappy." Nimitz said with a smile.

"Political and diplomatic issues are not what we want to consider." Leahy said a little displeased.

"However, we must consider the opinion of the regent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although he is a German." Nimitz said half-seriously and half-jokingly.

"Well, then buy one from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Of course, the inspection of warships must be serious, and we don't accept defective products." Leahy said helplessly.

"Then the German warships have decided which one to choose?" Leahy asked.

"We can choose two from the Helgoland, the Gneisenau fast battleship, or the Sederitz battlecruiser. Let alone the first two, the standard German fast battleship has experienced the test of actual combat. It feels better than our iron tortoises. As for the Cedric? The reason for the choice is the high speed. If we buy it, then it is definitely the fastest of our current battleships." Nimitz said .

"How is the boat?" Leahy asked.

"The best condition of the ship should be the Helgoland-class battleship. The Gneisenau ship is in bad condition. After all, he used to fight in the Indian Ocean where the maintenance conditions were not good for many years, and there were a lot of battle injuries. But because It uses ordinary boilers instead of small water tube boilers, so it has better maintainability. After all, it is optimized for long-range operations on the basis of the Helgoland class. What about Cedric? There are many battle injuries and ship conditions. The same is not good, but the victory is fast. This is a difficult problem to choose." Nimitz said.

"Which one do we choose for the Austrian battleship?" Leahy asked.

"It should be the Tegerhof. Its ship is in the best condition. And the Austro-Hungarian government is willing to sell it. This is no problem." Nimitz said.

"Well, organize the relevant content into a document, and then send it back to China, let the chiefs of the Navy Department decide for themselves, our task is to provide information, not to make a decision." Colonel Leahy said.

"So what's next? Continue to stay in Germany and prepare to receive the two sealed warships?" Nimitz asked. After all, the second batch of warships has to be transferred from a sealed state to a service state, and it has to be modified. This time is a bit long, to the point that Nimitz thinks that he will be able to catch up after returning to the United States for a vacation and then back! Of course, if you can travel around Europe, that's not bad!

"Going to Italy, we want to see how the Italians are building the Caraggiono-class battleship now." Colonel Lech said.

"Don't we go to France to see their warships? The above also requested that the French warships be included in the shortlist for procurement!" Nimitz asked.

"What are you going to do in France? Just for the high price of buying two Brestagni-class battleships that were beaten by the German fleet in the Mediterranean and can't find the North? These guys can be regarded as the worst existence in the super fearless, not as good as our New York! "Colonel Leahy said with contempt.

Of course, this is a bit too much. At least Bristani uses a steam turbine, while New York uses a steam engine. In terms of firepower, Brestagni is better, but in terms of defense, New York saves a bit, with thicker armor and better underwater protection, while Brestany's underwater protection is very bad. Not much better than Fearless!

"But the meaning of the above..." Nimitz said embarrassingly.

"As a loyal naval officer of the United States of America, we are responsible for every dollar we spend, and we are also responsible for every naval officer and soldier who uses the warship we buy! That's it!" Colonel Leahy shot He patted Nimitz on the shoulder and said.

"Actually, the Italian Caraggiono class fast battleship is also very problematic, and the defense is also very problematic, but the firepower and speed are really not easy to pick. Another very serious problem is that the construction period is very tight, and if we If you want to make a modification request for this battleship, I am afraid that after our fast battleship is put into service, this battleship will not be completed. You can't understand the Italians' drag ~ www.novelhall.com ~ Nimitz said.

"Let’s go and see first. If the battleship meets our requirements, I hope they can finish it quickly in the face of the dollar. Even if Italy cannot deliver two fast battleships within the stipulated time, there should be no problem with delivering one ship. Big?" Colonel Leahy said.

What Colonel Leahy could not think of was that when the Americans were preparing to buy warships, Britain, which had not directly participated in the war, was also busy with similar things, and the target was also Italians! They arrived earlier than Colonel Leahy, and they have already begun fruitful operations!

At this moment, in a humble cafe in Rome, Duff from the Royal Navy is discussing related matters with a senior Italian official. And if there are personnel from the Italian Navy here, they will be surprised to find that this person is the commander of the Royal Italian Navy, the Royal Duke of Abruzzi!

"To be honest, Lieutenant General Duff, your presence here really surprised me. You have retired, but you are here to discuss such a sensitive and difficult issue on behalf of the government," said the Duke of Abruzzi. Then he poured a cup of black tea for the other party.

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