Chapter 658: The New Destroyer
"The destroyer we're going to build will have a standard displacement of about 1,400 tons," Charles explained.
"Fully loaded, it'll be around 2,000 tons, though that can be adjusted depending on needs."
Tijani jotted this down in his notebook as he asked,
"Why don't we just go straight for a 4,000-ton cruiser?
The larger the displacement, the more powerful the firepower.
General, it could even be more cost-effective."
As the heir to the Brest Shipyard, Tijani understood very well that tonnage and price weren't linearly proportional.
In fact, larger ships often had a lower cost per ton.
"Speed, General," Charles replied succinctly.
"At the same level of technological and industrial development, bigger tonnage usually means lower speed."
"Speed?" Tijani paused in his writing and looked up, confused.
"If we already have aircraft—
I mean, torpedo-carrying aircraft—why do we still need to emphasize destroyer speed?"
Charles countered with a question of his own:
"On land, just because you have air cover, does that mean tanks don't need to be fast anymore?"
Tijani was silent for a moment before replying reluctantly,
"But this isn't the same as tanks.
Tanks can take cover or hide in numbers.
But ships—there aren't that many, and on open water, there's nowhere to hide from planes."
Charles pressed on:
"What if the enemy uses fast, small ships like torpedo boats or destroyers to swarm us?
Are we going to rely on aircraft to sink them all with torpedoes?"
Tijani had no response.
Sinking a destroyer with a torpedo might work.
But torpedo boats were so fast they were hard to hit.
And even if you could hit one, it wasn't worth using an expensive torpedo.
Charles continued his analysis:
"All combat systems must be integrated, General."
"In past naval warfare, that meant a layered system:
torpedo boats, destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.
Only through cooperation could they become truly powerful."
"But our new destroyer isn't just a destroyer.
It's going to break the old mold and form a new combat system."
Tijani thought for a while, his face uncertain.
"You mean a system where destroyers and aircraft work together?"
"Exactly," Charles confirmed.
"They need to support each other—not hold each other back.
That means both must be capable of defending themselves.
Otherwise, the enemy will pick them off one by one."
Tijani nodded in realization.
"Planes can defend themselves.
They can fly out of range, wait for the right moment, and re-engage.
But ships... they can't escape."
Charles nodded.
"For ships, their self-defense is speed."
"You're right." Tijani admitted openly,
"So the tonnage of a ship is dictated by both current technology and the speed of enemy ships.
If enemy destroyers sail at around 33 knots, ours must match that."
At 33 knots, combined with aerial reconnaissance, they could ignore battleships that sailed at just 19 knots—
no way those could catch up.
They could even disregard cruisers cruising at around 29 knots.
So in the open sea, the new destroyers would mostly be facing other destroyers—
and, when near enemy shores, torpedo boats.
With that understanding, the next steps became clearer.
"Since our primary opponents will be enemy destroyers,
we can't skimp on naval guns.
The main armament will be four 130mm guns."
That decision reflected the firepower of contemporary enemy destroyers and the fact that dive bombers hadn't yet become widespread.
Modern destroyers could afford only one or two guns.
Not yet.
"We'll also add two triple torpedo launchers."
At the time, destroyers mostly used twin launchers.
Charles's decision to go with triple tubes meant more torpedoes per salvo—
and more efficient use of new, high-impact torpedoes.
"And two depth charge rails with 22 charges."
Charles intentionally scaled back the ship's anti-submarine capabilities.
After all, the French Navy's main opponent wasn't Germany—it was the British Royal Navy.
And his new destroyer was designed for maneuver warfare,
using its 33-knot speed to outmaneuver rather than escort.
During WWI, submarines had surface speeds of around 10–15 knots and underwater speeds of just 8–10.
They posed little threat to a fast-moving destroyer like this.
Tijani took diligent notes.
Though he had doubts about the reduced anti-sub role, he chose not to press.
After thinking for a moment, he raised a new point.
"I heard this new destroyer is supposed to be used primarily for anti-aircraft purposes.
But so far, I haven't seen any AA guns."
Charles opened a drawer and handed him a schematic.
"The AA weapon will be this 20mm autocannon."
"20mm?" Tijani asked. "The German Becker gun?"
But once he examined the drawing, he realized the weapon was only superficially similar.
The barrel was longer and thinner—clearly an improved model.
(Image: The original Oerlikon autocannon, based on the Becker gun.
The Becker was originally a German aircraft weapon, but it was quickly captured by the Allies and reverse-engineered.
Its key innovation was advanced primer ignition blowback, which reduced recoil and made it ideal for AA and aviation roles.)
(Also shown: Naval vessels equipped with Oerlikon cannons in large numbers.)
Charles didn't let the schematic linger.
He flashed it, then handed over a technical data sheet.
"I'll handle production of the cannon," Charles said.
"You just need to reserve mount positions along the ship's sides."
The cannon's general use wasn't classified.
But Charles's improved version of the Oerlikon—
with higher rate of fire, greater muzzle velocity, and superior performance—was definitely a secret.
He planned to have it produced at the artillery factory in Davaz.
Any equipment that could counter his own technology had to be treated with extreme caution.
Like the Oerlikon:
In WWII, nearly 30% of downed aircraft were hit by this gun.
It also made an excellent aircraft weapon.
Mount it on a plane, and it could easily shred tank armor from above—turning the aircraft into a deadly ground attack machine.
Tijani understood the stakes.
He nodded. "I get it, General. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep it secret too.
After all, you're designing weapons to counter your own weapons."
Then he chuckled.
"That must be exhausting—being your own worst enemy."
Charles sighed inwardly.
Once you'd invented enough weapons, this kind of situation was inevitable.
All he could hope for now was that the enemy wouldn't copy and turn them against him too quickly.
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