Chapter 156: Sea Trial
"These two Duke-class armored cruisers are modified based on the British Empire's Orlando-class armored cruisers. Each ship is 93.5 meters long, 17.63 meters wide, and 7.01 meters high, with 6,500 horsepower. Their cruising speed reaches 18 knots, and their top speed can exceed 19 knots for short periods," a Ministry of Defense official passionately introduced from below the podium.
"Whether it's the Australia or the Duke Arthur, their specifications are nearly identical. Both are equipped with two 234mm main guns, ten 152mm guns, and several six-pound and three-pound light cannons. This firepower is already sufficient to safeguard our Australian coasts. The Australia and Duke Arthur will become the sharpest blades of the Royal Australian Navy."
Though both ships were classified as medium warships, it didn't stop the well-prepared Ministry of Defense officials from presenting a detailed explanation.
Against a battleship, such armored cruisers would be outmatched. However, against small and medium-sized warships, they held a significant advantage—in other words, inferior to larger ships, but superior to smaller ones.
These two ships were among the main forces of the Royal Australian Navy, and as the newest ships launched, they spent the longest time docked at the harbor.
The Australian public also enjoyed a special privilege: with official identification issued by the Australian government, they could board the two warships for a tour.
Of course, this extended the docking time for both ships. The final visitor didn't return to the harbor until more than two hours later.
Judging by the expressions of those who boarded the ships, they were generally satisfied with these new vessels.
At least among medium-sized ships, the Duke-class armored cruisers were among the best. Their armor and firepower were top-tier, their speed was decent, and they could even match some of the slower battleships.
A total of four armored cruisers were featured in the naval parade. The next two ships to dock were also armored cruisers: the New South Wales and the Queensland.
These two ships had been in service for more than ten years.
As such, they were the predecessors to the Duke-class, built to the specifications of the British Orlando-class armored cruisers.
While the differences between the two classes weren't obvious in appearance, the newer ships featured significant upgrades in firepower, armor, and speed.
Because the Australia and Duke Arthur had already left the harbor, the arrival of the next two ships didn't highlight these differences clearly.
If not for the Ministry of Defense officials' introductions, most people wouldn't have been able to tell the ships apart.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are seeing now are the New South Wales and the Queensland, Orlando-class armored cruisers originally from the British Empire. These are the predecessors to the Duke-class cruisers. While they've been in service for over a decade, they remain among the primary warships of the Royal Australian Navy, second only to the Australia and the Duke Arthur."
These ships were also open for public tours, but this time, only a few hundred people were randomly selected from the crowd.
The invited New Zealand officials didn't miss either opportunity and were granted permission by Arthur to board the ships.
Under the British colonial system, Australia and New Zealand had their own garrisons and separate coastal navies.
Yes—coastal navies. In essence, small fleets made up of outdated, smaller ships meant solely for patrolling coastal waters.
Some of the ships were retired from the Royal Navy. Expecting them to engage in real combat would be a stretch.
Australia, at least, was formed by the union of six colonies, whereas New Zealand remained a single colony.
As a result, New Zealand's naval force was even more meager—so small that even Australian coastal gunboats, which weren't highly regarded, were considered main combat vessels in the New Zealand Navy. Armored cruisers, now common in Australia, didn't exist at all in New Zealand.
This wasn't the New Zealand colonial government's fault. Before Australia's unification, each colony's naval capabilities were about the same as New Zealand's current force.
That's why New Zealand officials were so envious of Australia's naval progress. Just a few years ago, they had been equals. Now, Australia had begun equipping medium-sized warships and had even acquired the technology to build battleships—though construction hadn't yet begun due to other reasons.
All New Zealanders knew that it was only a matter of time before Australia built and possessed battleships. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to go to such lengths to acquire battleship construction technology from the German Empire.
This meant that the gap between New Zealand and Australia was going to widen—and potentially even between their people.
After all, both nations had originated from British immigrants. There was fundamentally no difference between them.
New Zealanders admired Australia's recent developments, its generous welfare system, and its abundance of high-paying jobs.
This laid a strong foundation for the Union Party's advocacy of unification with Australia. The Union Party was currently the most popular political party in New Zealand, without question.
Thanks to the Union Party's vigorous campaigning, New Zealanders had not only accepted but begun to look forward to uniting with Australia.
If unification meant enjoying the same benefits as Australians, then why not become Australians themselves?
This movement was also accelerated by the Royal Relief Committee's efforts in New Zealand. Though not as extensive as in Australia, the Committee had assisted thousands of impoverished New Zealanders and benefited tens of thousands more, earning an outstanding reputation.
With both the Union Party and the Royal Relief Committee working together, visible progress was being made. More and more people in New Zealand began hoping for unification, looking to Australia for help.
After the four armored cruisers, only smaller ships—frigates and coastal gunboats—remained.
There wasn't much to say about these vessels, and no public tours were offered for them.
This greatly sped up the naval review process. While the first four armored cruisers took nearly four hours, the six smaller ships were reviewed in just one hour.
After reviewing the entire fleet, the next highly anticipated event for the public began: a live-fire exercise where randomly selected individuals would board the warships to witness the navy's concentrated attack on a target.
To ensure safety, the navy would form a line-ahead formation and sail ten nautical miles from the harbor to a wider section of sea for the demonstration.
Only 400 people were allowed to board the ships—100 per armored cruiser.
Although the selection was described as random, in reality, it wasn't completely so. Officials simply picked individuals who appeared particularly patriotic and gave them the chance to board.
Even though there were only 400 participants, the selection process still took about half an hour.
Those chosen were overjoyed, while those not selected were understandably disappointed. With over 20,000 spectators in the shipyard area, the odds of being picked were only about one in fifty.
By the time the 400 participants boarded the ships, it was already after 3 PM.
To complete the test as early as possible, the fleet departed shortly after final preparations, heading toward the designated location ten nautical miles offshore.
The target was an old, decommissioned civilian fishing boat, purchased by the Ministry of Defense at minimal cost for the sole purpose of this test.
To simulate an enemy warship, the fishing boat had been reinforced with armor plating, making its defenses comparable to a medium-sized warship.
The goal of the exercise was for the fleet to destroy the target with concentrated fire and collect data before returning to port.
This would test the crew's familiarity with their vessels. Failing to hit a stationary target would be quite embarrassing.
The main warships in this test were the four armored cruisers, particularly the newly launched Duke-class ships.
Their firepower was excellent—if both could hit the target simultaneously, the mission would be accomplished.
Once the fleet reached the designated area, it formed a straight line, each ship aiming its guns at the fishing boat and preparing to fire.
With a command from the flagship, all ships opened fire in unison. The sound of cannon blasts filled the air, thunderous and deafening.
"Did they hit the target?" Every Australian had this question in mind.
As the smoke from the gunpowder slowly dispersed, the situation of the distant fishing boat became visible.
Most of the ships had indeed hit the target—especially the four armored cruisers. Despite the added armor, the fishing boat was blown cleanly in half. Its bow and stern sank rapidly.
"Beautiful!" cheers erupted from the ships as Australians celebrated the successful display of their new warships.
"Target successfully destroyed. All ships, return in order!"
The flagship, having confirmed the result, issued the order to return.
The warships realigned their guns, turned around, and headed back to Sydney Harbor.
Though the remaining crowd at the harbor couldn't witness the live demonstration, the Ministry of Defense promptly received and announced the results.
Just minutes after the fishing boat sank, officials shared the news with great joy.
Cheers and applause erupted at the harbor, mirroring the response aboard the ships.
This proved that the new Australian warships were highly reliable—and so were the navy personnel operating them.
Afterward, Arthur and Prime Minister Evan gave brief closing remarks, officially marking the end of the National Day celebrations and the grand naval parade.
(End of Chapter)
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