Chapter 344: Submarine Technology
As April 1913 arrived, Arthur entered a relatively relaxing and pleasant period of leisure time. With successive batches of aid arriving from Britain, Australasia entered another phase of rapid development. Thanks to the support of British talent, Australasia quickly grasped the new technologies and techniques from both Britain and France.
One of the technologies Arthur paid particular attention to was the submarine technology from France. With the combined efforts of British and Australasian experts, the Royal Shipyard quickly mastered French submarine technology, even planning to build one or two for experimental purposes.
France had been one of the first countries in Europe to use a combination of diesel engines and electric motors for submarines, though the country had been wavering in its choices, also experimenting with steam engines and electric motors. While this appeared to be an exploration of diverse power sources, it wasted the advantage France had once held in submarine technology, and ultimately, Britain and later Germany surpassed them.
In comparison, British and German submarines early on established the torpedo launch tube as the main method of carrying torpedoes, abandoning the protruding Jevitski cradle that affected the submarine's exterior. This resulted in more reasonable designs, and with a more focused approach to their power systems, these submarines maintained superior speed compared to French submarines for extended periods.
One notable French submarine was the "Schucuff" cruiser submarine, which was armed with a twin-barrel 203mm turret on a 4,330-ton submarine. While it appeared powerful, it was another example of "misguided technology." The turret's slow combat speed, sealing issues, and the damage it caused to the submarine's shape made it impractical. The heavy recoil and vibrations from the large guns made the hull difficult to withstand, rendering the submarine less effective than smaller deck guns.
For Australasia, however, there was still much to learn from French submarine technology. Australasia had mastered Germany's U-3 submarine technology, being the last of the seven groups of U-3 submarines. It's worth noting that Germany adopted a grouped construction approach for their submarines, meaning that the performance of each submarine in a group could vary greatly.
Germany equipped its submarines with diesel engines starting with the seventh group of the U-3 submarines. After seven groups and 22 submarines, the performance of the U-22 submarine became highly advanced. It featured two 8-cylinder 2-stroke diesel engines that produced a total of 1,700 horsepower, which allowed it to reach a displacement of 837 tons. Its maximum surface speed was 15.4 knots, with a submerged maximum speed of 9.5 knots. Additionally, the U-22's main weapon was a 500mm torpedo launch tube, which was deadly to unarmored merchant ships and passenger vessels.
This made submarines a unique strategic asset, capable of lurking beneath the ocean to ambush merchant ships and passenger liners with unpredictable movements. However, at the time, submarines were still not advanced enough to withstand combat with larger battleships.
In contrast to the relatively standardized German submarines, French submarines had a more diverse range of designs and classifications. As one of the pioneering nations in submarine technology, France had developed over ten classes of submarines, from small to large, with each designed for different tactical purposes. The French fleet's leading submarines included the Gustave Zédé class, Amphitrite class, Belon class, Dupuy de Lôme class, Diana class, Armide class, Joselle class, and Lagrange class.
Except for the Amphitrite class, which had a range of only 2,400 km, all other French submarine models had ranges of over 4,000 km, making them suitable for long-distance operations. The latter two classes, the Joselle and Lagrange, had an incredible range of 8,000 km at 11 knots, dramatically increasing their operational reach and boosting their strategic importance.
These two classes were true blue-water submarines, extending the threat of French submarines across the Atlantic. In comparison, German submarines had a range of just over 2,000 km, which was significantly inferior to the French models.
Except for the Gustave Zédé class, which had been under construction since 1911, the other submarine classes were only just beginning to be built in 1913. This demonstrated the sincerity of the French, as they were offering some of their most advanced submarine technologies to Australasia.
Despite this, Arthur speculated that the French had even more advanced designs in the works, but the construction plans had not yet started. Nonetheless, the French submarines being provided to Australasia were still more advanced than German submarines. Once Australasia fully mastered French submarine technology, combining the strengths of both German and French designs, it would be poised to develop its own submarines.
At present, the French submarine technology that Australasia had gained was based on the Gustave Zédé class, which was part of France's development plans that began two years prior. The Gustave Zédé class was a medium-sized submarine, 74 meters long and 6 meters wide, with a submerged displacement of 1,098 tons, marking its transition into the large submarine category. It served as a flagship submarine for the French Navy.
Though larger than German submarines, the Gustave Zédé was equipped with a power system comprising two 1,750-horsepower steam engines and two 810-horsepower electric motors, giving it a total of 5,120 horsepower. This allowed the submarine to achieve a surface speed of 17 knots and a submerged speed of 10 to 11 knots, placing it among the world's best in terms of performance.
Its range was impressive as well, reaching 5,780 km at 10 knots, with a complement of 47 crew members. The submarine's armament consisted of 8 450mm torpedoes, two of which were stored in torpedo tubes and six mounted on external twin-barrel cradles. It also had a 75mm deck gun and a 47mm deck gun, putting it on par with other large submarines from different nations.
In summary, the Gustave Zédé class was a submarine that matched the world's leading standards, with an overall technology level among the world's best. Arthur quickly agreed to the Royal Shipyard's request to build several Gustave Zédé-class submarines and ordered two to be constructed, named Q03 and Q04.
Australasia's submarines, built by other countries, were given the code Q, with two already in service and plans to build two more. Although the French submarine technology was impressive and on par with the world's best, for Arthur, it was only a starting point for Australasia's submarine program.
Once Australasia developed its own advanced submarine technology, it would be ready to make its submarines known across the world. Thankfully, submarine technology during this era was not as complex as it would become in the future, so it was feasible for Australasia to develop its own version by synthesizing the best elements from both German and French designs.
Arthur was confident that this was not an impossible task. Australasia had already demonstrated the ability to independently design and build dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts. Compared to these, building submarines would be relatively straightforward.
Good news for Arthur was that, despite joining the Entente, Australasia would not have to face naval pressure from Germany. Australasia's navy would only need to assist Britain in maintaining order along the western and northern coasts of the Indian Ocean, specifically in the eastern coast of Africa and the southern coast of India.
Generally, Germany's fleet would not appear in this region, as they would need to break through the Entente's fleet to do so. Moreover, the British would never allow German ships into this strategic area. Given its critical location as a transportation hub between Europe and Australasia, as well as its importance to British connections with India, this region was unlikely to face an invasion.
This meant that, even if World War I broke out, Australasia would have plenty of time to build up its military forces. Due to Australasia's excellent geographic location, invasion was unlikely. The only potential threat might come from the Island Nations or the United States joining the Central Powers. However, this was highly unlikely, as the Island Nations were still loyal to Britain, and the United States, despite its economic and industrial strength, did not have the military capabilities to rival the established great powers.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997