Chapter 782 Technology Iteration

Dong Yanyun rushed to the Magong Port Pier in a hurry, and saw that the Haihan people had indeed prepared a boat, so he was relieved a little. He just heard from Li Dou that the businessmen from Guangdong had already arrived at Taiwan Island, and he was really worried that the Haihan people would try again.

What other tricks.

"Mr. Dong, this is Yang Yun from the Penghu Office of the Haihan Ministry of Commerce. I will accompany you on this inspection trip to Taiwan Island." A young man in gray uniform came forward and greeted Dong Yanyun proactively.

.

"Thank you!" Dong Yanyun did not dare to neglect and immediately returned the greeting. However, from his observation, he could see that this young man should only be a naturalized citizen - Haihan people are always surrounded by armed guards.

But this young man was waiting alone on the dock. Obviously his identity was not that important. But he also knew that the level of naturalized civilian cadres who were qualified to wear Haihan-style short-breasted shirts was generally not too low, so he still

A respectful attitude is required.

When Yang Yun saw that Dong Yanyun's entourage was still carrying several boxes of luggage, he immediately asked several boatmen to get off the ship to help lift the boxes onto the ship. At this time, many migrant workers were still carrying goods to the ship. It goes without saying that

It should be supplies sent to Taiwan Island. Dong Yanyun saw that the ship was an "exploration-class" sailboat, so he asked Yang Yun: "Brother Yang, are you going on a militia navy ship?"

"This is not a navy ship, it is an official ship of the Ministry of Commerce." Yang Yun pointed to the dark blue copper coin mark on the side of the bow and side of the ship, which was not too conspicuous: "Mr. Dong, please take a look."

This sign was mostly covered by another sailboat next to it. Dong Yanyun did not notice it at first. However, he still had doubts: "But why do merchant ships have gun windows like warships?"

Dong Yanyun immediately recognized this ship as a warship because of the highly recognizable row of gun windows on the side of the ship. These can be seen from a long distance, but they cover more than half of the bow.

The blue money mark of the Haihan Ministry of Commerce is much more conspicuous.

Yang Yun explained: "This ship was originally built for the militia army. However, due to some reasons before it was launched, it was not convenient for the military to receive the ship, so it was transferred to the Ministry of Commerce for use as an official ship."

Dong Yanyun nodded without knowing why, thinking that if you don’t want it, you can sell it to us! A few dozen more wouldn’t be too much! Of course, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to ask why the militia and the military didn’t accept this item.

The reason for the ship, it is obviously impossible to get the real answer from the other party.

In fact, the reason why the Haihan military did not take over this ship is very simple. It is because the Ministry of Industry has produced an improved version of the "Power III" marine steam engine in the middle of this year, and this type of steam engine also includes

Applicable to the sub-models of "Exploration Class" and "Expedition Class", this means that non-capital ships in the naval fleet can also receive performance improvements. In the future, new ships with hybrid propulsion can gradually replace the existing pure wind propulsion

sailing warship.

Of course, it is impossible to comprehensively transform the existing ships of the Navy, because this not only involves huge costs, but also arranges for the rotation of dozens of "Exploration-class" and "Exploration-class" warships.

Returning to Victory Port for modification is also very troublesome. Each ship must be disemboweled in dry dock. Installing a steam power system is tantamount to an overhaul, which consumes a lot of time, manpower and money.

Although Wang Tom and other naval generals hope to have a world-leading steam armored fleet as soon as possible, they also know that the advancement of the technology tree cannot be rushed. Although the design drawings of various steam engines and ironclad ships are available in the large database

Ready goods are available, but the rate of improvement in industrial manufacturing capabilities has not kept pace with the military's ambitions. Moreover, the navy's annual military budget is limited, and it is unlikely that existing ships will be transformed in a short period of time, not to mention that the cost of transformation is extremely high.

, the price/performance ratio is actually not high.

When the military leaders figured it out, instead of renovating old ships, it would be better to wait for new ships to be built and directly install new equipment. When the old ships reach the end of their retirement years, they would be converted to civilian use in batches, or they could be repaired, repainted, and then sold at a discount.

For allies such as Annan and Ming Dynasty. As for the new ships that have been built on the slipway, because they are built according to the military standards of the Haihan Militia, there is a certain technical gap with the monkey version models exported, and they are not suitable at present.

They were used for direct export. There were not many of them anyway, so the military decided to reluctantly part with them and directly transfer them to departments in need at cost price.

In fact, there are only a few departments within Haihan that can use sailboats. Except for the military, other ships are basically concentrated under the names of the Ministry of Shipping, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Agriculture. First of all, the Ministry of Agriculture is unlikely to spend

The military purchases military ships at large prices. Although the military has priced them based on shipbuilding costs, since the technical specifications and shipbuilding standards of warships are quite different from civilian ships, this price difference is not worth it to the Ministry of Agriculture. Likewise,

The price is almost enough to build two civilian fishing boats of the same model and tonnage.

Secondly, the Ministry of Shipping will definitely not take over this responsibility. This ship was originally built by a shipyard affiliated to the Ministry of Shipping, but the Navy's embarrassing situation is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Shipping, and it has no obligation to take over this responsibility for the Navy - it has to.

Okay, then the converted cost probably only counts the cost of materials. The military would definitely not be happy if it were calculated this way. After all, the prepaid fees they pay to the shipyard are not just the cost of materials.

Finally, Tom Wang found Schneider and persuaded him to take over the two "exploration-class" and one "exploration-class" warships that had begun to install rigging on the slipway. Schneider was not willing to spend more money at first, because the Ministry of Commerce originally

I also have an order for a commercial ship of the same type at the shipyard, but the cost is much lower in comparison. Picking up a ship from the military will cost me a lot of money.

However, Wang Tom persuaded him later, because the appearance of this kind of ship is exactly the same as the military type equipped by the militia, which is very deceptive. If necessary, it can be used to transport important people and supplies, and even provide "

"Escort". Moreover, the military can get a few old training guns from the military base in Sanya and install them on the ship to make it more presentable. If necessary, it can even recruit a few more retired artillerymen to the ship.

Serving as a Sailor on a Ship - These additional services are available at no additional cost to the Department of Commerce.

Schneider made sense when he thought about it. Although the merchant ships of the Ministry of Commerce also deployed some armed personnel and on-board weapons, they did not have a deterrent appearance. When there were important personnel and material transportation tasks, they often had to rely on the military.

ships. And this kind of borrowing is not in vain. Whether it is a ride on a free ship or a escort, the Ministry of Commerce has to pay the military a corresponding fee. Once or twice may not be much, but eight times out of ten will be enough.

This is quite impressive, not to mention that military ships are not always on call. Most of the time, the Ministry of Commerce has to take care of the military's schedule. Rather than doing this for a long time, it is better to get a few ships with military ship standards to perform special tasks.

Of course, if these ships are to be converted into civilian ships, it is impossible for these ships to meet military standards in terms of weaponry, equipment and personnel, or even come close. At best, they are self-defense. But for the Ministry of Commerce, this

This measure can indeed effectively reduce dependence on the military. As for expenses, for the wealthy Ministry of Commerce, there are only transactions worth doing, and price has never been the real deciding factor.

Three months after Schneider made the decision to buy the ship, among the official ships stationed by the Ministry of Commerce in Penghu, there was such a special ship that was basically the same shape as the Haihan warship, and Dong Yanyun, who represented the Fujian official, was also like this

The ship carries non-Haihan personnel for the first time.

Qian Tiandun and Li Dou arranged for Dong Yanyun to take the ship assigned by Haihan instead of his own ship. This was partly to limit Dong Yanyun's activity area near Kaohsiung Port and to show off their own strength. After all, they could use the brand-new battlefield

Converting a ship to civilian use is indeed not something that just any country can do.

Dong Yanyun has ridden a civilian version of the "Exploration Class" sailboat before, but this is his first time riding a military model, and he couldn't help but be a little excited after boarding the ship. However, the second deck originally used to arrange artillery has been changed to cabins.

, Yang Yun took Dong Yanyun into the independent cabin. Dong Yanyun discovered that the gun window had been changed into a lighting porthole of the cabin. There was only a single bed and a bed next to the bed in the small cabin.

After setting up a small table and putting down Dong Yanyun's luggage on the floor, there was basically no room for movement in the cabin. There was no gorgeous interior in the cabin, but the rosewood used to make the furniture and the clean white cotton on the bed

Judging from the bedding and the four-inch round glass mirror fixed on the bulkhead, the layout of the cabin is neat and elegant yet elegant.

Yang Yun took Dong Yanyun to the porthole and concealed from him the method of opening and closing the porthole cover. There was a mechanism on the bulkhead. Pull it up and the cover would rise. Pull it down and the cover would rise.

It can be put down, very flexible and convenient. Seeing this, Dong Yanyun reached out to explore the window, only to find that it was actually a layer of transparent glass.

"This porthole is only for lighting. The windows are sealed and cannot be opened. As for ventilation, there are indoor vents. If Mr. Dong feels stuffy on the way, he can always go to the deck for some fresh air." Yang Yun quickly explained to him.

Dong Yanyun nodded in agreement, admiring the Haihan people's arrangement. Although the interior of the ship he was traveling on was far more luxurious than the cabin in front of him, these details were indeed incomparable to the Haihan people's ingenuity.

"Mr. Dong, take a rest. After the cargo on the dock is loaded, the ship will set off immediately. It will arrive at its destination before sunset today. If anything happens, you can find me in the cockpit on the deck. Your two followers,

We have arranged an ordinary cabin at the stern of the ship." Yang Yungong handed over his hand and said goodbye. He was responsible not only for taking care of Dong Yanyun, but also for transporting a batch of supplies from Penghu to Kaohsiung Port, as well as ten people who were on the same ship heading there.

Several construction craftsmen.

Dong Yanyun sat in the cabin for a while, and felt the hull of the ship begin to shake slightly. Looking out the porthole, sure enough, the ship was slowly leaving the shore. The cabin seemed sealed, but it was indeed not stuffy. Dong Yanyun looked for it.

I went there but didn't see where the vent in the cabin was.

After a while, Dong Yanyun felt that staying in the cabin was really boring, and wanted to call his entourage over, but the cabin was really narrow, and it was a bit crowded for three adults standing in it. It must be very cramped to stay in the cabin. So.

He decided to walk around on the deck, and after opening the door, he noticed that there seemed to be identical cabins on both sides of the passage coming down from the deck. At a glance, there should be about ten cabins in total, but except for his cabin,

The doors of the other cabins are all closed, and it is not known whether they are occupied or not.

The cabins on the second deck were all transformed from the original gun emplacements. Originally, five artillery pieces were deployed on the left and right sides, and one emplacement was reserved on both sides for the deployment of artillery pieces. However, they are exactly the same from the outside and cannot be distinguished.

, will only be used when force is really needed.

Dong Yanyun got on the deck and saw that there was already a vast ocean around him. The outline of Penghu on the sea level could be faintly seen towards the stern of the ship. It was about ten miles away from the port. Dong Yanyun noticed Yang Yun standing on the bow of the ship.

, is holding a small instrument to observe the sea level in the distance. Dong Yanyun actually knows this thing. The Haihan people call it a "sextant". It is said that it can quickly determine where you are in the vast sea.

However, the principle is kept secret. Among naturalized civilians, only the full-time navigators of the Haihan Navy and a few merchant ships can master this technology.

Dong Yanyun didn't know that this instrument, which relies on optical principles for navigation and positioning, was actually invented by the British a hundred years later. It was not until the end of the 18th century that it was miniaturized after continuous improvements by skilled craftsmen, and the Haihan people's

The arrival of the 19th century brought this kind of navigation instrument into practical use at least more than a century earlier than in history. Any sailor with navigation experience will understand how useful this instrument is, and Dong Yanyun is naturally no exception. To say that he is not

It is definitely impossible to be greedy for this treasure. But the problem is that Haihan does not sell this thing at all, and its usage has always been an unsolved mystery. Even if Dong Yanyun has a good brain, it is difficult to understand its usage just by looking at the operation.

.

Dong Yanyun also knew that this thing was a taboo for the Haihan people, so he was not in a hurry to get close to it. It was not until Yang Yun completed the operation and put the sextant back in the box for someone to take it back to the cabin that he slowly walked over and started a conversation: "Brother Yang

Since he knows how to use this sextant, he must be a direct disciple of the leaders of Haihan."

Yang Yun said with a smile: "I'm just lucky enough to be chosen by the chief to do this job. The skills I have learned are just a drop in the bucket of the chiefs. It is said that a direct disciple is far from qualified."

Dong Yanyun said: "Brother Yang, you are so polite! I have been dating Haihan for several years. This navigator who knows how to use a sextant is only one or two people in a fleet. Everyone who can do this job is

He is a capable person!"
Chapter completed!