Chapter 1098 Impact of Shipbuilding Industry
April 14, 1911.
Rhine City.
Because of the agreement with the United Kingdom, it had a huge impact on the industrial development plan originally formulated by the East African government, especially the shipbuilding industry and related industries.
Naval ships from all over the world account for a large proportion of the country's total ships. Take the United Kingdom as an example. The total tonnage of British civilian ships is close to 20 million tons, while the total tonnage of the navy is as high as 2 million tons. The total tonnage of naval ships reaches the civilian level. About one-tenth of the vessel.
This is even more true for other countries. For example, the total tonnage of German civilian ships is only a few million tons, while the total tonnage of the German navy is close to one million tons. The ratio is higher than that of the United Kingdom. Other powerful countries, the United States, France, East Africa and Japan, etc. Pretty much the same.
It can be said that the UK monopolizes most of the world's shipping market. The UK's total tonnage of civilian ships is greater than that of other countries combined, accounting for more than 50% of the world's shipping.
Hence, based on the construction of the most developed civilian ships, the proportion of the British navy's total tonnage is so high, and that of other major military powers is only higher.
Take East Africa as an example. In 1910, the total tonnage of East African civilian ships was close to 4 million tons, which was actually about 3.8 million tons. The total tonnage of the navy was 420,000 tons. Among the world's great powers, the proportion of military and civilian ships was relatively close to that of the United Kingdom. existence, reaching almost one-ninth.
The main reason for this result is not that East Africa’s civilian shipbuilding industry is strong, but that the size of East Africa’s navy is relatively weak compared to other military powers.
Ernst said: "Now our country's navy's original development plan is restricted by the Treaty of Reconciliation between East and Britain, and military orders have been greatly reduced. Due to the impact of the newly signed treaty, some naval shipyards have temporarily suspended operations. Our country's shipbuilding industry has also been severely affected. "In order to offset the negative impact on the shipbuilding industry, policies and construction plans must be adjusted in a timely manner to promote the healthy development of our country's shipbuilding industry."
Affected by the recent signing of the East-British Settlement Treaty, East Africa must show off. After all, the British government is not a fool. In the East-British Settlement Treaty, East Africa can be said to have taken a big advantage. If the East African navy did not follow the British To demand an end to the arms race is not to bully honest people! Although the British are not considered "honest people".
Krisshawn, director of the East African Shipbuilding Industry Bureau, said: "Affected by the treaty, our country's shipbuilding industry has been greatly affected. According to the original order demand, our country's military shipbuilding industry should have accounted for at least 18% of all annual ship orders. According to the current construction speed and orders, it can only be close to about 10%, and a gap of between 7 and 8% will appear out of thin air. According to the original long-term construction plan of our navy, there is a direct shortage of more than 100,000 tons. total construction volume.”
Originally, the initial long-term plan of the East African Navy was directly aimed at the United States, Germany and France, that is, the total tonnage of naval ships reached at least 800,000 tons. Now it has directly become 650,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 150,000 tons.
And the original 800,000 tons was just a floating target. After all, the total naval forces of the United States, Germany and France are surging. According to the ideas of the East African navy, the size of the East African navy should reach at least one million tons before the end of the Third Five-Year Plan.
So the impact of the "East-British Settlement Treaty" on the East African naval shipbuilding plan is not only the present but also the future.
And naval orders already occupy an important position in the East African shipbuilding industry. It can be said that the entire East African shipbuilding industry has been greatly affected by the contents of the treaty.
“And the naval development plan is restricted, thus freeing up a lot of funds and personnel. We should allocate these idle funds and personnel to the civilian shipbuilding industry, or to the research and development of special ships.”
Although East Africa has formulated a huge naval development plan before the Second Five-Year Plan period, whether this plan is radical depends on the target of reference. If you compare the Austro-Hungarian Empire with Spain or Russia, East Africa’s naval development plan is certainly unconventional. However, if you compare the five countries of Britain, the United States, Germany, France, and Japan, it can be said that East Africa’s original naval development plan is not radical.
After all, Ernst had no intention to participate in the naval race from the beginning, or in other words, he did not intend to participate in the naval race with all his strength, because in Ernst's view, East Africa currently does not have the conditions to challenge superpowers such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Even if East Africa has full horsepower It is impossible to win the naval race.
Therefore, Ernst's goal when formulating the East African naval development plan was to build a regionally powerful navy with deterrence. East Africa has actually achieved this goal long ago. Even after the 1980s, East Africa has never had one. It has fallen from the top ten naval powers in the world.
Therefore, the so-called building of a world-class navy when East Africa was negotiating with the United Kingdom was completely out of the question. The so-called world-class navy had no reference significance for a naval power like East Africa.
For example, if East Africa is now considered a world-class naval power, it certainly is. After all, the East African navy ranks sixth in the world and has military forces in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean.
So the "world-class naval power" mentioned in the East African negotiations is essentially a kind of "blackmail" against the United Kingdom. Of course, the premise is that the United Kingdom believes that East Africa has such development goals.
In fact, Britain does not dare to take a gamble. After all, since the Second Five-Year Plan, East Africa has launched a dreadnought ship almost every year, and a large number of related ships have started construction at the same time. Any country can only choose to believe this posture of the East African Navy.
So Britain’s choice to reconcile with East Africa was completely an unexpected surprise for the East African government, or something that Ernst himself had not expected.
From the very beginning, East Africa used the "non-existent naval plan" to peacefully obtain the bargaining chips that East Africa wanted from Britain, which the British government never imagined.
Now in compliance with the "East-British Settlement Treaty", East Africa can just spare its energy and use the funds that should have been used for military competition to develop its economy and technological research and development.
This includes the research and development of the future main naval ship that Ernst has long been thinking about, that is, the aircraft carrier.
At present, the conditions for East Africa to independently develop aircraft carriers are mature. East Africa has made great progress in the field of aircraft manufacturing and has become the world's largest aircraft manufacturing country. The accumulation of ship technology is also relatively sufficient.
The earliest aircraft carrier in the previous life was born during World War I. In fact, some people in the United Kingdom, France and other countries had proposed related concepts before. In the previous life, in 1912, the British Navy obtained warships that could carry aircraft by modifying cruisers and ferries. This kind of aircraft carrier was called The ship known as the "seaplane carrier" is the prototype of the Chinese aircraft carrier.
Therefore, Ernst said: "Based on the aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding industries, our country's original aircraft carrier research and development project should also take advantage of this opportunity to accelerate. It is best to complete the construction plan of our first aircraft carrier before the Third Five-Year Plan, and use the original aircraft carrier The funds used to participate in the naval competition will be invested in the improvement of naval technology and the quality of shipbuilding industry.”
"In addition to some special national projects, there are also a lot of problems in my country's shipbuilding industry itself. In particular, there is a big gap between the system construction and the top powers in the shipbuilding industry like the United Kingdom, which makes the cost of my country's shipbuilding industry remain high. While other countries are going crazy, During the naval competition, it is also the time when our country is vigorously developing its shipbuilding industry system.”
The fundamental reason why the UK can maintain the world's largest shipbuilding industry lies in the UK's strong experience and technology accumulation, which makes the UK's shipbuilding costs much lower than other countries. But now the UK is distracted by Germany and others. In Ernst's view It is a favorable time for the East African shipbuilding industry, especially the civilian shipbuilding industry, to develop vigorously.
(End of this chapter)