What can one do with 100 million yen?
Binta and Navy Minister Abo's conversation veered into such discussions.
In the Circle 1 Plan, aside from four large cruisers, there are approximately twelve destroyers and nine submarines that seem noteworthy. Therefore, as the Minister of Defense, he expressed his desire to use that 100 million yen to make improvements to the battleships. In doing so, he could, in a way, appease the gunners, torpedo experts, and even aviators to some extent.
"If we replace the main engines and boilers of battleships like the Fusō and Ise classes, we can expect speeds of 25 knots and 30 knots for the Kongō-type. Additionally, these are military vessels, but the Fusō-type has issues with maneuverability, and the Ise-type has issues with course-keeping. Therefore, if possible, we would like to improve these aspects as well. Well, even if we implement engine replacement measures on these seven ships, excluding the Hiei, which has become a training battleship, we'll still have plenty of change left from 100 million yen."
Battleships tend to receive a lot of attention for the caliber of their main guns and the thickness of their armor. Naturally, this is because their unparalleled striking power and unmatched defensive capabilities are the essence of battleships. However, no matter how massive a battleship may be, it cannot fully utilize its combat power if the foundation of its hull is not sound. The Navy Minister's policy was quite satisfying to Binta, a covert battleship enjoyer. However, being satisfied with that alone would tarnish the reputation of a battleship enthusiast. In reality, Binta was a hardcore battleship enthusiast.
"We should convert the Ise and Hyūga, as well as the Yamashiro and Fusō, into 41-centimeter gun-equipped battleships, just like the Nagato and Mutsu. We will provide the necessary funding for this."
Binta's sudden proposal surprised the Minister of the Navy. The plan to equip the Fusō with 41-centimeter guns had failed, and only a handful of people were supposed to know about it. Moreover, Binta was not in a position to be aware of it. Perhaps one of his senior retired military comrades had leaked the information to Binta. Ignoring the Minister's suspicions, Binta continued with the discussion.
"The four ships, Ise, Hyūga, Yamashiro, and Fusō, are rivals to the Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Tennessee classes, all of which are equipped with twelve 36-centimeter guns. However, they clearly lag behind in terms of firepower and defense, disregarding speed for a moment. I have heard that there was a plan in the Imperial Navy to convert the Fusō to a ship equipped with ten 41-centimeter guns by modifying it with two triple 41-centimeter turrets to overcome this disadvantage. As developing triple turrets at this point would be nonsensical, let's go with the modification involving four twin turrets. The weight of six twin 36-centimeter turrets and four twin 41-centimeter turrets is almost the same, so there should be no concern about becoming top-heavy. In any case, even if the main guns decrease from twelve to eight, there should be significant benefits to the modification. Of course, the modification will have to wait until the shackles of disarmament treaties are removed, but with the necessary preparations made in advance, it should be possible to considerably shorten the construction period."
The Minister of the Navy was aware that Binta was an indispensable patron for the Imperial Navy. However, despite having financial backing, it is not something the Navy Ministry appreciates to have such a crucial matter brought up as a mere amateur's idea. Therefore, the Minister of the Navy inquired about the specific reasons for the benefits that Binta was mentioning.
"Ise, Hyūga, Yamashiro, and Fusō each have six main gun turrets along the centerline of the ship. However, this prevents us from significantly thickening the armor. By reducing this from six turrets to four, we might be able to increase the armor of each turret and the magazine slightly. Additionally, with the reduction from twelve to eight main guns, the problem of blast effects during simultaneous firing should also be somewhat improved. Furthermore, as the number of main gun turrets in the midship and aft areas will be halved from four to two, we can use this reduction in turrets to increase the engine compartment volume if we can adjust the positions of the third and fourth turrets properly. This would allow us to install even more high-output engines, naturally resulting in increased speed. Along with that, if we perform a stern extension to eliminate front-heaviness and reduce propulsion resistance, it would be perfect."
Binta paused, then looked at the Minister of the Navy. In silent confirmation of whether he could continue, the Minister of the Navy nodded slightly, prompting Binta to proceed.
"Above all, reducing the number of main gun turrets will allow us to reduce the personnel in the gunnery department. In other words, it will increase the living space per person. Especially for Ise and Hyūga, which have poor living conditions, this will be a significant benefit. The surplus gunnery personnel can be reassigned to other vessels. When it adds up for all four ships, it's quite a substantial number. In terms of the benefits of the modification, it might be even more significant than improving the ship's performance. In the expanding Imperial Navy, these personnel are like a godsend. Furthermore, the Imperial Navy clearly lacks mid-ranking officers and specialized technicians. To put it in terms of the civilian world, it's a situation similar to a company lacking middle managers and skilled veteran employees. The bottleneck in the Imperial Navy lies in its personnel. Therefore, as soon as the restrictions of disarmament treaties are lifted, preparations should begin now to get started on the modification of these four ships."
If it were an ordinary naval officer, they would have simply rejoiced at the potential improvement in the firepower, defense, and mobility of Ise, Hyūga, Yamashiro, and Fusō. However, the Minister of the Navy, who oversees naval personnel matters and holds the highest position in the Navy Ministry, had already seen from the beginning that the greatest benefit of modifying these four ships would come from the personnel. Through these modifications, a significant number of well-trained gunnery department personnel could be obtained without any effort. While various plans following the Circle 1 Plan had rapidly improved the number of combat and special-service vessels, the preparation of personnel to handle this sudden surge of vessels had not kept pace. And, as Binta had pointed out, the shortage of mid-ranking officers and specialized technicians was expected to remain particularly severe.
'It seems that Satsutaba-san has realized that the current weakness of the Imperial Navy lies in the scarcity of personnel. Therefore, the true purpose of modifying these four battleships is probably to secure the necessary personnel.'
Binta had read this far and had brought up the modification of the four battleships. With this conviction, the Minister of the Navy extended his right hand to him.
It was the moment when the modification plans for Ise, Hyūga, Yamashiro, and Fusō began to move forward.
YOU ARE READING
Cash-Loaded Fleet
Historical Fiction「As long as you have money, you can strengthen the fleet as much as you want.」 Born with a natural inclination for gambling, or perhaps a true gambler at heart, Binta Satsutaba is drawn by his instincts to immerse himself in the tumultuous world of...
