Chapter 853: Tit-for-Tat (Supplementary)
Chapter 836: Tit for Tat (Supplemental)
As soon as Austria’s shipbuilding program was announced, European public opinion exploded.
Although the Vienna government repeatedly emphasized that it was not targeting anyone and was only to fill the gap of previously retired battleships, there was still no one willing to believe it.
To know, before Vienna already had a “10 years to build 10 battleships” plan, the current service of the three former dreadnoughts, is part of the shipbuilding program.
The average construction of one battleship per year is a normal operation, which can ensure the scale of the main ship of the Austrian Navy.
Now the sudden increase in the shipbuilding program of 5 battleships is obviously a response to the previous shipbuilding program of the Royal Navy.
At this time many people have reacted, not long ago the Austrian government gifted the Russians a large number of warships, the navy is in the empty period.
A testament to Russian-Austrian friendship?
That stuff might be there, after all, it was given out for free. Used warships are also very valuable, if they can be sold, according to the law in the international arms market, fifty to sixty percent new warships sold at the cost of shipbuilding is also very normal.
But surely it wasn’t to make room for the newer battleships?
Now the need for warships to replace not only Austria, Britain and France are also facing a large number of warships to be decommissioned, the international arms market simply can not find so many buyers with the strength.
Don’t look at the Austrian army equipment sells well, naval equipment is really not as popular as the British.
This has nothing to do with the technology, performance, quality and price of the warships themselves.
The main reason for the failure to sell is still because of politics, don’t look at Austria and European countries have good relations, outside of Europe the relationship is really very general.
It’s not that the Austrian Foreign Ministry doesn’t try hard, it’s that there’s no room for maneuver.
Outside of Europe is not a colony, it is also the little brother of the powers, or sphere of influence, completely independent sovereignty of only a few countries.
As a matter of fact, there is no need to count, except for the two United States, which had a certain degree of strength and retained its own sovereignty, the rest of the countries had signed more or less unequal treaties with the powers.
Of course, that’s not to say that Austrian warships can’t be sold in at all, but occasionally you can still see a needle in a haystack.
After all, Austria is also a great power, come up with still have a row, encountered things Vienna government also dare to head, get the political obstacles is not impossible, the problem is that the British have brand effect ah!
I do not know who instilled out of the theory, we all take for granted that the British warship quality, performance first, countries buy warships preferred British goods.
In this context, the French and Austrian warships are not selling well. The two governments even countered by releasing the rumor that British warships were exported in abridged versions.
Unfortunately, people are not good to fool, is not a censored version, see the goods will know.
The most advanced warship exports, the British did engage in abridged version, but the old decommissioned warships, John Bull is not so careful.
Censored version of the warship modification is also costly, at least the labor cost can not be saved. Originally is out of the technology, there is no need to waste money to hide.
Political factors lost sixty percent of the order, the brand effect and then lost thirty percent of the remaining share of the order, and finally only twenty-eight percent of the international orders.
(1-0.6)*(1-0.3)=0.28
This part of the market is not yet eaten by Austria alone. Rather, it was divided among the European countries, basically between France and Austria.
Originally these days there are fewer powerful buyers, leaving the Austrian market is so small, decommissioned warships naturally can not find a receiver.
Not only is the Austrian Navy so, even the British is also so. The Royal Navy has to pull warships out for target shooting every year, so you know how hard it is to sell this thing.
In order to control the proliferation of warships, the European powers still have a tacit understanding, even if they can not sell pull out target shooting, but also not cheap disposal, give away even more.
In a sense, Austria’s large-scale gift of Russian warships behavior, but also to break this tacit understanding.
Only this kind of unspoken rules, there is no explicit constraints, verbal agreements are not, naturally, there is no binding force, we are at most inwardly upset.
This is all a small problem, technological renewal and replacement, eliminating the warships headache, essentially still because of shedding.
Warships did not reach the decommissioning age, dismantled and sold scrap metal is a pity; stay in service, the use is no problem, the key is the new type of warships also came.
Have a large number of warships, in addition to the prestige, but also accompanied by a large number of military expenses, the economy is very uneconomical.
Whether the speculation is accurate or not is not important now, anyway, the warships are given away.
Even if it can be reversed, there is another opportunity to choose, the Russians will still be happy to take over.
The chance to become the world’s fourth naval power at no cost to anything, anyone else would know what to choose.
Being able to watch the Great Powers tear themselves apart directly is an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often. The melon eaters have already prepared their nuts and coffee, just waiting for the big show to unfold.
Before the British reacted, the French could not stand it. The British and Austrian shipbuilding program, Napoleon IV for the first time felt that the Ministry of Navy is too petty.
Compared to the original time and space, France is now in a much better situation.
Neither war reparations, nor the Russians need to pull, not long ago the anti-Semitic movement and solved the debt problem of the past years, now the French government is also rich.
“Britain and Austria’s shipbuilding plans for this year have already come out, and judging from the current situation, our original shipbuilding plans have already become anachronistic.
The Admiralty revises the shipbuilding program, not to say exceeding the British, but at least not less than the Austrians.”
There is no problem, there is still some distance from the world’s first naval power, France, but the hat of the world’s second naval power can not be easily lost.
Although the world’s second naval power and the world’s third naval power are not essentially different, are able to maintain France’s overseas interests.
But politically, the second and third are very different. Once the hat of the second naval power is lost, it will give the outside world an impression that France is declining.
Not to mention the many international enemies waiting to fall into the well, just those arrogant people at home can not accept ah!
Finance Minister Roy Vernon reminded: “Your Majesty, the construction of warships is not a big expense, the trouble is the huge military expenses in the later stage.
Austria before the announcement of the shipbuilding program to send a large number of additional warships to the Russians, in order to reduce the cost of military expenditures.
If we are going to follow it up in a big way, it would be best to decommission some of the warships as well to reduce the cost of military expenses.”
It is not true that the French government has money now, but money cannot be spent indiscriminately. And the British and Austrian financial strength, the French government is still not enough.
In order to avoid the worst, Roy Vernon believes that controlling military spending as much as possible in the arms race is the way to go.
Naval Minister Hamdi: “Your Excellency, the warships currently in service in the Imperial Navy are not very old, and there are very few warships nearing retirement.
Most of the warships are 50-60% new, and their performance is of very high quality, so it would be a shame to decommission these warships.
The most critical thing is that after these warships are decommissioned, they simply can not be disposed of, international buyers can not be found, and we do not lack of training ships.
There are only two ways in front of us, either pulling out to hit the target outside, or towed to the factory dismantling and selling scrap iron.
This kind of loser behavior is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.
The old battleships are backward in performance, and that is only for the new battleships. Apart from us, only Britain and Austria are currently equipped with them.
Take these warships out on convoy duty anywhere in the world and they’re up to the task.
Even if we do have to decommission them, that can wait until the newer battleships are in service, and we can maximize the value of these warships in the years that follow.”
Shedding is a normal operation, warships costing millions or tens of millions of francs, said to dispose of them, whoever is the Minister of the Navy would be heartbroken.
Hearing this explanation, Napoleon IV nodded: “The new battleships are not yet in service, the matter of decommissioning warships is not urgent for the time being.
Our situation is different from Austria’s, the overseas colonies are much more dependent on the navy.
In the meantime, everyone can still look for buyers as much as possible, even if the price is a bit cheaper.”
Since Austria could give it away for free, France was naturally able to sell it off in a tearful manner, and Napoleon IV was still holding out for a chance.
In the unlikely event that these soon-to-be-retired warships were sold, it would be a profit. As for the need for overseas convoys, all bullshit excuses.
These days, Britain, France and Austria who is not a surplus of warships ah? Affected by the previous arms race, now all three countries have a large number of warships.
As long as the three countries are not fighting each other, even if half of the warships are scrapped, the French Navy can also take up the current duties.
This is also one of the reasons why the Austrian government sent the Russian navy, the three countries do not fight the remaining warships are also enough to use, if the three countries fought, send or not send the result is the same.
The French and Austrians don’t need a navy to win the war, it’s the army that decides the outcome; if they start a war with the British, the navy doesn’t have any chance of winning.
Either to go out to break the diplomatic relations and sabotage, or hide in the harbor to avoid the wind, the sea duel is equal to send to death.
(End of chapter)