Chapter 241: Five Years to Build Ships, Targeting the Great Powers
The war has ended, but after the war, there is still much more aftermath work to be done.
First, according to the London Treaty, Australasia needs to withdraw its troops from Portuguese India and the East Asian colonies and ensure the safety of all Portuguese citizens in these regions.
Yes, the personal safety of the citizens.
As for the property of these Portuguese people, the majority of the previous factories, equipment, and other assets have already been moved by Australasia, and this fact is well-known to all the countries involved.
Additionally, the more than one thousand Portuguese soldiers captured by Australasia have all been moved to Portuguese India, waiting for the Portuguese to come and take them back.
Arthur did not demand ransom for these soldiers, as Australasia had already gained enough from this war. Moreover, the war's justification was to seek justice for the fishermen, and being too greedy would not have been wise.
In fact, Australasia gained quite a lot in this war. Portuguese Timor, which has rich mineral resources, is not the only gain. The factories and various facilities from the other two colonies have also been nearly emptied.
Portugal had been operating in these regions for decades, even centuries, and these properties were enough to provide significant rewards for Australasia.
As for the population of Portuguese Timor, a relatively reasonable solution has been proposed: they will be given relocation compensation and allowed to move to Portugal's other two Asian colonies.
Those who do not wish to leave will have to accept Australasia's rule and even adopt Australasia's nationality. They will go through a probation period of at least three months to ensure there are no issues before receiving citizenship.
Once more immigrants are brought from the mainland, Australasia's rule over Timor will be more solidified.
On October 21, 1907, the Australasia government officially announced that Timor would become its second colony, and a colonial government would be set up to manage the region.
Timor, or Portuguese Timor, was officially renamed Australasia Timor.
The Governor of Australasia Timor was Roman Pito, a member of the Royal Council and a former member of the Upper House in New Zealand.
After successfully entering the Royal Council, Roman Pito demonstrated his absolute loyalty to Arthur and kept a low profile, never causing trouble.
Having someone like him manage the not-so-large Australasia Timor was certainly enough, and it also showed the importance Arthur placed on talents from New Zealand.
It's worth noting that even though the Governor of Australasia Timor had just been established, their administrative rank was equivalent to that of a state governor, and their position even slightly exceeded that of a state governor.
State governors were elected by the people of their states, whereas the governors of colonies and capital territories were directly appointed by Arthur himself.
This difference in proximity made the governors of colonies and capital territories more important than state governors, which is why the Governor of Timor was a member of the Royal Council, while state governors were not.
After the troops withdrew from the two occupied regions, they returned to their original bases and resumed regular training.
The First Division only retained one regiment as the garrison for Australasia Timor. The other soldiers returned to their posts in Australasia.
Although the war was a success, it also exposed many weaknesses in Australasia's military.
Although the army was quite strong and could stand up to the German regulars, Australasia's army only consisted of just over 60,000 soldiers, which was equivalent to one guard division and three regular divisions.
This number was still too small to guard Australasia's vast territory, which spanned millions of square kilometers.
Secondly, the major weakness exposed was the navy.
The naval power of Australasia had not changed much from the colonial era; only a few medium-sized frigates and cruisers had been added.
Such a naval fleet could only defend against pirates and smaller surrounding nations, and it was no match for European powers.
Even countries like the Netherlands and Portugal, whose naval strength was similar on paper, had a much larger naval fleet than Australasia, making it clear that Australasia was not their opponent.
In fact, the war almost dragged on due to the naval disadvantage. Had it not been for the timely invitation of the three European powers to mediate the peace talks, the war would likely have lasted much longer.
After discussions between Arthur and the government officials, the official five-year naval expansion plan for Australasia was set in motion.
The most important focus of this plan was the expansion of battleships.
The good news was that the two Russian warships had entered the final stages of construction, with the Peter Pavlovsk battleship nearing completion.
After this, the two Russian battleships would enter sea trials, which meant the shipyards would have more energy to build Australasia's own warships.
As a result, the battleship construction would be the main focus of the five-year plan, and it would be on a large scale.
According to Arthur's decision, Australasia's navy would order three Monarch-class battleships, named the first ship "Australasia," followed by the "Australia" and "New Zealand."
According to the Royal Shipyards' reports, the first ship, "Australasia," could start construction as early as January of the following year, while "Australia" and "New Zealand" would begin construction in March and July, respectively.
Due to the simultaneous construction of three battleships, the construction timeline would be extended.
A conservative estimate is that "Australasia" will be completed in March 1909, and the latest "New Zealand" battleship will be completed by October 1909.
With about a year of sea trials, if everything goes well, Australasia's navy will have its first dreadnought battleship in early 1910, and by the end of 1910, it will have three dreadnought battleships.
With three dreadnoughts, Australasia's navy would definitely rank among the top ten in the world.
In addition to the Monarch-class battleships, Australasia would also develop a new class of strategic ships, or more appropriately, battlecruisers.
In fact, the British Empire already had battlecruisers in service.
A battlecruiser is a ship that has been somewhat weakened compared to a battleship or dreadnought, but still maintains formidable capabilities.
For instance, the British Invincible-class battlecruisers, such as the "Indomitable," "Inflexible," and "Invincible," have hulls and turret armor thickness of only 6 to 7 inches (150 to 180 mm), while the armor of battleships has reached 11 to 12 inches (280 to 300 mm).
This armor thickness difference means that the battlecruisers' protection capability is significantly weaker, though they have a major advantage in speed.
While dreadnoughts have a maximum speed of around 21 knots, the Invincible-class battlecruisers can reach a terrifying 26 knots, making them much faster than dreadnoughts.
The gun caliber of the British battlecruisers is 12 inches (305 mm), comparable to that of contemporary battleships, meaning that the battlecruisers have the same firepower as battleships but with much higher speed.
Despite the reduced armor, the battlecruiser's speed gives it strategic advantages, such as the ability to flank enemy fleets, pursue targets, and conduct patrols.
Arthur had instructed shipyard experts to explore this kind of warship after the Monarch-class battleships were conceived, and after a considerable amount of time, the experts had achieved some results.
Australasia's strategic battlecruiser would be named the "Unified-Class Fast Cruiser," approximately 173 meters long, 24 meters wide, and 7.9 meters high.
The expected standard displacement of the Unified-class fast cruiser was 17,000 tons, and the full-load displacement was estimated to reach just under 19,000 tons.
Thanks to its reduced armor, the ship was expected to reach speeds of over 24 knots, with a top speed likely to exceed 25 knots once completed.
The ship would be armed with four dual-mounted 45-caliber 283 mm main guns, twelve single-mounted 45-caliber 4-inch secondary guns, and seven machine guns. It would also be equipped with four 458 mm underwater torpedo tubes for anti-submarine defense.
Despite its weaker armor, this ship had no major drawbacks, making it a prime candidate for construction under Arthur's plan.
In addition to the Monarch-class battleships, the construction of the Unified-class fast cruiser was another key focus.
However, the fast cruiser plan only included two ships, which would begin construction after the completion of the "Australasia" and "Australia" battleships. The completion of these ships would likely be in the latter half of 1910, and they would not be ready to equip the navy until 1911.
But no one could deny that after equipping Australasia's navy with three Monarch-class battleships and two Unified-class fast cruisers, its naval power would certainly reach the level of the great powers, though still only a lower-tier power.
(End of Chapter)
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