Chapter 274: Water Tank and Tanks
The two unified strategic cruisers that the Royal Shipyard is about to start constructing have been named the flagship Unity and the Peace, and their construction officially began in mid-January this year.
Since the main task of the Royal Shipyard this year is to build these two fast cruisers, the construction speed of these ships will be slightly faster, with the earliest expected completion in October, and at the latest, by December.
After attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the warships, Arthur summoned the head of the Royal Shipyard and asked him the same questions he had asked Director Theodore at the aviation laboratory.
The head of the Royal Shipyard did not make any empty promises. After careful and cautious consideration, he gave Arthur an answer that could be attempted.
Satisfied with the answer, Arthur nodded and ordered the head of the Royal Shipyard to liaise with the aviation laboratory.
The development of an aircraft carrier depends on the joint efforts of both the shipyard and the aviation laboratory. It must meet the requirements for short-distance takeoff for planes and also ensure that its combat capabilities and design are more rational.
The specific design and experimentation would be left to the aviation laboratory and the shipyard to figure out. For Arthur, all he needed to do was present an idea, and many people would work hard to bring it to life.
After the groundbreaking ceremony for the two warships, Arthur formally approached a group of International Olympic Committee members at the end of January and hosted a grand banquet to welcome their arrival.
After the welcome banquet, Minister Grant and the IOC members immediately went to the designated area of the Australasia National Stadium.
The IOC was quite satisfied with the arrangement, as their requirement was only for a stadium that could hold up to 40,000 people. According to Australasia's plan, however, the National Stadium would be a super-large stadium capable of holding 50,000 people, far exceeding the IOC's expectations.
To construct the National Stadium, the Australasia government spared no expense in hiring renowned designers and construction companies from Europe and America, with the goal of building a national stadium that could last for over a hundred years. Even if it were no longer used in the future, it would stand as a historical testament to the development of Australasia over a century.
Designing the stadium was not an easy task. After all, the National Stadium would become one of Australasia's landmarks and a symbol of its sporting achievements.
This meant that the design had to be strict, not only reflecting the country's good image but also being innovative enough to attract more people.
Under the coordination of the IOC and Minister Grant, the leading construction companies and designers spent over a month before settling on a preliminary design.
During this time, a large portion of it was spent arguing over which design was best. Two construction companies even had a quarrel over it—though it might have been influenced by the fact that one company was British, and the other German.
Once the design was finalized, the next most important task was the construction itself.
Arthur, along with Prime Minister Walter, Minister Kent, and several other ministers, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Stadium. Arthur gave an important speech at the ceremony, emphasizing the significance of sports for the diversified development of Australasia and encouraging more citizens to engage in sports. He also urged them to contribute to the country's development by strengthening their bodies.
According to Minister Grant's report, on the very day Arthur's speech was finished, thousands of Australasians expressed their desire to become athletes.
However, the selection of athletes could not be arbitrary. A strict physical and talent screening process was required, and priority would be given to those who were loyal to the monarch and the country.
Arthur's speech eased Minister Grant's mind. As the speech spread across the country, there was no longer any concern about the number of athletes.
In fact, Minister Grant suspected that if the sports department allowed unlimited recruitment, the number of athletes in Australasia could soon surpass tens of thousands.
This might sound crazy, but there was no real need for such numbers. After all, even the largest Olympic Games only had a little over 2,000 athletes.
At the London Olympics, which had the highest number of athletes from any single country, the UK only sent over 700.
The sports industry has a clear top three, but no participation awards or consolation prizes, so the focus was on quality, not quantity.
Minister Grant painstakingly selected nearly 500 youths with excellent physical qualities and talent from the tens of thousands of applicants. In addition to the 100 or so athletes from the previous Olympics, he had a total of over 600 athletes ready for the next Sydney Games.
With nearly two and a half years remaining before the Sydney Games, Minister Grant sent these 600 athletes to a secret training location.
He believed that two years of training would yield tangible results. His expectations were modest: as long as one in ten athletes could win a medal, he would be satisfied.
It is worth noting that Minister Grant also spent some funds to consult with national committee officials on methods to expedite athlete training.
Fortunately, current sports training wasn't too formal, mainly relying on instinct and physical fitness.
In March 1910, the construction of the Australasia National Stadium officially began. The stadium's construction was expected to take 20 months but could be delayed until about 24 months.
This meant the stadium would be completed by March 1912 at the latest, just in time for the opening of the 1912 Olympic Games in June.
The construction of the supporting hotels, facilities, and roads was expected to be completed by late 1911 to the end of 1911, and at the latest, no later than March 1912.
The construction schedule was thoroughly planned and predicted by the construction companies and designers, and it was expected not to exceed the predicted range.
Arthur was very generous with the budget for the stadium. The initial budget for the project was 6 million Australian dollars, with a reserve of 4 million dollars, which could be added to if needed.
Arthur had only one requirement: the project should meet quality and quantity standards and be completed on time.
This request was relatively lenient for the construction companies, so they worked with great enthusiasm.
Additionally, with many indigenous workers involved, a significant amount of labor costs were saved, further reducing the cost of building the stadium.
By April, Arthur visited the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory in the outskirts of Sydney to inspect the factory's recent work.
Of course, on the surface, Arthur's visit was to inspect the factory's tractor production and the related issues surrounding tractors.
Since tractors began to be used extensively in some parts of Australasia a few years ago, they have become an indispensable part of the country's agricultural development.
People were surprised to find that tractors not only greatly reduced labor costs but also performed better than human labor in terms of tilling land.
At the same time, tractors could also be used for tasks like harvesting. Aside from being a bit expensive and consuming fuel, they were practically tireless workers—like powerful, hardworking slaves.
As of now, Australia has over 1,000 agricultural tractors, more than 70% of which are in state-run or royal farms in Australasia.
The increase in food production in Australasia can be largely attributed to the success of tractors.
However, Arthur wouldn't personally pay attention to just a tractor. What really brought him to the Agricultural Machinery Factory was the first generation of tanks developed under the guise of tractor research.
Naturally, these machines were called tanks because the factory, for confidentiality reasons, referred to them as "water tanks" in English, due to their resemblance to water transport containers.
After Arthur's approval, the machine that didn't resemble a tractor in any way was officially named a tank.
The tanks, designed by the Agricultural Machinery Factory, were slightly taller than standard tractors.
From the outside, apart from being covered by thick steel plates, they didn't look much different from a tractor.
Of course, due to the steel plates, the tank only had a small observation hole at the front, while the rest of the tank was sealed.
Above the tank, a long cannon protruded, its dark muzzle almost appearing as if it could devour souls.
The tank's official crew consisted of four members: a driver, a commander, a gunner, and an ammunition loader.
Under normal circumstances, the commander also served as the tank commander and observer, standing in the only observation hole of the tank.
The driver sat at the front of the tank, operating the vehicle much like a tractor.
The gunner was responsible for operating the 75mm howitzer above the tank, aiming and firing it, while also managing the machine gun mounted at the top.
Of course, to operate the machine gun, the gunner had to stick half of his body out of the tank, which was a dangerous task.
The ammunition loader's task was simpler: load the cannon with ammunition. The ammo storage and cannon were positioned on the left and right sides of the loader, so he didn't need to move far to load shells.
The tank's operation was a collaborative effort between the four crew members.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997