Greece to roman road

"Of course, the British Empire holds Poseidon's Trident, the King of the Seven Seas, and the Germans will naturally not be their opponents. But Colonel Henry, can you tell us about your training plan?" Constantine changed the subject from the relationship between Britain and Germany. The conflicts between them are transferred away.

"That's it, Your Highness, I have discussed it with His Excellency Kontoriotis. In view of the Greek Navy's serious lack of experience in building large warships, the Navy lacks elite crew members with sufficient quality to supplement the "Trikoupis" , so I plan to lead a group of naval crews for ocean-going training. Even a rookie in the navy can become an elite navy after such a voyage, and can train a group of experienced crew members in a short period of time." Henry and Cantori Otis looked at each other and replied.

Constantine nodded: "So which ships are going to participate in this ocean voyage? And what is the specific route of this ocean voyage?"

"That's right, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, we plan to dispatch the "Banning" in the navy to participate in this ocean-going training. The Greek Navy does not have large ships, and this ocean-going training must ensure that there are enough positions for new recruits to provide them. Internship and accumulation of practical experience in operating large warships, so I chose this warship," Contoriotis explained.

"In addition to this warship, we also plan to rent a civilian passenger ship to accompany it. Firstly, the Esmeralda-class warship has a limited crew, and secondly, it can give the tired crew a place to rest."

The navy in this era was actually very hard. The crew had to live on the ship year after year, drifting on the sea, and the accommodation conditions were very poor.

For example, the Banning has a displacement of only 3,000 tons and is a small and medium-sized warship. Since it is a warship, most of the space must be given over to military facilities, such as naval guns, armor, ammunition depots, coal bunkers, food storage depots, etc. There isn't much space for the crew.

Most of the crew members live in bunk beds in collective dormitories, which are like upper, middle and lower bunks in a train sleeper. They are so narrow and cramped that it is inconvenient to even turn over while sleeping on them. Navy crew members laugh at themselves as "sardine cans".

Even officers in the navy mostly have narrow single rooms that can accommodate a single bed, several cabinets and folding tables. Although the conditions are much better than those of soldiers, such conditions are still very oppressive.

In contrast, the situation of civilian ships is much better. Most of the space can serve the crew. After all, civilian ships do not have those heavy armors and artillery, and there is no need to install many watertight compartments in order to improve the ship's sinking resistance. , compared with warships, the living conditions of civilian ships are much more comfortable and comfortable.

That's why Contoriotis thought of renting a passenger ship to accompany him on the long voyage.

"As for the specific sailing route,..." At this point, Contoriotis looked at Colonel Henry.

"The sailing route is around Africa," Henry said.

"Around Africa?" Constantine asked in surprise.

"The ocean-going formation departs from the port of Piraeus in Greece, passes through the Strait of Gibraltar, and enters the Atlantic Ocean. According to the preliminary plan, the crew will conduct a series of exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, such as gunnery drills and ship driving under adverse sea conditions. , the rough Atlantic Ocean is the best naval training ground.”

Kontoriotis interjected: "During gunnery drills, we will use some uninhabited islands in the Atlantic as targets to conduct the Greek Navy's first long-range shooting experiment. The Banning has two 254mm cannons. , although this caliber is far from the large-caliber artillery on the Trikupis."

Constantine heard about the shooting experiment and asked with interest: "How do you conduct long-distance shooting experiments?"

Constantine was curious about how warship artillery of this era could ensure that it hit its target at a long distance.

"During shooting training, targets at designated distances are shot at a fixed elevation angle. The distances are usually 500 meters, 1500 meters, and 2500 meters. And based on the speed of 15 knots, the artillery elevation angle is fine-tuned in steps of 1/16 degrees to correct it. Shooting Parameters"

"Depth anchoring, collision avoidance, damage control, light control, as well as endless geographical coordinates and chart positioning, course and speed measurement, navigation beacon and signal flag identification, meteorology, hydrology and foreign military knowledge, these projects are all We need to conduct exercises at sea." Henry stated his plan.

"Then all the way south, oh, according to Commander Kontoriotis's request, the formation will visit Matadi in Congo, and then go to Cape Town, South Africa, where the formation will repair for a short period, and then go around the Cape of Good Hope."

Constantine listened to the route carefully and thought that the trained crew members would have to suffer a lot on this journey south. The fleet of ships went all the way south, and on the way to the Congo, they gradually approached the equator. The temperature near the equator was frighteningly high. Standing could imagine the intoxicating smell of sweat in the crew quarters.

"After passing the Cape of Good Hope, the formation enters the Atlantic Ocean. The sea conditions there are different from those in the Atlantic Ocean. In order to allow the crew to accumulate experience, we will train in the Indian Ocean for about a month, then cross the Mozambique Strait and continue all the way north to the Red Sea and pass through Suez Canal enters the Mediterranean and returns to Greece”

Constantine felt tired just listening to it. According to the route mentioned by Colonel Henry, the distance of this ocean voyage was probably not tens of thousands of kilometers.

Thinking about the crew members who have to be drifting on the ship for nearly a year, they don't know how they can endure the long journey. No wonder the navy's wages and allowances are much higher than those of the army.

"Thank you, Colonel Henry, for assisting the Greek Navy in ocean training," Constantine said.

After that, the three of them became quiet. Seeing that Constantine and Contoriotis seemed to have something to say, Henry wisely went to the tavern on the dock with other crew members to have fun. Years of ocean training, now every second on land is precious.

"Contoriotis, there is no problem with the two battlecruisers now. So, how is the construction process of other auxiliary ships of your navy, those torpedo boats and destroyers?" Constantine asked with concern.

The two Invincible-class battlecruisers will be the main battleships of the Greek Navy in the future, but the fleet still needs a certain number of auxiliary ships.

Moreover, with the development of torpedo technology, the lightning strike power of destroyers is increasingly valued by navies of various countries, and has become a threat that large warships cannot ignore.

Due to the special attack method of torpedoes, ships attacked from underwater, even if it is a battleship with heavy armor, if it is hit by a torpedo, it will cause irreversible damage even if it does not sink on the spot.

Even in the minds of some naval officers, the reason why navies of various countries are scrambling to develop large-caliber artillery and the artillery ranges of naval main warships are getting farther and farther is to allow the main ships to have the ability to launch attacks outside the range of torpedoes. Otherwise, once the main station enters the torpedo range, it will always face danger.

Therefore, Constantine was also very concerned about the ten large torpedo boats (destroyers) planned by the Greek Navy.