Chapter 37 Inspection of the Shipyard
After the public trial, Paul Graiman did not return to Lake Town immediately. There were still many matters to deal with, so he decided to stay in Port Fulan for a few more days.
For example, in terms of administration, the original old mayor obviously cannot continue to hold this position due to physical reasons.
According to tradition, prominent local people should be called together to elect a local as the new mayor. This is also a common practice in the northern territories. As long as the lords can collect enough taxes, they can With enough corvee and military service numbers, they would be happy to give the local government some small power in their eyes.
On the contrary, if something happens locally, they will also use it to evade some of their responsibilities and obligations.
However, Paul does not intend to continue this tradition. He wants to appoint his own candidates. The power to appoint and remove various officials in the territory must be firmly in his hands, so that his will can be implemented relatively effectively, paving the way for the expected series of reforms. Good roads.
Of course, in view of the old mayor's rich experience, Paul still left him a consultant position, and his salary was paid by him, which was included in the financial expenditure of the Lord's Mansion.
So he wrote to Governor Ford and asked him to immediately send two experienced and trustworthy people to Port Fulan to serve as the mayor and deputy mayor.
What surprised him was that there was a small shipyard in Port Fulan, and it was the property of his family. As soon as he learned about the existence of this shipyard, he led Schroeder to , Bryce and other officers came to visit.
After the public trial, the shipyard continued to work. Paul and others stood near the shipyard, watching the craftsmen busy from a distance. The person in charge of the shipyard cautiously accompanied these big guys.
"Do we only build this type of ship here?"
Paul asked with a frown. In his opinion, the ships in the docks and docks were a bit similar to the Nordic Viking captains in the Middle Ages on Earth. The boat has a single mast and a main square sail, and it is also a hard sail. The wind is only an auxiliary function, and most of the power comes from the rowers configured on the boat.
Rubin, the person in charge of the shipyard, replied respectfully: "Yes, sir, our shipyard is currently only building this kind of ship."
The little earl didn't seem to be satisfied.
Paul is indeed not very satisfied. In his mind, even if a steam-powered ironclad cannot be built now, he must be able to build a sailing battleship like HMS Victory, a single-masted galley. It looked like a toy to him.
He shook his head and said: "This is not possible! The navy we want to build cannot go to sea on such ships."
A group of landlubbers around were puzzled: "My lord, aren't all ships long?" Is it like this? "
"We need warships with larger hulls and more sails, with longer endurance and the kind that can cross the ocean, instead of staying at sea for less than a week and having to return. Supplies at the dock."
He turned to the shipyard manager Rubin: "Does the whole world use similar ships?"
Rubin thought for a while and replied: "The whole world dare not. Said, as far as I know, this is basically the case. The details may be different, but the structures are similar. Some large ships have two or three masts.”
"Do they all use this kind of hard sail?"
"There are also soft sails, which are very popular in the Cape Bay area."
"What are the advantages of these two kinds of sails? What are the pros and cons? ”
“Generally speaking, hard sails require fewer operators, can catch wind from all directions, and adapt to changing wind directions and complex sea areas, but they do not make enough use of the downwind wind and have relatively low speeds. The soft sail is slow and not suitable for long-distance sailing. The mast can be made taller to increase the wind-receiving area of the sail, which is suitable for long-distance sailing. However, the operation is complicated and it is cumbersome and dangerous to stow. It is harmful to sailors. The requirements for quality are relatively high." Rubin paused and continued: "Maritime transportation is not very frequent in our northwest coast area, and we usually sail along the coastline, so we can go ashore for supplies at any time, so this kind of easy-to-operate hardware is popular. Sail. Those countries in the south, such as the Horn Bay Alliance, have more developed maritime trade and more advanced shipbuilding technology than us, so they generally use soft sails and their hulls are larger.”
"The Corner Bay Alliance...I know." Paul thought of the unlucky young man who was captured by the pirates. Isn't he from the Corner Bay Alliance?
Rubin suddenly remembered something and apologized: "Sir, please wait for me for a moment." Then he hurried back to his office, and hurried over again, with a thick book under his arm. of tomes.
He handed over the book with both hands: "This is the information on various ships that I have compiled since I started in the industry. Since the Earl is so interested in ships, I might gain something from reading it."
Paul took it and flipped through a few pages, only to see that it was full of pictures and texts, recording every type of ship that the person in charge of the shipyard had learned about since joining the industry. The information was very rich, including load capacity, draft, personnel configuration and quantity, Voyage, materials, etc.
"Amazing!" He praised sincerely, this Rubin is really a talent.
After being praised by the lord, Rubin was a little shy: "Hey! Your Excellency is so complimentary."
Paul immediately announced a reward of 10 silver coins to him. Rubin couldn't believe his ears. His little hobby actually made him a little rich.
“What is the largest ship you have built here?”
“The largest long ship you have built is nearly 30 meters long and 70 tons in load.”
“Build one How long does the boat take? ”
"Different ships require different construction periods. As long as the main materials are readily available, small ships can be completed within a month, let alone small ships. If a large ship is urgently needed, it can be completed within a quarter. But if it is That kind of strong and durable ship has extremely high quality requirements. After the keel and ribs are built, they have to be left to dry naturally on the slipway for a year before the inner and outer laying of the hull can be continued. The subsequent construction can only be carried out slowly and orderly. This It will take a long time.”
“How many years have you worked in this shipyard?”
“I have been working here with my father since I was a child. It has been nearly 20 years. "
"This place is always visited by pirates, don't they make things difficult for you?"
"Pirates also want to build and repair ships, but they don't make things difficult for us. They will give you some money. After all, you still need to buy shipbuilding materials, tools, etc. Sometimes they will send them ready-made. As for how, you know.”
...
Everyone looked at the question and answer between Paul and Rubin and murmured in their hearts: "It seems that the Earl is determined to develop the navy. This Rubin is probably going to be put to great use."
After visiting the shipyard, Paul bid farewell to Rubin and prepared to lead everyone back to the temporary station at the church in the center of the town. Before leaving, he patted Rubin on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Do a good job. This shipyard will be of great help to me." Useful.”
Although it may seem a bit funny to others that a half-grown boy acted like this to a middle-aged man, it still moved the shipyard manager to tears and he smacked his chest and swore to God. Never let down the Earl's expectations.
Finally, Paul asked Rubin to use the weight of sea water displaced after the ship was launched to measure the size of the ship. He still liked to use the concept of displacement. As for how to calculate it, it was up to the shipyard director himself.
(End of this chapter)