Greece’s Roman Road

Chapter 106: destroyer

In view of Tesla's outstanding contribution this time, for the purpose of protecting the superior artillery technology of the Greek army, and this exquisite movable piston design cannot be announced to the world in a short period of time, Emanuel personally told Tesla to His laboratory, allocated 2.5 million drachmas for his experiments as compensation.

At the same time, it was guaranteed by Tesla that the technical details of the rapid-fire gun should not be disclosed to other people or organizations without the permission of the Greek Army.

 

Outside the port of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea, three destroyers set off from the United Kingdom and just finished refueling coal and supplies at the port of Gibraltar, lined up in one column, whistled, and sailed in the direction of the Eastern Mediterranean.

In May 1891, three of the destroyers (torpedo boats) purchased from the United Kingdom, due to their small tonnage and a displacement of only more than 200 tons, have been built and received by Greek naval crews sent to the United Kingdom for training. Return to Greece under the command of Captain Teas.

Having received the news, Constantine personally went to the port of Piraeus to participate in the commissioning ceremony of the three warships.

Standing on the pier, watching the three "petite" destroyers slowly docking, and the sailors standing in line on the side of the destroyers, the flag of the Kingdom of Greece on the mast, the blue and white cross flags flying in the wind.

When the three ships passed the position of Constantine, the sailors saluted His Royal Highness.

After the warship was anchored and stabilized, the sailors headed by Cantoriotis stepped off the ship.

"Captain, welcome you back to Greece," Constantine said enthusiastically.

After speaking, he carefully looked at the sailors behind Cantoriotis. There were only a dozen or so crew members, and it was impossible for a crew of ten to drive three destroyers back to Greece from England.

Looking at Constantine's puzzled expression, Cantoriotis understood the reason and took the initiative to explain: "Every time we land, no more than one-fifth of the crew, without the permission of the officer, will One of the crew members can disembark."

"In addition to making the sailors more familiar with their ships, sea life, and shipmates, it also keeps the warships on alert at all times. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many French and Spanish fleets gave half of the crew a holiday. As a result, the lack of manpower was attacked by the British fleet."

"I see." Constantine nodded, indicating that he understood.

It seems that under the strict training of the British, these crew members have learned the British naval regulations thoroughly.

"The reason for this rule is that when the Dutch fought in the Anglo-Dutch War, they raided the Thames River and dragged away the prisoners of the British naval flagship. The Royal Navy also stipulates that whenever a ship docks, in addition to the captain, only A maximum of one-fifth of the crew on board can be allowed to go ashore, and the crew members who go ashore also strive for the consent of the captain. Generally, they are responsible for purchasing supplies, and it is very rare for the crew to have a holiday.” Seeing Constantine Rao The look of interest, Cantoriotis went on to explain.

It seems that the rest of the crew are on board.

"Captain Cantoriotis, from today onwards, you are the commander of this destroyer fleet," Constantine said.

"Although these three ships are small boats with a displacement of no more than 300 tons, the torpedoes they are equipped with are deadly weapons for the enemies of the Greek Navy," Constantine encouraged.

Speaking of this, Constantine couldn't help but complain about the British. The main weapons of these three destroyers were the British William White torpedoes. One torpedo was sold to Greece for 600 pounds. Converted to drachmas, it was about 15,000. Drachma is too expensive.

The two were chatting about the navy, and Cantoriotis suddenly said to Constantine, "Your Highness, I wonder if you have any idea of ​​forming a marine corps for the Greek Navy."

"Marines? Do we need marines?" Constantine asked curiously.

Most of Constantine's thoughts were spent on the Greek Army. The huge army advantage of Ottoman firmly attracted Constantine's attention. What role can the Marine Corps have when facing the Ottomans in Greece? Woolen cloth?

"Your Highness, islands in the Aegean Sea," Cantoriotis reminded.

"Once there is a war between Greece and the Ottomans in the future, we will definitely take back the islands where a large number of Greeks live. If the navy can have a marine corps, it will be convenient for the Ottoman soldiers to be stationed on the islands in the future and need to land. too much"

Constantine was stunned for a moment, but he thought so. Almost all of the islands in the Aegean Sea were Greeks. It was natural for him to have a marine corps who were familiar with water and were good at amphibious landings.

"Do you have any ideas, Captain?" The two came to the street near the dock area and found a coffee shop with a quiet environment.

"That's it, Your Highness. When I was training in the UK, I saw that there is a kind of rubber boat in the UK. It's very simple. It's just **** with a few rubber tires. After inflating, the small hull can float on the water. ' Cantoriotis said in a low voice, fattening down his coffee mug.

Rubber boats, island landings, and marines, Constantine recited these three terms in his heart.

"How many people do you think the Greek Marine Corps needs? Captain" Constantine asked~www.wuxiaspot.com~ After all, Constantine was not a professional navy, so it is still up to the navy professionals to give advice on such matters.

"The number of people doesn't need to be large. About 1,000 people are enough. You just have to be familiar with water quality. Of course, there are some special requirements for weapons, and some lightweight fire support weapons are needed."

Constantine tapped the table with the fingers of his left hand, thinking about the more role of the landing team. He was very inspired by what Cantoriotis said about landing on the island.

"Captain, I have a doubt. A large number of soldiers implement amphibious login. Do you think it is feasible under the current technical conditions?" Constantine asked seriously.

Constantine was a little uncertain about the feasibility of logging in to combat, but he was inspired by Cantoriotis, so he had this doubt.

"It is only feasible under one condition, that is to **** the other party's important port cities, otherwise, according to the current technical conditions, it is impossible to send a large number of soldiers to land." Cantoriotis heard Constantine's question, Thinking of Greece's current imaginary enemy, only Ottoman, I guessed that His Highness was inquiring about the feasibility of landing on the coast of the Aegean Sea in Asia Minor, and quickly returned to Dao, wanting to dispel Constantine's crazy idea.

Under the current technical conditions, such a cross-sea expedition is simply not something that Greece's strength can do.

"I can give you 2,000 soldiers who are familiar with water, Captain Cantoriotis. From today, your rank will be promoted to major. In addition to commanding the destroyer formation, this marine corps will also be given to you, and you will train them." This is not a random promotion by Constantine. The original captain of the navy should have been promoted after receiving training as a British naval officer.

​​

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like