Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2051 Ships and Baleen Whale Harbor

On February 1689, 2, the high latitudes of the Southern Cone had gradually become cooler.But on the wharf of Huangyang Port, a group of workers in the uniform of the Black Mountain Industrial Company are still working hard. They are putting the final touches on a medium-sized ship lying in the wet dock.

The tonnage of this ship is about [-] tons. It is an improved version of the once famous all-steam powered ship "Dingjunshan".Of course, due to the restrictions of Xuefeng Lake and Huangyang River, the ship's power system and some internal equipment were manufactured in Xuefeng Lake, but the hull was completed in a branch factory of the company in Huangyanghekou.

The "Seagull" was ordered by the Nanhai Liner Company.They ordered four ships of the same type in one go, namely the "Seagull", "Petrel", "Albatross" and "Puffin".Among them, the first ship "Seagull" is close to delivery, and the next three ships are still under intense manufacturing, but it is estimated that they will be delivered one after another within this year.

That is to say, this year, the South China Sea Liner Company will have a full steam-powered ocean-going fleet with a tonnage of 2400 tons.This fleet will form a fixed route between the local Qingdao Port and South Africa’s Dayuan Port, with one flight every three months, regardless of ocean currents and wind directions, and has a strong ability to survive in bad weather. Contribute to communication.

The top management of the Nanhai Group (the sole shareholder of the Nanhai Liner Company) has decided that if the official commercial voyage next year (1690) is more successful, the company will allocate additional funds to purchase eight ships of this type at the end of next year to form a larger fleet. The fleet will speed up the exchange of materials, personnel and information between the mainland and South Africa.

They optimistically predict that after the addition of these 12 ships with a total shipping tonnage of 7200 tons, the shipping market between South Africa and the mainland will usher in a complete reshuffle.From now on, those old sailing boats and motor sailing boats will usher in a period of painful struggle, and they have almost no other way except to lower the price as a means of competition.And considering that sailors take risks to go to sea and sail in order to pursue high income, this method of price reduction is actually not very effective, and there is not much room for it.Therefore, if in the future, instead of transporting goods by themselves to the sea to do business, they simply help others to transport goods, they will probably not be able to survive and have to change careers or go to other places to do business.

Of course, this does not mean that sailboats and motorboats will be completely eliminated from the east coast.In fact, there is a long process from the emergence of new things to the development and growth of new things, which cannot be accomplished overnight.Moreover, this kind of all-steam-powered ship is currently only produced by Heishan Industrial Company. The production capacity is limited and the price is not cheap. It is not realistic to popularize it in the short term.

Not to mention, sailing ships also have their own advantages, that is, the endless wind power on the sea, which is much cheaper than coal-burning steam-powered ships.The same is true for motor sailboats. Their steam propulsion systems are less powerful, and they are closed most of the time. They use ocean currents and wind to sail. Think of them as sailboats, less expensive to sail.

In later generations, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Germans also built the steel sailing ship "Great Prussia" with a full load displacement of over 57 tons.This super-large five-masted sailing ship has obvious advantages in ocean routes that lack coal supplies, and its endurance is unlimited. It only takes 20 days to transport saltpetre from Hamburg to Chile, and the speed can reach up to 15 knots. It is normal to run an average of [-] knots. The thing was jaw-dropping.

It can be seen that there is still a market for sailing boats and motor sailing boats, and they will not be eliminated soon.Especially after new materials and new technologies are widely used, the flying scissor schooner is still very useful.The huge sailing fleets of the South Sea Shipping Company, the East African Shipping Company and the Immigration Department will continue to serve until they are replaced by new steam ships purchased by the company.And these obsolete old ships are destined not to enter the cemetery. In fact, they are most likely to be auctioned off publicly and entered into the pockets of private adventurers and sea traders, and continue to exert their residual heat until they are completely damaged. .

But no matter what, it is the trend of the times to replace sailing ships and even motor sailing ships with all-steam-powered ships, and it does not depend on anyone's will.Even if sailing ships and motor sailing ships will continue to struggle for a while, it will not change the general trend. There is no doubt that steam ships represent the future.I believe that after one or two years of successful operation of the steamship fleet of the South China Sea Transportation Company, the manufacturing technology of this kind of ship has spread to several other state-owned shipyards, and there will be more companies that can build it. The ocean shipping industry on the east coast It will also slowly enter the age of ships.

On February 2, the steamship "Seagull" completed the final finishing work and was received by representatives sent by the South China Sea Transportation Company.Some shipyard technicians boarded the deck together with the crew of Nanhai Transportation Company, intending to go south with the ship, pass through Xingnan Port and Baleen Whale Port, and then return to complete a sea trial.

It can be seen from the design route that the "Seagull" will sail against the current and wind for a period of time, and at the same time go to the sea area with strong winds and waves for inspection. He will be stingy, and will quickly transfer the remaining money to the account of Xuefeng Lake Shipyard to complete the transaction.

On March 3th, after overcoming the adverse effects of the countercurrent (Falkland cold current) and headwind (southwest wind), the steamer "Seagull" finally arrived at Baleen Whale Harbor and anchored at noon of the day.The technicians on board carefully checked the operation of the machine and found that it was quite good, and the degree of running-in of each component was also deepening. After returning home, after a little processing, it can basically be officially delivered and let the customer travel around the world.

In order to test the performance of the ship, on the return trip, "Seagull" also plans to purchase a large amount of canned food and whale products to Xingnan Port to see how the heavy-loaded ship performs in the rough seas near the Falkland Islands.

When it comes to purchasing materials at Baleen Whale Port, one cannot fail to mention the current development of Baleen Whale Port.This remote port, which is the logistics supply base for the vast majority of whaling ships on the east coast, now has about 5000 residents, most of whom live in and around Baleen Whale Port City.

In this port, there is a small and large ship repair center, which provides repair and maintenance services for merchant ships, whaling ships and even warships.However, the machines and parts needed for maintenance are all imported from the other side. Baleen Whale Port does not have such an industrial base, and it is impossible to have one.

In addition to the ship repair business, the most important industry in the Falkland Islands is probably the deep processing of the captured whales, and then sell them on land to earn profits.Most of the whale skins in the East Coast Republic are processed here, and even some water tanks and overshoes are produced here, but on a small scale.As for whale oil and whale meat, each has its own processing factory. The highest quality whale oil on the east coast is Falkland whale oil, followed by whale oil produced in Qingfeng County, Chile. It is also very good, but the scale of production capacity Not as good as here.

The same is true for whale meat. This kind of rough meat was once the special meat for low-level laborers on the east coast. It was not until the bison in the Pampa Plain were caught in large numbers that they got rid of the bad luck of the bottom.Like whale oil, the largest producer of dried whale meat (including canned products) on the east coast is Mashima Baleen Whale Port, followed by Qingfeng County. These two places supply more than [-]% of the whale products of the East Coast Republic, including all kinds of oil and leather. , meat, vitamins (obtained from whale guts or glands), and other gadgets (such as bras, skirts, etc.), the amount is still very large.

Of course, Falkland Island also supplies nearly half of the guano and seal droppings on the east coast. This is also a good resource, which can be used in agriculture and chemical industries. This depends on the brave residents of Baleen Whale Harbor on the island and nearby. Going to some small islands to get it requires facing the threat of strong winds and huge waves, but everything is worth it.

All in all, Baleen Whale Port has made a lot of money by exporting the above-mentioned materials and supplying and repairing ships. This has given them the capital to import various daily necessities from the mainland. People's lives are generally pretty good. The only drawback is The weather here is not very good, too much rain and snow, but it does not seem to be insurmountable.

The residents of Baleen Whale Port have been trying to find a way to set up an independent county recently, so as to get rid of the unfree fate of being managed by Xingnan Port.When they talk to each other, they always feel that the bureaucrats in Xingnan County across the sea don't care about their development, they just blindly collect all kinds of taxes from them, so that they have no money to develop.One of the most criticized things by the local residents is that the lighthouse in Baleen Whale Harbor was built by the Navy decades ago. It is a bit low and the lights are not bright enough. It has always been fruitless, and it is annoying to think about it.

However, I heard that the superiors did not fail to notice their predicament. In fact, the Government Affairs Council has really been studying the establishment of Baleen Whale County recently.Once the county is established, its basic jurisdiction will include the entire Malvinas Islands in later generations, as well as the nearby South Georgia Island, etc. The land area is not large, but the sea area is very large.In the future, even if steamships are popular and Baleen Whale Harbor loses most of its supply and repair business, they will still be able to live by herding sheep, fishing, whaling, and mining guano.Even after hundreds of years, it can even become a good tourist destination and one of the starting points for going to Antarctica. The rich oil and gas reserves in the surrounding sea area is another fortune. Generally speaking, the economy is still in good shape. .

On March 3, the "Seagull" returned to Huangyang Port.The workers of the Xuefeng Lake Shipyard dragged it into the dock again, checked it up and down carefully, and after confirming that there were no problems, they negotiated with the representatives of the South China Sea Transportation Company about the official delivery.The rich and powerful Nanhai Shipping Company did not talk nonsense. After confirming that there was no problem, it signed an agreement with the shipyard and officially accepted the all-steam ship, which was a solid step forward for the formation of an ocean-going ship fleet.

Think about this time, European countries—especially England—are still struggling with how to get steam engines on sailboats, and are constantly working on technological breakthroughs.But in the far southern New World, people on the east coast have slowly started the era of steam ships. Thinking about it, the gap is indeed quite large.

Early tomorrow morning, I have to catch a plane to go on a business trip to the northwest of the motherland. I am so busy that I may have to invite clients to dinner in the evening.So, everyone understands, I'm sorry, I'm too busy, I'll try to make up for it when I come back on Sunday.

(End of this chapter)