World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"That data is on the seabed!" Kitchener roared. "The Hood is 3,500 meters below the surface, and we haven't even recovered the wreckage! As for the Bismarck's data, will the Germans give it to us? Will the Lanfang people tell us the truth?"

The meeting room fell into another deadlock.

Asquith rubbed his temples. His head ached; it had started when he received the telegram that morning and was now growing increasingly severe. He looked out the window; the rain was still falling, and cars occasionally drove by on Whitehall, splashing water. The outside world continued to function normally, but inside this underground conference room, the British Empire's maritime supremacy was experiencing a crisis unseen in a century.

"Gentlemen," Asquith finally spoke, his voice low but silencing everyone, "we now face three problems."

He held up three fingers.

"First, how do we explain the loss of HMS Hood to the public and our allies? We can't say it was sunk by a five-round salvo, that would cause panic. We need a... relatively decent explanation."

"Second, how to deal with the threat from the German Navy? The Bismarck-class has proven its strength, and we have reason to believe that the Germans will use this victory to carry out even bolder actions."

"Third," Asquith paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "and this is the most important question: Where does the Royal Navy's future lie? Should we continue to rely on Lanfang's technology—if we can still trust them—or should we seek a new direction?"

The meeting room was completely silent.

"Let me say a few words."

The speaker was First Sea Lord Admiral Jellicoe. He stood up, walked to the nautical chart, and pointed to the spot where the Hood had sunk.

"When the war broke out in 1914, I commanded the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow." Jellicoe's voice was steady and powerful, with the rhythm unique to an old sailor. "At that time, we believed that the Royal Navy's superiority was overwhelming. The Battle of Jutland changed my mind—the German warships were designed with more emphasis on protection and survivability, and our battlecruisers were deficient in protection."

He turned to face the crowd: "The procurement of the Hood-class destroyers was made right after the Battle of Jutland. We needed to quickly acquire a platform capable of countering Germany's new warships, and Lanfang's design seemed to be the best choice at the time. In fact, the Hood proved its value in the Battle of the East China Sea."

"But that's in the Pacific Ocean—" someone tried to interrupt.

"Let me finish." Jellicoe raised his hand. "The Hood sank yesterday, that's a fact. But what was the reason? Was it a design flaw in the battleship, a tactical error, or simply bad luck? I think it was all three."

He walked back to his seat, but did not sit down.

"In terms of design, the Hood-class battlecruisers did have relatively weak horizontal armor. This was a trade-off made to reduce weight and achieve high speed, and all battlecruisers had this problem—including the German Defflinger-class."

"Tactically, Rear Admiral Wellesley chose to close the distance during the storm, attempting to trade accuracy for survival. This decision made sense under the circumstances, but it proved fatal. If they had maintained their distance and exchanged fire, HMS Hood might have held out longer until the main fleet arrived."

"As for luck..." Jellicoe smiled wryly, "The shell hit right at the seam of the armor and detonated the ammunition depot. Such a low-probability event might only happen once in a hundred times. But that's war; once is enough."

Kitchener wanted to argue, but Jericho continued.

"Now, let's return to the Prime Minister's third question: Where does the future of the Royal Navy lie?" Jellicoe took a deep breath. "Gentlemen, we must face a harsh reality: in the design and construction of capital ships, the British Empire has fallen behind."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

"After the Battle of Jutland, we initiated the 'Queen Elizabeth-class' upgrade program, but progress was slow. Meanwhile, the Lanfang people designed groundbreaking battleships like the Hood-class and Bismarck-class in just a few years. After the Germans acquired the Bismarck-class, they may have made improvements, and we have all seen the results."

Jellicoe's gaze fell on Balfour: "First Minister of the Navy, I have a direct question for you: Are our shipyards currently capable of designing and building warships that surpass the Bismarck class? How long would that take?"

Belfort remained silent for a full ten seconds. "Design...maybe. But building a 45,000-ton capital ship from groundbreaking to commissioning would take at least three years. And we'd need to solve many technical problems: high-powered steam turbines, heavy naval gun manufacturing, the smelting of new armor steel..."

"Three years," Jellicoe repeated the word. "The Germans now have two Bismarck-class ships, and they may order more from Lanfang. The Royal Navy can't wait three years."

"So what's your suggestion?" Asquith asked.

"My advice is to stop blaming and complaining, and start solving the problems." Jellicoe's voice hardened. "First, immediately launch our own super battleship program, no matter the budget. Second, adjust our tactics to avoid one-on-one battles with German capital ships before the new ships enter service. Third..."

He paused.

"Third, seek external help. But not Lanfang."

Everyone in the conference room understood what he meant.

"Melika," said Sir Grey, the Foreign Secretary, softly.

“Yes, Melika.” Jericho nodded. “Their industrial capacity is the best in the world, their technology is no less than Lanfang’s, and more importantly—they are a neutral country, but their relationship with us is closer. Although President Wilson claims to be neutral, he has always been inclined to the Allied Powers in private.”

Lord Kitchener finally calmed down a bit. "You're suggesting we buy warships from the Merika? Or technology?"

“Both are needed,” Jellicoe said, “but industrial cooperation is more important. We need the Americans to help us rebuild our naval industrial system, to provide the technology and materials we lack. This isn’t just about buying a few ships; it’s about maritime dominance for the next twenty years.”

"Will the Mericas agree?" Chancellor McKenna frowned. "It would require astronomical sums of money and would drag them even deeper into the war."

"Therefore, the highest level of diplomatic effort is needed," Sir Grey continued. "Prime Minister, I believe Admiral Jellicoe's suggestion is correct. We need to send a high-level delegation to Washington to meet directly with President Wilson and congressional leaders."

"At the same time," Kitchener added, though reluctantly acknowledging the reality, "we need an explanation for the public. We can't say it's a design flaw in the warship, that would be demoralizing. Nor can we entirely blame it on commander error, that would be unfair to Rear Admiral Wellesley and Colonel Tovey."

"Let's say it was an encounter battle under extremely bad weather," Asquith decided. "HMS Hood fought bravely, but a lucky shell hit a vital spot. Emphasize the survivor rescue efforts, the tenacious fighting of HMS Queen Elizabeth, and the spirit of the Royal Navy that never sinks."