World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

The command cabin of the Nagato was quieter than the bridge.

The soundproofing material absorbed all the vibrations from the engine room, leaving only the low white noise of the air circulation system. Three documents lay open on the chart table, each with a different colored security classification stamp on its cover.

Chen Feng sat by the porthole, not looking at the three documents.

He was looking out the window.

The Nagato was returning at cruising speed. Twenty knots, neither fast nor slow, the waves cleaved by its bow were gentle and regular, like the beating of a heart. The afternoon sun of the Persian Gulf slanted in through the portholes, dividing the cabin into light and shadow.

Wang Wenwu stood by the nautical chart table, without urging him.

He knew the president's habits. Important intelligence had to be mentally reviewed, considering all possible outcomes, before being examined on paper. Otherwise, the facts would lead you to the conclusions they wanted you to see.

Chen Feng finally turned around.

"Read the beauty card first."

Wang Wenwu opened the first document.

"Washington, February 20th (Xinhua) -- The Navy Department has formally approved the Colorado-class battleship construction program. The first four ships will be named USS Colorado, USS Maryland, USS Washington, and USS West Virginia."

He paused, his finger tracing the surface of the paper:

"Standard displacement: 32,500 tons; full load displacement: 34,000 tons. Main guns: four twin-mounted 406mm x 45-caliber guns. Side armor belt thickness: 343mm; turret front thickness: 457mm. Propulsion system: rated power: 29,000 horsepower; maximum speed: estimated at 21 knots."

Chen Feng listened without interrupting.

Wang Wenwu continued:

"The estimated cost is $22 million per ship, totaling $88 million for all four. The first round of funding has been approved by the House Naval Affairs Committee and is expected to be approved by the Senate next week. The shipbuilding cycle is 36 months for the first ship and 30 months for each subsequent ship."

He closed the file.

Chen Feng remained silent.

Wang Wenwu waited a few seconds before speaking: "The Colorado-class armor is thicker than the Bismarck-class. The turret front is 457 millimeters thick, and our 380mm armor-piercing shells at a distance of 20,000 meters... need to hit the same area twice to penetrate it."

"The speed is 21 knots," Chen Feng said.

"Yes."

"Bismarck-class thirty sections."

"Yes."

"Nagato-class, 31st section."

Wang Wenwu did not answer.

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the chart table. He stared at the parameter table for the Colorado-class naval vessels for a long time.

"The Merlekas are very clear-headed," he said. "They know they can't build high-speed battleships, so they simply abandon speed and pour all their money into armor and guns. Twenty-one knots is enough to follow the fleet. After all, their tactics are never about pursuit, but about formation."

He paused:

"457mm turret frontal diameter. They calculated that our 380mm shells would need two hits within three meters of each other to achieve effective penetration. At the range of artillery combat, that probability is less than five percent."

He looked up at Wang Wenwu:

"So their conclusion is—they can withstand being hit, but the hitting hurts. Even if they are still at a disadvantage in the exchange ratio, they have narrowed the gap from three to one to two to one."

Wang Wenwu remained silent.

"This is the right approach," Chen Feng said, "but it's the wrong era."

He pointed to the Nagato's speed data:

"If the Merika knew that our speed was thirty-one knots, if they knew that we could freely choose our engagement distance, if they discovered that the so-called '50,000-ton super battleship' didn't exist at all, would they still have spent eighty-eight million dollars to build four slow, heavily armored ships with a speed of twenty-one knots?"

He did not wait for Wang Wenwu's reply.

"No," he said. "They'll clear out the dry docks for the design of the next generation of high-speed battleships. They'll burn the Colorado-class blueprints and redraw a ship that can go over 27 knots."

He walked back to the porthole:

"But we can't let them know now."

Wang Wenwu made the record.

Chen Feng had his back to him and spoke softly:

"Send a private telegram to General Rodman. Do not go through the Foreign Office; use the channels of naval technical exchange. Be polite and say that the Lanfang Navy has taken note of the Meilika Navy's initiation of a new battleship construction program, expresses its 'understanding,' and hopes that both sides will maintain 'constructive communication' in the field of naval technology."

He paused:

"Constructive communication. They understand that term."

Wang Wenwu scribbled quickly on the memo.

"Also," Chen Feng said, "I sent a telegram to the military attaché in Washington, instructing him to closely monitor the construction progress of the Colorado-class battleships. Not the launching date, but the design freeze date, the laying date of the first keel, and the results of the power system bidding. I need to know whether the Mexicans have started preliminary research on the next generation of battleships after the Colorado-class."

"Yes."

Chen Feng finally turned around and looked at Wang Wenwu:

"Now, I'm studying German."

Wang Wenwu opened the second document.

"Berlin, February 19th (telegram)." His voice was even deeper than before. "The First Strike Fleet of the German High Seas Fleet departed port early this morning. Flagship Bismarck, leading Tirpitz and four destroyers. Mission objective: Enter the North Atlantic and cut off Allied sea lanes of communication."

Chen Feng remained expressionless.

"The support fleet is also being deployed. The four King-class battleships, HMS König, HMS Caesar, HMS Louisepolde, and HMS Queen, are at a speed of 20 knots and are positioned 120 nautical miles behind the Bismarck."

Wang Wenwu turned the page:

"The British Home Fleet is on high alert. Capital ships are assembled in Scapa Flow, and battlecruiser squadrons have moved forward to the Norwegian Sea. The Merica Atlantic Fleet has not yet left port, but intelligence indicates that its destroyer force has increased patrol density along the North Atlantic convoy route."

He closed the file.

Chen Feng remained silent.

The only sound in the cabin was the low white noise of the air circulation system. Outside the porthole, the afternoon sun of the Persian Gulf was reflecting off the sea, casting dappled patterns of light on the ceiling like flowing water shadows.

"One hundred and twenty nautical miles," Chen Feng finally spoke. "Sher's calculations are very accurate."

Li Te stood by the door, silent the whole time. Then he spoke:

"The German König-class ships had a speed of 22 knots, barely enough to keep up with the support fleet. But the Bismarck-class ships had a speed of 30 knots, meaning the speed difference between the first strike fleet and the support fleet was eight knots. That's a difference of four hours in 120 nautical miles."

He paused:

"These four hours are the deadline for the First Strike Fleet."

Chen Feng did not answer.

He looked out the porthole. The sea was calm and still, and the Nagato was returning at a speed of twenty knots, the waves cleaving its bow rhythmically like breathing. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, and it was impossible to see that thousands of miles away, two warships of the same origin were heading towards the crossroads of their destinies.

"Sher knows that's the deadline," Chen Feng said.