The Rostov-class cruiser was the first warship built after Grand Duke Michael established the Rostov Shipyard.
Grand Duke Michael knew very well that in the war against the Japanese Empire a few years later, the navy would be crucial.
The Russian Empire had only admitted defeat after losing at sea.
However, if the Russian navy was not defeated and instead defeated the Japanese navy and turned the tables around…Then, the outcome of the war would be rewritten. The Japanese Empire's attempt to step on the shoulders of the Russian Empire and become one of the world's great powers was simply a delusion.
Therefore, the navy was a very important part of Grand Duke Michael's plan.
It was also from now on that he began to make arrangements in the navy.
The Rostov-class cruiser had a full displacement of 6,000 tons. It was equipped with three triple-mounted 50-caliber 155mm main guns, eight 105mm secondary guns, six 40mm rapid-fire guns, and four 20mm rapid-fire guns. The power system was a large triple-expansion reciprocation steam engine imported from the Germanic Empire, with a maximum speed of 25 knots. The main armor thickness was 75 mm of Krupp armor steel.
Grand Duke Michael's own steelworks had already begun to imitate Krupp armor steel. This was the most advanced armor steel in the world. If they kept on imported from the Germanic Empire, not only would there be a risk of being stuck in the neck, but it would also be too expensive.
To Grand Duke Michael, the formula of Krupp armor steel was no secret. As long as he gave it to the technicians to test it a few more times, there would be no problem.
The Rostov Shipyard was a large shipyard. The first batch of Rostov-class cruisers was as many as six. They were named Rostov, Cherkask, Volgadontsk, Elista, Stavropole, and Krasnova.
After these six ships were completed and put into service, a second batch would be built.
Moreover, after accumulating enough experience, the Rostov Shipyard would build even larger warships.
After all, it was impossible to defeat the Japanese with just these light cruisers.
The Japanese had defeated the Qing Empire and extorted a large sum of war reparations from the Qing Empire.
The Japanese not only used this huge sum of money to develop their military, but they also bought new warships from the Empire of the Sun. From this, it could be seen that the East Asian people were very ambitious.
The biggest difference between this spacetime and the other was that the Great Voyage was 100 years ahead of schedule. The history of the entire western world had been accelerated by a hundred years. Therefore, in the year 1794, the Japanese launched an attack on the Qing Empire and won.
Grand Duke Michael personally presided over the launching ceremony of the Rostov-class cruiser.
The priests of the Orthodox Church wished to bless the sailors of the Russian Empire's navy for the sake of the warship. They would pilot this warship and win every battle.
After Tsar Alexander III passed away and Nicholas II succeeded to the throne, he had already begun to suppress Grand Duke Michael. As a result, the Black Sea Fleet's plans to build new warships were put on hold.
As a last resort, Grand Duke Michael could only build the Rostov-class cruiser out of his own pocket to strengthen the Black Sea Fleet.
Of course, due to the treaty signed between the Russian Empire and the Sun Never Sets Empire, the warships of the Black Sea Fleet could not enter the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus and Dardanelle. This made the Black Sea Fleet only a coastal defense fleet in the Russian Navy. It was not the main force of the Russian Navy.
However, in Grand Duke Michael's eyes, the biggest use of a signed treaty was to tear it up.
Once they had enough strength, what could they do even if they did not abide by the treaty?
If possible, Grand Duke Michael even wanted to seize the opportunity to defeat the Turkish Empire in the future and seize the Bosporus and Dardanelle. This way, the Black Sea Fleet would be able to enter the Mediterranean Sea freely. At the same time, it also gave the Russian Empire an additional passage to the sea.
Of course, achieving this goal was extremely difficult.
As the hegemon of the world, the Sun Never Sets Empire was now extremely hostile to the Russian Empire. They surrounded and chased the Russian Empire, preventing the Russian Empire from having a good port.
Once Grand Duke Michael wanted to seize the Bosporus and Dardanelle, the Sun Never Sets Empire would definitely stop him.
This required Grand Duke Michael to have sufficient strength and plan well.
One had to know that the Sun Never Sets Empire had contributed greatly to the Japanese Empire's defeat of the Russian Empire. Without their boundless support, how could the Japanese have built such a powerful navy in such a short time?
In the naval battle, although the Sun Never Sets Empire didn't personally take action, they did everything they could to trip up the Russian Empire and even blatantly provided intelligence support to the Japanese Empire.
These were all difficulties that Grand Duke Michael needed to overcome.
However, the biggest problem was that although Grand Duke Michael was now considered a vassal within the Russian Empire, the real power was still his brother Nicholas II.
Therefore, Grand Duke Michael had already sentenced Nicholas II to death in his heart. He had to die! Then, Grand Duke Michael succeeded to the throne and became the Tsar of the Russian Empire.
In this way, the Russian Empire could develop according to Grand Duke Michael's intentions.
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