1872
The photographs revealed a metallic cigar-shaped object with stubby wings to the sides sitting in drydock at a small custom-built facility north of Natal. Its length was impressive 45 meters and a man standing next to the craft was giving orders to a work crew.
"Who is that"?
"His name is Holland, Presidente, John Philip Holland. Emperor Pedro recruited him to Brazil early last year for a considerable sum and chance to refine his designs. When combined with their own work the results were impressive". The naval attaché was nervous about meeting his president in person as the affairs of Brazil drew great interest in the nation, especially as many believed a showdown between the two continental powers inevitable.
"And you say another design is already being prepared"?
"Yes, one that does not require external support of the torpedoes. It is this new design they are building in this picture and the first one slated for production beyond isolated prototypes. We can gather a few details..."
"I said I wanted blueprints and technical data. Is this all you have"?
Lucas Torente paused nervously for a fraction of a second. "The technical details are still evolving, Your Excellency. I felt it premature to bring plans that were incomplete. You can already see the difference between the designs of Special Boat Number 3", as Torente pointed at the existant submarine in one of the photographs, "and the lack of wings on the new one".
"Go on"
"From what we know so far the craft fires a device known as a Whitehead torpedo and carries six to eight of them aboard. The crew is fifteen to twenty with four of those being engineers. The engines are a radical departure from the last model, this new engine has the capacity to produce most of its own water directly from the sea instead of having to bring..."
"Wait, the Brazilians have figured out how to desalinate water for an entire crew while in the ocean"?
"We believe so Presidente, but the evidence is as yet inconclusive".
Rosas felt that twinge again. His chest had begun to cause him pain several months ago, first once a week but now at least daily. The episodes were getting longer, and only his doctor and grandson knew of it. His son would act as mediator and power passed to the grandson so that stability and a Rosas leadership would be more easily maintained. A weapon like this would mean the chance to expand almost anywhere an ocean could take it. "Tell me about the torpedoes".
"No one has seen one used live yet, they may be very expensive toys for all we know".
"Pedro is no fool, either there has been a test or he has done his research and left little to chance. Where do they get the torpedoes from"?
"The Empire bought a license to make them three years ago and has been rumored to have improved on the design with a heavier warhead and much longer range, something close to 1000 yards. The warhead is heavy, we estimate 150-180 pounds, and compressed air makes up a lot of the power behind this new weapon. Designs are evolving, but we were able to get a Whitehead torpedo of our own as a basis for study".
"How many of these new submarines are to be built"?
"Eight, each named for states of the Empire. Interestingly the top speed is reported as 12 knots and the range close to 2000 miles, though the latter seems exaggerated. Much of the ship is dedicated to battery space and the new lead-acid batteries allow for an underwater range of 25 miles before recharge. The fuel-burning engines can be rune while underwater but this requires use of a pair of tubes attached to a tall glass tower normally used for visualizing other ships for oxygen intake. It also creates a lot of smoke as the bad air can not get out fast enough".
Rosas wondered if this was actually a production model or just another step as engines were refined further, especially as the surface engine seemed rather inefficient. Still, the weapon could be very potent in the right hands, and Rosas wanted some of his own.
"When can we get a copy of the plans for our own purposes"?
"Presidente, I have a copy of designs for their Special Boat Number Two here, the others are quite well guarded and would require significant resources to acquire".
"Get me the latest one and order the construction of a triad of earlier versions as a training vehicles. We will see their weapon and realize it ourselves". Then we look beyond our continent, Rosas thought to himself. Brazil was very active in Africa between the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, apparently looking to unite the whole south-central part of the continent for themselves. Zanzibar had been reduced to a satellite of Brazil while slavery was ended abruptly south of Mogadishu, instantly earning praise and loyalty from many of the coastal peoples. With the Iberian Union on the verge of another Civil War it seemed that Pedro was looking to build a respectable military. This meant to Rosas that either Iberia was his next target or Argentina was. The thought was interrupted by another twinge of chest pain, this one lighter but still a reminder of its presence. He then turned to the newest piece of military equipment the Argentines had devised and began running the plans through his head. France and Argentina had common cause when they found their rivals Germany and Brazil sharing secrets.
"And bring in Admiral Torres as you leave. We have much to discuss".
"Yes Presidente, immediately". As Torente turned to leave he briefly saw a model of ship with a very odd prominence sitting behind a stack of paperwork in an obscure corner of the room...
The photographs revealed a metallic cigar-shaped object with stubby wings to the sides sitting in drydock at a small custom-built facility north of Natal. Its length was impressive 45 meters and a man standing next to the craft was giving orders to a work crew.
"Who is that"?
"His name is Holland, Presidente, John Philip Holland. Emperor Pedro recruited him to Brazil early last year for a considerable sum and chance to refine his designs. When combined with their own work the results were impressive". The naval attaché was nervous about meeting his president in person as the affairs of Brazil drew great interest in the nation, especially as many believed a showdown between the two continental powers inevitable.
"And you say another design is already being prepared"?
"Yes, one that does not require external support of the torpedoes. It is this new design they are building in this picture and the first one slated for production beyond isolated prototypes. We can gather a few details..."
"I said I wanted blueprints and technical data. Is this all you have"?
Lucas Torente paused nervously for a fraction of a second. "The technical details are still evolving, Your Excellency. I felt it premature to bring plans that were incomplete. You can already see the difference between the designs of Special Boat Number 3", as Torente pointed at the existant submarine in one of the photographs, "and the lack of wings on the new one".
"Go on"
"From what we know so far the craft fires a device known as a Whitehead torpedo and carries six to eight of them aboard. The crew is fifteen to twenty with four of those being engineers. The engines are a radical departure from the last model, this new engine has the capacity to produce most of its own water directly from the sea instead of having to bring..."
"Wait, the Brazilians have figured out how to desalinate water for an entire crew while in the ocean"?
"We believe so Presidente, but the evidence is as yet inconclusive".
Rosas felt that twinge again. His chest had begun to cause him pain several months ago, first once a week but now at least daily. The episodes were getting longer, and only his doctor and grandson knew of it. His son would act as mediator and power passed to the grandson so that stability and a Rosas leadership would be more easily maintained. A weapon like this would mean the chance to expand almost anywhere an ocean could take it. "Tell me about the torpedoes".
"No one has seen one used live yet, they may be very expensive toys for all we know".
"Pedro is no fool, either there has been a test or he has done his research and left little to chance. Where do they get the torpedoes from"?
"The Empire bought a license to make them three years ago and has been rumored to have improved on the design with a heavier warhead and much longer range, something close to 1000 yards. The warhead is heavy, we estimate 150-180 pounds, and compressed air makes up a lot of the power behind this new weapon. Designs are evolving, but we were able to get a Whitehead torpedo of our own as a basis for study".
"How many of these new submarines are to be built"?
"Eight, each named for states of the Empire. Interestingly the top speed is reported as 12 knots and the range close to 2000 miles, though the latter seems exaggerated. Much of the ship is dedicated to battery space and the new lead-acid batteries allow for an underwater range of 25 miles before recharge. The fuel-burning engines can be rune while underwater but this requires use of a pair of tubes attached to a tall glass tower normally used for visualizing other ships for oxygen intake. It also creates a lot of smoke as the bad air can not get out fast enough".
Rosas wondered if this was actually a production model or just another step as engines were refined further, especially as the surface engine seemed rather inefficient. Still, the weapon could be very potent in the right hands, and Rosas wanted some of his own.
"When can we get a copy of the plans for our own purposes"?
"Presidente, I have a copy of designs for their Special Boat Number Two here, the others are quite well guarded and would require significant resources to acquire".
"Get me the latest one and order the construction of a triad of earlier versions as a training vehicles. We will see their weapon and realize it ourselves". Then we look beyond our continent, Rosas thought to himself. Brazil was very active in Africa between the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, apparently looking to unite the whole south-central part of the continent for themselves. Zanzibar had been reduced to a satellite of Brazil while slavery was ended abruptly south of Mogadishu, instantly earning praise and loyalty from many of the coastal peoples. With the Iberian Union on the verge of another Civil War it seemed that Pedro was looking to build a respectable military. This meant to Rosas that either Iberia was his next target or Argentina was. The thought was interrupted by another twinge of chest pain, this one lighter but still a reminder of its presence. He then turned to the newest piece of military equipment the Argentines had devised and began running the plans through his head. France and Argentina had common cause when they found their rivals Germany and Brazil sharing secrets.
"And bring in Admiral Torres as you leave. We have much to discuss".
"Yes Presidente, immediately". As Torente turned to leave he briefly saw a model of ship with a very odd prominence sitting behind a stack of paperwork in an obscure corner of the room...