Chapter 2666： When buying a ship (1/2)
”How are the German preparations?” Colonel Leahy said to Nimitz, who was also busy next to him. Nimitz was originally the liaison officer of the U.S. Navy's fleet in Suxiong. And now, as Su Xiong's fleet finally lays down, his liaison officer has also been sent to Germany because of his rich experience in dealing with Germans, as an assistant to Colonel Leahy, to deal with orders for warships from various European countries. As Germany and the United States reached an agreement on the sale of warships, the work of the entire U.S. Navy's ship purchase team has also increased.
”After on-site inspections, I think the first two fast battleships purchased are best to choose a German battleship and then an Austro-Hungarian battleship.” Nimitz said to Lech.
”Why?” Leahy asked.
”From the point of view of construction time, the Austrians' warships were later. From the perspective of combat experience, all German warships that can be sold were hit hard in the Norwegian Sea. Even if they were repaired, there were still some problems. Although Austria’s warships are also unlucky, some warships did not suffer much damage in the entire naval battle, and the ship conditions will be very good. Moreover, if such a large order is given to Germany, the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not be considered. I am afraid that the latter will be unhappy.” Nimitz said with a smile.
”Political and diplomatic issues are not what we want to consider.” Leahy said a little displeased.
”However, we must consider the opinion of the regent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although he is a German.” Nimitz said half-seriously and half-jokingly.
”Well, then buy one from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Of course, the inspection of warships must be serious, and we don't accept defective products.” Leahy said helplessly.
”Then the German warships have decided which one to choose?” Leahy asked.
”We can choose two from the Helgoland, the Gneisenau fast battleship, or the Sederitz battlecruiser. Let alone the first two, the standard German fast battleship has experienced the test of actual combat. It feels better than our iron tortoises. As for the Cedric? The reason for the choice is the high speed. If we buy it, then it is definitely the fastest of our current battleships.” Nimitz said .
”How is the boat?” Leahy asked.
”The best condition of the ship should be the Helgoland-class battleship. The Gneisenau ship is in bad condition. After all, he used to fight in the Indian Ocean where the maintenance conditions were not good for many years, and there were a lot of battle injuries. But because It uses ordinary boilers instead of small water tube boilers, so it has better maintainability. After all, it is optimized for long-range operations on the basis of the Helgoland class. What about Cedric? There are many battle injuries and ship conditions. The same is not good, but the victory is fast. This is a difficult problem to choose.” Nimitz said.
”Which one do we choose for the Austrian battleship?” Leahy asked.
”It should be the Tegerhof. Its ship is in the best condition. And the Austro-Hungarian government is willing to sell it. This is no problem.” Nimitz said.
”Well, organize the relevant content into a document, and then send it back to China, let the chiefs of the Navy Department decide for themselves, our task is to provide information, not to make a decision.” Colonel Leahy said.