Starting from Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 536 - 51: Steel Giant Ship_3

Let’s not dwell on other things; the range must at least be more than double that of 17th-century cannons, and both accuracy and lethality should achieve a qualitative leap.

However, to manufacture advanced weapons, it’s not just about solving technological issues; material problems also need to be addressed.

Unfortunately, the island is precisely lacking in materials, especially the raw materials needed to produce nitroglycerin-based explosives or trinitrotoluene and other high-energy explosives.

Apart from the lack of raw materials, the safety risks involved in manufacturing explosives are also an issue that cannot be ignored.

Chen Zhou is quite concerned about his own life.

Everything is booming at present, just waiting for the Steel Giant Ship to be built. He can then dispatch armed personnel to the island to search for the treasure buried by the Spaniards, or even patrol the Archipelago to collect tolls.

With countless wealth within reach, at this critical juncture, if he accidentally blows himself up during the production of explosives, there would be no one to reason with.

But the awkward part is that chemistry is not a simple discipline, let alone a field you can quickly master.

Teaching the indigenous people some mathematical calculation methods might be possible, but expecting them to become chemistry geniuses is as difficult as reaching the sky.

In the short term, the task of producing explosives must still be done by Chen Zhou himself.

...

Not wanting to risk his life, Chen Zhou finally decided to use the safest method first—

For example, disassembling ready-made TNT to use as a raw material.

TNT, being an extremely stable explosive, is highly trusted by Chen Zhou. With gunpowder, he would worry about making shells, but when using TNT to create weapons, he no longer has so many concerns.

Chen Zhou plans to manufacture ship cannons roughly at the mid-18th-century level, intending to make three types.

The first type is a long-barrel heavy cannon, using shells over 24 pounds, with a caliber 20–30 times its diameter. Its purpose is for long-range precision strikes on enemy ship hulls and masts, with an estimated range of 1000–1500m.

The second type is a short-barrel cannon, with a caliber similar to the long-barrel heavy cannon, 10–15 times its diameter, with a range of 300–500m. Its main advantages lie in loading speed and cannon weight, mainly used for suppressive fire before a naval confrontation.

The final type of cannon is a mortar, with a caliber around 200–250mm, firing explosive and incendiary shells, using curved firing to attack, with a range of 500–800m, intended to destroy enemy ship decks and start fires.

17th-century sailing ships were all made of wood, and to be waterproof, the crevices of the hulls were filled with a large amount of flammable materials like pitch or tar. Once hit by an incendiary or explosive shell, the fire would spread in an instant. In naval warfare, such mortars posed a very lethal threat to enemy ships.

The manufacturing processes required for these three types of ship cannons are not much different; all use a segmented casting and heating jacket process, with materials made of iron. The small workshops on the island are entirely capable of manufacturing and assembling the three types of cannons, and can even further optimize them.

For example, since cast iron cannon barrels easily explode, Chen Zhou can separate the barrel into an outer barrel and inner barrel for independent casting, then wrap them with steel wire to form a composite structure, increasing the strength of the barrel and thus extending the cannon’s service life.

Moreover, polishing the inside of the barrel to increase accuracy and making four-wheeled gun carriages to enhance cannon mobility are all effective methods to improve cannon performance.

If the milling machine delivered as part of a mysterious reward weren’t so limited in function, Chen Zhou would even want to engrave spiral rifling inside the barrel, allowing the cannon to leap directly to the level of 19th-century rifled artillery, or even develop into Armstrong quick-firing guns, delivering a storm of attacks on enemy ships.

...

By the end of 1665, the assembly of the Steel Giant Ship had entered its final stages.

A large batch of carefully selected planks for the hull, along with shiny stainless-steel plates, were pieced together onto the frame by workers using rivets and welding torches.

Its massive body cast a large shadow in the shipyard, like a fully armed giant ready to pick up weapons and face its foes.

The core power system had long been completed.

Once the final parts of the hull and deck were finished, this "child" that had been nurtured in the shipyard for nearly a year would sail proudly towards the sea, under the keen gaze of the islanders and Chen Zhou.

As for whether it would rise to fame or remain unknown in the future, it would depend on the kind of claws and teeth Chen Zhou designed and installed for it, and whether the first group of novice sailors on board would be ferocious and competent enough.