Chapter 537 - 52: Steel Bone
The Steel Giant Ship was originally projected to be completed by the end of December 1665, marking the sixth year since Chen Zhou had arrived on the island.
The finishing work on the hull proceeded very smoothly, following the plan almost perfectly.
Most of the crucial interior structures were already assembled, and just as everyone was bubbling with excitement, pondering what special name to give this warship, a mysterious reward arrived bearing a great gift—
Modern thin steel plates piled up on half the beach, waterproof coatings specifically for the hull, along with various rivets, welding machines, and adhesives.
The appearance of these items completely disrupted Chen Zhou’s planned schedule and brought about a happy dilemma—
Should these materials be used in the construction of this ship, or should the hull construction continue as planned, saving them for the next ship?
...
On the morning of December 28, 1665, at the break of dawn, Chen Zhou arrived at the shipyard.
Gazing at the enormous and majestic hull, he stood for a long time and finally decided to continue with the original plan, leaving all the precious materials for the next ship.
Since Sunday had returned from another island, successfully bringing back a large number of native captives, the island had not engaged in capturing natives for half a year.
The prolonged rest and recuperation were to fully integrate the new population onto the island.
As the natives were gradually domesticated and integrated into the big family day by day, Chen Zhou’s ambitions also grew progressively.
He was tired of the elaborate trips to the archipelago to capture slaves over and over, and tired of promising himself that it wouldn’t be long before he could acquire the Spaniards’ buried treasures.
This time, he wanted to directly conquer the archipelago, eliminate the leader of the Great Tribe, take full control of the entire island, and then openly dig on the island, searching for the treasures hidden by the Spanish raiders.
To successfully carry out this plan, not only did he painstakingly design the big ship and personally participated in welding, but he also selected a group of sailors from the island’s young and intelligent inhabitants.
These chosen people, along with Sunday and the guards, were removed from labor to receive professional physical training and nautical courses.
There was training in steering, anchoring and deploying ropes, and also knot-tying exercises—
The knot-tying course was all thanks to that handwoven manual; without it, expecting Chen Zhou to compile a textbook to teach islanders how to professionally tie the figure-eight knot would be impossible.
In reality, Chen Zhou could be said to know next to nothing about navigation.
Fortunately, in the process of designing this big ship, he made several models and gained a certain understanding of the ship’s length, width, and draft, otherwise, the sailors would have had to rely on experience to venture out to sea.
Chen Zhou compiled all the knowledge he had about hull maintenance, applying waterproof paint, cleaning and polishing, responding to fires, sealing leaks, rescuing people overboard, and more into a manual that every sailor had to master proficiently.
Regarding specialized skills for steamships, such as checking boiler water levels, steam pressure, preventing dry burning or overpressure.
Managing charcoal, maintaining condensers, estimating voyage distance by calculating fuel quantity, using steam valves, checking the ventilation system, and more, were essential courses for the sailors.
In terms of theoretical and mechanical knowledge, whatever Chen Zhou could teach the sailors, he would instill in them as much as possible.
As for cooperation at sea, psychological resilience, dealing with naval battles, and daily life difficulties after going to sea, Chen Zhou couldn’t offer much help.
He grew up inland without ever being on a sea voyage. Summarizing these experiences was already quite an achievement, and expecting him to provide more navigation knowledge wasn’t very realistic; how the sailors grew would depend on the first batch of pioneers exploring on their own.
Anyway, regarding the control panel, this Steel Giant Ship had mechanisms and statistics.
In the 17th-century ocean, as long as the sailors could normally exert the ship’s advantages, it was invincible.
Even if it suffered from the attacks of three to five ships, as long as the power system was intact, this ship could easily shake off its opponents and return to the harbor docks.
With a high margin for error, after a few trials, a batch of elite sailors was sure to emerge.
Once the first batch of mature sailors was formed, they would train the new ones, one batch after another, and marine talents on the island would grow increasingly numerous.
Just like carpenters, masons, and welders on the island, before becoming skilled technicians, they were all ordinary people, even natives who couldn’t recognize a few words.
As long as one is willing to work hard and learn, progress is always possible. After all, everyone here has evolved beyond being mere monkeys.
...
Although the plan remained unchanged, Chen Zhou tried his best to use the resources sent by the reward to optimize the strength of the ship’s hull.
Though it delayed things a bit, the cannons were yet to be completed, and the sailors’ training wasn’t finished yet. The ship’s completion being slightly delayed wasn’t much of a concern.
...
At the end of 1665, a grand New Year banquet ignited the passion of both new and old islanders.
The Execution Square was brightly lit, with heaps of bonfires and torches planted on both sides of the square, making the entire area as bright as day.
The aroma of food drifted among the crowd, with the sizzling grease on the grilled fish glistening in the firelight.
The islanders were either focused on their food, chatting with friends, or wandering through the festive grounds with their wives and children, all with smiles on their faces.
The sailors and guards, who were rarely seen joining the training, were all on holiday, dressed in civilian attire, walking with heads held high, attracting the eyes of the opposite sex.