African Entrepreneurship Record

Germany, Stettin City.

Stettin is one of Germany’s important port cities. It may not sound familiar, but in its previous life, it had a more resounding ”Polish” name—Szczecin.

This is the birthplace of the female Russian Tsar Yekaterina II, the creator of the Russian Empire. Her father was a Prince in the Kingdom of Prussia.

The name Szczecin also appears in the famous ”Iron Curtain” speech, where Churchill declared that ”from the Baltic Sea’s Szczecin to Trieste on the Adriatic Sea, an iron curtain has descended across the continent,” witnessing the Cold War.

Of course, in the previous world, these two cities, Szczecin and Trieste, served as important port cities of Germany and the Austria-Hungary Empire, respectively. Their destinies were quite similar.

Nonetheless, Germany fared slightly better; however divided, it still exists, while the Austria-Hungary Empire dissolved after World War I. Therefore, nationalism is always a concern for Ernst.

”Count Herman, our German shipbuilding technology is absolutely reliable. Just ten years ago, the Far East Empire ordered two first-class ironclad ships and three cruisers from our shipyard. They have been fully tested in the Far East region, fully meeting the needs of the East African Navy. So, choosing our Vulcan Shipyard from among Germany’s many shipyards was indeed a wise decision.”

The Vulcan Shipyard was also where the Beiyang Navy ordered warships. Initially, it was only a small shipbuilding factory founded in 1851.

However, Germany was not yet unified in 1851, and the Prussian Navy was quite weak at the time, so the starting point for Vulcan Shipyard in Germany was not low. It was a pioneer in the modern shipbuilding industry of the ununified German Prussian Kingdom.

Moreover, the parent company of Vulcan Shipyard not only built military and civilian ships but also manufactured railway equipment, making it one of the stronger military enterprises in the Prussian region.

After German unification, it rapidly developed and became one of the country’s leading shipyards. Its biggest achievement was clearly building two world-advanced ironclad ships for the Far East Empire in the 1880s.

Prior to this, the Vulcan Shipyard had never actually built large ironclad ships, and in this aspect, it was paradoxically inferior to Bajamojo Shipyard in East Africa. With many competitors, it emerged solely due to the Far East Empire’s procurement in the 1880s.

The Vulcan Shipyard is located in central Prussia, downstream of the Oder River in the suburbs of Stettin (Szczecin), at Bredow.

Now, the factory director of the shipyard, Wells, is vigorously promoting the shipyard’s business to East Africa, but East African Foreign Minister Herman seems to have little interest in Wells’s words.

”Director Wells, we do not doubt your facility’s technology and manufacturing capabilities, but we only need to order one ironclad ship as a naval supplement. At present, East Africa’s naval demand is not very strong,” Count Herman said tactfully.

The navy, being a money devourer, is never satisfied; the more warships, the better. However, the East African Navy clearly does not represent the East African government’s attitude.

Currently, the South African war has resulted in a splendid founding battle, making East Africa extremely secure in the short term. Therefore, East Africa has begun to focus on demobilization efforts.

Meanwhile, the navy will retire four ironclad ships at once. As compensation, three ironclad ships with the latest technology will be introduced as replacements.

East Africa plans to build one itself, while the other two will be sourced from Germany and the Austria-Hungary Empire, facilitating further expansion of the East African Navy’s capabilities beyond acquiring peers’ advanced technology.

Most of East Africa’s ironclad ships were built in the 1860s and 1870s, and most are now outdated. Naturally, as world-class naval military industries go, ironclad ship technology lagging behind is relative to major powers; in other regions, it still holds deterrent power.

Of the retired East African Navy ships, two are planned to be sold for 600,000 taels of silver as per trade agreements before the war with the Far East Empire, averaging only 300,000 taels, essentially giving them away.

However, the East African Navy wants to develop, and retaining these ironclad ships cannot lay eggs; leaving them in the Far East’s waters for ”retirement” is a nice alternative to dismantling or target practice.

Of course, this deal is certainly profitable for the Far East Empire, as the retired East African naval ships are not particularly old, with the earliest being less than twenty years old.

The cost-performance ratio remains very high; with some maintenance, they can serve for many more years without issue, even as scrap metal, they can recover some value.

Though German shipbuilding technology may be superior to East Africa’s, the advantage is limited, particularly with Vulcan Shipyard, since the Heixinggen conglomerate itself has a shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, giving East Africa full access to some of Germany’s shipbuilding technology.

The specialty of Vulcan Shipyard lies in its reputation; compared to strength, it and East Africa are essentially at the same level. Naturally, backed by Germany’s strong capabilities and education, Vulcan Shipyard’s future development should not be poor.

Thus, Count Herman and other East African officials have little interest in acquiring warships from Vulcan Shipyard. Nonetheless, Vulcan Shipyard’s independent ironclad shipbuilding capability, with its unique technologies, still offers valuable reference for East African Navy.

If not for such purposes, East Africa could have entirely handed its order to the Heixinggen Shipyard in Hamburg, where the current Hamburg branch’s focus has shifted primarily to commercial vessels, a reason for its decreased prominence.

After all, the development of East Africa’s domestic shipbuilding industry mainly relies on drafting elite forces from Venice and Hamburg, limiting the growth of Venice and Hamburg shipyards.

Despite this, Germany and Austria-Hungary are world-class powers, backed by their resources and education systems, so Hamburg and Venice shipyards still develop well and remain notable within their countries.

”That’s truly unfortunate. The strength of the East African Navy is respectable, manufacturing warships for a navy with real accomplishments is a great honor for any shipyard. In that regard, I envy Trieste Royal Shipyard.” Wells responded.

During the South African war, the East African Navy performed admirably, achieving a draw despite some minor losses, but one must consider the opponent.

Currently, the two strongest naval powers are England and France. The East African Navy’s ability to confront the British Royal Navy directly was quite unexpected.

This also elevated the Austria-Hungary Empire’s military shipbuilding industry, given that most East African naval main fleet vessels were built by or derived from Austria-Hungary Empire.

The Austria-Hungary Empire Navy already had the Lissa Battle as its claim to fame, whereas Germany falls short in comparison.

Thus, East Africa’s decision to order warships from Vulcan Shipyard seemed somewhat surprising to Vulcan Shipyard.

”Director Wells, you need not be too disheartened. The development of German shipbuilding is evident. The growth rate of German Navy is among the fastest globally. Just take your shipyard, for instance—in the entire 1880s, you managed to surpass British competition to secure orders from the Far East Empire, making waves within the industry. Currently, Germany merely lacks practical combat experience,” Count Herman reassured.

Though the East African Navy also develops swiftly, it heavily relies on support from the Austria-Hungary Empire, whereas Germany has been more creative and independent from the start. Hence, in this field, Germany remains significantly stronger than East Africa.

Moreover, East Africa’s most glaring deficiency lies in its system, particularly in terms of high-end talent shortages, closely linked to the short development period of East Africa’s educational system, with the East African Navy being a mix of buying and building.

Especially during the 1870s, East Africa was extremely eager, resulting in the navy biting off more than it could chew, and it has yet to fully digest it all.