Gran Colombia, H1/08

[Borys]

Gra Colombian warning noted by Austrian Shipping and Naval Authroties, and duely passed on to merchantile interests

[The Rock Doctor]

Gold's better than the DKB choice of yellow.

[Borys]

I'm familiar of heraldic conventions, where white=silver and yellow=gold, so I don't really distinguish between them.

Borys

[Carthaginian]

Gold's better than the DKB choice of yellow.

It's inspired by the legend of 'El Dorado,' and the mistaken belief of a kingdom of gold in South America. The CSA tries to choose colors that have some historical context. ;)

[The Rock Doctor]

Yellow can be used to describe a lack of courage in a person...which is why Gran Colombia likes Gold better (given the choice).

I do like the CSA rationale for color coding...

[swamphen]

Well some of the DKB's codes were taken from the colours used on the map, while others were simply placed in at random (like GC).  ;)

I'm a bit surprised the CSA has a First Sea Lord. I'd have expected a Secretary of the Navy instead. (Although Josephus Daniels would probably be linched by Confederate sailors.  :D )

[Carthaginian]

Well some of the DKB's codes were taken from the colours used on the map, while others were simply placed in at random (like GC).  ;)

I'm a bit surprised the CSA has a First Sea Lord. I'd have expected a Secretary of the Navy instead. (Although Josephus Daniels would probably be linched by Confederate sailors.  :D )

They do- the Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the Navy, the First Sea Lord is the Admiral in charge of fleet ops.

I kept that title in order to fit in with the 'British Admiralty' theme I'm using for the Confederate Navy's command structure.

[The Rock Doctor]

27 February 1908:  Puerto Enrico, Amazonas del Sur

Rudolf Hanford found himself walking with a slight swaying motion as he stepped down from the passenger car onto the spartan platform of the town's train station.  Pausing so that his body would recognize it was no longer on a moving train, he scanned the platform and observed three gentlemen approaching. 

"Herr Hanford?", one called out as they drew closer.  Hanford nodded in the affirmative.  "Marvellous.  My name is Nilo Fragoso, with the Ministry of Agriculture."  Arriving, the Gran Colombian extended a hand for Hanford to shake.  "...and this is Augusto Moriera, one of our foremost rubber producers."  Hands were again shaken.  The third man, a younger fellow, was not introduced, so Hanford surmised that he was a flunky.

"A pleasure", Hanford remarked.  Merciful God, but it was humid here. 

"I trust you trip was comfortable?", Fragoso inquired.

"The Demons were accommodating and left my ship alone.  The train ride was tolerable; several minutes late in departing, and we had to disembark at one place not so far from here in order to cross a foot bridge to this particular train, but the service was acceptable and the ride smooth."

"Yes, that would have been at the Japura", Fragoso confirmed.  "The trestle there won't be finished until June - but with the rails completed on both sides of the river, we have rail service of a fashion."

"Is the trestle expected to complete on time?", Hanford asked.

"June, as I noted.  I've heard nothing to suggest otherwise."

Hanford let out a quiet, "Hmm..." at this, then added, "So, how do we begin?"

"My home is not far from here", Moriera answered.  "I would be pleased to offer you dinner there, after which we can commence the tour.  I have a horse and coach waiting for us."

"That would be acceptable", Hanford observed.  "Perhaps you can tell me a bit about the rubber industry here, as I know little about it."

This was, of course, polite self-depreciation, as a company with the wealth and stature of Deutsche Vermögensberatung was hardly likely to send an uninformed suit five weeks across the war-torn Pacific.  Nonetheless, neither Gran Colombian questioned the statement.  Moriera instead said, "As you may be aware, the natives of this region have been using latex from hevea brasiliensis for various purposes for centuries.  When the first Portuguese arrived in the area, they began experimenting with it as a means of waterproofing clothing.  The latex is, however, very sensitive to temperature and changes shape and consistency as a result."  Moriera gestured towards a coach as the men reached the end of the platform and stepped down onto damp red mud. 

"Oddly, it was a Norman scientist, Goodyear, who solved this problem with his 'vulcanization' process, which gave a means of creating rubber that was generally insensitive to temperature and thus could be used for more applications.  A healthy - for the time - system developed by which landowners would pay tappers to gouge trees and collect the latex.  This was a low output, high cost system, and it worked nicely while demand was low and competition lacking.

Entering the coach, the men paused to settle into their seats.  "Home, Jaime", Moriera called out, and as the driver urged the horses into motion, he continued, "Eventually, though, demand for rubber tires - first in bicycles and now in automobiles - increased demand.  This could still have been coped with, but the Dutch eventually smuggled out enough seeds to begin planting in the East Indies, using a plantation model.  This ought to have spelt a deathknell for our industry here, but for two factors - rubber prices remained high despite increased supply, on account of south Asia's volatility, and the determination of our French overlords to subsidize the producers here in order to avoid the embarssing situation of not being self-reliant."

"Your reliance on tappers does concern my employer", Hanford noted.

"Our reliance on tappers is much less than your employer may think", Moriera quickly corrected him.  "The Dutch stole the seeds, so the French stole the information about how the seeds were to be used.  The information filtered down to landowners such as ourselves about ten years ago, and we began working on converting our holdings to the plantation model.  Unfortunately, the grants promised to us by the colonial administration dried up after a couple of years, and labor began to be scarce once again."

"Why was this?", the Brandenburger demanded.

"El Dorado.  The economic development funding intended for businessmen like me was instead diverted into that monument to Palpate's depravity, and the natives who had worked in the jungle either fled or were enslaved by the Eye.  We struggled to hang on throughout that dark time, and many of my colleagues lost everything - even their lives.  Some of us were lucky and held on long enough for the Colombians to arrive."

"This has made a difference how?"

Moriera glanced at Fragoso, who answered.  "Gran Colombia restored the conditions necessary for the plantation model to function.  The Anahuac were exterminated, causing the slaves to be freed and become available for labor.  The opening up of the region to settlement from the Colombian Heartland added to the labor pool, and brought the creation of cart tracks and other infrastructure to the region too.  Our ability to ship goods safely to the east was restored in 1906 with the destruction of the Eye; in June, we will be able to ship by rail to the northwest, to clients that may include your nation."

"I see", Hanford remarked curtly.  "Plantations still require capital; is this forthcoming?"

"It is.  The Colombians like to get a strong position in agricultural goods - it's quite possible they would have eventually invaded the area if they hadn't managed to acquire it by other means.  Now that they have it, private investment has been quite positive, especially for those of us who managed to start planting in 1897 and '98.  We have mature trees able to produce good quantities, and the Colombian market has been taking it all in the past two years."

"This could be a difficulty, then", Hanford replied.

Fragoso shook his head.  "We'll find a way to satisfy the DKB's import needs, Herr Hanford.  Your business is important to us."

[swamphen]

Very nice.

[The Rock Doctor]

Thanks.  Came to me shortly after you posted the original Hanford item, but the sim hadn't caught up to his arrival time just then.

[The Rock Doctor]

[...backs up]

23 February 1908:  Off the North Coast of Trinidad

Rear-Admiral Rupert Wallace watched through his binoculars as troop-laden boats began moving away from the four requisitioned passenger ships.  In a few minutes, the first would make landfall on the coast a half mile away, and Brigadier-General Horace McCloud would be "in play" along with his regiment.

The horizon was, currently, clear of opposition, and he expected that this would not change while the sun was up.  Furious and Superb would be quite capable of smashing any lighter opposition that showed itself in these conditions.  On the other hand...

"Gerald", he said to his flag-lieutenant, "Kindly get an update on the squadron's damage control efforts."

...his counterpart in BLUE FORCE had also demonstrated awareness of this, having come at him just after midnight this morning with - he was guessing - his entire force of two protected cruisers and nine torpedo-boats.  It had been a wild, confused affair, and he knew Superb had very nearly plowed into one of the BLUE torpedo-boats.  In terms of the exercise, the referees had advised him that one of his four troopships was sunk, as was Harvester, and that Superb had taken one torpedo amidships.  Thankfully, it was considered to be a sixteen incher from the old torpedo-boats, and not one of the cruisers' larger eighteen inchers, so when he'd last heard, Superb was managing to contain the flooding.

Turning back to the shore, he saw that the first boat was now beached, her men scrambling up the rocky beach for cover.  It was, technically, cheating to have the men of the sunken liner continue to participate, but they weren't going to learn a great deal if they stayed "dead" for the remainder of the exercise. 

"Troops are ashore, Sir", a voice called out.  "No flares yet."  The flares would only come if BLUE FORCE units were in a position to engage the raiders.  He was hoping that BLUE FORCE was still covering Matelot, which he'd made a feint at yesterday afternoon.  McCloud would, in the meantime, be yomping across the countryside to have a run at the town of Blanchissense just as soon as he had his regiment ashore.

Lieutenant Smythe materialized at his side and awaited acknowledgement, which he duly gave.  "Havoc reports full power restored, but her aft guns and torpedos are out of action."

"Okay", Wallace commented.  That torpedo-boat had been out in the thick of it, so her condition was not surprising.

"Hummingbird reports that her commanding officer is a casualty, and that the ship is not fit for combat.  Only the port-side gun is serviceable."

"Mm hmm", Wallace murmured.  That one had received the attention of one of the BLUE FORCE protected cruisers.  Although she'd remain on station -again, cheating - he'd advise the referees that she would, in theory, be scuttled.

"Harrier reports light damage topside - but that her executive officer is a casualty."

Wallace lowered his binoculars and stared at the flag-lieutenant, who swallowed nervously.  "Harrier specifically reported that Lieutenant Wallace is a casualty?", he asked coolly.

"Er, no, sir - that was the referees."

He was quite confident he knew which referee had come up with that idea - his rivalry with Captain Thomas hadn't ended with his own promotion.  No doubt Thomas be pleased to rattle his cage by announcing that his son was a casualty of the morning action.  It was not an easy thing to hear - even if it was just an exercise.

"I see", he said, in a flat voice that did not re-assure Lieutenant Smythe whatsoever.       

"Did you want me to continue, Sir?", Smythe asked cautiously.

After a pause, Wallace replied, "No, Lieutenant.  This is the part of the exercise where I play the role of a grieving father for a few minutes.  Steward!  A scotch on the rocks, and make it stiff."

[The Rock Doctor]

19 April 1908:  Avarua, Cook Islands

The newcomer scampered up the side of the tender, outpacing his embarassed marine constable escort, and called out, "Buenas Dias!  Praxedes Jordana, with Ibanez & Associates.  I assume that you are Capitan San Martino?"

"Yes", San Martino replied, shaking hands.  "Welcome to Avarua - are you just passing through?"

"No, we're here to start surveying in the port", Jordana corrected him.

"I was expecting you later in the summer", San Martino commented. 

Jordana nodded.  "No doubt.  I was quite happily doing some work north of Esmeraldas and suddenly got word to lift anchor and get myself out this way.  I assume there's a rush to get this done now.  Any idea why?"

"No", San Martino said.  "Information takes it time reaching us out here.  Perhaps the next courier will have something about it."

"Gotcha.  Now, my boys have been couped up in our ship for the past few weeks - any issues with spending a bit of time on shore?"

"Just be aware that the locals are friendly, but not too friendly.  It's been made clear to us that the local men don't want us outsiders competing for their women - so enjoy a hike, a game of football, or a siesta on the beach, but leave the ladies be."

"Is this a serious matter?", Jordanas asked.

"A soldier from the garrison spent a few days wooing a girl last month.  He hasn't been seen in three weeks", San Martino answered.

"Ah."

[Borys]

... Schmul Rosenblumentalovich had been ruined by the Habsburg extension of Regalia to nafta. Previously it could be had by anybody, now the Govt issued licences. Everything to screw the Small Businessman trying to make a honest living! Oy vey is mir, doubtlesly a Plot aimed at the Chosen People. Antisemites! With the regulation of the previously anarchic oil industry he struggled to keep up his operation - one well and 4 bucket pullers. After 3 years Schmul finally threw in the towel. He packed up his family and left for Gra Columbia. A cousin twice removed of his wife's friend hairdresser's kin by marriage lived there, in some small town by a big lake. He also packed up his buckets and other gear, just in case. Upon arrival it was like a homecoming. Taking a walk along the edge of the swamp which bordered the town, Rosenblumentalovitch felt like Moses looking upon the Promised Land. He saw rainbow colored puddles and the same stench like back home, in Ropczyce. Oh, the Wisdom of JHW, who tricked the Habsburg schajgetz into exiling him here!

[The Rock Doctor]

26 April:  Cartagena

"Next on the agenda:  future planning for the Armada", President Rey Alizandro read from his typewritten list.  "Ricardo?"

"Thank you, Senor President", Ricardo said.  There were days that he found it a bit strange to say that to somebody he'd once reprimanded for playing with his food, but, fortunately, this was not one of them.  "I wanted to present a few options for the Armada over the coming years and get the Cabinet's thoughts on them.  I'll go back to my admirals and determine the best course of action afterward."

"Stop building patrol boats", Minister Escalante suggested.

Ricardo fixed him with a baleful look.  "I would be delighted to do so - we just have to stop acquiring new territory that requires patrolling."

"On that note...", Rey said, slightly sheepishly.

"More?", Ricardo questioned.

"Yes", the President replied. 

Uttering a low string of curses that only his immediate neighbours could hear, Ricardo produced a pen and made some notes on the top of his paper.  "So much for six minesweepers next year...anyway, by the end of the year, we'll be in decent shape so far as light combattants and patrol assets are concerned.  Our concern is the big stuff; the Invencibles are in service, but are not the most impressive battleships in the region.  The Triunfantes will be started in 1909, for certain, yet the CSA will have four new battleships in service before Triunfante is finished.  Meanwhile, we have eight armored cruisers in service, each of them markedly inferior to the new armored cruisers in service with nations such as Rohan, Iberia, the DKB, and others.

"We have identified four possibilities for new construction once the Triunfantes are underway."  He held up a sheet of paper with four line-drawings on it, then handed it to Minister de Soto on his left to circulate around the table.  "From top to bottom, you have the finalized Triunfante class battleship, the proposed follow-on battleship, the proposed scouting cruiser, and the proposed armored cruiser."

"Is this to scale?", de Soto asked.

"Yes."

"That's a big frickin' battleship", the Industry Minister declared.

"Yes, it is", Ricardo agreed.  "The simplest way to follow up the Triunfantes is to build two more.  Although some nations are using larger guns, our twelve gun broadside still makes for considerable firepower. 

"Alternately, we scale upward to the big frickin' battleship, as Sebastien says.  Almost thirty thousand tonnes light displacement, with larger guns than the Triunfantes but just as many, and more speed and protection."

The Minister of Finance made a quiet choking noise. 

"So far as the ACs are concerned, we have to determine exactly what we want them to accomplish.  If we want them out beating up on other armored cruisers, they need to be just as big, fast, and protected as a Scharnhorst, Snowmane, or de Magellanes.  If we're content to use them for fleet scouting, defensive trade protection, and so forth, we can get by with the smaller scouting cruiser - which is still an armored cruiser, just smaller than the other one."

"What can we afford?", Rey asked, mindful of the Finance Minister.

"We can afford to build two each of the biggest battleships and armored cruisers, one every six months, starting late in 1910.  However, that ties up virtually all of our heavy industry for about two years.  It's not a long time, really, but it means we're not rejuvenating our lighter forces in the interim."

"Do we need ships that big?", de Soto asked.

"If you want them to be effective, yes", Sir Edmund Fitzroy responded.  "Ships are getting larger as technology progresses.  If we build too conservatively, we risk commissioning second-class ships that can't defeat their contemporaries."

"Exactly", Ricardo said.  He'd forgotten that the Minister for Jamaican Affairs was knowledgable in this area.  "On the low end of the equation, we can build two more Triunfantes, and sequence four scouting cruisers, leaving slack to add perhaps another two protected cruisers and a torpedo-boat squadron."

"Are the Triunfantes a match for the CSA design?", Rey asked.

"They are, and for most foreign types under construction - that we know of."

"And the armored cruisers?  What're the Confederates doing there?"

"Nothing that I know of", Ricardo responded.  "My impression is that the type doesn't fit their needs - but I'm not looking just at them.  The Pacific is filling up with Swiss, Brandenburger, Rohirrim, and Iberian types, and you can bet that the French will field something eventually.  If we want to police our trade with Asia, and keep communications open with Coquimbo, we need big guns to do it with.

"The large design can match the current foreign types?", Benicio Delgado inquired.

"Unquestionably", Ricardo confirmed.

"Given those staggering losses we've been hearing about in the Pacific War so far, I'd suggest we want numbers, which means smaller ships", Minister de Soto ventured.

"I was going to say the opposite", Delgado countered.  "These are not modest undertakings; if an additional five thousand tonnes of size is the difference between obsolescence in ten years and viability in twenty, we should invest in the larger size."

"But we need the numbers to match the Swiss, French, Confederates, and others", de Soto argued.

"The French will be thinly spread around the world", Ricardo replied.  "Our industrial capacity is close behind the Rohirrim, and in excess of the CSA or Iberia.  There may not be a Swiss or Brandenburger navy in a year or two.  We're not in a bad position here, so my personal inclination is to go big or go home."   

"Agreed", Sir Edmund said, his expression telling Ricardo that there might be a price to pay for his support later. 

"Sounds like the majority is agreeing on the large battleship and large armored cruiser", the President commented.  "Discuss it with Finance to see what we can afford to do - bear in mind we've got some significant ec-dev happening at the same time."

"Will do", Ricardo replied.

When the meeting adjourned, Ricardo was not surprised to find Sir Edmund walking down the corridor beside him.

"The armored cruisers", Sir Edmund remarked, "Where are they to be built?"

"Notionally, one in Cartagena and the other in Esmeraldas", Ricardo said.

"I'd like to see them built in Jamaica", Sir Edmund stated.

"Jamaica doesn't have the facilities", Ricardo replied.

"Construct them.  You want Jamaica to be an active contributor to the Armada?  We need to be building some of the capital ships - especially the armored cruisers.  That's our heritage right there."

"I sympatize, but the budget's tight, Sir Edmund.  I can't afford to upgrade either of your naval yards and expand two slipways."

Sir Edmund sighed.  "Do one, then.  Expand it in time to lay down the lead cruiser."

Ricardo had to admit the man was tenacious.  "That may be feasible", he conceded.  "I suppose we'd have to change the name, unless you wanted to build a Matador."   

"Not really.  Most of our old ship names don't fit into your nomenclature system, but one does, one of the many lost to the Swiss and Eastern Kingdom aggressors at Montego Bay:  Warrior."

"I can support that", Ricardo noted.

[Borys]

OOC
Good as always ...
Borys