Chapter 43

"This is... Our new flagship?"

The next day, under the leadership of Lorraine, the sailors boarded a new butterfly.

At yesterday's dinner, Lorraine officially announced the first phase of the plan and arrangement of the chamber of Commerce, and reorganized the existing ships in a fleet style.

The flagship was officially transferred to the butterfly flower.

As a standard firepower configuration, the brigantin type ketch mixed yacht is 30m long and 8m wide.

The foremast is 20m, equipped with cross sails, the main mast is 22m, equipped with longitudinal sails, and there are triangular bow inclined sails on four sides, catching two sides of sail between masts.

The huge and comprehensive sails and slender hull with sharp bottom make it crowded into the ranks of high-speed ships. It can keep a high speed of 12 knots downwind and four to five knots upwind.

She has five decks, two inner decks, one main deck and two upper decks.

The bottom layer is a watertight tank, most of which is below the waterline. It is often used as a material and cargo tank.

The middle gun deck is equipped with 10 nine pound long-range guns and 5 on each side.

The upper main deck is equipped with 8 six pound long-range guns, which are stowed in the forecastle in peacetime and pushed onto the deck only in wartime.

The bow cabin is a double-layer structure.

The upper layer is used as a gun cabin. Lorraine moved Scott crossbow on the upper deck. After all, this antique weapon has become Lorraine's symbol. Lorraine is not used to it after a day's absence.

The lower layer is built on the gun deck and used as a chicken nest and sheep pen. Although near sea shipping doesn't need raw poultry breeding, Lorraine won't always nest near the sea, and Haina likes small animals very much.

The stern hold has three floors.

The bottom layer is also set on the gun deck, which is the stern gun cabin, equipped with two six pound short-range guns. The sleeping cabins of Karen and Ramos and the boatman's studio are also located on this floor.

In the middle, there are meal cabin, kitchen cabin, sleeping cabin of pierce and Noah, and two empty cabins, which are temporarily used as food warehouse and divination room.

Noah's Tarot Divination was very popular among sailors. On the premise that the priest was unwilling to board Lorraine's ship, it vaguely replaced the role of the confessional room and became the core of the sailors' spiritual comfort.

The upper deck is undoubtedly the sleeping cabin of Lorraine and Haina. This is the power core of the whole ship, and the steering wheel is placed on the upper deck above them.

The duties of seafarers have also been slightly adjusted.

Of course, the captain is Lorraine, Haina is the chief mate and helmsman, Karen is the third mate, the boatman and the sailor, and Noah is still just a diviner.

Pierce grew up a little and gradually highlighted his talent for good eyes. Now he has added the label of lookout to his duties as second assistant intern and chef.

Ramos boarded the ship as a seaman for the first time.

Before his retirement, he was the gunner of HMS of the Royal Navy. This time, he boarded the ship because the butterfly needed professional gunners to control the guns and help Lorraine share the pressure.

Lorraine divided the ships of the chamber of commerce into two fleets.

The first fleet, the flagship butterfly, consists of the Artemis beauty and the Beverly merchant. It is mainly engaged in the route from the British island to the Iberian Peninsula. Governor Lorraine took his post, and the post of deputy governor was handed over to Ramos.

The second fleet, the flagship lucky grass, consists of the caville drunkard and the Northrend knight, mainly engaged in the relatively comfortable route from British island to Scandinavia, and supervised Eddie.

The two fleets will continue to rely on three black ports and gradually shift their focus to Edinburgh, Southampton, Stavanger and Bilbao on the premise of stable profits.

Port Elgin, Scotland, 1 may 1778.

The new Drake chamber of Commerce specially chose to sail at the beginning of the month, because in the Far East, this day is different from every day of the month, symbolizing a new beginning.

It was cloudy, but the wind and waves were flat. The butterfly put away the anchors on both sides, was pushed by the shore waves, and slowly retreated into the wide sea.

Noah knelt in the bow and spread her silver Tarot behind Lorraine.

"Pick one, my captain."

"Today is May 1. I choose the fifth one from left to right."

Noah drew the card gently, opened it and laid it flat on the deck.

"Number I, the positive magician. Mercury has a bright look and a confident smile, symbolizing a new beginning and changing forms. You have strong power and skilled skills, they will help you and you will achieve your ambition."

Lorraine smiled and leaned over: "what a blatant blessing, my diviner miss."

"Everything is a choice of fate, captain."

"Thank you."

Pierce pulled off his scarf on the lookout: "the wind is southwest and south, the wind is four knots, stroke!"

Karen laughed and shouted at the sailors, "half sail, gentlemen! Run on the deck!"

The sails of the butterfly rose slowly, and Hannah moved the hand wheel. The slender ship body arced over the bow, and put finished words with the beauty of Attis and the merchant of Beverly.

Lorraine's boots stepped on the guard rail at the bow. He clanged out his long knife: "raise the flag of the chamber of Commerce! Target belmayo, the first fleet of Drake chamber of Commerce, set sail!"

……

In a flash, more than three months.

West Wharf is the largest port in Southampton, and Herbert Walker street is the main street of West Wharf port area.

79 Herbert Walker street is a three story building with red brick walls. It stands facing the street without a courtyard.

This is the new headquarters of Drake chamber of Commerce. Functionally, it has been officially separated from the trading office in the port area. It is mainly used to handle the administrative affairs of the chamber of Commerce and provide land rest for Lorraine and his sailors.

The development of the chamber of Commerce went smoothly. After being equipped with powerful brigantine ships, the first and second fleets were never attacked by pirates again.

The butterfly flower is undoubtedly powerful in the offshore area.

Although the strength of lucky grass is two or three grades worse, it will not be easy for pirates to provoke on the North sea route far more comfortable than Cantabrian sea area.

Anwen is the best friend of the chamber of Commerce.

In the past three months, Drake chamber of Commerce has developed rapidly. It has successively obtained trade licenses from Spain, Wales and Denmark. While reaching into the Baltic Sea, it has officially shifted the focus of the chamber of Commerce from the original three black ports to the prosperous big ports.

Stavanger, Norway, Copenhagen, Denmark, Edinburgh, Scotland, Cardiff, Wales, Southampton, England, Basque Bilbao and Xihong, Spain.

The seven major ports together constitute an upgraded version of the trade chain of the European northwest triangle, with monthly profits rising, and the core of which is Southampton.

That's why Lorraine set up the headquarters of the chamber of Commerce in this civil port city with the strongest business atmosphere in southern England.

This voyage was scheduled to take turns between Lorraine and Noah.

The carefree Noah arranged a short trip to alminsk early and prepared to exchange his dividends for a comfortable hand-made flower carpet to decorate the new divination room.

Lorraine didn't have such a good life. He was not only a sailor, but also the president of the chamber of Commerce. He couldn't be idle until the chamber of Commerce was really on the right track.

Sipping a mouthful of fragrant Colombian coffee, Lorraine rubbed her eyebrows and spread out the accounts of the chamber of Commerce.

The development is very gratifying.

The markets of Denmark, Wales, England and Spain do not need to share profits with partners. The tax rate of formal big ports is much lower than that of black ports. Many benefits are combined together, and the profits grow very fast.

In the whole July, after all expenses and profits were removed, the profits of the General Chamber of Commerce officially reached the mark of 2000 pounds. Lorraine accounted for 60%, and could get 1200 pounds alone, pierce 200 pounds, and the four sailors shared 600 pounds equally. This month alone, each person's income was 150 pounds.

Now he has 4270 pounds in cash, and the goods in the warehouse and on board are worth nearly 6000 pounds. By November, he can fully equip the lucky grass.

Is it just necessary?

For the Drake chamber of Commerce, the form of the North Sea is relatively stable.

They have a good relationship with the powerful Viking pirates. The lucky grass with a full six pound gun has enough deterrence there. It seems that there is no need to upgrade its firepower in a hurry.

This money can have a better place to go, such as adding two high-quality and cheap cage ketch schooners as the coastal transit fleet of the British island, so as to improve the business efficiency of the two fleets.

Or upgrade to another level, instead of cage, directly use the mixed sail scuna type with larger cargo capacity and much faster speed?

Because there is basically no need to configure artillery along the coastline of the British island, the cost of two mixed sail scuna is only 2400 pounds.

Build a transport fleet, recruit a steady and steady supervisor, and open up the Irish market. After all, Dublin has always been a coveted port

The more I think about it, the more I feel that this development direction is good

Lorraine hesitated whether to go to Plymouth immediately to settle the matter. Miss Zhenna, who was upgraded to the Secretary of the Federation, suddenly knocked at the door.

Lorraine frowned: "Miss Zhenna, what's up?"

"Urgent letter from Bilbao, president." Jenna blushed, gently put a cylinder of letters sealed with fire paint on Lorraine's table and said, "Miss Xavier said, I hope you can read the letter at the first time and make a decision as soon as possible."