Chapter 512: Submarine Hunter
Conference room, Ritz Hotel, Paris.
Wells had rushed back from Brest Shipyard and now sat quietly beside a warm fire, gazing absently at the flickering flames while gently swirling a glass of wine in his hand. Recently, he'd been busy overseeing the production of landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and depth charges at the shipyard.
Since Charles's successful landing at the Dardanelles, the shipyard had received countless international orders, particularly from Britain and America. The amphibious craft capable of operating both on land and sea had become a star product, revolutionizing naval tactics.
Wells let out a bewildered chuckle, marveling at the simplicity of Charles's solutions. Amphibious operations had long been a global challenge, yet Charles had solved them with a few ingenious innovations. This creativity and practicality, Wells realized, was precisely what the shipyard needed—and exactly where Charles excelled.
Unfortunately, these inventions hadn't significantly benefited the French Navy itself, which still languished under the shadow of the Royal Navy, struggling for recognition.
Checking his pocket watch, Wells noted the scheduled meeting time had arrived. He wondered what surprise Charles would present today.
The door opened, and Charles entered. Wells promptly set his wine aside and rose to greet him. Then he paused, noticing Charles wasn't alone—he was accompanied by a disheveled old man with whiskers and thick glasses.
"Mr. Wells," Charles warmly extended his hand, introducing his companion. "This is Professor Fessenden. Today's discussion revolves around him."
"Pleasure, Professor Fessenden," Wells politely shook the elderly scientist's hand, casting a wary glance at Charles.
"Relax, Mr. Wells," Charles reassured him, gesturing for everyone to sit at the small table. "Professor Fessenden is part of my core research team. I mentioned previously—I have my own laboratory and R&D division."
"Ah, yes," Wells recalled, remembering Charles's earlier revelation when he provided the torpedo explosive formula. His eyes lit up hopefully. "Is this perhaps another new torpedo formula?"
"No," Charles shook his head. "This time, it's about an 'Echo Detector.'"
"Echo Detector?" Wells appeared utterly puzzled. "What is that?"
Charles signaled Professor Fessenden to explain further. The scientist nervously adjusted his glasses, stammering slightly as he spoke:
"Yes, it's an Echo Detector… it, uh… uses echoes to detect objects. When sound waves hit an object, they bounce back. For instance, if we shout in a valley, the echo returns clearly. By measuring the strength and delay of these echoes, we can precisely determine an object's location—"
Wells listened blankly, utterly lost. What did this have to do with naval warfare? Or shipbuilding? Was this old man researching how far foghorns could be heard?
Charles rolled his eyes discreetly. Fessenden had a brilliant scientific mind but was hopeless at clear explanations. Charles intervened decisively, clarifying the main point:
"Professor Fessenden has invented a device capable of detecting submarines underwater."
Fessenden visibly relaxed, nodding vigorously. "Precisely!"
Wells's idle confusion vanished instantly, replaced by astonishment. His eyes widened, flickering from Charles to Fessenden in disbelief. "What did you say? Submarines? You mean you can detect submarines underwater?"
Then Wells laughed skeptically. "No, that's impossible. No one could achieve that."
Charles firmly nodded. "We've done it, using echoes—as Professor Fessenden described."
Wells suddenly grasped that Fessenden's seemingly irrelevant talk hadn't been nonsense after all. Still incredulous, he persisted, "But—sound underwater? How could there be sound underwater?"
Like many people, Wells assumed sound didn't propagate clearly underwater.
"Of course there's sound underwater," Fessenden responded, genuinely confused by Wells's ignorance. "Sound merely needs a medium—it travels through air, liquid, and solid alike, provided it isn't a vacuum."
As a scientist, Fessenden couldn't fathom such ignorance from a prominent industrialist like Wells. Wells decided not to dwell on his misunderstanding, instead staring at Charles in shock.
"So—this device actually exists?"
"Yes," Charles nodded calmly. "It's been invented and thoroughly tested. The task now is mass-producing it and installing it aboard naval vessels."
Wells took deep, incredulous breaths, half-afraid the miraculous device would vanish if he spoke too loudly. "Then we can detect submarines beneath the waves—and destroy them with depth charges?"
Charles again nodded affirmatively.
"Extraordinary, General! Absolutely extraordinary!" Wells burst out excitedly. "You're truly France's savior! This device will revive the French Navy, placing her firmly back on the world stage!"
Charles understood Wells's reaction perfectly. Such groundbreaking inventions—akin to radar—went beyond ordinary imagination. Initially, many regarded such innovations as almost magical.
"I'd like General Guépratte to oversee this project," Charles said firmly. "Can that be arranged?"
Guépratte had commanded French expeditionary forces at the Dardanelles, steadfastly supporting Charles and Tijani. More importantly, Guépratte had demonstrated unwavering loyalty to France through actions rather than mere words.
"No problem," Wells smiled confidently. "With exclusive control over this technology, the Navy will beg for cooperation, regardless of who's managing the project."
But then Wells hesitated. "However, General, we currently lack combat opportunities—the British control the seas—"
"I've already made arrangements with the British," Charles interjected smoothly. "You'll collaborate directly with the Royal Navy, hunting German submarines."
Wells blinked thoughtfully, nodding slowly. "You're right. Active participation prevents marginalization, maintains our combat capability, and clearly demonstrates our strength. This marks the first step toward restoring the French Navy's prominence."
Charles silently praised Wells's strategic insight—certainly better than Tijani's narrow-minded obsession with military art.
Concluding the discussion decisively, Charles added, "Professor Fessenden will accompany you to the shipyard, overseeing the Echo Detector's installation and training your personnel. Furthermore, I believe destroyers are best suited for this equipment."
With their speed and affordability, destroyers were unquestionably ideal submarine hunters.
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