Chapter 153
January 10, 1903 – Sydney Harbor, Australia.
It was once again National Day. Sydney was, as always, packed with people. However, the crowds had moved from the central square in front of the government building to the open space near Sydney Harbor.
Due to the naval grand parade, and thanks to the Australian government and the royal family promoting the event for an entire month beforehand, the area around the harbor was filled with spectators—so much so that many could not even find a place to stand.
People stood or sat shoulder-to-shoulder, tightly packed on the flat ground. In narrower areas, it was even difficult to lift one's arms.
But none of this dampened the enthusiasm of Australians for the parade. By just after five in the morning, the space was already nearly full, and the number of people kept growing rapidly.
If not for the large enough space at the harbor, and the flat concrete surfaces specially prepared by the government for the naval parade, even Sydney Harbor might not have been able to accommodate the enormous crowd.
Although the growing number of onlookers reflected increasing public trust in the government and the royal family, too many people packed into a small area posed significant risks.
The dense crowd made stampedes highly likely. And with people talking and shouting everywhere, it was hard even to hear someone nearby.
To ensure safety, the Ministry of Public Security had mobilized police from other regions and even brought in nearby troops stationed near Sydney.
With over a thousand police and soldiers deployed, order at the scene was just barely maintained.
Of course, everyone knew that the real challenge would begin once the parade itself started. Before that, things were still relatively calm.
While everyone stood in anticipation of the start of the parade, the security department was still urgently mobilizing personnel. Even a team of doctors was brought in from Sydney and nearby New South Wales to be on standby for any unexpected incidents.
This naval grand parade would showcase at least ten warships in total: four armored cruisers, five coastal defense frigates, and one coastal defense gunboat.
These three types of warships represented the current mainstay of the Royal Australian Navy's fleet: mass-produced warships and patrol vessels.
Compared to other nations, the Australian Navy was at an overall disadvantage. What Australia currently regarded as its mainstay warships—coastal cruisers—were considered merely support ships by other navies. As for true capital ships, like battleships, Australia had none.
Of course, this wasn't due to a lack of ability. On the contrary, Australia had already mastered the technology to independently build a battleship-class vessel. In fact, according to its agreement with the island nation, Australia had already negotiated to construct a battleship for them.
However, building a battleship at this point felt like a no-win situation. Owning a battleship now would indeed significantly boost naval strength and public confidence.
But how long would that glory last? The dreadnought would be born in 1906—just over three years away.
Since it took one to two years to build a warship, would it really be wise to spend over a million pounds on a pre-dreadnought that would only remain relevant for a year or two?
By the time countries around the world started building dreadnoughts, Australia's expensive pre-dreadnought would be nothing more than scrap metal.
It would be better to wait the three years and then launch a major naval construction campaign, focusing entirely on dreadnought-class warships. With one push, Australia might even disrupt the global naval hierarchy.
Though the plan was strategic, it required Australians to make some short-term sacrifices.
Arthur and his officials were well aware that Australians cared deeply about the navy. Even the launch of a single small armored cruiser attracted considerable attention.
But there was no choice. To avoid wasting millions of pounds on soon-to-be-obsolete ships, this less glamorous route had to be taken.
Still, there was no issue with building medium and small warships. In the future, these vessels could serve as support ships for dreadnoughts, forming a proper battleship fleet.
Moreover, the cost of these ships was relatively low. Profits from arms trade with the island nation alone were enough to fund the construction of a dozen such ships.
As the noisy crowd waited, the port's ceremonial bell finally rang out for the first time.
This bell, specially prepared for National Day, signaled the official beginning of celebrations for the third anniversary of Australia's founding.
As in previous years, Prime Minister Evan presided over the ceremony. After more than two years in office, he had grown increasingly seasoned and carried the bearing of a true Western statesman.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the naval parade at Sydney Harbor. Today is January 10, 1903, the third birthday of our great nation, Australia. On behalf of all government officials, I welcome you and offer sincere greetings to our noble Duke. Without His Highness the Duke, Australia might still be just six separate colonies. A large portion of our income would still go to colonial governments, and we would not be able to travel between states freely due to divided colonial policies. So, ladies and gentlemen, let us all say with heartfelt gratitude: 'Long live His Highness the Duke!'" Prime Minister Evan declared respectfully from the podium.
"Long live His Highness the Duke!"
With Evan's lead, a thunderous shout erupted from the entire harbor and all the viewing platforms, as if the Australian people were declaring to the heavens their admiration for their Duke.
Seeing the moment unfold as intended, Prime Minister Evan respectfully invited Arthur to say a few words.
"Long live Australia!" Arthur's first words were a direct response to the crowd's cheers.
"Long live Australia! Long live His Highness the Duke!"
This time, the cries roared back even louder than before.
That had been Arthur's aim: to use a moment embraced by all Australians to spread nationalism.
Only by uniting all Australians into a new people with strong national identity could Australia have hope of becoming a great power. Only then would Arthur's rule be truly secure.
(End of Chapter)
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