Let's assume that the church could produce a workable steam engine with the information they currently have. What could they do with it? They don't have the batteries to power a submarine underwater, and existing Charisian sloops would still be faster and carry more powerful and accurate cannon than anything the NoG currently has should they use the steam engine to power a warship. Other than sailing against the wind, which is certainly an advantage that can't be discounted, what advantage would the extremely expensive and hard to make steam engine provide the CoGA before the jaws of the ICN clamp down on it?Dilandu wrote:Let me just repeat; vietnamese do that from worse position, and they reproduce the 1830-th style naval engine, which is lightyear far from the Watt machines.n7axw wrote:Let's say that they could produce that. What good would it be except for uses where it could remain stationary? How many of them could they make?
From Merlin's viewpoint, Clyntahn giving the steam engine his blessing would be tremendously positive, since that means it's fine for them to be built all over the planet. The EoC would smile as well, since that would end the CoGA branding steamships as products of Shan-wei, and make them ecclesiastically acceptable. The prospect of eventually facing a NoG fleet powered by steam won't have them dancing for joy of course, but even if Mother Church wasn't bankrupt and could afford such a fleet, it would be years before it could be built, and by then the ICN would outclass it even more than they outclass the few NoG galleons still in existence, including Thirsk's galleons that are about to be sent to Daivy Zhone's locker.
Given the CoGA's relatively crude level of technology, the steam engine would be a money and research pit that would delay more productive research. That being the case I say go for it!