Artificial islands

We know that charis may potentially rule the seas of safehold. SO they need ports and depots on varius islands. I was just wondering, with their tech level could tehy potetnailly build offshore platforms.
THere is an issue with sea life, the krackens and narwhales, but here are ways they could deal with it.

I am sure merlin has the tech or capability to find the best locations. THose in the most stable places available.
And they could build platforms in home imperial, places between the home islands, to boost and suppot inter imperial trade and commerce.

I wonder if charis could build up, or alter reefs. Make it harder for others to gain entry or use the territory.

SYED wrote:We know that charis may potentially rule the seas of safehold. SO they need ports and depots on varius islands. I was just wondering, with their tech level could tehy potetnailly build offshore platforms.

I don't think Charis is anywhere the point where they would need offshore facilities. I can see them needing something like a D-Day "Mulberry" in the very short term at any particular location, but Charis is a long way from building anything that can't use existing harbors -- if not existing cargo handling facilities in those harbors.

Charis would make better use of funds to improve docking and cargo handling in existing harbors than in trying to build completely new harbors and all of the associated infrastructure.

I think that it would be more productive to assume possession of basically unoccupied islands and set up coaling stations/naval bases that could double for both naval and cvilian use.

Don

n7axw wrote:I think that it would be more productive to assume possession of basically unoccupied islands and set up coaling stations/naval bases that could double for both naval and cvilian use.

Don

It would be much cheaper than building new islands and creation of small island cost small fortune even with our tech. Better idea would be to improve current ports and fortify unoccupied islands, other good idea would be to develop support vessel for fleet.

Draken wrote:

n7axw wrote:I think that it would be more productive to assume possession of basically unoccupied islands and set up coaling stations/naval bases that could double for both naval and cvilian use.

Don

It would be much cheaper than building new islands and creation of small island cost small fortune even with our tech. Better idea would be to improve current ports and fortify unoccupied islands, other good idea would be to develop support vessel for fleet.

Yep. The need Syed is seeking to address is real. Given what is currently Charis' world wide reach, it's pretty obvious that friendly ports will become even more important than they were in the age of sail. Claw Is. Is a good example of a place that Charis should keep permanently.

Don

Actually, the question of refueling stations raised another question in my mind, and that is the question of supply of the refueling stations. A recoaling station obviously requires a source of coal, and we are reasonably certain that Shan-Wei plotted the locations of coal on the master maps, so finding the nearest (friendly) sources of coal shouldn't be a problem. When Charis moves to petroleum, do we know whether or not she plotted the major oil fields and did she report them. We already know that she withheld the information about SilverLode island from the general knowledge - the question is what else did she hide, that is known only to OWL and those with access to it.

fallsfromtrees wrote:Actually, the question of refueling stations raised another question in my mind, and that is the question of supply of the refueling stations. A recoaling station obviously requires a source of coal, and we are reasonably certain that Shan-Wei plotted the locations of coal on the master maps, so finding the nearest (friendly) sources of coal shouldn't be a problem. When Charis moves to petroleum, do we know whether or not she plotted the major oil fields and did she report them. We already know that she withheld the information about SilverLode island from the general knowledge - the question is what else did she hide, that is known only to OWL and those with access to it.

Good question. I don't know the answer... but the following paragraph from MTAT might be of interest:

"And that, given the extensive oil fields in Southern Charis and Emerald Island--and the fact that Safeholdian tehniques for drilling and pumping from water wells were well developed, and with Howsmyn's new steam engines, were about to get even better developed-was likely to lead to an entirely new industry. One that opened all sorts of interesting possibilities, given that the caloric energy of oil was fifty percent greater than coal." April, Year of God 896, VII (italics mine).

This is in the midst of Zhansyn Wyllys being considered by Merlin for membership in the inner circle on the basis of his interest in improving the production of oil and understanding the why the archangels instructions produced the results they did.

I think it is obvious the oil fields referred to aren't what we would refer to as oil fields, probably referring to oil producing plants. But it is also obvious that Merlin has drilling for oil in mind.

Don

n7axw wrote:"And that, given the extensive oil fields in Southern Charis and Emerald Island--and the fact that Safeholdian techniques for drilling and pumping from water wells were well developed, and with Howsmyn's new steam engines, were about to get even better developed-was likely to lead to an entirely new industry. One that opened all sorts of interesting possibilities, given that the caloric energy of oil was fifty percent greater than coal." April, Year of God 896, VII (italics mine).

This is in the midst of Zhansyn Wyllys being considered by Merlin for membership in the inner circle on the basis of his interest in improving the production of oil and understanding the why the archangels instructions produced the results they did.

I think it is obvious the oil fields referred to aren't what we would refer to as oil fields, probably referring to oil producing plants. But it is also obvious that Merlin has drilling for oil in mind.Don

I believe Merlin is referring to actual oil fields, given the reference to Safehold's advanced drilling and pumping techniques, not to mention the 50% jump in power offered by oil over coal. The internal combustion engine is the next logical step from steam engines after all, and would allow for warships with a much longer range, plus they could be refueled at sea - which I imagine would be a very dangerous and difficult task with coal.

If the war lasts long enough for Charis to need ships that run on some distillate of oil, then oil fields will appear wherever RFC wants them to be. (Funny how that works!)

For now, the EoC is realistically decades ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to creating safe and efficient steam engines. Since spies will inevitably leak the techniques for building them, and since the Inquisition already has the plans, they may be only five years (and a lot of unfortunate explosions during development) behind. It certainly won't hurt the Charisian cause when Clyntahn gives the steam engine his blessing, since that will be a sledgehammer blow to the clay feet of the Proscriptions.

Imagine the NoG's consternation when it proudly launches its first steam warships, only to have them run down and sunk by the much faster oil powered ships or diesel submarines of the ICN!

SYED wrote:We know that Charis may potentially rule the seas of Safehold. SO they need ports and depots on various islands. I was just wondering, with their tech level could they potentially build offshore platforms.
There is an issue with sea life, the krackens and narwhales, but here are ways they could deal with it.

I am sure Merlin has the tech or capability to find the best locations. Those in the most stable places available.
And they could build platforms in home imperial, places between the home islands, to boost and suppot inter imperial trade and commerce.

I wonder if Charis could build up, or alter reefs. Make it harder for others to gain entry or use the territory.

I'd expect the first such platforms to be oil wells, but not until the ICN switches to internal combustion engines and the war ends, since offshore oil rigs would be very tempting targets!

McGuiness wrote:

SYED wrote:We know that Charis may potentially rule the seas of Safehold. SO they need ports and depots on various islands. I was just wondering, with their tech level could they potentially build offshore platforms.
There is an issue with sea life, the krackens and narwhales, but here are ways they could deal with it.

I am sure Merlin has the tech or capability to find the best locations. Those in the most stable places available.
And they could build platforms in home imperial, places between the home islands, to boost and suppot inter imperial trade and commerce.

I wonder if Charis could build up, or alter reefs. Make it harder for others to gain entry or use the territory.

I'd expect the first such platforms to be oil wells, but not until the ICN switches to internal combustion engines and the war ends, since offshore oil rigs would be very tempting targets!

They would be but Charis control few internal seas when they can do whatever they want, so that wouldn't be a problem. Bigger issue would be how to convince fishes not to try if pipes are eatable.