Chapter 219: The Importance of Having Connections
Bagamoyo Port
Two sailing warships, looking quite impressive, were in the middle of a transfer ceremony.
"Archduke, these are warships that we pulled out from our active fleet, to support your endeavors,"
said Captain Blair of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, who was in charge of this handover. He beamed as he introduced the ships to Archduke Ferdinand (Maximilian I).
"All right, but I probably know these ships better than you," said Ferdinand, Supreme Commander of the East African Navy, interrupting Blair without ceremony.
"When I took office back then, they were already in the Austrian Navy. Now that they've come to East Africa, they can still serve a good purpose," he said as he climbed aboard one of the vessels, with Blair following behind.
"It hasn't changed much over all these years, though the paint looks newly done?" Ferdinand asked.
"Yes, before leaving port, the two ships went through a careful inspection. Overall, they're still in good condition, but they had a few small problems accumulated over time. Then they were taken to Trieste Shipyard for maintenance and fitted with some modern features," Blair explained.
"Franz did all right. When you go back to make your report, please give him this letter." Ferdinand took a letter from his coat and handed it to Blair.
"Yes, Archduke, I'll be sure to deliver it."
The contents of the letter were words of thanks. This time, Ferdinand truly felt how nice it was to have a reliable big brother. After suffering defeat by the Mexicans, Archduke Ferdinand had moved from one extreme to another.
Back in Mexico, he stubbornly refused to ask the Austrian Imperial Family for help, but now he thought it was "truly fragrant!" (meaning unexpectedly good). With Franz's assistance, the East African Navy instantly had a decent setup with two warships retired from the Austro-Hungarian Navy plus two antique warships from the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
"Blair, how do you see the future of the East African Navy?" Ferdinand asked.
"Archduke, it's hard for me to judge. Hmm... I'd say it has potential, at least the maritime conditions are much better than Austria's," Blair replied.
Blair personally didn't have high hopes for the East African Navy. After all, East Africa was poor, so where would the money come from to build a fleet? Those two antique warships from the previous century made Blair feel sorry for Ferdinand, the so-called Commander of the East African Navy. Still, in terms of geography, East Africa's position was definitely far superior to the "bathtub" in front of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's home base.
Bagamoyo Port had decent conditions, but because it was so close to Dar es Salaam, the East African government often neglected it. For example, immigrants and commercial exports were mainly handled by Dar es Salaam and Tanga Port on each side, and sometimes even Mtwara Port to the south was busier than Bagamoyo. Bagamoyo's water was shallow, whereas Dar es Salaam was a deep-water port, so it was hard for Bagamoyo to compete with Dar es Salaam. Tanga Port and Mtwara Port were major ports in their zones with no real competitors, thus more important than Bagamoyo. But Bagamoyo still had its advantages.
It sits at the mouth of what East Africa calls its "Little Rhine River" (the Ruvu River), on the right bank of the river's outlet. However, the coastal rivers in East Africa aren't worth much for shipping; the few bigger ones are only a few hundred kilometers long, and because of the terrain, only about a hundred kilometers or so can be navigated.
But the "Little Rhine River" is strategically important for East Africa. Following it upstream, one can reach First Town, the political center of East Africa. So the East African Navy base was set here, making use of Bagamoyo's harbor while controlling the mouth of the Little Rhine River. At the same time, it can support the two main ports on either side of East Africa. Across from Bagamoyo is Zanzibar Island, a natural geographic barrier that blocks some wind and waves from the Indian Ocean. And since Bagamoyo never managed to develop a strong economy, they might as well not develop it—perfect for turning it into a naval base.
It must be said that picking Maximilian I to head the East African Navy was the right decision. Once he realized the East African government wouldn't give him resources, he turned to Austria: "I am Ferdinand—Franz, give me funds!" That's also why Emperor Franz said Ferdinand and Ernst had both gone bad. Yet the Austrian Navy itself couldn't get enough funding, so how could they give anything to Ferdinand?
Oh, and it shouldn't be called the Austrian Navy anymore—it was renamed the Austro-Hungarian Navy after 1867, when the Austrian Empire became Austria-Hungary. Facing the Emperor's inquiry, the Austro-Hungarian Navy said they were willing to give Ferdinand two two-masted square-rigged warships free of charge, and also send a batch of young officers as advisors to help Archduke Ferdinand build an East African naval force.
A brig (two-masted square-rigged ship) has two masts, both with square sails. During the age of sail, brigs were widely used as warships or merchant vessels for their speed and maneuverability. A 19th-century pine-wood brig was designed to last around 20 years, often lasting much longer in actual service. The two ships they gave to East Africa were built around 1840. The Austro-Hungarian Navy had long wanted to retire these old relics but didn't know where to dump them. Luckily, East Africa would take them off their hands. Since the Emperor wanted to take care of his younger brother, the navy would hand over these two ships to East Africa. Next time they asked for military funds, they'd have a stronger argument.
As for the "young talents," they were untested or sidelined junior officers in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. For them, being sent to East Africa was practically the same as exile. In short, the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the East African government had the same attitude: anything's fine as long as we don't talk about money. The ships and manpower could be sent for free.
Because the Austro-Hungarian Navy is squeezed into the narrow Adriatic Sea, their geography prevents them from being too eager about naval expansion. But Italy gave the Austro-Hungarian Navy a chance. In order to guard against a newly unified Italy, the navy's funding improved somewhat in recent years. From 1861, Austria's navy entered the ironclad era, and now it's the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
"You're right: potential is only potential. Without a strong country to back it, even the best conditions can go to waste," Ferdinand said.
"Don't worry, Archduke. Personally, I'm optimistic about East Africa. Under Austria's assistance, maybe they can't catch up to Europe, but in Africa they might develop reasonably well," Blair said carefully.
At this time, Europeans strongly believed Europe was the center of the world. Overseas, the only place that could compare was half the United States. That's why Blair said East Africa would do "pretty well in Africa," adding the word "Africa." He meant: Africa still has at least one half-modernized country—Egypt. Under Muhammad Ali, Egypt's navy was respectable even by European standards, with a peak of 32 warships. Though Egypt had declined, it was not so weak that East Africa could challenge it as Africa's top military power.
Even in terms of ground forces: before East Africa's reforms, its army numbers were close to Egypt's. After cutting the army in half, East Africa no longer matches Egypt in scale. Plus, Egypt can produce some of its own equipment. Though under British and French colonial influence it relies mostly on imports, it still retains part of that old manufacturing system.
Blair, who escorted these ships, traveled through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden to finally reach East Africa. He'd seen some Egyptian cities, and in East Africa, only stopped briefly in Mombasa for supplies before reaching Bagamoyo. Mombasa was somewhat prosperous, but Bagamoyo looked too lonely. So Blair concluded that East Africa still lagged far behind Egypt, making it hard for them to become the continent's first power. Blair had never heard of any other civilized country in Africa except Egypt. The Ottoman Empire didn't count, as its center lay in the Middle East and Europe.
In fairness, Bagamoyo shouldn't be blamed. Because immigrations and exports all go through Dar es Salaam, that free port next door, Bagamoyo is relatively deserted. Historically, Bagamoyo had a short golden era when Germany colonized it, but then the Germans realized Dar es Salaam was better and shifted their focus there. Bagamoyo popped up again in the 21st century when a certain big country implemented its Belt and Road Initiative, somewhat desperate for projects. African national credit isn't high, Bagamoyo's port conditions are average, and there aren't many other choices. The good Indian Ocean ports are held by Western or pro-Western powers.
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