Chapter 317: The Shock of the Giant
The global voyage, for humanity, holds more significance than just the potential benefits; it brings a sense of the thrill of conquering the world. The Earth is so vast, and every milestone global voyage is a momentous event that is recorded in human history, with tremendous impacts on both humanity and the planet.
Australasia's airship circumnavigation has now become a topic of global interest.
People are curious if this new form of transport, the airship, can achieve the greatest feat in navigation—circumnavigation.
Some are curious, some are doubtful, some are in awe, and others are dismissive. But in April 1912, the eyes of the world were fixed on Australasia, on the airship, which was gradually drifting away above Sydney.
For this global voyage, the journey's first leg was already quite challenging. According to the plan, the first stop was in the central Pacific, in the American territory of Hawaii.
This stop didn't hold any particular significance. Arthur had simply chosen to stop there as a precaution to perform maintenance on the airship during the trans-Pacific journey.
The straight-line distance from Sydney to Hawaii was 8,200 kilometers. If you were to travel this distance on the fastest cruise ship, it would take at least half a month.
However, the Dawn airship, departing on April 10, reached Honolulu, Hawaii, in just nine days and four hours.
After a stop of more than 10 hours in Honolulu for maintenance and restocking of supplies, the Dawn airship took off again, heading toward the largest city on the American West Coast—Los Angeles.
After reaching Hawaii, it was already very close to the American mainland. Hawaii is only 4,097 kilometers from Los Angeles, nearly half the distance from Sydney to Hawaii.
In order to fulfill Arthur's goal of completing the global voyage successfully while also minimizing the time taken, Theodor, the head of the aviation laboratory, ordered the airship to speed up once it departed from Hawaii.
On the 14th day of the global voyage, April 24, 1912, the Dawn airship finally arrived over Los Angeles, reaching the largest city on the American West Coast.
The history of Los Angeles can be traced back to the late 18th century, with over 100 years of history. But in the mid-19th century, despite the Westward Gold Rush drawing many immigrants to Los Angeles, the population at that time was only around 1,600.
The real rise of Los Angeles as the largest city in the West occurred at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. The discovery of oil triggered rapid economic prosperity, and the city's scale expanded quickly.
Of course, the city's peak was not then but after experiencing two world wars. With the gradual prosperity of modern industry, commercial finance, tourism, and increasing immigration, Los Angeles eventually became a megacity in the U.S.
As the second and last stop in the U.S. for the Dawn airship, the streets of Los Angeles were already filled with American media and citizens.
People are always curious about the unknown, especially when it involves a major event like a global voyage.
In the past, Americans believed they had seen it all—cars, airships, airplanes, and so many types of transportation. But it wasn't until the news of the Australasia airship's global voyage came, with no word from any American airship companies, that Americans realized their country wasn't omnipotent.
At some point, a small black dot appeared in the distant sky, which gradually grew larger and then turned white.
"It's the airship! It's the one called Dawn!" someone on the street exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, damn, it looks bigger than a building! How did the Australasians get it to fly?"
"This can't be made of steel, right? This must be a work of God. The Australasians aren't planning to use it to attack us, are they?"
"Damn, didn't you think it might fall? Find a place to hide, you fools!"
As the airship approached, the conversations in Los Angeles grew louder, and the streets slowly quieted down. Even passing cars couldn't help but stop to watch the giant in the sky.
Of course, most of these were ordinary citizens. As for the small-time capitalists and wealthy businessmen, they were watching with great interest from the top of the skyscrapers.
"John, is this the Australasia airship? It's really a giant," a somewhat portly American said to his companion in a high-rise in Los Angeles.
"Forget everything else, the Australasians really have a way of getting this giant off the ground. Daniel, didn't you plan to start a global voyage company? Why not use this giant? The Australasians have already given you the publicity. If you start a company for airship global voyages, you and your company will be famous the next day," the companion joked.
"This is a giant, and the funding needed is probably not small. John, do you want to join me in a big project? We can dominate the entire airship industry in America and become the new giants of the industry!" The wealthy man nodded, not refuting his companion's point, but looking at him with interest.
John, the wealthy businessman, didn't rush to answer Daniel's question but looked at the airship in awe before slowly replying, "Okay, I admit that no one can turn down something this massive. If the Australasians succeed in this global voyage, I'm willing to invest 5 million dollars."
This was actually the difference in how the upper and lower classes viewed things. While ordinary people gawked at the airship, the capable ones were already thinking about the airship's potential and the value it could bring.
Among the capitalists in Los Angeles, there were many who were interested in this airship. Many who couldn't make it to Los Angeles had sent their subordinates to keep an eye on the airship.
Once the airship completed the global voyage, it would mark the beginning of the airship era, and airship voyage companies would bloom everywhere, ushering in the golden age of airship commerce.
After this day, a photograph taken from the tallest building in Los Angeles went viral across the United States, even spreading to much of Europe.
The photo was quite simple. Because the city hadn't yet been industrialized and polluted, the sky was still a clear blue. At the center of the photo, slightly above, an airship with the Australasia flag and royal crest soared in the blue sky, with the city of Los Angeles below.
The massive city buildings, usually imposing, now appeared tiny compared to the massive airship. The airship cast a shadow that seemed to cover the entire city, creating a monumental impact.
The people in the city looked up at the Dawn airship, and the passengers aboard it, from their unique perspective, looked down at the not-yet-thriving city of Los Angeles.
"Is this America's city? It doesn't seem like much," one passenger said, a bit disappointed as they gazed at the seemingly small city below.
"You're standing too high, my friend," another replied, snapping them out of their thoughts. The city wasn't small or unremarkable, it was simply that their elevated position made the city seem insignificant.
Looking out from the airship's window, as they gazed down at the tiny city, the passengers couldn't help but imagine the people below, looking up in awe. They felt a surge of pride, thoroughly enjoying the view.
Fortunately, the airship didn't linger long over the city of Los Angeles, as such a massive vehicle could only land in the outskirts.
In the outskirts of Los Angeles, after discussions with the U.S. government, a flat airship docking station had been prepared, and many American spectators and media were already gathered.
The mayor of Los Angeles, the governor of California, and U.S. military officers were also watching from nearby.
While the capitalists were weighing the value and potential of the airship, politicians and military officers were doing the same.
Most of the common folk were simply there for the spectacle, as the docking station was the best place to see the airship up close, as the airship would be stopping there for maintenance and restocking.
As per the agreement with the U.S. government, six American passengers would be allowed to board the airship to experience the global voyage.
What Theodor didn't know was that these six airship tickets had already been sold for over ten thousand dollars each, but there was still no shortage of demand in America.
Although it was unclear who had bought these six tickets, one thing was certain: anyone who had secured one of these tickets was wealthy and influential.
Unlike ordinary people, the politicians and military officers, while watching the airship, were quietly taking note of something. Particularly U.S. military officers, who were observing closely, even writing down notes with urgency in their expressions.
After the visit, the U.S. military officials hurriedly left in military cars.
Once they were in the car, the U.S. major urgently addressed his subordinates, "Report immediately to the general, the Australasia long-range airship is now a weapon with significant potential. If such airships are fully armed, they could cross any terrain and reach any place in the world in an incredible manner. This would greatly enhance military strength, enabling transportation of strategic materials and long-range bombing or assassination."
The major chuckled bitterly, self-deprecatingly adding, "If the Australasians want to bomb Los Angeles, as long as they're in the air, we won't be able to stop them."
His subordinates, understanding the importance of the situation, quickly relayed the report to the general.
"Tell the general that the U.S. must establish an airship force immediately. This is urgent and cannot be delayed. The U.S. previously had the advantage of two oceans, not worrying about threats to the mainland. But with these long-range airships, the safety of our homeland is no longer guaranteed unless we have our own powerful airship force."
The major continued, "I'm sure after seeing this airship's global voyage, European countries will continue advancing airship development."
If airships are designed to be used as bombing weapons, this will be the first weapon in the world capable of bombing across the globe.
More importantly, if the attacked country does not have an airship force of sufficient scale, they will be powerless to prevent bombings, no matter how much they may fear them.
Thanks to Arthur's push for airship research, European countries had already established notable airship industries.
However, airship development had remained tepid, and even Germany, which had made the most progress, had yet to create airships capable of circumnavigating the globe.
As long as European nations couldn't develop long-range airships, the U.S. didn't need to worry about homeland safety, even without an airship force.
But from the moment the Dawn airship reached Los Angeles, everything changed.
If the U.S. doesn't have its own airship force, Australasia, with its location on the Pacific coast, will eventually become one of America's competitors.
For now, the U.S. has no countermeasure against such high-flying airships.
If the enemy begins dropping bombs from the sky, will Americans catch them by hand?
Even if the bombings aren't precise, the widespread panic caused by a large-scale bombing would be enough to cause chaos in the U.S.
Arthur may not realize how enormous the change his global airship voyage will have on the U.S. military.
(End of Chapter)
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