Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 146: Commissioning

A month later, the date was June 18th, 1835.

Napoleon II stood in the Arsenal de Brest beside his father, Napoleon I. The morning air carried the smell of salt from the harbor mixed with the metallic scent of fresh steel and machine oil.

The naval yard was crowded.

Workers from the shipyards stood in large groups along the edges of the ceremony grounds, many still wearing their work coats. Politicians and senior military officers occupied the seats closest to the platform. Behind them stood foreign observers—diplomats and naval attachés from various European states who had traveled to Brest after hearing about the new warship France was preparing to unveil.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the massive vessel resting on the inclined slipway.

The battleship dominated the entire yard.

Her hull rose above the dockyard structures like a dark steel wall. Riveted plates ran along her sides in clean rows, reflecting the pale light of the morning sky.

Above the main deck, the heavy gun turrets were already mounted, two quadruple turrets dominated the fore of the deck of the ship while the aft mounted a three triple 152mm surface guns.

Behind the forward turret stood the superstructure, where armored command towers and rangefinding equipment had been installed. Above them, mounted on reinforced frames, were the rotating antenna structures of an experimental detection system the engineers had begun calling radar.

Few in the crowd understood what the apparatus actually did.

But they understood what the ship represented.

Power.

The battleship rested on the heavy slipway supports like a steel fortress waiting to be released into the sea.

A wide ceremonial platform had been erected at the base of the slipway. French tricolor banners hung from its railings, and rows of chairs had been arranged for senior officials and foreign guests. Naval officers in dark blue uniforms stood in formation along the approach path.

The brass band near the harbor finished their final test notes and fell silent.

Charles-Louis stepped forward and quietly addressed Napoleon II.

"Your Imperial Majesty, the ceremony is ready."

Napoleon II gave a short nod.

Beside him, Napoleon I studied the ship one more time before turning toward his son.

"I could see the reactions from the British dignitaries from here," he grinned.

Napoleon II chuckled. "Well, they couldn’t believe we have outdone them in terms of shipbuilding."

Napoleon II then stepped forward toward the platform.

Guards opened a clear path through the assembled officials as he approached the podium. Conversations among the crowd gradually quieted as people noticed the movement.

Workers who had spent months building the ship stood straighter.

Politicians leaned forward slightly in their seats.

Foreign observers raised binoculars or adjusted their hats.

Napoleon II stepped up onto the platform.

From that position he could see the entire dockyard.

The slipway stretched upward behind him toward the massive hull of the battleship. Below the platform, rows of naval officers stood at attention. Beyond them were hundreds of workers, their faces still marked with soot and steel dust from the shipyard.

Further back stood the visiting dignitaries.

Napoleon II placed both hands lightly on the edges of the wooden podium.

The wind from the harbor moved through the flags behind him.

Beaumont stepped forward and adjusted the microphone positioned at the center of the stand.

The device was connected by cables to amplification horns placed around the dockyard so the crowd could hear clearly.

Napoleon II waited until the murmuring among the audience faded.

Then he began speaking.

"Citizens of France. Officers of the Imperial Navy. Workers of Brest."

His voice carried across the yard through the speakers.

"Today we stand before something more than a warship."

He gestured briefly behind him toward the towering hull.

"That vessel is the result of years of work by engineers, metalworkers, machinists, and sailors who believed France could build something the world has never seen before."

A few of the shipyard workers exchanged quiet looks of pride.

Napoleon II continued calmly.

"The oceans have always been the arteries of trade, communication, and power. Nations that command the sea command the flow of the world’s commerce."

He paused briefly.

"For centuries France fought to maintain that presence. Today we take another step forward."

He gestured again toward the battleship.

"The ship behind me represents a new generation of naval power. Steel construction. Advanced artillery. Modern propulsion. Technology designed not only to defend our shores but to carry the presence of the French Empire across every ocean."

Napoleon II turned slightly, allowing the crowd to see the vessel again.

"This ship will sail farther than any warship France has previously deployed."

Naval officers listened carefully.

Some of them already knew where the vessel would eventually be stationed.

Napoleon II continued.

"She will serve as the flagship of a new naval formation. A fleet designed to operate beyond the waters of Europe."

The foreign observers exchanged quiet glances.

Napoleon II let the statement settle before continuing.

"France is no longer confined to the affairs of our continent alone."

He looked across the crowd.

"Our industries produce more than ever before. Our merchants trade across every sea. Our engineers build machines that change the nature of work itself."

He rested one hand on the podium.

"And because of that, France must also protect those interests wherever they exist."

The workers standing near the dock listened silently.

Some of them had spent over a year constructing the ship behind him.

Napoleon II finished the thought clearly.

"This vessel is not simply a weapon."

He paused briefly. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"It is a declaration."

He looked once more toward the steel hull towering above the slipway.

"That the French Empire intends to stand among the greatest maritime powers in the world. And today, we give this to the sea!"

Upon saying that, Napoleon I stepped forward with a wine bottle in his hand.

An aide had wrapped the neck of the bottle with a ceremonial ribbon bearing the tricolor of France. The glass caught the morning light as he held it briefly at his side.

An officer beside the slipway raised his hand.

"All stations ready!"

Workers along the release mechanisms stood at attention beside the massive wooden chocks and steel braces holding the battleship in place.

The harbor fell silent except for the wind and the distant movement of waves against the docks.

Napoleon I lifted the bottle slightly.

"By the authority of the Empire of France," he declared, his voice carrying across the yard, "I christen this ship—Napoleon I."

With a sharp motion, he swung the bottle against the reinforced bow.

The glass shattered instantly.

Wine splashed across the dark steel plating and dripped down along the hull.

For half a second there was complete silence.

Then the yard erupted.

Cheers broke out from the workers. Naval officers clapped sharply. The brass band immediately struck up a triumphant march.

At the same moment, the slipway crew moved.

"Release!"

Massive hammers knocked loose the holding wedges.

Heavy braces fell away from the hull.

For a brief instant the battleship remained motionless.

Then gravity took hold.

The massive vessel began to move.

At first the motion was slow, almost hesitant, the enormous weight sliding along the greased rails of the slipway. The wooden supports groaned under the shifting load.

Then the movement accelerated.

The steel hull slid steadily downward toward the water, gathering speed as it descended the long incline.

The crowd watched in silence again, many people instinctively holding their breath.

The ship entered the harbor with a thunderous splash.

A massive surge of water rose around the bow as the hull struck the sea. Waves rolled outward across the harbor, rocking the smaller vessels anchored nearby.

For a moment the ship dipped slightly as the water settled around it.

Then the battleship rose and stabilized.