Armor (January-March, 1886).

Navy update: Submarines]

Tsar Alexander III was accompanied by Stepan Makarov, Isaac Peral and Stefan Drzewiecki in the port of Murmansk, above the water was a "target", a ship destined to be dismantled but whose armor was rebuilt for the sole purpose of the Murmansk test .

Then a torpedo was fired at the ship, whose armor was successfully destroyed by the attacks, when the ship began to sink the test stopped and the ship was removed to be sent to the landfill finally.

And then from under the water, the Russian submarine successfully ascended from the experiments. The Russians had designed the first successful modern submarine for military testing.

There was still a lot to improve of course, but the effectiveness of the Peral Submarine (so named because the design was mostly Peral's idea, although Makarov and Drzewiecki obviously helped) was proven in the Murmansk experiments.

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[Navy: Discussions]

Makarov rejoined Tsar Alexander III after the successful tests of the Peral submarine. "While the tests are a good motivator, we cannot dedicate the Russian navy exclusively to submarines." Tsar Alexander III starts.

"Sounds reasonable." Makarov exclaims.

"Yes. We still have to develop more submarine technology, but also for other elements of the navy. In a few years I plan to make you Minister of the Navy, but so far, we must work on other projects." Tsar Alexander III explains, surprising the rear admiral Makarov.

"It would be an honor, but exactly. What next project are we talking about?" Makarov asks.

"At the moment we are only in an initial phase of the project, but I call them Drednout (Дредноут), the serious phase of the project will only begin in 1895. At the moment the Komitet does not have to worry much about this, continue your work as before." Tsar Alexander III ends.

In navy aspects, Makarov would continue the Komitet of Naval Development in submarines, ships, weapons and ammunition but there was a particular matter that he discussed with Tsar Alexander III. The doctrine of submarines as a new element of the imperial navy.

Tsar Alexander III had made it clear that the Russian navy was a mixed navy with diverse elements, but still each had different characteristics, uses, and favorable (or unfavorable) situations.

This is why Makarov and Tsar Alexander III devised the "Volch'ya staya" (Волчья стая) or "Wolf Pack", which indicates the modus operandi and joint work of submarines.

Of course there was still a lot of work to be done, so the Volch'ya Staya was relatively simple, since there was still to improve in communications but there were already works regarding radio and projects in mind.

However without a doubt an interesting project was the Drednout or Dreadnought. Although at least during its first years the research projects would receive the name "Pre-Drednout" (Пре-дредноут) or "Proto-Drednout" (Прото-дредноут). As such, the Proto-Drednout themselves were not built or assembled, but research was made of related technologies and plans for their constructions.

Currently the project would only evolve mostly from 1895 onwards, but Makarov's Komitet could not rest on its laurels and stop working or preparing during 1886-1894.

Tsar Alexander III, for example, would raise the idea of developing ships that function as a "platform" for light aircraft of the Russian Empire.

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[Okhrana]

Why research but not build a full Proto-Drednout? All of this is closely linked to industrial espionage and government ideas.

Tsar Alexander III thought that building a Proto-Drednout as such would be a very short-term investment that would turn into a waste of money sooner rather than later. It would be better to just build a full Drednout when the Russian Empire had the security of investment and full investigations.

On the other side there was national security, the Okhrana under Tsar Alexander III devised a plan to divert foreign attention from current Russian projects in case they suffered espionage.

The Okhrana simply made it appear, through documents, that the real reason for the commissions to foreign countries (Italy and Japan) was that Russia was actually reserving its shipyards for the construction of the "Bog Razrusheniya" (a code name for the Proto-Drednout, supposedly).

Thus Russia seemed to have or be building many more ships (and much larger ships) than it was actually doing, which obviously diverted attention from potential spies, and diverted foreign resources to empty spots or dead ends.

In case foreign nations investigate the Drednouts, they would simply start spending money trying to imitate or steal the construction. In case they investigate in the Russian shipyards, the Okhrana would simply put false information about how the construction moved to another shipyard, and so on continuously.

*******

[Mechanized units: Name]

While the tests of mechanized units developed by the Russian Carriage Works and the Ministry of War were being carried out in Pleistocene Park, the Russian Empire or more specifically the officers in charge under Deputy Minister Skobelev and Minister Romeyko-Gurko, decided to give it a more "appropriate" name for units.

The official name is "Bronevik" (Броневик), literally Armored Car, however at the same time the officers working on the project nicknamed them and mostly used the name "Medved" (медведь) or Bear.

The reason has to do with the nature of the project, a vehicle that had to be armored, difficult to destroy, and that could go through various difficult terrain. There was also a mixture of Slavic superstition.

Naming a bear was like calling it to appear, and that's why Bronevik (the name of the units) was replaced with Medved (the nickname). Giving a certain touch of terror to mechanized units.

To name them would be to invoke them, and obviously the Russian Empire intended to bring mechanized units to the battlefield sooner or later, but for the moment it was better to keep them secret from prying eyes.

*******

[Vladivostok]

On January 16, "The Brotherhood Statues" or "The New Colossi" (as indicated by a pedestal on the statues) are completed. The three statues are mainly made of iron (steel would be added in the future) and copper with gold leaf in some details, they take inspiration from the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, but with a Russian touch of course.

In the center was the statue of the Great Russians, a woman in a traditional Russian dress, a large Byzantine-style crown and holding a cross in her left hand.

To the right of the central statue is the statue of the Little Russians, a woman in a traditional Ukrainian dress and a wreath of flowers, accompanied by a sword in her right hand.

To the left of the central statue is the statue of the White Russians, a statue of a woman dressed in traditional Belarusian clothing, accompanied by a crown with the traditional double-headed eagle of the Byzantines and Romanovs.

This marks a new symbol for Vladivostok, the Russian Triune nation and tourist potential for the ever-growing and economically successful Far Eastern city.

For migrants it also becomes a particular symbol of the Russian Far East.

*******

On January 18, 1886, the SEiPK (and associated companies) finished the Bering Telegraph or Transpacific Telegraph, this marks an important logistical, economic and image advance. The Russian Far East (Eurasia) and Alyáska (North America) have been connected, creating the first telegraph crossing the Pacific Ocean.

This supposes a greater coordination and economic investment between Alyáska with other parts of the Russian Empire, also bringing fame and economic gains (by way of investments, image, job offers, etc.) to related companies.

Such as the aforementioned Russian SEiPK by Nikola Tesla and labor associates. Above all, Nikola Tesla's inventions dedicated to the facilitation of the telegraphic line soon became very notable, allowing the company's capabilities and workforce to be further increased as greater cooperation between SEiPK and the Russian state or private elements was ensured.

This also meant the increase of companies and technological innovators dedicated to Vladivostok, the SEiPK had its own IIR (research and development department), the state built more universities and educational institutions to support young people in these ways, the more innovators went to the region, etc.

Tesla in a sense began to revolutionize the area of private industry in Vladivostok, since SEiPK adopted the Blinov model of assembly lines (by active promotion of the state), using Russian labor (either native or migrant such as Koreans ) for the construction of various manufactured products, mainly intended for the technology sector and not the extractive sector.

While the Bering Telegraph and associated projects were already impressive, Tesla did not stop at this point, dedicated to continuous technological advancement and development.

This was just the beginning.

*******

[International]

January 5 and 9, Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is published for the first time in New York and London.

January 16, the German federal parliament presents a resolution to condemn the Prussian Deportations, promoted by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

However the resolution fails, the deportations of Jews and Poles of Austrian-Russian origin continue in Prussia, the German Empire.

January 29, the German inventor Karl Benz patents the Benz Patent-Motorwagen built in 1885.

On February 6 to February 9, the Seattle riots occur, where due to job competition, small committees of the Knights of Labor (Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor) decide that they are going to expel all the Chinese in Seattle.

More than 200 Chinese workers are expelled from the city, 5 militiamen and rioters are seriously injured in the process. After this with the laws that exclude Chinese workers, and the aforementioned riots, Seattle is almost completely empty of Chinese citizens.

March 3, various riots and anti-English proclamations occur in Athens, the Kingdom of Greece. The police can do little to retain them as they are busy protecting the English embassy from many angry Greeks.

King George I of Greece on the other hand is discussing with his government what should be done to calm the situation, the punished English was "responsible" for the massacre of 20,000 Greeks has not yet arrived.

In the night some English sailors have simply disappeared, which undoubtedly angers the English but the majority of international public opinion and to some extent even in the UK, is on the side of the Greeks.

These events undoubtedly mark a rapprochement of the Greeks towards their Balkan brothers, and other non-English powers, mainly towards Russia although some Greeks see towards Germany.

March 16, the German Empire accepts a law to start the construction of the Kiel Canal.

On March 17, in Carrollton, Mississippi, United States, 20 African Americans are killed in the Carrollton massacre.

On March 29, the Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz becomes the first world chess champion recognized as such.

*******

[Russian Soccer League]

The round of 16 of the 5th edition of the Russian Soccer League takes place, the first edition to take place in the Caucasus (Erivan):

* Erivan vs Helsinki: Erivan's team beats Helsinki team by 2 to 1.

* Saint Petersburg vs Kielce: The Saint Petersburg team beats the Kielce team by 1 to 0.

* Anadyr vs. Novo Arkhangelsk: Novo Arkhangelsk's team beats Anadyr's team 2-0, marking the first victory for an American team in the league.

* Moscow vs Riga: The Moscow team beats the Riga team by 3 to 1.

* Kharkov vs Kiev: The Kiev team beats the Kharkov team by 2 to 1.

* Minsk vs Saratov: The Saratov team beats the Minsk team by 3 to 2.

* Yuriev vs Vladivostok: Vladivostok's team beats Yuriev's team 3 to 1.

* Sevastopol vs Grozny: Grozny's team beats Sevastopol's team by 2 to 0.