Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 898 Surprise

   "Report sir, the formation of the Songjiang is 37 nautical miles away from us, and now it has accelerated to 17 knots and is rushing in with all its strength."

   "The cruiser "Quiet Moon" was ordered to lead its sub-fleet and cover the logistics and supply ships to retreat towards the continental shelf. This is not a battle they can participate in."

   "As you order, sir."

   "The course is adjusted to 11 degrees north-northwest, and the speed is 14 knots. Facing the formation of the "Songjiang", we will get together as soon as possible to prepare for the bad situation."

   "As ordered, heading 11 degrees north-northwest."

  The enemy rushed over aggressively, intending to occupy the waters near the entrance to the Pacific side of the Strait of Magellan to deal with the fish that slipped through the net. Such a combat intention is already very obvious.

  The enemy is too strong, Major General Li Siyuan is going to lead the formation to avoid the edge for a while, and then make plans after the formation of the "Songjiang", so the formation speed is higher than the opponent's, just don't want to face each other too early.

   On the vast sea with waves

  A powerful battleship can control the surrounding sea area of ​​nearly 100 square kilometers. The so-called blocking at the entrance of the Strait of Magellan is only a general concept, which refers to the control of the surrounding sea area of ​​nearly 10,000 square kilometers, with a lot of room for maneuver.

Sitting in the commanding position in the center of the commander's tower of the battleship "Samarinda", Major General Li Siyuan could clearly overlook everything in the surroundings. About 10 kilometers away from the left side of the battleship formation, there was a ship with a British rice flag. The battle cruiser was particularly conspicuous, as if the focus of the audience, which made it uncomfortable to watch.

   The German and French cruisers that followed behind were all six or seven thousand tons of displacement, like two little followers.

The size of this British battleship is almost twice the size of the "Samarinda", which is the first "Lion" of the "Lion"-class battlecruisers built by the United Kingdom in the shipbuilding frenzy in 1906, with a displacement of up to 35,700 tons (the previous model and the later model are quite different, and the situation is similar to that of the "Metropolis" class battleships, which will be skipped here and will not be described in detail), and the British with deep pockets built as many as 9 ships.

  The ship is equipped with 42 boilers, 70,000 horsepower, and has a maximum speed of 26 knots. The limit has once exceeded the maximum speed of 28 knots.

  The main naval gun adopts MkV type 13.5-inch 45-caliber main gun (343 mm), a total of 4 double-mounted main turrets, and 12 single-mounted 6-inch caliber secondary guns (152 mm). The technical level can be regarded as the world's top.

   This is the most powerful first-class battlecruiser built under the leadership of the former British Secretary of the Navy, Sir Fischer, and one of the signatures of the British Royal Navy.

  Ocean Empire is proud of its high speed, heavy armor, and large-range artillery technology. In front of the British Royal Navy, a battle cruiser that brings together the world's top technology, it is a younger brother.

  Why did the British send such powerful battlecruisers to watch the battle?

  Without it, one is the long voyage, and the other is to show force to the warring parties, like a lion looking around the territory, reminding the two evil sons of the Ocean Empire and the United States;

  Your uncle is your uncle, and it will still be your uncle after decades!

   Come on, neither the Ocean Empire nor the United States has any intention of challenging the global hegemony of the British Royal Navy. The densely moored local fleet in Portsmouth Bay in the United Kingdom makes people feel hopeless and fearful at a glance.

   That is, the reckless scumbags of the German Empire would "boom" and slam into it, and as a result, they were repaired so that they couldn't take care of themselves...

   "Report Commander, the US Navy Atlantic Fleet in the rear has accelerated to 15 knots and is catching up at high speed."

   "Continue to observe and report at any time."

   "As you order, sir."

   Major General Li Siyuan furrowed his brows and had a bad premonition in his heart. There were already US high-speed cruisers closely following the formation in the nearby waters, just like hungry wolves peeking at the side, constantly sending relevant location information to the US fleet.

   In this case

   Major General Li Siyuan thought of a possibility, but it will take time to confirm...

   more than an hour later

   In the evening, around 17:20.

  Navigational staff officer reported that in the front left, four battleships and one cruiser of the American Great White Fleet were approaching. The distance was 23.6 kilometers, the direction was 17 degrees west of the northwest, and they were swooping at a high speed of 16.5 knots.

   Sure enough, it was a well-planned hunt.

  Li Siyuan understood clearly in his mind, the situation of the navy of the enemy and our side formed a picture in his mind, which was vivid;

   The U.S. Great White Fleet is heading towards each other at a certain angle to its own course. If the course is not changed and the two sides are facing head-to-head, they will be within a range of 18 kilometers in 10 minutes.

  In the dangerous situation where the front door meets the wolf and the back door enters the tiger, the Royal Navy's expeditionary strike formation should immediately turn to avoid it.

  The formation of ships is different from cars. It stops when you brake, and accelerates when you tap the accelerator. The acceleration and deceleration of tens of thousands of battleships require a process, and there is a crisis in it.

   A large turn will inevitably experience a process of substantial deceleration and then slow acceleration. The Atlantic Fleet, which is in hot pursuit at the rear, may further narrow the distance and form a situation of heavy encirclement.

   If you don’t turn sharply to avoid it, you will inevitably collide head-on with the Great White Fleet, and a fierce naval battle will break out.

  Li Siyuan silently calculated the distance from the battleship "Songjiang", and ordered in a deep voice; "Keep the course and speed unchanged, and prepare for the first level battle."

   "Yes, level 1 combat readiness."

   "It is now 17:23. In 5 minutes, the left rudder is turned 35 degrees as a whole, and the starboard side faces the enemy, preparing for the "Manguye" tactical shelling."

   "Yes, turn the left rudder 35 degrees in 5 minutes, and prepare for the "Manguye" tactical shelling."

   British battlecruiser "Lion"

  The large commander tower has three-level suites inside and outside. The outermost layer is the bridge, combat command, fleet communication, navigational observation, and the command skin seat where the captain lives in the center.

   Behind him is a huge chart room.

Now there is a large wooden board on the chart table, covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and there are all kinds of exquisite afternoon tea cakes and biscuits. There are seven or eight officers sitting in a circle along the bulkhead, enjoying leisurely tasting. English afternoon tea.

The highest rank is an English gentleman who wears the Royal Rear Admiral's Crown Scepter badge. His general's uniform is straight without a trace of wrinkles, his leather shoes are polished, and he is tall and thin with gray hair, an English bald and a hooked nose. Combined, with a looming arrogant smile on the corners of his lips, the image of Major General Sherman with the title of earl fits most people's imagination of the British, a typical British nobleman.

   "The Americans set up an interesting game, making this one-sided and boring war finally a little interesting. I am very much looking forward to their performance." Major General Sherman said reservedly.

   "Your Honorable Lord, which side are you more optimistic about?"

"There is no suspense in the comparison of strength. The only advantage of the Yanguo Navy is the average speed of 22 knots. Let's see if they can use this advantage to fight outside and take advantage of it." As a senior naval general, Rear Admiral Sherman Obviously not optimistic about this battle, he took a sip of coffee with graceful expression, and continued;

   "For a qualified naval commander, never take today's battle as the final battle, because there is still tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the sun will rise.

  Ship formation is a valuable asset of the country, and it is the greatest stupidity to fight hard when you know that you are not invincible.

   Naval commanders must learn to deal with the enemy and assess the situation.

  "Choose wisely" is easy to say, but for those countries without naval heritage, the wrong decision is always made at the wrong time, thus ruining the entire fleet.

  Lu Quan country will never learn this, maybe it is their destiny? "

   "Do you mean Tsarist Russia?"

   "Unfortunately, although I don't want to embarrass my allies, this is the truth." Major General Sherman's words caused a chuckle of laughter.

  Among the Anglo-French-Russian allies, the British scolded France on a daily basis, and stepping on Russia was a routine operation.

   A typical British joke is;

  The president of the United States has a hundred security advisers, one of whom is a German spy, who is being investigated.

  The French general has a hundred lovers, one of whom has syphilis, who is being investigated.

   There are 100 military advisers in the Tsarist Russian War Department, and one of them understands the military. Who is it?

   "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, do you think the performance of the U.S. Navy is qualified?"

   "You asked a very good question, Mr. Colonel." Major General Sherman raised Erlang's legs calmly, as elegant and calm as he was drinking afternoon tea in his family's castle outside Manchester.

   suddenly grinned, and his aura was all dissipated.

   he said with a smile;

   "Excuse me gentlemen;

  I tried my best to restrain my emotions in order to make a more professional judgment, but unfortunately I couldn't hold back, sorry!

   It must be admitted that President Roosevelt was a president who loved the navy and fully supported the construction of the navy.

   The reason why the word "surface" is mentioned is that the British did not interrupt the self-entertainment of these Americans out of politeness. Now it seems to be a mistake.

  The dream is to wake up after all, the difference is to sleep until you wake up naturally, or to be kicked off the bed..."

  Speaking of this

  Major General Sherman laughed uncontrollably, and the surrounding British officers all laughed along with them, and they all hit the point of laughter.

   "Hehehe...

   Regarding the question of whether the U.S. Navy is qualified, objectively speaking, they have done a good job, showing the profound heritage of an industrial country, and the warships they have built are also remarkable, not without their eye-catching features.

   But that's it, there is still a long way to go to grow into a qualified global navy.

in my opinion

   In today's world, only the British, French, and Oceanic Empires can be called global navies. The Germans' High Seas Fleet and Fuso Fleet can only be called regional navies.

  The Americans... well, let's not talk about it, they kicked the iron plate this time. "

   "Your Excellency is right. The performance of the Yanguo Navy and Fusang is impressive. Both are known for their strong discipline, well-trained and excellent artillery skills. Of the two, the Yanguo Navy is better."

   "After watching the Battle of Hawaii, Lord Roth of the North American Squadron greatly admired the precision artillery of the Yanguo Navy and believed that it basically reached the level of the Royal Navy's artillery. I think this is an authoritative conclusion."

   "Yes, this is indeed a recognized assessment, thank goodness they are all our allies and close partners."

   "Hahaha... Don't forget, they are also students of the Royal Navy, including the Americans."

   "Oh... It seems that the two students from the West Pacific are much better than this idiot from the East Pacific. To be honest, I don't see any advantages for the Americans other than giving the other side a record. Maybe he dozed off in class?"

   "Don't be so mean Harry, these American cowboys with black fingernails are 1/10 Uncle Saxon after all, and Pirates of the Caribbean has these guys, although they are insignificant."

"God, when it comes to blood, these American cowboys are a model of moral turmoil, and blood is mixed with too many inferior peoples of Central and Southern Europe, can you believe it? There are blacks and French, oh... yes, And the Italians. Sorry gentlemen, I don't admit they are 1/10 Anglo-Saxon."

   Although he didn't say the word "bastard", it was extremely insulting.

   As soon as this remark comes out

   The British officers who have always been reserved all cracked their mouths and laughed wildly. The invisible sense of superiority permeated the cabin, which made these British officers very comfortable.

   "Oh shit... The Yanguo naval formation has turned sharply, what are they doing?"

   An exclamation suddenly interrupted the officers' laughter. Their expressions changed drastically and they stood up and looked out...

I saw the battleship "Samarinda" turned first, drawing a graceful arc on the blue sea. Behind it were the battleship "Melbourne", the battleship "Qingdao", and the "White Tiger" and "Suzaku". The heavy cruisers turned in turn, just like five-toothed nails raking across the sea, leaving five snow-white tracks with almost equal arcs.

  The steering of the 5 warships is precise, and the angle, speed, attitude and power coordination are just right, as if they were measured with a ruler.

  The officers on the British battlecruiser "Lion" are all experts, of course they know the goods!

   This one-handed operation alone won the lottery. They know that it takes at least 30 years of hard work to have such a brilliant performance.

   "Oh Maiga... Now I believe it, these foreign naval officers are all paranoid, otherwise they can't explain it all."

"Seconded."

   "Ibid."

What is the use of   accurate and excellent ship-handling skills in naval battles?

   It can complete the evolution in less time than the opposing fleet, seize the dominant position, and play 1~2 rounds or even three more rounds of artillery.

   The negative teaching material is the Tsarist Russian fleet in the naval battle of Vladivostok. When the battle was about to change, the Tsarist Russia’s own fleets caused huge chaos. They didn’t adjust it for more than half an hour, and they handed over their precious fighters to the other side in vain.

  The Fuso National Navy Combined Fleet firmly grasped this opportunity and won an unprecedented victory.

   It can open the gap in relative motion to create fighter planes, such as the classic "scissor kill" in the Hawaiian naval battle, and it starts steadily and accurately, causing great confusion in the U.S. fleet.

   To do this, precise artillery and excellent ship handling skills are indispensable.

  Excellent ship-handling skills are a sharp edge in naval battles, while poor ship-handling skills are like wild boars rushing about. The difference between the two is unreasonable.

British naval officers are all knowledgeable experts. In admiration, they observed four huge battleships and a cruiser of the Great White Fleet of the US Navy at the end of the line of sight, one after another floating on the sea, with tall chimneys billowing Thick smoke is rushing towards you at high speed...

  The distance between the two sides is already close to within 18 kilometers. The "Samarinda" ship formation has begun to mobilize the main turrets when turning. After the formation of the "one" word formation, the turrets point to the starboard side and start to fine-tune the aiming.

  From a distance, this is a standard "T" prefix, but the distance between the two is a little far, about 17.5 kilometers.

  The international mainstream 40 times the caliber 305mm main gun generally has a range of 14.5 to 15 kilometers. What the **** is 17.5 kilometers?

  This...is it an ultra-long-range artillery bombardment?

   That was a big surprise!

  The British officers spoke highly of the precise artillery skills of the Royal Ocean Empire Royal Navy, but the actions of the "Samarinda" fleet still surprised them, completely unexpected.

   This chapter contains more than 4,400 words, and there is no charge for less than 1,000 words.

   The dialogue between the British is not a number of words, but to convey the general prejudice of the British against Americans in the early 20th century, paving the way for the rationality of the subsequent plot. In addition, it is also filling in the pit. Regarding the discriminatory wool tax introduced by the Argentine government, Citi immediately joined the war to fill in the pit of related conspiracy theories. I hereby explain and ask for monthly and recommended tickets, thank you for your support.

   I would like to thank my enthusiastic readers and friends for their generous rewards. I am a Buddhist writer who writes on the street. I rarely ask for a monthly pass, and I have never asked for a reward. But I really thank the readers and friends for their enthusiastic support from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your company along the way, and sincerely thank you again.

   (end of this chapter)