I Became a Captain of the British Empire - I Became a Captain of the British Empire chapter 137

Halifax Fleet Battle (7)

“Send the maintenance team! The explosion must be stopped!”

Upon reports that the turret had been destroyed, Tobay reacted quickly. He was unaware of Jutland’s nightmare.

The Battle of Jutland, in which a death sentence was imposed on a type of battlecruiser. The Royal Navy’s proudest battlecruisers encountered the German fleet and were sunk by ammunition detonated by enemy bullets penetrating turrets or barbettes.

Now, the Royal Navy’s repair capabilities have improved significantly compared to that time, but it is still forbidden to be vigilant. The battlefield is where even a battlecruiser in reverse can be sunk with a single mistake.

Soon after, the flames died out on the aft deck. But the turret, distorted horribly, could not be moved again. Tobay looked at the charred gun barrel with mixed eyes.

“Fixing the ammo rack complete!”

“25 knots current speed!”

“Red bullets are coming! 20 seconds until impact!”

The fire was quickly turned off, but there was no time to rest.

The ensuing bombardment forced Tobay to reverse his orders several times. A sharp column of water rose around Repulse as it turned to starboard and then back to port.

“Red bullets, narrow cross!”

The hood, hit by a shell on the side, collapsed while spewing smoke.

The massive battlecruiser, losing speed, moved away from Repulse’s rear.

“Hood! 12 knots in the string! Adrift!”

“At this distance, defense is useless.”

As if talking to himself, Tobay murmured.

Distance 14,000 m. No matter how bad the angle is, you can’t stop the bullet at this distance. Rinaun’s unmodified 15-inch naval gun can penetrate 300mm of steel plate.

And the Constallation-class’s side armor is about 230mm, at least according to what Admiral Lewis guessed. It has the same defense as Repulse. So whoever gets it right first wins.

“Now we exchange counterpunches with each other.”

I feel like I want to run away. It’s an egg fight with a hammer.

But it’s not a situation to run away from the enemy.

Even now, we can get support from the destroyer’s smoke screen, but the enemy fleet won’t let go.

“Enemy ship, approaching! Distance 13,000!”

Rather, I am worried that they will take advantage of the gaps between each other’s eyes to get closer. Now, like an enemy battlecruiser approaching with a bow.

“Red bullets are coming!”

Kugung-

A sharp metallic sound echoes across the bridge.

The shock that shook the entire ship almost knocked Tobay over again. Fortunately, thanks to the operatives pushing his back, he was able to avoid hitting his head on the iron floor.

“Thank you, operative.”

“no. Rather, I was hit again.”

Tobay, who was about to stick his head out the window, bit his lip. The upper side of the angled side armor was horribly torn. Even black smoke billowed from the vicinity of stack number 1.

“Current speed, 22 knots!”

“Port side flooding!”

“The ninth round, narrow gap! No hits!”

bad things come

Breaking the water column, the enemy ship approached furiously.

It’s like boiling a train firebox.

Tobay clenched his fists. There is only one hit bullet here. The enemy ship is now on its second shot. Even that, with each hit, it steadily steals away our combat power.

“Turn the key! Fifteen to the left!”

“Captain, we are getting closer to the enemy ship!”

“Do as you say!”

Slashing at the objecting operative, Tobay ordered the ride to turn around.

If possible, I want to avoid the worst case of killing each other at zero distance. To do that, you have to win. before the enemy kills us.

Torbay grabbed the railing.

“Rapidly advance to course 300, block the enemy’s flagship’s path, and concentrate fire on the second ship! We support Hood!”

Tobay’s voice commanding the bridge.

Before long, the Repulse’s hull shook greatly. Grazed between the water columns, the gigantic body swiftly cut through the waves.

“Captain, we are exposed defenselessly to the enemy’s number 1 ship!”

The chief of staff, noticing that the intentions of steering and firing were contradictory, opened his eyes in surprise and said,

“I know, but it’s strategically better to buy Hood than Repulse!”

Tobay said without hesitation. Ignoring the shocked gaze, he focused his eyes on the fire-breathing enemy battleship. There was still a lot to think about.

The admiral left the judgment to himself. For what? The answer is simple.

‘I mean do as I think.’

And, perhaps, the admiral knows how he will act.

‘Then I can move as is.’

chance of success?

Not very high. In a way, it is a tactic of leaving everything to chance.

However, naval battles are inherently dependent on luck. The battleship’s bombardment itself is a series of luck.

Because of this, Tobey decided to hold on to his faith only in himself.

“Tell the admiral to prepare to change the flagship.”

A sharp player pushed the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

* * *

downstairs,

Repulse’s sailing bridge.

“Admiral, the captain will get close to the enemy ship.”

Admiral Lewis’ chief of staff, Colonel John Crawford, blinked in dismay at the ever-changing background.

At the end of his gaze, the admiral, who was looking out the window with his arms folded, nodded lightly without looking back.

“I know.”

“It is dangerous as it is. Let’s go to the command tower.”

His adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Rich, offered advice with concern, but the admiral just shook his head.

“You never know when things will change. I have to watch the battlefield.”

“Even the command tower has windows. Don’t worry.”

silent answer.

The chief of staff continued to advise, leaving behind the desire to sigh.

“Rather than that, we have to put the flagship behind us. No matter how high the strategic value of the hood is, it is not as good as the flagship.”

“Leave it as it is.”

The chief of staff opened his mouth wide at the unbelievable answer.

“yes?”

“Do you trust the captain?”

It was an incomprehensible question. The chief of staff looked back at the adjutant and bit his lip as he saw him shaking his head in the same way.

What the hell are you talking about, Admiral Lee?

“I believe.”

In the meantime, Admiral Lewis just continued talking on his own. The admiral turned his head and called the communication staff with a chin.

“Correspondent, prepare for contact.”

The chief of staff, who looked at the ship dumbfounded, decided to pray in the hope that the shells would not fly into the bridge.

* * *

Invisible parabolas embroider the sky.

The gunfire spread and the water surface was smeared with smoke.

“The 10th bullet, landed!”

Hearing the earnest voice, Tobay raised his binoculars.

Two enemy battlecruisers running side by side. There, the ship positioned aft is engulfed in a column of water.

“Hit! Enemy ship, fire on deck!”

Sparks fly and the deck catches fire.

But right after that, a shock hit Repulse. The sound of cracking and crashing gave Tobay goosebumps.

“Twice stack hit! Soot flows back into the engine room!”

“Captain, we need to slow down!”

“Starboard compartment flooded!”

“Keep up the pace! Change your mind and avoid it!”

Despite shouting to himself, Tobay knew full well that it would be difficult. Repulse’s guns sprayed fire like a rapid-fire cannon and hit the enemy ships.

Even with only four main guns, only hit bullets come out around 10,000 meters.

But the same goes for enemy ships. The enemy ship No. 1, which fired all remaining six 16-inch guns, unilaterally hit Repulse, which concentrated its firepower on the No. 2 ship.

Debris splashed across the deck, and flames spread in all directions. The hull, which had been speeding forward, became slow and dull as if caught on the seabed.

“Turn the key! Uro 15!”

“Uro 15!”

tilted-

The ship, stained with fatigue, turns as if about to collapse. The bullet, which covered a distance of 10,000, crashed headlong into the water where the repulse was.

Fortunately, Hood and Rinaun concentrated their fire on the enemy’s second ship.

Thanks to this, the second ship of the Constellation class was on the verge of being incapacitated, receiving countless hits from the bow to the stern.

“Change the target! Enemy No. 1 ship!”

Finally, Repulse’s forward turret glared at the nearest enemy ship.

Flashing four 15-inch guns. 196 kg of explosives per gun are detonated and thick armor-piercing bullets are fired. Time to cover the distance of 10,000, only 15 seconds.

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Perhaps this shot is the last chance to disable the enemy ship.

The damaged hull, the engine room, and the hull tilting due to flooding seemed to be difficult to sustain any longer. It was already a miracle to have endured this far.

Because of this, he was in agony.

Are my judgments correct?

The admiral raised no objection. I entrusted everything to myself.

Shallowly, that fact bothered Tobey even more.

Will I be able to not disappoint the Admiral’s expectations?

… Time is limited. The laws of the world did not allow him to be isolated in eternal agony.

Fifteen seconds later, Repulse’s 13th salvo hit the Constellation.

A white column of water rises around the warship… .

“The thirteenth, hit!”

Torbay could see several explosions flashing on the deck of the enemy ship.

* * *

same time,

U.S. Navy battlecruiser Constalation.

The explosion shook the warship.

The captain, who had been bumping into and out of the bridge, groaned as he grabbed his fractured arm. Fires were raging on all sides.

“Report the damage!”

“Silence of main turret number one! The No. 2 main turret is completely destroyed!”

The captain couldn’t believe the reports coming in. In just one pinpoint shot, half of the ship’s combat power was neutralized.

“First shot, hit shot… That’s a fatal blow!”

No matter how reversal the warship was, I couldn’t believe it.

To achieve this kind of achievement even after being beaten up like this? Are there really limits to that ship?

Need support. A ranger equipped with a new type of ammunition would be able to provide an answer.

“Ranger? What happened to Ranger?”

But the captain, who turned his head, barely suppressed his groan. The ranger’s deck, which had been hit by concentrated fire, was almost reminiscent of a scrap metal castle.

All four main turrets are scorched by fire, and the aft birdcage mast is tilted hideously.

The ship’s hull, covered in puncture marks, had become gloomy, like the surface of the moon. The fighter still fluttered on the foremast, but nobody thought she could fire.

“Is Kimmel all right?”

“There seems to be no damage to the bridge. But the battle looks like it will be tough.”

Admiral Ian nodded after asking in a calm voice even in the midst of this.

“That’s it.”

He seemed completely out of touch with winning or losing the battle. However, this time, the captain, who was about to give up his temper, kept his mouth shut at the admiral’s order that came soon after.

“I don’t handle orders from the flagship. Captain, didn’t you say that the rear main gun is still alive?”

The captain nodded.

The two turrets with gun barrels erected like telephone poles are still intact.

Admiral Ian raised the corner of his mouth in satisfaction, uncharacteristically.

“End Repulse.”

The four main guns turned with a heavy electric roar.

There is only one goal. A battlecruiser with countless flames rising behind the triangular field.

And the loading was complete. It was when the gunnery commander shouted to open fire.

“Enemy, enemy flag! Continuously approaching with this ship! nosedive!”

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Piercing through the clouds, six biplane wings approached.

* * *

Osprey squadrons belonging to the Furious were used as reconnaissance and makeshift fighters, but they could also carry 500-pound bombs under their wings.

The air carrier Furious, armed only with fighters, was also the only anti-ship force that could be mobilized.

And now, six Ospreys armed with bombs descended all at once toward the burning enemy ship in a fierce firefight.

“Turn the key! Uro 25!”

Constalation’s anti-aircraft weapons were all neutralized by intense artillery fire. Because of this, the only resistance that a huge body weighing more than 40,000 tons could do was wriggling its slow body.

However, the squadron, which descended unrestrained, fired its bombs with astonishing accuracy. Three of the six shots landed right on the deck.

One shot landed on the base of the bridge and detonated it. Fragments were scattered in all directions, some of which damaged the bridge sighting clothing. The first shot hit the rear command post and blew the structure without a trace. The other one hit between the 3rd and 4th main turrets at the rear. The rangefinders of both main turrets were damaged.

As a result, the dying giant’s final volley sent a column of water 400 meters away from Repulse’s bow.

Twenty seconds later, all three Royal Navy battlecruisers opened fire almost simultaneously. The target was Constalation, whose main gun was still alive.

Two turrets were crushed by the heavy bullets and exploded, with pillars of fire scattering shrapnel in all directions. The pierced hull screamed with a metallic sound, and the iron frame groaned violently.

After one storm passed, the Constellation could no longer be called a warship.

“Admiral, no more… .”

With blood dripping from his head, the captain barely stood up. In front of his eyes, Admiral Ian, who had collapsed on the floor, was staring blankly up at the sky. The captain was worried about him.

“Admiral, are you okay?”

“… intervened.”

However, the words that came out of the admiral’s mouth were of a kind that he could not understand.

“yes?”

“Heaven intervened. I mean the battle of the sea.”

As expected, the captain could not follow the admiral’s words. Only the chief of staff, who sat quietly beside him, seemed to understand what the admiral was saying.

Maybe I have no idea, I don’t know.

“It’s a fight with a fixed outcome, but the airstrike changed that. Air power intervened in the battle of capital ships. And it changed the results.”

Whether anyone listened or not, Admiral Ian expressed his sentiments to himself. As if mocking the defeated, a squadron of biplanes roamed the sky. Anti-aircraft fire was not visible.

“Times have really changed now.”

“Admiral… .”

“Lower the fighter, Captain.”

Admiral Ian Ashford, with a smile on his lips, looked down at the captain.

“Prepare to retire.”

2:30 p.m. The admiral officially declared an end to the battle.

Royal Navy 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron, Repulse Medium Wave, Hood Medium Wave, Reunion Sofa.

The 1st Battlecruiser Squadron of the US Atlantic Fleet was annihilated.

The mighty battlecruiser squadrons that once crisscrossed both oceans were doomed in the afternoon fire.