I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Royal Navy Battlecruiser Squadron (2)

English Channel.

Spithead Marina, near Portsmouth.

Any mighty warship must be nervous in front of this anchorage. In this place where steel forests wriggle against each other.

Like a life with a will, the fleet was advancing resolutely.

“Major. I don’t know how long it has been since so many warships gathered.”

On the bridge of the flagship ‘Hood’ undergoing fleet review, ‘Franz von Hipper’, a veteran of the German High Seas Fleet who participated in the ship review, let out an honest exclamation.

The legend who led the battlecruisers in Jutland seemed to like the iron curtain unfolding in front of them.

“okay. It’s been a long time since that war.”

Experienced eyes looked at the admiral and calmly accepted his words.

It was Beatty, Baron of the North Sea.

While quietly watching the parade, Beatty’s adjutant raised his hand and began to explain.

“The three battleships in the lead column over there are King George V-class battleships of the Strait Fleet. and… .”

“King George V, Centurion and Ajax, respectively. Armament is ten 13.5-inch caliber guns.”

It was Beatty who waved his hand and covered the adjutant’s mouth. Indeed, it was a fleet he hadn’t seen in a long time, but he continued his explanation skillfully without delay.

Like his limbs, he seems to know the fleet inside and out.

“The three battleships facing each other in the right row are of the Iron Duke class. Marlboro, Emperor of India and Benbow respectively. The armament is the same.”

“Six Super Dreadnought Battleships of the Great War! Is the huge ship following me also a battleship?”

While listening to the explanation, Hipper’s eyes were on the huge body behind the six super dreadnoughts.

Large cannons mounted on 2 front turrets, each with 3 guns. A box bridge similar to Nelson’s and a thick and long stern like a whale’s.

Even the ‘Mighty Hood’ they rode couldn’t boast of its size compared to that giant. Looking at the enemy of the past war shining with envy, Beatty grinned.

“No, it’s our new battlecruiser.”

“That big one is a battlecruiser?”

Invincible class.

It’s a new ship that I’ve heard rumors about.

It was the first time even the hipper had seen the real thing.

“That’s a battlecruiser! Are you planning to bring a monster like that to the next battlefield in Jutland? It seems that you were very firm about the destruction of the flagship!”

“no way! That’s the flagship. For now, the battlecruiser squadron operates.”

“under! I’ll have to listen to Jellicoe on this.”

“Admiral Jellico was sick and couldn’t come. If you really want to see it, I will arrange a meeting.”

Hearing a familiar name for the first time in a long time, Hipper finally smiled and shook his head.

“No specifications. My body is not the same as before.”

Beatty felt the same way. Because of this, they chose to recall memories quietly with their hands behind their backs.

“If it was like that time, I would have crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Mackensen myself.”

“Hasn’t it already been 10 years? Now is the time to trust and entrust it to the juniors.”

“You mean the disciple of yours who rode over there?”

Following Hipper’s eyes as he nodded, Beatty turned his head.

A triangular ship following the Invincible-class battlecruisers immediately caught my eye.

A battlecruiser with a mast adorned with dazzling signals.

The second ship of the Rinaun-class, ‘Repulse’. One of Admiral Fisher’s last legacies.

In fact, rather than focusing on the warship, I was paying attention to the person on the bridge.

Samuel D. Lewis.

“I’ve never met him as a student. I couldn’t get a chance to meet you because I was so busy.”

“Are you a naval legend?”

Hipper blinked in surprise. What kind of tycoon is he unable to seize the opportunity to meet even the senior admiral?

“Because I don’t want to hold on to busy people. It seems to be doing well even without me. I just need help from behind.”

Furthermore, it was even more reluctant to place the burden of a superior on a prospect who would succeed his position.

“What if you… . In any case, if you have gathered this much power, you can be at ease. How much power is deployed in Canada?”

“Four Queen Elizabeth-class ships, three R-class ships, and eight battleships including Rodney.”

“If you add the ones here, that’s 14 ships in total.”

“There are a total of 6 battlecruisers: 3 Invincible-class, Hood, Renown, and Repulse. If you combine the five carriers that will be put into regular fleet battles, you get 25 capital ships.”

It’s just a similar reproduction of the feat during the Great War.

Bitty pursed his lips as he remembered the glorious days he missed. It was a brilliant era.

“So, the preparations for the Great Sea Fleet?”

“The force to participate in the war is 3 battleships, 2 battlecruisers and 1 carrier, all will move as soon as preparations for sortie are completed. Austria will send two battleships.”

A total of 19 battleships. 8 battlecruisers. 6 carriers.

Has such a great fleet ever gathered together?

No, not until now. Beatty had never seen such a large fleet coalition in his naval career.

At least, Jutland’s great battle would be comparable to the allied forces in terms of scale.

“You have to finish it all at once, Hipper. I can’t repeat it over and over again. You must be familiar with it, right?”

“Everyone knows. That’s why we came here.”

Hipper answered with a grin.

Seeing him like that, Beatty nodded resolutely.

“Let’s trust and leave it to our juniors so they can run rampant.”

The triangular battlecruiser flickered in the eyes of the two admirals.

* * *

At the same time, the battlecruiser Repulse’s bridge.

Repulse, who had been on a peacetime mission for the first time in a long time as a member of the Fleet Inspector Corps, was in a hectic state unlike his background.

“Let’s get the heat right. Have you guys done this once or twice?”

“This is the first ship review, but… .”

Tobay breaks out in a cold sweat while checking the outside from time to time. If there is even the slightest loss of heat, all kinds of dignitaries will beep in front of them. Now is the time to prove the honed shipbuilding technique.

In fact, it wasn’t even an official ship review, it was more like a battle readiness check. However, because so many ships are concentrated, tension cannot be relaxed.

Because of this, the flagship is placed in the center to control the fleet. Fortunately, the area I was assigned to is passing without major problems.

“The 6th Destroyer Flotilla, it is difficult to control the direction due to the current.”

“Please calm down and follow our instructions. Don’t keep trying to solve it alone. What does the flagship think the orders are, everyone?”

… Wherever you go, trouble will always happen.

In any case, in a bad sense, compared to the thrilling battlefield, this place is like heaven. Of course, it’s just a momentary break.

“excuse me… Admiral?”

“huh?”

Just when I was trying to calm myself down, my adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Rich, quietly approached me.

“Your complexion is not very good these days. What are you doing?”

The adjutant frowned anxiously.

Was it that tea? But it’s too early to reveal now.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I want to think that it is just kimchi soup now.

Looking at the ships filling the horizon, I remembered the solitude with the 1st Naval Police Department.

* * *

Admiral Field’s private office.

I was honored to be treated to a cup of black tea, and I faced him with my head erect.

“According to intelligence reports, something smells from the White House.”

Handing over a cup of hot steam, the admiral sat comfortably and leaned in.

“For now, we’re in contact with your allies. Didn’t you hear from K?”

“I haven’t even seen your face lately.”

It’s all about running into suspicious people a few times while passing by in Japan. I don’t remember collecting it, so it probably stayed there. Did you go to America?

As if my answer was surprising, the admiral opened his eyes wide after sipping his cup of tea.

“The children of the Ministry of Information, it is frustrating because they are not cooperating with each other. No matter how busy you are.”

a grim face.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Putting aside the muttering admiral frowning, I tilted my head.

“But what does that have to do with me?”

“Because you have to go to America as a representative when the war is over.”

Silence hung over the table like a wind.

widely-

It wasn’t until I heard the glass being set down that I came to my senses.

“… I beg your pardon?”

The admiral spoke calmly.

“Even before this happened, you were the one who told us to know the potential of the United States and prepare for it. So, who should I trust the most?”

If you look at it, you’re right. But I want to remain as a naval general, I don’t want to be some kind of Caesar… .

“So you have a right to know what’s going on on that continent.”

Unfortunately, my doctor doesn’t seem to care.

Admiral Fields, who had been talking casually, quietly stood up and approached the desk in the office.

After that, he handed over a piece of paper lying on it.

“The statement that Hoover is dead is probably something MacArthur did on his own.”

A piece of paper with a confidential document stamp.

It is composed of short sentences. Enough that even I, who pride myself on being blind to reports, can easily understand.

“MacArthur… A coup?”

“It looks like the president tried to shoot him. Whatever the truth, it’s not a situation that can last long.”

I don’t understand.

Is it MacArthur? why? He has already stepped on the super elite course and is guaranteed to win in the future. What the hell happened in the middle that led to such an extreme result?

… No, I don’t have time to worry about that.

The admiral spoke nonstop, as if hoping for my understanding.

“Hey, have you ever heard of Huey?”

“You mean Huey Long?”

Nod.

The admiral held his breath tiredly and looked down.

“He’s gathering people from the South. It seems to be called ‘Phoenix Long’ locally. They say they are rallying the House of Representatives and even the protesters.”

It’s sh*t, very.

I think I’ve seen this somewhere… Is it because of the mood?

“It is said that MacArthur is buying time thanks to the emergency martial law, but it won’t last long. It means that if we challenge it to a decisive battle, we will gladly respond.”

Admiral Fields slowly bends his neck from side to side.

The burden on my shoulder called the 1st Navy Police creaked and resounded.

At any rate, I knew the situation. The reason why Geari is holding a naval review in this narrow English Channel.

“So that’s why you gathered this great fleet.”

“It is a mission that must never fail. But there is no ‘never’ on the battlefield.”

Admiral Field cleared his throat and drank black tea.

The cough sounds increasingly harsh. It seems that the old admiral is overdoing it as the war is getting longer. like everyone

“… Variables can pop up anytime, anywhere and ruin things. As a reserve in preparation for the worst, you have to work hard.”

With a deep sigh, he met my eyes.

“The Battlecruiser Squadron, consisting of three Invincible-class ships, will engage in an all-out war against the enemy’s flagship battleships. No capital ships other than the Invincible class can take on South Dakota.”

Having commanded Indipatigable, I couldn’t deny that statement.

In the first place, something close to a high-speed battleship. It is a more important mission to match the sum of the battleship squadron.

“Then are we really responsible for the battlecruisers?”

“okay. Perhaps a Constallation-class will be your opponent. can you do it?”

And it was the admiral who finally got to the point.

Of course, that is an unreasonable demand. The opponent is a 16-inch gun battlecruiser.

On the other hand, the forces I will command are two Leenaun-class ships and one Hood. There is no part that is ahead of firepower, defense, or speed.

but… .

“I don’t think it’s a matter of being able to do it or not.”

The answer has already been decided.

“I have to.”

The admiral raised the corners of his mouth wide in a satisfied smile.

“good. The expected departure date is the end of next month. As soon as preparations are complete, the operation will commence. Get some rest until then.”

With the corner of his mouth raised, the 1st Navy Police quietly sentenced.