I Became a Captain of the British Empire

North Atlantic Fleet Battle (4)

The sound of gunfire that shook the earth, no, the surface of the water, vibrated like thunder across the sea. The orange flash that covered the deck turned to gray smoke and flew across the sky. The lightning-like shells turned into tall columns of water that soaked the Montana’s deck. The main gun fired non-stop.

“Enemy ship! Fire on deck!”

The good news of the watchdog was delivered to the bridge through Jeon Seong-gwan, but Admiral Daniel, the commander of the 6th Battleship Squadron, couldn’t help but laugh. He felt only anxiety and shame.

‘To borrow the help of something like the Air Corps… It’s the shame of the United States battleship squadron!’

I thought that it was unavoidable because of the distance that the narrow gap was achieved only after four volleys. It could be said that it was rather remarkable that he had achieved this level of distance while rapidly closing the distance.

However, the fact that they borrowed the air force’s hand was a different story.

“What happened to the enemy raid?”

“Yes, Saratoga Air Corps shot down 6 planes, Lexington Air Corps shot down 4 planes. The rest also abandoned their bombs and torpedoes and fled. No fleet damage.”

“Our Air Corps did a great job.”

Admiral Taylor said with a hearty smile. Looking at it, Daniel’s face was crumpled beyond words.

“It seems that the main role in this battle was played by aircraft carriers.”

Standing by the window with his hands behind his back, Admiral Taylor hinted. In his blue eyes, the Royal Navy battleships lined up on the horizon were burning side by side.

After an air attack had left half of the ships behind, gunfire was inevitable for the Royal Navy. Of the British battleships, only Nelson, Rodney, Barham, and Royal Oak maintained their speed, but the U.S. Navy managed all eight ships to fully speed.

It was a two-on-one battle from the start.

However, the fighting spirit of the Royal Navy did not give in at all even in inferiority. No, rather it burned. The four battleships bravely fired from their main guns while fighting twice as many enemies, and the follow-up battleships were willing to speed up and follow the main force despite the danger of flooding.

The first shot fired from 21,000m was fired by both forces, but the Royal Navy recorded a narrow gap with 2-3 shots. On the other hand, the US Navy only started to narrow the gap after at least the 4th round.

Apart from the bullet dispersion of the triple-barreled guns, it is difficult to observe as the shells land at the same time. In this way, I can hardly fire a hit.

At the direction of each squadron commander, the timing of the bombardment was urgently adjusted to prevent simultaneous shelling, and observation became easier.

New Mexico was hit by 11 15-inch guns while exchanging seven salvos. The salvo fired by Baham from 10,000 meters away at the last moment pierced the armor of the engine room and shattered the boiler, which was the fatal blow. Also, it was a bonus that the turret barbet was damaged.

Mississippi was hit by Royal Oak shells. There were only five hits, but the shells that hit the important sections of the superstructure took the lives of the captain, gunnery field, and aft survey post, driving the ship out of combat.

New York did not come under fire from either Baham or Royal Oak, but as she approached to increase her power, she entered the maximum range of Malaya and Ramillies at the rear of the British battleship line. The battleship, which had received several hits from a total of 16 15-inch guns on both ships, withdrew from the battlefield leaning to port and drawing smoke from the fire.

In return, the two warships were hit by dozens of hits, tipped over and sunk in an instant. The cost was not light.

“New Mexico, flags from Mississippi! They are demanding a break from the battle lines!”

“Approve. If we leave it as it is, it will only slow down the squadron.”

Taylor lightly raised his hand and gave the order. Watching the admiral say that he doesn’t care about a few battleships, Daniel’s stomach burns.

Aircraft determine the outcome of naval battles. There can be no worse nightmare for a megalomaniac. In other words, another variable was born in the sea dominated by the main guns of battleships. The position of the venerable battleship admirals is sure to be shaken.

Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling of embarrassment. He couldn’t bear to curse openly in front of his subordinates, so he extinguished the heat in his heart.

“Enemy Nelson class! Respond! About 30 seconds until impact!”

“Do you still have the strength to fight back? If you get hit this way too, it’s dangerous!”

Even more upsetting is the fact that his squadron’s opponents, the two Nelson-class ships, are still engaged in an artillery battle while maintaining combat capability.

In particular, I do not know what kind of captain the Nelson class at the rear was, but it was a perfect combination, minimizing the number of bullets and striking a counterattack. Thanks to this, North Carolina was burning with multiple piercing wounds in the upper part.

But it wasn’t the time to worry about others. Even now, while Daniel was thinking, Nelson’s main shells were flying through the sky and approaching Montana. He looked up at the bridge ceiling with anxious eyes. Some of Montana’s armor was already limited by sustained hits.

In the field of fighting at close range, if you are in this state, it is a fatal hit immediately. Even South Dakota-class heavy armor cannot guarantee defense against a 900kg shell flying within 13km.

After thinking for a moment, Daniel turned his head and looked at Admiral Taylor.

“Admiral, going to the command tower… .”

“No, I will be here.”

“But Admiral!”

“Will there be proper command in a cramped command tower? Command must stand here to prevent confusion.”

Taylor said firmly. Then, he grinned and continued.

“Don’t worry, Commander. Whether it fits or not, it’s luck anyway. If God takes care of me, won’t he help me to avoid being hit by shells?”

Daniel’s eyes seemed to darken. Before he could say anything, a huge landing sound engulfed Montana’s bridge.

“Red bullets hit!”

“Report the damage!”

“It’s close! No hits!”

Each of the staff members sighed. Taylor looked back at them with a mischievous face, then turned her head to the window and swallowed dryly.

“I see that God really cares for me.”

It was a terrifying moment.

The shell landed right in front of the bridge, causing a huge water column.

For a very short time, he also saw a kaleidoscope-like sight. In the meantime, I pretended to be at ease, holding out my binoculars and peering outside under the gunfire.

“Squadron commander, what is your current distance?”

“It’s 12,000m now!”

“I can’t back down now.”

The admiral said calmly and looked in the direction of the stern. Several ships were pouring out fire. It was a scene of thunder raging under a dry sky.

“Enemy South Dakota-class lead ship, narrow cross!”

“Keep shooting! don’t stop! Don’t give them a chance!”

Numerous reports were coming and going in Nelson, which was covered in smoke from a deck fire. The hull, which had been hit by dozens of bullets in the last 30 minutes of shelling, had holes like the surface of the moon, and flames soared everywhere. Hits in the engine room reduced her speed to 12 knots, and the turret continued to fire intermittently.

“Starboard Compartment 13 closed! Reverse flooding!”

“The middeck fire has been extinguished!”

“Turret No. 3! Why is it so slow to reload!”

At the place where screams and shouts intersect, Admiral Hozzers looked at the battlefield with a firm expression.

Unlike the 14-inch gun battleships, the South Dakota-class squadron showed a terrifying accuracy rate as if to prove its honor as the strongest battleship.

It is to force damage with hit bullets after the 4th bullet is narrowed.

This side also caused damage to the opponent, but in terms of the power of each shot and the number of guns, the US Navy had the upper hand.

As evidence of that, 12 armor-piercing projectiles weighing more than 1 ton per shot hit Nelson’s hull, which had lost speed. One shot through the No. 3 turret barbette shattered the catapult and disabled the turret. One shot that hit the boiler was fortunately an unexploded round, but the one at the rear was not.

The key was completely blown away.

“The engine room was hit! Boiler room fire!”

“Tall… Key doesn’t listen! Steering impossible!”

“Hurry up the maintenance team! Don’t give up!”

Nelson also poured out a storm of Japanese imperialism, as if he would not be left alone. The 6-munition Japanese firing at the enemy ship at a distance of 12,000m recorded as many as three direct hits. One hit directly into Montana’s No. 1 turret, crushing one of her gun barrels, and the other penetrated her side armor and detonated in the engine room. The other shot went right through the unarmored compartment at the rear.

It was a fight in which mutual damage accumulated, but if this side got stuck, it would only end up being attacked by more enemy ships.

“If it stays like this… .”

Hodges clenched his fists.

don’t give up However, he is a person who has to make cool judgments. The defeat of the Royal Navy is already a foregone conclusion. If so, you should finish the battle with minimal damage.

“Where is our battlecruiser squadron now?”

“Concluding the telegram saying that it is near 40 miles, there is no news.”

“I hope you don’t come this way.”

Hodges said calmly. By the time they arrive, there will be no British ships left in the waters. In the distance, the lead ship of the South Dakota class opened fire again. A shallow shock shook the floor. Hodges grabbed the railing and continued.

“Captain! How long can this ship last?”

“At least two South Dakota-class ships can carry them all the way.”

The admiral raised an eyebrow.

“That’s enough.”

His eyes were burning as he spoke in a calm voice. Even in adverse circumstances, the Royal Navy’s fighting spirit does not die. No, rather, it moves like a phoenix. If you are challenged to a duel, it is the duty of a gentleman not to back down.

Two Nelson-class ships howled sharply.

100 km from the rear of the battle area.

In calm waters that crossed the horizon twice, the aircraft carrier Lexington was facing its busiest period since its commissioning.

This is because dozens of large squadrons are scrambling to try to be good.

“Exploder! Requesting goodness!”

“Damn that squadron is the last one! Why are the guys with the most fuel left in such a hurry?”

“The reconnaissance squadron landing is complete!”

Apart from the deck where the crew members struggled to death, the ship also had no time to wake up to the requests of countless members of the squadron.

Although it was not the scene of a fierce battle, in a different sense, it was a desperate struggle for survival.

In order to receive the landing of more than 30 air corps, the deck crew refrained from overwork and devoted themselves to the work.

“Captain! Watch starboard! Unidentified squadron approaching at 090! oh… It’s an ally!”

“Are you back?! No, fortunately… .”

The captain held up his binoculars, even hesitating whether to be happy or sad. Excluding the 4 return planes he sees now, dozens of planes were flying in the sky as if they were bees.

“This is why we only send 20! Stupid suspicious bastards… .”

Seeing the captain punching his fist toward the sea where a battle was going on in the distance, the flyer commander Admiral Marshall sighed quietly.

50 launchers per ship were clearly a requirement beyond the carrier’s strike capability. He said that he needed more than 4 aircraft carriers, but in the end, nothing happened as he thought.

The Lexington and Saratoga squadrons launched about 100 units, and Langley was incorporated into the decoy unit. Even if it’s a ship that no cruiser can defeat!

It was also a miracle that they managed to launch nearly 90 aircraft in total. The admiral thought that it would have been difficult to fill the 30th plane if it had not been for the teamwork of the air group, which had repeatedly trained for this day. And even though this large army was poured into air strikes, the loss rate exceeded 30%. It was a damage that could only be described as a catastrophe.

“How long will you survive?”

“So far, 56 gigabytes have been returned. In addition, 12 units crashed and are currently being rescued, and the rest have not been contacted.”

The Admiral gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. The clenched fist trembled like an aspen tree. At least 20 units failed to return from the battlefield.

Most of them fell victim to Pom Pom Po.

Although the aircraft carriers returned alive from the hell, it was not easy to be nice. The aircraft, which consumed fuel through intense maneuvering, had to land on the mothership as soon as possible. Time was gold.

“Ensign James! Crash landing to port!”

“Prepare the lifeboats! We must live!”

Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Planes that ran out of fuel embarked on the sea to die or live, and destroyers rushed around to rescue the pilots.

Brigadier General Marshall bit his lip and thought as he watched the scene, which would not be strange even for a defeated soldier.

I will pay the price for this sacrifice.

“Port side, watch!”

However, his thoughts were buried in the urgent voice and were buried beyond memory for a while.

‘Do you still have allies left?’

Wishful thinking, the admiral turned his head and raised his binoculars. However, not even a single bird was seen flying in the sky. There are only clouds that hang low in an uneasy gray color.

Thanks to this, he turned his attention to the stack smoke rising over the horizon.

“Hamyeong, a large ship with a bearing of 220! Distance 20,000!”

“What the hell is that… ?”

The glowing red flames in his pupils were an unmistakable signal of firing.

“Enemy ship! Two carriers! One cruiser! Distance 21000!”

“Fire at full range and approach! Yanghyun Exclusive! Defense 010!”

“Yanghyun exclusive!”

coo goong-

The 15-inch guns fired and covered the eyes with smoke.

The huge flat-deck ship hurriedly turning its hull beyond the red flames is clearly an aircraft carrier. Many planes roamed around in the sky, probably still working on landing.

“stokehold! Hang the emergency output! Cling to them at the highest possible speed!”

“Three minutes is the limit!”

His voice was tinged with shock, but I couldn’t hear him saying he couldn’t do it. The two chimneys spewed out the graphite, and the player split the waves and went out.

The maximum speed of Lexington-class aircraft carriers is 33 knots. It is 3 knots faster than Rinaun. If he hadn’t evaded scouting by hiding under the clouds, he would have run away before he could reach maximum range.

But they didn’t spot it until they approached at 21km. It was because the sun was setting and the clouds were covering the view. I’m working on a good ship, so I’ve slowed down the speed, so there’s no reason I can’t catch up.

“The gunnery field! I look forward to a narrow bullet with the third shot!”

After speaking through the Jeon Seong-gwan, the answer came out after a while.

“… I will try.”

It’s an angry voice. It must be because of the mood.

Even if it seemed like an unreasonable request, I couldn’t help it.

If we don’t drill a hole in the deck quickly, we don’t know when the plane will fly in. It doesn’t matter if it comes to us, but if there’s even a second air strike against our battleship…

“Operation officer! How is your situation?”

“Currently, they say they are smoking a smoke screen and retreating.”

“How many pears are left?”

“I think I got hit by at least three ships.”

“What a waste.”

It’s a big deal. There are four remaining battleships at best. Almost all of them are also in a situation where they have been hit. Now, the thought of winning in a head-to-head match should be abandoned. The best thing to do is to get at least one ship and leave the battlefield.

“I have to fix it right now.”

That’s why I came to catch that carrier.

However, constant questions plagued my mind.

How the hell did they figure out the course of our main unit?

weird. Although the routes are limited, the timing is strangely right. Clearly there is something. Whether spying or tailing…

“Correspondent! Is there any other communication around you?”

“Not around here.”

Fortunately, I don’t think I fell into a trap. There are also two aircraft carriers in front of you. I’m sure there aren’t any more hidden troops.

“Check the impact! One hit on the enemy Lexington-class aft ship!”

As I looked through my binoculars, I could see smoke rising from the carrier’s deck. Behind the aircraft carrier, which shook its hull among the water columns, a fleet of destroyers covered its eyes with a smoke screen.

“Enemy destroyers, smoke screen!”

“Enemy aircraft carrier, speed over 30 knots! Deploying to the north-northeast! Captain! If you go there… .”

“I know.”

It’s like they’re trying to run away to their warships. As long as the other side runs away at maximum speed, the pursuit is difficult. This one is 3 knots slower.

God damn it, it’s only one foot. too few One cannonball can be tinkered with as an emergency repair! I need to make at least one of them incapacitated…

“Cut the key. 15. Go left.”

“15 to the left!”

can’t do Should we be content with delaying the launch of the enemy air force? Still, it took me this long…

“Observe impact!”

“Huh?”

It was a moment of giving up and turning around.

“Look starboard!”

“what’s the matter?”

No answer was needed. It was a sight that I could clearly see with my own eyes.

A huge explosion was rising high into the sky.

The cause of the explosion on Lexington’s bridge was more clearly visible. Fierce fire erupted from the deck of the aft ship Saratoga.

Two of Repulse’s last 15-inch salvos fired were direct hits, which crushed the T4M torpedo bomber, which had just landed on its aft end and was left unattended, igniting its jet fuel. Huge flames erupted and shells detonated, leaving Saratoga’s deck completely covered in shrapnel and flames.

“Saratoga, flight deck destroyed!”

Admiral Marshall calmly gave orders to the watchman’s report.

“Is the engine room intact?”

“The speed doesn’t seem to change!”

It was fortunate in misfortune. If the engine room had been damaged, it would have fallen behind and caught up with the battlecruisers. For now, at least the ship needs to be brought alive.

“Saratoga Air Corps accepts this side.”

“But Admiral, then the second air strike… .”

“I don’t have the energy anymore anyway.”

Summarizing the captain’s suggestion in one word, he let out a complicated sigh and leaned against the railing.

“Enemy ship, retreat.”

He let out a sigh of relief at the report of the tired voice. Even if it was a little late, it would have allowed full penetration. It was a terrifying moment before my eyes.

“It’s like stupid battleships, so the errands end here.”

Looking at the deck of the Saratoga spitting out smoke like a volcano, he quietly muttered his true intentions.

Nelson’s bridge, the place where the staff had gathered and conducted operations until now, has now turned into an abandoned building with bullet marks and blood. As acrid smoke obscured his eyes, Admiral Hozzers stood up and coughed.

“Is everyone all right!”

In the blurry gaze, no one responded to the answer. Admiral Charles, the commander of the squadron, was nowhere to be seen. Hozzers went to the place where the communications officer was with a confused face.

Half of the bridge hit by the 16-inch main shells had already been blown away. The remaining parts were also losing their function one by one as the fire spread. The three main turrets were now firing their respective ready-made guns one by one, while the secondary guns at the rear were bent and burning like candy.

The admiral took the receiver from the now dead communications officer’s hand.

“… Can anyone hear me?”

It was luck. A voice was immediately heard.

“Admiral? It’s a cheating experience! Are you all right?”

Is Rodney all right? Good thing. Hozzers continued with a bitter smile.

“Cunningham! Now you lead the fleet!”

“yes? what is that… .”

“It is an order! Somehow, lead the rest of the fleet back to the home country!”

After a moment of raucous voices, Cunningham hurriedly continued.

“But Admiral… !”

It was there. When the sensitivity became unstable, the admiral put down the receiver and turned around.

“Young man is still dying.”

He then approached the front of the Jeonseonggwan and said.

“Binnie, I feel sorry for you.”

No answer was heard. Did the upper bridge also get hit? It was a car that I was half resigned to.

“… There are still shells left in turret two.”

A powerful voice was heard. Hodges’ eyes widened. I hurriedly looked out the window and saw the No. 2 gun with a gun barrel.

“Let’s fire one last salute.”

Hozzers looked up at Nelson’s unsinkable deck through the broken window.

“I don’t know if Lewis will be all right.”

The sky covered the sea with shadows. However, I could see a ray of sunlight shining through the clouds. He smiled bitterly.

“I wanted to talk to him a little more.”

Shortly thereafter, a storm swept across the bridge.

“Check the impact! Enemy ship’s bridge is on fire!”

Cheers echoed across Montana’s bridge. Everyone who saw the pride of the Royal Navy sinking felt the same way.

everything is perfect If you can withstand this hit, it will be a perfect victory.

Ironically, the moment I thought that, three shells were flying right into Montana’s hull.

“Red bullets hit!”

The impact of those three shells was by no means insignificant. The 770m/s armor-piercing projectiles that traveled a distance of 10,000 meters drew a straight line and traveled a distance of 10,000 meters, penetrating the battleship Montana’s No. 2 main turret barbet, the base of the bridge, and the engine room, respectively, and detonated at the same time. It disabled turret number two, knocked out two steam turbines, and dumped massive debris on the bridge.

“Damn it!”

Shaking off the broken window pieces, Admiral Taylor let out an uncharacteristic curse.

“Report the situation!”

All around was thick with smoke. Fortunately, a catastrophe in which the entire bridge crew was annihilated was avoided, thanks to a shell exploding on the floor immediately below.

“Admiral, are you okay?”

The squadron commander grabbed one side of the boat and grabbed him by the shoulder. Taylor nodded.

“I am fine. Are you okay?”

“It’s just a scratch.”

Both of them had no major injuries. What came out of the window was what separated the two from the center of the explosion. But the rest of us weren’t so lucky. Injured soldiers were appearing one after another.

“I’ll have to put an end to that damn ship quickly.”

However, there was no need for Admiral Taylor to rush. All American battleships remaining in line from North Carolina to Idaho and Texas concentrated their fire. The target, of course, was Nelson.

A column of water wrapped around the long whale-like body, and then a large flash of light flashed. After the explosion subsided, Nelson’s body was not there. Only the two pieces of the hull tilted and sank.

“Are you finally dead?”

After pouring over 300 shots, Geary sank Britain’s strongest battleship. But the damage was too great to be happy about.

There are only 3 battleships capable of combat maneuvers. Montana and North Carolina are difficult to pursue due to damage to superstructures. There are too many enemy ships left to send just Idaho, Texas, and Arkansas. Conversely, there is a possibility of being defeated individually.

The communications officer who organized the wreckage belatedly handed over the fleet report while roughly stopping the bleeding with a bandage.

“Admiral! Aviation Squadron to save!”

“New York calls for towing!”

“The enemy fleet is fleeing. Give the chase order!”

Admiral Taylor slowly sorted things out. With a calm mind, he went back to his original plan one by one.

good night. Nothing much has gone wrong yet.

the admiral asked the air chief.

“Is the 2nd air raid yet?”

“Impossible. Aircraft carriers are currently limited to accommodating the remaining aircraft.”

The admiral corrected his judgment.

It seems that one thing is missing.

“What are you talking about?”

“In a recent raid on an aircraft carrier, Saratoga’s flight deck was devastated.

“Don’t be stupid, chief! So, are we going to let the remaining ships escape?”

The officer on the bridge looked back at him in surprise at the uncharacteristic shout.

“Admiral! Calm down! The wound opens!”

“Wounds don’t matter! This… !”

“I can’t help it! Once the admiral lives, won’t we proceed with the operation?”

“Air Corps… If there is no air force, who will pursue those battleships!”

He shouted as if vomiting blood and pointed to the horizon. But nobody could say anything. The aircraft carrier was too far away to see them.

“Shall we send a message right now?”

“… nope Marshall is not a great man to hear that.”

The admiral took a deep breath and shook his head, then covered his face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t you all know what a great opportunity we just blew?”

no one could answer It was a question I didn’t want.

Outside, the smoke screens of the destroyer fleet and the artillery fire of the flotilla were decorating the battlefield. But no more battleships were seen behind them. All the capital ships that survived had disappeared behind a screen of smoke and over the horizon.

A whopping 4 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier were fleeing like that. The Admiral couldn’t stand it any longer.

“It was a chance to end the war, you idiots!”

He gazed at the horizon with a blank face. Smoke from the burning heavy oil was rising. Only shadows were visible in the overcast sky.

The war had just begun.