I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Chapter 42

March to the Sea (4)

“All members, deploy for battle!”

I immediately approached the bridge window. Outside the observation deck, a point of light rising overhead lit up the sea. Soon after, a gunfire was heard.

“Bearing 030! Observe enemy artillery fire!”

“Prepare for shock!”

pop-

A column of water rises around it. In terms of size, it is a small caliber of 5 inches. Not a battleship. Perhaps a destroyer or a torpedo boat. That means a torpedo is coming soon.

“Report the situation!”

“Fire flares from bearing 030!”

“Enemy ships observed?”

“Enemy artillery fire, observed from the same direction! Distance about 8,000!”

I rolled my head at the report coming in like a rapid-fire gun.

OK, there is only one answer.

“Spread!”

“Are you crazy?!”

Ai, I’m surprised.

A roar that exploded like a cannon blast hit my ears. The officer shook his head and shouted as if his eyes were about to pop out.

“What are you spreading! Everyone gets caught and there’s nowhere to run!”

“Then go out to sea!”

“It’s a mine!”

“is it?”

Come to think of it, yes.

When I tilted my head, the officer was looking at me with a boiling face. You have to put out the fire first.

“Dodge the torpedoes! Medium shear rate! To course 020!”

“How do I break through the strait if I slow down?”

“The priority is to block the bullets! Carry out a zig-zag maneuver!”

“But on the left you can’t avoid it! If you get any closer than this, you will be stranded!”

The captain shouted in an urgent voice.

“trust me!”

A face stained with despair.

I picked the wrong words.

“Trust the charts!”

“All right.”

The floor tilts. The bridge of Repulse shakes.

I grabbed the railing and screamed.

“Prepare the flares!”

“Entry into battle on the destroyer Acates! I’m going to shoot flares!”

“Okay, then leave the flares there. Secondary battery, prepare for engagement!”

Repulse’s secondary battery flashed as if it had been waiting for it.

Soon after, a flashing shell flew in a parabolic arc from the bow side of the sea. Then a flash of light lit up the sky. A yellow beam swept across the surface of the water, revealing shadows hidden in the veil.

“Enemy torpedo boat 3! Distance 6,000! Continued approach with this ship!”

“Freedom to shear, use weapons and evade maneuvers!”

The gunfire pounded my ears.

A volley of 4.5-inch auxiliary batteries. Beyond the smoke that lights up the black sea, a column of water rises one after another. The boats approach with the overflowing waves.

“Enemy torpedo boats, continuing approach! Distance 4,000!”

“What about the destroyers! Stop it quickly!”

Belatedly, the destroyer’s guns opened fire. However, because he was such a small guy, it was hard to get a hit. I took binoculars and looked at it nervously.

Little guys that look like PT boats. What is the identity? At this time, the US Navy probably didn’t have a decent high speed… . Are you really just going to ship a high-speed boat with torpedoes? In any case, with such an improvised item, he manages to do his best to fight.

“Bupodae, the hit is late! Can’t you catch those slugs too?”

“We are negotiating!”

Looking closely, he twists his body excitedly between the water columns. Then an explosion occurred in the middle of the torpedo boat.

“Enemy torpedo boat hit! Incapacitate by showing flames!”

A series of sparks that burn. The high-speed boats hit by the shells lose speed one by one. One of them fired a torpedo and tried to escape, but was hit in the rear by a rapid-fire gun from the following destroyer and stopped.

Bupomun fires in succession, and an explosion like thunder spread through the waves. As the three torpedo boats were sinking in a cloud of graphite, a white wake came closer.

“Turn the key! Uro 25!”

“Uro 25!”

The deck shook violently. The hesitant sailors clung to the railing. Smoke from the gun stung his nose. Holding onto the railing with one hand, he fixed Jeongmo. The wake was right in front of my eyes.

“Stay tall! Stay on course!”

“If you proceed like this, you will get closer to the enemy!”

“I know! You don’t have to secure space for maneuver!”

He shouted in response to the officer’s tackle.

damn it, trust me

“Looking at the torpedo boats approaching, at least this area isn’t a minefield.”

It may be a happy circuit. But now I have no choice but to believe in such luck. The wake passed back and forth. After a while, an explosion sounded from the port side, as if a torpedo had hit the beach.

“Flare, going off.”

The flares fired by the enemy torpedo boats were about to sink to the surface. Cannon fire is not heard. Are there only torpedo boats?

“Watch starboard! Defense 080! Check enemy fire!”

… It can’t be.

Shining shells flew towards Repulse. Suddenly, a flash broke out.

“Fire flares with 080!”

“Acates, flares!”

A second flare that illuminates the sea surface. Under the spreading colors, a warship with a flat deck and an angled bridge appeared.

“Enemy destroyer spotted! 10,000 streets!”

A real threat looms.

* * *

15 nautical miles north of Havana. U.S. Navy’s 7th Battleship Squadron flagship ‘Florida’ bridge.

Dark bridge with light control.

A sailor came in and reported.

“Admiral, this is a report from the torpedo boat unit. One enemy battlecruiser and one destroyer spotted.”

“The rats are caught in the trap.”

Standing with his hands behind his back in front of the bridge window, Admiral McCree, the squadron commander, raised his eyebrows.

We can finally avenge our enemies off the coast of Halifax.

Clenching his fists, he recalled the battlefield of shame.

Mississippi and Idaho and Texas and Wyoming. A defeat in which all four ships were lost.

The 7th Battleship Squadron was the only one who returned alive and well. Although it is the most backward force in the United States Navy, the firepower of 12 12-inch guns is still strong.

In addition, the crew’s practical experience is also abundant. Since it is a night battle, the engagement distance will be short. If the opponent is a battlecruiser at close range, the 12-inch cannon is a threat enough.

Worth a try!

The admiral once again strengthened his fighting spirit. I couldn’t miss this hard-earned opportunity.

“What is the current status of the construction team?”

“We are engaged. So far, two ships are medium wave. They say they are advancing as far as possible for the torpedo attack.”

“It is a great sacrifice. We cannot delay any longer.”

The admiral twisted his tightly closed lips while brooding over the news officer’s report.

If the Bahamas Coast Guard had been even a little late in spotting the tracks, they would have let their enemies pass through the strait like a blind man.

It was a terrifying moment even now. Puduk, I gnashed my teeth.

“How dare you try to pass in front of me with both eyes open… I will teach you clearly what the cost of scorning us is. Fleet, full speed forward! To bearing 010!”

Above the waves of the night sea, two giant ships advanced in the darkness.

* * *

Under the pitch-black curtain, smoke radiates non-stop.

“Enemy destroyer, fire on deck! Continued Approaching! Distance 6,000!”

“What are you doing at the Bupodae? Stop it quickly!”

“Current reload!”

Looking at the middeck, the spinning triple-turret turret fires again. Mid-bass roar. The smell of gunpowder does not go away.

Before long, a white column of water rose beside the destroyer’s hull.

“The main gun fires!”

“Prepare for artillery fire!”

Kugu Palace –

The bridge roared with a roar. The sailors, unable to cover their ears, shook their heads with wrinkled faces.

I also have a headache.

Beyond the smoke that brushed the bridge, the destroyer was blown apart with an explosion.

“Enemy destroyer sunk!”

“Make sure the torpedoes are coming!”

“doesn’t exist!”

“Entrance in Tiger! Sink an enemy destroyer!”

“Tell me not to be funny! That’s what we caught!”

It’s a little funny to say that it’s a previous record in this situation, but I have to be sure.

In any case, there is only one destroyer left. A few more seem to be hiding in the dark, but they haven’t attacked yet. You should catch those who hold your ankles first and leave.

“Concentrate your firepower! Destroyers what! Fire the flares quickly!”

“Fire! Defense 070!”

Gunfire flashed from the sea a little distance away. The two destroyers, Acasta and Acates, were proceeding at a distance of 5,000 m from Repulse and starboard. Of course, it was meant to be used as a shield for the capital ship.

That’s right, we can’t win. Thanks to that, flares can also fly quite far. The glimmering shells break at the apex and explode the light source.

The sea of darkness lit up as if a light were turned on.

As expected, nothing happened.

The enemy destroyers hurriedly turned their hulls as if they were startled. and… .

“Ooh, starboard watch!”

A huge shadow that narrowly spanned the range of the flare.

“Enemy large ship found at bearing 110! distance… 15,000!”

“A large ship?!”

I put my eyes on the binoculars again and checked. The watchman’s report was not wrong. A thick player cut through the waves and came into the sea illuminated by flares. Jeon Seong-gwan heard the gunner’s urgent voice.

“Chairman! It’s an enemy battleship!”

“I am watching too! Attack right away!”

Soon after, a huge hull emerges from the darkness. The raised bow deck. Two twin main turrets rose above it. The bridge and cage-type mast seen behind.

They are soon buried and covered with red flames.

“Enemy large ships! firing!”

“Prepare for shock!”

After some time had passed, a huge column of water rose and the Repulse’s hull shook violently.

“Report the damage!”

“Red bullets, close bullets!”

“No more than a bulkhead!”

“There are wounded in the port battery!”

Fortunately, there seems to be no hit bullets. The order was followed promptly.

“Transport the wounded and respond quickly! We have to keep our distance!”

“Chairman, if you go to port, you will end up stranded on the coast!”

“This is the one you shouldn’t go in and get damaged! I have to get rid of them before dawn… .”

Before he could finish his words, a huge explosion filled the air. Smoke covering the eyes. My ears continue to hurt. Could it be that the eardrum burst?

I raised my binoculars while the echoes of the 15-inch guns died away. Columns of water rose above the sea illuminated by flares. I didn’t see anything like an explosion.

“It’s a near bullet!”

The distance is too close. 15,000m! It’s no different from close range to a battleship. To make matters worse, they are pushing forward and rushing forward.

“Damn it, one ship can disable it somehow! Tell Tiger to focus fire on enemy battleships!”

Before sending the telegram, a series of gunfire was heard from the rear. Tiger’s salvo illuminated the dark sea. Again, a column of water appeared near the enemy battleship. Unfortunately, I heard an urgent report when I slept again.

“Enemy ship firing!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Cannon fire observed from the rear of the enemy battleship! It’s a battleship class!”

“Two ships?!”

Aww damn!

When I turned my binoculars, the blisters were really shining. The shells must be flying by now.

“Turn the key! Fifteen to the left!”

“15 to the left!”

“Chairman, we are really stranded!”

“First of all, we have to open the streets! If you get damaged here, they will capture you!”

It would be a real melee if we went on like this. The battlecruiser’s defense couldn’t withstand it. Damn, the planes will be coming when it’s bright… .

A boom—a roar passed through the right side. The shell went over the middeck. It’s breathtaking.

It almost swept through the center deck. In the moment of relief, a shell that flew like a bolt of lightning hit Repulse’s starboard side.

“What crazy!”

The floor vibrates violently. A column of water rises in front of your eyes.

A loud noise pounded in my ears.

“Report the damage!”

“Starboard armor belt hit! No penetrating bullets!”

“Slight flooding in starboard bulkhead!”

“Perform repair work!”

“Enemy flares sink!”

When I raised my eyes, the flares that had been scattered like candles slowly faded.

I can catch my breath anyway.

“Are our flares in good health?”

“It will turn off soon.”

“Stop the bombardment and prepare the flares! Hide in the dark for now! Institution Exclusive! Go course 300!”

“Institution exclusive!”

The floor vibrated and Repulse accelerated. The sound of crashing waves could be clearly heard all the way to the bridge. He let out a cold sweat and sighed. The smoke shone from a distance, then it became quiet.

“Enemy ships have stopped firing.”

“They’re going to shoot flares. We have to break away before they shoot.”

As soon as he finishes speaking, flares explode from the rear. A column of water rises near the tiger that follows, perhaps from a shadow. The huge battlecruiser turns and runs away.

“Enemy ship firing! Observation of blisters! Defense 170! Distance about 12,000!”

“Don’t fire back! Hide like this!”

“… All right.”

A disgruntled voice is heard over the Jeonseong Hall. Our mission is not to engage. Escape is now a priority.

It’s dangerous though. It’s dangerous like this! If caught at any time, it’s an immediate scuffle. There is nowhere to run. Something needs to be done… .

He stared at the black sea endlessly and bit his lip. The slapping surface of the water was burning with scars from the battle.

A destroyer split in half, showing only the bow and stern. The wreckage of a torpedo boat burning and rolling over.

Garbage lights up the sea like lanterns. Soon a column of water rises between them.

“Observe enemy smoke! Defense 180! Distance 12,000!”

“They’re firing hastily.”

The officer said with a sigh.

If you really see the light, it seems to shoot.

“Do you not know the number of our fleet?”

“Perhaps.”

It is fortunate that information is limited there as well. Is separating the Furious helpful in this case?

… Anyway, something came to mind.

“Turn course to 140!”