I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Chapter 50

Caribbean Naval Battle (4)

The bridge of the US Navy battlecruiser Constalation.

A siren sounds urgently.

With busy footsteps echoing in the background, Admiral Ian looked at the rising water column.

“The bullet is close.”

“Enemy battlecruisers fire with great precision.”

He nodded at the chief of staff’s reply.

Falling artillery fire with a fairly narrow impact group. Constalation was about to take a shot at the shelling that had just landed.

“Admiral, it’s dangerous here! Moving the place of command to the command tower… .”

It was the captain who spoke with concern.

However, Admiral Ian responded firmly so that the best advice would not be worthwhile.

“There is no command there.”

“But if you stay here and get hit by a grenade… !”

“Well, isn’t that luck?”

The admiral, who spoke calmly, was just frustrated with the captain. Soon, as if he remembered something, the captain grinned and opened his mouth again.

“Admiral Taylor of the 11th Task Fleet also said that he almost got hit while saying that.”

“Is it obvious? Then you are not dead.”

“That means danger always exists!”

It was absurd.

What on earth do you believe in and show such courage… .

While the captain was about to add something more, a report came in.

“An enemy battlecruiser! Continuously approaching with this ship! Defense 230! Distance 15,000!”

“what?!”

The captain hurriedly checked with his binoculars. Indeed, there was one battlecruiser charging forward, firing fire from its forward guns.

“Such madmen… !”

The captain gnashing his teeth and chewing curse words. A column of water rises and the hull vibrates.

Even in the midst of this, Admiral Ian calmly turned his head to the chief of staff.

“This is an interesting move. Are you also a descendant of Nelson?”

“It looks like they’re trying to save the flagship.”

“Well, it would be better if Tiger sacrificed rather than Repulse.”

Then he smiled as if he hadn’t even bothered.

“We’re going to catch them both.”

He looked at the chief of staff again and said.

“If we don’t sink an enemy battlecruiser in this battle, it won’t be worth our damage.”

“I guess so.”

“Give orders to the rangers. I mean stop that battlecruiser somehow. We catch Repulse.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Orders came like the wind. The Ranger, who took full responsibility, poured intense fire on the Tiger as if in response. Soon after, the flames of the hits flashed on the Tiger’s deck.

“Enemy battlecruiser hit! At least two hits!”

“I shot five times before it hit me.”

The admiral crossed his arms and muttered indifferently. It was a recital, but there was no one who did not hear it on the quiet bridge. It was the moment when Captain Constalation, who had been impatient, was about to hasten the gunnery range.

“Red bullets, bullets!”

The impact rocked the hull.

“Damn it! Report the damage!”

“Tiger shooting! Side penetration! Fire in boiler number 4!”

“also? Those motherf*ckers just… !”

“Speed down! Current speed 20 knots!”

The captain closed his eyes tightly. Forced to swallow the exploding branch, he waved his hand and gave the order.

While the damage control team ran frantically, Admiral Ian quietly said to the captain.

“Captain, change the target. Attack enemy battlecruisers.”

“yes? Then repulse… .”

burning eyes.

The answer was enough. The captain carried out the order.

“Chief of Staff, tell the destroyers to hold on to Repulse. Even pretending to shoot torpedoes.”

The chief of staff saluted without saying anything. The admiral took a deep breath and went back to the window. Tiger, reflected in the binoculars, continued to fire even while the hull was burning.

“I can’t be careless. What is the Royal Navy… . Is this the strength of an empire that has ruled the seas for centuries?”

A true descendant of Nelson. It was a time when I felt like paying tribute to the vanguard of the decrepit Empire.

“Ooh, Woohyun! Keep an eye on it!”

The watchman’s cry pointed to the distant sky on the other side.

A voice tinged with astonishment follows.

“Unknown aircraft, continuously approaching this ship! Number 10! Defense 180! 10,000 streets!”

Attackers approaching with the sound of propellers.

Admiral Ian looked at it with impressed eyes.

* * *

Lieutenant Delon of the Furious raid stared at the enemy ship through the furiously spinning propellers.

Two battlecruisers pouring out intense fire. Each one of them was pouring smoke from the bullets, but they were still advancing confidently.

“You have come a long way. Didn’t everyone expect to go back?”

“I threw that away in the evening!”

Hearing Yogi’s answer, the lieutenant raised his lips bitterly. They were about to fly at full speed to the end of the cruising range of 500 km.

The remaining fuel level is already crawling to the bottom.

But that didn’t matter.

If we don’t give hit bullets here, the main unit is in danger.

Only that fact moved all of the 2nd raiders heading for Panama. They turned the nose without hesitation.

“Lieutenant! There is a friendly battlecruiser!”

“Oh, yes. still alive!”

The two boarded the torpedo bomber and looked at the giant floating on the blue sea spewing smoke.

They must have exchanged fire for several hours already.

From the outside, it was in tattered condition.

The lieutenant grieved at this.

“We bury our bones here! Electricity, descent!”

Eight torpedo bombers simultaneously lowered altitude and entered the torpedo course. One squadron broke away from Dellon’s squadron to attack the enemy ships in the rear row.

Distance to enemy ships about 4,000.

Soon, countless gunfire exploded in the sky.

“Lieutenant! The gunfire is high!”

“Don’t worry, hold the trigger!”

The sound of the explosion of a 5-inch anti-aircraft shell enveloped Yogi as he passed on the right. The aircraft with its wings torn in half turned wildly and crashed into the sea.

Leaving behind a column of chilly water, the raiders were beyond gunfire.

“Hold tight! Now comes the anti-aircraft guns!”

Countless tracer baptism. However, there was no aircraft that got scared and ran away. Thanks to this, the aircraft that was in the lead was hit directly by a cannonball and burned.

A gas that disintegrates with fragments flying around.

The lieutenant turned his head.

“Don’t look.”

The two of them looked straight ahead.

Distance 2,000.

The last yogi to follow was hit by a direct hit from a 5-inch shell and exploded. Jumping over the flying debris, they finally got close enough to fill the enemy ship in front of them.

“Torpedo drop!”

“throwing down!”

with a plop-

A single torpedo thrown into the raging water. The aircraft that finally encountered crossfire exploded as it was torn to shreds. The wake flew through the surface of the water alone.

* * *

The bridge of the battlecruiser ‘Repulse’.

“Enemy battlecruiser lead ship. Get out of line! Even the rear end is the same!”

A report of an urgent observation. Everyone glared at the enemy ship, swallowing dry saliva. The hand holding the binoculars is shaking.

“Enemy battlecruiser aft. Check two water columns!”

“Two torpedoes hit!”

The officer raised his voice as if he was happy. But I couldn’t help but laugh.

“stokehold! What is the situation?”

“Half the organ was blown. Current Urgent Repair Certificate!”

I can’t do anything when my feet are tied. The important thing now is not how the opponent is.

“Damn it, so how many notes can I put out now?”

“Maybe 18 knots is the limit.”

be sick! too slow. You can’t beat them with this.

The officer hurriedly continues the conversation.

“Enemy was hit by a torpedo and is leaving. You have to leave at this moment… !”

“Tiger is engaged!”

I said, pointing to the flashing sea. Tiger, wrapped in a column of water, poured out the flames of the Japanese Rifle. The deck was already seemingly in a moribund state.

“Tell me to take it off!”

You have to run away. You can do it now. If the destroyer smokes a smoke screen, maneuvers zigzag to evade, and holds out until the end of the day…

“What are you doing now?”

For a moment, I looked around the bridge with a sense of incongruity.

movement is strange Everyone stares at me. hesitant eyes.

On the other side, the chief lieutenant opened his mouth heavily.

“Chairman, Tiger is fighting to save us.”

Only then did I understand the cold silence.

“Are you saying we’re going to abandon them now and run away?”

thud-

Columns of water from naval gunfire shook the floor.

I stumbled and almost fell. I barely held onto the railing and held on.

The officer blinked his eyes in surprise, and then spoke in a puzzled tone.

“… It’s not about throwing it away. Isn’t it Yoham’s job to save the flagship?”

That’s right.

But I couldn’t understand.

What did you come all the way here for?

“Captain, Repulse is a valuable capital ship. Tiger’s work is unfortunate, but at least we have to return alive… .”

“Stop talking nonsense and tell them to retreat.”

Everyone promised to let them live. It was only a few days ago.

“Enemy fleets are still capable of combat maneuvers. If both ships run away, they will be overtaken and annihilated equally.”

“If you do well, you can come back alive somehow.”

“Damn it, you can’t buy both!”

A voice rang out like a gun blast.

“When are you going to notice? This is the limit! Is there a better way than this?”

The operative who speaks in an intimidating manner.

Silence enveloped the bridge. no one was talking However, the meaning of the tightly closed mouth was clear. The officer who raised his salute bowed his head and continued.

“Chairman, please give me an order.”

I had nothing to say. That made me even more hesitant.

After all, is this the limit?

At that moment, the watchman’s report broke through the silence.

“The signal goes up from Tiger!”

unexpected report.

I quickly took out my binoculars. Soon, the communication officer who interpreted the signal opened his mouth with a dumbfounded face.

“… England expects everyone to do their duty.”

Amidst the flames, colorful signal flags fluttered confidently from the mast.

“Head of the flyer.”

Those were the words of the chief executive officer. When I looked up, everyone focused on me.

“You must go.”

solemn voice.

There was no officer here who did not remember the legendary phrase of Trafalgar.

it’s me too

Maybe that’s why it was difficult to speak out. A scream came out from the bottom of my chin.

As if swallowing the pathetic me.

“… Course 300. Leave the scene at full speed.”

He barely opened his mouth to let out a sigh.

The navigator received the order swiftly and turned the rudder.

The floor tilted quietly.

* * *

Tiger’s bridge.

Smoke from the fire drifts up to the bridge.

While coughing and coughing into acrid air, Captain Bedford looked at Repulse with narrow eyes.

“Yes, I am going. Louis.”

I clenched my fists as I turned the bow and watched Repulse disappear into the smoke of the two destroyers.

“You have to survive. certainly… !”

The captain nodded and then turned his eyes to the enemy.

The rear ship, which broke away while avoiding an air attack, has yet to return to its combat position. The only thing that fires at him is the leading flagship.

Is it a battle? Then there is a chance of winning.

The captain thought so.

“How does it feel to be Admiral Nelson?”

The operation officer, who was choking on fumes, approached the captain and said. The captain grinned.

“Well, you seem more like Lucas than Nelson.”

A short laugh went through the bridge. After a while, they were silent.

“Enemy ship! shelling!”

Battlecruisers bathe the waves in orange flames.

Soon after, a 16-inch main shell hit the hull.

Four armor-piercing bullets pierced his armor without hesitation. The 9-inch broadside armor was never strong enough to stop 16-inch naval shells. The perforated hull sent out flames like screams.

The deck above the auxiliary guns curved like candy.

The surviving firefighters continued their final struggle.

“Respond!”

Captain Bedford, who ran in front of the Jeonseong-gwan, shouted as if vomiting. Immediately, the main gun roared with determination.

A Constalation-class battlecruiser being engulfed in a column of water. Another shot penetrated the side and shattered the engine room.

“A hit on the enemy ship!”

“Not yet!”

Kung— The captain, who stood up after hitting the railing, commanded.

“We need to completely neutralize it!”

As if the voice had been transmitted, an answer flowed from the Jeonseong Hall.

“I will definitely turn it into a mop.”

Looking up at the ceiling with blurry eyes, the captain raised the corner of his mouth.

In an instant, a counterattack tore through Tiger’s No. 3 main gun turret. The split gun barrel bounced like fragments and scattered into the sea. Three bullets then hit the side. The pierced hull, like a skewer, poured out flames from the chimney.

“Boiler hit! Complete! Unable to maneuver!”

The ship to cruise the ocean was no different from a ball of fire floating on the sea.

Bedford staggered out onto the lookout deck. There was no more command from the bridge. All that remains is the resignation of the General Staff.

Even that, it was questionable whether it would be possible while the shells were pouring like rain.

“You’re really generous with your shots.”

He was laughing and muttering nonsensically.

Even as the hull was torn apart, the main guns continued to roar.

It’s a shot that I don’t know how many times it’s already been.

Six 13.5-inch caliber main shells. Two of them hit the Constallation-class’s hull straight and exploded. Bedford watched the tiger’s teeth meet through his binoculars.

“The number 2 main turret is out! It’s great work.”

It was such a mumbling moment. A 16-inch shell, drawing a precise parabola, penetrated the hull below him and exploded. The floor swayed as if it were swelling.

“… sh*t. I am finished now.”

Captain Bedford, who had fallen, spit and corrected his hair. As I stood up on my wobbly legs, the gunfire rang out again. It was a Japanese sacrifice of the rear ship that was running away from afar.

“Captain, two enemy battlecruisers are concentrating their firepower!”

“Is it over soon?”

The captain spoke calmly and looked back at the burning deck with a face wet with emotion.

The last legitimate heir to the line of Lion-class battlecruisers, surviving through Dogger Bank and Jutland. The last battlecruiser to experience the last flames of the Royal Navy on the front lines.

HMS Tiger.

That’s why the captain had a special faith. At least this ship will find a place to die.

The Caribbean Sea wasn’t too bad as the stage to decorate the end.

“Use all remaining firepower! Catch the new enemy battlecruiser! Commander, isn’t that enough to be a companion on the road?”

The impact of the narrow-barrel projectile enveloped the hull. While the floor was shaking violently, the officer barely nodded.

“It looks good.”

“okay.”

flashing blisters. As if they had promised, the two enemy battlecruisers fired a salvo at almost the same time. Tiger’s main shells scored another hit, but this time there was no sign.

The captain quietly looked up at the sky. I wondered if I could see the traces of the shells. But only the fleeting blue sky caught my eye.

“I was fine too.”

A salvo from both battlecruisers engulfed the Tiger at the same time.

* * *

The bridge of the battlecruiser Constalation.

An explosion reverberates like an earthquake.

Admiral Ian, standing on the bridge, looked at the battlecruiser in three pieces with a distraught face in amazement, albeit for a moment.

“Enemy ship, terrifying.”

The sea with soaring clouds of dust. As if the old man would not be seen dying, thick smoke enveloped the hull.

“It’s over, Admiral.”

The chief of staff approached quietly and talked. Coming to his senses, Admiral Ian immediately shook his head.

“No, there are still repulses left.”