The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 121 Deep in the North Atlantic ([-])

On November 11, at 18:3 pm, the First Squadron of the Qi Expeditionary Fleet moved forward resolutely, steadily approaching the English fleet composed of more than 40 ships.

At this time, the Qi fleet still had no idea of ​​​​fighting for the upper hand. The warships that had gone out were recalled, and the flagship "Houji" issued an order to prepare for battle, forming a battle line pointing east-north.

A few minutes later, the fleet commander sent a signal again asking all warships to turn to port. Then thick fog came again, allowing both sides to temporarily escape each other's sight.

A quarter of an hour later, the fog dissipated again, and the two armies suddenly discovered that they had formed two parallel lines with opposite directions, and the distance between them was only a little more than the range of the artillery.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the Qi fleet, led by seven steam warships, took the lead in launching an attack and headed straight for the English vanguard fleet.

When it was nearly four hundred yards away from the British vanguard fleet, the flagship "Houji" suddenly sent out a signal, ordering the entire army to turn its course in order, intending to have our fleet turn close to the leeward position of the enemy's center guard, and sail on the same course as the enemy's. Fight upwards to take full advantage of your firepower.

After the previous signal dropped, the commander then issued "Attack the enemy's central defender", and 10 minutes later he issued "Form a tight attack formation".

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

At 4:35 pm, a fierce naval battle began.

The fleet flagship "Houji" is like a lion on the grassland, bravely breaking into the "hyena group" with a fearless attitude.After carving into the English central defender fleet, the artillery on both sides fired a salvo, all of which were explosive shells.

As soon as the battle began, the Qi warships that broke into the formation felt that something was wrong.

"The enemy ship is a battleship!"

"...The enemy ships are all battleships!"

When the camouflaged windows suddenly opened on both sides of the merchant ships, the black muzzles of the guns stuck out. As the fire flashed and the smoke rose, countless shells flew towards the "Houji", closely The officer observing the enemy's situation immediately turned to the command podium and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Launching a signal flare at the rear sailing fleet, our army encountered the British and foreign main fleets, got rid of the enemy in front of them, and evacuated the battlefield in camera."

"Order all the sail warships to rush forward with all their strength, break through the enemy array with a fearless attitude, and sail into the outer waters."

"General, do we want the entire army to retreat?"

"No." Zhong Zhilin said ferociously: "Since the English have started such a battle, then we will accompany them and have a good time!"

"General..."

"Do you still remember the actual combat exercise between steam warships and sail warships that was conducted in the North Sea (near the Timor Sea) five years ago?"

"Use the maneuverability of the steam battleship to get rid of the siege of the sail fleet and attack with wolf pack skills from the outside?" Zhao Jinchun, the captain of the Houji, immediately understood and showed a hint of excitement.

"If we fight today, we might as well follow suit!"

"As ordered, General!"

The English navy disguised a large number of warships as merchant ships, trying to lure them into a heavy siege to limit the maneuverability of the motor and sailing ships and annihilate their fleet in one fell swoop.

However, the English navy still underestimated the power of steam battleships.

Although the speed of steam battleships is significantly improved compared to sail battleships, the main difference between the two is not just speed.Sail battleships are ships that use wind as power, while steam battleships use steam engines as power.This meant that the speed of a sail battleship was limited by wind conditions, while the speed of a steam battleship was limited only by the power and design of the steam engine.

In battle, the speed and maneuverability of steam warships enable them to better perform various maritime combat missions, such as assault, transfer, pursuit of the enemy, retreat, and execution of special tactics.

Due to the use of steam power, adding a heavy layer of armor to the wooden hull will not hinder its maneuverability.Therefore, the more than ten steam warships participating in the expedition to England were equipped with heavy forged iron armor on major parts.In battle, after using steam power, it is no longer affected and hindered by wind and sea currents. Even in the absence of wind, it can freely carry out tactical maneuvers, with a maximum speed of 15-16 knots, far exceeding that of the same period. All sailing battleships.

Most of the sail warships of this period were equipped with solid projectiles. After the projectiles came out of the chamber, they could only attack enemy ships by breaking the masts and breaking the sail ropes.The ships of the Qi Expedition Fleet are equipped with a large number of explosive shells. Compared with solid shells, these shells can not only penetrate the hull structure, but the shock waves and shrapnel generated by the explosion will also cause devastating blows to the hull and personnel.What's more, fires can be started on the ship to destroy enemy ships.

Perhaps after witnessing the addition of iron armor to Qi's warships, the English Navy also experimentally installed armor on sail warships to enhance its protective performance.However, the armor design caused the displacement of the battleship to rise sharply, and the sails were overwhelmed. After the sailing battleship was equipped with armor, it could not run at all. Therefore, many English naval generals believed that installing armor on the sailing battleship was a stupid choice.

Later, with the continuous research and "learning" from China's steam engine technology, the English Navy also moved the steam engine to the ship more than ten years ago.When the triple-expansion steam engine manufacturing technology matured, the power density also increased rapidly, causing the ship's speed to jump from a few knots to more than ten knots, which was comparable to the pace of the Qi Navy.

However, due to backward processing technology, the reliability of the steam engines manufactured by the English was very poor. Seven or eight flameouts a day were considered normal operations. Therefore, the English Navy was very cautious in its exploration in the steam era.They also imitated the Qi Navy warships and combined the steam engines with the original sail warships. The warships normally sailed using wind power to reduce the wear and tear of the steam engines.The steam engine will only be started when entering combat or when the wind speed is low.

The English Atlantic Task Force that encountered the Qi fleet this time originally had three steam warships, but when it was about to set off, one of them was stranded due to mechanical failure.The other two ships are all deployed in the rearguard fleet of fleet commander Payne, hoping to exert an unexpected effect in the battle.

In the two naval battles in the Gulf of Algeciras and Cape Verde, the Qi Navy's steam battleships and explosive bombs caused the Royal Navy to suffer a lot and suffered heavy losses.In order to deal with this unfavorable situation, the English Navy not only assembled more warships to besiege the opponent and restrict the mobility of its steam warships, but also prepared a large number of sandbags on both sides of the ship and on the deck to prevent attacks from explosive bombs.

However, the old-fashioned unarmored sailing battleship still cannot weaken its destructive power when faced with explosive shells with explosive capabilities. Every shell will become a reminder for the sailing battleship. A well-placed high-explosive shell may drop Let a sail warship immediately turn into a huge group of fireworks.

"Order the gunnery commander to use all artillery to bombard the enemy ships on both sides with maximum firepower. There is no need to save ammunition!"

"Command the Chief Engineer to ensure that the steam engine is at maximum full capacity before any new orders are conveyed!"

"Order all sailors to receive rockets and carry out long-range coverage strikes against all enemy ships within visual range!" "..."

In just 10 minutes, the battle entered a fierce state. Several Qi steam warships seemed to be fire-breathing monsters. A burst of artillery roar sounded, and one or several English warships flashed with dazzling fire and countless splashes. pieces of wood, and human bodies that were constantly being lifted up.

Seeing that the "Hou Ji" was about to break through the encirclement of the Zhongwei Fleet and sail to the outer waters of the fleet, the British second-class sailing battleship "Ajax" with a displacement of 700 tons bravely rushed over and, with the help of the headwind, suddenly rushed over. The ship's hull lay across the direction of the "Houji"'s advance, trying to prevent the opponent from continuing to move forward, and violently bombarded the opponent's bow with broadside cannons.

However, even though the "Houji" was intercepted by ships in front, its course remained unchanged and it rushed straight at an extremely high speed, intending to hit the "Ajax" with its huge body.

"boom!"

"Crack!"

Under the astonished eyes of the officers and men of the "Ajax", the "Houji" faced their artillery fire and slammed into the starboard side of the "Ajax".

The collision angle at the bow of the "Houji" easily broke through the starboard plate of the "Ajax". A huge crack appeared below the waterline, and seawater suddenly surged in and poured into the cabin.

Oh, God, the Qi warships are actually equipped with collision horns!

After the "Ajax" was hit with a huge crack, the hull tilted and began to sink rapidly. The officers and soldiers on the ship kept screaming and jumped into the sea holding barrels.

Installing rams for warships was first invented by the Egyptians around 1200 BC. It was widely used by ancient Phoenicia, Greece and Rome. It was also popular in the era of galleys.However, with the advancement of the times, especially the emergence of artillery, and after entering the era of sail battle lines, the collision angle device was eliminated by the navies of various countries.

However, it was never expected that the Qi Navy, which claimed to be at the forefront of the times, would pick up this outdated and backward equipment again, install a hard ram on the bow of the ship, and rely on the high speed and high speed of the steam warship. Its maneuverability, coupled with its huge hull and tonnage, makes it highly offensive - especially ironclad ships, which makes this ancient ramming tactic reappear in the world.

Three and ten minutes after the battle, rumbles of artillery were also heard from the southeast of the first squadron of the Qi Expeditionary Fleet. It was obvious that another squadron ambushed by the British army rushed to the battlefield and was encircling Qi's sails. Ship squadron.

After a bloody battle, the steam battleship squadron successfully broke through the British army's encirclement and reached the rear position of the British fleet.However, the Qi fleet did not withdraw from the battlefield. Instead, it dispersed the steam warships, passed through the wake of the British fleet, turned downwind and turned to the west-south on the port side of the wind, taking advantage of its superior maneuverability and high speed to continuously Wandering around the perimeter of the British fleet, bombarding the opponent's sail warships that were difficult to turn.

If you look at the entire battle sea area from a high place from God's perspective, you will find that the battlefield is divided into two parts: more than [-] sail warships composed of the British vanguard fleet and the rearguard support fleet are besieging them in an extremely wide sector. The Qi army's sail battleship detachment tried to encircle them all; while the British army's huge central defender fleet was causing chaos in the battle group on the other side, and was constantly being bombarded by seven Qi steam battleships wandering around the periphery. , almost every round of approaching salvos caused huge damage to the British warships.

Mist and smoke obscured the line of sight, and the two sides continued to exchange fire at close range on a southwesterly course. For most of the time, they did not know who they were firing at, but only vaguely aimed at the vague silhouette and cannon of the opposite ship. The flash of the mouth kept firing.

The steam battleship squadron of Qi kept following the British fleet in turns, and sometimes it was not even clear whether the enemy was on the port or starboard side.Under such circumstances, accidental attacks between friendly forces were inevitable. After the "Tianshu" turned, it fired at its own "Haoshan".

This chaotic and fierce battle lasted until 9 p.m. when it completely stopped. Both sides drove away from the fighting sea area and licked their wounds.

When the battle was over, the British army successfully captured three Qi Guo sailing battleships. After heroic resistance, they were seriously injured and paralyzed, and unfortunately drifted to the British fleet downwind.The Royal Navy's first-class battleship HMS Barfleur made the greatest contribution to this, but the damage was also extremely serious: its forward topmast was broken, and 45 crew members were killed or injured.

An officer present praised it for its "wonderful performance". Judging from the casualties, it and Admiral Pell's flagship "Nasby", which also had a three-story gun deck, caused the greatest damage to the enemy. Forcing the Qi fleet to retreat continuously, they finally relied on the cover of night to escape into the depths of the ocean.

Admiral Pell wrote in a letter early the next morning: "...the enemy fled in a hurry. Several of their warships have been disabled, but our army still maintains the advantage on the battlefield. After the battle, cheers of victory resounded throughout our fleet. .…”

As far as the Qi fleet took the initiative to withdraw from the battlefield, Admiral Pell's words were not exaggerated. They successfully defeated the Qi people and caused effective damage to the opponent.

However, from a strategic perspective, the Atlantic Task Force led by Pell did not achieve its intended goal, that is, it did not inflict heavy damage on the Chinese fleet. The three captured warships were only sails that the opponent had to give up after constant fighting. Battleship.

Looking back at our own losses, not only did Admiral Pell himself remain silent for a long time after seeing the statistical results, but even the commissioners of the Royal Navy Commission would probably jump up in shock after receiving the battle damage report.

"The first-class battleship 'Neptune' was sunk in battle."

"The second-class battleship Mars sank."

"The second-class battleship 'Magnificent' was sunk in battle."

"The third-tier battleship 'Achilles' sank."

"The third-tier battleship Ninotau sank."

"The fourth-tier battleship 'Courageous' was sunk in battle."

"The fourth-tier battleship Canopus sank."

"The cruiser 'Kent' sank in battle."

"The cruiser USS Warrior sank in battle."

"The first-class battleship 'Prince', the first-class battleship 'Nasby', the second-class battleship 'Quenemy', the second-class battleship 'Northernwell', and several cruisers were seriously damaged."

"More than 290 Royal Navy officers and soldiers were killed, more than 530 were missing, and more than 340 were injured, for a total loss of more than 160 people."

"Order the fleet to turn east by south and prepare to return to England." Admiral Pell looked gloomy and ordered in a solemn tone: "Let's... go home."

(End of this chapter)