Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2490 Steel Black Shark ([-])

"Captain, what is that?" On the morning of October 1703, 10, on the deck of the "San Marco" troop carrier, a young officer asked with horror.

Captain Rodriguez looked in the direction of his finger, his body trembled violently.He is well-informed and knows that it is the black mist from the chimney, and there is more than one.At present, there are only a handful of countries in the world that have steamships (including motor-sail hybrids). After calculation, there are probably only three countries on the east coast, England and France. Some of the more commercially successful states in North Germany may have this kind of technology , but no finished ships have been produced so far.

However, the ships of Britain and France can basically only sail in the coastal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The efficiency of transporting some goods and personnel is much higher than that of traditional steam ships, especially when entering and leaving the port, but the cost may not be cheap. Cargo owners who don't pay too much attention to timeliness are reluctant to choose motor sailing ships to transport goods, which more or less restricts the development speed of steam-powered ships in the two countries.

In the impression of Captain Rodriguez, the voyage of French steamships was still limited to Europe. The newly established Clifford Company in England conducted a transatlantic voyage. The ship departed from Bristol and successfully arrived in British North America. Virginia, and returned laden with tobacco and cotton.Since then, however, no such voyages seem to have been heard of by the Clifford Company, perhaps for safety reasons, perhaps for economic reasons, or perhaps both.

As for the Caribbean Sea, needless to say, the steamships that can come here must be from the east coast, there is no other place!In fact, this was nothing at all. Captain Rodriguez had encountered steam merchant ships or warships on the east coast before, and he didn't feel too nervous.They're not pirates, they won't rob you openly, they just go their separate ways.

But this time it's different!Captain Rodriguez was really a little nervous, because his cabin was filled with more than 250 soldiers from Panama, densely packed, fully armed, and they were all good guys who were going to Florida to counter the rebellion.The captain did not know to what extent the East Coasters were involved in this rebellion, but he knew that they would not be happy to see the governor of New Spain execute all the rebels in Florida, and they would probably intercept them at sea to ensure that no Any soldier loyal to the kingdom arrives on the beaches of Florida.

Therefore, it is definitely not a good thing to meet the ships of the East Coast people at sea!The cunning Captain Rodriguez had a very bad premonition, so he subconsciously prepared to order the sailors on the mast to signal the flagship, but at this moment, the lookout sent out a heart-piercing cry : "Ironclad!"

Captain Rodriguez was a little dizzy.He did not doubt the professional level of the lookout post. In fact, these people have received strict training. Everyone is studying in a specialized school. The teachers give each person detailed explanations with portraits of important ships from various countries, ensuring that everyone Students can identify the opposite ship at the moment of encounter.Unfortunately, they encountered an ironclad ship today. The lookout post probably wouldn't mistake this kind of ship, because it is so special and easy to recognize!

Captain Rodriguez sprinted onto the bridge, picked up a telescope imported from the east coast, and carefully searched the distant sea horizon.A few minutes later, a column of black smoke soaring into the sky appeared in the field of vision, followed by the ferocious hull of the ironclad ship.The features are too obvious!Black-brown armor, no mast, forward bow gun and armored turret, and that special slender hull, this is an ironclad ship!Big trouble!

"Captain, the flagship has sent a signal, asking us to adjust the yard and move forward at full speed!" Just as Captain Rodriguez was still in a state of shock, the first officer also ran over with a panicked expression.

To put it bluntly, they are not professional soldiers, but were temporarily requisitioned by the navy before sailing.The ship's armament is only eight small-caliber cannons, which can only be said to be better than nothing, and it is bound to be dead to the enemy's professional warships.Captain Rodriguez didn't want to do this business of transporting army soldiers to Havana, but Governor Gonzalez hand-picked it, and they had no choice but to bite the bullet and make a trip.

Before departure, Captain Rodriguez went to the church to pray and donated two hundred pesos. The priest told him that the Lord would bless the pious people.Captain Rodriguez believed that he donated more money than others, so he was naturally more pious, and the Lord would definitely bless him, so the voyage should be fine, which made him a little relieved.

But what is going on now?The fleet of the East Coasters still appeared here.This sea area is a must pass from Veracruz to Havana. Could it be that the navy of the people on the east coast has been cruising here, waiting for them?That way, it does take a bit of luck to avoid these guys, which they obviously don't have.

"God!" Captain Rodriguez didn't dare to curse the priest, he could only suspect that he had been abandoned by God, which made him fall into a more depressed mood.However, his survival instinct still made him issue a series of orders in time, that is, to break through at full speed, and the ships of the Windward Fleet will come to the rear for them.As long as they escape to Havana, relying on the complete coastal defenses there, they will be safe for the time being.As for what to do next, who cares!Anyway, he plans to stay in Havana, I believe those army soldiers think the same way, after all, it is one thing to die in battle on land, but another thing to feed sharks in the sea—you never know the Caribbean Sea There are so many sharks!

The quality of the Spanish captains is worthy of recognition, not to mention that they are all excellent captains selected by consultants entrusted by the governor.After the flagship "San Francisco" issued a breakout order-obviously, the commander of the Spanish fleet knew why the people on the east coast were aggressive, so he didn't even intend to send someone to negotiate, but chose to escape directly-all transport The personnel and material ships adjusted their yards and headed towards Havana at full speed, while the warships reduced their speed and slowly adjusted their sequence to prepare for possible challenges.

But their behavior seems somewhat idealized. The "Daimyo" ironclad battleship ignored any of their actions at all. After estimating the speed of the warships of the Windward Fleet, they decisively adjusted their direction and chased in the direction of the transport ship.That's the fat and juicy target. What's the comparison with a battleship?Throw them to the escort gunboats and light cruisers that are all coming from behind. Anyway, their ironclad ship is fast enough and flexible enough that no one can easily intercept it.

Fifteen nautical miles, ten nautical miles, five nautical miles, three nautical miles, one nautical mile... The distance between the two sides is getting closer. The horsepower of the "Damyo" armored battleship has been driven to the extreme, the steam propulsion system is running at full speed, and the thick chimney is constantly swallowing black mist. Rodriguez, the captain of the "San Marco" troop carrier sailing in the second half, almost The cold light shining from the 75mm naval gun on the bow of the "Damyo" can already be seen clearly.

"This speed is too fast!" Rodriguez seemed unable to accept the facts in front of him, and murmured, "In less than three hours, he almost caught up with us. We can't escape, we can't escape!" ..."

Indeed, although the ironclad warship "Damyo" is heavy in tonnage, it has an improved steam propulsion system, and its speed has soared to an astonishing ten knots at this time.The captain was already ruthless, and he must not let the big fish slip away in front of his eyes, so no matter what the steam engine was worn out, he desperately demanded to speed up.The firemen in the engine room took off their extra clothes, leaving only a pair of underpants on their bodies, sweating profusely, shoveling coal into the red stove, and burning the fire vigorously.The entire battleship is like a preying shark, cleaving forward in the waves, approaching its prey at an extremely fast speed.

"Boom!" A 75mm oval solid bullet fell into the water hundreds of meters behind the "San Marco", splashing huge water.Seeing this, Captain Rodriguez shuddered, feeling a sense of despair in his heart.He knew that this shell was actually just a test shot, not a real threat, and it was impossible for them to sink them with bow guns.But in less than half an hour, the formidable ironclad warship sailed to their side and sent them to the bottom of the sea with a powerful broadside fire.Captain Rodriguez believed that it would really not take much trouble. The people on the east coast have a shell that can explode precisely on the deck, which can easily tear apart the wooden hull, just like a devil.

"God!" Captain Rodriguez seemed to be able to do nothing but pray, hoping that the Almighty Lord could respond to these poor people in the stormy waves of the Caribbean Sea, and use a bolt of lightning to knock the armor of the people on the east coast. The battleship smashed back into the sea, but is that realistic?

"Boom!" Another 75mm shell hit, this time only a hundred meters away from the "San Sebastian" running at the end!The splash of water after the shell fell into the water was so dazzling that Captain Rodriguez suddenly came back to his senses, and saw him rushing down the bridge quickly, roaring like a mad tiger: "Everyone obey the order, throw it away!" Everything that can be thrown! Gunpowder, shells, beer, beef, and damned weapons! Throw it all, throw it all! Lighten the ship as fast as you can, or we'll all die!"

"Immediately! Don't hesitate!" Captain Rodriguez kicked several sailors' buttocks, and then rushed to the side, calling for everyone to unfasten a 12-pounder gun, intending to undo the heavy gun The naval guns advanced into the sea.They have no other choice. If they don't save themselves at this time, they will be caught up and sunk one by one by the ironclad warships of the people from the east coast.

Fortunately, there is still the "San Sebastian", which is full of food and drinks and has a very deep draft, at the rear, and the positions of the "Red Mountain" and "Cactus" are also close to them.As long as the weight of the ship is lightened as soon as possible, they still have a chance.I don't need to run faster than the East Coaster's ironclad, just faster than the other ships.While it might not help in the end, it's always better to die a little later, isn't it?

(End of this chapter)