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At the same time that the Yellow River set off for the Qilu Military Region, the southern boundary of the Whale Sea was the Tsushima Strait.
At night, the junction of sea and sky seems not far away, and there is no obvious boundary between the ink-colored sky and the sea level.
At this time, six ships gathered in the Whale Sea, and the leading Fletcher-class destroyer was swaying with the huge waves. It first raised high and pointed directly at the sky, then changed its position and the bow sank, splitting the waves like a peerless sword.
The rest of the ships followed closely behind them in formation. Those ships were of different sizes, and even the styles of the booms were different from the flagship. However, they seemed to be driven by the same will, and they all headed west tenaciously.
"Mr. Major, is the location we are in really the Pacific Ocean? With such harsh sea conditions, I'm afraid the dark trench of the Atlantic Ocean is no more than this."
"Hey, I had to go on an extra business trip for no reason, and I also had to sell the new ship I just took over. Maybe I don't have to face Desan's underwater villain, which is one of the few good news now."
“Lord, may your holy angels be with me and may I not be at the mercy of evil opponents, Amen.”
In the bridge, the deputy captain of DD-450 prayed while handling daily affairs. From his resentful tone, anyone could tell that he was dissatisfied with his captain.
It seemed that what he just said resonated with everyone present, and the atmosphere on the bridge became restless again.
If this mission had not been personally issued by Commander-in-Chief, King, and Nimitz, the crew might have protested on the spot.
As soon as these words came out, Gordon Paia Zhongyun sighed silently in his heart. Although he is the current commander of this destroyer, the emotions of his subordinates are really hard to reconcile.
No other reason, because this voyage took far longer than expected, and there was not even a chance to rest between the two journeys. More than a month of voyage had already made all the crew members physically and mentally exhausted.
In addition, his Chinese identity is also a lightning point.
Half a year ago, Zhong Yun was just an ordinary captain attached to the USS Arizona.
In order to take the initiative to show goodwill to the Eighth Route Army, Nimitz, commander of the Navy in the Pacific Theater, personally promoted him to the rank of major and ordered him to be fully responsible for trading operations.
Squeeze out the original captain and become the new captain by airborne. In addition, he and the crew had no experience of training together and fighting together, so everyone naturally became a little emotional.
What's more, this operation, to put it bluntly, is to sell four destroyers and two transport ships, or to sell cutting-edge ships that have just entered service to the Republic of China.
Even if it is the arrangement of their superiors, the soldiers are unwilling to accept it.
After thinking wildly for a while, Zhong Yun shook his head helplessly.
Now he hoped so much that the Japanese would attack so that he could prove himself and establish his prestige in a battle.
"Captain Byrd, although there are no German U-boats in the Whale Sea, we may encounter Japanese patrols at any time. This area is not the territory of old men, and no one can guarantee that the red flag on the ship will still work."
"Once we encounter a light cruiser or navy under the Combined Fleet, our four destroyers may not be able to escape unscathed."
"So, please stay focused and alert. We are still 120 nautical miles away from the scheduled rendezvous point. If we persist for half a day, we will be safe."
"receive!"
After receiving the order, there was a sparse response from the bridge, just because the enemy might attack at any time.
Obviously, the Ugly crew members did not have any expectations for the so-called response. In their impression, the Republic of China was still a backward country with no ability to protect itself.
Rely on them? You might as well believe that you are a relative of the locust.
As for the Eighth Route Army?
Never heard that the main force of the Republic of China was not the Central Army?
In this situation, a sense of powerlessness rose again from the bottom of Zhong Yun's heart.
There is no way, after all, you can't expect everyone to pay attention to the Asian battlefield at all times, especially if your own propaganda leader is an anti-communist.
Adhering to the concept of being responsible for the team, Zhong Yun walked out of the bridge with a telescope and began to observe the position of friendly forces.
At this time, the four destroyers responsible for escorting were deployed in a diamond shape. In a relatively wide sea area, this formation can effectively reduce the interference caused by the rotation of the propellers of the ships in the formation to sonar.
In addition, each destroyer is only responsible for one position, which can also greatly reduce the pressure on the personnel on duty on a single ship.
Seeing that the fleet was about to cross the Tsushima Strait, Zhong Yun decisively returned to the bridge and ordered:
"Inform the friendly forces that we should change our formation. The narrowest point of the strait in front is only 40 kilometers. I don't want to bet that the Japanese are all blind. Now only a single column can maintain concealment."
"After sending the signal, all ships except the flagship must maintain radio silence and implement blackout."
"Let's rush forward with all our strength and strive to reach the territorial waters of the Republic of China before dawn. As long as we are close to Lu Province, we will be safe."
Thinking of the ferocious record of the Benzi Navy, the middle and senior management on DD-450 immediately put away their emotional thoughts. Each department performs its own duties and sends the orders of its own captain to friendly forces using signal lights.
Soon, the entire fleet turned into a single column formation with Fletcher as the vanguard, three Bensons in the middle, and two transport ships at the bottom.
The reason why the transport ship is placed at the end of the formation is because the **** formation must be consistent with the speed and course of the person being protected. If an enemy attacks suddenly, the destroyers can quickly deploy a counterattack formation.
Seeing his orders being implemented by his subordinates, Zhong Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He walked out of the bridge again with his binoculars and began to check for leaks and fill in the gaps.
"The positions of DD-421 and DD-427 are a little off. Send a signal to them to adjust 10 degrees to the left."
"And those two free ships, they are too slow. The Tsushima Strait is more than 200 kilometers long, and it is impossible to pass it smoothly before dawn at the current speed."
"receive!"
Since mankind invented the tool of ship, its most primitive and basic ability is transportation.
Throughout the ages, there have been countless types of transport ships. But among these designs, one model became the cornerstone of the Allied victory in World War II with its huge production volume, and she was the Liberty Wheel.
As one of the most powerful auxiliaries during World War II, the ship will definitely appear in any film and television works related to naval battles. Even the daily supply boxes in World of Warships are transported by her.
The main reason why Huanghe named the Freeship was to train the supply troops that would accompany the fleet in advance, and also to acquire a batch of American ammunition.
No way, it's not that Huang wants to take advantage. Before he can completely unlock the navy-related decisions, the ammunition for live-fire training will still have to be provided by A Chou.
After seeing the signal from the flagship, the two transport ships, which had no curves and looked like sliced eggplants, decisively increased their speed.
As a high-quality product produced by Henry Direct Shipbuilding, the functions of the freewheel participating in this operation are better than ordinary models, and the quality is also more guaranteed. There will be no embarrassing scene of breaking into two sections while running.
"I hope everything goes well, I really can't wait to see where my grandfather lived."······
Under the ambivalence of Zhong Yun's expectation and worry, the entire fleet began to cross the Tsushima Strait at an average speed of 15 knots. However, the process went surprisingly smoothly, and they didn't even encounter any enemies along the way.
After nearly ten hours of sailing, the sun is about to rise.
Fortunately, the trading fleet is about to arrive in the East China Sea, and it seems that victory is only one step away.
Just when Zhong Yun relaxed his vigilance, a burst of bad news suddenly came from the DD-450 war center. The heart-rending roar in the headphones made everyone tense like a bowstring.
"Sir! The enemy target appears!"
"Bearing 087 degrees, distance 15 to 20 nautical miles! According to the radar, the enemy should be a destroyer! The opponent has not moved for the time being, and there is a high probability that it has not discovered us."
"No other ship types have been found so far, nor any land-based fighter jets!"
After hearing the report from the war situation center, Zhong Yun immediately took out the chart and started making calculations. When he found that he could not escape the enemy ship no matter what, he decisively ordered to the deputy captain beside him:
"Turn on engine overload! Set speed to 36 knots!"
"Everyone is on alert! Boatswain! Notify all combat teams to go on deck! We must strike first and kill the destroyer before dawn. We cannot let it discover us, let alone let it spread the news back to the mainland."
"Everyone has been training for this moment! To avenge Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona!"
Because **** ships need to keep the same speed and course as other ships, under normal circumstances, a destroyer will not easily turn on all engines.
Using them alternately in groups can not only slow down the loss of turbine life, but also save fuel. It is a very common navigation technique.
But it's a different matter before the war.
When approaching the enemy, the chief engineer must start all engines. After all, any ship type needs to switch between fast and slow speeds as needed during combat, whether it is attacking or avoiding enemy attacks.
Knowing that their captain was going to launch a surprise attack on an unknown destroyer, the commanders on the bridge were a little confused for a moment.
But after hearing the two keywords Pearl Harbor and Arizona, everyone felt a surge of blood in their hearts, and they wanted to go and fight with the enemy ships now.
"Enable engine overdrive and go full speed ahead!"
"Don't worry about the sonar. The fleet is located in the Whale Sea. The Japanese will not place submarines in this sea area."
"Combat Situation Center, you must be vigilant! If any surface ships or aircraft appear on the radar, you all need to report to the bridge in time!"
With united efforts, the DD-450's attack speed was astonishingly fast. In just five minutes, she took the lead and led two Benson-class ships towards the enemy.
The battle plan formulated by Zhong Yun was also very simple, that is, three destroyers approached in a single column formation.
This formation is simple and easy to command. Even if everyone has never cooperated or trained together before, there is a high probability that there will be no trouble.
When the battle begins, all the destroyers turn on their searchlights and use their concealment advantage to attack the F2A with artillery and mines, delivering a devastating blow before the enemy can react.
Three of them are fighting one. Is it possible that you can still fight back? The plan works!
······
Facts have proved that Zhong Yun and his party are very lucky.
Due to repeated night bombings by the 3rd Air Force Division, the Japs' reconnaissance focus in recent days has been in the air rather than above the sea level.
When the three American destroyers sailed to the waters five nautical miles away from the enemy, the lookout on the DD-450 could even clearly see the outline of the Japanese ship.
However, the opponent's "destroyer" seems a bit big.
Although he realized that the radar detection results were wrong, he had to shoot when the arrow was on the string. Inside the bridge, Zhong Yun decisively ordered: "Change formation! Launch torpedoes!"
After finishing speaking, the entire fleet moved into a T-shaped formation that suppressed enemy ships with artillery fire. This was a superior position for naval gun duels recognized in the era of sailing battleships.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
Accompanied by bursts of falling water, thirty 533 mm kinetic iron rods pounced on the enemy at a speed of 31 knots.
Looking around, the entire sea is covered with torpedoes. This spectacular scene, placed in Baimaozi's magical world, is definitely enough to make any player take their hands off the keyboard.
Seeing Mark 14 getting closer and closer to the enemy ship, Zhong Yun immediately shouted: "Open fire! Sink it!"
After speaking, the three destroyers turned on their searchlights at the same time, and their fifteen 127mm main guns opened fire at full force. At such a close range, the first wave of shells hit the target directly.
Only now did Zhong Yun realize that there was a cruiser in front of them.
But the problem is not big. The MK12 naval gun has an extremely fast rate of fire, and can even fire 15 rounds in one minute at its best.
Fletcher and Benson are equipped with special electric ammunition supply systems, and the projection volume can completely suppress a large ship.
In front of the absolute firepower, the enemy cruiser was instantly covered by dense shells. Not long after, a torpedo also hit the middle of the enemy ship's port side.
"Continuous damage" + "natural disasters and man-made disasters", even the Iron Bastard will have to sink. The turbulent sea water and raging fire brought a perfect ending to this raid.
······
Seeing with their own eyes that the enemy ships lost their ability to resist, the sailors on the three destroyers all cheered excitedly. Most of them are survivors of the Pearl Harbor incident. Now that they have taken the first step in revenge, how can they not be happy.
Unlike other commanders, as the fleet commander of this operation, Zhong Yun knew that now was not the time to pop the champagne, and the only way to get down to business was to sail out of the Tsushima Strait.
After a moment, he ordered again:
"Notify the rear and ask the three ships to follow us quickly. We have to leave quickly, the enemy will definitely send out land-based fighter planes to hunt us down."
As soon as he said that Cao Cao had arrived, bad news came from the center of the war.
"Sir, the SC air radar has detected two groups of enemy troops. The latest wave is about twenty, a hundred nautical miles away. The number of the second wave is unknown. I guess there are at least hundreds."
As soon as these words came out, the sound of pindrops instantly became audible in the bridge, as if an invisible big hand had pressed the mute button.
Although twenty are too many, four advanced destroyers are not without the power to fight.
One hundred?
One hundred enemy planes can sink a North Carolina-class battleship. How can they fight with the destroyer's 127mm high-level and flat-surface dual-purpose guns, 40mm Bofors and 20mm Oerlikon alone? (End of chapter)
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