My Italian: Chapter 406 Fireworks in Newport

On the busy North Atlantic Ocean, the cargo ship Crucifera is sailing leisurely,

"Look, captain, where is it? It seems to be a fleet, or a fleet of large ships." Jack, the watchman of the freighter, said as he watched the black smoke rising from afar.

"What a fuss." Captain Basco picked up the binoculars in his hand and looked into the distance, only to see two huge figures driving towards here at high speed in the distance, and there were eight not-so-small figures behind them. But that's only compared to the previous two behemoths, overall, it's still much bigger than his 6,000-ton Crossflower.

"What a speed, they should have 15 knots."

"They don't seem to be merchant ships.. They are warships!" The two giant ships became more and more clear in Basco's telescope! The huge turret on the ship made his heart tighten. "This is definitely not an American battleship." A thought popped out of his mind.

The first officer said with a sullen face. "This is definitely not an American warship, and the British and French don't have such a huge warship in America."

Everyone now knows that the warships of the US Navy have basically been concentrated in the south. Half a month ago, the Crossflower was also leased by the US Navy for the transportation of arms. .

"Damn it, it's the Spanish flag! It's the Spanish fleet!"

At this moment, Jack, who was on the observation deck, had confirmed the identity of the other party.

"God, let's avoid it quickly, turn the rudder, let's get out of here!" Basker said in a panic. This is a 6,000-ton merchant ship, which is almost all of his net worth.

"Captain, it may be too late, they want us to stop the ship!" Jack said desperately.

"Leave them alone, they can't be here for us, we leave the main channel, they may not catch up. Then we go back!" Under the command of Captain Basco. The Crucifix began to turn slowly, but the heavy load made the ship's movements awkward.

Captain Busker was right. The Spanish fleet really didn't come for robbery.

But at the same time, they will never let go of any merchant ships they encounter. In order to ensure the concealment of their operations, the Spanish fleet did not follow a straight line. All U.S. merchant vessels. Unfortunately for the Crucifer, they ran into the Spanish fleet who wanted to hide their whereabouts.

"A futile move."

Looking at the crucifix evading in the distance, he shook his head.

I saw a destroyer rushing towards the opponent. After catching up with the opponent easily, two shells from the 102mm main gun made the 6,000-ton big guy obediently stop.

"We are civilians, you can't treat us like this." After being crushed on board, Captain Basco said loudly.

"Wars are equal. You can blockade Cuba, and we can also blockade the east coast of the United States." The Spanish officer said with a sneer. "You are our captives now, and that poor merchant ship will be scuttled after we have taken some of the necessities."

The Crucifix wasn't the first to suffer, and it certainly won't be the last. During the long voyage of nearly a thousand nautical miles, the Spanish fleet sank more than a dozen large and small transport ships. More than three hundred American sailors became prisoners, and the U.S. Navy knew nothing about it.

It is no wonder that most of the US naval power has reached the south. From the perspective of the U.S. military, the top priority of the Spanish fleet must be to enter Cuba first and then complete the preparations, and then start a decisive battle with the U.S. fleet or start a break-off operation first and then start a decisive battle.

But the Americans may have forgotten that mobile warfare has always been the choice of the weak, and the US fleet has used broken wars. Engaged in the British Navy is relatively passive. And this time the strategy of the Spanish fleet is the same, but it's just playing a little bigger.

It is not correct to say that the Americans are not prepared at all. Although the ocean-going fleet has all gone south, it still has some defensive forces in some important military ports.

For example, in the naval port of Hamilton, the Americans left the 6,000-ton coastal defense ironclad USS Texas, the 6,000-ton shallow-water heavy gunship Puritan, the 4,000-ton shallow-water heavy gunship USS Fear and the Monterey, plus two torpedo boats TB2 and TB3. Come to guard Hamilton Naval Harbor and the adjacent Navy Newport News Shipyard.

In the early morning of September 18, when Lieutenant General Sedra led the fleet to see land, Captain Giulity, who was hired with a high salary, immediately yelled. "We're on the southern tip of the Delaware Peninsula, just over 40 nautical miles from Newport News, which is pretty close."

The words of Captain Jurity lifted the spirits of the Spanish officers and soldiers on board, and it seemed that the goal was not far away.

More than two hours later, looking at the warships quietly docked in the naval port in the distance, and the Newport News Shipyard opposite, Lieutenant General Sedra and all the officers and soldiers of the fleet showed ecstatic expressions, and the enemy was unexpectedly unprepared.

It can't be said that they were unprepared. Two torpedo boats rushed out of the military port. Although they knew that they were bound to die, in order to defend the military port and the shipyard, they rushed over without hesitation.

In addition, the fort on the hill outside the military port finally opened fire, but this old-fashioned front-mounted gun is more for his own courage. At the same time, the USS Texas, USS Puritan and other warships in the naval port finally started to fire, but unfortunately, it is impossible to get the battleships moving without two or three hours of warm-up time. And will the Spanish fleet give them three hours?

"The ships obeyed the orders, and the enemy ships were dealt with first, and then bombarded the shipyard and port."

Under the command of Lieutenant General Sedra, ten large warships began to move. The two torpedo boats didn't even catch half of the secondary guns' focus fire, so there was no sound.

The battleships such as the USS Texas and the USS Puritan, which could not move, were completely hit by the Spanish fleet as fixed targets that could not fight back. Dozens of large-caliber artillery fired tongues of flame at them, and the orange flames and gunpowder smoke at the muzzles were even more connected.

Countless shells swept towards the American warships in the naval port like raindrops. In less than a minute, the USS Texas was hit by at least 10 large-caliber shells, each of which was like a heavy hammer. Constantly knocking on the fragile hull of the USS Texas.

Some lucky Americans really realized what it means to live like a year. No one knows how long they can live, and everyone is afraid that a shell will penetrate the next door of the cabin not far away. And those less fortunate were killed directly by the explosion, shrapnel and flames. In just a few minutes, the entire battleship was shot over by dense shells! The entire superstructure turned into a burning torch, and the yellow-green flames spread around the deck, devouring everything it encountered!

The Texas is still struggling in the flames and thick smoke, while the Dread beside him has no chance to struggle. With a displacement of just over 4,000 tons, it actually has a dual-mounted 305mm main gun and a Dual 254mm secondary guns, plus 330mm main armor.

The data on paper is excellent, but the Americans know exactly what level it is. Reserve buoyancy was minimal, dry strings were extremely low, and the main armor belt was so narrow and short that it was practically useless. Coupled with the excessive weight of the armament, the stability and redundancy of this ship are really poor. Although it was not taken care of, it was still beaten up by the two Venetian-class armored cruisers at the tail of the team.

A 254mm high-explosive bomb hit the bow of the Dread like a heavy hammer. The entire battleship shook violently, and then a bright yellow flame exploded at the bow, and the huge explosive force directly opened a large hole of more than ten square meters in the bow. The entire bow then sank suddenly, a large amount of sea water poured into the bow, and the Dread suffered a severe head tilt.

Then at least three more 254mm shells hit, and the Dread was battered with holes. The raging fire spread on the ship, and the people in the bridge were either killed or injured. The fire quickly developed out of control, and the ship was over.

As for the counterattack of the Americans, the naval port was suddenly attacked, and many of the crew were not on board. In the case of insufficient manpower, the sporadic counterattack did not cause any damage to the Spanish fleet at all.

In the next half an hour, the Dread sank, the Monterey sank, and the Puritan sank. Only the Texas sank, but it was motionless like a dead fish, and there was no counterattack artillery.

Then a destroyer approached the USS Texas, and a torpedo eliminated the opponent. After the warships in the naval port were cleared, the two Venetian-class bombardment facilities in the port were left behind, and the other warships sailed to the Newport Shipyard opposite the harbor, where two conspicuous giant ships were still waiting for them to destroy.

While the military port was devastated, the Americans were not idle, although there were no forts and artillery there.

But taking advantage of this precious time, the small boats coming from Hamilton Harbor quickly laid a small number of mines on the main channel. Under the command of the officers, the personnel on the shore arranged smoke canisters to cover the two giant ships that were being outfitted.

Faced with this situation, the Spanish fleet did not dare to get too close to the target. After all, its own fleet did not have a minesweeper, and if it hits a shot, it will not be worth the loss.

It just raised the elevation angle of the artillery and fired at the distant shipyard. If fleet engagement can still be called combat, then it is pure massacre now. A round of cannonballs cut across the air in curves that heralded destruction, and with the piercing sound of piercing the air, they fell into the warships under construction several kilometers away and nearby factories~www.mtlnovel.com~One round The shells exploded around the target, and the violent explosion caused the whole Newport people to panic. The two giant ships under construction are silently under the bombardment of the giant artillery. They are not yet finished, and they have no armor plate and no artillery, just like two targets.

The Kentucky was the first to be hit directly. A 356mm artillery shell hit the Kentucky's gun ring directly. After a loud noise, nearly half of the prototype's gun ring was blown up, and the more deadly thing was that the flames passed through. The combustibles in the cabin spread toward the interior of the hull. Then the power compartment of the midship of the Kilshaji hull was also hit by a 356mm shell, blowing up the pipelines and power systems being installed inside.

Although due to the thick smoke and distance, there are not many shells that directly hit. But for these two unfinished warships that were not completed, had no armor protection, and no damage control, such a blow was already quite fatal.

The materials and inflammables in the hull have become accomplices in the destruction of these two warships. A large amount of air poured in from the gun mounts and other holes, allowing the flames inside the hull to obtain enough oxygen. In the scorching flames, these two warships, which were supposed to be completed in 1900, were completely turned into a pile of scrap iron. At this moment the U.S. Navy is crying.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :