My Italian: Chapter 415 Battle of San Diego in

Every move of the U.S. Navy was under the surveillance of the Spaniards, and the battleship Princess Christina staying in the harbor even used naval guns to help defend the fort. Its 15-inch main gun shells made the three attacking shallow-water heavy gunships feel frightened.

Of course, through the radio of the Princess Christina, the Spanish fleet located 30 kilometers away is also in control of the dynamics of the American fleet.

"Get ready to attack. The US fleet has been separated, and part of the ammunition has been consumed. This situation is basically perfect."

After a moment of contemplation, Lieutenant General Sedra gave an order.

A few minutes later, the entire fleet began to accelerate, and Spain lined up in a column and rushed towards the American fleet in the distance at the highest possible speed. The towering flying shears of the flagship Queen Isabel, which is at the head of the fleet, cut through layers of spray, under the sunlight. The splashing water reflects the 7-color brilliance. Two double-mounted turrets rotate slowly, and four powerful 356mm 35L main guns point to the port side. The smoke from the chimney rose into the air under the blowing of the sea wind, and all of this undoubtedly fell into the eyes of the watchmen of the US Navy.

"The fleet turns. Prepare for the battle. The fleet maintains a speed of 12 knots, waiting for the attack formation from the shore to join. Rear Admiral Sampling took a deep breath and stabilized his emotions before ordering.

At 1:40 pm on October 2, 1898, the naval battle of San Diego, which determined the ownership of the Caribbean region, finally kicked off.

"We must speed up to grab the T." Dewey said looking at the Spanish fleet approaching from the northwest at a high speed of 17 knots in the distance.

"Let the second formation go for the T."

Major General Sampling gave the order.

Before the fleet set off, Rear Admiral Sampling and the others organized the battleships. Among them, the three slowest Indiana-class battleships were the first formation, while the four Pennsylvania-class and Brooklyn-class battleships formed the second formation. Several protected cruisers formed the third formation, and three shallow-water heavy gunships formed the fourth formation.

Following Major General Sampling's order, the five patrol ships, the only ones in the United States, immediately speeded up, preparing to grab the T first.

Seeing that the U.S. fleet has assigned five cruisers to grab T, Lieutenant General Sedra will certainly not let them do what they want. The importance of grabbing a T in a naval battle does not need to be described too much, he will naturally not give the opponent a chance.

"Order Columbus and Francisco to go forward with three Maria Teresa-class ships, absolutely not allowing the other party to seize the T position."

Following Lieutenant General Sedra's order, the two Garibaldi-class ships and the three Maria Theresa-class ships immediately increased their speed, and also wanted to use their speed to grab T.

The ten cruisers of the two sides also increased the speed to the maximum formation of 20 knots. Everyone knows that when the speed of both sides is the same, as long as the opponent does not make a big mistake, it is impossible to grab the T position. The patrol formation commanders of the two sides are more cautious in the decisive battle, and it is impossible to make such a mistake, so they both gave up their plan to grab the T when they saw that they couldn't do it.

Although the Patrol did not succeed in grabbing T, Major General Samplin was also very satisfied to see that the five fastest patrols in the Spanish fleet were taken away.

"Then let's do it, increase the speed to 15 knots, and prepare for the battle."

A few minutes later, the three Indiana-class ships of the first formation of the US fleet also began to accelerate. At the same time, many protected cruisers in the third formation are also speeding up.

After the U.S. fleet decided on tactics, the Spanish fleet also made the last tactical adjustment to the entire battle situation.

"We must split up the US fleet as much as possible, otherwise, we will be under too much pressure." Looking at the US fleet in the distance, Colonel Lefer said.

"In fact, we can consider attacking the three shallow-water heavy gunships left behind." Lieutenant General Sedra looked at the three slow-moving shallow-water heavy-gunships behind with a telescope and said.

"The gain outweighs the loss... If the opponent loses three coastal defense ships, it is enough to retreat at worst. We only achieved a tactical victory. What we lose will be an opportunity to interrupt the backbone of the US Navy in a short time. We need a decisive Victory!" Colonel Lefer objected.

"Well, what should we do now? If we wait until the opposing fleet converges, we will be at a disadvantage." Lieutenant General Sedra asked. After experiencing too many battles, Sedra showed extreme trust in the Colonel Lefer from Italy. Although he may be a little dissatisfied with Colonel Lefer's overreaching behavior when he is not fighting, but once the war officially starts, he will still choose to listen to Colonel Lefer. After all, the strong have the final say in war .

"Let the ones behind, the Duke of Ulloa (Venice) and the Marquis Venardito (Brescia), block the opponent's cruiser formation, we need to create opportunities." After glancing at the two Tunisian-class warships behind, It took a lot of determination to speak out about this plan.

"This is a very difficult moment to make a decision. We may lose one or two precious warships." Lieutenant General Sedra said with a gloomy expression.

"But we can win the war, we just need to know this!" Colonel Lefer said mercilessly.

Vice Admiral Sedra cherishes any warship in the fleet, but Colonel Leifer is more concerned about the outcome of the war! As for how much the Spanish fleet will be left after this war is over, whether it exists in name or not, it has nothing to do with him. After all, he was an officer of the Kingdom of Italy, not Spain.

"Well, since that's the case, we can only do this." Looking back at the two Venice-class armored cruisers in the back, Lieutenant General Sedra said with a bit of heartache.

With the two sides facing each other, the relative speed of the two fleets was as high as 30 knots, and the distance of more than 30 kilometers was less than half an hour. The two sides quickly made the final adjustments. The moment of collision It must be earth-shattering!

However, before the main warships of the two sides collided, the patrol formations of the two sides exchanged fire first.

"Fire!"

Accompanied by the gunner's command to fire, the 254mm 40L main guns of the two Garibaldi-class ships took the lead in roaring!

Immediately, the entire sea was filled with fiery snakes. Hundreds of kilograms of shells flew out of the barrel at a speed of more than 700 meters per second and flew towards the fleet in the distance. A few seconds later, the U.S. patrol fleet 6,000 meters away was surrounded by thick water columns. A dull explosion sound suddenly came from a distance, and a shell hit the middle of the hull of the Pennsylvania accurately. , The heavy shell directly tore through the upper armor belt, which was only 4 inches, and rushed into the internal cabin, accompanied by an explosion. A puff of black smoke mixed with debris and flames erupted from the breach.

"Fire!" Originally, the U.S. patrol formation planned to get closer and then fire. After all, the Pennsylvania class has only been in service for a short time, and the training level is not enough. But the opponent's first blow made the formation commander Colonel Simpson have to consider the morale issue. Sometimes, firing itself is a way to overcome fear. When seeing rounds of shells continuously shooting out of the muzzle, people will put all their energy into the battle, and only in this way, they will release their hearts. fear.

After a short silence. All the 305mm main guns and 203mm secondary guns of the US patrol formation also spewed a fatal rain of bullets at the opposite Spanish fleet.

For a moment, the sea between the two sides was completely covered by gunpowder smoke and flames. Accompanied by bursts of vibrations, the roar of dozens of artillery resounded throughout the battlefield. From time to time, warships were hit, and groups of huge flames gushed out from the side of the ship. Debris and blood were scattered all around with a huge explosion.

Under the command of the officers, the sailors struggled to put out the flames at the places where they were shot. Repair damaged hulls and rescue wounded comrades. But as the distance between the two sides approached, more and more hits made it all futile. All the places exposed on the surface of the hull without armor protection are the restricted area of ​​the **** of death. Even if it leaks outside for a few seconds, it may be swept into a blood gourd by shrapnel flying from nowhere.

When the patrol formation was in full swing, the battleships also caught fire.

According to the pre-arranged tactics, the two Venetian-class cruisers faced each other's one-vote protective cruiser.

"At the beginning of the war, the two Venetian-class cruisers faced great pressure. On average, each cruiser could only use four 10-inch main guns and eight 6-inch guns to fight against opponents who were more than twice their own. The firepower, whether it is the Duke of Ulloa or the Marquis Venaditto, is under great pressure, and our firepower is at a disadvantage." - Excerpted from Lieutenant General Sedra's autobiography "The Battle of the Caribbean".

After the two Venetian-class ships took away one of the opponent's protected cruisers, the two Turin-class ships faced off against the opponent's three Indiana-class ships.

In terms of the three warship indicators of firepower, protection, and speed, the Indiana class is far from being comparable to the Turin class. Especially with a displacement of 10,000 tons, the Indiana class is equipped with 4 (twin-mounted) 330mm main guns, 8 (twin-mounted) 203mm secondary guns, and 4 152mm guns. This method makes the Indiana-class reserve buoyancy very little, and the installed side armor is easy to sink below the waterline due to the freeboard problem, which cannot provide effective defense; and the hull cannot balance the weight of the 13-inch artillery, so that the naval gun cannot be used at the highest level. Fired at an angle, the range suffers.

Therefore, in the exchange of fire, Colonel Lefer felt that the three battleships of the opponent failed to create pressure on himself. But since the Indiana class didn't put pressure on him, the pressure turned to the other side.

In less than 3 minutes, the 356mm 35L main guns of the two Turin-class battleships scored hits. An armor-piercing projectile passed through the bow of the Oregon obliquely, and after penetrating the hull plate, it exploded in the anchor room, blowing off half of the bow.

The officers and soldiers on the two Turin-class battleships who saw the results of the battle continued to make persistent efforts. In the next three minutes, they continued to score two hits. These two armor-piercing projectiles hit the middle of the Oregon's hull, blowing a twin 203mm gun and a 152mm gun into pieces.

The battleship Oregon at the back of the team drew two 13-inch guns and two 8-inch guns, and several 6-pound guns aimed at the Cologne, which was pouring fire on the New York. With the support of the Oregon, the Colon was soon surrounded by large and small water jets. Lady Luck did not keep the Americans waiting too long. In less than 10 minutes, the Americans' main guns finally made the first round. Hit!

A 330mm main gun shell weighing 412.6KG slammed into the twin 152mm secondary guns on the midship of the Isabel II at a speed of more than 500 meters per second. The entire secondary battery was torn to pieces. At the same time, the flue in the midship of the battleship was ruptured by the explosion, allowing thick smoke to billow out from the rupture. Blocked the line of sight of the two nearby 152mm secondary guns.

At this time, the battlefield was divided into three parts, at the southern end; two Garibaldi-class cruisers led three Maria Teresa-class patrols against four Pennsylvania-class patrols and one New York-class No. 2 The USS Brooklyn. In the midsection; two Torinos against three Indiana. In the northern section; two Venetian-class cruisers bear the pressure of a group of protected cruisers.

At this time, the most likely to affect the battle situation is the duel between the two armed patrols at the southern end.

And here, the two Garibaldi-class Columbus and Francisco hit more and more smoothly, hitting their opponents Pennsylvania and California every time. In addition to the gunners becoming more and more proficient, the unified firing command Yi also contributed a lot.

At this time, a huge change occurred on the battlefield. A 254mm artillery shell fired from the USS Columbus flew over the long sea area and smashed open the armor under the rear main turret of the USS California.

Immediately there was a violent explosion. At this time, the conveyor belt happened to be transporting shells and propellant powder, so it was a tragedy.

boom! Accompanied by a loud noise, dozens of packets of propellants and shells were detonated. The explosion of thousands of kilograms of explosives and propellants was astonishing. A huge fireball burst out from the middle of the entire battleship, and pieces of the upper deck were torn apart. Countless fragments were rushed into the air by the shock wave generated by the explosion, and then fluttered and fell on the sea surface with a radius of several hundred meters, and some fell on the deck, and there was a burst of "shrapnel rain".

And this fierce explosion broke the keel of the California, and the ship sank at a speed visible to the naked eye. Of the more than 500 officers and soldiers on board, only one survived.

The sudden explosion of ammunition on the USS California changed the situation on the battlefield. The US patrol formation, which was still slightly superior, fell into a disadvantage at this time. More importantly, the explosion of the USS California also affected the morale of the American officers and soldiers participating in the war.

"Closer, let's get closer."

After seeing his patrol was sunk, Colonel Simpson, who led the team, became ruthless. He felt that the accuracy of the opponent's artillery was much higher than that of his side. In such a medium-to-long-distance exchange of fire, his side would suffer a lot and needed to get closer.

As he ordered the four American patrols to speed up immediately, they tried to narrow the distance between the two sides.

Faced with the actions of the American patrol formation, the Spanish patrol formation naturally knew everything about it. If it is a single battle, then the best way at this time is naturally to continue to move and prevent the US formation from approaching. But this is not a separate battle, so the approach is different.

"Concentrate firepower and attack the Brooklyn at the rear."

Colonel Ramos, the Spanish commander who led the team, ordered the formation to give priority to solving the opponent's weakest Brooklyn while taking this opportunity.

The muzzles of dozens of naval guns were aimed at this first American cruiser. Brooklyn is a bit of a misnomer to be called an armored cruiser, since her armor was only 3 inches thick, and it was a low waterline armor that didn't cover its full length. As a patrol, it is actually not a qualified product.

At this time, the misnamed Brooklyn ship patrolled and became the next target.

"Boom boom boom!"

Dozens of naval guns suddenly opened fire on it, making Brooklyn like a sampan struggling in a flame storm. The incoming 254mm armor-piercing projectile hit. The mere 4-inch slanted armor could not stop the attack of the 287KG armor-piercing projectile. The shell cut the armor plate in front of it into pieces like cutting butter, and then flew directly into the boiler. Accompanied by the impact of shells and boilers. A loud bang resounded throughout the battlefield.

After the boiler exploded, the high-temperature and high-pressure steam lost its restraint and gushed out from the breach in an instant, tearing the fragile hull of the ship from the long-term battle! White steam and yellow-green delay symbolize destruction, and the entire battleship slows down quickly. The propeller turned unwillingly. However, having lost its power, it was forced to slowly stop turning, drifting in the current like a dead fish, and the hull was seriously damaged in the big explosion. Numerous breaches caused the warship to tilt rapidly, and the Brooklyn, which had lost its power, could no longer dispatch stagnant water. It was only a matter of time before it sank.

Seeing that he was losing another battleship, Colonel Simpson's eyes turned red.

At this time, the distance between the two parties has reached 3000 meters.

"Fire and send them all to hell!"

Accompanied by the roar of Colonel Simpson, the three Pennsylvania-class patrols are also fully fired~www.mtlnovel.com~ The fierce artillery fire is directed towards the Spanish patrol formation.

Facing the artillery fire of the three Pennsylvania-class ships, the Maria Teresa was the first to be baptized. It was hit by two 305mm shells, and one exploded on the bridge, setting a fire behind the chimney. Another shot hit the waterline of the stern, pierced the 4-inch tail armor, and opened a hole of about 1 meter. After the turbulent seawater poured in, the speed of the warship was reduced by about 1 knot.

Seeing that the Maria Teresa has been slowed down, what are you waiting for? A serious illness will kill him.

Next, the Maria Teresa continued to suffer more violent attacks. The Maria Teresa struggled to turn its body in the rain of bullets, trying to avoid part of the artillery fire. But how is this possible. Under the fire of artillery of various calibers, the Maria Teresa was turned into a burning torch within tens of minutes. Small various irregular wounds.

A more deadly blow came from the third ship of the Pennsylvania-class cruiser, the Colorado. A 305mm shell from its front main gun hit the waterline of the Maria Teresa. The violent explosion instantly tore apart a long 3 Meters, 1 meter wide opening, the influx of a large amount of seawater put this warship on the verge of death.

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