My Italian: Chapter 417 naval battle over

Chapter 417 naval battle over

The engagement off Santiago had reached a critical moment, at least for the Spanish fleet.

The fight between the two Garibaldi-class cruisers and the two Pennsylvania-class cruisers was still going on, and both sides tried to throw shells at each other as accurately as possible.

Some people may want to ask, isn’t there a Maria Teresa-class cruiser, why haven’t I seen it?

In fact, it is very simple. In view of the poor performance of the Maria Teresa class on the battlefield, Colonel Ramos directly sent them to support the two Venetian class ships. Facing the seven protected cruisers in the United States, the two Venetian-class ships are under too much pressure, although the Maria Teresa-class performance is not very good on the 10,000-ton cruiser battlefield (the 7,000-ton cruiser needs to ensure a speed of 20 knots, in terms of firepower Certain concessions must be made in terms of protection), but in the face of protective cruisers, they can be used to their advantage.

"Boom boom boom!"

A new round of salvos from two Garibaldi-class ships started again. Thirteen rounds of 254mm artillery shells, after a distance of three kilometers, some fell into the sea, and some stuck in the hull of the Pennsylvania or New Jersey On board, the violent explosion caused great damage to the two ships.

The two Garibaldi-class ships were also bombarded by artillery fire from the Pennsylvania and the New Jersey. Their 305mm main guns and 152mm secondary guns were also constantly counterattacking the Columbus and the Francisco.

After a long firefight, the two Garibaldi-class cruisers were damaged. Among them, the turret of the No. 3 main gun of the Columbus was damaged and could no longer be used, and the 254mm gun barrel of the Francisco was also interrupted. In addition to the main gun, as for the 76mm gun and the 57mm gun, the loss is quite large.

In addition to the loss of artillery, the hull of the Columbus was not small, and many of its armor plates were knocked off. However, the heaviest injury was the huge gap below the bow, which was hit by the 305mm main gun on the Pennsylvania, and this gap also allowed dozens of tons of water to enter the bow of the Columbus, and it also slowed Columbus down. .

As for the Francisco, the situation is not much different from that of the Columbus, and the loss is not small.

Of course, the Pennsylvania and the New Jersey are not having a good time, and their losses will not be lower than the two Garibaldi-class cruisers.

However, although the two looked similarly injured, the officers and soldiers on the Pennsylvania and the New Jersey were terrified, because they all saw the powerful combat effectiveness of the two Garibaldi-class patrols. After fighting for so long, the three Maria Teresa-class cruisers are purely make up. It was these two battleships that really caused great harm to them, but they realized it too late, or they were a little unlucky.

No, a 254mm artillery shell fired from the Francisco slammed into the right side of the New Jersey on the side of the ship with a screaming sound. The shell tore through the upper 102 mm thick armor without any suspense, and exploded inside the hull.

The vast energy released by high explosives. The temperature and pressure of the surrounding air were raised to a terrifying level in an instant, and the fiery red surging air wave carried a large number of irregular twisted shrapnel and liquid metal and flew into the sky, erupting like a hurricane volcano.

A dozen or so American sailors didn't even have time to snort before they were instantly swallowed by the high-temperature shrapnel, their limbs flew all over the place in an instant, and their blood spurted like a flash flood. The violent explosion also swept through the adjacent cabins, and the flames and air waves reached it, the flames rolled wildly, the steel armor shattered, and it was a mess.

The huge hull of the USS New Jersey suddenly shook violently, making a palpitating tearing sound, and the flames and smoke billowed out of the hole. It looked extremely embarrassing and miserable.

It was clear that the New Jersey had been badly damaged.

"Let the USS New Jersey retreat immediately, and we will cover its evacuation. Also send a telegram to Major General Samplin, our patrol team has failed, please consider it carefully."

Seeing that the New Jersey was severely damaged, Colonel Simpson immediately evacuated it. A heavily damaged cruiser can't continue to stay, it needs to leave quickly.

As for only his own warship left, he will try his best to hold back the opponent's two ships, for which he has the consciousness of sacrificing himself here. Of course, if he failed to sacrifice here, then he would let those idiots in the battleship design department know what happened to the naval officers and soldiers driving the garbage they designed.

Colonel Simpson's dissatisfaction was deeply touched by Rear Admiral Sampling on the Oregon. "Damn, the performance gap of this battleship is too great."

In front of his eyes, the shallow-water heavy artillery ship BM2 was already scarred.

Speaking of which, the three shallow-water heavy gunships were unlucky enough. They were first used as bait, and finally fought with the fort. Then after the Spanish fleet was attracted to fight, the three shallow-water heavy gunships hurried over. However, due to the long distance between the two parties to the battle, the three shallow-water heavy gunboats could only run at a maximum speed of 10 knots, so the required It's been a little longer.

But when they rushed to the battlefield, they were a little dumbfounded. The battlefield was divided into three parts, and they didn't know which part to start with. At this time, the Indiana caused heavy damage, and Major General Samplin hurriedly asked her to rush over to top it.

Major General Samplin was very dissatisfied with the performance of the Indiana class on the battlefield, especially after comparing it with the opposing Turin class. Before the Spanish battleships exchanged fire, he believed that although the Indiana-class battleships were not very good, their performance would not be too bad. Relying on a large number of cruisers, the chances of the US fleet winning were quite high.

However, this idea of his has been hopeless since the battle. The gap between the two parties is quite large. In addition to the performance of the battleship, the training of officers and soldiers and command are much higher than that of their own fleet. If it weren't for the advantage in tonnage and the number of warships, the defeat would come faster.

But now, he needs to consider for the U.S. Navy. This naval battle has done its best.

"Send a message to the BM3 and BM5 ships, asking them to hold back the enemy. In addition, send a message to the third formation, asking them to prepare to evacuate."

That's right, after losing several warships, even Major General Sampling must admit that this naval battle cannot be won, and the issue of retreat must be considered.

And following his orders, the two shallow-water heavy artillery warships that knew they had been abandoned had no choice but to step forward.

"Let's meet the enemy, boys, we have nowhere to go. The Spaniards are nothing to fear, our 10-inch guns can also knock through the opponent's armor!" An officer encouraged his subordinates to fight.

Seeing the two shallow-water heavy artillery battleships coming up, Lieutenant General Sedra glanced at the two Turin-class battleships under his command. Now the two ships are full of scars. The artillery alone has lost three 356mm main guns and nine 152mm secondary guns. Finally, the 76mm guns and 47mm guns have lost a lot.

Of course, in addition to the loss of the naval guns, the hull is also riddled with holes, but the most important waterline is intact, which also prevents the power of the two ships from being damaged. Even the damaged Turin class is not something that two shallow water heavy gunships can humiliate. Yes, Lieutenant General Sedra considered this a humiliation.

"Sink them."

Following Lieutenant General Sedra's order, the two Turin-class battleships immediately turned their guns towards the two shallow-water heavy gunships.

"Fire!"

Following an order, more than 20 large-caliber artillery pieces of the two warships spewed tongues of flame into the distance, and the orange flames and gunpowder smoke at the muzzles became one piece. The shell weighing 427KG flew at a muzzle velocity of more than 700 meters, and flew across the 3.5KM wide sea in less than 6 seconds, covering the two shallow water heavy artillery ships in a water column.

Five minutes later, a 427KG 14-inch shell plunged into the middle deck of the bm3 shallow-water heavy gunship! The 6-inch Harvey nickel-steel armor can't stop the blow of the 14-inch armor-piercing projectile.

The quenched and hardened projectile easily tore through the armor and plunged into the middle deck. After passing through 2 cabins, it exploded at a distance of about one cabin from the flue!

More than a dozen kilograms of explosives mixed with shrapnel and hull fragments turned the surroundings into a burning purgatory. The high-speed debris easily tore apart the compartment wall, and the shock wave and fire generated by the explosion spread to the surroundings along with the breach, and thick smoke billowed from the midship of the BM3's hull.

"Fire and counter those Spaniards." The American gunner cursed as he operated the gun.

But those 10-inch heavy guns that give people a sense of security are not as good as people think. The American-made 10-inch 35L guns are very backward in nature, and even the propellant is still maroon gunpowder. The crude turrets, backward ammunition feeding and loading systems, and the long-lasting smoke after shooting make these caliber 10-inch guns unable to exert their power.

Numerous 356mm and 152mm artillery shells swept towards the American warship like raindrops. In less than 5 minutes, bm3 was hit by at least 3 large-caliber artillery shells, and each 356mm shell was like a heavy hammer. Constantly knocking on the fragile hull of bm3.

I saw a huge fireball hit the bridge of bm3 fiercely. After the shell exploded, the flames spread rapidly, almost completely covering the small bridge of the bm3. Accompanied by the crackling sound and the continuous hitting of the shells, the wooden part of the bm3 bridge was quickly reduced to ashes, and the steel bracket was also softened and bent in the flames! Under the heavy pressure, it made a tooth-sucking creaking sound. The shallow water heavy artillery ship bm3 is numbered.

When bm3 was destroyed, bm5 was about to follow in its footsteps.

BM5 was also hit hard, all the artillery on the warring side was destroyed, and a large amount of sea water poured in from the side line. Pushing down the already insufficient freeboard further, the flames and smoke on the bridge less than 5 feet from the waterline have turned this battleship into a purgatory.

From time to time, American officers and soldiers covered in fire jumped into the water. As the sea water flowed through the damaged cabin and entered the engine room, the boilers that had already been overwhelmed finally shut down. The profusion of steam gushing from the breach seemed to be the last sigh of a dying man.

Immediately, the entire battleship slowly tilted to the left, and finally capsized quickly, the entire bottom of the ship was upside down on the sea, surrounded by struggling US Navy personnel, the sound of dying struggles was connected with hysterical shouts and calls for help.

The two shallow-water heavy gunships were destroyed after only blocking for more than 20 minutes, and even the Oregon did not run far.

"Catch up, don't let the ship go."

Under the order of Lieutenant General Sedra, the two Turin-class ships increased their speed and chased after the Oregon.

Although the speed of 16 knots is not fast, it is different against the backdrop of the 13-knot USS Oregon.

"Let the ships evacuate quickly, and we will hold back the opponent."

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Rear Admiral Sampling also became ruthless, saying that he wanted to let the U.S. Navy retain more vitality.

"Report, Colonel Ramos reports that they have defeated the enemy patrol formation, sank 3 Pennsylvania-class patrols, 1 New York-class patrol, and escaped with serious injuries. Now request instructions."

Lieutenant General Sedra, who was chasing the enemy ship, ordered immediately after hearing the good news. "Send a report to Colonel Ramos, allowing him to pursue the fleeing US ship, with darkness as the criterion."

After allowing Colonel Ramos to pursue, Lieutenant General Sedra stared at the Oregon ahead, which was preparing for a desperate battle, and laughed. "It seems that the enemy wants a decent end, so we will give them a decent end."

As the two warships approached, the two sides continued to throw tons of ammunition at each other. At this time, it was a competition of firepower and protection to see who could overwhelm the opponent first. This kind of confrontation has no fancy at all, everything speaks by strength. In this kind of high-intensity confrontation, the Indiana-class Oregon has no confidence at all.