My Italian: Chapter 506 Great White Fleet Part 1

The disaster of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius came and went quickly. A month after the volcano stopped erupting, parts of the province of Campania, where Naples is located, have returned to normal. In addition to those who lost their loved ones in this catastrophe, who are still thinking about it in pain, the volcanic eruption has already become a topic of discussion among other populations.

Of course, Naples' losses were not small. According to subsequent statistics, the total value of its losses was around 46 million lire. The main damage came from the destroyed town of Ottaviano and the shutdown of surrounding factories caused by volcanic ash.

However, these losses are not borne by the people or the factories themselves, and the government has more or less provided a relief fund to compensate some of their losses.

Therefore, this volcanic eruption has also become the memory of most people.

The disaster caused by the volcanic eruption has basically come to an end, but life still has to go on.

And one day more than a month later, a large number of warships ushered in the port of Naples. Anyone who is familiar with the navy will definitely be very surprised, because the warships that the Italian navy can afford are all gathered here. I am afraid that they want to designate the port of Naples as a military port, right?

It is not surprising that some people think so, because there are very few warships that Italy can produce at present. Except for one battleship Dreadnought, the others are all warships of several thousand tons, and there is not one of tens of thousands of tons. This makes the famous The Italian Navy was a little embarrassed.

There is no way, who made the Italian Navy sell ships too hard before, and also retired a large number of old warships in order to build ships, resulting in today's incomplete situation. This can't even find a battleship that supports the facade.

But don't worry, at present, two Dante-class battleships are about to enter service, and two more are about to be launched. Moreover, one of the new large cruisers of the Taranto class is about to be launched. It will only take a year for the Italian Navy to change a lot. As for the small difficulties now, just overcome them.

In addition, although Italy is not able to produce large warships, it is different for small and medium-sized warships. The Piedmont-class light cruiser at 26 knots, or the new destroyer at around 30 knots, are all very interesting small characters.

There is a reason why these warships gather here, because the visiting fleet from the United States is about to arrive in Naples, so Italy, the host, naturally needs to send warships to meet it.

Perhaps someone has already thought of it, yes, it is the famous Great White Fleet who is visiting this time. Compared with history, the timing of this visit was two years earlier.

The reasons are also caused by many aspects. One is that after the victory of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was too active in the Pacific Ocean, and it was suspected of squeezing the interests of the United States in the region. Therefore, this US fleet's global visit has factors to show its own strength.

The second is that Roosevelt, the new president of the United States, is an admirer of the theory of sea power (like William II). He attaches great importance to the navy and is willing to support the navy to show its strength to countries around the world.

The third is that the United States has built a lot of warships in recent years. In just six or seven years, the United States has built 16 large warships. It is also after the family has enough wealth that the United States has the idea of ​​showing it to other countries.

This is not just to show off the strength of the U.S. Navy, but also because it can benefit the United States. For example, on the issue of the Panama Canal, the United States relied on its expanded navy to force the French to let go of the Panama Canal.

And the U.S. Navy, which has tasted the sweetness, intends to show it to other countries while the current warships in hand are not outdated. I feel that the effect is not bad. Japan, which was a little noisy before, immediately showed enough enthusiasm.

When the fleet arrived in Japan, the Japanese Navy sent 16 of its best warships to welcome them. Since then, the fleet was not only summoned by Emperor Meiji, but Admiral Togo Heihachiro, the commander of the joint fleet, also had a good conversation with the officers and soldiers of the US Navy. And the celebration lasted for a whole week, which made the US Navy quite happy.

No way, the 16 newly built pre-dreadnought battleships do look majestic and majestic, enough to demonstrate the strong industrial strength of the United States. So much so that in order to allow it to pass through the Suez Canal, the canal had to be temporarily closed to other ships for 4 days.

And now that this majestic visiting fleet is about to arrive in Naples, the Italian side, as the host, of course cannot dissatisfy the guests, so all kinds of warships that Italy can afford gather here, waiting for the arrival of the American fleet.

Gu Mo

"Vice Admiral, the American fleet is almost here."

On the flagship Intrepid, Lieutenant General Hilma, the commander of the local fleet who was in charge of welcoming the team, immediately spoke after hearing what the communications officer said. "Order, each ship prepares in turn to welcome American friends from afar."

Lieutenant General Hilma's words literally mean, because the current relationship between the two countries is very good, so giving each other enough respect is the character that the Italian Navy should have.

Following Lieutenant General Hilma's words, the Italian warships also started to start, and they lined up in a long line, waiting for the visiting American fleet.

The American fleet in the distance has already shown its figure and is heading towards Naples at high speed.

In the welcome sound of the salute, the visiting American fleet entered the port of Naples one by one.

"Hello, Major General Sperry, welcome to Italy."

During the welcoming ceremony, Lieutenant General Hilma stepped forward to shake the hand of Rear Admiral Sperry, commander of the US Great White Fleet.

"Hello, Lieutenant General Hilma, thank you for your welcome."

As the commander of the Great White Fleet, Rear Admiral Sperry has also visited many countries and ports, and he is familiar with diplomatic etiquette.

Afterwards, the generals of the two sides shook hands with each other, and when Rear Admiral Sperry walked up to a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of an Italian Rear Admiral, he said with complicated eyes~www.mtlnovel.com~ Hello, Rear Admiral Lefer . Your name is very famous, and our colleagues all admire your command level. "

The words of Major General Sperry show that they know who they have suffered at the hands of. Of course, this is not to turn over old scores, but to show due respect.

Facing Sperry's meaningful words, Lefer, who had been promoted to major general, could only answer with a smile. "Thank you for your recognition from colleagues in your country, but everything is in the past, we should look forward."

"Your Excellency is right, we should look forward."

At the welcome dinner that night, officers from the United States frequently toasted Lefer. Even the battle-tested Lefer couldn't stand it, and he didn't even know how to leave.

This also shows that what the Yankees said about letting go is a bit insincere.

However, finding a spot at the wine table is not the main reason for this visit to Italy, and the officers of the US Navy are also aware of this.

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