Following Lieutenant General Alvaro's order, the four most powerful 356mm main guns on the Turin fired a salvo, and the four shells flew towards the leading Yamashiro at high speed.
After flying for a few seconds, the shells plunged down, and one of them landed right on the deck of the Yamashiro.
"Boom"
A huge explosion sounded on the front deck of the Yamashiro, and both personnel and materials were wiped out. The bloody scene turned the place into a hell.
The Turin was extremely lucky and hit the target on its first test launch. Of course, this was not just due to luck. The large number of observation equipment on the top of the Turin's tower illustrates the difference.
Thanks to a certain king's words about unified observation and unified shooting, the Italian Navy spent a lot of energy and time in this regard. This thing is not too expensive to say, it mainly consists of various optical observation and calculation instruments, and then the telephone line is connected
With the forts on both sides connected, this simple shooting director is ready.
Of course, this alone is not enough. The next step is to consume a large amount of artillery shells and provide shooting standards, angles, how many propellants to load, and what kind of shells to load. After such training, a detailed list of a shooting director has been drawn up.
.
Moreover, this kind of shooting table can only be adapted to the same type of warships, and needs to be re-measured for other types of warships.
This cost is not low. You must know that the cost of launching large-caliber naval guns is very high. Therefore, the Italian fleet currently only uses this instrument on battleships and armored cruisers, and also equips them with elite naval surveying and calculation officers.
Of course, the cost is worth it. According to tests by the Italian Navy, warships equipped with shooting directors are about 20% more accurate than warships without equipment. This is already a great improvement. Of course, performance in training still needs to be
It's reflected on the battlefield, and this naval battle is definitely the ideal place for it.
As the Turin took the lead in firing, the Bari and Palermo, which followed closely behind, also opened fire in sequence. However, compared with the Turin, the Bari and Palermo did not achieve the first hit, but through their shells
It can also be seen from the point distribution that it is already quite close to the Yamashiro. Even the water splash caused by the impact of the nearest shell reached the Yamashiro's Class A.
"Boom, boom!"
Facing the artillery fire of the Italian fleet, Yamashiro also fought back hard, and the two 240mm main guns equipped on its front deck fired a vigorous fight.
However, compared with the shooting level of Italian warships, Yamashiro was far behind. The shells fired by its two main guns deviated from the target by nearly 100 meters. This was more like a protest against the bullying of Italian warships.
However, Yamashiro's resistance immediately led to greater artillery fire. The eight 254mm main guns on the two Venice-improved ships, Venice and Brescia, opened fire. Also benefiting from the simple version of the firing director, eight 254mm shells were fired.
Two of them hit Yamashiro.
Of course, the power of 254mm shells is much worse than that of 356mm, but the damage caused is not small. A 120mm rapid-fire secondary gun on the Yamashiro was directly hit, erasing it from the warship. Several people operating the gun
The officers and soldiers of the Japanese ship were directly transformed into a blood mist. And to make matters worse, in preparation for the bombardment, more than ten 120-mm artillery shells placed behind the gun position triggered a chain explosion. One 57mm gun hit the fish pond and was directly destroyed.
The other 254mm shell caused much less damage. It directly opened a hole in the side near Squadron A and broke several riveted armor plates.
Following the two cruisers were all kinds of cruisers. They were fighting more lively than the previous ones. The one that was hit with a burst of cannons was called lively, and the Yamashiro was hit one after another like willows in the wind.
. However, experienced naval officers knew that the damage they caused to Yamashiro was far less than the previous five ships. Of course, the casualties among officers and soldiers would certainly not be small.
However, the remaining officers and soldiers on the Yamashiro did not feel happy. Another deafening sound of shelling sounded, and the three loaded Turin-class battleships fired another salvo of main guns.
This time, the officers and men of the Yamashiro were not given time to pray. Three of the twelve 356 mm shells directly hit the Yamashiro.
One of them hit the chimney of the Yamashiro, and the explosion blew away the chimney of the Yamashiro. The uncontrolled thick smoke not only made it impossible for the Yamashiro to shoot in the rear half, but also caused a lot of damage to the Matsushima following closely behind.
troubles.
The second shell hit the bow side, causing a large amount of water to enter the ship, causing the Yamashiro's speed to drop significantly, from fourteen knots to ten knots.
The third shell hit the bow of the ship, causing the Yamashiro's bow to look like its nose had been cut off, making it look so ugly.
The more than 7,000-ton Yamashiro looked like it couldn't help but fight in front of the three battleships.
This may also show how lethal the Turin class, as a pre-dreadnought battleship, is against ironclads. Of course, this also has a lot to do with the 356mm large-caliber main gun. The Italian Navy is not the Beiyang Navy, nor will it only equip
There are two kinds of solid bullets and blooming bullets. As a navy with the ability to develop its own artillery shells, the Italian Navy has developed many types of artillery shells in recent years. Of course, the more important thing is the charge of the artillery shells.
Also from the guidance of a caring person, the Italian military has worked hard on the research of TNT explosives. Although limited by the quality of steel in this era, the navy does not dare to use TNT as propellant, but the shells are not affected by this.
Therefore, Italian artillery shells were fierce during this period, and the Japanese Combined Fleet became the first victim of TNT.
As one of the victims, Yuhiro Ito, who was staying on the new flagship Yoshino, felt heartbroken and happy when he saw the Yamashiro, which was severely damaged in the first place. He was heartbroken because the Yamashiro was the only armored ship currently available to the combined fleet.
,I am not an adult being bullied now.
Fortunately, the Yamashiro was used as the first human shield to resist artillery fire. If the Yamashiro had not been pushed up for safety reasons, then according to the current firepower of the Italian warships, the Sankei ship would definitely be in danger. The diversionary task
It's very difficult to complete.
Therefore, his only hope at present is that the Yamashiro must withstand it. Even if it is severely damaged, it cannot lose its combat effectiveness now.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Another round of bombardment from the Turin-class battleship caused the Yamashiro to suffer more. The front half of the Yamashiro had been beaten into shape. The only thing that was reassuring was that the Yamashiro was not sunk.
It is still sailing at sea. Although the front main gun can no longer fire, it still shows its existence.
"The enemy turned! Oh my god, how did they do it!"
The cry from the Yoshino lookout post made Ito Yuhiro quickly take the binoculars.
In the footage, the Italian fleet, led by three battleships, turned to the left. However, the turn was very forceful and neat, like a collective turn under an order.
"The enemy warships definitely have communication means to connect them."
Next to him, Izuku Shigeon immediately screamed.
Because this turn is very abnormal and too neat. You must know that the current communication methods of the Navy in battle are not very good. In addition to semaphore, only signal flares and fireworks are available, and they have not seen the enemy firing flares and using fireworks. As for semaphore communication
, cannot achieve this level of uniformity, because the semaphores are relay communications from one ship to another, which has a high delay.
Of course Lieutenant General Ito also saw the scene that Colonel Dewa could see, but now he was not dealing with the enemy ship's communication problem, so he immediately gave the order.
"Order all ships to prepare for bombardment. According to the No. B bombardment plan, the priority targets are the two Venice improved armored cruisers, and then the follow-up cruisers in turn."
Ito Yuhiro hurriedly issued the order to bombard the target, but his worries deepened in his heart. Can his intention be realized?
Now there is nothing we can do about it. Yes, Ito Yuhiro's priority target is the two Venice improved cruisers, and then other cruisers. As for the three battleships, I hope the torpedo boats can make a difference.
Following Ito Yuhiro's order, the Japanese ship officers and soldiers were gearing up, and they planned to have a good contest with the Italian fleet.
However, if they want to attack the Venetian and Brescia, they still need to ask the three Turin-class ships.
No, the Turin class completed the turn to the left and set its target on the Matsushima behind the Yamashiro.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The three Turin-class battleships fired another salvo, shrouding the Songshima.
Twelve huge 356mm artillery shells roared towards us like the god of death.
"Boom, boom!"
Two consecutive loud noises also announced that the Songdao had been hit twice.
The Songdao was hit by one shot each on the right bow side and the stern. Especially the shot at the stern almost scared the officers and soldiers of the Songdao to death. If it had hit the power room, rudder or oars, the Songdao would have been destroyed.
One way. However, the Songdao was not having a good time either. The large hole in the ship's side kept flooding, which made the damage control personnel of the Songdao exhausted. They had to close four or five cabins one after another to stabilize the ship.
After the Songdao was hit, the Combined Fleet also launched a counterattack, but compared with the Italian fleet's uniform concentration of fire, the Combined Fleet's artillery could not do this.
There was a burst of artillery fire, causing the Venetia and Brescia to be attacked by numerous artillery shells.
Among them, the greatest threat to the two Venice improved-class ships is the 38 times 320mm artillery shells specially designed to deal with the second ship. However, just like the previous battle at Dadonggou, the accuracy of the three Sanjing ships was impressive. Not a single shot hit the small boat.
The weakness of the anti-artillery was fully demonstrated. The performance of the Sanjing ship in this war was difficult to satisfy. It also let the Japanese know that don't think about opportunism on the warship, it will only hurt themselves in the end.
Although Venice and Brescia escaped the bombardment of the 320mm cannon, the 254mm artillery shells could not escape.
The main gun fire from the two 10,000-ton cruise ships Yoshino and Akitsusu prevented the two ships from dodging.
A 152mm secondary gun of the Venetian was hit on the side of the Brescia, causing considerable damage.
Moreover, in addition to the 254mm shells, 240mm, 180mm, 152mm, and 120mm shells also came one after another. The losses of the Venice and Brescia were increasing.
The shelling of Venice and Brescia attracted the attention of Lieutenant General Alvaro.
"There's something wrong with the enemy."
Out of an old navy's intuition, he felt that the enemy's intentions were somewhat impure.
"Is it because they are located farther forward and they know there is no way to deal with our battleships?"
The speculation from the deputy did not arouse the approval of Lieutenant General Alvaro. "But they should also know how terrible it is to leave our three Turin-class battleships alone. They are not even willing to interfere. Do you think their commander has never been on board?"
Is it a regular naval school? Order the Eagle to remain on standby in the outer circle and not to participate in the naval battle without my order."
That's right, although Lieutenant General Alvaro didn't know the opponent's commander's plan, he also retained a backup plan. As the dominant side, Lieutenant General Alvaro can keep more trump cards, even if the fastest eagle does not participate in the naval battle
, but can still crush the opponent.
This is the conclusion that Lieutenant General Alvaro came to from observing the previous battles, so the opponent must take action, otherwise there will be no fun.
No matter how the two commanders battled wits and courage, the lining up and bombardment continued.
While the warships of the two sides were bearing the other's cannonballs, they desperately fired their own cannonballs at the other's warships.
For a time, there were more booming cannons than firecrackers on the sea, and the two sides were fighting fiercely.
In this round of bombardment, the Italian fleet relied on the three Turin-class battleships to have an absolute advantage. In this naval battle, the Turin-class was like a father with its strong ships and powerful artillery, defeating the officers and soldiers of the United Fleet.
Complaints are endless.
In the first round of shelling, they sank the Maya (formerly the Chilean warship Pingdo), damaged the Haimen (formerly the Chilean warship Condel) and Tateyama (formerly the Chilean warship Esmeralda), and destroyed the two ships in the middle.
Songdao vividly demonstrated the capabilities of battleships in naval battles.
Of course, the combined fleet was not without results. The Italian fleet's Courage was damaged.
As for the Venezia and Brescia, which are the focus of the combined fleet, they suffered little damage due to their good armor. Except for a few secondary guns, decks, rails, etc., the core protection areas were still intact.
In this era where shields are thicker than spears, it is not too easy to sink an armored warship. Unless the caliber of the ship's guns is too different, it will be difficult to sink it.
When the line of bombardment approached the rear of the two parties, the combined fleet began their actions.
"Send the red signal flare and execute Plan B immediately."
On the flagship Yoshino, Ito Yuhiro issued orders loudly.
Following his order, a dazzling red flare rose into the sky.
Several warships immediately accelerated away from the formation and headed south without looking back, leaving other warships to accept the wrath of the coming Italian fleet.
"No, they are heading towards the transport formation."
Lieutenant General Alvaro, who was on the flagship Turin, immediately observed the actions of the Japanese ship. At this moment, he only felt cold sweat, because he was lined up with the enemy for artillery fire, so after completing a circle, the two sides were actually
The position has been changed, and now the fleet is separated from the transport formation that needs protection by the Japanese combined fleet.
"Immediately order the Eagle to move forward to intercept them. The other ships will immediately speed up to get rid of the entanglement of the enemy ships, and let us kill these bastards."
Lieutenant General Alvaro, who felt that he had been tricked by the enemy, even uttered curse words, which showed how angry he was. If the enemy succeeded, it would be a stain on his military resume and would also make him in the military.
Famous in the history of world naval warfare, he would never accept such a result.
Before Lieutenant General Alvaro could show his anger, Yuhiro Ito's backhand was revealed first. More than a dozen torpedo boats rushed out from the rear of the formation at high speed and rushed towards them with full malice.
The target is clearly the three leading Turin-class battleships. As long as Vice Admiral Alvaro dares to let the Turin-class continue to move forward, they will use torpedoes to give them a taste of their power.
In addition, the other remaining warships of the combined fleet even turned their bows to surround him, making it clear that they were trying to block his rescue.
At this time, on the battlefield, Lieutenant General Alvaro's Italian fleet was still in an artillery formation, generally arranged in a straight line, while the combined fleet was divided into two parts, one of which was responsible for intercepting and containing the formation, sparsely forming a C shape to block in front of the straight line.
Ito Yuhiro's move seems to be full of flaws. At another time, Lieutenant General Alvaro would have a hundred ways to give the opponent a try.
However, at this time, the last thing Lieutenant General Alvaro can afford is time, and these methods all take time.
Of course, Lieutenant General Alvaro also knew that his Ito opponent was betting that he must go all out to rescue him.
Lieutenant General Alvaro admitted that the other party won the bet, but even if the other party made a better move, he still had a way to get it back.
"Order the Venetian and Brescia to immediately take the Aosta, Savoa, Balut, and Gasco to intercept the enemy's attack formation. The formation is led by Major General Levi and must be transported before the enemy arrives.
Stop them in front of the formation."
The temporary rescue formation formed by Lieutenant General Alvaro is quite strong. Except for the two Venice-improved cruisers, several others are protective cruisers, which are enough to compete with the enemy's attack formation.
Of course, in addition to issuing the order to form a rescue formation, Lieutenant General Alvaro also had an order. "Send power to the USS Bari and the USS Palermo, and ask them to work with the ship to open a gap for the rescue formation, allowing the enemy to try 14 inches again."
It’s a giant cannon.”
With these words of Lieutenant General Alvaro, the naval battle entered a new stage.
