Battleship main guns are expensive. Each barrel costs tens of thousands, but its lifespan is only a few hundred rounds.
Groth is not yet luxurious enough to use the battleship's main gun to attack offshore patrol boats. This task can be left to destroyers. Destroyers can often have a tonnage of thousands of tons, which is enough to deal with offshore patrol boats.
After the bombardment order was issued, a destroyer pursued the offshore patrol boat, and a destroyer chased away the fishing boats on the sea not far away. There were only two destroyers left beside the "France".
Boom——
The sound of destroyers firing can be heard in the distance. Grote's blood boiled in the bridge of the "France". Soldiers must be on the battlefield to exert their greatest value.
On the sea not far from the battleship "France", the fishing boat "Harvest" from southern Africa was collecting its nets.
"Quick, move faster, we will withdraw after catching this net. The French have gone crazy - Danny, Danny, raise our flag quickly and tell those French guys that we are so British."
The fishing boat of the empire.” The boss of the boat is Moulton from the Comoros Islands. The waters near Madagascar are rich in tuna and grouper, which are very popular in southern Africa.
Southern Africa has a high demand for seafood, not only in coastal areas, but also in inland areas. Tuna and grouper are delicious, nutritious and of high economic value. Fishermen in Southern Africa
In order to catch tuna and grouper, we often work around Madagascar.
This is also due to the increasing level of shipbuilding in Southern Africa. Before the establishment of the federal government, fishing technology in Southern Africa was also very backward. Fishermen still used traditional fishing methods and their income was not high.
After South African companies began to get involved in the food industry, the fishing industry in southern Africa developed by leaps and bounds. There are thousands of fishing boats in Port Edward alone.
"Captain, we have to leave. The Union Jack of the British Empire cannot protect us." The sailors on the ship shouted in horror. Not far away, a fishing boat without a national flag was cut in half by a French destroyer, and the sailors on the fishing boat fell into the water one after another.
, the sailors on the destroyer not only had no intention of rescuing, but were laughing.
“You bastards, you executioners, you all deserve to go to hell!” Moulton stood on the bow and yelled, regardless of whether the sailors on the destroyer could hear it or not.
At this time, the destroyers formed a circle in the distance and rushed towards the "Harvest".
The sailors of the "Harvest" were suddenly in chaos. The Union Jack flag flying on the "Harvest" may not be effective against the red-eyed French.
“Don’t be afraid, our fleet is not far away, the French don’t dare to mess around!” Moulton refused the lifebuoy handed over by the sailor. There were indeed destroyers and cruisers of the Indian Ocean Fleet on the sea not far away.
Since the "France" left port, it has been under the surveillance of the Indian Ocean Fleet. If the French dare to act recklessly, the Indian Ocean Fleet will definitely not sit idly by and watch. Moulton still has great trust in the Indian Ocean Fleet.
The fact is as Moulton judged, the French destroyer did not directly hit the "Harvest", but galloped past the "Harvest".
However, when the destroyer of thousands of tons passed by the "Harvest", the waves stirred up still almost overturned the "Harvest".
At that moment, Moulton's heart almost rose to his throat. The Harvest was thrown two meters high by the waves, and then hit the sea hard. The hull made an overwhelming sound, and the waves surged from the deck.
However, all the fish that had not been put into the cabin were carried away by the waves.
“Asshole, get away, you damn guys——” Moulton was frightened. Fortunately, the sailors were well prepared and no one fell into the water.
"Hahahaha -French gram -Stupid Pig -I wish you a mitigation underwater underwater--" The sailor on the destroyer still laughed and laughed at the insulting voice intermittently.
Morton was not in the mood to care, and while swearing, he drove the "Harvest" to rescue the fishermen who fell into the water.
Not the fishermen of the "Harvest", but the fishermen who fell into the water after the destroyer rammed and sank the fishing boat.
What Moulton didn’t expect was that the destroyer not only refused to rescue the fishermen who fell into the water, but also fired at the bow of the Harvest after discovering the direction of the Harvest.
——
Fortunately, it's an anti-aircraft machine gun, not a naval gun.
“Why don’t you save people yourself and let us save them? You are still not human beings——” Only then did Moulton understand how disgusting the French were.
Fortunately, the cruisers of the Indian Ocean Fleet have arrived at the scene.
"Vicious, please stay away from our southern African fishing boats. If you dare to attack our fishing boats again, we will regard it as an act of war -" the Indian Ocean Fleet "Excellence", which has been monitoring the French fleet not far away, said to
"Vicious" shouted.
"Vicious" is the third French "Jackal" class destroyer. This class of destroyer has a displacement of 2,126 tons and is equipped with 5 130 mm caliber naval guns, 2 75 mm secondary guns, and 2 triple 550 mm torpedo tubes.
The speed is approximate and is similar to that of a typical light cruiser.
After the Washington Naval Conference, the French Navy was unable to equip super battleships, so it focused on sub-class heavy cruisers and destroyers.
Strictly speaking, France does not have a destroyer organization. French destroyers are literally translated as lightning strike ships or counterattack ships, and their roles are similar to destroyers.
"Excellence" is the latest "City" class cruiser equipped by the Southern African Navy. This class of cruiser has a displacement of 4,250 tons and is equipped with four 152 mm caliber main guns, four 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and six 12.7 mm quadruple mounts.
It has an anti-aircraft machine gun, a 533mm triple mine, and four depth bomb projectors. It has powerful air defense and anti-submarine capabilities, and also has a certain degree of ground attack capabilities.
The "City" class cruiser is the main warship equipped by the Southern African Navy. It is planned to build 16 ships to equip the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet respectively.
The 4,250-ton "Excellent" is almost twice the size of the 2,126-ton "Vicious". After the "Excellent" shouted, the "Vicious" was not afraid, and also wanted the "Excellent" to shout, declaring "Vicious"
The ship is performing its mission and warns the "Jiujiang" to leave the relevant sea area immediately.
"Whether you are performing your mission or not, you cannot harm southern African fishing boats and fishermen. You have already caused losses to the fishing boat 'Harvest' and we reserve the right to pursue you." Even if there is the French Navy's "France" not far away,
"Excellent" is still not afraid at all.
"We have exercised great restraint and have not sunk any fishing boats flying the British flag. Please leave immediately to avoid accidental damage -" the "Vicious" shouted while approaching the "Excellence", trying to force the "Excellence"
leave.
In the bridge of the "Excellence", Captain Thomas couldn't help but sneer. The displacement of the "Vicious" was hugely different from that of the "Excellence". If two warships really collided, the "Vicious" would be humiliating itself.
It is a pity that the "Excellence" is not as fast as the "Vicious", otherwise Thomas could have asked the "Vicious" to taste the taste that the "Harvest" fishing boat had just experienced.
The missions of cruisers and destroyers are different. Cruisers can act alone. Speed requirements are not important. All aspects of data must be balanced.
The main mission of the destroyer is anti-submarine escort, which requires relatively high speed and does not have much requirements in terms of attack power.
Just when the "Excellence" and the "Vicious" were having a verbal spat, in the bridge of the "France", Grote could no longer bear the "Excellence".
“Send a telegram to the Excellent. If they continue to cause trouble for us, the Excellent will be responsible for all consequences.” Grote is a soldier, and it is his bounden duty to perform tasks.
“General——” Richie Effie was startled.
"What are you afraid of? We are performing a mission, and the behavior of the 'Excellent' has caused serious interference to us. At this time, no matter if a warship from any country rashly breaks into our combat waters, it can be regarded as an act of war." Grote.
To safeguard the honor of the French Navy, if it were a French Navy warship that broke into the British Navy's combat waters, the British Navy would not be polite.
Grote's words faded, and suddenly there was a violent vibration in the bridge, and then there was a huge explosion.
The bridge suddenly became a mess.
"What's going on?" Grote was furious. In this case, the "France" was probably attacked.
“I don’t know, it seems we were attacked——” Richie Effie wasn’t sure.
If it was an attack, there would definitely be traces to follow. The shells would make a shrill sound of breaking through the air, and the torpedoes would also leave traces on the sea surface. It is impossible for the observing sailors to miss it.
Not to mention that there are two French Navy destroyers cruising next to the "France". If it is an attack, it is impossible to go undetected.
“General, the ship’s hull is severely damaged, and the No. 1 watertight compartment and No. 2 watertight compartment are seriously flooded. We continue to rescue—” Boatswain Clark Duncan stumbled into the bridge with blood on his face.
“What is going on? Is it being attacked?” Grote was heartbroken. Madagascar is 650 kilometers away from Reunion. Even if reinforcements arrive in full force, it will take at least ten hours.
“We don’t know yet, maybe it’s a torpedo, maybe it’s a magazine, but the problem is serious, and we need to be ready to abandon the ship—” Clark Duncan looked desperate.
Abandon ship?!!!
The battleship "France" was completed in 1914. Although it has been in service for more than ten years, it is still a cutting-edge battleship for the French Navy, which cannot afford to build large battleships.
As one of the only two battleships in the expeditionary force fleet, the "France" arrived in Madagascar without firing a single shot. Is it necessary to abandon the ship?
The navy has a tradition that I don’t know whether it is good or bad. Others can abandon the ship, but the captain cannot escape. He has to live and die with the warship.
