The sound of messy footsteps came from the end of the communication channel. Captain Bedico, the damage control leader of the Provence, hurriedly put on a gas mask, grabbed the fire hose, and led a group of subordinates to plunge into the fire risklessly.
The electrical watertight doors near the fire scene were locked, the contact doors of the communication channels were also tightly closed, the water pumps were turned on, and water was poured into the watertight compartments.
The damage control soldiers holding water hoses slowly advanced towards the center of the fire. Ten minutes later, the fire was gradually suppressed. If there were no accidents, the damage control team could clear the source of the fire within ten minutes.
However, even if they put out the source of the fire, what's the use? Now the Provence has completely lost its combat effectiveness. They can only say that they have avoided the sinking of the Provence, but the British offensive is still continuing.
The exhausted damage control captain finally took a break and took off his sticky gas mask. His face, blackened by the thick smoke, was just exposed, and was immediately dyed with the color of firelight. The middle-aged damage control captain took off his wet mask.
There was a pool of water stains on his shirt, and he leaned near the communication door and gasped for air.
At this time, the disheveled deputy captain of the Provence, Captain Horning, unscrewed the turnlock of the communication door. After a hasty military salute, he sent them a piece of bad news.
"Captain, on behalf of all the officers and men of the Provence, I would like to express my gratitude to you, but I must tell you now that we have decided to abandon the ship. The Provence was shot on the second deck on the port side amidships. A large amount of sea water has entered, and the hull has tilted greatly.
There is absolutely nothing we can do now, so you should prepare as soon as possible."
A British 15-inch armor-piercing projectile with an unstable fuse penetrated the entire deck and exploded outside the armored wall connecting the first and second decks, causing the Provence to completely capsize!
"Commander, the current situation is not good." Darlan's adjutant carefully glanced at Darlan, who was frowning, and suggested on a whim: "Should we ask the Germans for help now and ask them to send out the air force?
Come to the rescue!”
After all, France's own air force is not as lucky as the navy. The French air force was already severely damaged by the German army during the battle.
And the few remaining fighter planes they had were eventually taken over by the Germans without leaving any behind.
In other words, if Darlan's fleet wants to receive fighter support, the Vichy government cannot count on it. The only person they can turn to is the German government.
"Germans? Counting on Reinhard? He wants us to fight to the death with Britain so that he can reap the benefits. How could he come to help us!" Darlan shook his head and coldly rejected the adjutant's suggestion.
It is true that Darlan hated Britain, but he also would not be close to Germany.
Originally, if Churchill had truly followed his words and understood the sufferings of the French navy, then Darlan might have gradually leaned towards the British psychologically.
But now, the persecution and sneak attacks by the British Royal Navy have completely wiped out the gratitude and goodwill Darlan had just ignited towards the British.
As the battle progressed to the final stage, the Port of Oran was already ablaze with flames and thick smoke.
The sunk oil tanker spread out a large amount of fuel, causing the sea surface to burn, and the scene was horrific.
Even the flagship "Brittany" in the French port of Oran was accurately sunk by the British in an artillery duel by the British army.
Although the number of battleships was not dominant, the commander of the British fleet, Lord Forbes, concentrated almost all the gunfire of the cruisers and destroyers on this huge battleship, with remarkable results.
Of course, the French officers and soldiers under Darlan also performed very well.
Although the gunnery skills were not as good as those of the British army, the "Brittany" was still firing back at the moment it was sunk by a torpedo, demonstrating its unyielding and tenacity!
The 1,130 French officers and soldiers on board sank into the sea with the ship. However, these French people who fell into the water refused to accept rescue from the British. When faced with the helping hand extended by the British lifeboat, many people firmly replied: "I would rather be drowned."
, and will not accept rescue from betrayers!"
After the "Brittany" sank, the British ships diverted their artillery fire and continued to shoot at the other French ships. The whole connection process was as smooth as clouds and flowing water. The high degree of tacit cooperation between the British Empire officers and soldiers relying on excellent training has already made a difference in this naval battle.
Excellent performance!
"Order the fleet to break out." Darlan watched his beloved warships being sunk one after another, and finally made this heartbreaking decision in the command room in Oran Port.
"Let the severely damaged warship rush to the beach at full speed and avoid being sunk to the bottom of the sea by running aground."
Although Darlan is not a master of naval warfare, he is a famous technical man in the French Navy. In terms of technical execution, Darlan's experience is no worse than Sir Forbes and others.
Just like now, he ordered the severely damaged warships to give up the breakout and choose to run aground.
On the one hand, this can indeed prevent the battleships from sinking to the bottom of the sea no matter how seriously damaged they are. At the same time, they can also serve as a never-silent fortress on the beach and maintain artillery counterattacks.
On the one hand, there is also an anti-aircraft gun position of the harbor roadbed air defense team in Oran Port, which can help fight against British carrier-based aircraft.
The large-caliber field artillery brought in by Berante can also play a role in offshore support to a certain extent.
"Let the battleship Slatersberg open the way and bring the less damaged battleships out of the port." Darlan continued to command: "No matter what, let them merge with the support fleet I transferred as much as possible."
Looking at the harbor that was already filled with thick smoke, Darlan gritted his teeth and ordered: "Those who stay, fight back with all your strength! Even if the rest of us are completely wiped out, we must cover as many warships as possible to leave!"
"These treacherous British people, sooner or later I, Darlan, will seek revenge on them for today's revenge!" After issuing a series of orders, Darlan swore fiercely.
Therefore, under the cover of thick smoke and other turrets, the surviving French ships headed by Slatsberg passed through the port of Oran, which was already covered with shipwrecks, and sailed towards the deep sea at full speed.
During the breakout process, the Slatersberg and two destroyers continued to bombard the water surface with its main guns, blindly scanned the sea surface for mines, and cleared the road.
The British fleet, however, gave up the pursuit because Sir Forbes decided to give in as soon as possible and was worried about stepping on the mines he had laid and causing unnecessary losses.
After that, the "Slatsberg" was quickly escorted by five destroyers that came from the northern port of Algiers for support, and amid the cheers of many French naval officers and soldiers, it slowly sailed into the port of Toulon.
It escaped from the port of Oran together with the battleships that ascended into the sky, and there were only two slightly damaged destroyers.
However, the tragedy in Oran Port continued to unfold. After taking care of Darlan's main battleship, the British ships began to sweep through the remaining small battleships in the harbor-several light cruisers, some destroyers and submarines.
Already at a disadvantage, and with the loss of three remaining battleships, Darlan could no longer find a way to fight against the British army.
More and more French officers and soldiers fell into the water and were struggling on the surface of the sea. The diesel oil floating on the sea accidentally choked into their lungs when many people were breathing, and they died.
The port of Oran was no different from hell for a moment!