The sinking of the Majesty did not cause much damage to the strength of the British and French fleets. Even the British themselves did not feel sorry for this old-fashioned warship, but the blow to morale was very serious. Fourteen battleships besieged four of them, and so far they have not
Inflicting any damage worth mentioning to the enemy, but letting the enemy sink one of his own ships, it would be strange to say that he is not frustrated!
But the problem is that these four United Forces-class battleships are too strong. They are so strong that they are so strong that the United Forces took six rounds of 305 shells, and they were either hit on the waterline or on the turret. It can be said that
In an important position, there was no damage at all, and it was all bounced away by the hard alloy armor. The more the battle went on, the more desperate it became. The sailors in the British and French fleets cursed in anger, but it was useless, they still just
Blocking in the middle of the narrow strait like four steel fortresses, any warship that wants to enter the Adriatic Sea must first face their three, five, or six giant guns.
In the following battle, the British and French fleets became more cautious, especially the British battleships. They were determined not to get too close. Although these battleships were no longer of much value, the experienced officers and soldiers were very valuable.
The new battleships being built one after another on the British slipway are still waiting for them. It takes several years to train an excellent naval officer, and if they can be killed in one shot, the damage will be great.
Because the Majestic sank so fast, not a single one of the hundreds of officers and soldiers escaped, and they all fed on the fish. Once a battleship sank due to its own weight, it would do so very quickly, and it would be difficult for the crew to escape.
But if you don't close the distance to an extremely dangerous level, there is no centralized fire control on these old battleships, and the elevation angle is at most more than ten degrees. Most old-fashioned artillery with a caliber of less than 40 times cannot hit the enemy at all. In desperation, the British
The people had no choice but to shamelessly harass and push the real combat task to the French. At most, they could only attract a small amount of firepower.
But the French's six Guba-class ships are also having a hard time. In addition to their speed and number of artillery, their other artillery calibers and protection capabilities are one level behind the enemy. No matter where they are in the joint force level, they can't hit it.
Cause substantial damage, but other people's shells can cause serious damage no matter where they hit. Just half an hour into the battle, all six Guba-class ships were injured, especially the France, which was hit by two ships on the waterline.
A piercing explosive bomb was fired, and the water intrusion was controlled in time. However, the ship's hull was tilted severely, so the ship had to withdraw from the battle and ran to the side to watch the fun.
This made the battle for the remaining five Guba-class ships even more difficult. Fortunately, at this time, the battle between the light battleships saved a bit of face for the British and French fleets because of their large numbers. Their nearly a hundred cruisers and destroyers besieged the Austro-Hungarian fleet.
So far, it has sunk an old protected cruiser and a destroyer, but it has also allowed the Austro-Hungarian fleet to torpedo a diesel-powered light cruiser.
"There is a submarine under the water!" At this time, the sonar soldier on the Ottoman I suddenly reported. At this time, all countries have begun to vigorously develop submarines. Both Britain, France and Germany and Austria have a certain number of underwater fleets, so Yang's Shipyard
The warships built are all equipped with sonar with good performance, which is of course very primitive compared to what China itself uses.
"What position?" the Ottoman naval commander who was watching the battle asked hurriedly.
The sonar crew quickly determined the location of the submarine.
"The ones sailing out from the Adriatic Sea must be Austrians. The two ships are sailing underwater on our side. They are probably..." As Du Xigui spoke, he raised his head and looked at the France that had retreated into the distance.
He stopped laughing and looked at the Ottoman naval commander with questioning eyes.
You must know that this submarine is sailing in Ottoman territorial waters.
The Commander shrugged, without saying a word, and continued to watch the fun with his binoculars. After understanding his intention, the Ottoman warship that was originally on the route of the two submarines inadvertently stepped back to make way for these guys.
, the water in this area is very shallow, and it would not be very lively if it collided with a submersible submarine.
The British and French fleets that were fighting on the sea had no idea that two hidden killers were slowly passing by the battlefield underwater. There was sonar on the Osman I, but not on their warships. The British were still experimenting with hydrophones.
In the room! This thing, which was only invented in 1906, has been greatly advanced due to the war.
There were still no substantial changes on the battlefield. The four Combined Force-class ships, after being convinced that the enemy's shells could not penetrate their own armor, became more confident. They did not even bother to perform any maneuvers and simply stopped on the sea to serve as floating forts.
, and occasionally used the 356 main guns to support the cruisers and destroyers. Although it was only occasional, it also caused great psychological pressure on the British and French fleets. You must know that their battlefield is very small. In the Ottoman Navy, they strictly guard their own
When it comes to territorial waters, the Italian Navy also strictly guards its territorial waters, and the entire battlefield is completely compressed to a width of less than 40 kilometers.
Within this range, the main guns of the four Combined Forces-class battleships can completely cover the entire battlefield.
The French also tried to bring the fighting distance closer. After all, they could not penetrate the armor. No matter how many shells they hit, it would be meaningless. However, as soon as they entered the ten-kilometer range, the Jean Bart took a shot, and this shell
It even easily penetrated the front of the main battery turret, the thickest armor on the entire battleship, directly disabling a main gun. After leaning forward, the Guba took another one. This shell penetrated the waterline armor and continued to attack.
The Frenchman was so frightened that he almost destroyed the host computer and quickly distanced himself.
At this time, the two submarines finally reached the side of the France. The battleship, which had been tilted severely, finally leveled up again after injecting hundreds of tons of seawater into the other side, and an internal process was also carried out.
After urgent repairs, although the speed will definitely drop significantly, fortunately, this battle does not require speed. Now they are preparing to rejoin the battlefield. The French sailors are all high-spirited and vow to use victory to defend the honor of the French Republic.
, had no idea that just one kilometer away, two periscopes were quietly rising.
On the Austro-Hungarian Navy submarine U2, the captain used the periscope sight line to lock the midship of the French ship, and then issued the launch order. The two torpedo launch ports on the bow of this small submarine of only 300 tons, two Bofors
Heavy torpedoes made in Sri Lanka were fired one after another, and almost at the same time on the submarine U1 not far away, the same two steam gas torpedoes were also shot out with a clear trajectory, and hit the France at a high speed of 45 knots.
These are the only two submarines currently owned by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. They were purchased directly from Germany, but the subsequent four self-produced submarines are almost completed.
"Torpedo!" The observers' heart-rending screams immediately rang out on the France, which was preparing to sail to the battlefield. More than a thousand officers and soldiers were instantly confused. Like their captain, they all looked at the straight-faced man in dumbfounded eyes.
There were four tracks heading towards his starboard side, and the poor captain even forgot to give the order to turn the rudder.
Of course, even if he gave the order, it would be useless. At this time, the France had just started, and its speed was less than five knots. It was no different from anchoring on the sea. What's more, the distance between the two sides was so close. Even if the torpedo of forty-five knots wanted to hit it, it would be impossible.
It doesn't take a minute.
"Turn the helm!" After being stunned for more than ten seconds, the captain of the French roared like crazy. This giant ship with a displacement of 21,000 tons slowly moved its huge body, like a stranded humpback whale.
.
Half a minute later, four torpedoes with a charge of 200 kilograms hit its waterline almost simultaneously. The huge explosion that resounded across the sea stunned everyone on the battlefield, especially those on the French warships.
More than ten thousand officers and soldiers looked behind them with disbelief, looking at the battleship that was sinking at the fastest speed, a battleship that represented the ambition of the French Republic.
Fortunately, their expressions did not last long, because in less than three minutes, the France disappeared from the sea.
This tragic scene completely destroyed the French people's fighting spirit. Of course they knew that it was the submarine that did it, but no one knew where the submarine was. This is really the most terrible thing. Not knowing where the enemy is means that they cannot
Knowing who would be the next target, the entire British and French fleets became confused and hurriedly withdrew the engaged cruisers and destroyers to provide protection for the battleships.
Even those battleships had no intention of continuing to fight under such circumstances and retreated beyond the fighting distance. The five Guba-class battleships were all injured and needed repairs. The Austro-Hungarian Navy was not stupid enough anyway.
Breaking out of the Adriatic Sea, the British and French fleets would be very happy.
The first naval battle between the two major groups ended like this. The Austro-Hungarian Navy sank a perfect battleship, an old battleship, and a light cruiser of the Allied Powers group with the loss of two old cruisers and one destroyer.
Although their record is impressive, what's more important is that they firmly defended the Strait of Otranto.
Those merchant ships that sailed from Smyrna and were filled with various supplies were able to continue sailing to Durres with great swagger, and then were transferred to the Austro-Hungarian Empire merchant ships. They even did not even need to be transferred and were sent directly to Liya.
Ste.
Of course, this naval battle is just the beginning. The defense of the Adriatic Sea is far from over. Neither Britain nor France will tolerate this situation continuing. They will continue to attack the Austro-Hungarian Empire's maritime defense line, even if they continue to increase their efforts.
Opening the door to the Adriatic Sea, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will also spare no effort to protect its sea lanes. On their slipway, there are still two Combined Forces-class battleships under construction, and the battle will continue. (To be continued.
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