Since the island of Cyprus was captured, the route from the Aegean Sea to the island of Cyprus has been extremely busy. A large number of soldiers, equipment, ammunition and other materials have been continuously transported to the island.
Romania's move basically announced its intention to use the island of Cyprus as an outpost to land in the Middle East.
Faced with such a situation, Britain and France naturally couldn't bear it. So they organized naval and air forces to harass the island, but returned without success because Romania had an absolute advantage.
Several air attacks organized by its air force were repelled by Romania's superior air force. The losses made General Ted, the air force commander, feel distressed, so under his order, the British and French air forces stopped attacking Cyprus.
As for the navy, the much-impaired Mediterranean Fleet did not give up. Under the order of the new fleet commander, Lieutenant General John Colonine Tovey, the small and medium-sized warships of the Mediterranean Fleet were dispersed into several small fleets in an attempt to attack the transport ships.
The team harassed them, but they had little chance.
Think about it, the whole journey from Crete to Cyprus is only more than 500 kilometers, and it only takes more than a day to arrive. And not only are there escorts by warships, but they are also monitored by aircraft along the way.
If you get close, they will be bombarded indiscriminately, so there is no chance at all.
Therefore, the British small fleet not only failed to eat fish, but also caused a lot of trouble and lost several warships. Although they were all destroyers and cruisers, it was enough to make it feel distressed.
When things were not going well in the air and on the water, Lieutenant General Tovey thought of using a ship to delay Romania's preparations for war, that is, a submarine.
When it comes to submarines, a naval branch, Britain is extremely profound about them. During World War I, German submarines made the British Empire extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, after the end of World War I, Germany was immediately prohibited from building submarines.
In the face of underwater weapons such as submarines, the United Kingdom also eliminated several models. By the time the war began, the United Kingdom already had 57 combat submarines.
There are currently more than ten ships assigned to the Mediterranean, and the main ones currently deployed in the Mediterranean fleet are U-type and V-type.
The U-shaped displacement is 540 tons on the water surface and 630 tons underwater. The total length is 58.9 meters. It is powered by a diesel engine. It has 825 horsepower on the surface and 615 horsepower underwater. The maximum speed is 11.7 knots/water surface and 9 knots/underwater. The endurance is
10 knots/4050 nautical miles on the water, 3.5 knots 40 nautical miles underwater. There are 31 people in the boat, and the maximum diving depth is 60 meters.
The weapons are four 533mm torpedo tubes at the bow, two 533 torpedo tubes at the stern, and two external torpedo tubes with 20 rounds of 533mm torpedoes. There is also a 3-inch gun and 3 7.7
mm machine gun is a self-defense weapon.
The displacement of the V-type submarine is 545 tons on the surface, 740 tons underwater, length: 61 meters, and crew: 37 people.
/Underwater, the maximum diving depth is 62 meters.
The V-class boat is very similar to the U-class boat. Due to the improved welding process, its maximum diving depth has been increased. The horsepower of the diesel engine installed on the boat has also increased, so the maximum speed on the water surface has also been increased.
Although there are currently large submarines in the Mediterranean Fleet such as P-type, O-type, R-type, etc., they are basically fleet-type submarines built before. Moreover, their excessive displacement is not suitable for the Mediterranean environment, and their construction numbers are not as high as
There are more than two levels.
Since U-class and V-class ships are so suitable for the Mediterranean, they must be used to attack the Romanian fleet, so more than ten V-class and U-class ships set off.
Under the cover of darkness, a black shadow is sailing in the sea.
This is a British U-shaped submarine. It is slowly approaching the channel under the cover of night. This channel is the main channel for the Romanian fleet from the Love Sea to Cyprus. A large number of ships will pass here during the day, and at night
There are also Romanian destroyers and escort boats patrolling, which can be said to be quite strict.
As the captain, Edward must be very careful not to be discovered. He needs to slowly enter the channel, choose a good position and wait quietly. But before that, he needs to pass through the protective net composed of destroyers and frigates
, otherwise his efforts will be in vain, and he and the crew may have to answer here.
Why did he have to cross the blockade quietly in the night? Because during the day there are densely populated with planes and warships. Trying to cross here is tantamount to seeking death. Several colleagues who have relied on their skills and boldness have already gone to the bottom of the sea.
Tell him what happened to you.
Since this section of the waterway is so dangerous, why not try your luck in the Aegean Sea. For those who have this idea, Edward must give him two punches. At least injuring such an unreliable captain can make his crew better.
Live a few more days.
The Aegean Sea is densely covered with islands, and there are patrol planes everywhere. Anyone who takes the initiative will definitely be targeted. It is simply a graveyard for submarines, and no one, no matter how daring, wants to take the risk.
Moreover, if the crew knew that the captain had this idea, they would definitely tie him up and throw him into the sea. No one would want to go on a fatal mission.
"There is a motor sound ahead at 11 o'clock and it is coming towards us."
The monitor on the ship put down his earphones and reported the latest situation to Captain Edward.
After Edward heard the monitor's words, he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately picked up the microphone and gave the order. "Dive immediately. The depth is 50 meters. Emergency dive."
Following Edward's words, the crew in the submarine immediately mobilized, and they all found their respective posts and got busy.
And their submarine Union, as the crew operated, began to dive into the sea. The air exhausted from around the submarine caused a lot of bubbles to emerge. As these bubbles emerged, this British U-shaped submarine,
It was slowly disappearing on the sea, and half a minute later there was no sign of the submarine on the sea.
While the submarine was diving, Edward raised the periscope to observe the sea surface.
Although the night light is not very good today, Edward can still see a shadow on the sea approaching here. Although he can't see it very clearly, Edward can know from the ship identification map that this must be a ship of the Romanian Navy.
Eagle-class destroyer.
This destroyer is the nemesis of their submarines. The new underwater eavesdropping device it is equipped with is extremely sensitive. Whether it is in the sea or on the sea surface, it will be difficult to escape once it is discovered. Edward is not going to give it a try.
"Shut down the phone and no one will make any sound."
Following Edward's order, the submarine's diesel engine was stopped. Everyone stood motionless at their posts, and even their breathing slowed down. In an instant, there seemed to be no one in the submarine, and this place seemed to be empty.
Such a ship.
The sound of the Romanian destroyer's motor was getting closer and closer. Everyone felt their hearts beating faster, but no one dared to speak. Because in their first lesson as submariners, they were told that they must obey the rules at work.
Captain's order.
The sound of the motor became louder and louder, even reaching the top of their heads, and many people's expressions became ugly. This is also very normal, after all, as long as they are discovered, there is only a dead end, and there is no chance to surrender.
However, what they were worried about did not happen. The sound of the motor came from above their heads and became farther and farther away. It was obvious that it was a passing destroyer.
However, no one was careless, because the captain Edward had not yet given the order, so everyone still remained vigilant.
After the monitor made a safe gesture, Edward gave the order. "Turn on the aircraft now. Let's float up slowly."
Following his words, the USS Union submarine slowly surfaced again. As for why Edward didn't need to sail in underwater mode, firstly, it required consuming precious electricity, and secondly, the underwater speed was too slow and the range was very short.
Therefore, power needs to be reserved for the most critical times.
So under Edward's command, the submarine Union quietly continued to touch it.
