The Royal Navy's fleet was gathered near the Strait of Gibraltar, and there were nearly 20 warships weighing more than 10,000 tons. The sea was so vast, but when more than 40 large warships were neatly lined up on the sea, the sea within the field of vision seemed to instantly become smaller. This was something that only people who had experience at sea could feel. On the blue sea, one could see dozens of miles at a glance. A ship that could still be clearly seen at such a distance had to be huge.
More than 10 nautical miles south of the Royal Navy was the French fleet. Compared to the British Fleet, this navy was too shabby. Not only was the number of warships far inferior, but the tonnage and size of the warships were also inferior.
To the east of these two fleets, there was another fleet that was even smaller and lighter in tonnage. The flagship of the fleet fluttered the Italian Navy flag stubbornly. The first destination of the Chinese Navy's visiting fleet was Italy, followed by France, Germany, Russia, and Sweden. The three South American countries were the last three stops of the Chinese Navy's visiting fleet.
Even in the face of the French and Italian navies, the Royal Navy's fleet still had an overwhelming advantage. If a war were to break out at this time, the British Grand Fleet would be attacked by the navies of the two countries. All members of the British Royal Navy firmly believed that after a few hours of fierce fighting, only the British Grand Fleet could survive at sea. In the face of the French and Italian Navy's performance, the British Royal Navy thought that this was just a statement.
No matter what cooperation or conflict there was between France, Italy, and China, at this time, the Italian Navy came to greet the Chinese visiting fleet, and the French Navy "escorting" the Chinese Navy, was just a trick of the two countries to "use China to gain self-respect." No matter how strong the Chinese Navy was, it could not change the fact that the French and Italian Navy were far weaker than the Royal Navy.
The navies of the three countries were quiet and motionless. The deterrent continued to continue to deter, and the blind continued to continue to ignore. However, there was still movement. "The French Navy sailed west!" The observer sent the news. Before the British naval command could discuss the purpose of the French action, another piece of news came in. "The Italian Navy is sailing west!"
The two navies acted at the same time, which made the British Navy commander look up at the nautical clock. The time on the nautical clock was about 10: 14 in the morning. This was not a time that was easy to remember. The chief of staff frowned and said, "Did the two countries agree to act together at this time?"
In an operation at sea, what everyone hoped for the most was to move in unison. However, due to technical means, the most difficult thing to achieve was uniformity. The reason why the Royal Navy was so powerful was that it was well-trained. It was able to formulate the best plan and rely on well-trained elite naval personnel to carry out the plan in various situations. This was the pride of the Royal Navy. When the French and Italian Navies began to move together without any semaphore or communication, it was like a little pin pricking the proud pride of the British Navy.
An hour later, a message came through the 'communication chain' of ships released by the British Navy. "The Chinese Navy has sailed into our territory!"
This time, the faces of the smarter and sharper guys in the British Royal Navy command changed. After hundreds of years at sea, the British had long passed the era of suspicion. The French and Italian Navies could set a time, but the Chinese Navy that came from afar could not. If they could really meet somewhere in the vast sea at a certain time, it could only be the emergence of the latest communication tool.
When the British learned that China had built a radio station six months ago, they basically confirmed that China had wireless communication equipment. Now they were even more certain that not only China had such equipment, but the French and Italian ships must also have such equipment provided by China.
"How dare they!" The chief of staff of the British Fleet could not help but curse. The French and Italians dared to play such a trick under the nose of the British Empire. It seemed that they were full of confidence in the future of colluding with China. With wireless communication equipment in the vast sea, it meant that every ship was under the overall control of the Navy command at all times. This combat power was no longer doubled, but at least reached the quadratic power of two.
At this time, there was no need for words. The British Fleet already understood why the Chinese Navy, whose military numbers were far inferior to the British Grand Fleet, could become the previous victors, and why the Chinese Navy could always appear in front of the Royal Navy together.
The British Lord of the Admiralty was also on the British Grand Fleet, and his voice was as calm as usual. "No matter how much money it costs, we must get this technology." We have to get our hands on this technology. "The deep voice was filled with absolute willpower. No one in the fleet command said nonsense, there was no doubt about it. Once they got the wireless communication technology, with the strength of the British Grand Fleet, there was no doubt that they could surpass the navies of the countries around the Atlantic for a hundred years.
Although they had absolute confidence in the countries around the Atlantic, the Royal Navy had to respect the Chinese Navy that came from afar. The ironclad was a new thing that appeared decades ago. The British, invincible in the age of sailing, fell behind in the age of ironclad. More than 40 years ago, China, which was beaten by the British Fleet, bravely walked at the forefront of the world in this era, and created and led the right direction of this era. In the face of such an enemy, the British had to respect.
Not long after, the Chinese Navy that the British had to respect showed up. First came a series of signals transmitted through a signal chain formed by ships. The British Grand Fleet did not need to use small ships like the French and Italians to make up the numbers. The small ships were responsible for sending messages from afar. The Royal Navy's fleet could be so capricious.
This signal chain also faithfully carried out its mission. "The mid-sized battleship is running at 19 knots!" Every ship on the signal chain was passing this message.
In 1885, a battleship running at 19 knots was no longer "running", but "flying". The British Royal Navy headquarters did not panic because of this news. These naval elites all had puzzled expressions on their faces. According to the news received by the British Navy, the Chinese Navy was at least 80 nautical miles away from the British Grand Fleet. Since there was radio communication equipment, it was impossible for the Chinese Navy not to know the distance of the British Grand Fleet. Maintaining 19 knots from 80 nautical miles away, it would take four hours to reach the British Grand Fleet. In this era, not many battleships could maintain this speed for a long time. The British ships could only maintain 17 knots for three hours. After this time, it meant that the power system could have problems at any time, and it could even be a major problem. If the Chinese passed by the British Grand Fleet at cruising speed, or even lay down in front of the British Grand Fleet, then they would be humiliated.
Every ten minutes, there was news of the Chinese Navy running at 19 knots. Two hours later, there was no need for further transmission. The mid-sized battleship with black smoke billowing from its funnel had already arrived in front of the British Grand Fleet. Sure enough, the four huge battleships were running at an astonishing speed on the sea like wild horses. The people in the command center of the British Grand Fleet simply left the command room and went straight up? The lookout personally observed with binoculars.
The two battleships at the back were very familiar in the eyes of the British. These two battleships had once violently fired at the British Grand Fleet in the Indian Ocean. Their hellish appearance left an incomparably deep impression on the British Royal Navy. And it was compiled into a picture as an imaginary enemy during the battle.
Now, these two battleships were no longer as violent as they were during the battle. They were like docile little brothers running wildly behind the two even more burly "big brothers". The two battleships in the front, at a glance, had a tonnage of more than 20,000 tons. The ship type was still the traditional centerline layout of China, with backpack turrets. However, the five twin turrets had become four. Under this design, the firepower that should have been reduced was compensated by the thick muzzle.
"14 inches?" The fleet commander could not quite believe his judgment. He adjusted it slightly again. "14.5 inches?"
"No, I think it's 15 inches." The Navy Minister's calm voice seemed to be boiling with emotions like magma.
The gun barrels on the mid-sized battleship were all pointed forward or backward according to the position of the front and rear deck. The battleship that was moving at 19 knots cut the sea like a sharp knife. Under such high speed, there was no excessive splashing of the waves. The sailing battleship showed an unusual stability, which showed the extremely high level of the Chinese Navy's design team.
Just when the British thought that this was the limit of China's demonstration, the Chinese Navy did not stop there. Right in front of the British Navy, the mid-sized battleship maintained a big turn at 19 knots. The four battleships drew a huge white tail wave on the sea.
"600 meters? No, about 550 meters! They only need 550 meters to make a turn with two ships at the same time! "The top people of the Royal Navy said in a dreamy voice. There was not much hostility in the voice, more of a kind of admiration. If the French and Italian battleships were to make a turn at high speed, their turning radius would be about one kilometer. And this was when their battleship was running at a peak of more than 15 knots. At such a high speed, the mid-sized battleship could actually make a turn in such a small radius. This was indeed something worthy of admiration.
After a turn, in front of the British Grand Fleet composed of more than 40 large battleships, the mid-sized battleship that was sailing from west to east now turned from east to west. Maintaining a high speed, it ran back in front of the wide front of the British Grand Fleet. Almost to the other side of the formation, the mid-sized battleship once again turned back with a very small turning radius.
Maintaining a high speed of 19 knots, the Chinese fleet swaggered toward the direction of the Strait of Gibraltar, leaving behind a vast sea of hundreds of square kilometers that was stirred up.
The British were already silent. At this time, anything was better than talking. After sailing for nearly 10,000 kilometers, the Chinese Navy still had the ability to carry out this kind of high speed and high maneuverability in a situation that was close to actual combat. If they questioned the combat effectiveness of these battleships … The British also wanted to save face.
The British were silent, but it did not mean that the Chinese had to remain silent. After more than six hours of continuous high speed sailing, the mid-sized battleship finally slowed down.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
