Kapitel 145: Chapter 223 Naval Battle (6)
"Damn it!"
The massive explosion violently rocked the entire warship, causing chaos on the bridge as everyone tumbled to the floor.
Pullman Cook's forehead slammed hard against the deck, and hot liquid streamed down from his forehead. Ignoring the blood, he struggled to get up, shook his somewhat dazed head, and noticed a significant drop in the warship's speed. "Report the damage!"
The vice-captain immediately contacted the engine room and learned that the No. 3 boiler room was damaged. The scalding high-pressure steam instantly cooked over a dozen boiler workers inside. This wasn't the worst part; a large amount of seawater surged into the ruptured compartment, causing a slight tilt to the Warspite. Fortunately, with this level of damage, it wouldn't cost the life of a battleship with a full displacement of over 30,000 tons. The damage control team was working hard to seal the breaches.
However, Pullman Cook couldn't find joy in the situation. With a gloomy face, he ordered, "Request support from the mainland; we need air assistance!" He could see that their anti-air firepower was ridiculously weak, incapable of withstanding the enemy's aircraft.
This situation was highly unfavorable for them. Even if they wanted to escape, the warship couldn't outrun the planes. Now, their only hope was for their planes to arrive and drive away these enemy aircraft. However, they were hundreds of kilometers away from the mainland, making reinforcements impossible in terms of time and distance. All he could do was pray for some kind of miracle. For instance, a fuel shortage for the German planes. "Damn it, why is it like this? This is not the naval battle I know!"
After all, the British Empire had ruled the seas for centuries with large ships and massive cannons. The ideology of big ships and big guns was the mainstream naval thought before the Second World War. Everyone believed that to win a naval battle, you needed battleships with larger tonnage, more guns, and larger caliber guns (more powerful and longer range) than the opponent. The Battle of Jutland during the First World War pushed this "big ships, big guns" theory to its peak.
Of course, the British Empire also had foresighted individuals who advocated for the development of carrier-based aircraft. However, with the massive hulls of battleships and the large-caliber main guns in place, nobody really saw a bright future for carrier-based aircraft. In the eyes of the Royal Navy, airplanes were merely tools for reconnaissance and artillery calibration.
Yet reality always enjoyed slapping people in the face. Before Pullman Cook could understand how an airstrike from planes taking off from an aircraft carrier could carry such heavy bombs and how it could last this long, a staff member screamed in shock, "Captain! They're attacking again!"
The success of the first round of attacks greatly encouraged the German pilots. Coupled with the anger of hitting the Crown Prince, they were eager to rush down immediately and shred the British into pieces.
"Stuka Group B, Sea Otter Group B; commence the attack."
Five more Stukas and five Fw 190Ts dove down, heading for the now-slowed Warspite; after the first round of attacks, the sparse anti-aircraft firepower on the Warspite was even scarcer, and there were loopholes everywhere.
Pullman Cook's mouth twitched slightly, and with a grim face, he ordered, "Order all anti-aircraft guns to intercept at full power!" Now, these disappointing anti-aircraft guns were all they could rely on.
Since it was the Stukas that dropped the bombs that hit the Warspite just now, almost all the anti-aircraft positions subconsciously aimed at the diving Stukas.
Just then, sailors on the Warspite's lookout tower horrifiedly discovered four torpedo bombers flying at a low altitude, arranged in a neat line, heading steadily toward the Warspite, dropping torpedoes one after another. Four white wakes streaked straight towards the Warspite.
Terrified sailors hurriedly picked up the communicator, shouting hysterically, "Bridge, starboard torpedoes! Starboard torpedoes!"
"Hard to port!!" Pullman Cook's voice trembled with despair, as he already had a premonition that they couldn't dodge the torpedoes.
"Boom!" Sure enough, a few seconds later, a massive water column spouted from the Warspite's starboard side, and everyone on the bridge was thrown to the floor by the violent shaking.
Pullman Cook struggled to get up, but another loud bang and another massive shake slammed his entire face onto the floor. A light cracking sound came from his nose, and intense pain brought tears streaming down. The continuous collisions left him disoriented, and he had no energy left to continue struggling to get up.
However, the urgently incoming third explosion proved that his decision not to continue struggling was the right one. The third shockwave threw everyone crouched on the floor more than a meter high and slammed them back down.
The people on the bridge were tossed about in despair, only able to listen to the terrifying creaking of the warship as its hull rapidly tilted to one side.
Of the four torpedoes dropped, three hit the Warspite's starboard side, creating three large holes below the waterline with a depth of 5 meters.
This old-style battleship, designed before World War I, had extremely poor anti-torpedo capabilities. The thick armor was above the waterline, and according to the original design philosophy, battleship armor was meant to resist enemy battleship gunfire. Torpedo boats were supposed to be kept at bay by other escort vessels, making it difficult for them to approach battleships.
Therefore, the designers never considered the possibility of airplanes dropping torpedoes so close to battleships.
Watching the Warspite's hull capsize and sink into the sea due to excessive tilting, the German pilots erupted in thunderous cheers.
They finally experienced what His Highness said: they would create a new history. The might of big ships and big guns ultimately couldn't withstand the devastation caused by carrier-based aircraft. After two decades of setbacks, the German Navy finally possessed the strength to challenge the maritime hegemon.
The remaining British warships were in complete disarray. Most of these ships were equipped with anti-aircraft guns that were only suitable for repelling aircraft, and due to the weight of the cannons, destroyers couldn't handle the four-barrel versions and could only carry twin or even single-barrel versions. Most cruisers also had only four-barrel mounts.
How could such anti-air firepower defend against the attacks of German aircraft?
Realizing this, the British fleet scattered in all directions, but even the fastest destroyer had a speed of 35 knots, which was equivalent to 64.82 kilometers per hour. In contrast, the sluggish Stukas in the sky had a speed of 400 kilometers per hour.
The remaining Stukas and Fw 190Ts chased after the fleeing warships, sinking two heavy cruisers and one battlecruiser, using up all their bombs and torpedoes before reluctantly returning.
The British warships, who had narrowly escaped disaster, dared not go near Iceland and fled to the homeland with their tails between their legs.
Amidst the cheers, Wilhelm asked, "How much did we lose?"
The air commander respectfully replied, "Your Highness, we lost 3 Stukas and four Fw 190Ts. Some pilots should have survived. I've already contacted the fleet to send seaplanes for search and rescue. Your Highness, we should return quickly; your injury is crucial."
"Alright, let's head back in triumph!"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein