章 57: A Plausible Plan (5)

Naval warfare.

A battle where massive warships fire upon each other on the rolling seas, aiming to sink the enemy first.

If we were to simply define modern naval warfare, naval forces can be broadly divided into three categories:

Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.

Even in this era, there are numerous small vessels like torpedo boats carrying machine guns to attack decks, but these are purely meant for inflicting casualties, not for sinking enemy ships.

Gunboats (ships carrying a single gun, mainly for coastal use) can potentially damage vessels, but not much can be expected from them.

Only guns mounted on destroyers are considered proper naval artillery. However, older destroyers sometimes lack the firepower to sink battleships.

With these common standards in mind, let's analyze the forces of Japan's Combined Fleet and the Far Eastern Third Fleet.