I Became a Captain of the British Empire - Chapter 140



Halifax Fleet Battle (10)

June 4, 1931. 9 p.m.

The flagship of the 17th Task Force, the Lexington.

The last aircraft of the air squadron staggered and landed on the deck. The torpedo bomber, which had drawn soot like a tail from its body with clear bullet marks, soon lowered its nose as if it were sinking. Marshall looked at the deck with a confused expression.

“How is it?”

“One enemy light aircraft carrier and two destroyers sunk. In addition, many hits on one battlecruiser. It is estimated to be repulsed.”

The admiral opened his eyes wide at the last report he spoke with great force. However, he soon turned his head and asked with a frown on his face.

“Is it sunk or not?”

“… There have been no such reports.”

“Then I’m not sure.”

The admiral averted his eyes in displeasure.

“Because he’s a guy who lives anywhere.”

That’s what he said, but in fact it was a half-determined tone.

Repulse is alive. Unless you’ve definitely stopped breathing, there’s a high chance of that.

no

Marshall could not think of any other possibility.

Unless some splendid submarine brings a miracle.

And Marshall hadn’t seen such a submarine since the beginning of the war. He sighed and stopped thinking.

“What is the situation of the main unit?”

“Anyway, it doesn’t look good… .”

“I guess so. Because there is no support from us.”

At the report of the chief of staff who crawled in, Marshall nodded calmly.

Although they hid themselves behind the curtains of the night sea, it was only to buy time. The enemy can annihilate this side at any time.

The chief of staff, who was watching the sunset sky with anxious eyes, spoke up soon.

“How about returning to the homeport right now?”

“No orders were issued from Fleet Command. The operation is not over.”

“Is the Admiralty demanding a decisive battle in this situation?”

“It’s probably not the Admiralty.”

At the resolute voice, the chief of staff opened his eyes wide and raised his head. Marshall was also surprised by his own remarks.

But I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore.

I had a sudden thought. Because of this, the admiral mustered up the courage to speak.

“… The war is already over.”

I can’t even find a chance to come back any more. Everything needed for war was lacking.

No capital ships, no colonies, no patience for the citizens.

Especially the last part was the most serious. He would not be surprised if MacArthur was tossed from a White House window at the hands of angry citizens.

In fact, the admiral deep down hoped that would be the case.

“But don’t die until I’m done. You f*cking insectivore.”

As he muttered, Marshall narrowed his eyes sharply. In front of his eyes, there was a fleet that had not yet descended, stained with the dawn.

2 aircraft carriers, 1 light cruiser and 24 destroyers. An escort fleet built with layers of defenses centered on an aircraft carrier. And the veteran air corps still sitting on half of the deck.

The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier squadron has the strongest power since the beginning of the war.

It’s too late to change the direction of the war, but can’t we avenge our fallen comrades?

“Tell the escort fleet. Prepare for a night battle.”

“My, Admiral?”

Ignoring the staff’s bewildered reaction, Marshall closed his eyes.

The enemy to be killed remains beyond the horizon.

A triangular battlecruiser that drove the proud US Atlantic Fleet to the bottom of the sea.

The plunderer of the southern coast, the oppressor of the sea routes, the successor to Guerriere, the patron god of Canada and the plunderer of the South, the common enemy of all American soldiers. Mediterranean oppressor. Butcher of the Free Passage.

Marshall recalled the name of an enemy shared by all in the US Navy.

“Repulse… .”

hold on

The hand clenched into a fist trembled.

is it fear? no, it shouldn’t be If I kneel here, I will never be able to defeat that battlecruiser again.

Such a premonition strongly ate in my head.

Marshall held his breath and gave the order.

“Prepare the surface fleet for a night battle. And our flyer… .”

It was then.

“Urgent report from reconnaissance aircraft!”

An urgent report came to the bridge. Marshall frowned, looked at the operator’s face, and nodded his head to urge an answer.

As expected, bad news came.

“Two enemy battlecruisers! Consistently approaching this ship after changing course on course! Defense 030! 90 miles away! 30 knots!”

Marshall felt his mind go blank.

* * *

1 hour later

Task Force Z’s flagship ‘Renaun’.

Night took over the sea.

The darkness that breaks the boundary of the sky is reflected on the surface of the water and darkens the eyes.

Even turning off the lights on the bridge, we proceeded in silence.

Relying only on the gaze colored by the moonlit night.

“Finding an unknown track from forward destroyers.”

A report came in to the bridge that was waiting in tension. He raised his hand and spoke quietly.

“Let the operation begin.”

While deploying the fleet as scheduled, the sound of artillery sounded a little earlier.

pop-

A bright yellow light lifts the curtain.

“A flare was fired from the destroyer Akkasta!”

A flat-deck destroyer appeared above the brightly shining sea. The battle started right away.

“Destroyer squad, open fire!”

The gunfire of the 4-inch naval guns covered the night sea. The battlecruisers follow the destroyers with their guns locked. Destroyers wrapped around the sides in a wedge formation fired flares, and the cruisers in front fired their main guns with searchlights.

The gunfire is fierce, but the speed of the fleet is only 15 knots. Measures to maintain formation at night.

And we had no reason to pursue it.

“The 3rd Torpedo Squadron, advancing!”

At the side of the Royal Navy line, a single flotilla led the way. Destroyers with sealed turrets galloping through the night waves head-on.

“The 3rd Torpedo Squadron, advancing.”

“Ashigara, start firing.”

The main force is the Japanese fleet accustomed to night battles.

Armed with anger at losing Ryuzo, they rushed into the sea under fire without hesitation.

The heavy cruiser Ashigara’s eight-inch guns roared wildly. The destroyer covered in volley fire turned into a ball of fire and sank.

The flare fired by the special destroyer flashed right in the center of the enemy fleet. The lights hanging from the parachute slowly descended and drove away the curtains of the night.

Soon after, a huge shadow rises on the surface of the water. A large flat deck ship.

The battlecruisers who saw the large, awaited hull raised their heads.

“The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron, open fire.”

The master of the sea spewed fire.

* * *

same time,

Task Force 17, ‘Lexington’ Squad.

“Enemy battlecruisers! Start firing! Distance about 8,000!”

“at last… Did you come here?”

On the Lexington’s bridge, lit by flares, Marshall calmly opened his mouth. The flames in the darkness shimmered like stars in the night sky.

Innumerable gunfire continued as if forming the Milky Way. A column of water covers Lexington’s hull.

“Narrow gap!”

“Captain! Hold on for 30 minutes!”

Lexington’s captain understood the order with gritted teeth. The 40,000-ton giant body sways in a sharp turn, and shells cross the deck.

Why did you come this way?

Marshall was deeply saddened. In preparation for a night battle, Marshall split the leaflet in two, hoping that one would survive.

Considering the size of the enemy that is currently pouring fire on Lexington, Saratoga’s pursuit group probably won’t exist.

However, she was the younger sister who could not beat Lexington in training.

Because of this, Marshall secretly hoped that Lexington would survive… .

“What is the world like?”

Rather, those heinous battlecruisers that overturn such adversity are foreign. The heresy of the naval warrior.

If only I could squeeze that arrogant nose just once.

“If I had one last chance… .”

He was sure to die happily.

“Just one shot, please!”

The admiral shouted as he looked up at the sky covered in flashes.

It was then that the United States Navy destroyers turned their heads in unison.

* * *

Task Force Z, battlecruiser ‘Renaun’.

“Enemy destroyers! Rapidly advancing!”

“Are they crazy?”

The bridge is agitated by the change in enemy territory. The destroyers, who had been beaten unilaterally by the torpedo squadron, suddenly charged.

The chief of staff shouted as he looked at the clouds that obscured the surface of the water beneath the flares.

“It’s a smoke screen, Admiral!”

Beyond the veil that rose like fog, an extended explosion continued.

“You’re trying to create a melee by using the lead destroyer as a shield.”

“Hiding an aircraft carrier in melee… It is unbelievable.”

“That’s what we did too.”

I spoke calmly to the adjutant who blinked in bewilderment.

“There is nothing unbelievable about nighttime.”

There were also battles in which the thinly armored battlecruisers were brought right in front of the guns of the enemy battleships.

The night is a double-edged sword. It can be a shield that protects the fleet, but on the contrary, it can also be a shackle that binds the fleet.

“Admiral, it will be dangerous to go forward.”

The chief of staff hurriedly turned his head as he saw the destroyers ahead burning quickly. As if colliding with an enemy destroyer, a flotilla of destroyers in close proximity engaged with their machine guns.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Pom pom and Chicago piano resonate like a variation between 4-inch cannons. The explosion of torpedoes echoes in the waves.

It is a blood clot.

A melee that no one could get out of safely took place in a place that was only a few kilometers away.

The chief of staff, who had been looking around with binoculars, hurriedly continued.

“Here, with the destroyer fleet at the forefront, we’re slowly clearing things up… .”

“no.”

I’m sorry, but I can’t.

“You can’t miss the carrier.”

Battleships don’t matter.

For the sake of the future, there is an opponent that must be captured.

“To the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. Cooperate with the 3rd Sujeon to wipe out the enemy destroyer and advance as it is. Don’t let even a single destroyer pass this way.”

The A-class destroyers escorting both sides of Rinaun accelerated in unison.

A 15-inch giant gun raises its head behind them, leaving thin trails like footprints.

“The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron, advance.”

The guns fired all at once. The two destroyers that came closest were crushed by shells.

The prow, which had been coldly ripped off, was submerged in the waves and collapsed.

Soon after, Rinaun moved.

“Fleet, at battle speed! Tell the cruiser squadron not to miss the enemy aircraft carrier!”

pop-

The flare flares up again. Leenaun, Hood, Cornwall, Dorsetshire, and Ashigara pay attention to the yellow-lit water surface.

… However, nothing could be seen in the sea where only the wake of the large ship remained.

“what?”

“Admiral! Ooh, to starboard!”

Immediately after, I was able to recall what I had just said.

“This is Lexington!”

“… Anything really happens.”

There was an aircraft carrier charging forward, firing 8-inch guns.

bang-

The hull of Rinaun, which had been hit by heavy artillery, shook slightly.

Staff falling to the floor like dominoes. A voice of astonishment dyes the bridge.

“Ooh, starboard deck hit!”

“An artillery battle?!”

With a face of disbelief, the chief of staff looked out blankly. Unfortunately, the aircraft carrier in front of me was real.

The gunfire of the 8-inch guns sparkled bright orange.

“Captain, return fire!”

Rinaun’s hull shook due to evasive maneuvers, but she could not avoid the close range fire. What’s more, it was an insult.

“Left, approaching destroyer to port!”

The fish that got out of the net rushed at the giant.

A destroyer approached Rinaun’s port side. The hull turns like a torpedo, and machine guns flash from the deck. Even the torpedo tubes were occupied by Chicago pianos.

A specially improved anti-aircraft destroyer.

A barrage of 28mm anti-aircraft guns covered the steel structure. The bridge was bathed in the light of the tracer.

“Reply, respond! Bupodae What are you doing!”

As shrapnel flew overhead, the prostrate chief of staff barely shouted. However, his voice was drowned out by the ensuing explosion.

“Admiral, it’s dangerous!”

puck-

A dull noise pierced my ears.

what… ? My ears are tingling.

When I turned my head, a bright red liquid was painting the wall.

“Communications chief? Alan?”

An incomprehensible sight filled my eyes.

He was clearly alive next to me. It must have been. however… .

“Admiral, move quickly! It’s dangerous here!”

As the adjutant pulled her back from behind, her vision went up. Only then did I realize that I was down. Columns of water could be seen rising through the burning wreckage.

“Port side secondary battery hit!”

“Move the maintenance team! Main gun, what!”

“Turret turning!”

“Damn it, the long wave of distance measurement!”

Amid countless reports resounding like echoes, flashes of light colored the bridge.

Fireworks dance in front of your eyes.

* * *

Aircraft carrier Lexington.

“Many hits on the enemy Leeun-class! Observe the fire on the bridge!”

Cheers fill the Lexington’s bridge, which is colored with red-green warning lights.

boom- boom-

With eight-inch cannons in his ears, Marshall clenched his fists.

barely got a chance

At the cost of the annihilation of 12 destroyers, his flagship was barely able to get close to the enemy ships.

Lexington’s position was only 4 km from the starboard side of the triangular battlecruiser.

“The 3rd Destroyer Squadron, no response.”

And the price was never light.

Only one Lexington was left of the 17th Task Force’s Lexington Flyer.

The cruiser ‘Milwaukee’, surrounded by enemies and resisting, exploded after being hit by a heavy cruiser’s salvo. Hidden in the roar, the cruiser never surfaced again.

“Milwaukee, bombing… .”

“Remaining ships, all unresponsive.”

The communications officer reported in a gloomy voice. At the same time, the escort fleet, which noticed the existence of the giant, flocked like bees.

The heavy cruiser, which probably owed him a great debt, flashed ten 8-inch guns.

“Attack on the armored belt on the side! Fire in the hangar!”

“A direct hit to the engine room! No navigation!”

“Turret 3, respond! Turret No. 3!”

“Admiral! The fire cannot be extinguished!”

It is difficult to give an order to leave.

The surroundings were saturated with gunfire.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Perhaps they have no intention of saving us.

“then… .”

Staring at the battlecruisers on the burning bridge, Marshall raised an eyebrow.

“I should take you too. Louis.”

thud-

Four 8-inch guns forward of the Lexington bridge opened fire simultaneously. The stack behind the mast and the signal deck were obscured by flames and debris.

Is that ship really a flagship?

It looks identical to Repulse, but Marshall wasn’t sure. I just sailed in the lead, found what appeared to be a captain among the clustered signals, and hit it with a determination to die.

The rest is left up to chance.

Soon after, the 8-inch batteries were swept away by a storm of steel. The battlecruiser Hood, emerging from the darkness, fired at Lexington.

“My God, why… .”

Close-range salvo fire from eight 15-inch guns.

In the brief moment the shells reached, Marshall suddenly thought.

Looking at the burning bridge of the Renown class.

“… Did you send such an unreasonable being down in front of us with a great cause ahead?”

Where did the wrong war come from? Maybe it was a problem from the start.

But he clearly saw the situation on the verge of victory. It is said that it was not a completely unreasonable war. He wanted to believe that.

However, his last regret was not being able to give a clear answer in front of his subordinates who were stained with despair.

“Gentlemen… .”

Finally, a low voice

“You’ve worked hard so far.”

A storm swept the bridge.