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Part One Twenty Years Chapter 12 The Fall of the Stars and Stripes (9)

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    (I¡¯m back to typing. This is the first update today. There¡¯s another chapter left at midnight. Also, there will be an update tomorrow. I¡¯ll write as many chapters as I can.)

    Facing the fiercely approaching U.S. battleship squadron, the weak and disabled fleet had no choice but to adjust its course.

    The disabled fleet is not without the power to fight back. At least they still have the protection of a destroyer squadron. However, as we all know, destroyers have never been a main battle weapon that can maneuver across the ocean. Without the protection of night, there are no large warships.  Artillery cover, no hidden sneak attack angles, learn the Japanese's "pig attack" tactic in the Russo-Japanese War, use the fearless spirit of revolutionary optimism and the effective torpedo range of less than one kilometer to challenge the equipment of a large number of rapid-fire weapons with an effective range of more than 10,000 meters  The American battleship squadron was useless.

    The destroyer cannot be put to great use, but the Rear Admiral Captain of the battleship Bayern, who temporarily serves as the commander of the disabled squadron, can make the best use of the destroyer.  After the shock, the rear admiral captain ordered the destroyer squadron to move forward and release smoke to cover the disabled squadron's turn.

    The turning maneuver performed by the disabled fleet was not easy, and could even be attributed to a terrible disaster.

    At the end of the Battle of the Orkney Islands, a total of six battleships of the Ocean Fleet were severely damaged, namely Bavaria, K?nig, Prince Regent Luitpold, Catherine, West** and Nassau.  Among them, the battleship K?nig was seriously damaged by a round of close-range fire from the fast fleet, and the battleship Catherine, which was repeatedly pierced by green bombs from the British 15-inch main gun group and caused a fire, was still able to catch up with the battle line.  The main fleet was left to continue fighting.

    Remaining in the disabled fleet were Bayern, Prinzregent Luitpold, Catherine, West** and Nassau.  Compared with the Prinzregent Louis Tepold and the Catherine, the combat effectiveness of the Bavaria has not been reduced too much, but the most powerful traditional battleship during World War I was hit in an awkward position and the flue was damaged.  The flagship of the Ocean Fleet, which had lost its speed, seemed to be pinched by someone, although the cold light of the sword's edge was still there.  But the lonely swordsman cannot unsheath his sword.

    Bayern lost speed, and Prinzregent Luitpold, Wester**, and Nassau were not much better.  In the previous battles, these three battleships were riddled with holes by the British, and the hulls had varying degrees of water intrusion.  Thanks to the good protection design and the superb damage control methods of the officers and soldiers, the three ships have not yet been included in the battle damage list, but their condition is no longer suitable for even low-intensity combat against the battleships whose sides are covered with leak-stopping equipment.  Generally speaking, any form of steering action at sea is a big adventure that can easily destroy the ship and kill people.

    So on the northeastern ocean surface of the Firth of Forth, tragedy unfolded: the Bayern turned around slowly and staggeringly like a drunken old man.  The scarred younger brothers, the Prinzregent Louistbold, the Wester** and the Nassau, followed behind the boss, spewing soot that covered the sky.  Struggling to imitate the flagship's movements.

    On the other side of the battlefield, while maintaining a hedging speed of over nineteen knots, the Americans deliberately reserved for themselves an angle that allowed all the battleships' bow guns to fire.

    At 15:49, the Stars and Stripes Flagship began to reduce its speed in order to obtain a stable bombardment environment.

    At 15:51, the USS Nevada, the flagship of the Stars and Stripes Flagship Team, opened fire first.

    15:56.  The Stars and Stripes flagship team obtained its first victory when the German battleship Wester** was sunk.

    When the lookout reported that the West**, which was almost 156 kilometers away, suddenly stopped at sea, and the bow of the ship sank violently.  Americans rejoiced.  Many officers, soldiers and damage control team members who were not on duty desperately approached the portholes of the battleship, looking at the blue sea and the line between the sea and the sky, their eyes filled with tears.

    This is the most gorgeous moment of the American Navy.  The young Great White Fleet has never had a chance to prove itself since the smoke of the Spanish-American War cleared. However, on June 21, 1917, when Britain completely destroyed the Royal Navy, the U.S. Navy faced the world's largest navy with extremely rich combat experience and  The Ocean Fleet, commanded by the best maritime commander on the planet, was able to sink a German battleship without causing any damage to itself.  This situation.  How can the rookies under the Stars and Stripes be at ease?  !

    For a moment, the U.S. Navy officers and soldiers were enveloped in a sudden sense of happiness. They were unaware that the reason for the sinking of the USS West was debatable. They stubbornly believed that it was their "superb" gunnery skills and "powerful" perseverance that conquered the unruly and unruly people since ancient times.  of the North Sea and God who rules over all.  Allowing the United States to easily sink a German battleship, thus allowing the U.S. Navy to get rid of its reputation as an upstart and stand proudly in this dazzling sea of ??stars.

    Americans believe that the USS West ** was sunk by Rear Admiral Rodman's fleet. However, according to the latest declassified US Congressional report on the Battle of the Orkney IslandsThe report of the investigative committee showed that the battle logs of the four battleships participating in the war never appeared in the watchtower report that "the German ship was hit", and even the near-missile reports were pitiful. This means that the Americans are very likely  In the first few minutes of the battle, no Germans were touched at all. In other words, the German battleship Wester** most likely sank on its own.

    What is intriguing is that the German Navy neither denies nor recognizes the American achievements.

    After the war, the Americans publicized the sinking of the USS Wester** in a high-profile manner, and German sailors also invariably used the phrase "the American bombardment was majestic" when recalling the moment of the sinking of the battleship Wester**, but if we are enough  If you are bored, you can find many interesting places by completing the memories of German sailors or specifically visiting the Naval History Museum in Germany, which is not open to the public.

    ¡®At 15:51, the Americans fired their first shot, and the first shell was so far off that my colleague, lookout Schiller, wondered whether there was another Allied fleet hidden there.

    Twenty seconds later, the first round of shelling struck. Shells the size of small beer barrels flew high over the mainmasts of the detachment and scattered across the remote and vast ocean.  In the following time, the American artillery bombardment was majestic, with 356mm armor-piercing bullets hitting you in unexpected places like heavy rain.

    I don¡¯t know why the Americans don¡¯t follow the rules of engagement of the Dauntless Era that Sealem pointed out as early as the last century. Before achieving cross-fire, the Americans did not control the speed of their artillery fire at all, and even the most mainstream all-round weapons  There is no firing action for the turret's semi-cannon. It just lets the main gun aim in a general direction and fire randomly.  This afternoon, the temperature of the watchtower under the bright sun was frighteningly high. I stood boredly on the watchtower of the USS Westermer, which had a certain thickness of armor. My voice was hoarse and weak, shouting about long-range bombs, and I was wondering when the Americans would stop.  A shelling that accomplishes nothing but creates a column of water, evaporates the seawater, and stuns the cod.

    But the fact is that the American shelling has never stopped, and the frequency is unimaginable.  I laughed at the Americans for doing useless work. It was at this time that the disaster occurred. The USS West** suddenly stopped and the hull also tilted forward violently'

    This is the lookout of the battleship West** about the German-American battle he experienced in the Battle of the Orkney Islands. There is also a delicately worded battle report in the German Naval History Museum.

    ¡®A damage control captain of the West** recalled that at about 3:50 in the afternoon, when the warship turned, a large leak-proof plate on the side near the bow showed signs of loosening.  The damage control team leader sent a damage control team to wade into the water to reinforce the leak-proof board, and then rushed to the next place where damage control was needed.  One minute later, news came that the side of the battleship was damaged and flooded. Four minutes later, the old ship sank completely.  ¡¯

    It was discovered that according to declassified German naval information, the battleship Wester** actually sank by itself.

    We don¡¯t know whether the overjoyed Americans lied about this matter or the introverted Germans have been able to tolerate the humiliation. In short, the cause of the sinking of the Wester** has become an unsolved mystery, and historians are still investigating it today.  There was endless debate.

    We won¡¯t go into details about the historical unsolved cases. After the sinking of the battleship Wester**, the first head-to-head confrontation between Germany and the United States continued on June 21, 1917, off the coast of the Orkney Islands. This time it was  Americans were shot.  (To be continued.)
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