Chapter 730 Battle of Lamu Bay
March 23, three o’clock in the morning.
The East African Fleet moved north along the coastline to prevent the British from attacking Mombasa. The two sides met in the waters of Lamu Bay.
In order to confront this main force of the British Royal Navy, nearly half of the main warships of the East African Navy moved northward, radiating outwards from Lamu City and Mombasa.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
The lookout on the flying bridge reported: "Suspicious target found ahead!"
I saw only clusters of black smoke on the sea surface in the northeast.
“The entire ship is on standby and in a fighting posture. If the enemy ship enters the range, fire immediately!” East African Navy Vice Admiral Kerry ordered.
The British Expeditionary Fleet finally saw the main fleet of East African ironclads. There were seven East African ironclads heading north this time, which was only half the number of the British fleet. Moreover, the heaviest ironclad ship in East Africa, the Friedrich, was only over 7,000 tons. , far inferior to the British ironclads, but East Africa has added a certain number of gunboats as support. Although the Battle of Mogadishu proved that gunboats have no chance of winning against ironclads, they are still feasible as assisting warships.
"The British warships are more advanced, have larger artillery calibers, stronger firepower, and more experience, but behind us are Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and beyond Dar es Salaam we are The capital of East Africa, so we are determined not to evacuate in this war. Even if the whole ship sinks, we cannot lose the faith of the East African soldiers to protect their homes and their country." Captain Will of the Pelican began to do ideological work.
"Of course, we can't belittle ourselves. The enemy is coming from the Mediterranean direction. We can just sit back and wait for work. However, the British army on the opposite side is experienced in hundreds of battles. We have no actual combat experience in this world, so we have to prove to the world that the East African Navy Military courage!”
Although the East African navy has a long coastline, the lack of good ports and the scarcity of islands have restricted the deployment of naval power in East Africa.
For example, the British have military bases in Djibouti and the Arabian Peninsula, and there is also the Seychelles Island in the center of the Indian Ocean where naval forces can be deployed.
There are only a few large islands in East Africa. The most important ones, Pemba and Zanzibar, are too close to the East African coastline, which is not conducive to maritime defense. The Comoros Islands are more likely to be favored, but the location of the Comoros Islands It is remote and not in the hotly contested area of this war.
When the British fleet appeared in East Africa, the British were also excited to encounter the main fleet in East Africa. At present, the strength of the two sides is quite different, and their own side has a double advantage.
However, after a night of sailing, the British fleet is now a little tired, which is not conducive to combat, but it can still be overcome by the British navy, which is active at sea all year round.
Kerry: "The accuracy and power of our artillery are far inferior to those of the British. The quality and weight of the hull and the hardness of the armor are relatively poor. Therefore, we must not go head-to-head with the British army. We must outwit them, and we must be at a suitable distance and close to the battle." , otherwise with the range of British artillery, the war will be more detrimental to our side."
“We are headed by the Friedrich to attract British warships head-on. In order to avoid the enemy’s division of troops, after the war breaks out, each ship of the First Fleet will operate independently. We can act according to the situation and expand the range of the First Fleet.”
"The Second Fleet is commanded by the Trieste and is led by Major General Anton. It will circle in an arc and seize the opportunity to launch an attack on the British flank or rear. The Second Fleet must ensure the concentration of power and avoid being overwhelmed by various parties. Defeat!"I have to say that Kerry made a major risky decision, which was to split the command of the fleet into two, and the specific effect is unknown.
Of course, the fundamental reason that prompted Kerry to make such a decision is the huge gap between the East African Navy and the British Royal Navy. As the weaker party, the East African Navy must take risks.
When the East African naval fleet was divided into two groups, extremely chaotic changes occurred at the same time, which indeed made the British confused for a while, and now they cannot see the military intentions of East Africa.
However, for the British Royal Navy, which has an absolute advantage, it is natural that the troops will block it and the water will cover it. However, this time East Africa actually took the initiative to attack, which was somewhat unexpected by the British Royal Navy.
"Pay attention to the right wing of the East African Navy. They separated from the main force of the East African Navy. They must have a purpose. The Gray Fox and the Pig... keep an eye on them. Wait until the East African ships come into range and open fire directly." Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Expeditionary Force Commander Grafton ordered.
The command authority of the East African Navy has been divided into two. Lieutenant General Kerry commanded the remaining ships and said: "Each ship must ensure that the ship enters a limited range before firing. Don't waste cannonballs, but ensure that it fires accurately." There are targets, rather than blind shooting, each ship should pay attention to the distance, leave a channel, and avoid the British artillery target one round in advance."
In fact, there is not much difference in the range of artillery between the two sides. The British are definitely more powerful. At the same time, the British hull is also better and the speed is faster. The advantage of East Africa is that it is more flexible in turning.
Major General Kerry hopes to use guerrilla methods to distract the attention of the British army so that they cannot form a joint force, and then create conditions for the Second Fleet.
"Boom..." With a loud noise, the East African First Fleet took the lead in opening fire. At the same time, a line formation composed of the Friedrich, the Pelican, the Nightingale, the White Eagle and four gunboats formed a firepower from the outside to the inside. attack trends.
Although the equipment is backward, the East African Navy maintains normalcy in training and armament maintenance. Therefore, in the face of a sudden war, although the soldiers who experienced it for the first time were a little nervous, they quickly calmed down under the leadership of the veterans and began to Follow daily training to operate the ship.
As the most powerful navy, Britain's sailors rely on their rich experience to operate smoothly, and both sides have a relatively high hit rate.
However, after all, the overall manufacturing level of East African warships is not as good as that of the United Kingdom, so the East African navy will suffer greater losses. If no accident occurs at this time, the East African fleet is destined to fail as time goes by.
Lieutenant General Kerry's command ship had already been hit once, and a large crater was blown out of the left side of the Friedrich by a cannonball. However, the quality of the Friedrich was passable and had little impact on the hull. You can continue fighting.
The Friedrich has been in service in East Africa for more than ten years. It is still a warship produced by the Austrian Royal Shipyard in Trieste. This era is indeed a treasure trove. Of course, its annual maintenance costs in East Africa are also relatively high. , but this is the price of developing a navy.
As a warship that could directly compete with the British ironclads, the Friedrich's counterattack was also sharp. It severely damaged the British Slade and also hit the stern of the Giant. Unfortunately, the shell only lightly grazed the side. However, it did not pose much threat to the Giant. Instead, the gunboat Antonio in East Africa was under the fire of the British Navy, and blazing fire could be seen on the plywood.
Except for the four ironclads, the other gunboats are not in good condition. Without the heavy resistance of the ironclads, any accidental damage may cause them to lose combat effectiveness instantly.
(End of this chapter)