Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth were destroyed by the French Mediterranean Fleet, thereby aborting the British, American and Canadian plans to capture the Isle of Wight. These three cities were destroyed, causing the three countries to suffer some losses. Among them, Britain suffered the greatest loss. Almost 20,000 soldiers who had no time to retreat were killed or injured in the bombardment of the Mediterranean Fleet, and the loss of strategic materials was also very huge. Canada and the United States, however, were located farther to the west and were not the first to be attacked, and they began to retreat after receiving warnings from Hammurabi, so the casualties of the two countries were relatively small, and it was just a matter of strategy. Materials were also destroyed because they were too late to transfer. As for civilian casualties, it was even greater. During this operation of the Mediterranean Fleet, almost 60,000 British civilians died in the flames of war, and millions of people were homeless. Portsmouth and other three cities were destroyed, which made the coalition forces lose their forward base for attack. So far, the crisis on the Isle of Wight has been temporarily lifted.
The high-profile comeback of the French Mediterranean Fleet also shocked the whole world. The United States and Canada felt a huge crisis, so they mobilized heavy troops to prepare to eliminate the threat in the cradle. The European countries calmed down again, and quickly cooled their hearts that were about to move because of France's continuous defeat at sea. Britain's reaction was even more intense. Some British officials even believed that Britain should not be an enemy of France at all, let alone annul Victoria's marriage contract with Borchardt. Misplaced and suffered another devastating blow. However, compared with the British law-hating faction, they are still very weak, so they cannot change the decision made by the British authorities at all. But even so, the British gave up their determination to take back the Isle of Wight, and only subordinated 10 infantry divisions to the opposite side of the Isle of Wight to guard against a sudden attack by the French army.
On 14 November 1829, the French Mediterranean Fleet made a final replenishment off the Isle of Wight before embarking on a south-westerly course for their final mission. At this time, the Azores also received orders from the French General Staff, and began to actively prepare to cooperate with the Mediterranean Fleet to carry out internal and external flank attacks, breaking the blockade of the Azores by the US and Canadian navies in one fell swoop, and regaining control of the eastern Atlantic region. .
The French Mediterranean Fleet left the Isle of Wight, and the news was quickly learned by the American government. And immediately notified Davis to adjust his deployment and prepare to ambush the Mediterranean Fleet on its way to the Azores.
At 11:00 am on the 16th, the Mediterranean Fleet reached the waters 500 kilometers northeast of the Azores. Along the way, the entire fleet maintained a high level of vigilance, but it was strange that they didn't even encounter a single American or Canadian warship.
"How long before we reach the Azores?" Clarence asked, putting down his binoculars.
"According to the current speed, if we don't encounter the American or Canadian fleet on the way, we will arrive at the Azores at 4 pm tomorrow at the latest. Now we are less than 500 kilometers away from the Azores." Bennett replied .
Clarence nodded, and then said suspiciously: "It stands to reason that our actions should have been leaked long ago, and this place should be in the patrolling waters of the US and Canadian navies. None of the U.S. or Canadian warships came across it. It's really strange, or should I say abnormal."
"Maybe they're laying a trap right in front of us, just waiting for us to take the bait," Bennett said with a hint of joking.
"Yes, it's entirely possible." Clarence nodded in agreement. The Americans are really despicable, just like the last time the Mediterranean Fleet was wiped out, they also set a trap and waited for the Mediterranean Fleet to drill into it.
"Order all ships to be vigilant, load their shells, and maintain a first-level combat readiness." Clarence ordered. He had a premonition that there seemed to be a trap waiting for him in the unknown place ahead. "Also, send a 'Light Cavalry'-class light cruiser to lead two 'Dolphin'-class destroyers, and speed up to 20 nautical miles ahead of the fleet to clear the way for the fleet." After thinking for a while, Clarence issued another order.
His order was issued immediately, and all the warships moved into action. The gun cover on the naval gun has been taken off, revealing the ferocious muzzle. The shells were also picked up from the ammunition depot by the gunners and placed neatly next to the naval guns. A "Light Cavalry" class cruiser led two "Dolphin" class destroyers, and began to speed up, left the formation, and quickly moved to the front of the fleet.
Time passed quickly, and at two o'clock in the afternoon, there was still no trace of the US and Canadian fleets. Even Clarence was wondering if he had made a mistake in his judgment. The soldiers also looked a little tired.
"Should I temporarily remove the first level of combat readiness and let the soldiers take a break?" Bennett asked.
Clarence was about to agree, but suddenly, there was an explosion in front of the fleet. Clarence immediately jumped to his feet and ordered the ships into combat. If he was not mistaken, the three warships sent to clear the way must have encountered the US and Canadian navies.
Sure enough, two minutes later, the battlecruiser 'Great', the flagship of Clarence, received a telegram from the front. The communications soldier quickly deciphered the content of the telegram and handed it to Bennett.
Bennett took a quick look, understood the above content, and said to Clarence: "General, they have encountered a large number of American and Canadian warships ahead, the number is between 130 and 160. Now they have exchanged with the enemy. It's on fire, but the enemy is too strong and they want to be able to retreat."
"Give them power and allow them to retreat. In addition, the fleet is immediately arranged in battle formation, ready to fight." Clarence ordered.
Following Clarence's order, the Mediterranean Fleet immediately took action and began to adjust their positions in order to optimize their firepower in naval battles. Because of their powerful firepower and heavy rear armor, the 'Giant Whale' class battleships were deployed at the forefront of the fleet without exception. Next to them were 10 'Heavy Cavalry' class heavy cruisers with equally powerful firepower. The battlecruisers were behind them. Light cruisers and destroyers are distributed behind the fleet, ready to launch lightning strikes on the enemy fleet when necessary. The entire fleet hit the hull horizontally, aiming their most powerful firepower at the enemy's direction.
Five minutes after the adjustment of the battle formation of the Mediterranean Fleet, three small dots appeared on the horizon. It can be seen through the telescope that those are the three warships sent by the Mediterranean Fleet before. And behind them, there is a dark mass of American and Canadian warships.
At this time, the US and Canadian fleets also discovered the Mediterranean Fleet, so they gave up pursuing the three warships of the Mediterranean Fleet, but stopped and adjusted their formation. This location is about 15 nautical miles away from the French Mediterranean Fleet, so there is no need to worry about the Mediterranean Fleet launching a surprise attack when they adjust their formation.
The battle formations of the U.S. and Canadian fleets are also centered on the three most powerful U.S. "South Carolina" class ships and one "King Arthur" class ship in Canada, on both sides of them. It is the "New York" class warship of the United States and the "Glory" class warship of Canada. Behind them are the "Pennsylvania" class warships and the "Washington" class warships of the United States, as well as the "Canada" class warships and the "King" class warships of the United Kingdom~www.mtlnovel.com~ The fleets of both sides are all horizontal, with the most powerful The firepower is aimed at the opponent. Then, the French Mediterranean Fleet began to sail southeast, while the American and Canadian fleets began to sail northeast. The distance between the two sides began to shrink continuously.
First of all, when the distance between the two sides reached 12,000 meters, they had already entered the range of the 305mm naval gun of the Mediterranean Fleet. The 'Giant Whale'-class battleship began shelling, but the distance was too far. The shells either exploded far in front of the US and Canadian fleets, or fell far behind them.
When the distance was close to 10,000 meters again, the 240mm naval guns of the French Mediterranean Fleet also joined the bombardment. The 240mm naval guns on the "South Carolina" class and "King Arthur" class of the US and Canadian fleets also began to fight back. But also because of the distance, no results were achieved.
Slowly, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer, and the shelling became more and more intense. When the distance between the two sides was only 6,000 meters, the naval guns of the French Mediterranean Fleet with a caliber of 155 mm or more could start shelling. In other words, apart from the destroyer, other types of warships have joined the bombardment. As for the United States and Canada, due to the impact of artillery technology, only warships of the "Pennsylvania" class and above can reach the Mediterranean Fleet in terms of range.