On the evening of October 26, the US 6th Fleet and the 5th, 9th, and 11th Fleets, the huge combined fleet, stopped going south and began to turn north from the waters south of Fortaleza.
Harold, the commander of the 6th Fleet, as the commander of the United Fleet, does not refer to how high his military talent is, it is purely because the 6th Fleet is a complete fleet, and the 5th, 9th and 1st After the 11th Fleet experienced the battle in the English Channel, only half of its combat power remained. This allowed Harold to be the commander. In addition, Harold has a cautious personality and is more suitable for this position.
When he learned that the 7th Fleet was defeated and that the French South Atlantic Fleet did not suffer much, Harold couldn't sit still and ordered the fleet to head north at full speed. He knew that the French South Atlantic Fleet must have been heading north. Maybe, the French have already sent a fleet to ambush in the north, just waiting for him to fall into the trap. [bsp; For this reason, the entire United Fleet is in high spirits. Around the 10 battleships, there are destroyers and cruisers. In the telegram of the Ministry of the Navy, it was specifically emphasized that attention should be paid to defending against French destroyers. The two sunk capital ships of the 7th Fleet were both sunk by destroyer torpedoes. Harold, on the other hand, faithfully carried out the orders of the Admiralty. The defense around the capital ship is like an iron barrel. This also reflects from another aspect that Harold is extremely cautious, or extremely afraid of death.
When the U.S. combined fleet was heading north at full speed. The French Channel Fleet was ready to meet them. When the South Atlantic Fleet defeated the US 7th Fleet, they had already rushed to the Amazon River. Depending on the speed of the two sides, they will meet at 10 or 11 am on the 27th.
The Strait Fleet suffered heavy losses. In the battle of the English Channel, although they defeated the US-Canadian coalition forces, they also suffered a lot of losses. Up to now, the entire fleet has only 7 capital ships. Among them, there are two 'Tiger Shark' class warships and five 'Giant Whale' class warships, two of which were repaired and rejoined the fleet.
In terms of overall strength, the remaining strength of the Strait Fleet is comparable to that of the US Combined Fleet. But in terms of quantity, whether it is a capital ship or other warships, it is slightly less than the United States Combined Fleet. This puts them at a slight disadvantage in the upcoming naval battle. Especially in the duel of capital ships, they will be at a disadvantage.
But fortunately, they are not fighting alone, the South Atlantic Fleet is rapidly moving north. It is estimated that they will be able to reach the fighting sea area in the afternoon of the 27th. At that time, it will be their two fleets that will encircle and annihilate the United States Fleet.
"Marshal, the reconnaissance fleet has been dispatched. At the current speed, we are very likely to encounter the US Combined Fleet in the waters of Tiroca or St. Louis." Admiral Abel, the trusted chief of staff of the Strait Fleet, said. If the U.S. Navy speeds up its return to the north, it may encounter it in Tiroca.
"Well! Is the fleet ready? The South Atlantic Fleet has done a good job. It severely damaged the US 7th Fleet at a small price. We can't lose to them." Admiral Hercules said firmly. The Channel Fleet has always been the most powerful fleet among the fleets of the French Navy. It was only because of the heavy losses in the last battle that they were sent to encircle and wipe out the US fleet going south. In Hercules' mind, attacking the main fleet of the U.S. Navy is the mission of the Strait Fleet. However, since the Ministry of the Navy issued an order, he could not refute it, so he had to spread all his anger on the US fleet.
The remaining seven capital ships of the Straits Fleet are the 'Tiger Shark' class warships 'Paris' and 'Marseille', of which 'Paris' is the flagship. The other five 'Whales' class warships are 'Amiens', 'Metz', 'Le Havre', 'Orleans' and 'Caen', all based in northern France. named.
Seven capital ships, surrounded by hundreds of other warships, sailed south. Similarly, Bennett led the South Atlantic Fleet, and it was also racing northward.
The night passed quickly. The officers and soldiers of the French Channel Fleet were all extremely excited. The news that their comrades defeated the US fleet gave them great encouragement. Many people rested under the orders of the officers. If you don't have a good rest, you won't be able to keep up your spirits in tomorrow's intense naval battle, which will affect the entire naval battle.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, they received a telegram from the reconnaissance fleet, and they had discovered the United States Combined Fleet heading north rapidly in the waters near St. Louis.
"It seems that the American United Fleet is terrified. The return speed is actually much faster than we expected." Hercules said with a smile.
"I can't run away! If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'll be surrounded by us." Abel said.
When the reconnaissance ships of the French Channel Fleet discovered the United States Fleet, they were also exposed.
"General, I found the French battleship, 20 kilometers north of us!"
"Damn it, why did the French warships appear here? Are they really waiting for us in front?" Harold slammed his fist on the table, smashing the charts and cups on it, There was a sudden shaking.
"Order all warships to prepare for battle. In addition, it is required that after the war, the 'Franklin' class warships must entangle the French destroyers. The 'Washington' class and 'South Carolina' class warships must also set the main target Put it on the enemy's destroyer, and destroy the enemy's destroyer first." Harold gave the order. He hated the French destroyers. This kind of warship with extremely fast speed and powerful attack power at the same time makes the huge capital ship hard to defend against. The thought of the Seventh Fleet sinking two capital ships by these destroyers gave him chills.
"Obey, General!" Soon, his order was passed on to every battleship.
In addition, since the French reconnaissance ship has appeared, it means that the French main fleet should be around here. For this reason, the United States United Fleet was quickly organized. A total of 10 warships dispatched a long battle line. Among them, the 4 warships of the 6th Fleet are at the forefront, namely the 'Superior', 'Michigan', 'Huron' and 'Erie'. Among them, the 'Superior' is the 6th fleet. flagship. After them, 'Tennessee' and 'Florida' of the 5th Fleet, 'Mississippi' and 'Ohio' of the 9th Fleet and 'Appalachian' and 'Rocky' of the 11th Fleet Number.
Ten huge "North Carolina" class warships formed a long battle line on the sea. The cruisers and destroyers of the mainland surrounded them, like a team of heavily armored knights, riding their horses to launch a fierce attack on the enemy.
At 10 o'clock in the morning on the 27th, two equally large warships collided in the waters south of Tiruka. The two sides discovered each other almost at the same time, and the naval battle began immediately.
"Attack!" Hercules and Harold gave the order to attack almost at the same time. The destroyer formation of the French Channel Fleet quickly passed the capital ship and rushed towards the United States Fleet. At the same time, the "Franklin" class destroyers in the United States United Fleet also rushed forward bravely. They will entangle each other tightly and sink them, not giving the opponent a chance to attack the battleship.
At the same time, all the "South Carolina" class light cruisers of the United States United Fleet also entered the battlefield, apparently with the intention of killing the destroyers of the French Channel Fleet first. Only more than 20 "Washington" class destroyers were left to protect the capital ship.
"Hmph! The Americans want to kill our destroyer formation first. How can there be such a good thing? Order, all heavy cruisers and light cruisers, all go in, kill the enemy, and strive to liberate the destroyers." In Hercules Under the command of the Straits Fleet, nearly thirty heavy cruisers and light cruisers quickly entered the battlefield.
Seeing this ~www.mtlnovel.com~, the United States United Fleet also put all the remaining light cruisers into the battlefield. Now, only the capital ships of both sides are still outside the battlefield.
"Turn right 40 degrees, prepare to go around and attack the French capital ship." Harold ordered. He now has 10 capital ships in his hand, while his opponent only has 7, which is an advantage of 3 more. Moreover, among the opponent's 7 capital ships, there are two thin-skinned 'Tiger Shark'-class battlecruisers, and the United States United Fleet has a huge advantage.
"Hmph, do you want to fight us decisively? Then I will fulfill you." Hercules said. Also ordered the capital ship of the Strait Fleet to start turning. However, he then issued another order. Keep the distance between the two sides at 10,000 meters. From the battle reports played by the South Atlantic Fleet, it can be clearly seen that the US Navy only has the best strike distance at a distance of about 8 kilometers. If it exceeds 10,000 meters, it will be difficult to hit the opponent with the naval gun technology and shelling technology of the US Navy. The French Navy is different. The 305mm main gun of the French Navy has a maximum range of 15,000 meters and an effective range of 12,000 meters. Above 10,000 meters, the hit rate is still pretty good. In this case, the technological advantage can be used to effectively offset the quantitative advantage.
Anyway, the French Channel Fleet and the South Atlantic Fleet have such a support force, the longer the delay, the better for them.