"General, the French South Atlantic Fleet is here, what should we do?" The chief of staff of the 6th Fleet quickly reported to Harold.
With the arrival of the French South Atlantic Fleet, the situation on the entire battlefield changed suddenly. Although they sank the 'Paris', they also paid the price of the 'Florida'. Now they only have 9 capital ships left, and the "Superior" has been severely damaged. Once the French Channel Fleet and the South Atlantic Fleet converge, they will have 10 warships. Together with other warships, it will firmly suppress the United States Fleet.
"Boom! Boom!" The French Channel Fleet once again launched a fierce shelling on the "Superior". Although the 'Paris' sank, the 'Marseille', 'Amiens' and 'Metz' still kept their targets firmly on the 'Superior', as if they wanted to sink the opponent's flagship. Take revenge on your own flagship. [bsp;The 'Superior' was completely traveling through the rain of bullets. If you don't pay attention, you will be hit by the artillery fire of the French fleet. At a distance of 8,000 meters, almost every round of shelling by the French fleet can hit the 'Superior', but they are all small-caliber shells, which cannot cause fatal damage to the 'Superior'.
"General, we don't need to entangle with the French anymore. General Aldrich sent a telegram that they have arrived in Saint Lucia Island, let us hurry to meet them!" The chief of staff reminded again. If it continues to drag on, the situation will only become more and more unfavorable to the United States Fleet.
"I know. But our speed is already slower than the French, so it's not that easy to get rid of them!" Harold said angrily. Some complained, why can't my capital ship be faster? In addition, in the battles of warships other than capital ships, the United States United Fleet was completely suppressed and suffered heavy losses. Once the French destroyer formation gets rid of the entanglement and strikes the dense American battle line, the consequences will be disastrous.
"Damn it! Command the fleet and move forward at full speed! At the same time, try to attack the French warships as much as possible. Even if they can't be sunk, let them lose speed. In addition, report our situation to General Aldrich, we can't do it now. Get rid of the entanglement of the French." Harold ordered.
The distance between the US Continental South Fleet and the United States Fleet is too far. Even without the obstruction of the French Fleet, it would take at least a day or so for them to converge. Not to mention the possible interception by the French fleet. Therefore, their confluence is completely in the foreseeable future.
"Boom!" The 'Superior', which was advancing at full speed, suddenly shook. She was hit again. A 305mm naval gun fired by the "Marseille" accurately hit the stern of his ship. The violent guarantee directly tore a big hole in the waterline from the stern of the 'Superior'. Although the damage control personnel on the "Superior" blocked the leak even after making remedies. However, dozens of tons of seawater still poured into the stern of the USS Superior, causing her speed to drop by 5 knots.
Moreover, the three French warships did not let her go because of this, and were still pouring shells on the "Superior". The "Superior" that slowed down was even more difficult to escape the shelling of the French fleet.
"General, you must transfer immediately!" The captain of the USS Superior rushed into the bridge and reported to Harold.
"What, is the injury serious?" Harold frowned. They just sank the French flagship, but they didn't expect it to be reduced to their own flagship so soon.
"The power system is damaged, and the 'Superior' can no longer sail at high speed." The captain replied with a look of despair. Losing speed means that it will be completely surrounded by the French fleet and then devoured. Or directly buried by the ferocious destroyer of the French with torpedoes. The destroyers of the French are the best at dealing with these lonely and powerless battleships.
Harold didn't say anything, just walked out of the bridge silently. At this moment, the entire bridge was filled with dead silence. Everyone knows that the fate of the "Superior" has been decided. Losing her motivation, she couldn't escape the pursuit of the French.
Harold quickly transferred to the follow-up 'Michigan' and continued to command the battle. When the "Michigan" raised its flag, the French fleet's "Marseille", "Amiens" and "Metz" put the main target on the "Michigan".
Similarly, the U.S. Combined Fleet also set its main target on the 'Marseille', because she is a 'Tiger Shark'-class warship, and its skin is much thinner than that of the 'Giant Whale'-class warship. As long as the key parts are hit by a 1mén 305mm shell, she can be severely injured. As for the "Giant Whale" class warship, at least two or three 305mm naval guns can be hit.
At this moment, the captain of the 'Superior' was no longer thinking about how to sink his opponent, but how to ensure that he would not be sunk by the French fleet. After sending a telegram to Harold for instructions, the 'Superior' turned its rudder and sailed deep into the Atlantic Ocean. It is hoped that this way we can get rid of the siege of the French fleet.
"Hmph, do you want to run? The 'Paris' has already sunk, how can you run away! Send a report to the destroyer formation, let them organize a formation, and sink the 'Superior'!" Hercules smiled. issued an order.
More than a dozen 'Bayonet'-class and 'Dolphin'-class destroyers quickly broke away from the chaotic battlefield under the cover of other warships, and then launched an attack on the 'Superior'.
Destroyers are much faster than battleships, so it doesn't take long for them to catch up with the 'Superior'. Once they catch up, the 'Superior' will be like a ship surrounded by wolves. Like an injured tiger, although it still has strength, it is very fragile.
"How is the situation of the Channel Fleet now? It's been fighting for a long time, and I hope their casualties will not be too heavy." On the bridge of the "Vienne", Bennet was very worried.
In yesterday's naval battle, although the "Vienne" was damaged, it did not lose its combat effectiveness. Both 305mm naval guns were still able to fire normally, but they looked very miserable. The superstructure, in particular, is hardly intact. In addition, the casualties are relatively large, and a large number of newcomers have been added to the battleship, which requires further training to fully exert its combat effectiveness. But now, there is no time for running-in, so I can only bite the bullet.
"General, according to the telegram sent by the Channel Fleet, their losses are not large. So far, only the 'Paris' has sunk, and the rest of the warships have more or less injuries, and they can continue Fighting. The Americans were also sunk by the USS Florida, and their flagship USS Superior was also forced to withdraw from the battle line due to power damage. Now the Strait Fleet is organizing a destroyer formation to attack it Lightning strike. If there are no accidents, this battleship will definitely be sunk." Elliott said with a smile on his face.
In general, the performance of the Straits Fleet is still beyond their expectations. Originally, they thought that this battle would be very tragic. After all, the capital ships of the Straits Fleet are three fewer than the opponent. There are also two 'Tiger Shark' class warships with weaker defenses. The gap between the two sides is too great. But I didn't expect that the Straits Fleet would be able to exchange for two warships from the other side at the cost of one warship.
"Order all the capital ships to turn right 15 degrees, cross the entire battlefield at high speed, and directly intercept the American battle line. The rest of the warships, all join the battlefield, cooperate with the Channel Fleet, and kill the Americans." Bennett issued an order.
The entire South Atlantic Fleet was immediately divided into two parts. More than 20 cruisers and destroyers rushed towards the center of the battlefield. At this moment, the battle between the cruisers and destroyers on both sides has entered a fierce stage. The two sides are evenly matched. However, the addition of the South Atlantic Fleet immediately caused the balance of victory to fall towards the French Fleet.
The five battleships of the South Atlantic Fleet drew an arc on the sea surface, going straight in front of the American battleship~www.mtlnovel.com~ And, seeing Bennett's determination, he wanted to **** it in one fell swoop. To the T prefix, and then hit the firepower to attack the opponent.
An interesting picture was formed on the entire sea. The battleships of the French Channel Fleet and the battleships of the US Combined Fleet advanced side by side, pouring artillery fire on each other. On the other side, the five capital ships of the French South Atlantic Fleet are rushing forward with their heads on their way, trying to get to the front of the United States Fleet and intercept the opponent. And the advantageous position of the battleship, strives to severely damage the US combined fleet in one fell swoop.
In order to avoid falling into the siege of the two French fleets, the American fleet had to constantly change direction. Attempts to clear the French Channel Fleet. But the French Channel Fleet, like brown sugar, stuck tightly to the United States Fleet. Hold the opponent tightly.
The shelling from both sides at this moment is also extremely intense. The entire superstructure of the 'Marseille' was completely destroyed. Fortunately, it was not hit by the 305mm main gun. Otherwise, even if she did not sink, she would have withdrawn from the battle long ago. The other warships were also wounded. Among them, the 'Metz' and 'Le Havre' each lost a main gun and some secondary guns, and their firepower was greatly reduced.
At 4:2 in the afternoon, the five capital ships of the South Atlantic Fleet finally arrived in front of the capital ships of the United States United Fleet and completed a crucial interception.