The U.S. Fleet and the French Fleet discovered the arrival of the U.S. 1st Fleet and 2nd Fleet almost at the same time. But what is strange is that the commanders of both sides showed excited smiles, and all of them looked relieved.
Obviously, Aldridge and others thought it was time for them to fight back. Annihilate the French fleet, defeat the French navy, and win the naval battle, just today.
But Kirkbride and others were finally relieved after the big fish took the bait. Similarly, in this battle, the main force of the U.S. Navy will be completely lost. It also established that the naval battle will eventually be won by France. [bsp; "Stop the attack, and order all ships to stand by! The other side resists the American attack!" Kirkbride ordered. The remaining 7 wounded 'Giant Whale' class warships plus 4 'Tiger Shark' class warships are obviously difficult to defeat with 8 intact 'North Carolina' class warships and 6 damaged capital ships. .
The French fleet immediately stopped its attack and drew a distance. The eleven capital ships were all on standby. In addition, the destroyers are all spread out in units of units. The same goes for light cruisers. According to Kirkbride's order, they will not intervene in fierce battles, mainly to stop the US fleet when they want to escape. Heavy cruisers surround the capital ship. The main guns of heavy cruisers also pose a certain threat to the capital ships of the US Navy. It's just that they can't resist the attack of the US battleship. As long as it is hit by a US battleship, it will be severely damaged or even sunk.
"Give power to Admiral Darcy of the Splendid Fleet, informing him that the U.S. 1st and 2nd Fleets have arrived on the battlefield, and they are ready to play." Kirkbride had a triumphant smile on his face. This time, let's see how the US fleet escapes. Last night, Hercules also told Kirkbride how to contact the Glorious Fleet. After all, Kirkbride is the supreme commander on the battlefield right now.
Darcy was a rising star in the French Navy, like Bennett. Participated in many battles, rising from the captain of the destroyer to the commander of the squadron. After the formation of the brilliant fleet, he was awarded the rank of admiral and served as the commander of the brilliant fleet.
A few minutes later, the communications officer reported: "Marshal, General Darcy is calling. They are already crossing the Guadeloupe Strait. In an hour, we can arrive at the battlefield!"
"Okay! Very good! Order the ships to prepare to meet the enemy!" Kirkbride was full of confidence. Ever since he learned of the existence of the Brilliant Fleet and its terrifying strength, he knew that this time, the U.S. Navy could definitely be solved once and for all. A complete victory in this naval battle. After the victory in the naval battle, the next step is to look at the performance of the army. The French army has always been number one in the world, and it is foreseeable that they will win soon.
In fact, this is exactly the case, the French Army has already begun preparations. The country has already begun to organize merchant ships, and they will set sail and land in North America immediately after the victory of the naval battle.
"General, General Paret called and asked our capital ships to join them, form a battle line, and then launch an attack on the French. The other cruisers and destroyers are ready to entangle the French cruisers and destroyers." A The staff officer reported to Aldridge.
"Call General Paret back, we will execute it immediately!" Aldridge handed over the command very simply. And Paret came to command the fleet again, and he was convinced.
The 6 battleships, covered in injuries, faced the US 1st and 2nd Fleets, and then joined them at the end of their battle line. Cruisers and destroyers were also scattered around the US 1st and 2nd Fleets.
"The ships turn around, prepare to fight, and defeat the French!" On the USS Washington, the flagship of the US 1st Fleet, Paret, commander of the US 1st Fleet, issued an order to attack. In his opinion, the French still haven't escaped. Could it be that they want to rely on these damaged warships to face the U.S. Navy? This is simply courting death. However, this is also in line with his novelty.
Not only him, several other commanders of the US fleet almost had the same idea. Now the strength of both sides has reversed again. The U.S. Navy already has an absolute advantage. Since the French fleet did not escape, they only had the fate of being sunk.
After this war, the U.S. Navy will become the world's largest navy, and the United States will also become the most powerful country.
"Boom! Boom!" The huge main gun let out a deep roar. At the muzzle, clusters of orange-red flames formed. The huge artillery shell weighing hundreds of kilograms slammed into the opponent fiercely under the action of the huge thrust formed by the violent combustion of the launch.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, the two huge fleets began to contact, and at a distance of about 10,000 meters apart, they launched a fierce confrontation. Huge armor-piercing bullets were thrown at the opponent fiercely.
The two fleets sailed north along the Lesser Antilles. The speed is maintained at around 12 knots. At this speed, the hit rate of the naval gun will be relatively stable.
The French Navy lags behind the U.S. Navy by 3 ships in the number of capital ships, and the 7 'Giant Whale' battleships are all more or less injured, and their combat power cannot be fully released. The eight "North Carolina" class battleships of the U.S. Navy are all intact, and the soldiers are also full of body. For these reasons, the French Navy fell into a disadvantage for a while.
"Is the damage serious?" Kirkbride frowned.
"The underwater part of the right side of the ship was hit, the watertight cabin was damaged, and the hull tilted. The balance was restored after the left side was filled with water, but the speed has dropped to 10 knots. In addition, the rear main gun is damaged and can no longer be used!" Officer reported.
"Accept their request!" Kirkbride said with a serious face. Only twenty minutes after the battle started, a capital ship was severely damaged. The situation is not good!
The Tuileries staggered out of the line of battle. After he was wounded, the American fleet launched a fierce attack on him, but fortunately he was not hit again and was able to safely withdraw from the battlefield.
The 'Tuileries' withdrew from the battle, putting even more pressure on the French fleet. What's more, this boosted the morale of the U.S. Navy, as if the goddess of victory lifted the corners of their skirts to them. As if he had been injected with blood, he attacked even harder. In an instant, a large number of shells fell around the French battleship, splashing a large amount of water.
The French navy also launched a fierce counterattack.
"Boom!" At 8:30, a 305mm artillery shell accurately hit the USS Jacksonville, the flagship of the US 2nd Fleet. The huge shell directly wiped out the chimney of the USS Jacksonville. , Billowing thick smoke filled the battleship. At the same time, the speed of the 'Jacksonville' was also greatly affected.
"Very well, hit me and sink him!" cried Kirkbride.
As time went by, the naval battle became more and more intense, and both sides paid a lot of losses. However, the losses of the French Navy were obviously greater. At 9 o'clock, the French Navy's "Iberia" was sunk, and the "Garon" and "Le Havre" withdrew from the battle. Of the original 11 capital ships, only 7 remain.
As for the U.S. fleet, although no warship was sunk, 3 warships had to withdraw from the battlefield after being severely damaged. They are the flagships of the 2nd Fleet, the USS 'Jacksonville', the USS 'Delaware' and the USS 'Boston'. But the entire battle situation is still firmly dominated by the US fleet.
"Frenchmen, repent! You are doomed this time. You don't need to make the last struggle." On the bridge of the USS Washington, Paret had a serious face, but there was a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth. .
On the bridge of the 'Philadelphia', Aldrich even laughed a long time ago: "Okay, good fight, send all the Frenchmen into the sea to feed the fish." Hitting, and then catching fire, sinking or exiting the battlefield, this made Aldrich indescribably happy.
"Why hasn't the brilliant fleet arrived yet? If this continues, we won't be able to hold on anymore! Send a report to General Darcy, when will we be able to arrive at the battlefield!" Kirkbride was a little anxious. In just one hour, 4 battleships were lost, and if we persisted for a few more hours, wouldn't we lose all of the remaining 7 battleships?
When the signal soldier was about to send a telegram to the brilliant fleet, an exclamation came from the window: "Oh my God! What a huge battleship!"
Kirkbride and the others immediately ran to the porthole of the bridge and picked up the binoculars.
I saw that UU reading www.uukanshu.com a fleet composed of huge battleships was heading towards the battlefield from the northeast direction at high speed. The huge muzzle has been raised, looking very ferocious.
"1, 2, 3, 4...! 8mén, my God! There are actually 8mén 305mm naval guns!" The gunner on the "Azores" exclaimed. Whether it is a 'Tiger Shark' class warship or a 'Giant Whale' class warship, there are only two 305mm naval guns. But this new type of warship, which has never been seen before, actually has an 8mén powerful 305mm naval gun, which makes people feel scalp numb. At the same time, I am also a little worried, can so many large-caliber naval guns be fired in unison? Don't worry about the strong recoil that will make the battleship fall apart?
"Hahaha! Very good, the glorious fleet has finally arrived, let's see how arrogant the Americans are!" Kirkbride laughed and almost danced.
The powerful firepower of the 'Brilliant' class battleship made people feel frightened, but the French flag flying on it made the French navy soldiers feel very at ease. This is our battleship! What a powerful battleship, let the Yankees go to hell.
The U.S. Navy also discovered the brilliant fleet. However, the ferocious muzzles of those huge battleships and the flying flags on them made them feel a burst of despair.