Long live Joachim

Chapter 95: Spike of Wolves On November 24, 1914, in the waters of the Faroe Islands, just like the waters of the Jutland Peninsula more than three months ago, nearly a hundred warships of various sizes from the British and German navies engaged in direct combat at close range to each other. However, even during the most intense battles, some ships from both sides were detached from the battlefield. The two British destroyers responsible for the outpost mission, the Scorpion and the Harpy, did not rush to the battlefield to contribute their meager strength, but continued to sail in the alert waters west of Stremer Island. The officers and soldiers on board could only obtain partial information about the development of the war situation from the wireless communication of their own ships, and just as they were shocked by the sinking of the "Emperor", the lookout on the mast suddenly saw a smoke column on the sea surface. Judging from the density of the smoke column, the fleet appearing in the front sea area should be of medium size. At this time, the British officers and soldiers on the two destroyers could not confirm that they were enemy ships, as this was the waters closer to the British mainland in the Faroe Islands. British naval combat vessels were deployed at Scapa Flow Naval Base, which was more than 200 nautical miles away, and Clyde Naval Port, which was more than 300 nautical miles away. As long as the Naval Staff ordered, they could arrive as soon as possible to provide support. The complex emotions of both anticipation and anxiety among the British naval officers and soldiers did not last long, and five light gray ship shadows gradually appeared on the sea surface. Through high-powered telescopes, the officers saw the terrifying silhouette of a large German warship! Despite the opponent being N levels stronger than himself, on the combat bridge of the Scorpion, British Navy Lieutenant Colonel Pete Granville, with short whiskers, was anxious but resolute as if he had ordered, "Call the battle alert! Prepare to face the enemy The Scorpion and its companion, the Eagle Body Witch, are both British G-class destroyers built in 1909. Their seaworthiness has significantly improved compared to earlier British destroyers, but they are still light ships with a displacement of less than a thousand tons. Their hulls are low, and when encountering such storms, the waves on their armor plates are very severe. In order to prevent seawater from damaging the naval gun, waterproof canvas had to be placed on the muzzle and tail cover. Once encountering an enemy, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Just as the British sailors were busy undressing and transporting shells, Lieutenant Gray, the firing commander on board, exclaimed, "The first two should be the German Navy's Moltke class battlecruisers... Oh my God, the Germans are here to attack our main fleet from behind A destroyer like the "Scorpion" certainly cannot be equipped with a sophisticated firing control system like a main battleship. It is equipped with a 3-meter rangefinder that can effectively measure targets at sea within 11000 meters, but only measures distance without the ability to command naval gun firing. The aiming of the ship's guns mainly relies on its own gun scope, and the actual effective range is only within 7000 meters. The firing commander does not need to calculate firing parameters or have the opportunity to personally fire the naval gun. His role is more similar to that of a combat staff officer, and he serves as the first substitute for the captain. Colonel Granville leaned over to the mouthpiece and said, "Quickly send a message to the flagship. Two battlecruisers equipped with triple mounted main guns and three armored cruisers equipped with double mounted main guns have appeared west of our ship. They are German warships! Our current position is 62 degrees 71 minutes north latitude and 8 degrees 67 minutes west longitude, and there may be some geographical coordinates error. We should be about 40 nautical miles southwest of the main fleet After he finished speaking, Lieutenant Gray asked with a bitter smile, "Sir, what should we do now? Find a way to keep an eye on them, or nail them The difference in this word is actually two completely different paths. One thought determines the fate of all the officers and soldiers on board, and may also have a significant impact on the outcome of this great naval battle. Are you scared? "Granville asked intently. Afraid of death? No, death is not scary, what's scary is dying without value. "The bitterness on Gray's face only increased. Granville glanced at him sideways and said, 'What counts as valuable?' Gray touched his shaved chin and said vaguely, "If I can help the Grand Fleet defeat the Germans, it would be worth my death a hundred times. Otherwise, I would rather live until the day when the British Navy can defeat the German Navy The appearance of the German fast fleet consisting of five warships at this position is definitely an attempt to stab our large fleet fiercely in the back during the most intense battle. With our abilities, even if we make positive efforts, it may not be able to change the situation of the war. But... "Colonel Granville paused and then generously said," If we do nothing but observe from afar, whether the large fleet wins or loses, can we live the rest of our lives with a clear conscience The captain's words clearly expressed his determination, and Gray knew that anything else was unnecessary. Instead, he let go of his inner conflicts and shrugged with a relaxed expression, "Even though this is the last naval battle of the British Navy in this war, we must make the Germans admire our fearless spirit After standing still, the bewildered Granville supported the bridge railing with both hands and proudly commanded the deck crew, "British sailors, quickly put our guns and torpedoes into firing mode. We want to show the Germans some color The tone of contempt towards the strong enemy received a warm response from the crew, and in just a blink of an eye, all the cannons on board, as well as two single torpedo launchers with a certain rotation angle, were in place. Perhaps they didn't take these two British destroyers seriously. After entering the range of the large caliber naval guns, the German fleet delayed firing. If both sides maintain their current course and speed, in a few minutes, the British destroyers will have a chance to launch torpedoes at the Germans. When Gray returned to inspect the torpedo readiness, Colonel Granville, who had been observing the German fleet for a long time with a telescope, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at his partner with incredible eyes: "Oh no! The third battleship of the Germans is not an armored cruiser, it is... Oh damn, it is the 'Bl ü cher', the first battleship cruiser built and commissioned by the German Navy, an old and sturdy monster, the terrifying Fenrir Fenrir is one of the most terrifying monsters in Norse mythology. He is a ferocious giant wolf, the son of the evil god Loki and the giantess Amberda, capable of devouring all things in the world and killing the king of gods, Odin. To refer to a German warship that does not appear to have top-level capabilities in this way shows the British's fear of it, and for the German officers and soldiers on board the "Bl ü cher", it is definitely a proud commendation. Gray quickly picked up the telescope, but the destroyer was bouncing too hard in the wind and waves, and his vision couldn't be stabilized at all. After a while, he was taken aback and said, "I used to think of it as an armored cruiser too. Its size doesn't look much larger than the two armored cruisers behind it... Uh, I know now, they must be the Scharnhorst class that we have been pursuing for a long time, the German quasi war cruisers... As long as we can use torpedoes to kill any of them, we will really die without regret This is even more difficult than I expected before! "Said Granville bluntly." With two Moltke class ships and the Bl ü cher, we probably will have been crushed by them before we reach torpedo range Are you scared Gray returned the original words at this moment, and soon it was Granville's turn to smile bitterly. People will eventually die, but as you said, the key is to die with value Gray, however, had no intention of sarcasm or mockery. He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, "From the South Pacific to the South Atlantic and then to the North Atlantic, those two Scharnhorst class armored cruisers sailed more than 10000 nautical miles without even undergoing a docking repair. The bottom of the ship must be filled with shellfish, and even the fastest horses would be slowed down in the mud. According to common sense, the maximum speed of this German fleet would not exceed 23 knots Upon hearing this, Granvillton's eyes lit up, but he immediately realized that even if the German fleet in front of him had such shortcomings, it was not his turn to take advantage of them. Based on the performance of the German cruiser in several combat operations, sinking one or two British destroyers at a distance of seven or eight kilometers was only a matter of minutes. Glancing at the German fleet on the other side of the sea, Granville ordered the communication department through the sound tube on the bridge: "Immediately send a message to the flagship. The German warships we have discovered are Moltke, Goeben, Bl ü cher, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau, with a current speed of about 20 knots. With the current sea conditions, this is probably their highest speed. Our ship will launch its first torpedo attack on this German fleet, and may God bless us May God bless Britain! "Gray whispered beside him. Everyone hopes to receive God's protection, but even if God really exists, it is impossible to satisfy everyone's wishes at the same time, because many wishes are completely contradictory, especially in this inevitably life and death battlefield. Sir Jackson, full of ambition, commanded the British mainland fleet, which was not as strong as before, to venture north, thinking that he could seize the favorable opportunity of the relatively dispersed main force of the German High Seas Fleet and turn the tide in one fell swoop. When the British fleet encountered the German fleet in the waters of the Faroe Islands, the weather of wind and rain seemed to lean towards the British. However, the German dreadnought fleet once again displayed a rock solid and tenacious combat style, complemented by cunning and varied tactical strategies. In just a few rounds, they extinguished the British fleet's desire for quick victory, but Jackson did not completely lose hope at this time. On the field, he commanded four super dreadnoughts equipped with 13. 5 inch guns and the dreadnought "Agincourt" with 14 12 inch guns to concentrate their firepower on attacking the German flagship, while hoping that the brave Betty team could open a breakthrough from the weakest German "old" dreadnoughts;Outside, he repeatedly sent telegrams urging the support fleet departing from Clyde Military Port to arrive as soon as possible. In order to prevent German warships from intruding into the Irish Sea between Scotland and Ireland, threatening the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Britain, the British Navy deployed strong combat fleets at Clyde Naval Port in northwest Scotland and Milford Port in southwest England. In mid November, due to the frequent presence of German battle cruisers in the northern waters of Ireland, the naval forces stationed at Clyde Naval Port were strengthened, including the tireless class battleship cruiser "Australia", the strongest dreadnought ship of the British Navy - the Nelson class, and three Duke of Edinburgh/Warrior class armored cruisers capable of countering the German Scharnhorst class armored cruisers.