With such a boss, comrade-in-arms and comrade, what else can Ling Xiao say? He solemnly performed a military salute, and then said loudly: "The Japanese ship is approaching. I will command all the officers and soldiers on the ship to fight to the death with it. I also hope that the director will properly preserve his useful body so that our blood will not be shed in vain!"
Chen Jiliang knew that this was the moment of narrow escape, so he solemnly returned the salute and said in a deep voice: "Let us work together to revitalize the Chinese Navy!"
Along with the rumble of gunfire, the naval guns on the "Haichen" began to fire back. Although the caliber of the cannon is far inferior to that of the "Hiei", and although the warship's performance is already old, if the 150mm shells of the main gun can hit the opponent's engine room, ammunition storage and other important parts, it can still cause heavy damage to it, but this opportunity is too great. Slim.
"Haichen" is like Don Quixote, standing directly in front of the "Hiei" without knowing what it can do, waiting for the "Hiei" to destroy it.
Considering the distance between the two sides and the accuracy of the shooting range in this era, a direct hit usually only occurs when the character explodes. However, as the two sides got closer, the Japanese naval gunners' well-trained advantages began to emerge.
The accuracy of the Japanese naval gunnery was recognized around the world before World War II. This is the result of long-term and uninterrupted high-intensity training. By the mid-1930s, the hit rate at a common artillery battle distance of 20 kilometers was 12%. During the same period, the hit rate of British and American battleships was about 4%.
But at the same time, it is also the negative impact of its superstitious "gunnery decisive battle" old thinking, which made it lose the opportunity to take the lead in entering the era of naval aviation. Therefore, everything has pros and cons.
But at this time and here, its excellent gunnery capabilities made the "Haichen" begin to suffer. After wasting no less than dozens of shells, the "Haichen"'s good luck had run out. A 356mm shell hit the stern of the ship, penetrating a large hole about three meters wide, and dislodged a gun placed at the tail. The 150mm main gun exploded into the sky.
Yang Chaolun, the gunnery mate who was commanding the main gun at the rear, was seriously injured on the spot. More than a dozen people holding the gun position were either dead or injured. Shrapnel, fire and gunpowder smoke accompanied the painful struggle. This gun severely damaged the "Haichen". Fortunately, the direction of the shell is biased towards the relatively thick gun mount. Otherwise, if it hits the relatively thin hull, the "Haichen" will be penetrated on the spot.
One of the only three main guns that could pose a certain threat to Japanese ships was lost shortly after the battle, and it was also an important tail gun. In order to prevent the "Haichen" from being continuously hit and unable to fight back, it had to turn around. Use the two main guns on the left and right wings of the bow to exchange fire with the Japanese. As a result, the "Haichen", which originally wanted to break away from the battle, could not take another half step towards the base, and it would really be a decisive battle with the Japanese ship!
Navigation mate Sun Yingqi made a temporary guest appearance as cannon commander. He believed that the ship could not turn around, even though using the main gun would make the warship's situation a little better - it could only be a little better. It's like a strong man fighting a child who is able to throw two punches instead of just one while being punched hard.
Your two punches may cause some pain to the opponent, but one punch from the opponent can make you fall down.
Sun Yingqi, who has rich experience, decided to tilt the warship 30 degrees and move forward in a roundabout way. Although he could only use one side of the main gun and the stringer gun, it was better than being completely passively beaten. And it also has the advantage that although it is a little slower, it is moving towards the Chinese base. Every step forward can allow China's possible response forces to discover itself earlier and provide relief to itself.
The Japanese army seemed to have divine help. After the main gun hit one shot, three more shells exploded on the "Haichen" one after another. Fortunately, these three guns were all hit by its single-mounted 152mm secondary gun. Although some facilities and personnel on the deck and side strings were damaged, its power was far from its 356mm main gun, and it was not damaged. Fortunately, the only power of the "Haichen" was not damaged.
The crisis of the "Haichen" was clearly seen by the destroyers on both sides, especially the "Hanzhong" which was ordered to "connect" to the fleet headquarters. Should we take the risk of letting the flagship continue to be hit, risk our lives to pick up the people on board, or should we find ways to divert the opponent's attack target? "Hanzhong" decisively chose the latter.
Captain Tang Xinyu ordered the warship to approach the "Hiei" at full speed while raising a flag to ask friendly ships to rescue the flagship.
Making such a decision is also a last resort. The "Hiei", which is very close to the "Haichen", is already within visual range. This kind of range is what the Japanese army is good at. Even if it rescues itself, there is no guarantee that it can safely serve as the new flagship. Because the Japanese ship's cannons were too sharp, according to the Japanese army's calibrated firing, the "Haichen" was completely within the coverage of the Japanese army's artillery.
As long as it is not hit again by its 356mm main gun, it still has the ability to withstand the attack of the 152mm naval gun. Unlike me, as long as I was hit by such a shot, I would definitely suffer a lot of damage. This risk is really not worth taking.
There is only one way, ?This is to take advantage of the small and fast speed of one's own ship to launch a torpedo attack on the "Hiei" at close range in order to approach it and avoid it, that is, to implement the strategy of "encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao".
This method is also very risky, because the only weapons that can threaten battleships or armored cruisers for "Jiujiang" class destroyers or larger destroyers are torpedoes, and the range of longer torpedoes in this era is only 8 nautical miles.
Now, the closest to the "Hiei" is the destroyer "Hanzhong", which is about 20 nautical miles away. If full power is added, at its maximum speed of 35 knots, it will take 20 minutes for the ship-borne torpedo to effectively threaten the "Hiei". That means that the "Hanzhong" must survive these fatal 20 minutes, and even if it successfully launches torpedoes, it may not be successful.
But even so, given the situation, we have no choice but to fight. As long as the "Hiei" is successfully contained, even if a destroyer like itself is sacrificed to give the "Haichen" a chance to escape, everything will be worth it. It is self-evident that a warship and a flagship loaded with the essence of the Chinese navy are more important.
Tang Xinyu and Chen Jiliang were both graduates of the 4th class of Jiangnan Naval Academy¡¯s driving class. They both served as captains at almost the same time. However, Chen Jiliang was famous in his early years and favored by the marshal, so he rose to the top. Tang Xinyu should have had the opportunity to be promoted, but the navy structure was too small and strictly followed the promotion principle of one carrot and one pit, so he was unable to move to the next level.
Although his official career is not smooth, his professional ability is not guaranteed. The roaring "Hanzhong" spewed out billowing smoke and accelerated towards the "Hiei". This small-sized destroyer that inherited the American shipbuilding ideas finally had a place to be used in the Yellow Sea. Among the Chinese and Japanese warships The shuttle between them seemed particularly abrupt.
Both warring parties noticed such a warship. After reading the battle strategy of the "Hanzhong" from the semaphore, the destroyer "Yantai" on the other side also understood it and rushed towards the "Hiei" in unison.
They want to use this method to create an escape opportunity for the "Haichen". (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com