From the time G-1 took the lead in breaking through the smoke screen to launch an attack on the fleet to the time when G-2 and 3 other ships came out from the other direction, it was only a short 5-6 minutes, and it was in these 5-6 minutes that all the large torpedo boats escorting the escort were sucked in and most of them were killed, and the torpedoes were successfully released, allowing the Thuringen and Erin to maneuver and evade. Tirpitz's tactics of luring and harassing the enemy were fully displayed by this point, and the results were quite good.

At this time, the German Navy's artillery level had been greatly improved compared with before 1885, but due to the limitations of sighting equipment, artillery performance, etc., coupled with the consideration of its own naval combat environment, the farthest artillery training was only 5,000 meters, and there was no idea of further extending the firing range.

Therefore, at this time, the shells fired by the Irene, which was far away from the formation led by G-2, were basically inaccurate, and although there were many water columns, the judges on the G-2 did not count them as hits. On the other hand, the Thuringian 305 mm 25x caliber guns were of some use at this distance, and huge shells would be counted as sunk even if they only landed near the bull's-eye. However, the rate of fire of 1 shot in 3 minutes can basically be ignored.

At the speed of 25.7 knots of the ocean-going torpedo boat, the distance of 4,000 meters could reach the attack position in 4 minutes, and the Thuringia only had one chance to fire from the main guns, so the gunners simply decided to wait until they got closer. At this time, the three large torpedo boats that turned the bow to return to the rescue, because they had already fired their own torpedoes, had no ability to reload at this high speed, and the two 37-mm rapid-fire guns on the boats were simply tickling for the ocean-going torpedo boats, and the small splashes made the magistrates bother to observe whether they landed on the course, and the 88-mm rapid-fire guns that returned to them were 88-mm rapid-fire guns.

The four ocean-going torpedo boats did not entangle with the large torpedo boats that rushed over at all, and rushed straight towards Thuringia. Perhaps thinking that the comrades of the large torpedo boat were very dedicated and too ruthless to turn a blind eye to their efforts, the G-4 was judged by the boat's magistrate to have been hit by 37mm gunfire, but only lightly wounded. And one of the large torpedo boats on the opposite side was sent out of the battlefield with 88-mm guns.

At this time, the starboard guns of the Charlotte, which had adjusted their course, finally regained a good angle of fire, and the guns began to fire at full speed regardless of the sight, hoping to interfere with the onslaught of the ocean-going torpedo boat troops, but with little success.

The fleet rushed 1,000 meters without hindrance, and at this time the main guns of the Thuringian opened fire. The splash from the four 305-mm shells directly blocked the G-2's forward route, and the four 150-mm secondary guns in the gun room in the swollen part of the hull also fired at the water column, and for a time the sea was full of splashing water columns, and the line of sight was completely blocked.

The water column dissipated, and it seemed that a torrential rain had fallen on the sea. However, I didn't see the ocean-going torpedo boats rushing over, so were they all judged to have hit? The sailors on the Thuringian were wondering when they saw a large number of tracks on the water. "Starboard! Lots of torpedoes! The lookout post on the lookout shouted loudly.

It turned out that Hipper decided to take a dangerous move, relying on the performance of his four ocean-going torpedo boats to shoot a huge amount of 24 torpedoes, and shot all the torpedoes out at 800 meters without entering the optimal torpedo attack distance. Each torpedo tube was set at an angle that allowed the torpedo in groups of two to have a very small heading angle between the groups, and the distance between the torpedo tracks when reaching the target position at this distance was also very small. Then, it's a matter of luck and probability.

The 24 torpedoes pulled out 24 snow-white tracks on the sea, which was even more spectacular and beautiful than the salvo of 12 torpedoes just now. But for the sailors on the Thuringia, it was even more dangerous and terrifying. The second-class ironclad ship of more than 7,000 tons began to maneuver to evade. Although the torpedo was fired at a distance of 800 meters at a speed of only 26 knots, the sheer number of torpedoes made up for it, and the Thuringia's large body and slow speed were unable to maneuver and was eventually hit by a torpedo in the tail. A muffled sound made the officers and men on the ship turn pale. If this were to be practiced, it would have caused the Thuringia to be seriously injured or even incapacitated.

However, the exercise was not over at this point, and after firing the torpedo, it made a large U-turn and left the battlefield, and the ocean-going torpedo boat was blocked by the Charlotte, which was rushing at high speed. At this time, the Charlotte, who did not know that the object of her protection had been stabbed with a stick, rushed at full speed, and the G-2 immediately released the signal, disbanded the formation and scattered to escape. Suddenly, 4 ships were scattered.

The G-6, which was originally going to break away at high speed, found that the Charlotte was targeting the G-2 of the leader, and immediately changed course and rushed towards the Charlotte, and the 88mm guns in the bow opened fire at full speed. Forcing the Charlotte to turn its attention to herself, intending to cover the G-2's detachment. As she had hoped, the Charlotte, which turned its guns, quickly caused the G-6 to be sunk.

This is the end of the exercise.

At this time, Jochen, who was far behind the Oldenburg, said to Muntz after reading it: "It seems that we can build a large number of these ocean-going torpedo boats." ”

And Muntz nodded and replied: "Yes, Your Highness, these ocean-going torpedo boats are indeed very efficient when it comes to fighting torpedo boats. And they also proved themselves a threat to capital ships, and the Navy should indeed build more ocean-going torpedo boats. ”。

After a series of aftermath work, such as training torpedo salvage, the ships regrouped and returned to Wilhelmshaven. After returning to port, the officers and men did not rest, and the ship was overhauled, cleaned, and replenished with ammunition and fuel. The officers began to discuss the exercise.

"First of all, I am very satisfied with the smooth completion of the exercise, as well as the performance of the 1st Ocean Torpedo Boat Brigade." Jochen, as crown prince, spoke first and congratulated Tirpitz. However, Jochen did not forget to give a little comfort to the loser: "Don't be discouraged by the others, whether it is the Thuringia or the Charlotte or the officers and men of the 3rd Torpedo Boat Brigade, they all show that they are doing very well. I see courage and ability in your expressions. As for losing, in addition to the fact that Colonel Tirpitz's tactics were more effective on the one hand, there are also some problems in the formation of your fleet. ”

"The 88-mm rapid-fire guns on ocean-going torpedo boats are obviously very advantageous against large torpedo boats, while the 37-mm rapid-fire guns on large torpedo boats are not very effective, and torpedo attacks are ineffective in insufficient numbers. Therefore, to combat ocean-going torpedo boats, it is necessary to use rapid-fire guns of at least the same class. The effective firepower in the escort ships came from 150 mm naval guns, while the larger caliber 210 and 305 mm naval guns were less effective, and it might have been better if the Charlotte had been replaced with the Sophie this time. What do you think, Colonel Tirpitz? ”

"That's true, if it is replaced by the Sophie, although the caliber of the main gun is smaller, the effect of adding 4 150 naval guns to high-speed ships should be better. However, the main problem is that the naval guns on the opposite side are all retired, the rate of fire of the navy's 105-barreled guns can reach 7 rounds per minute, and the 150-barreled guns also have 4-5 rounds, if we face such an attack, we may be wiped out. Tirpitz replied matter-of-factly.

"Rapid-fire guns have an extremely high advantage against high-speed ships, but against ocean-going torpedo boats it is not possible to rely on large torpedo boats, so in the future, the escort tasks of the main fleet need to be undertaken by cruisers and ocean-going torpedo boats equipped with a large number of rapid-fire guns." Rear Admiral Frederick von Holmann, who served as commander of the 2nd Battleship Detachment, spoke.

Holman historically succeeded Mondz as Lord of the Navy. But he was a sailman, and in 1890 he was able to contradict Wilhelm II: "At least equip every future ship on an ocean-going mission with a set of rigging." "But because Jochen suppressed the Sails early on, this man is now only a rear admiral commander of the battlefleet. And Muntz has cooperated well since taking office, so the position of Secretary of the Navy is still secure. However, it now seems that Holman can still see the value of technological progress without adhering to the concept of sailing.

"The Imperial Navy will be refitting the newer ships with rapid-fire guns for some time to come, starting with the cutting-edge cruisers, so don't worry about that." Muntz promised the officers in the room.

"So about the performance of the ocean-going torpedo boats, Colonel Tirpitz, do you have anything else to add?" Muntz continued.

"I have a little opinion about torpedoes." Hipper, as the commander of the detachment, spoke.

"Tell me about it." Muntz nodded.

"The current Brushkoop torpedo (i.e., black-headed torpedo) has insufficient range and speed, and we must rush within 500 meters to ensure a sufficient hit rate, and this time the torpedo can still get a hit at a distance of 800 meters because of the large number of torpedoes we fired at one time, and it is by probability and luck that we can get a hit, and it is more likely that we will not be able to get a hit in actual combat. And as soon as the enemy is equipped with rapid-fire guns, as the colonel said, we are likely to be completely annihilated. Therefore, torpedoes with a faster speed and longer range can ensure the success rate of our attack. ”

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already mentioned to me the problem of insufficient power and performance of 380-mm torpedoes, and in the future, the new ocean-going torpedo boats of the Navy will be equipped with 450-mm torpedoes, which can increase the attack range by a certain amount. And the newer torpedo Admiralty will pay attention to it, and we will try to get the new equipment as much as possible for the front-line troops. Muntz replied.

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Hippert returned the salute.

"In addition, considering that the 88-mm rapid-fire gun is very effective against torpedo boats, it can be considered to add another one to the next level of ocean-going torpedo boats of the Navy, so that the effect should be better against torpedo boats or warships of the same class. And if you can, it's best to keep increasing your speed. "Jochen did not forget to continue to promote the large-scale of ocean-going torpedo boats and destroyers.

"Your Highness, if this is the case, the tonnage of the new ship will increase a lot. The design needs to be changed a lot, and the powertrain is more demanding. It may take quite a bit of time. Muntz responded

"Before that, the Navy simply built another battalion of Type 1889 ocean-going torpedo boats, and then conducted coordinated exercises and personnel training. In this way, more people are trained. After the new ship is completed, we will have enough experienced officers and men to receive it and form combat effectiveness. "Yoheng built yì to.

"Yes, Your Highness." Muntz was as good as a stream, nodded and agreed, the navy is not short of money now, how can he object to the reasonable mention of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.