"Oooo ”

"Good news or bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Standing on the V-shaped submarine hull control tower is too crowded for two people, and standing on the observation deck where three people become sardine cans, and the sea breeze blowing in the face at a speed of 14 knots is indeed not a comfortable thing. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Lieutenant Carl steadied himself against the sea breeze, and then wrapped himself in his coat and said.

"I guess there's one thing they should say." Trapp said uncooperatively.

"You're right." Carl nodded disapprovingly, because the radioman reported that he received "a message" before he was called down, since the captain did not cooperate, Carl did not sell off: "We killed 4 armored cruisers and 4 destroyers of the French, we also have 4 cruisers and 1 destroyer lead ship lost combat effectiveness, and 2 destroyers were sunk." ”

"That is, the cruiser may not be able to count on it." Trapp frowned: "What's next for the cruiser?" ”

"Rendezvous with the Croats' cruiser, then continue to move southwest to search for the battleships of the combined Anglo-French fleet." Karl shrugged: "But ......"

"It shouldn't be of much use, though." Trapp picked up: "This is really bad news. ”

Gotrap didn't care about how many battles the light cruiser had won, although this was good news, but it didn't help him, but the heavy damage to the light cruiser was bad news that had a lot to do with him.

4 light cruisers and 1 destroyer led the ship with heavy damage, and these ships still needed cover if they wanted to evacuate safely, which meant that Rear Admiral Su Shun's fleet combat strength had to be reduced by at least half. The damage was so severe that such a force alone would not have played a role in the rest of the battle.

According to the information received before, Rear Admiral Su Shun's fleet is the closest to the southwest of the Ionian Sea except for the submarine force, and although the convergence with the Croatian cruiser fleet can strengthen the combat power, it will inevitably waste a lot of time.

"It looks like it's up to us."

"Are we going to continue to the place of engagement?" Karl asked, puzzled, "The French armored cruiser fleet is not heading for the Ionian Sea, so it is likely that they are going to join up with the rest of the fleets." We moved in this direction after receiving a telegram from the cruisers and the French to exchange fire, which allowed us to narrow down our search considerably.

But now the armored cruisers of the French have all been sunk, and our fleet has been withdrawn. Regardless of whether the other Anglo-French fleet had previously wanted to rush to the area of engagement to destroy our cruisers, or whether it was fearing that our battlefleet would catch up and hastened its escape, it should not be possible to appear near the area of engagement now. ”

"You have a point, but maybe there's another possibility." Trapp laughed and said that his co-captain was excellent in every way, but he still lacked the slightest bit of intuition, the instinct of a good hunter.

"We saw the flames of the explosion, and if there were other British and French fleets nearby, they could see it too, and the light of the fire would have attracted their attention." Trapp explains: "If the French were to be joined by only a few stragglers, it was very likely that they would flee the area for fear of encountering our main fleet. But if it was the main force of the combined Anglo-French fleet, they would want to know what was going on with their friendly forces, and they would want to see if they could take on the evacuated ships. Even if they are worried about encountering our main fleet, they will ask people to inquire about the situation, and this is our chance. ”

"Is that your judgment?" Carl asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, it's my instinct." Trapp laughed.

Seeing that his co-captain was still a little unacceptable, Trapp didn't care, and when he commanded a submarine himself and became a skilled hunter, he would understand this feeling.

"Sometimes you have to trust your instincts. And we have at least a 50% chance of it, it's better than wandering around, isn't it? Trapp squeezed his coat hard to comfort.

Trapp's action reminded Carl of something: "Our chef made a late-night snack, braised spicy beef soup, although it was canned beef, but the taste was still very authentic Viennese. You go down and have a drink, I'm staring here. ”

"Authentic Viennese? You Berliner, this is Hungarian cuisine! Trapp smiled as he walked to the hatch, "I'll leave it to you." ”

Standing on the lookout was a little cold by the 14-knot sea breeze, but when you entered the stuffy tank of the submarine, it was a little hot, and the hot and mellow beef soup made Trapp sweat and cheer up. He walked through every compartment of the submarine from tail to end, the chief engineer vowed to ensure that the power system was in perfect condition, the chief navigator checked the position of the submarine against the chart, and the torpedo chief checked the pressure of the compressed gas cylinders of the torpedo tubes again. While everyone is doing their job dutifully, Trapp can feel the restlessness that spreads in this cramped, confined space.

Since the beginning of the war, the submarine forces of the Mediterranean Fleet have been looking for trouble with civilian ships, while the colleagues of the Oceanic Fleet have tasted the taste of sinking warships, and now the same opportunity is in front of them, although a qualified hunter will remain calm before launching an attack, but no matter how restrained, his suppressed emotions will still leak out.

Even Trapp himself could feel the excitement in his body, this was not the exercise of a few years ago, this time he had the opportunity to really launch a hunt against the hegemon of the sea - the battleship! Sailors, sometimes there are some superstitions, and your intuition tells you that you will gain something today.

"Captain, co-captain finds out about the situation." The crew's report caused Trapp to grab his coat and throw it over his body and rush out.

Climbing onto the command platform, Karl said in a hurry: "At 2 o'clock, there is a light signal at a distance of 6 nautical miles, and it is not our people, so we cannot determine the course and speed. Sorry, Captain. ”

Trapp looked in the direction Carl had said, and his eyes were pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

"Right hand 15!" Trapp gave the order decisively, and then said to Carl, "Don't worry, come and have a meeting." Then he climbed back up the ladder back into the boat.

Sitting around the folded folding table with the Navigator made it a little crowded, but the three of them didn't care, and instead analyzed the charts.

"We're probably where we are." Second Lieutenant Marcus, the navigator, nodded on the chart: "I can't see the moon tonight, so I can only guess the location by the track." The location of the light signal that Karl had discovered was about 20 nautical miles away from the telegraph sent by our cruiser fleet when it encountered the French. ”

"Identifying with a light signal means that this is not a ship in a formation, so there are indeed people answering the French." Carl said, staring at the location Marcus had marked on the chart.

"I said my instincts were accurate." Trapp said with a smile, and then continued to mark the chart: "And I don't think that the ships that come to meet are 1-2 ships alone, they must be separated from a fleet. Now that they have received the French, they will certainly go to join the fleet, and if they want to leave the Ionian Sea, they will certainly move southwest, and we will have to try to catch up with them. It's a surprise to spot an enemy, and sometimes it takes luck to be on the sea. ”

French Navy Jules? The armored cruiser Ferry did not know that there was a hunter behind him who was trying to catch up with him.

As Trapp had guessed, the French fleet had indeed moved closer to Rear Admiral Juni's position.

Although it was not possible to determine their position with a sextant due to the weather, the French fleet had been in fact as close to each other as possible by radio. The main force of the Mediterranean Fleet, which did not dare to allow Vice Admiral La Perel to turn around with his precious dreadnought or reduce its speed, was actually not too far away from the Kolbe, fearing the pursuit of the German battlefleet, and Rear Admiral Juni's armored cruiser fleet was moving closer in this direction at that time, so the task of taking over Vice Admiral La Perel fell to the armored cruiser.

But the distance between the two fleets, which did not dare to turn on the navigation lights and could not locate them accurately, was so close that they could see each other's shadows and confirm each other's identities with light signals was about as difficult as it was for two blind men to hug.

The encounter and exchange of fire with the German Navy light cruiser did make the French fear that the German battlefleet would arrive, but it also gave the French an opportunity to determine their positions and move closer to each other. In fact, when Rear Admiral Su Shun had to retreat with a fleet with heavy losses, the main force of the French Navy's Mediterranean Fleet was only about 20 nautical miles away from the engagement area, and the Corbe was only about 10 nautical miles away from the engagement area.

Did both sides see Edgar? The fire of the explosion of the Quinet, the Kolbe, which was worried about encountering the Germans, immediately fled to the southwest, so that the opportunity for the French to meet was ruined, and although the main force of the French Mediterranean Fleet also advanced to the southwest to try to catch up with the Kolbe, it still separated Jules? The armored cruiser USS Ferry went to find out.

Jules? By the time the Ferry arrived in the area of engagement, the Germans had already retreated, and only Edgar was seen? The keener is still burning wreckage. The bad news of the total annihilation of Rear Admiral Juni's fleet of armored cruisers left Jules? The Ferry did not dare to stay here for long, and immediately turned around and sailed back to catch up with the main force of the Mediterranean Fleet without even searching for any of its own overboard.

Met Jules on the way? The two French destroyers reverted by the telegram of the Ferry and escaped from the 1913 destroyers as the German cruiser fleet retreated.

Karl saw that it was Jules? A light signal confirming the identity between the Ferry and the destroyer.

Although the French were discovered, it was still a huge problem to catch up.

Jules who wants to get back to the main fleet as soon as possible? The Ferry rushed back with 2 destroyers at a speed of 18 knots, and the distance between the Ub-67, which had a surface speed of only 14 knots, and the French was pulled farther and farther.

After sailing in the dark for more than two hours, the German officers and men in the Ub-67 began to feel a little agitated. Although it is normal to understand that even if you really lose your target, it is still extremely unwilling for the submariners to let the prey run away from their eyes.

Just when Trapp was a little disappointed, thinking that his pursuit had failed, the moonlight, which had stubbornly passed through the gaps in the thick clouds, shone on a huge black shadow on the sea, and then faintly saw a second black shadow, then a third.

"Oh my God!" Trapp sighed: "It seems that I had good luck today. ”

Jules? The Ferry did shake off the Ub-67, but her exposure provided an approximate orientation for Trapp's pursuit, which coincided with the course of the French Mediterranean Fleet, and if it weren't for the moonlight shining on the French, the Ub-67 might even have plunged headlong into the French fleet.

Luck always favors those who are persistent, believing that as long as they attack more, there will always be rewards, and Trapp, who is considered by the crew to be "a person who likes to stay on submarines very much", is such a persistent guy.

With the appearance of the enemy's shadow, Trapp's disappointment was swept away, and he returned to the boat and gave orders to the co-captain's voice with pleasure: "Carl! Notify nearby submarines to ambush at a predetermined position ahead! I give them 2 hours! We'll be attacking in 2 hours! ”

"Well, in 2 hours, Ub-103, Ub-117, and Ub-140 should be able to get to their intended location." Marcus said after looking at the chart and silently calculating.

"Singul, Hudček and Klinsonjavi? Enough is enough. Trapp laughed and said, "The enemy's luck is really bad." ”

The three captains are veterans of the sinking battle, so it's no wonder that Trapp says the French are out of luck.

"Let's go grab a good spot first!" Carl, who was also relaxed, said with a smile: "If we found prey that someone else took the lion's head, it would be too bad." ”

"Hahaha"

The French were still sailing forward in ignorance, unaware of the fate that awaited them.

"The enemy is coming." Karl, who was standing in front of the periscope, stared at the sea tightly.

The submerged Ub-67 had overtaken the French fleet to the front of the course and was waiting for its prey to arrive, and the solitary periscope led to a small track, which might have been noticeable during the day, but it was the darkest hours of the morning.

"At least 7 large ships, the pilot ship may be a Dandong-class battleship, let's take her first!" Sitting in front of the chart, Trapp calculates how to attack to maximize his gains.

"I don't know if the other submarines are in place." Marcus looked at his watch at the dim orange light inside the boat, and the scheduled attack time was only 15 minutes away.

"Whether they arrive or not, we have to attack, and it is not good for us to continue to drag it on." Trapp stood up and said.

"I understand." Marcus nodded, and it would be dawn in just over an hour.

"Give the periscope to the captain!" Carl shouted.

"Maintain depth, speed 4 knots, left rudder 5 degrees. The torpedo compartment is ready! Grabbing the periscope, Trapp began to make the final adjustments before the attack.

In fact, there was no need for orders, and while they waited, the torpedo crews, including the torpedo chief, checked all the equipment in the entire torpedo compartment. The excited torpedo crews pulled the safety latch from the torpedo and began to feed the torpedo into the launch tube.

"Our vacation is 4,000 yards away, are you ready to pick it up?" The captain's voice made the eyes of everyone around him light up, and the captain saw a big guy!

"3000 yards"

"2600 yards"

Trapp's voice made the already stuffy air inside the Ub-67 seem to rise to the extreme, because the excitement and anticipation made the submariners feel hot all over.

"2000 yards"

"Torpedo tubes No. 1 and No. 3 are set to a depth of 3 meters! Speed 27 knots! Start filling the water! Compressed gas cylinders for torpedo tubes No. 2 and No. 4 began to be pressurized! ”

"1800 yards, open the front cover of torpedo tubes No. 1 and No. 3! Ready to launch! ”

"The torpedo compartment is ready!"

"1600 yards, 1st and 3rd launches! No. 2 and No. 4 have a fixed depth of 3 meters and a speed of 37 knots! Start filling the water! No. 1 and No. 3 are reloaded immediately! Left rudder 15! Move fast! ”

Trapp shouted anxiously that once he found that the enemy was attacked, he would speed up, and then he would probably lose the opportunity to continue the attack.

In order to gain a window for a second attack, even when it was close to 1,600 yards, Trapp still chose to attack the pilot ship with a 550-mm torpedo in long-distance mode, in order to make the enemy react later. And it is necessary to get close to this distance, so that the torpedo in close sailing mode can reach the No. 2 target at a greater distance.

At this moment, Trapp even complained a little that the upper echelons of the Navy did not pay attention to the submarine force, and his colleagues who fought in the North Sea were still using the old inventory of the C/08 type when the surface ship units began to be equipped with C/11 450 mm torpedoes. If you can now use the latest torpedoes used by surface ship units, you can attack at a distance of up to 2,000 yards, so that you will have more time to prepare for the second round of attacks!

In fact, Trapp understands that the upper echelons of the Navy do not pay attention to submarines, but it is still surface ships that play the leading role, and submarines can indeed attack at a closer distance than surface ship forces, so it is not incomprehensible to let submarine forces consume stocks. But now these stocks are affecting how much of a big result they can get tonight! This had to make Trapp complain a little in this situation.

However, such thoughts only flashed through Trapp's mind, and soon his attention was firmly grasped by the second target that appeared in the periscope.

"3700 yards! Open the front cover of torpedo tubes No. 2 and No. 4! Ready to launch! ”

"3100 yards! Launches 2 and 4! Reload now! Put away the periscope! Let's change places! ”

Trapp is not ready to dive, even if the enemy finds the torpedo track, but as long as they can't find the periscope, they will not find their position, Ub-67 can occupy a better position to launch a second round of attacks, but they must be fast!

Inside UB-67 was silent, everyone was anxiously waiting, time seemed to stand still at that moment, only the second hand of the officer's watch turned to tell them that time was still passing.

In just 2 minutes, as long as 1 century, Trapp stared at his watch and counted the time of the torpedo's arrival, at the moment he was also a little uneasy about the silence around him, if there was no sound, it meant that his attack had failed.

When the expected time came, he jerked his head up, as if his gaze could penetrate the hull of the submarine and see through the waters several meters deep.

"Bang! Boom! Two dull sounds, as if slammed against the steel plate at the thickest point of the palm, broke the silence in Ub-67 in an instant!

"Hit!" The submariners roared, they didn't cheer loudly, they knew that it wasn't all.

Soon, the same voice was heard, and everyone began to cheer.

"Quiet." At this moment, Trapp's words seemed to have a magical power, and every crew member looked at their captain with eager eyes.

"Raise the periscope!" Trapp pulled down the periscope and said, "Don't start celebrating so early, the game isn't over yet!" Let's move on! ”

"Yes! Captain! ”

Through the periscope, Trapp saw countless columns of searchlights on the sea, and the French obviously did not know who had attacked them, and the searchlights kept sweeping farther away from the sea, but they did not know that the wolf that had bitten them was right under their noses.

Under the light of the searchlight, the sinking figure of the large battleship that had been hit by itself with two torpedoes was clearly visible. To commemorate the sinking of the first warship by the Ub-67 submarine, Trapp later wrote a poetic description in his journal: "The pillar of light shining on the hull of the ship creates a wonderful picture, like a wounded beast, trying to make a final leap, the bow rises above the water, but after a moment of hesitation, it slides straight down the abyss." ”

But now, the hunt isn't over.

"I really have to thank the French for their cooperation." Trapp laughed a little contemptuously, and the enemy's figure was completely exposed in front of his eyes: "900 yards away, Danton-class battleship!" ”

"Torpedo tubes No. 1-4 began to fill with water! Open the front cover when you're done filling it! ”

"The torpedo compartment is ready!"

"Launch them all!" This time, Trapp has to make sure that the big target in front of him is sunk!

The sudden appearance of the torpedo track at a distance of 700 yards finally made it clear to the French what had attacked them, but it was too late, and at such a close distance, 4 huge columns of water rose from the side of the Diderot-class battleship!

"Urgent dive! Maximum depth! When the light from the searchlight swept in, Trapp knew he had been discovered.

No sooner had the periscope of Ub-67 submerged than shells fell around Ub-67. First 47-mm shells fell, then 164-mm shells, then 194-mm shells, and finally 305-mm shells! For a time, the Ub-67, which was more than 800 tons, seemed to have turned into a small sampan that was bumped in the storm and rain!

"Are these French dead dads?!" Carl, who was barely able to stand in the shaking, held on to a pipe and scolded fiercely.

At this time, the officers and men of the Ub-67, who were difficult to protect themselves, did not know how much success they had achieved, and the lead ship Leon, which was sunk by two torpedoes? The armored cruiser Gambida was the second cruiser detachment of the French Mediterranean Fleet, Victor? Baptistine? The flagship of Rear Admiral Sennes, and the Diderot, which was sent to the bottom of the sea by 4 torpedoes, was the flagship of Vice Admiral Shoshepola of the 1st Battleship Detachment! Although the French did not have a dead father, they were indeed about the same!

A 305-mm shell exploded in the water not far from the side of the Ub-67, and the intense water pressure slammed into the submarine's hull. The two pipes in the boat burst violently, and the water column immediately gushed out from the fracture.

"Damn it!" Marcus, who was closest to him, was almost immediately soaked by the jet of water, and after wiping his face, he took off his shirt and pounced: "Go close the valve!" ”

"Two cars at full speed! We rushed into the French fleet! Trapp shouted.

It's too late to turn, so move on! I crossed the fleet once during the exercise, and this time I was just as successful!

As the depth scale on the compass grew, the shell of the Ub-67 began to emit a tooth-aching creak, and even if it was not the first time it had been heard, it still made the experienced submariners fearful, and the sound reminded them that the water was tens of meters deep above their heads!

While the Ub-67 continued to dive, the French fleet, which was still firing at the position before the Ub-67, suffered another heavy loss.

The submarine Ub-140, lurking in the other direction, attacked at this time, and 2 of the 4 torpedoes plunged into Victor? The hull of the armored cruiser USS Hugo.

The French were a little overwhelmed by the explosion again, and the French sailors were so badly damaged that they didn't even see the shadow of the enemy, and they felt in fear that they were surrounded by countless submarines, and even a slightly larger wave on the sea would attract a burst of shelling.

The shipwreckage of the two generals caused confusion in the command system of the French fleet for a while, and at this time, Rear Admiral Lakaz, who took over the command, realized that the fleet had fallen into the ambush circle of the German submarines.

Rear Admiral Lakaz, who was worried that more submarines would surround him, gave the order for the fleet to evacuate at full speed, which naturally had no problems, but it also meant that the injured ships in the fleet had to be abandoned, and the fate of the stragglers could be imagined.

By the time the Ub-67 crossed directly below the French fleet and resurfaced to periscope depth, a ray of morning light had already appeared at sea level, and the long night was over.