The Marquis Bismarck sank anyway.

The two heavily damaged heavy cruisers, accompanied by the Fifth Destroyer Group, returned to Wilhelmshaven, and the Marquis Bismarck, faltering, struggled to move on the surface for four hours before finally being unable to hold on. After nearly 2,000 tons of seawater were poured into the ship, and the bow was almost submerged, the captain of the ship, Colonel Karpf, had to order the Marquis Bismarck to rush to the beach.

At 18:17 p.m., under the light of the setting sun and the watchful eyes of the officers and men of the 5th Destroyer Group, the Marquis Bismarck ran aground on the western side of the East Frisian Islands, and at this time the entrance to the Wilhelmshaven channel was close at hand.

The battered battleship lasted until the last moment, and the destroyers took turns approaching the stranded battleship to pick up the surviving sailors from the deck, which was almost level with the water. The sailors of the Marquis Bismarck lined up on the deck of the destroyer, saluted the battleship that seemed to still be burning in flames in the setting sun, and then sang the national anthem as their battleship drifted away from them.

The British fleet has departed, but the Gulf of Helgoland has not calmed down, and the number of ships sailing in the Gulf of Helgoland has not decreased, but has become more numerous. small cruisers of the Shore Patrol Unit; The minesweepers of the minesweeper brigade, the old ships of the second-line troops, were scattered into the Gulf of Helgoland, searching the sea like a sieve.

Even as night fell, the ships did not leave, searchlights continued to shoot on the sea, and the loudspeakers on the ships shouted expectantly over and over again: "This is the German Navy, can anyone hear us?" ”

The sailors stood on the deck, trying in vain to find something in the dark night, but occasionally appeared under the searchlight not the waving arms of their comrades who were tired but still alive in the sea, but the broken wreckage of warships and scattered personal belongings of sailors floating and sinking on the sea.

The search continued, and the sound of the loudspeakers echoed far into the night, echoing throughout the Gulf of Helgoland.

"The Marquis Bismarck, the Ariadne, and the Z-93 were sunk, the four ships Hornlohe, Z-49, 69, and 83 were seriously damaged, and the rest of the ships involved in the battle were wounded. 249 people were killed, 172 were wounded, and another 246 were missing. In the Charlottenburg Palace, Jochen, who had not slept all night, calmly looked at the report submitted by Tirpitz, who had also slept all night.

Missing, basically equivalent to death, and the history of the naval battle of the Helgoland Gulf in which a large number of sailors on the sunken battleship survived after the battleship sank and escaped by jumping into the sea, but finally died because of the unfavorable rescue, this time the German side only 3 battleships sank, and the Marquis Bismarck still ran aground and sank after the beach, and there were basically no missing people.

Therefore, the missing people are supposed to be from the Ariadne and the Z-93, both of which were sunk during the siege, and the number of possible survivors is negligible, even if the German Navy invests more forces in the search and rescue than in history, the final result may still be disappointing.

"Your Majesty, the departure of so many outstanding young men is indeed sad, but these lads have taught the invincible Britons a hard lesson, this is a victory for the Navy! Victory of the Empire! Your Majesty is also your victory! Looking at Jochen's joyless expression, Tirpitz was also a little worried.

The remarks that the navy is the private property of His Majesty the Emperor, and the warships are His Majesty's big toys are repeated a lot, and Tirpitz is not sure what kind of attitude His Majesty the Emperor has towards the loss of the navy, so he can only remind His Majesty that this is a victory for the German Navy, a great victory! Such losses for the Navy are fully worth it.

Jochen was naturally not a ship-loving Wilhelm II, who was frightened by some losses, not to mention that this time the result was a German victory.

However, a large part of this victory had little to do with the defensive operations of the German navy in the Gulf of Helgoland.

The sinking of 5 armored cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 1 reconnaissance cruiser, 1 protective cruiser, 7 destroyers of the British Royal Navy, and heavy damage to 4 light cruisers and 9 destroyers was undoubtedly an unprecedented victory in terms of numbers.

But in reality, in the battles in the Helgoland Bay, the German Navy did not take much advantage. The British ships sunk in the Gulf of Helgoland, including 3 light cruisers, 1 reconnaissance cruiser, and 7 destroyers, which seemed to be a fruitful battle, but in fact the sinking of a Marquis Bismarck offset most of it, of course, the Germans were much smaller in terms of human losses.

Although Betty had to protect Goodenough's First Light Cruiser Fleet with a low speed to slow down, because Betty withdrew in time, Hipper's First Reconnaissance Fleet chased for 2 hours before barely closing the distance to its own range, at this time the fleet had already chased out of Helgoland Bay, and if it continued to pursue, it would enter the territory of the British, and finally Hipper could only reluctantly return with the fleet and found nothing.

So if September 8 were to end at this moment, the German Navy would have played a tactical B victory on its own turf that had nothing to be proud of.

In the end, it was the submarine forces of the German Navy that expanded the results of the battle and made the German Navy look better. After learning of the attack on the Helgoland Bay, the submarines patrolling the outer perimeter of the Helgoland Bay and the German submarines that had been released to roam the North Sea began to converge near the Dogger sandbar. Captain Höchen's submarine Ub-71 rammed the C Fleet, known as the "Red Rust Fleet", at around 8 p.m.

And these are old at this time, and the Cressie-class armored cruisers that can run at a speed of 12 knots are already playing well, and they have become the meal of the submarine forces. The Ub-71, which had been tracking the C Fleet at a slow speed of 8 knots for three hours, waited for seven submarines moving nearby, including the Ub-69 of Weavegan, at 23 o'clock.

Eight submarines launched an attack on the unsuspecting C Fleet at 23:17, destroying their opponents in one fell swoop, but in reality, the battle had little to do with the battle in the Gulf of Helgoland. The two battles were only brought together in order to make the results sound better in terms of propaganda, so that Tirpitz could now justifiably say that this was a blow to the British by the German Navy.

"Yes, this is a victory, but this victory belongs to the submarine forces, to the front-line officers and soldiers who are fighting. From the Helgoland Bay Defense Command to the Ocean Fleet Command to your Naval General Staff, there will be a review, and next time it will not be such a fluke. Jochen didn't get angry, but his tone was enough for Tirpitz to understand his attitude.

"Yes, Your Majesty." At this time, there is no point in saying anything, and Tirpitz can only solemnly bow his head in response.

"The General Staff will report the list of commendations as soon as possible, and I will personally go to Wilhelmshaven to receive honors for the officers and men who fought bravely."

Either way, this is a victory worth hype. For Germany, which was not as strong on the French front as it was in history, but was forced to retreat by the Russians on the Russian front, a hearty victory over the British Royal Navy, the former maritime hegemon, undoubtedly had considerable psychological significance for Germany and even the entire Central Powers. As for whether this victory was really hearty, it doesn't matter if it's real.

"The Marquis Bismarck was beached near the approach channel to Wilhelmshaven, which means that all ships entering and leaving Wilhelmshaven will be able to see the wreckage of the Marquis Bismarck?" Jochen groaned as he tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We are going to first dismantle the turret, armor and some equipment on the Marquis Bismarck, remove the coal and ammunition, reduce the weight of the ship, and then carry out the leak plugging operation, and finally salvage the Marquis Bismarck, which is expected to take 2 months. We will remove the Marquis Bismarck from the entrance to the fairway as soon as possible. Tirpitz, who thought that His Majesty felt that the wreckage of a sunken warship would affect the morale of the people near the entrance to the Wilhelmshaven channel, where ships sailed back and forth, immediately reported the Navy's disposition of the Marquis Bismarck.

"Well, there's no need for that." After thinking about it, Jochen denied the Navy's solution: "Regardless of whether there is any possibility of repairing the Marquis Bismarck after it is salvaged and floated, an old warship that has been so badly damaged is not worth it for us to continue to invest a lot of resources in repairing." ”

"Your Majesty, do you mean to leave the Marquis Bismarck there?!" Such words were beyond Tirpitz's expectations, and for a while he could not understand what His Majesty the Emperor meant.

"The damage to the Hornlohe is also quite serious, and it takes a lot of resources to repair it, and the equipment dismantled from the Marquis Bismarck is used to repair the Hornlohe, so as to avoid putting too much effort into an old ship." The corners of Jochen's mouth curled slightly: "And the hull of the Marquis Bismarck is placed at the exit of the channel of Wilhelmshamn, this would be a good monument, wouldn't it?" ”

"You mean, let the hull of the Marquis Bismarck be put there as a ...... Victory commemoration. Tirpitz carefully worded it, leaving the hull of a meritorious battleship that had fought until the last moment there, slowly turning into rusty scrap metal under the erosion of the wind and sun and the waves, and being watched only as a tool for propaganda.

But it is clear that His Majesty the Emperor just wanted to borrow the Marquis Bismarck to make a big fuss, to shape this battleship as an example, and to raise it to the commanding heights of public opinion propaganda. This realization made Tirpitz feel complicated.

"That's right, the memorial of the victory, that would be a monument! A monument to the spirit of the Navy! It will be the most unique scenery outside Wilhelmshaven, a sight that every ship passing by will remember! Jochen was a little excited.

Jochen has always believed that the biggest gap between the German and British navies is self-confidence, and this self-confidence needs to be cultivated one victory after another, but sometimes the power of propaganda can be used to catalyze this growth. It is not difficult to use the power of the state propaganda apparatus to create gods. But god-making also requires good materials, and the experience of the Marquis Bismarck is excellent material.

"Every person who passes by the hull of the Marquis Bismarck will see this monument that represents the spiritual materialization of the Royal Navy of the German Empire, and everyone who sees her will feel the determination of the Royal Navy of the German Empire to win and the will to fight to the end. This will give our people confidence in the outcome of this war.

Not only that, every ship of the Royal German Navy that passed by this ship felt the efforts and sacrifices made by their comrades and their predecessors for the sake of victory, so that our officers and men were full of confidence in continuing to win victory. Isn't that great? Jochen said as he knocked on the table, and his thoughts became more and more open-minded: "Let every naval ship that passes by the hull of the Marquis Bismarck sound its horn in salute, and the officers and men on board salute the battleship, and sing the national anthem or the naval anthem, so that this behavior can become a ritual." This kind of ceremony will enhance the sense of honor of the navy, and it will also increase the sense of identity of the people who see this kind of ceremony to the navy.

It would have been better to dismantle and melt down the steel of the salvaged Marquis Bismarck, and recast a towering monument there, but it's a time of war, and we don't have that much energy. So the Marquis Bismarck could only be put there first, waiting for the war to end. The premise was that Germany would win, and Jochen kept that phrase in his heart.

Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had made up his mind to make a big fuss with the Marquis Bismarck, Tirpitz had to cooperate with the advice: "The officers and men of the Marquis Bismarck sang "We Go to England" to fight until the last moment, and I think it is more appropriate to choose this song. In addition, if Your Majesty wants the spirit of the Marquis Bismarck to spread, I think that the name of the Marquis Bismarck should remain in the sequence of the Navy forever. ”

"Oh? Is it? That's something I'm proud of. "Although I plagiarized it myself, and I forcibly took half of it that should have belonged to Herman? Lens is a credit alone, but Jochen is still very happy to hear the news: "It's going to be another great promotional material. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tirpitz took the opportunity to make a small ass: "After you wrote this song, it greatly boosted the morale of the whole Germany, and all the officers and men of the Navy thought that there was no song that could better represent the spirit of the German Navy than yours." And the singing of the Marquis Bismarck on the battlefield would be the best demonstration of the will of the German Navy. ”

Jochen, who was slapped on the back, agreed to Tirpitz's proposal with a smile on his face: "Just do what you say." Since the name of the Marquis Bismarck is to be retained in the sequence of the German Navy, it is better to make this name more brilliant. Isn't the Elizabeth ship still unlaunched, so let her inherit the ship's name. ”

According to the standard of 20 years of service life of the German Navy's capital ships in the "Naval Act", the Elizabeth-class heavy cruisers are almost decommissioned, so the names of the newly built large cruisers are the replacement ships of the Elizabeth-class ships for the time being.

"It would be an unparalleled honor to let the most powerful ships inherit this name. And the battleship that inherits this name will also continue to write the glory of this name! ”

Tirpitz did not expect His Majesty the Emperor to be so generous to give the Marquis Bismarck the name to the lead ship of the new large cruiser. Originally, his plan was only to hope that the second ship could inherit the name of the ship, after all, the relationship between His Majesty the Emperor and Prime Minister Bismarck when he was young was definitely not good, and it may be difficult for His Majesty to let His Majesty single-handedly build the strongest warship, the lead ship and the entire class be named after Bismarck.

Jochen didn't know what Tirpitz was thinking, but even if he did, he wouldn't care, and the unhappiness with Bismarck back then had long since been taken to heart. And even if Jochen still cares about it, the unhappiness in his heart cannot be compared with the huge publicity effect brought by this move.

In addition, the name of the Marquis Bismarck as the lead ship of the new large cruiser was, on the one hand, indeed out of the need for publicity. On the other hand, it is out of some mysterious "feelings".

Because according to the new naming rules of the German Navy, it will be difficult for the names of army generals to continue to appear in the naming of the main ships of the Navy in the future. Large cruisers or battle cruisers are unlikely to continue to appear in the German Navy's sequence due to future treaty constraints and technological advances, while high-speed battleships will not be named by personal names. Then Bismarck, a ship name that is somewhat quite legendary, seems too wasteful to use on non-capital ships.

The battleship Bismarck in another time and space was not outstanding in terms of performance, nor was it outstanding in terms of results, and its resounding name was more from the second kill of the aging Hood and the propaganda of many stalls. But it is undeniable that the name of the ship does have a special meaning, and those who praise her and those who belittle her cannot deny the legend of this name.

Rather than beating the old Maihud, who was 20 years his senior, in the Danish Strait in 1941, Jochen would have preferred the large cruiser that got his name to show the legendary flavor of the name in the naval battles of World War I.

On this battlefield, the results and glory that can be obtained by this ship name will also be more convincing than the ship of the same name in another time and space. Bring glory to the name of the ship with real performance and results, rather than relying on "feelings".

Interestingly, the new large cruiser should correspond to the Mackensen-class large cruiser in another time and space, and the scheduled name of the Mackensen-class No. 3 ship is also the Marquis Bismarck, which is also a small coincidence.

"Since the new ship inherits the name of the Marquis Bismarck, then simply transfer the officers and men of the Marquis Bismarck to the new ship, so that the new ship can also immediately get a group of veterans with actual combat experience. And this can also be used as propaganda. Jochen had already made up his mind to use a wave of frenzied propaganda to turn public opinion in his favor: "For example, after the sinking of the Marquis Bismarck, when the rescued officers and soldiers asked whether they were ready to continue serving on the ship after such a tragic battle, and went to the battle, the officer and soldier replied, 'Let's see you on the new Marquis Bismarck.'" It's a good story, isn't it? The Office of the Navy and the Naval Alliance need to be up and running quickly. ”

His Majesty the Emperor's shamelessness made Tirpitz's old face a little unbearable, but this was indeed a good propaganda point, and Tirpitz could only agree with mixed feelings. (To be continued.) )