The Long-class armored cruiser is a fast battleship built by the German Navy according to the 1901 plan for the reconnaissance force of the High Seas Fleet, before it, the German Navy has built a total of three classes of armored cruisers, namely the Bismarck class, Prince Heinrich class, and Albert class, of which only one Bismarck-class and Prince Heinrich class were built, and two Albert-class ships were built. As an enlarged version of the Albert class, www.biquge.info Ron-class built two sister ships, the "Long" and the "York". After the Longne class, the German Navy designed and built the last class of armored cruisers, the famous Scharnhorst class, which was also built and sent to the East Asian Fleet, mainly to carry out colonial patrol missions in the Pacific waters.

Compared to the combat tonnage close to 1. The Scharnhorst class, which is 50,000 tons and has a relatively advanced design idea, and the Longen class, which has a displacement of just over 10,000 tons, are all decent. It used a traditional Dürer-type steam boiler and a three-cylinder, three-expansion reciprocating steam engine, and when it was built, it had a maximum speed of slightly more than 21 knots, which was 1-2 knots slower than the British armored cruisers built in the same period, but the level of protection was significantly better than that of British armored cruisers of the same class. Like the Albert class, the Ronn class is equipped with two twin naval guns of 210 mm caliber and 40 times diameter, which has a range comparable to the 240 mm naval guns of older German battleships, and has a fast rate of fire, which can easily deal with Armament 7. 5-inch (190 mm) British armored cruisers, even if they ran into 9 armaments. Opponents with 2-inch (234 mm) naval guns can also not fall behind.

By the time the war broke out in 1914, the two Lonne-class ships had been in service for more than 10 years. Because they have been serving in the local waters, their hulls and equipment are in good condition, and they can still reach a speed of more than 20 knots when they go to sea, but it is no longer enough to cooperate with battle cruisers with a maximum speed of more than 24 knots, so they are listed separately in the fourth reconnaissance subfleet, which is mainly responsible for coastal alert patrols in the Baltic Sea direction. During the combat operation on August 7, 1914, two Long-class ships were incorporated into the auxiliary fleet to open the way for six torpedo boat carriers and the light aircraft carrier "Bismarck......

"Armor-piercing bullet loading ......"

"'Anton' is in place!"

"'Bruno' is in place!"

Correction Parameters...... Azimuth angle 0, elevation angle 2°30′......"

"Parameter correct!"

"Twin artillery combined fire...... Fire! ”

In the main turret in front of the "Longen", the cannon commander with a big beard spoke with a rough voice and a fierce temperament. Under his methodical command, the gunners of different ages adjusted their steps and moved in a standard manner, and completed a reloading of the main gun in just over 20 seconds. In order to allow the "King" and "De Fllinger" to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible, the established strategy of the German Navy was to transfer senior sergeants and sailors from the older warships, and the resulting vacancies were filled by new recruits recruited from the expansion of the force. Although German citizens were highly educated, with an average of only one illiterate per 100 soldiers at the outbreak of war, and well-educated recruits were able to develop into qualified soldiers relatively quickly, for a certain period of time, they were far less familiar with combat posts and able to withstand pressure than veterans. After the mobilization began, a large number of reserve personnel and cadets from naval academies who had completed active duty in the navy were added to the ship, and various combat positions were faced with new problems of running-in. Fortunately, the relatively smooth fighting instilled abundant confidence in the officers and men.

The two main guns fired only a split second, and with a loud roar accompanied by a clear vibration, two 210 mm armor-piercing shells headed straight for the British cruiser in front of the bow. In terms of hard power, the German light patrol against the British is undoubtedly as obvious as the British light patrol against the German large torpedo boats, not to mention that on this battlefield located in the waters west of Jutland, two Lonne-class ships are prepared to join forces to attack a wounded Active-class, and the outcome of the battle is not at all suspenseful. Amid the deafening roar of the guns and the back-to-ear whistling of the shells, the lonely "Positive" could no longer gallop on the sea as it pleased, a black hole was blown open in the outer wall of its bridge, two guns were also blown up on the port side, and the deck was covered with blood and corpses......

In the front main turret of the York, the young gunners, led by the elders, carried out the unflawed reloading of the shells, while the experienced gunners personally corrected the firing parameters.

"Azimuth angle 0, elevation angle 2°20′...... Good! Fire! ”

The gunner, who was responsible for firing the guns, simultaneously pressed the firing pedal of the two 210-mm guns, and from the outside of the turret, the barrels of the two guns were almost level with the sea surface, and the closer the firing distance, the smaller the loss of the kinetic energy of the shells, and the greater the penetration force on the hull armor.

Rumble...... Boom......

Soon after the cannon was discharged, a wave of water suddenly rose from the side of the British cruiser illuminated by the flares, and this scene was very different from the explosion of a torpedo hitting the hull.

Next, the two Longne-class armoured cruisers fired more than forty rounds at the battle-flag-flying "Positive" at closer range, about a third from their 210-mm twin guns, and the rest from the 150-mm single-mounted guns that were located on the side but could fire directly forward. During this period, the British cruiser was hit twice, which shows that its speed has slowed down significantly, and the hull gradually tilts to the left. When approaching a distance of 1,500 meters, the "Long" sent a light signal in Morse code, asking the other side to raise a white flag and surrender.

Colonel Brent read the persuasion directly from the other party's light code, and immediately afterward, the communications officer came to report the matter. Looking at this bloodied but fearless subordinate, Colonel Brent was both relieved and ashamed that the ship's radio transmitter had been damaged in battle, the ship's walls were badly damaged, the water ingress in the bilge was uncontrollable, half of the boilers and turbines were no longer operational, and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before the ship's radio transmitter had been damaged in battle, the ship's walls were badly damaged, the water ingress in the bilge was uncontrollable, and half of the boilers and turbines were no longer operational, and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before the power was lost. Unable to fight and unable to escape, there are only two endings waiting for the "Positive": either a humiliating capture, or a glorious sinking.

It sounds so heroic to take it for granted, but it's another thing to be in the situation. After a brief period of consideration, Colonel Brent ordered the ship to be abandoned, and ordered the damage management crew, who were trying to plug the leak at the bottom of the ship, to open the bottom valve after five minutes.

Although the British cruiser in front of him did not give an answer of surrender or not, and the battle flag on the ship was not lowered, seeing that the British crew jumped from the deck into the sea one after another, and the lifeboats on the side of the board had been lowered, the formation commanders of the two Lonne-class armored cruisers ordered a cease-fire, with the "Lonne" keeping an eye on the British cruiser and the "York" heading towards the two German torpedo boats. In the final battle, they were all badly wounded, the one that used the searchlight to direct their artillery fire, the bow was already submerged, the hull had also capsized badly, the only life raft was crowded with the fleeing crew, and many others had to struggle in the water, and the other large torpedo boat of the 1898 class was not in good shape, its aft deck was close to the water, the bow was raised high, and although it had lost speed, the chimney was still emitting thick black smoke......

In a short time, two large German torpedo boats sailed from south to north to this newly silent sea. The "Long" slowed down, and in the sea in front of it, the British light cruiser "Positive" accelerated and sank under a cluster of bubbles. Seeing that the British warship could no longer pose any threat to himself, the commander of the "Long" ordered the lifeboats to be hoisted and placed in the sailors - that is, to capture the British sailors who had abandoned the ship and escaped. After another quarter of an hour or so, most of the men on both sides had been rescued, and by this time six torpedo boat carriers, converted from large protective cruisers of the Queen Auguste class and Victoria Louise, had sailed over the nearby sea under the protection of several large torpedo boats. These torpedo boat carriers, which were regarded as "killer weapons" by the German Navy, have always been kept secret from the outside world, and the British spy agencies have only collected very limited intelligence information with great difficulty. Many British sailors, including Captain Brent, saw them for the first time. In fact, like aircraft carriers, they have a very simple structure and principle, and the key is to cleverly combine two seemingly unrelated old and new equipment to play the effect of 1 plus 1 is greater than 2.

Sitting as a prisoner of war in a lifeboat operated by a German sailor, Colonel Brent watched in amazement as the German torpedo boat carriers emerged from the night and disappeared into the night. Obviously, the davit posts that stood like sentries on the side were their knack for quickly retracting the high-speed torpedo boats, and at this moment, the German sailors on board must be refueling the returning high-speed battleships and loading them with torpedoes, and when the battle situation required them, they would rush to the British fleet like ghosts, and the timing of the night battle was still in the Germans' favor!

Loaded with drenched British crews, Colonel Brent's German lifeboat slowly headed for the slow-moving "Long". The threat of battle had been eliminated, and the ship's combatants were emerging from the turrets and cabins, some helping to retract the lifeboats on the side of the ship, others watching from the vicinity of the battle positions.

Because of his highest rank, Colonel Brent was allowed to be the first to board the ship, and when he climbed up the soft ladder to the deck, a well-dressed German officer with a serious expression stretched out his hand and pulled him, and immediately saluted him, and said in a slightly jerky English: "You are the commander of that battleship?" ”

Colonel Brent tugged at his shirt so that he didn't look so embarrassed. He replied, "Yes." I am Colonel John Brent of the Royal Navy, commander of the reconnaissance cruiser HMS Positive. ”

The German officer, who looked to be thirty-five years old at most, repeated: "Oh, the Royal Navy's reconnaissance cruiser 'Positive.' ”

Because of his final departure, Colonel Brent failed to catch his own life raft and soaked in the sea for a while before being picked up by the Germans. He sniffled his water-soaked nose slightly, and the deck of the German armored cruiser was filled with the smell of gunpowder mixed with soot, the large searchlights on the mast were turned off, and the small searchlights on the side were still on. With the help of these searchlights, you can see that the bridge of this ten-year-old ship is freshly painted and the deck is clean, as if it has been dressed in a new uniform for this naval battle.

Brent thought he would be taken to the bridge to be questioned by the commander, but suddenly the German sailors around him turned to salute, and a moment later, a veteran in a double-breasted military uniform and gold epaulettes walked up to him, looking at him with a wide and calm gaze.

The young officer who was waiting here first reported a few words to the German general in German, and he nodded slightly, and opened his mouth to speak a few words in German, and the young officer translated: "Hello, honorable Colonel Brent, Admiral Karl von Leres, commander of the 2nd coastal defense fleet of the German Imperial Navy, pays tribute to you and all the crew of your brave battle. The general wants to know, is your battleship subordinate to the mobile fleet under the command of Admiral Betty, or the Grand Fleet under the command of Admiral Jericho? ”

Colonel Brent looked at the seemingly gentle German veteran, and he was a prisoner of war, and of course the other party did not mind revealing information about the formation of the fleet and the movements of the battle, and every word he said could soon be transmitted by radio to the commander-in-chief of the German fleet to help him deal with the British fleet.

Colonel Brent replied in a righteous manner: "Our ships belong to the Royal Navy. ”

The German veteran smiled contemptuously and said, and the young officer translated: "Do you think we can't ask the answer from your panicked soldiers?" ”

Colonel Brent couldn't stop this from happening, he could only shrug his shoulders and say, "Then be light, General von Leres, this battle has just begun, and the glorious Royal Navy will surely win the final victory." ”

The German veteran shook his head with a smile and muttered a pain, and the young officer spoke slowly in English: "I'm afraid that's just wishful thinking, Colonel." We have many secret weapons that you don't know, we have a lot of technology and equipment that you don't know, we have tactics and tactics that you didn't expect, and you have been undefeated for hundreds of years, and no army in the history of mankind is eternally invincible...... God will not allow this to happen. ”

Colonel Brent said-for-tat: "Of course, the British navy cannot be invincible forever, but it will never be Kaiser Wilhelm's navy that can defeat it!" ”

The German veteran still smiled: "Then let's see!" Captain! Let's see how we'll talk to each other at breakfast tomorrow. ”

(End of chapter)