At dawn, with the breeze blowing brightly and the waves crashing against the firm embankment, the vast port of Cartagena was enveloped in serene silence until the roar of barges came from the approach channel. At first glance, people did not realize that there was anything different about this all-too-familiar sound, only the soldiers on duty in shifts and the residents who rose early to move had the privilege of witnessing this spectacular and special scene: in the hazy morning light, one blue-gray ship after another sailed through the channel into the harbor, the leading light cruiser with its spear-like slender lines and simple silhouette, the towering radar antenna and the exemplary weapon layout were modern; The aircraft carrier in the center is like a fierce tomahawk, and like a trebuchet attacking the city, the posture is majestic, the momentum is magnificent, the steady navigation posture and the considerable strength of the combat carrier aircraft show the technical heritage; The destroyers and submarine hunters behind the palace are like sharp knives, with smooth lines, light attitudes, efficient and versatile technical design and simple and reliable service performance to show a practical style; Like a dazzling broadsword, the heavy patrol of the overwhelming array not only has a sleek appearance and fierce firepower, but also ample operation space, advanced communication configuration and mature tactical positioning give it the role of front-line commander......

After a day and a night of fierce fighting, the New United Kingdom Navy's Mediterranean Task Force Combat Fleet finally arrived at the Cartagena Naval Base in southeastern Spain. The Spanish military accepted the fleet as promised, and blocked the news so that it could be resupplied in a relatively stable environment. According to the agreement, if the Italians did not seize the lever to exert diplomatic pressure on the Spanish government, the fleet would take a three-day recuperation at the naval base in Cartagena, if not, the fleet's stay would probably be only slightly longer than the 24 hours set by the Hague International Convention.

Standing on the third-floor terrace of the base headquarters, Major General Ceballos quietly watched the visitors in the harbor. Judging from the results of visual observation, except for a few ships that suffered some damage, the rest of the ships of that fleet were basically intact and although he had received the news before, when he saw it with his own eyes, he still felt a deep shock: without the coordinated cover of battleships and battle cruisers, not only did he deploy the three main aircraft carriers in the "courtyard" of the Italians, but also did not hesitate to expose his position as soon as the battle began, and launched fierce air raids on the Italian main fleet and Maltese aviation facilities one after another. Then rushed through the "courtyard gate" of the Italians overnight and entered the western Mediterranean, where the Italians were relatively weakly controlled, in this interlocking process, as long as there was a problem in one link, this fleet that had been built at a huge cost could be wiped out, and what kind of courage and courage was it to dare to make such a deployment and hand over the command of the fleet to a previously unknown rear admiral instead of a hard-working and experienced admiral? In the face of the Italian Navy and Air Force, which has more than 1,000 combat aircraft, with only three aircraft carriers and more than 200 carrier-based aircraft, it not only sank two Italian aircraft carriers and severely damaged the Maltese base, but also successfully withstood the repeated strong attacks of the Italian aviation units and the group of mine-striking boats, and controlled its own losses at a very low level.

These "mysteries" puzzled Major General Ceballos.

Today's Spanish Navy is no longer the old, weak, and self-contained maritime force of the late 19th century. Since joining the Western allies, they have gradually integrated into the military system of the allies, built and built various types of new warships, often participated in joint military exercises between the allies, and sent military personnel to the allies to study and exchange. At that time, the total tonnage of active ships of the Spanish Navy ranked behind Germany, the United States, Japan, Italy, the Soviet Union, Austria, and Singapore, ranking 8th in the world and 6th in Europe, and its core was three Spanish-class battleships, a 20,000-ton Confederate-class aircraft carrier, and a 30,000-ton Winner-class aircraft carrier, which should not be underestimated on paper. However, such a Spanish navy, not to mention wrestling with the world's top three powers, still has a considerable gap with neighboring Italy. As far as the capital ships are concerned, the Spanish-class battleships are a streamlined version of the dreadnoughts, which received a modern technical modification in Ireland in the early 30s, and can barely adapt to the needs of modern naval warfare, but the combat effectiveness is far from being comparable to the capital ships of the Italian Navy. The Winner-class aircraft carrier "Alfonso", whose hull was built on Spanish soil, has seriously lagged behind the times in terms of performance, and its overall combat power is inferior to that of Italian aircraft carriers of the same type.

By the time of breakfast, more than a dozen ships of the new United Kingdom Navy had docked at the docks in Area C. When Spain and Ireland signed a military pact to provide each other with naval bases, the trilateral economic alliance gradually came into play, and the industrial economies of Spain and Austria-Hungary were stimulated and driven by Ireland. As a sign of cooperation, the Spanish military gave the Irish the best geographical location of the Cartagena naval base, and after more than a decade of construction and operation, the Irish have built it into a full-fledged military base, and it is not a problem to supply three aircraft carriers and several light ships at the same time.

With great curiosity, Rear Admiral Ceballos, through the coordination of the two navies temporarily set up at the Cartagena naval base, made a request to the new United Kingdom Navy to board the ship, and permission was quickly obtained. After a hurried breakfast, he arrived at the "C area" with several staff officers. At this time, the huge "Area C" had openly become the military district of the new United Kingdom, and the officers and men of the country's navy could be seen everywhere, trucks and rail trailers full of supplies were busy coming and going, ammunition boxes, food baskets and various barrels were piled up on the docks, the stacks unloaded from the ships were a little messy, and the stacks waiting for loading were neat and orderly, and large and small cranes were constantly lifting materials between the ships and the docks.

Led by a major officer, Rear Admiral Sebaros and his entourage boarded the "Feniana", which served as the flagship of the fleet. The displacement of this conventionally powered aircraft carrier is not outstanding among the active aircraft carriers of various countries, but it adopts a new inclined flight deck, coupled with advanced flight control and ejection systems, and its combat efficiency ranks first among active aircraft carriers. Correspondingly, the cost of a Fenian-class aircraft carrier is twice that of the Confederate class, and the cost of equipping carrier-based aircraft and routine maintenance is also more than twice that of equipping the Confederate class in those years, so only a country with strong national strength and abundant military spending can afford this highly modern naval armament.

The "Fenia" was not in service for a long time, and it made few public appearances, and Rear Admiral Sebaros and his staff officers were the first time they had close contact with the aircraft carrier, so they observed its overall layout and technical details very carefully, but no matter how detailed they looked, they could only understand the appearance, not the inside, let alone easily reproduce it. After visiting the separate flight and operational command rooms of the "Fenian", Rear Admiral Sebaros stood alone by the railing of the walkway, gazing intently at the rippling blue sea, while his staff officers marveled at the Irishman's quadruple-mounted anti-aircraft rocket launchers from their anti-aircraft positions.

A short time later, Rear Admiral Gavin Bainier, commander of the task force battle fleet, and Captain Ian Flynn, captain of the "Fenia", passed by this walkway and happened to see the commander of the Spanish naval base standing there with a melancholy expression. After learning about the situation from the leading officer, Byneil stepped forward to introduce himself in English, and Cebaros immediately expressed his admiration in stumbling English:

"I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect that the hero who led the fleet to defeat the Italian Navy was so young!"

"We owe our victory first and foremost to our naval builders, whose tireless efforts have made it possible for us to use these sturdy and reliable combat ships," Bynier responded humbly and generously. Secondly, the General Staff of the Navy has developed a complete battle plan according to the operational situation, and all we need to do is to faithfully and flexibly implement the plan and make minor adjustments according to the situation, and that's it! ”

"We often say that a perfect staff is better than a once-in-a-century genius commander," said Cebaros, not without envy. Either way, you and your men will go down in history because of this battle. If you have this experience in life, you should have no regrets! ”

"Perhaps, wouldn't it be nice if we would soon have the opportunity to fight together and be remembered together as victors?" ”

"Maybe!" Sebaros' answer was vague. After speaking, he turned his gaze to the berth a little farther away, those ships flying the Spanish flag, the largest tonnage was an armored cruiser that had been in service for more than 30 years, and now it was no longer suitable for long-distance voyages, and could only be used as artillery training ships, and the rest of the ships were patrol ships of small tonnage, which looked quite shabby in front of the Irish.

After the recapture of Gibraltar, the center of gravity of the Mediterranean Fleet of the Spanish Navy shifted southward, and the main ships were usually stationed in the ports of Gibraltar and Malaga, and the contribution of the Cartagena naval base to the Spanish Navy was reduced due to its special characteristics. Today, there is only a small alert detachment and a small number of combat aircraft, and even if Spain enters the war, it will be difficult for Cebaros to get a chance to perform as the commander of the base here.

After a moment of silence, Cebaros pointed to the heavy cruiser "Farr" and asked, "I heard...... Is it true that the cost of your heavy cruiser is not much different from that of this aircraft carrier? ”

"Uh, you're talking about the Farr and the Fenia?" "If the Farr takes into account the initial cost and renovation costs, and the Fenian does not take into account carrier-based aircraft, then the overall investment between them is indeed not much different. The Farr looks ordinary, but in all kinds of harsh environments, its combat effectiveness is better than that of the Fenian. The only ones in our fleet that can compete with enemy battleships and battlecruisers at close range are the 'Dagda'. ”

"Oh?" Sebaros couldn't help but stare at the heavy cruiser a few more times. After the edification of World War I and the baptism of World War II, aircraft carriers have replaced battleships and battlecruisers to become the core combat power of the navies of various countries, even so, battleships and battlecruisers have not withdrawn from the stage of history, they are still in service in the navies of Germany, the United States, Japan, Italy, Austria and other countries, the latest age of the ship is less than ten years, and has been modernized and refitted to improve its combat capability and service life, but the new United Kingdom retired their old battleships early, and instead invested more energy in the development of light and heavy cruisers, Could it be ...... Did their heavy cruisers really have the strength to rival the battleships and battlecruisers of various countries?