Born in 1855, Henry Bradwarding Jackson joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and spent 33 of his 46-year naval career serving on warships. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 From 1901 onwards, he served as First Sea Lord, Rector of the Royal Naval College, and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Navy, and was regarded as one of the British Navy's leading tactical theorists, but this did not mean that he was a closed-door theorist. After leaving the fleet, he served as the organizer of naval exercises on many occasions, and based on the naval battle data collected by British military observers in the Russo-Japanese, Italian-Turkish, and Balkan wars, he had conducted in-depth research on the combat tactics of the modern navy. You know, the famous Horatio Nelson, whose seafaring experience was shallow among his colleagues, and his poor political skills and notorious affairs made him repeatedly reproached and ridiculed, but this did not prevent him from becoming a unique hero in the history of the British Navy.

After the flagship "Iron Duke" was damaged by German carrier-based aircraft, Jackson was extremely worried about the situation of the British fleet, and he ordered all the planes that could take off to carry out a dragnet reconnaissance of the possible positions of the German fleet despite the influence of the weather. The more difficult it was to know the answer, the stronger his sense of crisis became, so he recalled the 1st Battlecruiser Detachment, which had been sent to the northeast, and ordered the main fleet to be deployed at the northern end of the Strait in the middle of the Faroe Islands. In this case, if your ship is seriously damaged, it can quickly run aground in the coastal waters and continue to fight as a fixed battery. In addition, Jackson also issued an order to the submarine force to come at full speed for the submarines operating near the Faroe Islands, and his determination to fight against the water was undoubted.

The northern end of the central channel of the Faroe Islands is a triangle with a south-facing corner and a north-facing opening, with Strammer Island on the left and East Island on the right. When Jackson received a telegram from the 2nd Cruiser Squadron that the seaplanes heading northwest for reconnaissance were missing, seven of his main battleships, the Iron Duke, George V, the Emperor, the Conqueror, the Thunderbolt, the Agincoot, and Collingwood, were assembled in this triangular water, and Betty hurried back with his three battlecruisers and four light cruisers, which were now just over ten nautical miles from the main fleet. The two can be combined in one place, and they can also echo each other.

Determined to meet the German fleet in these waters, Jackson's main fleet naturally slowed down, and 5 super dreadnoughts lined up in an oblique column along the smooth shoreline of the East Island, with 2 dreadnoughts "hidden" behind them. With the exception of a few who were sent to the periphery to carry out guards, the accompanying light ships were deployed according to tactical needs. Although the flagship did not give warning of the imminent exchange of fire from the enemy, seeing the formation of the fleet, the British officers and men with a little insight realized that the decisive moment they were both expecting and worrying about was coming.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

On board the super-dreadnought "George V", the commander of the second battleship detachment, Sir Wallend, delivered a mobilization speech to his officers and men via the ship's radio. The experienced and capable Vice Admiral enumerated the difficulties encountered by the British Navy in its rise and strength, and the greatness of the British Navy that distinguished it from any other navy was its ability to overcome unfavorable situations and win one incredible victory after another.

"The fact that the German fleet has humiliated us on several occasions is that they are superior to us by their innovative weaponry, clever fleet tactics, and fanatical adventurous spirit. For thousands of years, the peoples who dominated the seas must have had a broad mind, a long-term vision and fearless courage, while the Germans had only barbarism, violence and obedience, and look at what they did in Liège, in Louvain, in Nancy, if they were allowed to rule the continent, the Europeans would live in disaster, and if they were allowed to rule the seas, the whole world would be plunged into endless darkness. For the sake of the honour of the Royal Navy, for the survival of Britain, and for the order of this world not to be upside down, we must do our best to win this battle. In today's battle, many of us may die, we may be in flames, we may be trapped in the cold waters, but we will not give in, with the tenacious will of steel, with the righteousness in the hearts of each of us, we will surely win this war! ”

Amid the slogans of "Britain will win" and "justice will win", the crews of the ships were gearing up and cheering each other on, vowing to let the invincible German fleet fall here.

On the "Pelican", which belonged to the 9th Destroyer Fleet, the captain of the ship, Captain Richards, did not make so much sense in his mobilization speech, he told his crew that although the German fleet's artillery fire was terrible, they were not invincible, and such bad weather would make the optical instruments that the Germans were proud of lose their accuracy, and the duel between the main warships of the two sides would inevitably decide the winner at a close distance.

"A hundred years ago, the British light dragoons were the most elite cavalry in Europe, and their lightning-fast charges terrified even Napoleon's army. Today, we are going to charge like light dragoons, torpedoes are an unstoppable sword in our hands, and our sword will plunge into the chest of the enemy. After today, whether we are alive or not, we will be the pride of Great Britain! ”

The British sailors, especially the torpedo men, who had gathered around the deck to listen to Captain Richards, were greatly encouraged, and as soon as they had finished speaking, they returned to their positions and carefully examined the torpedo and torpedo tubes so that the sword could shine its brightest when it was unsheathed.

Not every commander chooses to mobilize before the war, because blood is not necessarily the best state of operation. On the new and powerful battlecruiser "Tiger", 1,124 crew members were silently preparing for the battle. Some of them came from the battlecruiser "Lion", which was sunk in the Battle of Jutland, and were Betty's old subordinates, so they were familiar with the brave, decisive and pragmatic style of the "British Lion". Whenever before the big battle, he would always silently patrol the battleship, instilling confidence in the crew to win with a calm and confident gaze.

No rain fell in the gloomy sky, the wind and waves crashed into the hull of the ship in waves, and the small waves repeatedly washed the deck, and the British gunners in the open gun positions had to wear ponchos to stand guard, and when they suddenly saw Betty, who was tall and wearing a military hat, climb the gangway, they quickly turned to each other and saluted.

Betty nodded at them, then looked out into the sea in the direction the muzzle of the cannon was pointing. In front of the port side were the Faroe Islands, and in all other directions there was a vast sea, and at this time, no one knew from which side the Germans would pounce on.

Looking into the distance for a moment, Betty turned and said to the respectful gunners, "Gentlemen, it is an honor to fight alongside you. ”

One of the gunners preempted his comrades and said, "It is a great honor for me to be able to participate in the battle again as your subordinate. ”

Betty looked intently at the youthful face, and although it felt familiar, she couldn't remember the other person's name for a while.

The gunner told himself with great interest: "Cecil White, who served as a gunner on the 'Lion' and the 'Ireland', sir! ”

Betty shook hands with him and then laughed at herself, "I'm sorry I didn't lead you to victory twice." ”

"This time, it will definitely be." The gunner grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

Betty smiled slightly, smiling very shallowly, but giving a very bright feeling.

"Yes, this time we will!"

Up to this time, Sir Jackson's flagship "Iron Duke" was the only capital ship in the entire British fleet that had been attacked and damaged, although the injuries were not fatal, and with the efforts of the crew, it was fully capable of participating in the follow-up battle, but the bomb dropped by the German planes still cast a shadow on the hearts of the officers and men on the ship: the dense artillery fire of most of the fleet could not stop a few German planes, and the battleship with super-first-class protection was actually penetrated through three decks by more than 200 pounds of bombs. If the next battle continued in this way, how could the British fleet have a chance of winning?

Of course, the senior officers knew the adverse impact of this bomb on the morale of the troops, so after the injuries of the "Iron Duke" were controlled, they immediately issued a light signal to the other ships that "the fire has been extinguished, and the ship is safe." Rear Admiral Levison, the captain of the ship, also announced to all the crew through the ship's radio that the crisis had been lifted, but the paper certainly could not contain the fire, and those who participated in the damage management and emergency repair saw the shocking scene at the scene of the explosion, and the casualties of more than 40 people were not small. Moreover, such a violent explosion is likely to cause damage to the ship's power system, weapons and equipment, and even the ship's hull structure that they have not yet discovered, and the vigilant mind is worried about this.

Time was fleeting, and Sir Jackson, who was on the bridge, frequently looked at his watch, and he did not seem to have the same calm attitude as Betty when he was ordered to go on the expedition for the first time. With all the ships of the fleet sailing through the strait to combat positions, his combat deployment was complete, and only the submarines operating nearby were left to fill the last positions.

"There's no new discovery on Moore's side? Was the order for the combat alert of the 11th destroyer fleet executed in place? ”

Before the communications officer could answer Jackson's words, Chief of Staff Madden suggested from the side: "Sir, at this time we had better take fewer telegrams, so as not to arouse the vigilance of the Germans." ”

This suggestion made perfect sense, and Jackson had no choice but to accept it, but after a while, he asked the veteran Edward uneasily: "If the German fleet saw us in such a tight position, would it take the initiative to retreat?" ”

Edward thought for a moment, "Whoever wins three times in a row at the table will be much more bold when making another bet." Bears that have eaten honey would rather be stung by bees than dig out honeycombs. The reason is very simple, as long as they come, it is unlikely that they will take the initiative to retreat when they have the advantage of strength. Now all we have to do is be patient. ”

(End of chapter)