While the Bernie squadron was under heavy attack by the German Navy's main dreadnought group, a British support fleet of 22 large and small ships was heading south at full speed in four columns in the northern part of the engaged sea. Compared with the dreadnoughts built in the later period, their "full speed" is simply a leisurely stroll, but for the old capital ships built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they can run at a speed of 17 knots without major repairs and maintenance.www.biquge.info

Among the second-tier ships incorporated into the British Grand Fleet, 8 Edward VII-class battleships and 1 Duncan-class fast battleship were valuable and meaningful fighting forces. They were armed with 40-fold 12-inch naval guns, which were almost as powerful as the dreadnoughts of earlier construction, and the 233 mm secondary guns were stronger than the 170 mm rapid-fire guns of the German Braunschweig and Deutsche classes, and they had a standard tonnage of 1. 60,000 tons, only two or three thousand tons less than the early dreadnoughts, and the level of armor protection is also comparable, so they are also called "quasi-dreadnoughts".

As the telegrams for help from the flagships of the Bernie squadron became more and more urgent, in order to distract the opponents and make their commanders scruple about the situation on the battlefield, several Edward VII-class battleships at the forefront of the column opened fire early on the German fleet at the maximum range. At a distance of more than 20,000 meters, the accuracy of shooting can be imagined by observing and aiming only by artillery flames. Even so, these old British battleships maintained a rate of fire of one round per minute, and after more than 20 minutes, the 12-inch guns of the "Republic", "New Zealand", "Africa", "Britannia", and "Cornwally" fired more than 50 shells each, and the consumption was close to a quarter of the combat stock.

In absolute speed, the German dreadnoughts had a huge advantage of 6-8 knots over these old British battleships, but they were not in a race in the same direction after all. The British support fleet was always heading towards the battlefield, and the German fleet adjusted its course several times in order to achieve its tactical intentions, and the course was basically in a state of moving from west to east. By the time they sank the Courage and pursued the Avant-garde, the British support fleet was 1 from the battlefield. 20,000 meters, if the two sides maintain their current state of navigation, in about ten minutes, these old British battleships will be able to launch an effective attack on the main German dreadnoughts!

Due to a malfunction of radio equipment, the "avant-garde" was unable to get the news of the sinking of the "Courage" and Vice Admiral Bernie's farewell words in time, and Jericho was not yet aware that his 1st Battleship Squadron had suffered a terrible loss, and the British 3rd Battleship Squadron, with the "Edward VII" as its flagship, was also unaware of the changes in the battlefield situation. Under the command of Vice Admiral Bradford, it rushed to the battlefield with all its might, intending to cooperate with its own fleet to form a siege of the main German fleet. Still, Bradford and his staff officers were deeply disturbed by the frequent flashes of explosions in the night, and they could not help but worry about the plight of their companions, recalling the farewell tone of Bernie's last telegram. Bradford sent telegrams to Bernie and Jellicoe in quick succession, but only to receive a reply from Jellico: I have routed the formation of old German battleships and am heading north at full speed.

As for the state of Bernie's fleet, Jellicoe said nothing.

When Bradford once again cast his worried gaze on the flickering sea ahead, the sentry ship on the right flank of the fleet suddenly sent a light signal: several shadows were seen on the starboard side of the sea, and the signal had been sent to verify the identity.

The atmosphere on the bridge suddenly became tense.

This naval battle began with the battle of the battle patrol detachments of the two sides, which lasted for more than six hours from dusk to now, and there was still a faint starlight on the sea at night, and then the wind and clouds changed color, the waves were raging, and at this moment it was drifting heavy rain, and the complex natural environment caused the strange and unpredictable situation of the naval battle. Betty's fleet suffered heavy losses as a result of falling into the enemy's trap, but there is no definite information on their losses, and it is not surprising that the remaining ships retreated on their own; Jericho and Bernie's formations fought the German fleet one after the other, during which it was also possible that ships withdrew from the battle due to injuries, or that light ships on lightning strikes went around in circles in the night. Because of the various situations that exist in the starboard sea, it is possible that the ship is friend or foe.

Within two minutes, the sentinel ship sent another report, and the officers on the "Edward VII" breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the content of the light signal, which turned out to be the remnants of the Betty fleet.

As the German capital ships were engaged in an exchange of fire with Bernie's fleet in the waters ahead, Bradford was not wary of whether to adjust the nine battleships in two columns into a single-line battle column or into a stepped battle column. Not long after, the searchlight suddenly turned on the starboard side, and this dazzling artificial light was greatly weakened in the process of penetrating the rain curtain, and it was very soft when it hit the "Edward VII", but turning on the searchlight on one's own ships on the battlefield was itself an extremely abnormal behavior, and Bradfordton felt bad - those "British light cruisers" were followed by a volley of shells, and the column of water rising high above the sea on the side surprised everyone.

There was no time to think about how the enemy ship had mastered its own signal, so Bradford hurriedly ordered his ship to turn on its searchlights. The distance between the two sides was very close at this time, and in the case of full preparation, the first round of firing of the German battleship was unusually accurate, and before a few water columns on the side of the ship fell, the hull of the "Edward VII" was hit by a shot, and the explosion that occurred at the position of the waterline armor belt made the entire battleship tremble violently, and the humid air was suddenly filled with a strong smell of gunsmoke. Immediately afterwards, the protective cruiser "Purple Quartz" on the right side of the "Edward VII" was also hit, and the 3,000-ton old ship that had been in service with the Royal Navy for 12 years was unable to withstand the bombardment of German large-caliber naval guns.

After a few moments, your searchlight finally shines through the darkness to the target. Bradford was speechless in surprise at the moment he saw the shape of the enemy ship: it was a German formation of five battleships, each with its starboard side intact. The three ships in front of them have a majestic hull and a slender ship, and if a conventional dreadnought is compared to the sharp and heavy knives of infantry, then these three battleships are like the elegant swords of knights, they are equipped with four main turrets with separate front and rear decks, and the superstructure, including two chimneys, is concentrated in the amidships, so that the hull structure appears concise and compact; The latter two are like smaller versions of the first three, although they are regular light cruisers, they are equipped with twin main guns like capital ships, and the main turret is a piggyback construction, the bridge is set up in a barrel type, and there are only two chimneys, which is so different from the light cruisers of most countries of this period that in an engagement, they can easily be mistaken for large ships in a distant position, and thus misestimate their actual distance.

At this moment, the muzzles of the five German battleships were pointed at the "Edward VII". Obviously, they have just been spying on every move of this British fleet, and the "Edward VII", which constantly sends command signals, is naturally the core of the fleet.

Realizing this, Bradford felt a sense of powerlessness that he had never felt before. Because they were ready to exchange fire with the German main fleet at any time, the main guns of the nine battleships, including the "Edward VII", were facing the bow of the ship, and in the face of the sudden attack of the starboard enemy ships, the heavy main gun turrets were still trying to turn to the right. In contrast, the five German battleships were accurate in their close-range fire, and the small- and medium-caliber rapid-fire guns fired at alarming frequencies before the large-caliber main guns fired at a surprising frequency, and the pulsing light of the fire was like a signal light sending a threatening message. In less than half a minute, the hull and superstructure of the "Edward VII" were shot continuously, and the officers were exhausted by the news of battle damage from various battle positions, Bradford stood motionless in front of the porthole and stared, he waited for the next round of shelling of the three German battleships, and at this moment he had a strong premonition that the British Navy would lose this vital naval battle.

The second hand of the clock turned half a circle, and the German battleship, which was in third place, opened fire first. Different from the previous two, its main guns are in a triple configuration, and each broadside salvo can be put into up to 12 main guns, and it is coordinated by the unified firing command system of the whole ship, and the artillery fire is dense and accurate, which is an absolute lethal weapon for an old battleship like the Edward VII class!

At a distance of just over two thousand meters, the German battle cruisers fired shells in an instant, and the "Edward VII" was hit by four 11-inch armor-piercing shells in one breath, and the old British battleship trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind, and everywhere there were rumbling tongues of fire and thick smoke, and the bombarded bridge was instantly killed and wounded, while Bradford was miraculously unscathed, but when a surviving officer stepped forward to persuade him to evacuate the precarious battleship, he let out a long sigh. Before he could say anything, the two German battleships at the forefront of the fleet opened fire, and three 12-inch armor-piercing shells added the last straw to the heavily damaged "Edward VII", and the explosion invaded the stern ammunition depot, causing 196 unused 12-inch shells and a large number of propellant packs to be killed, and an earth-shattering explosion instantly engulfed the second half of the battleship, and the huge flames rose to a height of 100 meters in the rain, almost crashing into the low-hanging rain clouds. After such a violent explosion, the front half of the battleship could hardly be left intact, and the bridge, which had been hit by direct shells again, was gone, along with the command staff inside......

(End of chapter)