"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

The battleship "King" of the German fleet and the battleship "Kii" of the island fleet became the main targets of the attacks of both sides, and all the shells were directed at them. In such a situation, even the most powerful battleship could not resist it. At this time, what you fight is luck, and what you gamble on is character.

"Boom! Rumble! ”

Two 380-mm shells hit the battleship 'Kii' in quick succession. A shell hit the ship's amidships, destroying the No. 3 main turret and reducing the ship's firepower by one-fifth.

Another shell hit the side of the battleship 'Kii', which had only 292 mm of side armor, and in front of the 380 mm shell, it was simply vulnerable and easily penetrated. And, the location that was hit was just near the waterline, and a large hole was blown out. Sea water began to pour into the battleship.

"General, the No. 3 main turret has been destroyed. In addition, a hole was blown out of the port side and damage control is underway! Fukuru Shigeru reported.

Lieutenant General Yoshida's face suddenly became even more ugly. Combined with the loss of the No. 5 main turret before, they have already lost two main turrets, and the firepower of the battleship has dropped by a full forty percent.

"Damn! Are we really going to lose this battle? Command loss management and plug loopholes. As long as you don't get sunk, you have to stick to it! Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered.

Now they had only four battleships against the eight battleships of the German fleet, which was already at an absolute disadvantage in numbers. If the battleship Kii were sunk again, it would be three to eight. When the time comes, they will be even more unable to defeat the German fleet.

"Hi, General. However, the shogun should first evacuate the Kii and retreat to the Suruga or Omi to command the battle. If you continue to stay on the Kii, it will be too dangerous! Fukuru Shigeru suggested.

The current battleship "Kii" has been greatly traumatized because it has been hit one after another. If you continue to be hit in the rest of the battle, there is a good chance that you will be sunk. It can even be asserted that if the battle continues, it may not be long before the battleship Kii will be sunk. Therefore, it is better for Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo and others to evacuate as soon as possible.

Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo frowned, if he could, of course he didn't want to die. However, he did not want to lose this naval battle even more.

"It's too early to evacuate! Keep fighting! If Kii is destined to sink, I will evacuate! Lieutenant General Yoshida said. Although it would be a high honor to sink with the ship, he still had to continue to command the fleet in battle.

Fukuru Shigeru nodded and didn't say anything more.

"Let the Tosa come as soon as possible." Lieutenant General Yoshida said. If the battleship 'Tosa' could arrive as soon as possible, they would have added a strong combat force, and perhaps they would not have been defeated so quickly.

However, the speed of the Tosa battleship was three knots slower than that of the Kii-class battleship, and it would take some time to get there.

"Boom! Rumble! ”

The luck of the German fleet seems to have run out in the previous naval battles. In this round of salvo fire, two shells actually hit the battleship 'King'.

A shell hit the side of the battleship 'King', and although the waterline armor was 350 mm thick, the defense had dropped somewhat, perhaps due to the long service time. The shell, which could not withstand the fire of the island fleet, was actually pierced. What's worse is that the place where it was hit was located two meters below the waterline. After a large hole was blown out here, the sea water suddenly poured into the battleship in a frenzy.

Another shell hit the tail of the battleship 'King', not only blowing up the steering gear, blowing off a propeller, but also tearing a large hole. The sea rushed down there, frantically pouring into the battleship.

"General, we have been hit hard. There is a lot of water on the starboard side and stern, and although damage control is being carried out, it may be difficult to plug the loopholes. "The captain of the battleship 'King' reported.

Theodore? Lieutenant General Burshadi's face suddenly became very ugly. Will they finally have to pay for their losses in this naval battle?

"General, evacuate the King! The battle continues, and we still have the absolute advantage! Major General Felix suggested.

Theodore? Lieutenant General Bourchadi nodded: "Okay, evacuate the 'King'." If you can't keep the King, I'll allow you to abandon your ship and retreat!" "Theodore? Lieutenant General Burchardi said.

"Yes, General!" The captain of the battleship 'King' replied.

Of course, they will do their best to salvage the battleship 'King', even if it loses all its combat effectiveness, as long as it can not be sunk, it is possible to sail it back to a nearby port and then tow it back to the mainland. With the strength of German shipbuilding, it will soon be repaired.

Of course, if it is not for them, they will not insist. The German Navy has always attached great importance to the lives of its officers and men. The loss of equipment is not terrible, as long as the personnel can be saved, it is a victory.

Theodore? Vice Admiral Bourshadi and others evacuated the battleship 'King' and moved the command structure to the battleship 'Crown Prince'.

The rescue of the battleship 'King' lasted only ten minutes before it was judged to be ineffective. The captain gave the order to abandon the ship, and the others fled in lifeboats in an orderly manner. Nearby destroyers also came to rescue them.

The island fleet cheered when they noticed that the King was getting slower and slower and no longer firing guns. Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo yelled even more excitedly, as if they had already won this naval battle.

However, less than five minutes after the sinking of the battleship "King", the battleship "Kii" was heavily damaged. Two 380-mm hits were made in quick succession, and both were torn open near the waterline.

A large amount of seawater poured into the battleship, and it was impossible to plug the hole. Even if the watertight compartment was closed, it would not prevent the battleship from tilting due to excessive flooding. And, as the tilt gets worse and worse, the capsizing of the battleship will be inevitable.

This may be the joy of sorrow!

With no choice but to evacuate to the battleship Suruga and continue the battle, Vice Admiral Yoshida and others had no choice but to evacuate to the battleship Suruga.