The morning in the military port is quiet, beautiful and vibrant, the crimson clouds on the horizon seem to be the cheeks of children when they first wake up, and the flags on the masts dance happily in the sea breeze. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info docked on the British and German warships at the adjacent berths, and the sailors have already begun their daily compulsory course - cleaning the deck. Judging from the doctrines, slogans, and even some operating procedures, the two navies are inextricably linked, and they also have their own characteristics. Rigor and rigidity are the national character that is integrated into the bones of the Germans, and in the hundreds of years of inheritance and accumulation, the British naval officers and men have also formed such an excellent character, they strive for perfection, meticulousness, and have the perseverance and determination to overcome difficulties without fear of hardships and dangers. To be fair, the British navy of this period was superior to that of the Germans, and the German navy, which was only a few decades old, surpassed the other powers in many respects, and they were just as reasonably satisfied and proud.

After breakfast, the ships included in the drill lineup were making various preparations before departure. In consideration of the type and performance of the visiting ships, the German Navy invited British, Russian, and Dutch warships to participate in the joint exercise, while the visiting ships sent by Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark were arranged by the German side to watch the exercise at sea because their speed was too slow or they were not suitable for gunnery exercises.

Inside the port of Kiel, the German battleship "Caesar. The "Kaiser Wilhelm" and the visiting British armored cruiser "Hogg" were berthed more than 20 meters apart, and the officers and men of the two sides had been in close proximity for several days, and they did not behave as restrainedly as when they first met. Seeing the German sailors slowly unfolding and then retracting the anti-torpedo nets on the side of the ship, the British officer standing on the bridge of the "Hogg" asked in German, not very fluent: "Hey, guys, are you going to anchor at sea?" ”

The German officer here replied, "No."

The British officer then asked: "Do you want to unfurl this bulky mine net on the way?" ”

The German officer hesitated and replied: "Yes".

The British officer shook his head repeatedly: "I hope this bulky chain mail will not get caught in your propellers, our side has learned a hard lesson, so the advice is ...... It is best not to use lightning nets while driving. ”

The German officer did not answer again, but watched as his sailors re-fastened the mine nets. More than 30 years ago, the invention of the torpedo provided a new terrible weapon with extraordinary potential for naval warfare, and the continuous improvement of torpedo technology coupled with the emergence of fast motorboats has greatly challenged the survival of traditional ships.

A typical ship lightning protection net uses a number of struts to place the iron net about 10 meters away from the hull, the upper part of the iron net is higher than the water surface, the lower part is to the depth of the ship's keel, and the width of the iron net reaches or exceeds three-quarters of the hull, so as to protect the ammunition room, boiler room and other critical positions. British naval experts put a lot of effort into improving this defensive equipment, and they also proved their effectiveness in experiments, especially when a ship at anchor was suddenly attacked by enemy torpedo boats, and mine nets were effective in protecting expensive warships from being sunk by cheap torpedoes. In this spear and shield contest, the torpedo designers quickly came up with the countermeasure of installing cutters on the torpedoes, and after the torpedo nets were installed on warships, they also brought a lot of troubles and hidden dangers, so the attitudes of the navies of various countries towards the mine protection nets were very different -- the British Royal Navy and the German Navy attached great importance to the use of mine protection nets, the French did not use mine protection nets, Russia only equipped some ships, Italy used them on some ships for a short time, and the Americans believed that mine protection nets did not play a big role and did not adopt them.

However, in the Russo-Japanese War that broke out a few months ago, the Japanese fleet attacked the Russian fleet in Arthur with mine-striking ships on the first day of the war, and used torpedoes to severely damage the three capital ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet, thus seizing the initiative at sea.

"George, what were you guys talking about?"

Hearing the commander's voice coming from behind him, the British officer on the bridge of the "Hogg" hurriedly turned 180 degrees: "Good morning, Duke Hill, General White." I just saw them checking the mine nets, so ask if they're going to anchor outside the harbor or if they're on the road for anti-torpedo training, and if necessary, we can do it earlier. ”

"Well, George. It seems that your observation is very careful and worthy of praise! The man was a well-proportioned middle-aged officer, who appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a crisp white Royal Navy uniform and wore a rank that indicated him as a brigadier general. Beside him, the Duke of Hill, the commander of the British visiting fleet, was also dressed in a white military uniform, a traditional and ornate captain's hat, with a golden ribbon and a shining medal, as if it were a military parade rather than a combat exercise.

"You've won the prize, and that's exactly what I should be paying attention to." The officer replied with a straight chest.

When the Duke of Hill and Brigadier White went to "Caesar." When the "Kaiser Wilhelm" looked, the German sailors had already fastened their mine nets, the towering chimney was belching out a not-so-dense black smoke, and the melodious bells of the ship reminded people that the battleship was about to lift anchor and set sail.

"Judging by the Germans' answers, it seems that they intended to use mine nets during the voyage, which may be a new trick of the German Navy." The officer analyzed from the side.

"Subtle techniques can improve tactical effectiveness, but they can't fundamentally change the strength of a fleet." Duke Hill's tone sounded a little disapproving. Ever since the Russian Navy torpedoed and sunk a number of Turkish warships in the Russo-Turkish War, the British Royal Navy has gradually equipped its large warships with mine protection nets, and the armored cruiser "Hogg", which is large but far less defensive than a battleship, is no exception. It's just that in non-war times, the British felt that there was no need to put this clumsy set of "chain mail" on their bodies all day long, so the buckle of the "Hogg" could be seen on the side of the "Hogg", and the struts and mine nets were folded and stored in the cargo hold of the warship. If necessary, well-trained British sailors were able to install the entire set of mine nets in a matter of hours, but neither the Duke of Hill nor Brigadier General White made such a "laborious" decision.

At this time, at the port of Wabus, northeast of the port of Kiel, the officers and men of the German Navy's high-speed torpedo boat test group gathered at the dock, and they sat on the ground, listening attentively and with admiration to their commander, Prince Joachim, as he set up the exercises.

"Remember, no matter which team is covered by interceptive fire, don't make a big turn in a panic, and be sure to pay attention to your teammates, because a collision at high speed will cause irreparable consequences. After all, this is a confrontation exercise, and we don't have to take the results too seriously, we just need to follow the steps of our usual training. ”

Speaking of this, a young sailor raised his hand and asked, "Your Highness, sir, can we concentrate on attacking British warships?" You see, the rubber-headed torpedoes won't make holes in their warships anyway, so why not let us give them a good dampene? ”

"First of all, it is both grammatical and awkward to use the words Sir and His Highness together, you can call me 'Captain' or 'Sir', and if you really feel awkward, you can call me 'Your Highness'."

The 14-year-old was in the midst of a voice change, and Joachim was not embarrassed to say something that would inevitably break when he spoke. He always smiled when he spoke, so that these officers and men of ordinary backgrounds would not have such a sense of distance when communicating with him.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The young sailor happily chose the third option, which made the sailors around him smile kindly.

"Well, although I have a fraction of British blood in my body, I am also very disgusted with the arrogance and arrogance of the British. On such an occasion, it is not a bad thing to give them some color to see, and the 4th squad will definitely teach them a good lesson, so that the other squads will not have to besiege the British warships in groups, which will show that we lack grace. Don't forget, we are lightly armed knights of the German High Seas Fleet! ”

The self-proclaimed title of "Light Knight" clearly enhanced the sense of honor and obedience of the sailors, as can be seen from their unanimous answers.

"Okay, guys, keep in mind our arrangement, especially when the front team turns after the torpedo is released, the boats in the rear team must pay attention to the course and speed, and finally, the team in charge of the assault mission tries to break through the defense from the stern direction as much as possible, understand?"

The German sailors, who were generally older than Joachim, replied cheerfully: "Understood! ”

After morning tea time, a whistle finally sounded in Kiel Harbour. Facing the rising sun in the east, the six 10,000-ton battleships of the German Navy crossed the channel in a straight single column. Headed by "Caesar." The mainmast of the Frederick III was hoisted with the Emperor's flag, the national flag and the naval minister's flag on the eremast, which meant that the German Emperor and the Admiralty had been boarded by important guests, and the fleet commander's flag was hoisted on the mainmast of the second battleship, the Wichelsbach, followed by the Vidin, and the Kaiser. "Wilhelm the Great", "Caesar." Barbarossa" and "Elector". Six battleships, more than 20 German naval cruisers and large torpedo boats followed, followed by visiting British, Dutch, Russian, Swedish, and Norwegian ships sailed through the channel into the Gulf of Kiel.

The sea opened up, and the ships participating in the drill and accompanying the exercise gradually lined up in the predetermined position -- the "Caesar" on which the German emperor was aboard. Frederick III broke away from the large formation, escorted by several small cruisers and torpedo boats, while the other foreign visiting ships sailed in a slightly scattered formation behind the Emperor's Throne. Five German battleships continued to maintain a single column at sea, eight German torpedo boats and four German cruisers escorted the right side of the battlefleet, and six German torpedo boats, four British cruisers, and Russian and Dutch cruisers escorted the left side of the battlefleet, forming a relatively complete naval combat formation.

(End of chapter)