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"General, the heavy cruiser 'Concord' was sunk, the heavy cruiser 'Boston' was also heavily damaged, and the 'Hartford' and 'Providence' were also slightly wounded. Now the 2nd and 4th battleship formations have stopped the pursuit of the Chinese fleet! A staff officer reported to Admiral William Benson.

Admiral William Benson's face was very unsightly, and although he made a lot of preparations, he finally let the Chinese fleet run away. In this naval battle, the U.S. fleet lost the battleships "New York" and "Montana," and the battleship "Ohio" suffered heavy losses and had already withdrawn from the battlefield. In addition, the heavy cruisers also lost the "Montpellier" and "Concord", and the "Boston" and three other heavy cruisers suffered heavy losses. And the result they achieved was only to sink one battleship of the Chinese Navy, and some of the warships of the Chinese Navy were damaged. Such results and losses are completely disproportionate!

"Report the war report to the Admiralty! Then the 2nd and 4th battleship formations were ordered to return. Admiral William Benson ordered. Now that the Chinese fleet has withdrawn, it is impossible to catch up with the Chinese fleet again. Now, the only target is the Chinese Navy's Santa Cruz Island naval base. Even if the U.S. fleet made destroying this place its top priority, it was only because the Chinese Navy unexpectedly came to intercept the U.S. fleet that the U.S. fleet changed its combat plan. Original. Admiral William Benson also thought that the American fleet had such a huge advantage that it should not be much of a problem to destroy the Chinese fleet. But I never expected that this would be the result in the end!

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the American fleet regrouped, but the battleships were already missing three ships, and the "New York-class" battleships were only the "Texas", and the other three were sunk and one was heavily damaged. Already out of the battlefield.

After completing the assembly, Admiral William Benson ordered the advance towards Santa Cruz Island. They were at the moment, hundreds of nautical miles from the Santa Cruz Island Naval Base. By the time the American fleet arrived less than twenty nautical miles from the naval base on Santa Cruz Island, night had already fallen. In order to avoid being attacked by Chinese submarines, Admiral William Bahnson had to order the fleet to attack again tomorrow. Meantime. The light cruisers and destroyers of the fleet are required to do a good job of anti-submarine defense!

The next day, September 18, 1911, at 8 a.m., the U.S. fleet continued its advance toward the Santa Cruz Island Naval Base. And by this time, the Santa Cruz Island naval base had already learned about the arrival of the American fleet. All the personnel in the base have also been evacuated to the inland area of Santa Cruz Island, and only the officers and men of the coastal defense fortress have long been ready for battle and are waiting for the arrival of the American fleet!

The Shore Defense Fortress of Puerto Ayora. It is mainly divided into three fortress groups, defending the port of Ayora from the east, north and west. Each fortress group consists of five forts, and there are quite a few bunkers. A well-fortified fortification was formed. The coastal defense guns attached to the fort are mainly 305 mm coastal defense guns, 280 mm shore defense guns and 210 mm shore defense guns. Each fortified group had a total of twelve 305-mm shore guns, 18 280-mm shore guns and 36 210-mm guns. Although, the caliber of shore defense guns was inferior to the battleships of the American fleet. But no less can pose a mortal threat to the battleships of the American fleet. In particular, the 305-mm fifty-fold caliber shore defense guns were enough to penetrate the armor of the battleships of the American fleet. Shore defense guns of 280 mm caliber. If it hits the vital point of an American battleship, it will also cause severe damage to it. As for the 210-mm shore defense guns, the main targets were cruisers and destroyers of the American fleet. In addition to these three caliber shore defense guns, each fortress also had a number of 155 and 105 caliber cannons. It's just that against heavy warships at sea, these cannons won't be too useful!

"Order all batteries to be ready for battle! This time, the Yankees are here to destroy our naval bases. This is our painstaking efforts in the past few years, and it was not easy to build. If the Americans want to destroy our bases, we will make them pay enough! "The commander of the naval base, Rear Admiral Li Hai, ordered. By this time, he had learned of the results of the Pacific Fleet yesterday, which had sunk two American battleships and severely damaged one, thanks to three battleships and several heavy cruisers, and he was greatly encouraged. Although the U.S. fleet is very powerful, if it plays well, it may not have a chance to make the U.S. fleet pay a heavy price!

At 9 a.m. on September 18, the U.S. fleet arrived fifteen kilometers from Puerto Ayora. The eleven huge battleships like small hills gave a great shock to the officers and men of the Chinese Navy at the base. You must know that the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy has always had only five battleships and one battle cruiser, which is only half of the American fleet.

On the bridge of the battleship 'Nevada', Admiral William Benson observed the fortress in the distance with a telescope. The three fortress groups in Puerto Ayola surrounded the harbor in the middle, and no matter which fortress group was attacked, it would be hit by fire from the other two fortress groups. There is no doubt that the Chinese have spent a lot of energy for this naval base. To destroy such a naval base, it will not be easy. However, Admiral William Benson also has a lot of confidence. The remaining battleships of the American fleet are all equipped with 343 mm main guns, except for the front main guns of the flagship 'Nevada' that were damaged, the other ten battleships are in good condition, and all the main guns add up to hundreds of guns!

"Give those yellow-skinned monkeys a chance and make them surrender! Otherwise, we'll blow this place to ruins! Admiral William Benson said. Although, he knew it was unlikely, he still wanted to give it a try. After all, if this naval base can be obtained in its entirety, then the US Navy will have a very good foothold in the Pacific Ocean!

There is no doubt that Admiral William Benson's request was rejected by the commander of the naval base, Rear Admiral Lehi. Although the American fleet was strong, they did not bring infantry with them on this trip, and if they wanted to land on Santa Cruz Island, it would be impossible. Therefore, even if the military port is destroyed, they will be able to hold on with the supplies stored on the island and ensure that this important island is in the hands of the Chinese navy!

Although, the refusal of the Chinese has long been expected by Admiral William Benson. But Major General Lehi's unhesitating move still made Admiral William Benson a little annoyed!

"The ships hit the fire, and first attack the fortress group located on the east side of the military port! Make sure to destroy this fortress group completely! Let these yellow-skinned monkeys know the consequences of gathering the goodwill of the US Navy! "Admiral William Benson gave the order to attack!

Because the main guns of the battleship 'Nevada' were damaged in front, they did not participate in the attack on the fortress group. But the other ten battleships all headed for Fortress Group No. 1 on the east side of the port. At a distance of 10,000 meters from the fortress complex, the shelling began!

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Ten powerful battleships firing at the same time, this scene is very shocking. Orange-red flames flashed in the muzzles of the guns, and armor-piercing shells weighing more than 800 kilograms smashed towards the fortress group of Puerto Ayola with a sharp whistling. Ten seconds later, huge orange-red fireballs rose from the fortress and its surroundings.

The main batteries of the fortress complex in Puerto Ayola have been specially fortified. The fortress is made of reinforced concrete, up to 3 meters thick. At the same time, on the outside and inside of the casemate, steel plates up to a hundred mm thick were inlayed. Such a battery was enough to withstand the bombardment of 343-mm naval guns. Of course, if it is hit continuously, the battery will still be destroyed!

The artillery fire of the American fleet is very fierce, and the fortress is a fixed target, bombarding a fixed target at a distance of 10,000 meters, even if the artillery level of the American fleet is relatively poor, but there will not be much of a problem!

"Fight back!" After the artillery bombardment of the fortress group, the commander of the naval base, Rear Admiral Li Hai, gave the order to counterattack at the first time! More than a hundred shore defense guns of the three fortress groups opened fire on the battleships of the American fleet. Dense shells fell on the surface of the sea, splashing up columns of rushing water!

The duel between the fortress and the battleship is, in general, each with its own advantages and disadvantages! Although the fort is more fortified, it is a fixed target and is easier to hit. Battleships, on the other hand, are moving targets on the sea, and it is very difficult for heavy shore defense guns to hit moving targets on the sea, and many times it depends on luck. But in the naval battle in which the American fleet attacked the naval base on Santa Cruz Island, the powerful American fleet still had the upper hand!

"Boom! Rumble! "Battery No. 2 of Fortress Group No. 1 was hit by two 343-mm armor-piercing shells one after another. The steel plate on the outside of the fort had already been torn apart, and the walls of the fort made of thick reinforced concrete had been mostly destroyed, and if it was hit again, the fort would probably be destroyed. Therefore, if you continue to stay inside and fight, it will be very dangerous for the soldiers inside. But even then, the soldiers inside the battery did not retreat, but continued to reload their shells and fire at the American fleet at sea!

"Boom!" The battleship New Hampshire, which was moving rapidly on the sea, suddenly shuddered, and a 280-mm gun fired from Fortress Group 2 hit the No. 2 turret on the foredeck of the battleship. Although the thick turret armor resisted the shell, the powerful impact shook all the US Navy soldiers inside the turret to death!