"The battleship detachment turned 0 degrees to the left, accelerated to 7 knots, and seized the T-junction with all its might. The heavy cruiser detachment turned 0 degrees to the right and cleared the armored cruisers and light cruisers of the Americans! "On the bridge of the battleship 'Sichuan', the commander of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy, Admiral Li Dingxin, gave the order. Soon, the battle line of five battleships began to accelerate and turn, and the heavy cruisers, too, pounced on their own targets.

"Order all ships, take their positions, and prepare for battle! The battle line accelerated to 5 knots and turned 20 degrees to the right. "On the battleship 'Illinois,' the flagship of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet, Admiral Mahan, commander of the West Coast Fleet, calmly gave the order. Although, for the defeat of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy by the West Coast Fleet of the US Navy, he personally believes that the odds of victory are not very good. But now that the battle has begun, he has no choice but to go all out. Moreover, in terms of battleships, the US Navy has one more, which can be regarded as occupying a certain advantage. If God forbid, we might be able to win.

The originally calm sea suddenly became turbulent. The warships of both sides accelerated one after another and began to seize the advantageous position of the belligerent. In particular, the two battle lines composed of the battleships of the two sides were like wild horses on the loose, sailing on the sea at high speed, directly entering the most fierce confrontation. In naval battles, the battle between the capital ships plays a decisive role. Admiral Mahan was well aware that the U.S. Navy had no advantage in a battle between armored cruisers. If the U.S. Navy can win the duel between battleships, then there is still a possibility of winning this naval battle. It's just that the US Navy has one more battleship. But on the battleships of the US Navy. Each battleship was armed with only two twin 05-mm guns. And on the 'Sichuan-class' battleships of the Chinese Navy. Armed with three twin 05-mm naval guns, the number of main guns was equal on both sides. In addition, the naval guns of the US Navy are basically 5 times the caliber, while the naval guns of the Chinese Navy are 50 times the caliber, with greater range and power, when dealing with the thick armor of battleships. The main guns of the Chinese Navy are also more dominant.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "At 9 a.m., there was already the sound of artillery on the sea. This is the light cruisers and destroyers of both sides have already begun to fight. Light cruisers and destroyers were faster, and they entered the battlefield before the capital ships. In terms of the number of light cruisers and destroyers, the US Navy's West Coast Fleet has a slight advantage, but in terms of quality, the Chinese Navy has an advantage.

The cannonballs weaved through the sky, grinding violently against the air, causing a piercing screech. The shells exploded on the surface of the sea, splashing up clouds of water, making the originally calm sea surface as if there was a huge wind and waves.

At this time. The capital ships of both sides are still approaching. Heavy cruisers of the Chinese Navy and armored cruisers of the US Navy. Instead of playing on the battle line, they played one-on-one. The number of both sides is the same, just enough for a one-on-one duel. The Chinese Navy's 'Chengdu-class' heavy cruiser, with a full load displacement of 9,700 tons, a length of 0 meters, is still armed with two twin 20 mm 40 times the caliber naval guns, and the maximum speed is 26 knots. The U.S. Navy is equipped with a 'New York-class' armored cruiser with a displacement of 50 tons, a maximum speed of 25 knots, and two twin 20-mm naval guns as its main gun. In terms of armor and speed, the 'Chengdu-class' heavy cruisers had a slight advantage.

At half past nine o'clock in the morning, the battle line of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy, relying on the speed advantage of two knots, successfully completed the turn, grabbed the T-shape, and blocked the front of the West Coast Fleet of the US Navy.

"Turn right 0 degrees and keep parallel to the Chinese fleet!" Because of the battleship, Admiral Mahan knew that it would be difficult to seize the advantageous position, so he could only order the fleet to turn, so that at least the decisive battle with the Chinese fleet could be fought on fair terms.

"The ships aimed at the battleship 'Illinois', the flagship of the U.S. Navy, opened fire! We have three minutes! The corners of Admiral Li Dingxin's mouth overflowed with a smile. In the early high-speed state of the battleship, it will take a certain amount of time to complete the turn. And this time is exactly what the Chinese Navy needs. Within these minutes, the Chinese Navy can concentrate superior firepower and launch a fierce blow to the US Navy. Now, the distance between the two sides is exactly 11,000 kilometers, which is exactly the strike range of the Chinese Navy.

"Fire!" The gunnery officer of the battleship 'Sichuan' took the lead in giving the order to open fire.

"Boom!" The three twin 05-mm guns on the battleship 'Sichuan' opened fire at the same time. Six armor-piercing shells weighing more than 300 kilograms roared towards the battleship "Illinois," the flagship of the US Navy's West Coast Fleet.

The first round of shelling will basically not achieve results, even with the support of the fire control system. Six shells fell into the sea two or three hundred meters away from the battleship 'Illinois,' and columns of water rose up on the surface of the sea.

Subsequently, the other battleships also opened fire, and the dense shells smashed down on the battleship "Illinois". It's just that none of them have been able to achieve results. But such a strong firepower made the soldiers of the US Navy very nervous. In a naval battle two years ago, the soldiers of the U.S. Navy's West Coast Fleet suffered heavy casualties. Most of these current soldiers are new recruits, and although they have undergone two years of training, they have also participated in many exercises. But in the case of going to war for the first time, there will still be some nervousness.

The battleship 'Illinois' was sailing through the wind and waves. Heavy shelling by the Chinese Navy did not cause any damage. At most, the deck was wet with a rising column of water.

"Ships fire!" Immediately after completing the turn, Admiral Mahan gave the order to return fire.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The warships of the West Coast Fleet of the US Navy, immediately opened fire. Among them, the flagship battleship "Illinois" and the battleship "Alabama", which ranked second in the battle line, both concentrated their firepower on the flagship of the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet, the battleship "Sichuan".

Columns of water rose from the sea. It's just that the U.S. Navy is indeed a little worse than the Chinese Navy in terms of suzhì, and without advanced ranging equipment, their accuracy is much worse. The nearest impact points were all at a distance of 500 meters from the Chinese Navy's warships.

"Turn left 5 degrees to close the distance!" Admiral Mahan will continue to give orders. At a distance of 11,000 meters, the US Navy's hit rate is not guaranteed at all, unless God forbids, otherwise it will not be able to hit enemy ships at all.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The battleships of both sides fought fiercely. The U.S. Navy wanted to shorten the distance of engagement in order to increase the rate of hits. But how can the Chinese Navy let them get their wish? The U.S. Navy turned, and the Chinese Navy followed suit, always keeping the distance of engagement at more than 9,000 meters. At this distance, the Chinese Navy's hit rate is much stronger than that of the U.S. Navy.

At 9:55 a.m., the battleship "Plateau" achieved the first result of the Chinese Navy in this naval battle. In this salvo, a 05-mm main gun shell hit the port side of the US Navy's battleship USS Chishaji. However, it is not fatal. Armor-piercing shells pierced the port side armor of the battleship Chishaji, destroying a twin 20 mm secondary gun. If it had exploded a few meters down, near the waterline, the 'Kishaji' would have been miserable.

Traditionally, the U.S. Navy's battleships were named after the state names of the federal states, with the exception of the USS Chishaji, which was named after the Northern combat sloop Chishaji, which was very active during the Civil War, and the latter after Mount Chishajig, in New Hampshire.

"Hell, the Chinese's shelling hit rate is indeed higher than ours!" Vice Admiral Benson, deputy commander of the US Navy's West Coast Fleet, cursed secretly. Fortunately, the blow is not fatal. Otherwise, if the battleship was heavily damaged less than an hour after the start of the war, it would definitely be a huge blow to the morale of the US Navy.

"Be patient, trust the boys, our two years of training will not be in vain!" Admiral Mahan was very confident.

"Boom! Rumble! "At 0:02 a.m., the battleship USS Wisconsin of the US Navy achieved its first victory for the US Navy.

A 05-mm shell hit the No. 2 main gun in the bow of the ship 'Xikang'. Fortunately, the turret armor of the 'Xikang' was 400 mm thick, and because of the angle, it did not penetrate the turret. However, the huge impact of the explosion of the cannonball still caused heavy casualties to the sailors on the deck and in the battery. The two main guns in front of the 'Xikang' had to interrupt their firing.

"How's the 'Sikang'?" Admiral Li Dingxin asked a little nervously.

"There were some casualties, not a big problem. Fifteen minutes later to be able to fire again! The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Gao Yihai, replied.

"That's good! However, the accuracy of the US Navy's shelling seems to have improved a lot! At least that's a lot better than it was two years ago. In the last naval battle, it was impossible for them to fire such accurate artillery bombardment! Admiral Li Dingxin sighed a little. Come, while the Chinese Navy is constantly improving, the enemy has not stopped! It is a pity that the battleship 'Xikang' was not severely damaged this time, otherwise, the strength of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy would have been severely affected.

"Maybe it's just their luck!" Lieutenant General Gao Yihai said.

"I hope so!"

In fact, there is an element of luck in this, but in fact, there is also a reason why the US Navy has strengthened its training and the US Navy soldiers have also greatly improved their routine. (To be continued.) )

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