On May 18, 1864, on the east coast of the United States, a battleship emitting a faint white smoke led two smaller sail warships behind it were sailing from south to north.

The steam battleship in front of it can be seen at a glance that this is a steel battleship, and the thick iron armor gives it a sense of indestructibility.

This battleship is the ironclad ship USS Washington, which the US Confederate purchased from the Chinese Empire, and the US Confederate Navy has spent great effort to sail this warship back to the United States.

The ship first set sail from Shanghai, then engaged the USS Wyoming sail battleship in the Taiwan Strait off the coast of China and successfully sank the ship.

Then the USS Washington was hiding all the way, because it was during the war, many countries did not allow American warships to enter the port, so they could only anchor in the offshore waters, and then use special transport ships for replenishment.

This voyage crossed Malacca, then into the Indian Ocean, then detoured to the south coast of Africa, crossed the South Atlantic, and then reached South America.

After a repair and resupply in Brazil, it once again entered the Caribbean Sea, which was also intercepted twice by the U.S. Northern Navy, but both relied on high speed and night to break through, and finally returned to Mobile Harbor.

The Port of Mobile was already the last large port in the Confederate Gulf of Mexico, so its importance to the Confederate Navy in 1864 was unquestionable.

Without this port, the only remaining Southern Union Navy will lose its starting position, and in the end it can only be completely blocked by the Northern Navy.

When the Washington returned to Mobile Harbor, it was already March 1864, which means that the Washington's return journey lasted half a year.

But it's worth the cost and time. The return of the Washington became the only fast ocean-going ironclad in the hands of the Confederate Navy, and in terms of combat effectiveness, it was far stronger than the new armor in the hands of the Confederate Navy.

As for those offshore and inland river ironclad ships, the most representative of them is the Monit ironclad, and this type of American-built ironclad is a typical offshore inland river ironclad. The tonnage is small, only less than 1,000 tons, and the firepower and protection are naturally far inferior to the Washington, and the speed is incomparable.

The speed of the Washington in those thirteen knots is already the first-class speed in modern times, faster than it, and the protection and firepower are also better than its warships, only a few major ocean-going ironclads in the British and American empires and the Chinese Empire.

Without that thirteen knots, the USS Washington would not have been able to break through the Northern Navy's interception in the Gulf of Mexico. Smooth return to Port Mobile.

After Washington arrived at the Port of Mobile, he did not go to war for the first time, but rested for nearly half a month, mainly for personnel to rest and recuperate, and at the same time to repair the hull, after all, the Washington has traveled half the world, and its performance has declined in all aspects.

At the end of March, the USS Washington, which had been repaired and replenished with war supplies, went to sea with another sail-wood-hulled warship. Attempts to break the blockade of the Northern Navy, and for several days. The USS Washington engaged several Northern Navy ships and was able to sink one Northern Navy sail warship and damage several ships.

This achievement greatly excited the Confederate Navy, because it gave them the hope of breaking the naval blockade of the North, albeit a small hope. But it's better than nothing, no.

So, saddled with the heavy task of attacking the Northern Navy and lifting the blockade, the USS Washington went to sea twice in a row in April, sinking two northern transport ships. In addition, it sank a small-tonnage ironclad ship of the Northern Navy by the way.

In May, the USS Washington received the latest order to move north along the coast and attack all Northern government ships they could meet, and in order to support the USS Washington, the Confederate Navy sent out the only two fast cruisers to support the USS Washington.

On May 14th, the USS Washington and two other fast cruisers left Mobile Harbor and headed north along the coastline!

And they didn't know that as soon as they left the port, the U.S. Northern Navy was already moving quickly, and they wanted to destroy the battleship that had caused them great trouble.

Although the American Civil War was fought by 1864, it was almost certain that the two sides would have won the war, and the Confederates could not have won the war, otherwise Britain and France would not have refused to deliver the warships ordered by the Confederate to the United States.

However, despite the fact that the overall situation has been revealed, the army of the Southern Federation can only passively defend against the offensive of the northern army.

However, no one was willing to be resigned to such a defeat, and now the Confederate Navy pinned its hopes on the USS Washington to break the disadvantage of the war.

Although such an idea is very unrealistic, it is the last glimmer of hope in people's desperation.

On May 18, just a hundred nautical miles north of the USS Washington, a small but extremely elite fleet was sailing south.

This fleet has a large number of warships, including three Monite ironclads and five wooden warships!

Judging by their course, their goal is very obvious, and that is the USS Washington!

The next day, on the afternoon of the 19th, the lookout on the Washington saw a column of smoke in the distance through the binoculars and immediately issued a warning to the officers on board.

Ten minutes later, the lookout confirmed once again that the fleet on the opposite side was the Northern Navy, led by three Monit ironclads!

By this time, the Washington was already in combat readiness, and the captain began to change course, trying to take advantage of the high speed achieved by his steam engine to take advantage of it.

At the same time, the fleet of the Northern Navy on the opposite side also began to change formation, not to occupy a favorable position, but to imitate the Washington to escape.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the two sides were already very close, and the Washington took advantage of the range advantage of its breech-loading rifled guns to open fire first!

This was the beginning of the Battle of the Gulf of Mexico!

Three warships of the Southern Union Navy and eight warships of the Northern Navy fought fiercely in this sea area.

The rumbling of cannons never stopped from the moment they sounded!

At 3:20 p.m., as the battle distance was further narrowed, the two sides began to be damaged, at this time, the ironclad ships of both sides showed a huge advantage, ordinary shells had no effect on those ironclad at all, but those wooden battleships were hit and faced great trouble.

Naval guns with new howitzers, after hitting enemy ships, can inflict serious damage on those wooden battleships.

In less than an hour of fighting, the two wooden battleships of the Confederate Navy had been severely damaged, one had lost its sails, and the steam engine seemed to have been damaged, and it could only float powerlessly on the sea, and the other was severely damaged on the upper deck, and the sailors and artillery were all suffering heavy losses, worthy of the name of ineffective combat, and finally had to break away from the battle line.

In other words, by four o'clock in the afternoon, the Washington was already fighting alone!

And at this time, it needs to face seven warships of the US Northern Navy!

At this time, it was absolutely irrational to fight hard, so the captain of the Washington decisively increased the speed, then opened the distance, and then engaged with the range and accuracy of the breech-loading rifled gun.

Seeing this, the Northern Navy naturally chased after each other, if it was not easy to catch the Washington, how could it be possible to let it escape!

This naval battle was incomparably long for both the USS Washington and the Northern Navy!

You chase me on both sides, one in the evening!

At this time, the pursuing Northern Navy had only three warships left, including only two Monit ironclads and one wooden battleship.

Where did the other battleships go? One Monit ironclad ship was hit hard by the USS Washington and then sank in the water, another wooden battleship was also burned because the fire caused by the hit could not be extinguished in the street, and several other wooden battleships were severely damaged, either losing power or firepower, and successively withdrawing from the battle or falling behind.

With one to seven, it can still create such a record, which is already worthy of the strength of the Washington ironclad, but the situation of the Washington at this time is not very good.

First of all, the sails were destroyed, and now they can only rely on steam power to sail, resulting in a decrease in speed, in addition, although the hull is thick and has not been damaged, but the superstructure, especially the artillery emplacement, has been seriously hit, has taken advantage of the situation of one main gun and, two secondary guns, and more importantly, a large number of artillery casualties, so that the remaining artillery can not be effectively used.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the Washington was already taking advantage of the darkness to gradually begin to retreat, this battle was tactically speaking, Washington had already won, there was no need for it to continue to force the battle, and it was the king to flee back to Mobile Harbor.

On the return journey, however, the Washington did not maintain its good tone, and as it entered the port of Mobile at night, it did not run into the mines laid by the Northern Navy to blockade the port.

With a loud bang, after many battles, even the hull of the ship was not damaged too much, but the Washington, which sank and damaged many enemy ships, was blown into the sky.

The sheer power of the mines did not even allow the Washington to float for three minutes, and after these three minutes, the Washington sank rapidly, and most of the officers and men on board were killed or wounded, and only a very small number were rescued.

It has to be said that it is a great irony that such a battleship, which was so powerful that it even made the Northern Navy powerless, did not die in the exchange of naval guns, but was sunk by enemy mines at its doorstep. (To be continued.) )