Episode 43 Annihilation of the Dutch Detachment

With the whistling of the air, the two Dutch light cruisers were a few tens of meters from the starboard side.

"Right full rudder!" The captain of the Batavia stared at the column of water in the distance and ordered loudly, "The new course is 240, 30 knots at full speed!" ”

"Yes! Full rudder right! Heading 240,30 knots at full speed! ”

The two light cruisers, heading due south, turned southwest at the same time, and their speed quickly soared to 27 knots, and the bow and stern of the ship were dragged out of a long white wave, and the black smoke above their heads was also dragged behind them for a long time.

The Ming fleet in the distance was corrected and fired a second salvo. After a while, a swarm of shells screamed over the two light cruisers and landed behind them, almost where they had turned, and a column of water rose up.

The stern propellers of the two Dutch light cruisers churned wildly in the water, and the bow of the ship fell together in the pouring rain, cutting the gray water into two white waves, and the water continued to pounce on the foredeck, almost onto the bridge. In this state of sea, the two light cruisers were like leaves, and the shells fired out were not accurate at all.

It is already the maximum power, if the wind and waves are calm, theoretically it can be driven to 31 knots, but in this sea state, it will also be driven to 27 knots, and it can not be faster. But the same is true of the battlecruisers in the distance, which cannot reach the theoretical maximum speed, and a lot of power is wasted fighting the waves.

With a command, fireworks erupted, and the two light cruisers fired another salvo, only this time with the bow facing each other, and each ship could only fire 5 guns instead of 10. The fire was reduced by half.

Ten rounds of 150mm shells were scattered far away from the Ming army's array 100 meters away.

In the command room of the Gonggong's high bridge, the commander of the detachment held a telescope and distinguished the two Dutch light cruisers in the distance, and watched them suddenly turn around and sail towards his embrace, and his heart suddenly relaxed. What he is most afraid of is that the other party will turn around and run, so that his fleet will not be able to catch up with them no matter what, and in this sea condition and this distance, the possibility of killing them with naval artillery is very small.

Well, now, the opposing commander seems to be desperate, trying to use his slight speed advantage to snatch ahead of his own fleet and continue westward. In this way, they can dock in Batavia and complete their assigned tasks, and as far as they can resort to the relatively closed Java Sea, and go north through the Karimata Strait and enter the sea in all directions. Then they could go east, and call at the ports of Borneo; To the north, you can enter the wide South China Sea, call at the ports of French Indochina, and even go to Japan and enter the Pacific Ocean; To the west, you can stop at British Malaya and Singapore; The worst can also pass through the Strait of Malacca, enter the Indian Ocean, and go to British Burma and India. However, they can't go back to their own country, and the Red Sea and the Cape of Good Hope are all guarded by the Great Ming Fleet.

The commander of the Ming fleet stared down at the chart, analyzing the intentions of the enemy ships. The mapping staff is constantly working out various data and marking new positions on the charts of both the enemy and the enemy. Seeing that the two sides are getting closer and closer, both sides continue to pour shells at each other, but so far, neither side has been shot.

"Your Excellency," said the captain of the Gonggong, pointing to the charts, "based on the current speed and direction of both sides, we will be at the closest point to the other side here. Now we are going straight south, they are going diagonally southwest, and they are two knots faster. Before this point, the distance between the two sides is constantly approaching, and after this point, the distance between the two sides will be further and further, and they will successfully pass ahead of us, and they can flee westward. ”

The commander asked, "What is the distance between the two sides at this closest point?" ”

"It's about 5,200 meters or so. At this distance, both sides are expected to have some damage, and it is estimated that they will fire a round of torpedoes at us here. ”

The sea conditions were not good, and the firing platform of the naval guns was too undulating, which led to a serious deviation of the target. If it was in a calm sea, this distance would have already seen blood. With a bit of luck, the battlecruiser could take out the cruiser out of range by virtue of its large caliber. But now there is only a column of water, and there is no fire.

It can also be said that this kind of environment has made the two sides a little equal.

……

When the distance between the two sides was still more than 7,000 meters, the accuracy of the Ming fleet's firepower greatly increased, and the water column around the Dutch warship became denser. The commander of the Ming fleet saw through the telescope that two water columns were rising in the front and rear of the Batavia, and a thought flashed in his heart: This time it will hit!

Sure enough, at the same time, a flash of light erupted in the front hull of the Batavia, and the fireball dragged out with billowing smoke. There was a burst of cheers in the command room of the Gonggong.

"It's a pity, it's just a 127-mm shell," the fleet commander asked, holding a telescope, "it's a pity it's just a destroyer's shell." If it were ours, the Batavia would be basically over. ”

Before the words could be spoken, there was a loud bang, as if struck by a sledgehammer, and the violent tremor made the officer on the bridge almost fall to the ground.

The commander barely stood on the chart table, and immediately shouted:

"Contact the Damage Management Center and report the damage to me!"

Almost at the same time, the electric bell rang, and the first mate grabbed the earpiece and said, "Bridge, speak." ”

Then it was reported to the commander and the captain:

"My lord, the damage management center reported that at the waterline of the armor belt under the No. 2 turret, it was hit by a 150mm armor-piercing projectile, and the damage was moderate, which can be repaired without affecting the speed."

"Very well," the commander said, picking up his hat, grabbing his binoculars and looking at them, muttered, "Very good...... We must not let them slip away from us today......"

After another violent salvo tremor, the distance between the two flagships, Gonggong and Batavia, was less than 6,000 meters.

In the main turret of the Gonggong, the gunners roared, quickly lifting a new armor-piercing bullet from the bilge, and the loader wore protective asbestos gloves, masks, and hoods, and when he pulled the lever, the armor-piercing projectile the size of a liquefied gas cylinder slid into the gun chamber. He shouted:

"Armor-piercing bullet No. 1 correctly !!"

Another armor-piercing projectile was raised, and he pulled the lever again, and the armor-piercing projectile slid into the chamber of the other barrel. He shouted again:

"Armor-piercing bullet No. 2 correctly !!"

Immediately afterwards, the loafers lifted two large packs from the ammunition depot and slid into the gun chamber.

"Charge No. 1 !! correctly"

"Second charge is correctly !!"

Machinery roared on the deck, the main turret the size of a small house turned, and the battlecruiser's massive 305-millimeter barrel pressed downward, aiming at the Surabaya, six kilometers away.

On the fire console on the bridge, the eight small lights that indicated that the salvo was ready were lit separately. The gunslinger shouted into the earpiece:

"Put !!"

There was another earth-shattering tremor, and the port side of the Gonggong was plunged into a ball of fireball and smoke, and in an instant, the waves of the sea below deck launched four huge arcs. The smoke cleared, and eight 305-millimeter shells were already piercing the air, whistling towards the Surabaya.

A few seconds later, in the distance, three or four huge columns of water rose from the left and right of the Surabaya, and at the same time, huge fireballs rose from the deck, mixed with smoke and flames.

"Well played!"

On the Gonggong, the commander and the captain praised at the same time. They grabbed binoculars and observed the situation of the Surabaya.

A few seconds later, the smoke was blown away by the strong wind, and the entire bridge of the Surabaya was gone. On the wreckage of the bridge building that was the only one left on deck, steel plates curled and turned out, and fire and smoke erupted from the large hole. The debris of the superstructure of the warship smashed all over the deck, scattered, with fire and black smoke everywhere, and the sailors on the deck were running, some with fire burning in their backs, rolling in pain, some dragging the faucets to extinguish the fire, and some jumping into the water desperately.

The Surabaya is basically finished. Although its power system, waterline armor, and main turret were not damaged, the entire command tower was gone, all the officers were killed, and the fire control system, ranging system, and various control systems on the bridge were shattered along with the main building.

Now the Surabaya looked from afar, like a bare flat-topped ship, dragging billowing smoke, still speeding towards the Ming fleet at a high speed of 27 knots. It's just that all the turrets don't turn anymore and don't shoot anymore. The fire on the deck grew louder and louder, and countless sailors climbed over the railings and jumped into the sea, plunging the entire warship into anarchy.

……

At this time, the smoke belt above the head of the Batavia changed direction, and the silhouette of the hull slowly lengthened, revealing a complete side. Almost at the same time, nine of its main guns (the tenth on the other side) opened fire at the same time, and a dense column of water was set off around the Gonggong, and the No. 1 turret on the foredeck received a shell. But the frontal armor of the turret was the thickest part of the ship, and when the smoke cleared, only a patch of blackening and a deep pit were left on the turret armor.

However, after the Batavia fired a salvo, it did not continue to bombard, but continued to turn and flee in the opposite direction to the northeast, while releasing a large amount of white smoke from its tail, which mixed with the black smoke from its front wound to form a smoke screen.

"Put !!"

The gunsman's chief shouted the order again, the eight main guns roared again, and the stern of the Batavia exploded violently, and the speed immediately slowed down in the billowing smoke.

"Sir!" The observer suddenly shouted, "Torpedo tracks have been found in the direction of 092!" Distance: 300 meters!! ”

The captain walked briskly to the porthole in that direction, glanced at it, and immediately ordered:

"Right full rudder! Emergency reversing! ”

The speed of the huge body of the battle cruiser slowed down sharply, the bow of the ship quickly turned to the right, and a faint white bubble on the surface of the sea rushed past the bow of the ship.

The captain was sweating, and the observer shouted again:

"The target - a torpedo! Orientation - 092! The distance is 250 meters! ”

"Full speed ahead! Left full rudder!! ”

The speed of the giant ship began to increase again, and the bow of the ship turned to the left, and soon turned its body vertically, greatly reducing its own area. The bow was facing the direction of the torpedo.

Another white bubble stuck to the bottom of the water, brushing a few meters to the left side of the ship's hull.

Not only the Gonggong, but the seven warships of the entire Daming fleet were all turning, evacuating, and distancing themselves from each other at this time, all facing the direction of 092.

However, the largest and most bulky Gonggong was not torpedoed, and the other dexterous ships had no reason to be torpedoed. Fortunately, all of the torpedoes survived. If it was a battleship, it would not be a big problem to take one or two torpedoes, but the Gonggong was a battlecruiser, and only the tonnage and firepower of a battleship had much thinner armor than a battleship. Even a torpedo is deadly.

This should be a row of torpedoes fired by two Dutch light patrols of more than 7,000 meters just now. After a few minutes of sailing, the torpedo is now at the position of the Ming fleet. It should be said that their torpedo fire control calculations are still very accurate, at a distance of more than 7,000 meters, the two ships have a total of 12 torpedoes, lined up in two sectors, at this time it should be very scattered and the hit rate is very low. But I still almost hit the ** work number. This was also due to the terrible sea conditions, and the torpedo was discovered when it got very close.

The runaway Surabaya is about to rush into the Ming fleet. The Gonggong, Le Yi, and Wu Qi shelled all of them, and the Surabaya was hit by several bullets, and there was a series of large explosions, several turrets were torn off, and the cracks sprayed out with raging fire.

It quickly slowed down, and the remnants of the sailors on the deck were still sparsely jumping into the sea. Suddenly, there was an earth-shattering explosion in the wreckage of the Surabaya, and the hull of the ship split into two parts in the thick smoke, and quickly sank separately. The sea water boiled, and the "zizi" spewed white smoke, forming a large whirlpool.

A few minutes later, the Surabaya disappeared completely. The area where it had been was filled with oil, broken wooden planks, corpses, and a large amount of black and white smoke rising from the water.

"Its ammunition depot has been ignited," said the fleet commander with a telescope, grimly, "and in this way we sank the Surabaya." …… Let the destroyers rescue the survivors, Le Yi and Wu Qi, and follow us to kill the Batavia. ”

The Batavia was hit by a 305-mm shell in the stern, which had been badly damaged, and its speed had been reduced to only a few knots, and one turret on the aft deck had been torn off, and the other two were unable to hit. Now it was billowing with smoke, and the hull of the ship was tilted to the right, and it was no longer possible to see it.

The Gonggong signaled at it from 3,000 kilometers away, ordering them to abandon their ships and surrender.

The signal had been given, but the Batavia did not return the signal and did not fly the white flag. Just looking through the telescope, the smoke billowed on the deck, and there were more sailors jumping into the sea, like dumplings. Soon, rope nets were hung on the ship's hull, and more sailors climbed the rope nets and descended into the sea. Several rubber fellers were also thrown down. It seems that an order has been given to abandon the ship.

"We'll stop here," the fleet commander ordered, "and tell the Le Yi to come forward and salvage them." ”

……

The Batavia must have seen the signal, but the captain did not dare to return the signal, let alone hoist the white flag.

Since the beginning of the 20 th century, the navies of various countries seem to have had an unwritten practice that warships are not allowed to surrender to the enemy, and they can only be ordered to abandon their warships after they have been completely defeated and completely incapacitated. Otherwise, the captain will most likely have to go to court-martials when he returns home. Therefore, before the 20 th century, in the history of naval warfare, there was often a ** ship that completely captured the warship of the enemy country, or even the entire fleet, but in the 20 th century, there were very few such cases.

The light cruiser Le Yi came to a close stop and lowered the rope net, and the lifeboat was also lowered, and against the undulating water, rowed among the Dutch sailors and pulled them up.

Half an hour later, the sailors around the Batavia were basically rescued on the Leyi. Two of the Dutch sailors carried a stretcher, and a bearded senior officer lay on it with his eyes closed. This man was the captain of the Batavia and the commander of the detachment.

"Okay, the owner has found it," the captain of the Le Yi looked at him and said lightly, "This guy shot down our plane without declaring war, and he is indispensable for a military court." At least a war crime. ”

Then, the Le Yi retreated to a thousand meters away, and three torpedoes were fired on the deck. The torpedo foamed at the half-dead Batavia.

"Boom!! …… Rumble!!! …… Rumble!!! ”

Three huge white columns of water exploded on the side of the Batavia, and the hull exploded in a series of explosions, and the smoke of the fire rose into the sky, and soon it broke into two like the Surabaya, and sank tumbling and rolling.

In the command room of the flagship Gonggong, all the officers held binoculars and watched this scene.

It took a long time for the commander to breathe a sigh of relief, and for the first time he smiled, and said with a smile:

"Well done, brethren!"

The relaxed atmosphere quickly spread throughout the bridge. There was a round of applause in the command room. All the officers loosened their tense nerves and grinned.

"Send a report to the headquarters, at 12:50, we will completely annihilate the batavian detachment."

The communications staff officer excitedly asked people to send the report. The commander of the fleet said with a smile:

"It's a pity that there is no suspense in this naval battle, and the victory is a bit uneventful. …… But Sun Wu said it well, I can't remember the original words, but this is what it means: this kind of most prosaic victory is the most ideal victory. ”

Everyone in the command room burst into laughter, applauded again, and the officers laughed:

"Congratulations to the lowly officials, congratulations to the lord!"

"Hehehe, brothers are all in the same way," the commander laughed, and then ordered, "stop all and let the damage management center repair our damaged parts." Then, let's go to Batavia! ”

……

The news of the complete annihilation of the Dutch detachment by the Daming detachment in the Java Sea was immediately announced to the world by the Jinling Broadcasting Company of the Ming Dynasty. Immediately afterwards, reporters from various countries stationed in Nanjing blocked the entrances of the Admiralty and the Navy General Staff, and when they saw the senior officers coming out, they surrounded them to inquire about the news.

Soon, all kinds of news from "informed people who did not want to be named," such as "the captain of the Batavia admits to provoking the war first," "the Ming fleet rescued 2,000 Dutch sailors," and "the Daming battle cruiser squadron is sailing for Batavia," and so on, spread throughout the world's major newspapers through the windows of the Nanjing Telephone and Telegraph Office.

The Royal Netherlands Navy no longer has any strength in the Far East!

Batavia was in a panic. Amsterdam was in a panic.

In the German Consulate in Batavia, Xiang Xiaoqiang hugged Qiuqiu, touched it, drank the soda in the straw, and said with a very corrupt smile:

"We can wait for them to come and plead with us...... It turns out that this is called gunboat diplomacy! So cool! …… Your navy is really good. ”