Special thanks to the big red envelope of "Ghoul", and today I will add five more chapters! One shift per hour! The fourth is more present!

However, judging by its speed of twenty-five knots, if the ship's maximum speed reaches thirty knots, then the torpedo has successfully forced it to slow down. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Previously, the Marine Corps air force stationed on Kuah Island had launched two rounds of air strikes, and they had achieved good results.

Task Force 64, which was hunting at full speed in order to completely sink the rampaging Japanese battleship, would not hesitate for a moment.

The information obtained by Major General Li was conclusive, because the aviation unit had already taken aerial photographs of the attack site and confirmed that the aircraft group had seriously damaged the target.

Through repeated analysis and comparison, the battleship has been hit by five torpedoes and the same number of aerial bombs, which is 100% consistent with the actual situation.

The command of the Pacific Fleet believed that the Japanese Navy was in a hurry to get the third ship of the "Yamato" class, which led the shipyards to use the hull of this class with the turret of the "Nagato" class in a hurry.

So this "freak" with four twin turrets came into being, and it was also sent to the Australian front to fight.

The "Yamato" is the symbol of the Japanese Navy, and it is easy not to show up, and the fate of the third sister ship is much more tragic.

Faced with the battleship, which had suffered serious damage to its waterline armor and internal structure, the U.S. military thought that they could sink it with only about three or four more torpedoes.

The 64th Task Force had two battleships, the USS Washington and the USS South Dakota, in formation, and the task was not too difficult.

In fact, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the battleship "Musashi" ate 19 torpedoes and 17 aerial bombs before capsizing and sinking.

The "Yamato," which participated in the Battle of Okinawa, was sunk by the explosion of the ammunition depot at the front of the hull after being hit by 10 torpedoes and 24 bombs by a group of US planes.

Even if the second-class young man did not temporarily repair the battleship "Izumi", the ship would still be able to rely on its powerful armor and firepower to fight out of the enemy's heavy encirclement.

Through the two air strikes, the US military also has a new understanding of the defense capabilities of super battleships.

If this "tuna" cannot be kept this time, then the other party can still return to the Rabaul base safely for repairs.

Rear Admiral Li calculated that if the pursuit was carried out at the current speed, the prey would be within the effective range of his two battleships at noon.

Before that, it is necessary for the cruiser detachment to step up and try to entangle this dying "tuna".

Fortunately, the 23rd Marine Air Group promised that in an hour, an air strike would be organized, which would greatly ease the pressure on the 64th Task Force.

In order to ensure the absolute security of the Henderson airfield, the target had to be expelled from the Iron Bottom Strait.

Rear Admiral Li believed that the open sea area west of Kuah Island would give his own battleships more room for maneuver.

It's a good idea to sink the target there, if the Japanese fleet on the north side of the battlefield doesn't get close.

"Boom~~~"

The observers on the "Wazumi" first saw the target turn into a ball of fire, and then suddenly a raging explosion suddenly came to their ears.

Five minutes after the firing was fired, it was not until the eleventh salvo that a single shell landed on the "New Orleans", forty-five kilometers away.

Despite all the dragging, the power of the 420-mm projectile far exceeded the capacity of this 10,000-ton heavy cruiser.

The 203-mm triple forward gun of No. A, located in the bow of the ship, was scrapped on the spot, and the parts were blown directly into the air.

Turret B was also affected, and the barrel was bent so that even if the turret was intact, it could not fire.

The crew working in the gun position either died instantly from the violent bombardment, or they were stunned and bleeding from their mouth and nose.

Fire and smoke immediately enveloped the front half of the heavy cruiser, and even the bow tower was completely covered.

Although the power system could ensure that the ship continued to carry out the pursuit mission, a large amount of smoke and the loss of six main guns made it basically ineffective.

"Your Excellency, the D turret hits the target!" Masao Nishida immediately reported this exciting good news to the young people of the second cargo

It took 22 shots to hit one, and the hit rate was only 4.5 percent!

It's not high, but considering that this group of doglegs just changed to a new boat and still needs to get used to it, they barely make ends meet.

"Amaterasu is watching us in the Divine Domain, you must make persistent efforts to play 'Yamato Kami'!" Flickering is everywhere

"Yes!" Hearing such a lofty encouragement, the officers and men of the ship, who were in a state of high tension, took it very seriously......

The battered "New Orleans" immediately sent a telegram saying that it needed to withdraw from the battle.

Before it, three ships of the same class, the "Astoria" (CA-34), the "Quincy" (CA-39), and the "Vincennes" (CA-44), were all sunk by Japanese cruiser formations during the Battle of Savo Island on August 9 last year.

In this way, the waters near Kuah Island can be described as an ominous place for the heavy cruisers of the "New Orleans" class, and it is better to leave as soon as possible.

The Minneapolis, the third ship of the same class accompanying the "New Orleans," immediately released a large number of smoke grenades to obscure the battlefield and make it difficult for the target to target friendly ships.

But it was too late, and the "Hequan," which had been chased by US planes, finally ushered in a "little mockery" of the ship's outbreak.

"Boom~~~" A 420-mm projectile fell exactly to the hangar located in the rear of the hull

The large iron box, which was almost rectangular, was directly exploded, and the fragments of the crane flew to the sea 100 meters away.

A projectile weighing more than a ton easily leveled the "lower body" of the heavy cruiser "New Orleans" almost in the blink of an eye.

The sailors who were on fire still jumped into the sea desperately to extinguish the fire, and many of them even abandoned the ship to escape.

Looking at the situation, his ship has been targeted by the other party, and if he takes another shell of this kind, there is no chance to escape.

The billowing smoke from the "New Orleans" soared upwards to a height of 1,000 meters, and was in the company of white clouds.

Even if the opponent stopped firing at it, the heavy cruiser would be completely incapacitated, burning with fire, floating on the surface of the sea waiting to die.

"Mr. Captain, change the target, we don't need to waste time on a ship!" The young man didn't want to be outflanked by the cruisers on both sides

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Masao Nishida also believed that the cruiser was no longer a threat to his side

The heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis was originally the second target, but the cargo cleverly released smoke grenades and escaped its death.

Since the ship was only one nautical mile away from the "New Orleans," it was able to quickly rush to the scene after the accident to rescue the crew who had fallen into the water.

With this in mind, the USS Izumi targeted the USS San Diego (CL-53) and USS San Juan (CL-54), two Atlanta-class light cruisers in the northeast.

Judging by the level of the gunner and the hit rate shown earlier, all the processes have to start from scratch.

Ruoyue confidently thought: This means that Lao Tzu will have to wait for about ten minutes to get your fateful report!

The "Atlanta" class light cruisers had a full load displacement of 7,400 tons and a practical speed of more than 33 knots.

It was equipped with eight twin 127-mm guns, as well as four quadruple 28-number secondary guns, which were mainly used for anti-aircraft operations.

The biggest threat to the "Izumi" is the eight 533-mm torpedo tubes equipped on the ship.

It is common sense that the smaller the target, the harder it is to hit.

The time it would take for the "Izumi" to destroy the smaller light cruiser was bound to exceed the previous target.

Luckily, the young man studied the charts of northern Australia to see what interesting tourist attractions there were, such as the Great Barrier Reef......

"Mr. Captain, I heard that the U.S. military occupied French New Caledonia?" Wakatsuki Shin asked about it with interest

This island is located several hundred kilometers southeast of Kuah Island, several times larger than Kuah Island, and is very suitable for serving as an advance base for the US military at sea.

“…… It should be! Nishida didn't know how to answer, so he could only echo casually.

Before he found out the true intentions of His Excellency the Divine Envoy, the captain of the second cargo still felt that it was better for him to say less.

"I think we can go over and have a look when the time is right!"

The neighborhood is full of resorts, and Wakatsuki Shin is almost dazzled when he sees it.

Let's take a look?

It's lightweight!

Masao Nishida, who has been fighting all year round, certainly understands what it means to "see"!

"I've decided to execute a brand new battle plan!" The light bulb in the head of a certain god is on again

The cattle in the command tower were dumbfounded, they didn't expect the gods to make Your Excellency do what they want, and they will carry it out when they say it......

Looking at everyone's stupid appearance, Ruoyuexin had to add: "Of course, we have to wait until this battle is over!" ”

As long as the nearby cattle don't fart, such a fierce naval battle can't affect the good mood of the young man in the second cargo.

It's in full swing outside, but a bunch of guys in the Command Tower are eating a boxed ice cream!

There's nothing quite like eating a box of delicious cream ice cream while fighting in the tropics.

Ruoyuexin deliberately ate very slowly, intending to measure the time of hitting again, and the group of guys below really lived up to their instructions.

It wasn't until thirteen minutes after playing that the good news of "onboarding" came.

"Your Excellency, our ship has damaged another American cruiser!"

"Heavy cruiser or light cruiser?"

“…… Judging by the observation results, it should be a light cruiser! ”

"Don't bother!"

“……”

"The one that can be smashed to pieces with one main gun must be a destroyer of the US military. The one that could withstand a main gun shell was the American light cruiser. The one that could withstand two shots was the heavy cruiser of the US army. There is no doubt that the one that can shoot at our ship must be an American battleship! ”

“………… Reasonable! ”

The power of the main gun of the "Izumi" is constant, and it is only fitting to use this weapon to estimate the tonnage and level of the target.

The young man did not believe that there was any type of destroyer that could continue to fight after receiving a single 420-millimeter shell.

The unfortunate light cruiser "San Diego" (CL-53), following in the footsteps of the "New Orleans", has completely disappeared into the fire.

If at night, even the island's natives dozens of kilometers away can clearly see this man-made sea bonfire.

The officers and men of the 64th Task Force did not expect that their own 16 to 1 would be attacked head-on by a battered battleship.

After the "New Orleans" withdrew from the battle, the "San Diego" was brutally murdered, which can be described as a bad year.

In fact, for this naval battle, quantity is not the primary factor in the decisive victory.

The range and relative distance of the naval guns of the two sides, as well as the speed of the ship, are the fundamental factors that affect the situation of the battle.

Rear Admiral Lee had been looking forward to a magnificent battleship duel, just like the knightly duel in the Middle Ages.

It's a pity that the battle report from the front made him suddenly nervous, and the range of the opponent's main gun was actually more than forty kilometers.

The maximum firing range of the MK6 16-inch guns equipped with the "Washington" and "South Dakota" is less than 40 kilometers.

This means that if the target does not slow down significantly, both of your battleships will be in a passive position for a long time.

Even if it is only ten minutes, I am afraid that I will be attacked by about fifteen to twenty batches of shells from the other side, not to mention that the time to cross the fire net will far exceed this time limit.

However, Rear Admiral Lee believed that in the marginal firing range, it was actually difficult for the other side to inflict any substantial damage on the heavily armored US battleships.

At the same time, the wise general deduced that the battleship's main gun was by no means the same equipment as the "Nagato" class, but that the turret had the same interloading mode as the latter.

From the current point of view, it is quite possible that it will be a twin version of the main gun of the "Yamato" class.

For the U.S. military, it was not for nothing, and through this battle, they also learned the true range of the opponent's main artillery.

Although it is still impossible to confirm the specific caliber and model, it can be regarded as a piece of information of great tactical value.

After the San Diego was shot, the sister ship "San Juan" immediately came to the rescue, and at the same time withdrew from the pursuit.

The light cruisers "Cleveland" (CL-55) and "Columbia" (CL-56), which were located on the southern front of the battlefield, were still biting their "prey".

However, the two ships were trapped by the disadvantage of firepower range and could only threaten each other with ultra-high speed.

After the defeat of the pursuing forces on the northern and central fronts, their fate was not much better.

With a loud bang that resounded across the sea, the chimney of the light cruiser "Columbia" was blown into the air.

A 420-millimeter large-caliber armor-piercing projectile penetrated the fuel tank, triggering a second violent explosion of the ship.

The keel of the "Columbia" was broken in two, and the remaining hull began to be quickly submerged by the sea.

At this point, the Trident offensive launched by Rear Admiral Li was completely thwarted by the battleship "Izumi".

Before Lieutenant General Halsey knew it, Operation "Tuna" had reached a subtle turning point......

The heavy cruiser USS New Orleans was heavily damaged and was forced to abandon it, and its sister ship, the USS Minneapolis, recovered the ship's overboard crew and subsequently sank it.

The light cruiser "San Diego" was hit by the enemy's main guns, and was immediately destroyed by a fire, completely losing its combat effectiveness, and had no choice but to sink its sister ship "San Juan".

The light cruiser "Columbia" did not enjoy this treatment, and the armor-piercing shell detonated the fuel tanks inside the hull, resulting in a catastrophe of martyrdom.

The battleship was directly broken in two, and when it sank, it turned into a huge V-shape, which may wish the 64th Task Force the final victory.