A brand new British destroyer is breaking the waves, this Class I destroyer is the British Navy's newest heavy torpedo destroyer, and it is very powerful in terms of speed and firepower.

This Class I destroyer is the latest generation of torpedo "mine strike ships" in the British Navy with torpedoes as the main means of attack, and it is equipped with two torpedo tubes that can fire five torpedoes simultaneously.

However, although this destroyer is a relatively distinctive new type of destroyer, and its speed exceeds 30 knots, because of its inherent shortcomings in design, this destroyer can only be forced to huddle in the fleet and cannot fight alone.

The main reason is that the elevation angle of the main guns of this destroyer is only 40 degrees, in other words, the air defense of this destroyer is more than a little weaker than that of its "counterparts" of the same period - the German destroyer and its guns are capable of anti-aircraft operations, and the density of anti-aircraft fire is almost three times that of British destroyers.

And this destroyer is expensive to build, and its anti-submarine capabilities can only be said to be average, although the first British sonar detection system is installed, but the actual combat effect is not satisfactory. Therefore, it is no more suitable to take out anti-submarine than the old American destroyers and other British destroyers, so they have to be used as fleet destroyers, following some large capital ships.

But the good days have finally come, and such a seemingly wasteful destroyer has ushered in its most suitable task. This task was to follow the main fleet south and attack the German High Seas Fleet at night.

The British used all the forces they could for this plan, including the two battlecruisers Prestige and Hood (the third Counterattack, although also on British soil, was being converted for anti-aircraft purposes), and the two fastest battleships, King George V and Howe.

In another time and space, the original British King George V-class battleships were commissioned after 1940. The reason for the slight advance here is that the Royal Navy accelerated the construction of some warships in response to the war with Germany. Except for the two HMS George V and HMS Howe, which were the first to enter service, the remaining three warships of the same class were temporarily unable to enter service due to the enhanced modification of anti-aircraft firepower.

If you count the three cruisers and seven destroyers in the same company, the British Royal Navy can be said to have taken out all the possessions it can find in order to sneak attack the German Navy's aircraft carrier fleet at night.

In order to cooperate with the actions of this fleet, the two older battleships, the poor Revenge and the Determination, took the aircraft carrier Centennial and the Glorious-class Glory, a total of three aircraft carriers, to Norway as suspicious soldiers. The most elite aircraft carrier, the Ark Royal and the relatively new Athletic carrier, led a number of cruisers and destroyers as a receiving force, and rushed to the battle site during the daylight the next day to clean up the pieces.

Therefore, in this battle alone, the British Royal Navy took out the fastest 4 cutting-edge and slower 2 old capital ships, all aircraft carriers and a large number of cruisers and destroyers, which can be used to determine the future ownership of sea power to describe this naval battle.

And this time, the battle of the English Channel between the British and German navies, which later historians called the "battle of fate", is opening its own curtain little by little. The battle to decide the supremacy of the North Atlantic seas has begun!

In the captain's lounge of this Class I destroyer, two officers were standing and sitting quietly without speaking. A major officer in his 40s was sitting and reading a book in his hand without looking up. The content of this book is not special, it is a suspense book that is not very famous.

And standing opposite the officer in his 40s was a burly man in his 30s, and judging by the rank on his shoulder, he should be the deputy of the colonel officer who was reading. It took him a long time before he opened his mouth sullenly and asked, "Are we just sitting still and waiting to be killed?"

"Sit still? I think if this doesn't call us, then it's really sitting still. The colonel's officer, who was reading the book, still did not raise his head and sneered: "This is war! You are only allowed to punch and beat people, and no one is allowed to beat you with backhands? If the Royal Navy of the British Empire did not even have the courage to let go of a fight, wouldn't it be in vain for you and I to stay here for 17 years?"

"So what are we going to do? Break the radio silence and warn the High Seas Fleet in clear code?" said the adjutant through gritted teeth, as if he had put his own life and death on the line.

"And then? The British fleet nodded and went back, and the people on this ship would all be investigated, and it was not easy for us to put together so many people, could each one be seamless? Really take the British intelligence services for fools?" The major officer, who was the captain of the ship, closed the book and stood up: "It's almost time to get there, let's go to the bridge." It's not that we can't sacrifice, but the sacrifice must be a meaningful sacrifice, I don't know what you think, my life has long been the Führer's. ”

The two men walked onto the bridge, and through the wide glass windows around them, they could see large warships one after another on the sea not far away, these warships were sailing close to the near sea, and British fighters were cruising not far away, and they were on guard against German carrier-based aircraft trying to approach and reconnoitre.

The sun is about to set, the round bottom is already leaning against the distant mountains, once it sinks, the world is shrouded in darkness, then this important naval battle will begin, countless people are looking forward to the victory or defeat of this epic battle, looking forward to a restless outcome.

"Order our guys, start changing shifts! Bring those Englishmen back to the break room and pick them up closely. The captain gave the order, and one of the officers on duty on the bridge nodded silently, opened the door, and walked out, while the others went about their work as if they hadn't heard anything.

"Really don't send a telegram to warn me?" the adjutant still seemed a little uneasy.

"I only do what I can be responsible for! As for the High Seas Fleet, if Lütjans is really that stupid, the Führer will not hand over all the power of the Imperial Sea to him!"

"And ...... now?" asked the first mate softly.

The captain picked up the binoculars, glanced at the huge battleship not far away, and replied: "Do what we have to do, leave it to fate!"

......

On the bridge of the German High Seas Fleet's command ship and the Reich, Lütjans was staring at the map with his operational staff officer. In the afternoon, the reconnaissance aircraft provided reliable information that they desperately entered the British coastal area, and before being driven away by the opposing fighters, they found that a British destroyer and a battleship were rapidly moving south.

However, when Lütjans sent fighter jets to confirm it again, it was intercepted by the British Royal Air Force at all costs. Air battles broke out between the two sides in suspicious airspace, 2 German fighters were shot down, and the British lost 4 new Hurricanes.

This was not good news for Lütjans, who had been so impermeable to hide this fleet that had brought him an unprecedented sense of terror and crisis. He suspected more than once that this fleet going south was a huge battlefleet, and the purpose of this fleet going south was precisely to deal with his fleet on the high seas.

After comparing the pictures, the pilot of the reconnaissance plane confirmed that he should see the latest British battleship Howe, this huge battleship can be said to be one of the most advanced battleships in the world at this stage, and this battleship is also the most dangerous opponent on the list of the German fleet.

The ultra-high speed of the Howe simply made Lütjans extremely jealous, after all, if it was the cheating speed of the old battleship, his fleet would be able to get rid of the other party if he wanted to get rid of it by relying on radar, but the Hood and the Howe were not the same as these cutting-edge capital ships, once they found an opportunity, they could hunt down the German fleet in one go.

"Did the last reconnaissance planes return in the afternoon?" asked the air liaison officer beside him.

"Report, they have returned. Brought back the exact news of the temptation, starting from 10 o'clock in the morning when our reconnaissance plane was driven away here for the first time by the opposing air force. The liaison officer of the air force pointed several positions on the chart: "The second time it was driven away from here, the third air battle took place here, the last time the reconnaissance plane was discovered here, the enemy fighter plane arrived, and our plane was forced to turn back." ”

"No matter how many British warships there are in this air defense circle, there is no doubt that these warships are heading south!" Lutjens tapped on the table covered with nautical charts and said, "Have the planes that attacked the surface ships of Dunkirk returned?"

"They are attacking each other's surface ships, and the news just came that this group of planes has sunk about 7 ships, counting the previous ones, today we have sunk 71 ships of various sizes, including fishing boats, some warships. The aviation liaison officer replied.

"Order them not to delay any longer! Without hesitation, Lütjens gave the order: "All the fleets turned their course, and after the last plane landed on the deck, the whole army accelerated towards the Dutch seas. ”

"Yes!" several officers sprang into action and began to give orders to the various ships to turn. Suddenly, the entire High Seas Fleet was immediately busy.

"Report! A telegram sent to England has been intercepted, encrypted and sent to the United Kingdom, after analysis it was launched from within our fleet, a person on a destroyer, and I have ordered martial law inside that destroyer to investigate suspicious persons. The first mate reported behind Lütjans.

"Powerful British intelligence, bury a nail and only come out to stab people now!" Lütjans looked at the secret message: "As expected, our current position and speed and course are exposed. ”

"What then?" asked the first mate with a frown.

"It's the same as before! Now the two sides are comparing the speed of the fleet and the determination to fight! As it happens, I'm not weak on this side!" said Rutyans fiercely.

......

"All the ships of the fleet, start to accelerate the assault!" Vice Admiral Holland gave a loud order to attack on the bridge of the British battlecruiser Hood.

Ten minutes later, on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Reich of the German High Seas Fleet, seeing the last Stuka landing on the deck, Lütjans retracted his gaze and gave his order: "All ships in the fleet, start speeding up and returning!"