Chapter 140: The Prince's Armored Cruiser

Chen Jin held the steel handle in the captain's command room tightly with both hands, and the sea breeze brought by the high speed of the ship blew through the window, making the clothes on his body hunt and hunt!

However, hearing the deafening roar of the steam engine under his feet, Chen Jin couldn't help frowning slightly, although the maximum speed of the Huo Jiajun Sea Hawk-class frigate had reached 22 knots, but when it was really driving at a speed of 22 knots, the stability of the warship and the noise of the boiler room were unbearable!

Looking at the slender hull of the Sea Eagle No. 2 five nautical miles away, Chen Jin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, turned to the combat staff officer who followed him and said, "Reduce the speed to 20 knots!" Let the machine rest for a while!"

At this time, Huo Jiajun's metallurgical level, even with the help of the materials handed over by Huo Shan, had only just reached the advanced level of Europe! At a high speed of 22 knots, it was very easy to cause wear and tear on the main shaft! Moreover, the current Sea Hawk-class frigate was still on trial voyage, and it was difficult to guarantee that there would suddenly be some difficult problems! If this war was missed, it would be a real pity!

Looking at the fast-moving Sea Eagle No. 1, Wang Jun's god sè also became excited!

"Haha, Lao Chen is finally here! If I go around with the Dutch like this, I'm really going to suffocate to death!" After being proud for a while, he turned his head a little impatiently and ordered: "Order, increase our speed to 20 knots, sail 15 degrees north-east of the course, rendezvous with Sea Eagle No. 1, we will teach the Dutch a profound lesson!"

The Seahawk No. 2, which had raised its speed, joined the Seahawk No. 1 who had come from afar, and all the crew members of the Grand Duke ironclad seemed to stare out with their eyes out, and with an expression of disbelief, they left at high speed! All that was left for them was the two long pillars of thick black smoke and the shadow of the ship that was getting farther and farther away!

"Have you been contacted by radio, where have they gone?" Liang Chongxin, the captain of the Sea Eagle III, looked at Da Yue Zong who had just walked in and asked a little impatiently.

"I have already asked, the Sea Eagle 1 and Sea Eagle 2 have reached us 30 nautical miles to the west, and the Sea Eagle 4 and Sea Eagle 5 are a little closer, and they have reached 25 nautical miles to the south! At their speed, they will be able to join us in about eight minutes!"

"Haha, okay! We were driven out of hundreds of nautical miles like rabbits, this time Lao Tzu must give them a little Yan sè to see!" Liang Chongxin slammed his fist on the table in front of him, and said excitedly.

Seeing his happy appearance, Yue Zong couldn't help but smile and said, "This time we have eaten meat! But the three guys who are left behind, this time the resentment will not be easy to quell!"

Liang Chongxin knew that he was talking about the three captains of the Sea Eagle 6, Sea Eagle 7 and Sea Eagle 8!

"There's no way around it, who told them to stay away!"

Compared with the Sea Eagle No. 1 to Sea Eagle No. 4, which was launched early and provided radio support for the General Staff and the Naval Ambush Fleet, the Sea Eagle No. 5 to Sea Eagle No. 8 have been tested in the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea since they were launched.

The 'Prince' armored cruiser is a new type of warship built by the Netherlands in order to defend its own seas and ports, as well as overseas colonies, in order to protect its own sea and harbors, as well as overseas colonies! Although the combination of a round boiler and a horizontal steam engine can only provide 3,500 horsepower, it still looks good at a speed of close to 16 knots with single-shaft propulsion!

Moreover, the bow and stern 180mm caliber 25L front-loading guns with a two-minute shot, the four 150mm caliber L30 front-loading guns with broadside, and the eight 47mm speed shè guns distributed in the amidships! Coupled with the wrought iron armor at the waterline that is up to 200 mm thick, all of this is combined, and in the eyes of Captain Cornelis, this ironclad ship, which was designed and built by the Netherlands and has just been launched for less than three years, is not much weaker than the ironclad cruisers of the same class in the British Navy! Of course, it does not take much effort to deal with the ironclad ship with a displacement of only about 1,200 tons and a main gun caliber of only 130 mm ten nautical miles away! Moreover, it only takes much effort to deal with an ironclad ship with only five small-caliber speed guns!

"Captain, there is a situation!" Captain Escher's face became more serious than ever! The two battleships that came in the distance made his heart churn!

Taking the monocular he handed over, Cornelius easily spotted the two warships that were coming from the east at high speed, and judging by their ship shapes, it was obvious that they were the two they were responsible for driving out before!

"They're fast, my God!20 knots! They're definitely at 20 knots!," exclaimed First Officer Lorenz in astonishment.

After listening to his words, it was only then that everyone realized that the speed of these two warships was really too fast, far exceeding 18 knots, the highest speed of warships known in the world!

Looking at the three warships that gradually converged and lined up in battle formation, all the soldiers and officers on the Prince knew that they were in big trouble!

"Captain, the West! Two more warships from the West are coming!" said the Captain, whose voice trembled, and his face pale.

"What?"

"How is this possible?"

"What about our warships?, 'Jewel', 'Grand Duke', 'Turquoise', and 'Oranch' Why didn't they show up?"

Looking at the five enemy ships that were originally separated, neatly lined up in a diagonal line less than ten nautical miles away from their own warships, the atmosphere in the captain's room was quiet at first, and then there was an uproar, and everyone couldn't help but change greatly!

"Captain, their main guns have all been drained of their armor, and they have raised their battle flags! They are heading towards us......" The Captain said with a shudder, echoing in the somewhat noisy captain's room!

Looking at the five enemy ships that were getting closer and closer, Cornelius put down the monocular in his hand with trembling hands, took a deep breath, calmed his boiling mood a little, his eyes slowly swept over the frightened people in the captain's room, and said very quickly: "Everyone, the enemy ships are coming, even if they have a numerical advantage, but the glory of being the Royal Dutch Navy does not allow us to slack off in the slightest! Let's fight with all our might, even if we are defeated in the end, defeated and captured, we are worthy of this military uniform!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Cornelis's words were like a clear spring, which calmed down the impetuous hearts of the people again! At this time, the role of a good captain in naval warfare was undoubtedly revealed!

"Lift the armor, raise the battle flag, and we're ready to fight!" Cornelis waved and shouted.

"Fight!"

At this moment, the good qualities formed by the centuries-old tradition of the Dutch navy played an important role! Almost every crew member and officer was able to find his position accurately! And the whole battleship began to operate in harmony, and from their skilful movements, it was obvious that what Cornelis had just said had a great effect!