"It's just a small skill of carving insects, just see through it."

On the bridge of the battleship Yongle, the naval governor Song Zhongkai said nonchalantly.

Although he seemed calm, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

What if that submarine doesn't generate a power report? What if Moresby and Guam ignore this intelligence?

Then the fleet may really be able to return with a feather.

"Arrive at the predetermined location!" A navigator reported aloud.

"Governor, let's ...... now"

All eyes fell on Song Zhongkai's body, and everyone eagerly waited for his instructions.

The engagement between the two aircraft carrier groups is not appropriate for the time being, as the TF-30 task force is cruising south of the Tarawa Atoll.

One of the seaplanes ejected by the Kaihuang kept tracking the TF-30 fleet from a distance, and it noticed that the battleship formation suddenly made a sharp U-turn and began to sail northeast at a speed of 21 knots, as if retreating.

This is exactly the maximum speed of those low-speed battleships, which shows that they are really in a hurry.

After a long time, Song Zhongkai, who had a cold face, slowly spoke: "Give up the decisive battle, keep the course, and prepare for the artillery bombardment on the opposite shore." ”

"Yes!"

The officers clenched their fists and received orders, and then rushed to their posts to perform their duties.

Song Zhongkai, as the leader of the Ming Navy, has the intention of preserving his strength in the final analysis, and of course, what he represents is the common interests of the upper echelons of the Ming Navy.

However, this is not a reason to give up on the decisive battle.

The Jianwu-class and Zhenguan-class in the first formation were also low-speed battleships, with a maximum speed of 23 knots, which was not enough to support an effective pursuit.

Unless the low-speed battleships are abandoned, only the four ships Longshuo, Kaihuang, Yongle, and Xuande are allowed to pursue the TF-30 task force.

The two battle cruisers, Yongyuan and Yuanxing, were thin-skinned and should not be thrown into a decisive battle of the fleet unless necessary.

In that case, it will be four against eight, and your own side will be at an absolute numerical disadvantage, and I am afraid that you will not be able to take advantage of it if you really fight.

The first formation, composed of dozens of large and small warships, slowly turned and pointed directly at the Tarawa Atoll.

At the same time, a large number of destroyers and transports of the third formation also accelerated towards Tarawa under the command of Zou Pu, preparing to capture this important node in one fell swoop.

As for the TF-30 task force, they naturally will not retreat for no reason.

Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance received a telegram from Task Force TF-31, which clearly informed him of the unexpected situation - two large Ming aircraft carriers were missing!

Vice Admiral William Halsey asked him to retreat immediately, and to avoid a decisive battle with the Ming battleship formation until the traces of the two aircraft carriers were identified.

When you are carrying a shotgun and ready to kill the other party, only to find that one of them is missing, and he hides in the shadows with a shotgun, what a terrible situation!

A little later, two more fleets were taking off in the vast Pacific Ocean.

The first fleet was U.S. military, flown by USS Enterprise and Saratoga, with 16 F4F Wildcats, 47 SBD-2 Dreadnought dive bombers, and 19 TBD Ravaging torpedoes.

The USS Enterprise and USS Saratoga are the only carriers to be equipped with new carrier-based aircraft, with fighter jets and dive bombers being the latest models.

The F4F fighter can compete with the 37 type ship drive in terms of performance; The SBD-2 dive bomber can carry 1,000-pound aerial bombs while maintaining the basic combat radius.

After assembling the aircraft, the group of dozens of planes was divided into four tactical formations and rushed towards the Ming aircraft carrier formation with great vigour.

The second group of planes lifted off was in the other corner of the battlefield, and was released by the Taiwei Left Wall and the Taiwei Right Wall.

After breaking away from the main force of the fleet, they first sailed southeast at high speed, and then turned to the southwest, successfully hiding themselves in the vast ocean.

At 16:37 local time, after receiving the order from Ouyang Zhanghua, the two immediately began to organize the most powerful full-deck attack.

The stakes for sorties now are actually very high, only about two hours before dark, and it would take an hour and a half for the fleet to fly over.

Considering that it takes time for the carrier-based aircraft to assemble and then search the target sea area, the time is quite short, and there is no room for error, and every second counts.

The boilers of the two aircraft carriers were boiling, superheated steam of more than 300 degrees poured into the turbines, and the huge propellers spun faster and faster, driving the entire giant ship to gradually increase to extreme speed.

One after another, carrier-based planes loaded with ammunition and warmed up were lifted to the flight deck by elevators, and then lined up in turn.

“…… Pierce the enemy like an awl! Whether or not the enemy army can be defeated in this battle depends on you, and I wish you all victory. ”

The captain of the Taiwei Youyuan personally came to the deck to give a solemn lecture, and in front of him were a group of pilots and their partners.

Sailing against the wind at high speed, the warm and humid sea breeze blows back and forth.

"Why don't you ......" The gunner, who came to see the excitement, hesitated for a moment and asked, "Come have some wine?" ”

"What's the deal, get the dishes ready, and we'll come back for dinner." Fan Sizhi, the deputy of the detachment, smiled slightly, waved his hand casually, and then hugged his fists and said, "Wait for the good news." By the way, remember to make me a bowl of wine-stuffed balls. ”

"Okay, I'll wait until you get back." The captain bowed.

More than 20 crew members responded in unison, and then rushed to their respective landlines.

Soon after, the main forces of the "Eastern Vice-Minister" team, the "Western Vice Admiral" team, the "East Prime Minister" team, the "Left Law Enforcement Team" team, and the "Right Law Enforcement Team" team took off from the two aircraft carriers one after another.

The 24 Type 37 destroyers, 35 Type 37 bombers, and 13 Type 36 mines were divided into two attack formations, one in front of the other, and galloped towards the target wherever they went......

In the hour before sunset, the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean gradually turn deeper and bluer, so quiet that there is no wave.

The serenity of this is a contrast—not so long ago and not so long after, a fierce battle between the sea and the air will shatter this peaceful and uneventful scene.

The battle has been fought to this extent, and people's deep anxiety has become more and more intense, and the victory or defeat of this battle will directly determine which side will fall into the hands of the whole war.

In the 350-kilometer radius of the Tarawa Atoll, a total of 10 aircraft carriers of the United States and the United States are in full swing.

Anti-aircraft gun emplacements were also replenishing the few depleted shells, placing shells of different calibers on the racks of ammunition to be fired, while chatting while smoking.

At this time, the attack formation was flying at high speed towards the target sea area.

In order to arrive as soon as possible and allow more time for the search and attack, Versage led the team to fly at a speed of 260 km/h, which was much faster than normal.

This means higher fuel consumption, and there is a high risk that the fleet will run out of fuel and crash into the sea on the way back.

They agreed to take action when the time came, and if things weren't right, they would abandon the plane together and parachute in Mayana Atoll, 25km south of Tarawa.

The attack formation divided five dive bombers as the enemy's spearhead, spaced about 20 kilometers apart, and the focus of the search was east of the coordinates sent back by the own submarine.

At 17:19, the Vernal Equinox 16 ocean-going submarine sent another telegram.

She reported that the target fleet had turned to the northeast and appeared to be increasing its speed while an enemy destroyer was approaching her.

When the first telegram was sent by Equinox 16, Task Force TF-31 noticed something unusual.

Now, the destroyer USS Monagan (DD-354) broke away from the fleet and rushed at high speed to intercept the Ming submarine, which rushed to dove after sending a second telegram.

A quarter of an hour later, the instructed attack formation corrected its direction and headed straight for the TF-31 task force, which was about to be eliminated.

The Type 37 Naval Bombardment piloted by Second Lieutenant Xiong Sheng, who was tasked with finding out the enemy's top soldiers, was one of those five planes.

He had picked up a coin in the hallway of the restaurant last night in the face value of two dimes — a small, rare coin.

Some people say it's a good omen, others say it's a bad omen, but Xiong Sheng still set off with this coin.

At 17:49, they had already flown out more than ten kilometers in the direction of the second updated coordinate information, and there was still more than half an hour before sunset, and everyone couldn't help but get nervous.

Xiong Sheng was unconsciously distracted, thinking about what would happen if he died in this mission.

When he came back to his senses, his eyes froze, and he thought he was dazzled—he saw a large group of warships looming under the dark red clouds in the distance!

"Send a report! Tweet! He excitedly shouted: "See, the enemy fleet is in the twenty-fifth direction, and the four aircraft carriers are clear!" These eggs are fleeing north! ”

The U.S. military confirmed an unidentified group of aircraft more than ten minutes ago, and the new CXAM air alert radar played an important role.

The CXAM radar is an improved version of the XAF experimental radar, a two-ton gadget that can only be mounted on large ships, and the American Radio Company worked overtime to build three of them, the USS Enterprise and the Chester Heavy Cruiser of the TF-31.

Because the radar does not support long-term continuous operation, the two are turned on alternately, and this time it was the Chester that discovered the Ming aircraft carrier attack formation approaching from the southwest.

Lieutenant General John Halsey immediately ordered the fighter planes on deck to be ready to act as cover planes to take to the air.

By the time the Ming fleet approached, there were already 31 fighters over the TF-31, and eight dive bombers without bombs were responsible for intercepting and dispersing the Ming torpedo planes.

The ferocious air raid unfolded quickly, and the battle entered a white-hot phase at the beginning!

The 24 fighters of the "left law enforcement" team and the "right law enforcement" team were in a scuffle with the formation of US fighters flying head-on to intercept them, and there were constantly US fighters trying to break away from air combat and trying to intercept and kill dive bombers or torpedo planes, but they were soon pursued by tail biting and were forced to give up.

Major Versace, who was in charge of the formation, ordered the 35 dive bombers of the "East Phase" and "West General" groups to split into four groups and simultaneously attack the nearest Raider and Yorktown.

Even in the Ming Naval Aircraft Carrier School, there are differences in attack patterns, and single attacks by large aircraft groups and multiple attacks by small aircraft groups have always been the focus of debate.

However, Fan is a staunch believer in the tactics of large group attacks, and he essentially prefers to make a one-shot deal.

At 18:11, the sun was about a thumb away from the sea level, and the sea was sparkling.

The Raider was the first to be attacked, and she desperately turned to avoid the arc that had been drawn and shimmered in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The anti-aircraft firepower of the TF-31 task force was far inferior to that of the TF-30, and the 127mm anti-aircraft shells fired by the Mk12 Gaoping dual-purpose guns continued to explode behind the group, but the effect was not satisfactory.

The first 250kg armor-piercing blast bomb hit the middle of the rear section of the Raider's flight deck, and the Ming pilots used her iconic two-sided double-row chimney as a reference point.

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The second bomb grazed the port side and exploded.

The next two hit again, smashing into the seam of the middle elevator and next to a chimney.

The attack of the first group of dive bombers was less than ideal, with only three of the nine shots hit.

Fan Sizhi, who was overlooking the battlefield from a height of more than 3,000 meters, immediately ordered the second group to attack and kill her while she was sick!

The second group of dive bombers still did not perform well, and I don't know if it was the Raider's magic, and this time only one of the seven aerial bombs hit.

In contrast, the attack on the Yorktown was far more precise and deadly.

A bomb slammed diagonally into an air defense platform on the port side, where the five quadruple 28mm anti-aircraft guns were still roaring for a second, but with an earth-shattering loud bang, the burst of fire engulfed them.

Several Chicago pianos were all in tatters, all two gun crews were killed, the remaining three gun crews were either killed or wounded, and half of the broken limbs fell into the sea and half were scattered on the deck, adding a strange and tragic pattern to the Yorktown.

"They're coming!"

"Damn! The artillery is out of order?! ”

"Boom !!"

In just two minutes, the Yorktown was hit directly by five 250kg armor-piercing blasting shells, four of which exploded in the hangar through the flight deck.

When the dive bombers attacked, the torpedo formations were not idle.

The leader of the "Dongshang Xiang" team was a very calm person, and he knew very well that the survivability of the slow and clumsy torpedo planes was worrisome, so he did not choose to rush straight and hard, but led 13 Type 36 ship mines to circle around the outside of the fleet for half a circle.

They turned their backs to the sunset, which had already touched the sea level, and gradually descended to a height of 100 meters before attacking.

This greatly interfered with the vision of the American sailors, and the already poor Chicago piano made the hit rate even worse.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ”

The Chester Heavy Cruiser used two triple 203mm guns in the front to aim at the sea and bombard, stirring up a high column of water.

She tried to use this to hinder the attack of the Ming torpedo planes, but to no avail.

At 18:28, the slender hull of the Yorktown shook suddenly, and a large cloud of flashing waves gushed out from the middle of the left hull, which instantly evolved into a column of water tens of meters high.

The first Type 33 aerial torpedo hit between the ribs No. 79 and No. 80, and the aircraft parts storage compartment here was in shambles.

However, twenty seconds later, the second torpedo exploded at the No. 71 rib, and the yield of 250kg of Qin's explosives far exceeded that of TNT, and the underwater protection system was torn apart on the spot, and the sea water immediately rushed into the engine room through the torn hole!

The Yorktown soon hoisted a signal flag indicating that "our ship has been torpedoed".

A more lethal situation ensued, as a large amount of seawater poured in, exposing a flaw in the Yorktown's design – its power compartment was not separated and crossed, so there was a danger of losing all power if it was damaged.

The main engine of the Yorktown, which was billowing with thick smoke, was shut down, the power was cut off, and the whole ship was tilted 7° to the left and it was intensifying!

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(End of chapter)