Chapter 1,109 The Fleet Is Dispatched
Chapter 1109 Fleet dispatched
The next day, a pair of German minesweepers began to clear the minefield, and it took ten hours to open a lane that was large enough for the fleet to safely sail out. In the early morning of the third day, taking advantage of the high tide, 16 battleships of the High Seas Fleet, headed by the flagship Bavaria, and covered by 12 light cruisers and 36 destroyers, sailed out of the port under the cover of early morning mist.
Hipper's remaining three battlecruiser detachments and three light cruisers were at the forefront as the fleet's reconnaissance force, forming an arc-shaped cordon 20 kilometers in front of the main fleet. The remaining 13 battleships belonged to 4 battleship squadrons and formed two columns to follow. The speed of the fleet after leaving port was not very fast, probably at the economic speed of 14 knots. Heading due north, towards the North Sea blockade.
"Are we activating a backup line to communicate with Colonel Lefetzov?" Scheer asked.
"No, we don't know their location, and we can't wait for their arrival at the North Sea blockade for a long time. My attack this time is more of a test." The prince thought for a while and said, of course, this It is definitely impossible to say this to the officers and soldiers below. This is detrimental to morale. For most middle- and high-level officers and soldiers, this mission is to try to smash the North Sea blockade that is being rebuilt by the British. This is a low-risk mission. I definitely can’t say that I plan to meet the Grand Fleet this time.
To the prince's surprise, not long after the fleet set off, a British submarine discovered the main force of the High Seas Fleet sailing in the mist and sent a telegram to Jericho!
"The High Seas Fleet has dispatched, heading due north!" When Jericho received this telegram, he immediately ordered the fleet to assemble and prepare to dispatch! and informed the British Admiralty of the imminent sortie of the fleet. He has been waiting for this day for a long time! At this time, Jericho's large fleet had a total of 10 dreadnoughts, 10 super-dreadnoughts equipped with 343MM artillery, and 5 revenge-class battleships, plus 3 battlecruisers, a total of 28 various battleships, in terms of quantity More than 50% more than the High Seas Fleet! This does not include the 3 armored cruiser squadrons, 6 light cruiser squadrons and nearly 50 various destroyers attached to the Grand Fleet.
"Perhaps, after today, there will be a North Sea Square in London, the capital of the empire!" Jericho said excitedly. He now feels that he has hope of breaking the record set by his predecessor Nelson and creating an unprecedented battleship duel.
At this time, Jericho's fleet was stationed in the Firth of Forth, not far from the Shetland Islands at the exit of the North Sea. In order to ensure that the German fleet was stopped, Jericho spent a lot of money this time. First of all, he required the entire fleet to sail at a high speed of more than 18 knots. This is already the maximum speed that old-fashioned dreadnoughts can currently run! Not to mention what kind of results can be obtained this time, the fuel consumption of the fleet alone is enough to make Jericho heartbroken!
"Let the aviation force dispatch all V1500 long-range reconnaissance aircraft,
Reconnaissance near the Shetland Islands. I need to find traces of the German fleet as soon as possible. "
"Also, let Rear Admiral Moore be careful. They may be in big trouble this time. Let them go further north. Stay away from the High Seas Fleet." Jericho then added.
After nearly an hour of preparation, the large fleet began to sail out of the Firth of Forth. The first to dispatch was the Rear Admiral Hood's reconnaissance fleet. Then came a full six battleship squadrons, with the five most powerful Revenge-class battleships taking the lead, followed by Jericho's flagship Iron Duke, and the three super-dreadnoughts of the same class behind. The huge fleet formed a 6-row box formation at sea. This is a formation that the fleet has practiced countless times before. If necessary, it can deploy a 10,000-row formation in less than 15 minutes. With a huge battle line of more than 1 meter, this will be the most powerful existence on this planet!
On both sides of the main fleet, two light cruiser squadrons were deployed, and three armored cruiser squadrons were deployed in front of the main fleet. More destroyers also gathered next to the fleet. A huge fleet composed of more than 1 million tons of steel appeared on the North Sea! According to Jericho's plan, the entire fleet will first arrive at the North Sea blockade, and then go south to find the German fleet for a decisive battle.
At this time, 12 V1500 4-engine large reconnaissance aircraft in the Firth of Falth, Aberdeen, Shetland Islands and other places also took off from their respective bases. This huge aerial giant showed its ferocious teeth on the battlefield for the first time. Although they have no sea capabilities, their threat cannot be underestimated! The giant eagle soaring at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters is almost not afraid of anything. It is almost impossible to shoot it down with the two machine guns of the J-1! The radio direction finding equipment and jammers equipped on these aircraft can effectively reduce the opponent's soft power!
"We seem to have encountered some new troubles, Your Highness." Scheer said and sent a telegram over. This telegram was sent using a new frequency band. At the beginning, it was almost absolutely safe.
"Discover the British super-large aircraft? Let Airship No. 12 continue to observe." The prince already knew something about it, and then ordered.
It is naturally impossible for the entire High Seas Fleet to attack with only surface warships. In fact, as many as 24 submarines have been deployed around the High Seas Fleet route as a cordon. In the air, a total of 16 airships were distributed in areas ranging from 70 to 30 kilometers away from the center of the fleet for reconnaissance. Four hours after the fleet set sail, the contact between the two fleets was not with surface warships, but with aerial reconnaissance forces!
"Holy crap, what did I see?! Is this an airplane?" A few minutes ago, Lieutenant Panno, the observer of Navy Airship 12, pointed at a huge black figure in the distance and said in surprise. A huge object with a length of nearly 20 meters and a wingspan of nearly 40 meters flew quickly in front of the airship. It was visually estimated that the speed of this guy exceeded 100 kilometers per hour.
If only in terms of size, the No. 12 airship is far less huge than its counterpart, but as an aircraft, especially an aircraft from World War I, it is truly amazing to be able to have such a large size regardless of its performance! However, at this time, Airship No. 12 will not forget to immediately generate electricity and report to the main fleet.
"Second Lieutenant, our telegram has been interfered with!" The first transmission failed miserably, with a burst of heart-wrenching clutter on the communication band.
"Then activate other frequency bands. In addition, let's move higher. If the other party has weapons, we can't afford to go around!" Airship No. 12 slowly climbed up while transmitting on the new frequency band. This time, the contact It worked.
Third update today~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~!