Chapter 2683 Easily Defeated 2
"Add 300 yards to the distance! Fire again!" After estimating the distance between the water column and the target warship, the Americans adjusted the shooting distance. Just 30 seconds later, the second half salvo was fired again, this time with shells The landing point is less than 50 meters away from the nearest Japanese warship! After the Americans made their second adjustment, the third and a half salvo successfully covered the target area!
"We have caught our opponent! Quickly switch to a full salvo!" Little Fletcher said excitedly. He did not expect that at a distance of 14 kilometers, he actually completed the cross-fire three times, and his performance was even better than in the drill. Better! After switching to full-speed firing, the Louisiana's powerful firepower was fully demonstrated! A full salvo can fire 2 tons of shells, and at its fastest, this armored cruiser can fire 3 rounds a minute! That is, 6 tons of ammunition. This projection is even greater than the early dreadnought!
Finally, the Japanese began to fight back. However, the sparse shells fired by Kasuga's six old 10-inch guns posed no threat to the Louisiana. 14 kilometers was still a bit far for this old armored cruiser. . Looking at the sparsely rising water column next to him, little Fletcher didn't care at all!
The Americans' gunnery performance was quite good this time. In the seventh round of salvo fire, the armored cruiser USS Louisiana scored the first hit! And this time I hit 2 shots! A shell penetrated the front armor belt of the Kasuga. The hardened armor with a thickness of only three inches was naturally unable to block the attack of the 260KG armor-piercing projectile. The cap and the hardened layer were shattered together, and then the sharp warhead easily tore through the armor. The anchor room and motor at the back were blown to pieces! Thick smoke and flames spread quickly under the influence of sea breeze, and can be easily observed even from more than ten kilometers away.
Another shell hit the middle of the hull. Although due to the angle, the shell did not penetrate the 8-inch-thick armor belt, the violent impact still caused the overall displacement of the armor! A horizontal crack was torn open. The shock caused by the impact and explosion was directly transmitted to the back plate along the armor plate. The old back plate was no longer overwhelmed. Countless fragments were shot into the interior of the hull, and even cut a steam pipe!
Although these two shells were not fatal, they greatly boosted the morale of the U.S. Navy. Little Fletcher ordered the warship to get closer! He needs to break through the Japanese turtle shell as soon as possible! However, this moment did not keep the Americans waiting for too long. Five minutes later, a 10-inch artillery armor-piercing projectile hit the mount of a single 10-inch turret in the middle of the Kasuga's hull! And easily cut through the 7-inch armor belt of the gun mount!
"At first it was just a flash, just a point of light from my position, and then billowing smoke poured out from the place where it hit, accompanied by fire. After about ten seconds, a big accident occurred on the Japanese warship After the explosion, the single-mounted 10-inch turret seemed to be lifted out of the turret by the huge impact! The billowing smoke and flames instantly enveloped the entire turret. At this moment, we all thought the battle was about to end." A A U.S. Navy officer recalled the situation this way.
However, the Japanese's training was pretty good, and this shell only detonated the shell in the dressing room at the bottom of the 10-inch turret. The Goblet of Fire fire door leading to the ammunition depot was temporarily blocked. Before the last barrier collapsed, the Japanese Hurry up and fill the ammunition depot under this turret with water!
"It's a pity." Looking at the Japanese warship that was already tilting due to the thick smoke billowing in the distance, little Fletcher said with some regret. But after a while, he decided to keep up his efforts and kill this guy quickly!
Naturally, the Japanese would not sit still and wait for death. When the Kasuga was almost knocked down by a heavy punch, they decisively chose to evade.
All the smoke canisters began to release smoke, and began to turn at high speed in an attempt to interfere with the opponent's shooting. The billowing smoke soon formed an almost insurmountable smoke wall on the side of the battleship. The American shelling did get worse, but this situation only lasted less than 5 minutes!
"300 yards to the 9 o'clock direction!" According to the data provided by the frontline seaplane, the US gunner on the Louisiana quickly adjusted the shooting points, and with the help of the seaplane, the US armored cruiser's artillery fire again Be precise!
The Japanese's struggle did not last long. When a 10-inch shell shot a usable 10-inch artillery into two pieces, the Kasuga completely lost its combat effectiveness. From the time of firing, all this was But it was only a little over 20 minutes.
"Okay, save some shells and let the destroyer send it to the bottom of the sea! By the way, bring our ship closer and tell the photographer to take a good video of me! Maybe it will become popular in the United States soon!" Little Fletcher said somewhat proudly.
The final execution was uneventful, and even left the Americans feeling a little unsatisfied. They wanted to fight an evenly matched opponent, not a chicken! Sometimes if something comes too easily, then it is not worth cherishing, and the same is true for victory!
As the two American destroyers fired 8 torpedoes at the target, the poor warship was hit by at least 3 torpedoes. Amidst the bursts of earth-shaking explosions and flames, this warship that once created a great reputation in the Pacific was almost destroyed. Torn to pieces! The Americans did not believe that the Japanese would reveal information and were unwilling to accept surrender. Now, the two sides were no longer simply hostile, but were killing for the sake of killing!
"Captain Fletcher Jr. and the officers and men of the Louisiana, the entire United States of America is proud of your victory." When the telegram from Magiffin was read out in public, the entire battleship was boiling. This was the beginning of war. The most successful tactical victory achieved by the U.S. Navy in history, this is definitely worth celebrating!
And what about the Kasuga's highlights in this battle? In fact, there are still some, that is, the telegram sent by the Kasuga before the battle was received by some Japanese fleets after being forwarded many times, and the most important fleet among them was Yamamoto Isoroku's attack fleet, which was not far away from the battlefield. Thousands of kilometers away, the Asagiri and Yamagiri were sailing alone on the sea. In the Asagiri's officers' mess, the Japanese were looking at the charts anxiously. They were lost in confusion and fear. Because, at today's scheduled supply point, they did not wait for supplies, and at this moment, they received a telegram from the Kasuga!
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