"Look! The Pyrenees has raised its damaged flag! They also sent a signal... The coal bunker has been shot and is taking on water!"
Hof stared at the light signal from the Pyrenees in stunned silence. He was so angry that he was filled with bitterness. "Damn it! Are the Chinese and Prussians mad? Why do they need to install such large-caliber artillery?" Why!"
The 210-caliber artillery was the overlord of artillery in the world at that time. It seemed that except for the mortars used by the army, no other artillery could catch up with this caliber.
The introduction of 210-caliber rifled guns was completely countercurrent in the military thought circles at that time!
Why didn't Britain and France build such large-caliber artillery? This is actually related to the ideological direction of the naval theoretical community at that time!
In the mainstream military theory circles at that time, people thought that it was very stupid for the artillery caliber to exceed 200 caliber.
The first point is that such large-caliber artillery will increase the difficulty of metal processing. Generally, small countries simply do not have such capabilities, and even the steel plants of Britain and France find it difficult to achieve it!
But I never expected that Prussia had accumulated a large number of basic scientific workers through long-term basic compulsory education. At this time, Prussia's steel smelting and processing technology was completely No. 1 in the world.
It's a pity that the British and French do not admit this, they are blinded by pride!
The second point is that even if such a large-caliber artillery can be processed, there will be problems in its actual combat application!
Why do you say this? Because the larger the caliber of the artillery, the greater the mass of the projectiles, and the loading capacity of the gun bag will be further increased.
This has caused a problem of rifling wear. You must know that although the rifling is good, it has a wear problem. Long-term wear and tear of the shells will make the rifling thinner, and even cause air leakage and reduced accuracy.
The smaller the caliber of the weapon, the more durable the rifling is. For example, a pistol will probably have no problem with the rifling for a lifetime, but if a field gun is fired more than a thousand times, the rifling will be worn away.
A 210-caliber cannon like the Zhiyuan usually fires four to five hundred rounds, and the rifling is almost worn out!
At that time, British naval experts said that if the problem of chamber explosion or loss of accuracy occurred during the war, would it affect the outcome of the war?
Not to mention, this kind of thinking has really influenced many politicians and generals. This has also caused Western countries to be very cautious in building large-gun battleships, and even think that the Zhiyuan is a heresy!
The third point is the issue of money. For a cannon of this caliber, it costs too much to maintain and replace parts. The cost of one cannon is enough to build 50 ordinary 140-caliber cannons.
Although the country is big, you still have to have some money left over to live your life!
Due to various factors, the navies of various countries did not install large-caliber artillery on a large scale at the end of the 19th century. However, they forgot that soldiers are dangerous in war, and war is not a figment of scholars.
This is a land of blood and fire, a playground for the god of death. Any petty ambition will lead to countless unjust deaths. Today, the Zhiyuan, a battleship fifty years ahead of its time, has taught them a good lesson.
The bow of the Pyrenees was hit, causing more than thirty casualties. Two cannons were completely destroyed and unable to fire, and the flames have not been extinguished to this day.
Immediately afterwards, another shot penetrated the waterline lower deck of the coal bunker, and the gushing sea water instantly washed the coal bunker into a black ocean.
Seawater mixed with cinders flowed across the hull. The Pyrenees did not have a watertight compartment design. Next to the coal bunker was the boiler room. The navy soldiers could only desperately close the hatch and use quilt strips to block all the gaps.
However, water is not something that can be blocked so easily. Water is seeping through almost all the gaps, and soon there will be three inches of sea water in the boiler room.
"Where's the water pump! Turn on the water pump...If you don't pump water, the boiler will be finished!"
"No, all the doors to the coal bunker are blocked, no one dares to open them!"
"Don't worry about whether there is water or not... there is only enough coal in the boiler room to burn for three hours. If the door of the coal bunker cannot be opened, after three hours we will have nothing to burn!"
"The waves are too big... We have to pull down and stop on the shore to block the breach and pump out water..."
"Shut up! God will punish us if we withdraw without firing a single shot!"
The entire battleship cabin was in chaos, with everyone shouting at their necks.
Just as they were debating whether to withdraw from the battle, the Zhiyuan was already staring at the injured lamb, and the entire ship's firepower was aimed at him.
"Get closer! Get closer! I would rather hurt ten of his fingers than cut off one! What I want is not for him to be injured and run away, what I want is for him to sink into the sea!"
"Fuck! If you get injured and run away, you can still repair it. I'll sink it to see if you can catch it and use it again!"
"Fire! *shoot!"
Zhiyuan's main gun has a hydraulic loader, and the reloading time is only two and a half minutes. The Pyrenees has just raised the malfunction flag, and the two parallel cannons here are aiming at it murderously again.
At this time, the battleship had already reached a distance of 1,200 meters. At this time, the accuracy rate was greatly improved. Following Lin Zhen's order, the main gun roared again.
Boom boom... This time the shells hit more accurately. Two rounds directly hit the port side of the Pyrenees. One shot penetrated the galley and the other penetrated the sailor's room.
In the huge shock, the French soldiers fell to the ground, all the pots and pans in the kitchen smashed to the ground, and the flying fragments shot the chef into a sieve.
The waves rushing out of the breach directly extinguished all the fire in the stove!
It was even worse in the sailor's room. White waves rushed into the cabin and swept everything away. Soon the water waves rushed into the corridor and spread along the passages inside the battleship.
"The ship is going to sink! The ship is going to sink!" There were desperate cries and soldiers running away everywhere.
At this time, the prelude to the storm became more violent, and a huge wave crashed directly over it, completely covering the Pyrenees underneath.
Captain Hoff bit his lip with his teeth and swallowed blood into his stomach. He suppressed his emotions and said coldly, "Ignore the Pyrenees and give up the rescue!"
"Other warships speed up! Stick to them, stick to them and fire!"
"This is our only tactic!"
Boom boom boom... The French fleet has finally completed its clockwise formation change at this moment. Although the formation is still a bit chaotic, the port side of the entire fleet has finally moved over.
The furious French battleship started firing all its port guns without waiting for orders, and a red line suddenly sprayed out across the sea.
That was when the blasts from all the cannon muzzles formed a line, and the shells hit the Zhiyuan like hail!
