Early morning on April 3, 1832.
"Report, Report B on the 10th, found six armored cruisers, six second-class or third-class cruisers and several destroyers heading north. They are currently in the area of the Bahamas."
In the combat command center of Dezhou Haizi, the staff marked the position of the enemy ship formation on the chart based on the telegram, and then they all turned to look at Zhuge Weidao.
Zhuge Weidao immediately turned around and walked to the edge of the chart table. He held the edge of the chart table with both hands, leaned forward slightly, and stared at the huge chart and the wide sea area shown on the chart.
The openness of the Atlantic made him frown slightly. If he hadn't arranged for eight B-type ocean-going submarines to quietly sneak into the Atlantic following two submarine supply ships disguised as Rakshasa merchant ships, and carry out operations in the Bahamas, Windward Channel, and Florida Straits. reconnaissance. The combined Mexican-Texan fleet may not even know that the American fleet has returned from the Caribbean.
However, as the main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet leaves the relatively narrow waters of the Bahamas and enters the truly vast ocean, it becomes very difficult to track the main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Because the sea area is so large, it is simply impossible to deploy sentinel submarines on the channels that the U.S. fleet may pass through. Moreover, the speed of the submarine cannot keep up with the American fleet and will soon be lost.
As for sending out carrier-based aircraft for reconnaissance, since the current range of carrier-based aircraft is still relatively small, the search range is only more than a hundred kilometers around the mother ship. Any further away and there will be no fuel. This pitiful search distance is not enough to see in the vast Atlantic Ocean.
Therefore, the main force of the American Atlantic Fleet must be blocked in the Bahamas!
When Zhuge Weidao thought of this, Guo Xiaobao had quietly come up and whispered: "Junmen, what was discovered on the 10th should be the vanguard formation of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Their main formation should be 20-30 meters behind the vanguard formation. Away from the sea. It seems that David Pitt (Commander of the Atlantic Fleet) has anticipated the danger, so he sent the faster cruisers and cruisers to take the lead. If we send carrier-based aircraft to cooperate with Wang Wen's fast formation to launch a fierce attack, then Dai Wei Pitt will probably lead the main force to hide in the depths of the ocean. It will be difficult to find the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet by then!
Although our six aircraft-carrying frigates can always stay in the Caribbean Sea, the more than 200 carrier-based aircraft pilots on them cannot stay in the Texas Sea. After this battle, they will have to return to Pearl Harbor. Otherwise, the next Australian campaign will be impossible to fight. "
Carrier-based aircraft pilots are always very valuable, and the current Ming Empire is no exception.
Although the Ming Empire was the world's largest industrial power, the aircraft had only been invented a few years ago. Even the Ming Navy attached great importance to pilot training. It opened flight training schools very early and allowed many airship pilots with rich experience in operating airships. Change careers to fly airplanes. But until now, there are only about 600 pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft to take off and land on the aircraft carrier. This is because the current biplane only needs a very slow speed and a short taxiing distance to take off and land. The speed is also very slow, and using a large net to trap the aircraft will not cause damage to the aircraft body, so it is relatively easy to train carrier-based aircraft pilots.
Among the more than 600 carrier-based aircraft pilots who can board the ships, half are assigned to the Pacific Fleet, and two-thirds of them are loaned to the Dezhou Sea by Zhuge Weidao.
In other words, among the current 240 carrier-based aircraft pilots in Dezhou Haizi, only 40 truly belong to Dezhou Haizi, and the rest are pilots of the Ming Dynasty Naval Air Force. Once these pilots returned to Pearl Harbor, the Texas Navy would lose most of its combat effectiveness for a considerable period of time.
Therefore, Zhuge Weidao must establish the prestige of the Mexico-Texas Combined Fleet in this battle, at least to prevent the U.S. Navy from entering the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for the time being, so that the remaining veterans of the Texas Sea can run in Texas and Florida. , helping the ground troops on both sides fight against the United States.
Thinking of this, Zhuge Weidao said to Guo Xiaobao: "Baozhi, we must give the United States a hard blow this time! Just six armored cruisers and six second- and third-class cruisers are not enough to beat their United States-class ones. Battleship!"
Guo Xiaobao thought for a while and already had an idea, so he made a suggestion: "Military Gate, I suggest dividing the large formation into two, and forming an ambush formation with the main force of the aviation formation and the vanguard formation. The main force of the aviation formation can be retained. Five aircraft-carrying frigates, and another aircraft-carrying frigate were incorporated into the main formation.
The ambush formation separated from the main formation, with the main formation approaching the waters of the Bahamas and sailing north to attract the attention of the Americans. The aircraft-carrying frigate following the main formation can send fighter jets to expel or shoot down airships trying to get closer for reconnaissance. In this way, the Americans will most likely not know that our large formation has been diverted.
At the same time, the main formation divided two Haohan-class armored cruisers to form a rearguard formation to approach the vanguard of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, pretending to be a lure or surveillance posture, with the purpose of grasping the position of the vanguard of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
The ambush formation then moved 50 nautical miles east of the main formation to occupy the ambush position. When the American vanguard fleet passed from the west of the ambush formation, the ambush formation turned westward and sent out reconnaissance planes to search for the main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Once found, the decisive battle could begin!
If nothing else happens, our carrier-based aircraft can launch at least two waves of air assaults before dusk today, and tonight will be the end of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet! "
"Okay!" After Zhuge Weidao heard Guo Xiaobao's plan, he also thought it was perfect, so he nodded and said, "Send this plan by telegram to General Guerrero, Enomoto Takeno and Wang Wen!"
"Lieutenant General, there is a report from the Bahamas airship base. Our airship seems to have discovered the enemy's main force. It is less than 50 nautical miles away from our vanguard formation!"
In the British Royal Navy's battleship HMS Ark Royal, Vice Admiral William Baga, who was leisurely watching the scenery by the bridge window, suddenly heard news that made him unbelievable.
"Where is the enemy's formation?" William Baga asked as he walked towards the chart.
"In the northern part of the Bahamas. Around here." The staff officer pointed to a position just marked on the chart and told William Baga.
"How is it possible?" William Baga still didn't believe it. "They had already passed the waters off the Florida Peninsula yesterday, and now they are already off the coast of Virginia! How did they end up near the Bahamas? Have we been discovered?" "
"Lieutenant General, he must be Spanish"
"Damn it!" William Baga cursed, "We all told them that there was a big storm and they must have charged Emperor Agustin a lot of money!"
"Lieutenant General, what should we do now?" the staff officer on the side asked, "Should we hang out the British flag, or evacuate the battlefield immediately?"
William Baga glared at the staff officer, "This is not the Pacific Ocean, but the North Atlantic! We must defend the North Atlantic from being controlled by the yellow fleet. And we cannot fly the British flag. This is what Mr. Prime Minister means. The British Empire Something must be reserved!”
"Then we want it."
William Baga looked at the chart and thought: "Give electricity to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and have them leave Delaware Bay immediately. We are going to give the Mexicans a hard fight near the Bahamas!"
"Yes, sir!"
William Baga added: "We will turn around and go south, then cross the windward strait to generate electricity for Commodore Jervis, and let him lead the armored cruiser detachment to continue to follow the enemy's large formation, but remember to avoid fighting!"
"yes"
(End of chapter)
