Chapter 2232 Storm 5
At such a distance, the Thor had no way to hide or retreat. With the sound of the torpedo cutting through the water and the trail of white exhaust gas that continued to extend from its tail, the torpedo weighing more than 500 kilograms rushed towards this place with the greetings of death. A poor battleship. A minute later, four huge water columns rose up from the left and right sides of the Thor at the same time.
"The Thor is finished." Everyone who saw this scene knew the result. The 500-kilogram torpedo was indeed smaller, but it was hit 4 times at the same time in almost a minute. This kind of huge damage even to the intact Bavaria-class Battleships are very uncomfortable, not to mention the first-generation British super-dreadnought, which is known for its fragile underwater protection.
The total charge of the four torpedoes was at least 600 kilograms. The violent explosion caused the surrounding seawater to boil. A trace of white steam and water spray completely obscured the battleship. Even to outsiders, the entire ship The battleships were blown up by this huge explosion as if they jumped suddenly.
With a thunderous noise, the bow of the sailing Thor plunged into the seawater. Thousands of tons of seawater surged onto the deck. The waves hit the cannons, cabins, and everything on the deck for a moment, and even submerged it. After the Thor's No. 2 turret, although the sea water receded a little, half of the Thor's No. 1 turret was already below the waterline.
Three of the four torpedoes hit the front half of the hull. In a very short period of time, these three torpedoes brought about 2 tons of additional water to the Thor. Adding the previous water intrusion, the ship's full displacement was no more than The 250,000-ton warship has already taken in more than 4,300 tons of water. There is no doubt that even if there is no attack from below, this warship will definitely not be able to return. After all, not all warships are called Seydlitz.
The last torpedo was more decisive and killed the battleship. This torpedo hit the Thor's old wound. After the explosion of 150 kilograms of explosives, the Thor, which was already close to the limit of the hull under the shelling and seawater impact, Finally I couldn't hold on any longer
"From a distance, the Thor looks like a building that suddenly collapsed. The superstructure quickly disintegrated and collapsed, and quickly sank into the sea. Under the action of water ingress and the weight of the hull, the Thor's hull broke from the middle, and the front half of the hull It quickly disappeared from the sea, and the second half of the hull also rolled and sank to the bottom of the sea. The destroyer next to it tried to save the poor people who fell into the water. However, the huge vortex when the battleship sank not only prevented the destroyer from saving a single person, but instead It was as if I was being grabbed tightly by an invisible hand and pulled into the whirlpool. More than 80 crew members on the destroyer Zealot survived." After the war, a British naval officer described the final actions of the Thor. moment and the poor guy next to him.
Not long after the Thor sank, the Grand Fleet's flagship Iron Duke followed in Thor's footsteps. In fact, the Iron Duke was able to survive the attack of 16 15-inch guns from the two battleships Württemberg and Saxony. It can be described as a miracle. Originally, the Iron Duke was far from the Württemberg's opponent. After the Saxony turned its artillery fire to the Iron Duke, it accelerated the destruction of this battleship.
However, the British did their best to protect their flagship. The battleships nearby provided fire support. When they were unable to overwhelm their opponents, the British destroyers provided smoke cover for the battleship. Of course, all this only delayed the destruction of the Duke. Not only the Germans knew this, but the British also knew it very well. Ten minutes ago, when the German bombers dropped their first bombs, Jericho and his command team were already preparing to move.
"Your Excellency, Commander, the Iron Duke is no longer able to fulfill its duties as a flagship. On behalf of the officers and men of the Second Battleship Division, I hope that Your Excellency, the Admiral, can move to the battleship Revenge and continue to command this battle.
"Standing on the constantly shaking battleship, Lieutenant General Duff said to Jericho.
"You should also move. The Iron Duke is already too late. The Second Battleship Division now only has the Ben Bow and the Empress of India. Vice Admiral Sturdy was injured in the battle just now. There are still three super ships in his fleet. Fearless, now, you go to the Indian Emperor and take unified command of the remaining second and third battleship squadrons." Before leaving, Jericho did not forget to make some adjustments to the fleet.
"Everyone, take care of yourself. I hope that at the end of the war, all of us can return to the Firth of Forth together." After speaking, Jericho glanced at the German High Seas Fleet in the distance. I have mixed feelings in my heart. You must know that before the war, Jericho formulated a "decapitation" plan and prepared to attack the flagship of the German fleet from the beginning. However, now, let alone the decapitation plan has not been implemented at all. His flagship was "beheaded" first, which was really a bitter irony for him.
Jericho left very decisively. Maybe he was reluctant to part with his flagship, but the current situation was so critical that he could not leave his mark. So, under the cover of smoke, the Iron Duke temporarily escaped from the German artillery fire. attack, and several destroyers also quickly tried to pick up Jericho and others on the ship, and then transferred to the battleship Revenge.
The Revenge is the best choice, because among the entire British Grand Fleet, the British First Battleship Squadron headed by the Revenge is in the best situation. At least it is in a dominant position now. To be honest, an inch bigger gun is an advantage. Back then, Su Xiong, together with the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau, were able to escape Thomas' encirclement and suppression. 40% of the reasons were due to the inability of British armor-piercing bombs, and 40% of the reasons were due to good luck. But now if it is really a stand-up output, the Revenge-class Really fierce
After Jericho and others moved, the Iron Duke, which had been severely damaged, could no longer hold on, and the British destroyers would not use precious smoke canisters for this doomed battleship. After all, 4 of the Iron Duke's 5 turrets have been filled with water, the entire battleship has been hit no less than 20 times, and the left chord is already flush with the water. The fact that it can survive to this day can really be attributed to luck.
When the Luftwaffe's torpedo planes arrived, the battleships of the High Seas Fleet decisively stopped the bombardment. This battleship was no longer worth their precious shells, and the German bombers did not even need to suppress their bombs. After the British destroyers dispersed, 3 A torpedo plane entered the attack route from the left. After two loud noises, the Iron Duke also capsized and sank to the bottom of the sea. So far, the British Navy has lost 4 super-dreadnought battleships
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