Chapter 999: We Have Great Advantages
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It is said that some families are happy and some are sad. While the French were in grief, the entire Spey fleet was filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. Everyone was happily discussing today's results. They had sunk several French warships, and it was suspected that they had sunk several more. Two boats here, three boats there. Then another guy shouted out 5 ships! Just like that, after blowing and blowing, some good people discovered that if the results of the war claimed by everyone so far are to be followed, then the French Mediterranean Fleet should no longer exist.
In addition to leaving sufficient security forces, more than half of the fleet was allowed to land and rest. After the news reached Constantinople, the Turkish government also sent a congratulatory message to the Spey fleet and delivered various supplies such as fresh vegetables, meat, and tobacco that the soldiers had long awaited. Regardless of the eating and drinking among the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers, the earl and others did not really relax. They were still nervously planning what to do next.
"One Guba-class battleship, at least 3 Dandong-class battleships, 3 armored cruisers and a large number of destroyers. After this battle, although the French fleet still has the advantage, it should be more than willing to prevent us from converging with the Austro-Hungarian fleet. But the strength is not enough." After listening to the relatively reliable battle results reports from the captains, Count Spee came to such a conclusion.
"If His Highness Ruprecht is still in Vienna, then maybe within a few days, no more than a week at most, the Austro-Hungarian fleet should be here." Rear Admiral Schulz thought for a moment and said.
"Well, I will send a telegram to His Highness the Prince tonight to inquire about relevant matters. In addition, we must also be prepared in terms of anchorage and supplies. If nothing unexpected happens, we will wait until the first batch of officers and soldiers return tomorrow. , let the Prinz Eugen go to the dock for repairs." Count Spey said.
The Spey fleet took advantage of the French's unpreparedness and sneaked over with a swift wind step, struck into the wind and then performed a jumping chop. Half of the French fleet's blood was gone, but at the same time, its own fleet also suffered some losses. The average water intake of the four battleships was about 400 tons. When the Prinz Eugen came back, it brought 700 tons of sea water, and its 32 main guns were disabled. 5 doors. Some of the secondary guns were also destroyed. In addition, 3 rangefinders need to be replaced. Tinkering was also needed on the hull. Of course, what hurts the count the most is the destroyer fleet. 12 ships went out and 5 came back, more than half of which were gone. If it weren't for the sacrifices of these little guys, the main fleet might have been even worse.
Although there is no serious problem in theory, the combat effectiveness has been reduced by at least 20% to 30%. Considering the relatively backward maintenance capabilities in Turkey, the count still wanted to arrange maintenance and repair of the warship as soon as possible. God knows when the next attack will be.
At noon the next day after the night attack, the prince finally got the telegram from Count Spey. Tirpitz, who sent the telegram, also had mixed emotions. He really didn't expect that the count would be so bold and commit such a crime. Such a big movement! What I didn’t expect was that I actually won! When he first saw the telegram, the Secretary of State for the Navy even felt that the world was too crazy, overwhelming the brave and starving the timid. Of course, no matter what, the battle for Crete was finally won, which is a good thing!
"Admiral House, the French fleet has been reduced by less than half. At this time, the Austro-Hungarian fleet should execute the rendezvous order, right?" The prince nodded with satisfaction after reading.
"But the French fleet is still much stronger than us." Admiral House said reluctantly.
Once this fleet leaves, he will really become a naval commander without a ship. After all, Count Spee is a lieutenant general. If he leaves, the issue of command rights cannot be sorted out. Then he can only stay on the mainland and manage ports, submarines and some auxiliary ships. This is an uncomfortable thing for a naval commander. Deep down, it's normal for him to have some resistance to this.
However, war is not a treat, and it is not something you can do without if you don’t want to. The prince understood Admiral House's mood very well, but what should be done must be done. And not only do it, but also do the whole thing: "I will ask Count Spee to cooperate. In short, within a week at the latest, preferably within the last four days, I hope that the main force of the Austro-Hungarian fleet can arrive in the Dardanelles Strait .This is not a suggestion, this is an order!" the prince emphasized. "Considering that Constantinople has relatively few supplies, this time I hope the navy will bring several fast ships that originally belonged to Germany to install some artillery, fire control systems or other useful accessories and machinery. Equipment." This time the prince not only wanted to empty the fleet, but also moved almost all the Austro-Hungarian Navy's warehouses! After all, the main fleet is gone, so those things in the warehouse should be left alone. Might as well take them away together.
At the beginning of the war, there were three large fast cruise ships belonging to Germany on the Mediterranean Sea. These cruise ships had a tonnage of between 150,000 and 20,000 tons, and the slowest ones had a speed of more than 23 knots. After the war, it took refuge in the Austro-Hungarian port. Considering that it would be used as a transport ship rather than a luxury cruise ship in the future, the Austro-Hungarian Navy spent another 2 months dismantling some unnecessary settings and cabins on it, and adding some equipment and functions. Something to gain. Convert it into a naval high-speed transport ship. Not only can it transport things like coal and ammunition, but it can also transport 350 main guns, rangefinders, large turret components, and more.
And for this reason, Admiral House has no reason to shirk anymore. In the afternoon of that day, the admiral compiled the roster of warships that could be mobilized this time and handed it to the prince.
The specific organization of the entire fleet is as follows. There are two United Forces-class super-dreadnoughts, namely the United Forces and the St. Stephen. There are two Radetzky-class quasi-dreadnoughts, the Radetzky and the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and one armored cruiser, the Saint-Georg. In addition, two destroyers will also be taken away. Detachment.
In addition to the three transport ships originally modified from German high-speed cruise ships, there are also 4 other types of auxiliary ships accompanying the fleet. It carries a large amount of supplies and spare parts. This is almost the entire Austro-Hungarian fleet. After these battleships are gone, there is only one Radetzky-class quasi-dreadnought, a few old cruisers, and several coastal defense battleships built in the 1990s. Submarine.
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