Another World: Naval Storm

Chapter 155: The Fate of the Indefatigable

The chain reaction of the explosion was terrible, and the four adjacent ammunition magazines were also detonated one by one. The continuous explosions made the Indefatigable unable to withstand the huge pressure, and the stern of the ship broke.

The small broken part of the stern sank directly into the sea, and most of the bow was still floating relying on the remaining huge hull, but it could not hold on for long.

Taking advantage of this precious time, more than 850 of the 600 crew members of the Indefatigable boarded the lifeboat, jumped into the sea and were rescued.

After sinking the Indefatigable, the Drake's luck seemed to have run out. A 305mm shell from the battlecruiser Otello hit the Drake, and the Drake's stern once again suffered a violent explosion.

Moltke was not feeling well either. The name of the unsinkable ship made the Royal Navy hate it, and a lot of shells were fired at it. At 8:33, a 381mm heavy armor-piercing shell from the Queen Elizabeth hit the midship of Moltke, cutting off a large piece of the No. chimney in the midship position, and smoke began to spread from the gap.

Both fleets were facing a life-and-death test. The poor Sana Tiger suffered two heavy hits in succession, one of which hit the side directly.

Since the advent of ironclad ships, the side waterline defense of all warships has been an important indicator. However, given the defensive nature of the Talen series warships, the thickness of the main armor on the side waterline of the Sana Tiger is actually just so-so.

The 305mm armor-piercing projectile easily penetrated the 229mm main armor of the Sana Tiger along the waterline. The only thing that could stop the armor-piercing projectile was the 25mm inclined dome armor layer above the split power compartment below the waterline.

In order to improve the survivability of warships in naval battles, navies around the world generally lay a layer of armor from below the waterline to exchange space for survival and to prevent water leakage. This useful design was also used by the Royal Navy, which dominated the oceans.

When the side armor is penetrated and water enters the hull, this layer of dome armor, whose ends are below the waterline and the top is above the waterline, will suppress the amount of water entering and provide buoyancy for the warship.

This layer of dome armor usually includes inclined dome armor and horizontal dome armor. Although the strength of the dome armor of the Talen battleship is limited, it can still play a certain role.

The inclined dome armor that was ready to use barely blocked the impact of the 305mm armor-piercing projectile, avoiding the danger of the armor-piercing projectile penetrating deep into the ship's hull.

The Sanaa Tiger survived, but its crew sensed danger again, and the Drakes fired a round of cross-fire!

The Sanaa Tiger was walking on thin ice, and the Indefatigable at the end of the battle line was also in bad luck. One minute ago, the Drake battlecruiser hit it accurately at a distance of meters. Its price was worthy of its quality. This powerful but weak battlecruiser was hit by a 305mm capped armor-piercing shell that penetrated the upper armor belt, the internal inclined dome armor and the explosion-proof compartment of the ammunition depot, and was finally set on firecrackers.

Lookouts on both sides saw this astonishing scene. First, an explosion occurred on the side of the Indefatigable, with flames and thick smoke billowing out. Then, an even more violent explosion occurred inside the hull, causing the giant ship, weighing nearly 2 tons, to suddenly leap up from the surface of the sea, and then slam into the sea.

The turrets weighing hundreds of tons were thrown into the sky, and occasionally a few sailors were thrown out in despair. Flames and thick smoke spread on the deck, and one cabin after another was being conquered by hundreds of tons of seawater. The impact of the ammunition detonation finally tore apart this giant steel ship.

Witnessing this glory, the officers and soldiers of Drake were delighted, while the officers and soldiers of Talen were heartbroken.

[Congratulations, Commander. Your battlecruiser Drake sank the battlecruiser Indefatigable]

[Report to the commander, the ammunition level of the main gun of the Lützow battlecruiser is approaching the warning line]

[Report to the commander, the main gun ammunition level of the Bilo battlecruiser is approaching the warning line]

[Report to the commander, the main gun ammunition level of the Derfflinger battlecruiser is approaching the warning line]

[Report to the commander, the ammunition level of the main guns of the battlecruiser Moltke is approaching the warning line]

【Report………】

【Report……】

The joy didn't last long, as bad news came one after another. Leo knew that the main gun ammunition of the ships in the First Reconnaissance Fleet was consumed very quickly, but he didn't expect that the ammunition supply would drop to the warning line of 30 rounds per gun so quickly.

Some of the ammunition of the First Reconnaissance Fleet was consumed in interfering with the Grand Fleet, and Liam's First Battlecruiser Squadron had been chasing Leo's fleet most of the time, so there was still a lot of main gun ammunition left.

In a large-scale, long-lasting and fierce naval battle, based on comprehensive considerations of sea conditions, smoke walls, correction parameters and other issues, it would not even take 350 minutes for the First Reconnaissance to complete 305 rounds of shelling. After all, the Empire's largest 280mm main gun has a firing rate of only three rounds per minute under optimal conditions, and the Drake battlecruisers are generally equipped with mm and mm main guns, which will not be faster but also not slower.

In addition, the First Scouting Fleet needs to retain a certain amount of self-defense ammunition.

Therefore, if the First Reconnaissance Fleet wants to hold out until the end of this confrontation, it can only maintain twenty rounds of bombardment at most. If the health bar of the Liam Fleet's battlecruiser is thicker, the situation will be reversed again.

In the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the First Scouting Fleet, their commander had calculated everything accurately. The commander could magically capture the First Battlecruiser Squadron, occupy the T-head in advance, and attack the First Battlecruiser Squadron with the advantage of the number of main guns.

But this is all thanks to the plug-in. The real showdown is about to end. When the ammunition runs out, the First Reconnaissance Fleet will retreat calmly in front of Liam's fleet.

From the beginning of the battle to now, the actions of the First Scouting Fleet were perfect. With the advantage of the T-head, they only sank one ship, the Indefatigable, which made the fleet not very satisfied.

"What a pity, General! What a good opportunity!" Dawson sighed.

"Indeed, the goddess of luck went off work early today!" Leo said with a smile.

"Oh! General, don't talk nonsense. The goddess of luck must have other things to do. We can't ask for too much of her favor!" Dawson said seriously.

Leon pursed his lips and tilted his head to look at Dawson.

"General, why are you looking at me like that? There's something weird in your eyes!"

"Dawson, technology is so advanced, why are you still so superstitious?"

"Well, this is not normal. Who doesn't believe in the God of the Sea when going out to sea? Since I have followed you, many things can prove that you are the one favored by the goddess of luck!" Dawson answered seriously.

"Thank you...Dawson..." Leo had a look of despair on his face. He had no way to deal with Dawson. He was too stubborn.

"You're welcome, General!" In fact, after Dawson's day and night publicity, Dawson's title of "Favored One of the Goddess of Luck" became widely known in the Ocean Fleet. Many officers and soldiers no longer prayed to the Goddess of Luck when going to sea, but instead prayed to the Goddess of Luck. By the way, they also carried photos of Leo, the favored one, on their backs as a sacrifice to the officers and soldiers.