Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Hero of 1911

Text Chapter 937 Guam, the battle flag is flying (4)

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Eleven o'clock at night, 20 nautical miles north of Rota Island.

    In the warm sea water, the submarine No. 232 was rising and falling in the vast ocean. The periscope was poked out from the pressure-resistant control tower, turning left and right. After confirming that there was no enemy situation, it began to drive slowly eastward.  The captain is very careful because this is the Philippine Sea, the deepest ocean in the world.  As early as 1899, the British watermark ship measured a depth of 9,660 meters in the Nairobi Abyss, 110 kilometers east.  In 1929, the U.S. Navy measured a depth of 9,814 meters, and in 1935, a Chinese naval survey ship also measured a depth of 9,427 meters.  Moreover, since the 1920s, the Navy has lost three submarines in this sea.

    Just when Jiao 232 started its night patrol, there were three submarines surrounding Rota Island that also dispersed in all directions at the same time.

    Speaking of which, it was also the navy's good fortune. Originally there was a Japanese defense squadron on Rota Island, but after Guam was raided, all Saipan's attention was on Guam and it actually forgot to strengthen the defense here.  As a result, after the heavy patrol formation sent the main force of the 1st Marine Division to the island, it found that the number of Japanese troops on Rota Island had not increased, so it took 1,500 marines and engineers to complete the landing in Songsong in only four hours, and then used four  Clean up the sky.  It is a pity that the Japanese army did not build an airport on the island at all. The mechanical equipment and quick-drying cement brought by the heavy patrol formation have been transported to Guam, so the troops landing on the island can only clear the open space temporarily.  However, the Navy built a field mobile radar station on the island as quickly as possible, so that as soon as the Saipan plane takes off, it can quickly notify Guam to prepare in advance.

    The task of the submarine is to protect Rota Island before the arrival of the main force and monitor the Japanese ships to prevent them from bombarding the deep and narrow island.  Jiao 232 is the 33rd ship of the Black Shark class. It resembles the Xxi class U-shaped boat and is painted in black.  It has a double-hulled hull, a cigar-shaped streamlined shape, and a crew of 60. It cancels the deck guns common to all countries and only installs two low-resistance twin 25mm turrets.  1,700 tons on the water (2,300 tons underwater), a maximum speed of 18 knots on the water (17 knots underwater), a maximum endurance of 13,000 nautical miles/10 knots on the water (300 nautical miles/5 knots underwater), and six torpedo launch tubes all on the bow (  24 bombs), equipped with a sea radar and an air radar (both with an effective range of 10 kilometers), an active sonar (effective range of 4,100 meters) and a passive sonar.  The battery, static electric motor and engine shock-absorbing rubber raft technologies all come from pre-war Germany and are produced in-house after domestic improvements.

    The Black Shark is the Navy¡¯s latest main submarine and the first submarine to be built in a modular manner.  The entire ship is divided into ten parts, which can be manufactured scattered across the country and finally assembled at the shipyard by rail or sea.  The average construction period for each ship is seven months, and the slipway occupancy time is only 81 days.  The prototype was finalized in 1936, but it took the Navy two years to complete the integration of various factories and standardization of spare parts, so formal mass production was not launched until early 1938.  The first batch of orders was for 48 ships, of which 36 have been delivered. After the war, an additional order of 160 ships was placed.

    After sailing 10 nautical miles northeast through the snorkel, the captain ordered the engine to be shut down.  Although German shock absorption and noise reduction technology is very good.  But the engine's own noise will still affect the sonar.  "Raise the radar to search the sea surface, release the communication buoy, and sonar! Be alert." The captain handed the periscope to the first mate to continue monitoring, and then walked to the sonar room.  The sonar room is the most important place in the boat.  It is all built with soundproof materials. In addition to the cipher machine and sonar operating station, there is also a sea and air radar operating station.  Because they are classified equipment, the sonar chief is the only officer on the ship who can openly wear a pistol.  Even food and accommodation are here.

    As soon as the radar was lifted out of the control tower and turned on, the sergeant operating the radar exclaimed: "Sir! Look!" He heard the sound.  The captain who had just arrived at the door was also startled by the light spots on the radar screen, and immediately shouted: "Quick, calculate the distance and report the number of targets!"

    ¡°Launch tubes 1 to 6 are pressurized! The battery is heated (electric torpedoes during World War II needed to be heated before launching), the snorkel is retracted, the hatch is checked, and the dive is ready in one minute.¡±

    "Get ready to send a telegram."

    "Turn on the combat lights! Turn left rudder 7 degrees, prepare for battle."

    "1, 2, 3 Report, 12 targets have been found, bearing 012, distance 6500 meters, speed 25 knots, expected to enter visual distance in three minutes! I heard it, the sonar captured the target  . Oh my God, are these guys playing the suona?" As soon as the radar soldier finished reporting the detection parameters, the listener almost wanted to take off his earphones.  This cannot be blamed on him. The Japanese Navy has no anti-subconscious mind at all, and the engine does not have any damping and silencing treatment. Unlike in China, even the patrol frigates of the National Guard wish they could install damping springs under the engine.

    "Keep the periscope depth, the bow level, and keep everything quiet! Sonar provides coordinates and speed."

    "4500 metersinto visual distance!" The sonar commander reported that at the same time that it was in visual distance, several black spots jumped into the periscope.  Jiao 232 encountered the Japanese Fifth Fleet departing from Saipan. Due to the frequent submarine activities of the Chinese Navy, several ships were sunk in succession. Therefore, after leaving the anchorage, Kondo Nobutake ordered to protect the Japanese fleet.Maintaining a minimum speed of 25 knots, it also made several large Z-shaped changes in direction.

    The captain operated the periscope very carefully, because the Japanese Navy's night fighting capabilities are very outstanding, especially the legendary "cat's eye".  So far, the naval intelligence department does not know how many "cat eyes" there are. In addition, the Japanese navy has always praised its excellence. Over time, it has become the most mysterious and hot topic among sailors.  It is said that lookouts who can become "cat eyes" have excellent eyesight and can spot ships ten kilometers away in the middle of the night without moonlight. It is said that they have to undergo special training every day and eat various animal eyeballs to nourish them.  ¡­¡­.

    You can eat whatever you eat to make up for it. Ordinary sailors think so anyway.

    "3500 meters! Sir!" The first mate held the stopwatch, his cheeks were covered with hot sweat, and the sailors around him also held their breath.  "Torpedo tube No. 1 and No. 3 are readywait!" The captain was about to give the order to launch torpedoes, but the sonar chief immediately stopped him: "Captain, two new targets have entered the radar, and the reflection intensity is very strong.  !¡± The current radar cannot distinguish the type of target, but after long-term use, radar soldiers found that the larger the target, the greater the reflection intensity, so they gradually summarized a method of judging the size based on the intensity of reflected electromagnetic waves.

    At this time, the captain had distinguished at least two light cruisers through the periscope.  So a bigger target than the light cruiser everyone swallowed their saliva.  The captain was also excited. You must know that everyone has been searching for the Japanese main fleet in the past few days, so after careful consideration, he decided to postpone the attack: "Left rudder five degrees, speed 3 knots, let me see what is behind."

    Ten minutes later, a total of 21 ships of the Japanese Fifth Fleet headed south from the right side of Jiao 232. The nearest destroyer was less than 500 meters away from the submarine. The listener could even hear the shouts of Japanese soldiers on the deck.  The densely packed heads made the captain regret not firing for the first time.  But a minute later, he forgot his troubles, and two big ships, at least 180 meters long, caught up from behind.

    "Heavy patrol, it must be a heavy patrol!" Although it is impossible to see the model accurately at night.  But the captain, who had browsed through hundreds of photos of Japanese ships, still recognized the species.

    "Report the number!"

    "Course southwest, distance 5700 meters, speed 25 knots, angle"

    "4000 meters, 3200, 2800, 2500, 2000 launch on the 1st and 3rd!" Since the target speed was as high as 25 knots, the captain waited until two thousand meters before ordering the launch of the torpedo.  Before the soft sound of exiting the cabin ended, he ordered again: "Turn right one degree, launch on No. 2 and No. 4."

    "Retract the periscope! Dive at fifteen degrees! Calculate the impact time!" After the four torpedoes came out, the captain immediately retracted the periscope, and the submarine made an emergency dive at an angle of 15 degrees.  The first mate and the sonar chief held the armrest with one hand.  While holding the stopwatch tightly, calculate the time of torpedo impact.  The Jiao-232 carries the Yu-7 550mm electric torpedo this time. Compared with the g7et1 developed by Germany, it uses a reliable trigger fuse.  It has two larger battery packs, a maximum range of 5,000 meters/30 knots, and a thunder head loaded with 230 kilograms of explosives.

    The Navy did not develop oxygen torpedoes, but instead focused on researching electric torpedoes.  The advantage is that lead-acid battery torpedoes have no track like oxygen torpedoes. The disadvantage is that the current battery technology is not very perfect.  The range is slow and the torpedo temperature needs to be maintained for a long time. The battery must be heated again a few minutes before launch to achieve the best effect.  30 knots is 800 meters per minute. Counting the advance, it takes three minutes for the torpedo to hit the target.  This was the longest three minutes, and the sailors even worried about being discovered by the "cat's eye" and avoided it.  But it turns out that the "Cat Eyes" of the Japanese Navy are no longer adaptable to the technological warfare of the new era.  "5, 4, 3Boom!" Before the pointer returned to zero, a loud noise came from outside the hull. The listener even had to pull off his earphones to avoid the noise.  Before the sailors could get excited, a second explosion followed.

    The one that was hit was the heavy cruiser Suzuya sent by Jisaburo Ozawa to support and hope to lure Pan Duheng out.  As the third highest-class ship, the Japanese Navy, which withdrew from the naval treaty earlier than history, aimed at the Taiwan Island-class heavy cruiser from the beginning of its design.  You must know that the Taiwan Island-class heavy cruiser, which was an exception in the naval treaty at that time, once had a standard displacement of 13,000 tons and was considered a nightmare by various countries' treaty heavy cruisers. Because 3,000 tons of armor is not so easy to erase, Japan will immediately surpass Taiwan after withdrawing.  The island level is the target (I originally wanted to build a bigger one, but I really didn¡¯t have the money).  Therefore, the current top-level standard displacement is 13,520 tons, equipped with five twin 203mm/l50 naval guns, and four twin 127mm high-level and flat dual-purpose naval guns.

    But it was such a heavy cruiser that was frugally built, but after the war started, it was hit by two torpedoes on the port bridge and amidships without firing a single shot.

    There was complete chaos on the sea. Urgent alarm bells and shouts from sailors were heard one after another. The bow of the sister ship Kumano on the outside accelerated to avoid deflection. Even the Fifth Fleet, which was opening the way ahead, was startled. The two destroyers immediately turned on their searchlights.  Turn around and pounce quickly.

    "It's the Suzuya!"

    "China submarine, turn on the searchlight to search the sea??!  Depth charge preparation.  "

    Nishimura Shoji grabbed the hatch and shouted loudly to remind him of anti-submarine essentials.  Behind him, Nobutake Kondo narrowed his eyes. Last time, he fell into the hands of a submarine and lost two troop transport ships. Unexpectedly, even the Suzuya was not spared this time.

    The power of Yuqi is still far behind the Japanese 93 oxygen torpedo, but after hitting two of them in a row, the Suzuya, which was struggling to survive, was still not spared.  A fire broke out on the deck, and hundreds of tons of seawater poured into the hull. Captain Kimura Masafuku had to order water injection to maintain balance, and then rushed to Rota Island with the flames all over the deck, trying to sail the stranded frigate, but in the end  It capsized an hour later in the shallow sea northeast of Rota Island.

    The destroyer turned back and began to throw depth charges to the sea.  The successive explosions on their foreheads made the sailors on Jiao 232 feel anxious.  But it has to be said that the Japanese army's anti-submarine capabilities are really poor. Perhaps their main focus is on high-speed lightning strike tactics, so they have not installed sonar so far.  When Jiao 232 floated three nautical miles away at a speed of five knots and released the communication buoy, the Japanese destroyers were still dropping bombs blindly, leaving the submarine captain and sailors stunned.

    "Speed ??up the speed, we must send the army to the island." Kondo Nobutake didn't want to delay here.  Explosions and fire will definitely attract more submarines and warships, so he must speed up and send the army to Guam quickly.  Just as he was leaving.  After receiving the telegram from Jiao 232, the heavy cruiser Xi'an and the light cruiser Fuchunjiang, which had been cruising southwest of Guam, began to accelerate. In the afternoon, the heavy cruisers Wuhan and Changsha, which were pretending to rescue Agrihan Island and were turning back, also increased their speed to 32  Festival.

    ??¡ª¡ª

    "Lieutenant General, the Suzuya was attacked by a Chinese submarine." Soon after the Suzuya was attacked, the Haruna in the northeast of Pagan Island received the news.

    Chief of Staff Kusaka Ryunosuke heard this.  He jumped up anxiously: "What about the damage? Can it be saved?"

    "Captain Kimura is trying his best to save it." After the staff officer told the news that the heavy cruiser was on fire and was about to ground the frigate on Rota Island, the officers of the Southern Expedition Fleet all looked very unnatural, and they all looked at the silent Ozawa Jisaburo.

    Ozawa is an anomaly in the Japanese Navy. After graduating from the Naval War College, he once apprenticed to Suzuki Kantaro, the world's number one torpedo warfare expert at the time, but later became obsessed with airplanes.  He threw himself into the arms of the aviation faction and went to study aviation tactics.  However, due to issues such as qualifications, he first lost to Nagumo Chuichi in the southern offensive strategy, and later lost to Tsukahara 243 when he competed for the commander of the First Air Fleet.  Even Yamaguchi Takan, a junior, surpassed him, and was eventually sent to a semi-unemployed job as a guard at the Yokosuka Naval Garrison.  Fortunately, he was well-connected. After realizing the importance of aviation during the Ryukyu Naval War, Yamamoto finally remembered that there was such a "senior" expert in his family when selecting the commander of the Southern Expedition Fleet.

    Ozawa knows that everyone wants the main force to attack immediately.  But he hesitated again and again and still couldn't make up his mind.  It's not that he is timid, it's that this trip is too dangerous!  Although he has two King Kong-class battleships and four aircraft carriers.  But King Kong has no advantage over Beijing, and its four aircraft carriers are fraught with problems.  Akagi and Kaga lost a large number of elite pilots during the Battle of Ryukyu, so the two ships only had 41 zero combat aircraft, 56 naval bombardment aircraft, and 36 naval attack aircraft in this battle, for a total of 133 combat aircraft. This was a temporary domestic emergency.  Drawn.  The Ryukyu has 32 zero-fighters and 8 ship-to-ship bombers, and the Shoh¨­ng has 10 zero-fighters, 12 ship-to-ship bombers and 8 ship-to-ship bombers, for a total of only aircraft.  On the other hand, according to pre-war intelligence, there are 94 Liaoning-class aircraft carriers and 60 General-class aircraft, for a total of 214 aircraft.  Moreover, the Battle of Ryukyu showed that the Chinese navy's anti-aircraft firepower was very strong, and its aircraft were more powerful than Japan's, so a frontal attack was completely uncertain.  The only hope was Saipan's Army Aviation, so he had the Fourth Fleet park east of Guam, and asked Kondo Nobutake to attack, using the Fifth Fleet and Saipan's Army Aviation to attract the opponent, disperse the aircraft and then launch a winning attack.  one strike.

    The current situation is that the aircraft carriers of both sides are already near Guam, and they are waiting for the other side to be exposed first.  "Maybe I'm overly worried. But I believe that the Chinese fleet is nearby waiting for us to be exposed." Ozawa said solemnly: "That kind of pressure is really breathtaking. I believe that the Chinese people must be prepared  Okay aviation attack planso we can't be proactively exposed."

    Ryunosuke Kusaka was shocked: "Your Excellency, Commander! Kondo's Fifth Fleet urgently needs our support. If you are worried about China's aviation power, you can let Haruna and Kirishima attack. Only battleships can deal with China's heavy aircraft."  cruiser."

    Ozawa still shook his head, walked to the chart and pointed at the Yaeyama Islands, staring at his new chief of staff: "Three days ago, China's Beijing and Nanjing battleships entered the Philippine Sea from here under the protection of sea and air. From the navigation direction  Look, they are not forming up with the aircraft carrier. If they had been advancing at a speed of 26 knots, they would already be in the darkness to our west. If I ask Haruna and Kirishima to support Kondo-kun, who can stop them?"

    &nbsp"Your Excellency!" Kusaka didn't think highly of Ozawa, thinking that he didn't have the confidence to win, and said with emotion: "We have four aircraft carriers, as well as land aviation support from Saipan. No matter from which aspect, we are currently  The army has an advantage! I even feel that if battleships are dispatched, the Chinese will be more attracted to attack. As long as the Chinese fleet appears, it will be a good opportunity for us to establish military honors, wash away the shame of Ryukyu, and drive the Chinese back to the mainland."

    "Do you think so?" Ozawa's eyes grew colder and he glanced at the officers around him: "Do you think so too?"

    The officers lowered their heads and said nothing, but the looks on their faces betrayed them.  "The empire has sacrificed eight battleships, so before the chance of victory arises, I have to be responsible for His Majesty the Emperor's battleships!" Ozawa turned his head coldly, lightly stomped the deck with his saber, and said in a dull voice: "So  , I will not order an attack until the China aircraft carrier is discovered againeven if the Fifth Fleet is destroyed!"
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report