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Text Chapter 969 Wake Island (4)

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    At 2:30 pm on February 20th, 170 nautical miles west of Wake Island.

    The aircraft carrier Zuikaku, whose bow was injured, slowly sailed towards the Ogasawara Islands under the protection of three destroyers including Yukikaze and eight Zero Fighters.  An aircraft carrier whose bow is "cut off" by a bomb is like a dangerous rock that may collapse at any time, and requires extra care to maintain balance.  The sailors gathered at the injured area, threw the broken wooden deck into the sea, plugged the leaking steel plate with thick wooden hairpins, and poured water hoses on the fire area to prevent the resurgence of the fire.

    "Open all the fire hydrants on the bow of the ship. Pay attention to the pressure in the sealed cabin and keep the left rudder balanced. Captain, there is too much water in and you need to throw something away! The backup generator is not enough. It is best to restore the main engine pumping water."  A short circuit ignited the fuel gas (aircraft carriers in World War II had poor ventilation, and most of the aircraft carriers died from secondary explosions of fuel and gas). Captain Yokokawa Ichihira cut off the power supply.

    Yokokawa Ichihira is unwilling to take risks. He spent thirty years exhausting the imperial treasury and gambling on the fate of the country for a hundred years. When he finally achieved a great victory, any adventure would be a crime against the empire.  "No, the internal wires are very dangerous. Throw away the unnecessary things! Let the Yukikaze provide us with power." So he refused to restart the power.

    Fortunately, the Zuikaku was not seriously injured this time. After the Yukikaze threw cables, the six water pumps were finally able to meet the bow drainage requirements.  "Captain, the pressure in the watertight compartment is normal and all leaks have been blocked. It seems we can return home." The first mate, covered in oil and stains, ran into the bridge and happily reported the damage control situation.  The other officers and soldiers also maintained a passionate work attitude like him.  Because everyone has already learned that two American aircraft carriers were on fire. As sailors, they are very aware of the consequences of the burning of the entire ship. Unless God appears, the two Lexingtons are destined to sink.  There are still three aircraft carriers on their side that are intact. As long as they can stabilize the Zuikaku's injuries, they can sail the aircraft carriers back to Japan.  A complete victory is at hand.

    Since August 23 last year, has the Japanese Navy ever won such a hearty victory?  When the news returns home, all Japan and even the Axis Allies will be inspired by the navy's victory!  However, with a shrill cry, the Yokokawa City Peace and the Zuikaku suddenly fell from heaven to hell.  "Enemy plane! It's a ship bomber!" At the end of the lookout's fingertips, a dozen silver-gray bright spots appeared on the top of the white clouds.  Although the escorting Zero Fighter quickly climbed up and tried to block it, Captain Preece, the dive bomber captain of the Saratoga, bravely led his team to dive towards the Zuikaku even though it was likely that they would not be able to return.

    11 SBD dive bombers, just like its name at the moment.  Deflect the fuselage and file down fearlessly.

    It later proved that it was because of their bravery and sacrifice that the remaining battleships of the Seventh Task Force had a chance to escape.

    "Full right rudder! Avoid at full speed!" Yokokawa City and the sailors never expected that when the enemy's two aircraft carriers had been destroyed, there were actually enemy planes in the sky!  The fully loaded aircraft carrier with a displacement of more than 30,000 tons galloped crazily on the sea like a frightened deer dodging the attack of an eagle.  The huge inertia during the turn even threw several sailors from the bow of the ship.  "Be careful. Left side!" Everyone was activated, and while the dense shells pounced on the enemy plane, the port side lookout screamed again.  "Full left rudder!" At his reminder, the Zuihe, which had just completed full left rudder, turned sharply again.  Use a zigzag maneuver.  Can barely avoid a bomb dropped from a height of 700 meters.

    The water column was less than thirty meters away from the ship, and a giant-like hand pushed the ship hard.  "Turn right 60 degrees, anti-aircraft artillery blast!" Yokokawa Ichihira tried his best to avoid several bombs in a row.  But in the end, he still failed to avoid the 500 kilogram armor-piercing bomb dropped by Captain Price.  The bombs filed down from the middle of the deck and exploded in the hangar.  The hangar, which was originally filled with oil and gas, suddenly burst into flames and shock waves rushed across.  Knocked down a Japanese sailor, ripped off pipes, and ignited wires.

    "Enhancing forced ventilation! Pressureboom!" Before the bridge command was issued, the Zuihe shook violently again.  The second bomb hit the port side and relied on inertia to stick to the hull bulkhead and penetrate to the waterline before exploding.  The explosion ripped open the steel plate of the ship's hull amidships on the port side, and a gap nearly four meters long appeared at the waterline on the port side. A huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea surface, and thousands of tons of seawater rushed in through the gap.

    Although Escort Zero Battle tried its best, it still failed to block the final third bomb.  The bomb hit the severely damaged bow of the ship. Not only that, the US pilot who was hit was unable to control the plane and crashed into the Zuikaku island!  A few minutes later, the Zuikaku aircraft carrier began to tilt to the left, and thick smoke billowed from the entire deck.  "Open the starboard water injection pipe and start the water pump! We must rescue the aircraft carrier! Send a telegram to Lord Tsukahara that we are under attack!"

    "Captain, the Yukikaze untied the cable and left!"

    ¡°Nani?!¡±

    By the time the telegram was sent, Yokokawa Ichihira's entire face was blackened.  But when he rushed out of the shipBridge, only to find that the destroyer Yukikaze had actually untied the cable and hid far away to the side!  They also sent out semaphore signals because they were worried that capsizing would affect their own safety  Baga!  If you get close, you will die if you use the water dragon to help put out the fire!

    Everyone in Yokokawa City was dumbfounded, but the disaster had just begun, because the burning smoke of the Zuikaku had been discovered by two American submarines.  That night, the Zuikaku, which had finally stabilized its injuries, was sunk by a US submarine 230 nautical miles northwest of Wake Island.  The most annoying thing is that the Yukikaze, which was under close protection, was also attacked by torpedoes, but the two torpedoes that hit it did not explode due to fuse defects!  It was safely inserted into the hull and returned to Yokosuka.

    And the three mk14 torpedoes that hit Zuikaku, which used the same fuse and were ridiculed as the worst in the world, all exploded

    "What!"

    After receiving a telegram from Yokokawa City, Tsukahara, who was preparing for the second wave of attacks, felt like he was being poured from head to toe by a basin of ice water!  "Could it be the Enterprise?" Takeo Shibata and the officers beside him quickly put away their smiles and became nervous.  You know, the U.S. Pacific Fleet has three aircraft carriers, but the Enterprise did not appear from beginning to end!  So, could it be the Enterprise that attacked the Zuikaku?  When they thought that there might be an American aircraft carrier nearby, or that a large number of attack planes might have been sent, they all felt as if they were being stared at by a poisonous snake spitting out messages, and their whole bodies felt uncomfortable.  You know, at this time the three aircraft carriers were full of aircraft refueling and mounting bombs.

    I have to say that the Japanese Navy¡¯s intelligence is very poor.  Before the war, the United States had only five aircraft carriers at its disposal.  Because the Raider is being overhauled in Virginia, it will not be back in service until at least the end of October.  The USS Wasp light aircraft carrier, which was historically built to take advantage of the difference in naval tonnage, did not appear here. This was because the Chinese Navy's Sichuan class entered service at that time, and the U.S. Navy did not want a light aircraft carrier, and it had a premonition that the Naval Treaty might disintegrate, so  The Wasp was secretly converted into a Yorktown-class No. 4 ship. It is currently being outfitted and will not be commissioned until at least August.

    Tsukahara and the Japanese Navy only knew that the Yorktown was damaged in Malta and would not be repaired until at least July, but they did not know that Roosevelt had decided to land in North Africa.  So the Enterprise had been transferred to the Atlantic ten days ago.  If known, then Halsey and the Seventh Task Force will be 100% annihilated!  But there are no ifs in the war. Thinking that a large number of fighter planes are likely to be approaching, the first thing Tsukahara has to do is to find the Enterprise and try his best to preserve the victory.  So he immediately suspended the second wave of attacks, sent out all the fighters that had returned early to search, and also sent Zero War to protect Nagyun.

    This means that the second wave of attack that was supposed to be launched at three o'clock was postponed. On the contrary, the two US Lexingtons escaped back to the F4F on Wake Island.  It has already merged with the surviving fighters there and assembled into a total of 37 escort aircraft.  When the reconnaissance plane reported that there was no aircraft carrier nearby at 3:30, the second wave of attacks was launched again and arrived over the American battleships, at least at 4:30!  The US military's F4F "Wildcat" has been waiting for half an hour above the fleet.

    certainly.  Neither side knows this yet, so Nayun is also in a dilemma.  At this time, his four King Kong-class battleships had blocked Rear Admiral Fitch's battleships, but they were no match for the American battleships.  The foundation of the King Kong-class battle patrol meant that they would not be able to form a battle line.  Facing four American battleships with a total of forty-four 356mm main guns, the only thing they could do was to use speed to hold them back.  Wait until the Yamato and the second wave of attack planes arrive.

    The Yamato is still 45 kilometers away from the battle circle. If it wants to fire, it must be at least 26 kilometers away.  But the U.S. Navy is also breaking through at 20 knots, which means that even if Yamato maintains full speed, it will have to wait until four o'clock to catch up.  What's worse is that there is currently not a single aircraft over the fleet, and they have all returned to the aircraft carrier to prepare for the second wave of attacks.

    If the Enterprise can be found, then even if it catches up at four o'clock, there is still hope of annihilating the entire US fleet.  The question is, can it be found?  Nanyun began to worry and stood quietly by the porthole.  Should you take the risk or stop?

    Just when Tsukahara and Nagumo were making a difficult choice, 120 nautical miles east of the Zuikaku and 110 nautical miles north of Wake Island, Rear Admiral Fitch, who had to find a bloody way to break through, had already led three battleships and quickly formed a formation that once dominated the ocean.  battle line.  "The ship's bow is heading east, turn 180 degrees to the right! Shake, how much time do I have?" He looked at the staff officer.  "The Vice Admiral is gathering the fleet. The Maryland and Tennessee still have twenty-five minutes! General, the Japanese carrier-based aircraft have left for forty minutes. Calculating the time it takes to refuel and replenish the fleet before returning after deterioration, we only have seventy minutes at most!"

    "Seventy minutes." Major General Fitch said with a dark face, holding on to the railing with both hands and leaning slightly.  To this extent, the first battle between the U.S. Navy and the Seventh Task Force would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a defeat.  The only thing that can be done now is to run as far as possible before the enemy carrier-based aircraft returns.  "May God be with us!" said Fitch, who experienced the European War and personally fought against German submarines on the deck of the British Royal Fleet.The general straightened up slowly, pressed his helmet solemnly, and suddenly raised his voice: "It's not over yet! Contact Wake Island, there will be a plane that survives. Tell them, before four o'clock! It must appear above me!"  Gentlemen, get readywe are going to fight out! Report the array, report the count!"

    "a-Nevada is in position, b-Oklahoma is in position, c-Arizona is in position, d-Pennsylvania is approaching. Captain Eddie said that their cannons can still be used! Distance 27,000 yards, speed 26  Festival! General, they are faster than us! Calculate the angle! Tell me the wind speed"

    "General! 23,000 yards, still closing! God, they're firing!"

    ¡°Boom¡­.¡±

    At 2:40 p.m., the navigator had just reported the latest distance, and Tanaka Yorizo, who was leading the four Kongos, opened fire first.  "Fight back, fight back! Scone, I need the most intense firepower! Let them have a taste of it!"

    "Jack! Contact the Maryland. I will release smoke at three o'clock to interfere with the sight of those bastards! Let them speed up! Teach them a lesson!" Amid Rear Admiral Fitch's roar, the four battleships of the Seventh Task Force simultaneously  fight back.  Regrettably.  Because the Pennsylvania stalled and could not line up in the battle line, it could only hide in the side and rear and fire individually with 12 356mm/L45 naval guns.  Boom, boom, boom The forty-four 356mm naval guns of the Seventh Task Force fired revenge shells at the four King Kongs at a rate of one per minute.

    On the one hand, it is trying to continue to expand the results of the war and completely eliminate the thirty-two 356 mm main guns of the main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  On the other side were two Nevadas and one Arizona, which had just suffered a disastrous defeat and were desperate to survive, with a total of thirty-four 356mm main guns.  There are also twelve 356mm main guns of the USS Pennsylvania, which is dragging behind, giving up its own safety and determined to cover the retreat of the main force.  In just a few minutes, thick columns of water rose into the sky from the formations of both sides.  Dark brown smoke spread from the bottom of the water column.  Like a layer of water mist flowing on the sea surface.  Armor-piercing bullets of the same caliber and almost the same weight are crazily producing the most terrifying steel sound!  Seventy-six naval guns sang in unison, even the air was shattered.

    "Hit!"

    "Hit!"

    Under this level of artillery battle, any idea that you can survive intact is just a daydream!  As the distance shortened to 21,000 yards, seventy-six shells screamed and fell around the opponent every minute.  The heavy capped armor-piercing bullets either rolled up terrifying waves on the sea or landed on the enemy's armor.  Groups of scorching fireballs exploded!  The soft copper cap was squeezed and deformed, and the hard bullet chipped away at the armor that seemed almost impossible to damage.  The hot and rotating high-speed shrapnel turned into the most terrifying killer in a burst of sharp impact sounds like grinding teeth.  Break through the steel plate and kill all creatures around the explosion point.

    At three o'clock in the afternoon, Major General Fitch took the lead in "scoring".  Strong desire to survive, coupled with better fire control than Japan.  Helped Nevada with the twelfth round, hitting Kirishima at 22,000 yards.  The armor-piercing projectile was loaded directly onto the main armor belt, tearing a large hole.  Thirteen rounds followed.  The second armor-piercing bomb also coincidentally hit this location and penetrated into the mine protection compartment below and exploded.  The big explosion shook the Kirishima, and the entire warship shuddered a few times.  Then the damage control reported that the watertight compartment at the bottom of the port side began to rapidly depressurize, and seawater poured in from the bottom of the ship like a fountain.

    He claimed to accept the world's most stringent training method of Moon, Moon, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Gold, but he was "scored" by someone else first. This made Yokokawa City Ping feel embarrassed.  Fortunately, Hiei helped him vent his anger three minutes later.  The armor-piercing shell hit the Pennsylvania, which was trying to keep up with the main force. The shell rushed into the 127mm secondary battery turret on the already damaged port side amidships, and penetrated deep into the ammunition magazine before exploding.  More than a hundred 127mm artillery shells were detonated, and violent and terrifying fireballs ejected from the middle of the ship, like the corona erupting under an astronomical telescope!  When the smoke subsided, a huge smoking gap appeared on the port side of the battleship. The depth was unclear and the depth was unclear. The battleship's speed dropped sharply from 16 knots to less than 13 knots.

    "Slow down! The Pennsylvania is slowing down!" There was a cheer on the King Kong.  When there are still 3,700 kilometers away from Hawaii, 2,100 kilometers away from Midway Island, and there are no islands or US military bases along the way, a speed of 13 knots means death!  "Colonel, the rice beast has released smoke!" Before the cheers had passed, the three American battleships on the opposite side and the escort ships farther away began to release smoke.  "It's afternoon, you fools! Keep some distance and the wind will help us."

    "Haha, rice beasts are indeed afraid of death. Otherwise, why would they release smoke on the vast Pacific Ocean on a clear afternoon?" When Tanaka Yorizo ??and the Japanese officers saw this, they all sneered disdainfully.

    "Colonel, General Nayun asked us to hold back the rice beast!"

    "Great, the Yamato is coming up!"

    "Wait""When Tsukahara-dono's plane arrives, we can sink all the rice warships!"  "

    Nanyun decided to attack because he believed that the Enterprise would definitely attack Tsukahara's Second Air Fleet.  There is not enough time for the second wave of bombing, so there is no need to worry about the plane before dark.  Of course, he also believed in his heart that the Yamato was not afraid of airplanes, so he hoped to win some credit.  His decision made Yokokawa City's Pedro officers not even care about the Kirishima's injuries.  But the Japanese navy did not notice that under the smoke, behind the three American cruisers lined up, two black spots were approaching quickly.  "I really want to see something! To the south, behind them." In the observation tower at the top of the mast, a "cat eye" rubbed his eyes suspiciously and asked his partner to confirm.

    "Is it a cruiser?" My partner also saw the gray dots.  But because of the smoke and the large number of escort ships behind the battleship, they did not dare to confirm.  It wasn't until the cruiser showed a hint of neutrality that the strange-looking cage mast made them suddenly open their mouths: "Battleship! Three o'clock position, due south!" All the Heiwa officers in Yokokawa City stood on end with chills.  How come there are battleships appearing at this time?

    At this time, the bows of the two fleets are pointing east, so the one who can appear from the south is definitely not one of our own!  "Colorado, it's Colorado!" Until the distance was close to 28,000 yards, with the help of an eight-fold Zeiss telescope, the "cat's eye" confirmed the target.

    The high-pitched screams of terror spread throughout the entire fleet.  Three Colorados, two Nelsons, and two Nagatos were the most powerful battleships of the Navy's holiday season.  Even China's Beijing-class aircraft were excluded because of their caliber.  This is also the greatest confidence that the Japanese navy can steadily suppress China and is confident that it can easily defeat them!  Therefore, Yokokawa Ichihei is very familiar with the appearance of Colorado. With just one glance, the coldness quickly rises from the soles of his feet!

    ¡°Boom boom¡­.¡±

    The Maryland and the Tennessee, approaching under the cover of smoke, opened fire quickly. The strength ratio of both sides suddenly became eight 406 mm, forty-four 356 mm and thirty-two 356 mm main guns (the Pennsylvania had fallen behind). Yokokawa  Shi Ping has no chance of winning!  "Full speed, pull out to 35,000 yards! Baga! Why hasn't the plane arrived yet?" Yokokawa Ichihira stamped his feet, commanding acceleration and avoidance, while constantly asking when the plane would arrive.

    The smoke tactic worked wonders, and the cruisers deliberately lined up in a row, using the cover of the earth's curve. The Maryland gave Yokokawa Ichihira a disastrous start as soon as it came up!  In just four minutes, eight 406mm main guns fired five salvos.  The Kirishima, which was at the end and was turning to distance itself, was severely beaten, and an armor-piercing bomb was drilled directly from the bridge.  The violent explosion enveloped the entire bridge, and smoke rose from the bottom. In an instant, the pagoda-like bridge burst into flames, killing and injuring 29 officers, including the captain, Captain Kono Senjo.

    Fortunately, the Kirishima did not stall, but these two serious injuries still ended its war career in the dock.

    Forced away the four King Kong ships did not make Major General Fitch happy. On the contrary, the crisis was getting closer and closer.  But he did not dare to disband the formation, fearing that it would be defeated by the four faster King Kong ships.  Therefore, we had to adjust the formation and require all warships to be prepared for air defense.  But what surprised him was that until four o'clock in the afternoon, 37 F4F "Wildcats" from Wake Island appeared overhead, and no Japanese attack aircraft appeared.

    "what happened?"

    "Is the navigation clock broken?"

    "But my watch is also four o'clock. Did they fly in the wrong direction?"

    "How is it possible? King Kong is right opposite us."

    The officers were talking a lot, and no one knew what had happened. The Japanese attack aircraft group that should have appeared was not even a shadow.  "General! General Fitch! The plane reported that a Japanese battleship that had never been seen before was approaching! It is 32,000 yards away! God it should be the Yamato!" Just when they were wondering, the belated news came.  Shocked the entire fleet!  No one expected that the Japanese Navy would actually send the newly commissioned battleship Yamato.

    Thirty kilometers away, a huge mast tower, in the surprised and frightened eyes of the US military masthead lookouts, was like a giant beast in the deep sea, enlarging little by little on the sea level!

    "Disband the formation and break out individually!".

    (To be continued)
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