Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 185 Fierce Fighting in the Rain

When the Spanish fleet set sail, it was raining heavily. There were lightning and thunder in the sky, and heavy rain was pouring down, covering the sea with a sea of ​​white.

Fortunately, the wind and waves in Manila Bay were not strong. The Spanish fleet set sail in the heavy rain and staggered into the depths of the bay in a relatively dense formation.

more than an hour later

Around one o'clock in the afternoon, the raging rainstorm gradually subsided after its initial frenzy.

The heavy rain kept falling, the sound of "clatter" never stopped, the wind and waves on the sea became much smaller, and the visibility was greatly improved.

Because the sky was covered with dark clouds, the light on the sea surface was much dimmer.

The Spanish fleet began to perform zigzag maneuvers through flag signals and lights. This is a typical search formation that can search a larger sea area at one time.

The sea breeze and heavy rain lashed the white sailors' faces and bodies. Every sailor in the fleet stayed at his post with an extremely solemn expression.

They knew that this time they would encounter an enemy stronger than ever before.

More than an hour passed
Colonel Baeno Mendes stood on the flagship, the Princess Reina Cristina. His uniform was wet by the rain, and the sea breeze made him feel cold and uncomfortable.

But at this moment, he did not dare to slack off. He shouted orders: "Rotate the masthead lookout," "Turn left 20 degrees," "Maintain speed," "Increase lookout," and "Inform the friendly squadron to keep a distance of more than 2 kilometers from our fleet."

Naval warfare in the modern era

The masthead lookout plays an important role. He is the whistleblower who discovers enemy situations and the eyes of the entire fleet.

This job is extremely dangerous. One needs to stand in an extremely narrow cage at the top of the mast, tie oneself tightly to the slippery mast, and sway violently as the sailing ship maneuvers left and right. The environment is extremely harsh.

A slight mistake could result in falling into the rough sea or hitting the deck and dying instantly.

The replacement masthead lookout climbed up the main mast like a nimble monkey.

"Sir, have some gin to warm yourself up. This is a good thing." The ship's first mate, Lieutenant Nacho, handed over a flat silver wine jug. The overall color of the wine jug was dark and black, and it was obviously an old item.

Colonel Baeno Mendes did not refuse. He took it and took a sip. The spicy wine went down his throat, and it felt like a line of fire burning.

He handed the flagon back and said, "Thank you, Lieutenant. This is a wonderful gift from the storm. I need you to go to the lower gun deck and make sure all the guns are ready to fire at any time."

"Yes, sir, everything is as you wish." Lieutenant Nacho was a hairy Southern European man. He saluted and turned to leave.

By this time, the masthead lookout had changed shifts.

The lookout, his hands and feet numb from the cold, was climbing down the slippery mast when he suddenly heard the reliever above him desperately ringing the bronze bell and shouting loudly;
"Enemy attack...enemy attack...I saw the ironclad fleet coming towards us."

The sudden battle report frightened the lookout so much that he trembled and lost his grip on the slippery main mast, and his body fell backward due to inertia.

"Ah..." A shrill scream was heard, and the lookout who was on duty fell from the air, and happened to hit Lieutenant Nacho.

Colonel Baeno Méndez could hear the distinct sound of bones breaking, and the two men fell together with a thud, like two lumps of mud squeezed together.

"Oh, damn it! Damn it!"

After witnessing all this, Colonel Baeno Mendes couldn't help but swear. He looked up at the masthead, and the cold rain hit his face heavily.

Colonel Baeno-Mendez had to cover his mouth with his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where is it? Where is it... Which direction?"

"I can see three ironclad ships at half past two on the right. They've spotted us. Oh... God, what the hell is this?"

"Damn it!"

Colonel Baeno Mendez shouted the order: "Sound the battle alert and raise the battle flag. This is a difficult test and we must get through it."

He raised the telescope in his hand and searched the sea carefully. Sure enough, he saw thick black smoke rising into the sky in the direction of 2:30, which was a characteristic of a steamship.

The enemy ironclad ships were still not visible at this time, but everyone's emotions were already extremely tense. The dense alarm bells rang throughout the surrounding waters, like the grinning laughter of the god of death.

After a few minutes
A huge black ship appeared in the distance. It had two huge tall masts, one in front and one in the back, and an extremely thick chimney, which continuously emitted billowing black smoke.

Like a panting, heavily armored warrior, he pounced fiercely.

this moment

Colonel Baeno Mendez felt the hairs on his body stand on end, a great fear enveloped his body and mind, and he could not help but scream wildly;
"Oh my God, what the hell is this? Is it a demon from hell?"

"The fleet turned, adjusted the mainsail, and turned 15 degrees to starboard, allowing our boat to run to the best of its ability."

"I hope it's not too late. This is not something we can deal with."

After the order is issued

The sailors on the ship frantically shook the sails and rudder, turning the mainsail in a direction that could catch the sea breeze.

With a loud "bang", the huge mainsail was filled with the surging sea breeze, and large amounts of water mist fell down, pouring water all over the sailors' heads and faces.

The flagship "Princess Reina Cristina" seemed to be pulled hard by someone and immediately began to speed up.

From the original cruising speed of six to seven knots per hour, it quickly climbed to eight knots... nine knots... ten knots... eleven knots... twelve knots...

After the terrifying figure of a huge ironclad ship appeared on the sea, a second and a third appeared. This frightened Colonel Baeno Mendes so much that he loudly ordered the two Spanish sailing squadrons to escape.

Yes, it’s about running away, not fighting.

Colonel Baeno Mendes' judgment was very accurate. He knew that with his few sailing warships, he had no ability to confront the enemy head-on and could only be ruthlessly crushed.

Naval warfare does not rely on courage alone, but on the tonnage of warships and the caliber of cannons.

When the gap is too big, it's like Don Quixote challenging the windmills, appearing both ignorant and stupid.

From above

The Spanish's six sailing ships formed two parallel columns, with three sailing ships in each column.

At this time, the Spanish sailing columns raised the mainmast and fled to the left and right facing the three ironclad warships that were coming towards them with great momentum.

That’s right, this is not called running away.

Instead, the Spanish fleet sought favorable battle positions, maneuvered flexibly and flexibly with the enemy, continuously attacked the enemy fleet while moving, and looked for opportunities to defeat the enemy.

The two fleets were 5 to 6 chains apart, and the ironclad fleet that was rushing towards them fired its artillery. The rumbling sound of the artillery echoed throughout the bay, igniting the tense atmosphere before the war.

The ironclad fleet wasn't conducting a firing drill; they were using the sound of their guns to convey a message...

Our fleet has encountered the enemy Spanish fleet head-on. The fleets quickly moved towards our fleet and jointly inflicted heavy damage on the enemy.

The huge sound of cannons resounded across the sea and could be heard from far away.

The Chu sailing battleship fleet, not far behind, heard the warning shot and immediately began to adjust their sails to face the wind. They filled the mainsail, jib, and side sails with the sea breeze, and their speed increased dramatically, rushing towards the battlefield with all their might.

After hearing the sound of artillery fire, the battleship and cruiser fleets under the command of the Great Chu all began to speed up and rushed over from different sea areas.

The flagship "Princess Reina Christina" continued to turn left while rapidly increasing its speed, charging toward the northeast, trying to avoid the oncoming armored strike formation.

more than ten minutes later

As the "Princess Reina Christina" avoided the three aggressive ironclad warships, it drew a clear arc on the sea and passed by the oncoming ironclad warships.

Although the distance between the two sides was shortened from 5 to 6 chains to 2 to 3 chains, it was already within the range of ship-borne artillery.

But the "Princess Reina Christina" fleet was not worried. The three sailing warships in the fleet had increased their speed one by one.

At this time, the speed of the entire sailing fleet had reached 12 knots, and it was running out of the edge track like a nimble jackal.

The only real opportunity left for the armored strike formation to fire its naval guns was the brief few minutes when the two sides faced each other.

At best, they could fire one or two rounds of artillery fire. The fleets of both sides were moving at high speeds, and they were crossing each other. The window for firepower strike was very short and extremely difficult.

Even if some damage is caused, it's no big deal.

In today's naval artillery battles, it is common for each side to withstand hundreds of rounds of artillery fire.

But it is a bit too optimistic to think that we can inflict heavy damage on the enemy ships, and the possibility is not great.

"My friends, this is a humiliation inflicted by the brave and fearless Spanish army on the enemy. It turns out... these slow-moving fools can't catch up with us, and can only follow behind our fleet and eat dust."

At this moment, Colonel Baeno Mendes couldn't suppress a smile on his face. He felt the joy of escaping from the mouth of a ferocious lion, and couldn't help showing off.

His words aroused the general excitement of the crew. Having just escaped from the gates of hell, the excited white sailors jumped and danced, waving their hands and cheering loudly.

"Sir, sir..."

The lookout standing on the masthead spotted the fourth ironclad warship swooping down on him aggressively, and immediately rang the bronze bell beside him.

However, amid the cheers and shouts of the white crew, the sound of the bronze bell as big as a bowl was drowned out by the rain and cheers, and no one noticed the coming of danger.

The anxious lookout yelled, but his voice was far less loud than the alarm bell in the wind, rain and noise.

after a while
Colonel Baeno Mendez led his fleet past the enemy's ironclad fleet without the enemy firing a single shot, which once again triggered thunderous cheers from the white sailors.

"Alright, alright, guys, I can only say how proud I am of your superb ship-handling skills. Adhering to centuries of maritime tradition, you are the best, bar none."

The danger is over, Colonel Baeno Mendez announced loudly with all his might, which caused another round of jubilation.

The poor lookout standing on the mast hit the small bronze bell in his hand, causing sparks to fly. Amid the noise and enthusiastic cheers, no one noticed him at all.

The fourth ironclad warship had already rushed over fiercely, and the distance had decreased from more than 4 chains to five or six chains. It could be easily seen by standing at the side of the ship.

The lookout, in a state of anxiety and anger, pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist, cut the rope tied to the copper bell, and then, holding the copper bell in his hand, smashed it hard at the colonel's position.

The violent shaking of the mast still had an impact. The copper bell hit the colonel's feet with a "bang". Colonel Baeno Mendes woke up suddenly and looked up.

Seeing the lookout pointing anxiously into the distance, Colonel Baeno Mendes immediately turned his head to look. With just one glance, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave and began to tremble involuntarily.

The fourth ironclad ship appeared out of nowhere, spewing thick black smoke and rushing towards them. Its dark body exuded a terrifying murderous aura, and its momentum was unstoppable.

The distance between the two is already between three and four chains and is rapidly shortening.

The fourth ironclad ship adjusted its course and was heading head-on. If it really collided with the ship, it would probably be crushed to pieces.

But at this moment, the "Princess Reina Christina" formation was in the stage of high-speed cornering during a sharp turn, and it was impossible to adjust the direction.

In order to avoid the three oncoming ironclad warships, the "Princess Reina Christina" formation made a sharp turn to the right, which was like three motorcycles turning at high speed, with the riders' legs already scraping against the road surface.

The sailboat "Princess Reina Cristina" was turning sharply, and the cross masts of the mainmast were pressed very low and were very close to the sea surface.

in this state
It is impossible to make any sharp turning movements, slow down or increase the speed, and the vehicle is in a short period of stiffness.

As luck would have it, a fourth huge ironclad warship suddenly appeared, constantly adjusting its course to aim at the front of the "Princess Reina Christina" sailing ship. This move was too ruthless.

If the other party succeeds, it will be like a motorcycle turning at high speed and hitting a huge obstacle. The tragic consequences can be imagined.

How could this be?
Colonel Baeno Mendez's brain briefly stopped working for two or three seconds, and then he jumped up as if his butt was burned by fire, and shouted loudly: "Turn the rudder five degrees, hold steady..."

"Turn the rudder back another 5 degrees. Hold steady. You must hold steady."

The distance between the two warships shortened from 4 chains to 2 chains... 2 chains... 1 chain...

Colonel Baeno Mendes and all the white sailors on the ship seemed to be under a spell, watching the enemy's huge black ship pressing down on them like a mountain.

Even more frightening is

The huge black muzzle, with endless and cold murderous intent, adjusted and pointed directly at the sailing ship "Princess Reina Christina", like the death knell of the end of the world.

The huge gun muzzle was slowly turning, always aimed at the Spanish warship. When the two ships were only forty or fifty meters apart, the huge gun platform suddenly shook, making a roar that shook the earth.

The sound of gunfire was the order. After the 15-inch front main gun of the Zhennan ironclad ship fired, the rear main gun and the side guns fired one after another. A series of gunfire sounds like muffled thunder rang out, throwing the huge round iron egg over.

Just for an instant
The sailing ship "Princess Reina Cristina" shook violently like a sieve, and the close-range artillery bombardment hit it, creating holes of various sizes in the hull.

Pause for a few seconds

The violent explosion was accompanied by a dazzling fireball that enveloped the entire ship. After a few sudden bangs, the flames ignited the white canvas and it began to burn.

The tall mast broke with a sharp sound, and the sailboat exploded into pieces. The sailors on the ship fell into the sea one after another like wind grains shaken off by the Bull Demon King.

The two Spanish warships behind them saw this tragic scene clearly and cried out in unison, "Oh... no... this is not real."

How powerful is it?

On the ironclad ship Zhennan, which had achieved success in one fell swoop, all the officers and soldiers burst into warm cheers, and at the urging of their superiors, they hurriedly began to load ammunition and prepare for the next round of shelling.

Wang Dali, the main gunner of the front turret group who delivered the fatal blow, had his ears buzzing even though they were plugged with wooden plugs, but he could not suppress his excitement.

He put his arms around the gunner, Lieutenant Charlie, and lifted him up high.

"Hey, put me down, man. This feels weird. Okay, okay, the battle isn't over yet, put me down." Lieutenant Charlie's face was also full of joy.

Wang Dali then let him go, and then the people in the artillery position were driven by Lieutenant Charlie to quickly clean the hot barrel and load about eight pounds of black powder.

A round cast iron cannonball weighing more than 440 pounds, filled with a large amount of black powder, was grabbed by a loader and loaded into the cannon from the muzzle.

The others desperately shook the roller handles, aiming the black muzzles of the guns at the Spanish warships approaching from behind.

Even if the other side hastily raised the white flag, before the captain gave the order to stop the bombardment, the front and rear main gun platforms and the side gun decks were busy loading the shells into place.

The black muzzles of the guns were pointed at the Spanish warships. As the distance between the two sides got closer, an artillery battle was about to break out.

Because it was following behind the "Princess Reina Cristina" at a distance of more than one kilometer, the Spanish sailing ship behind had more opportunities to adjust.

At this time, the Spanish sailing ship had adjusted its sharply tilted angle, but the two sides were inevitably approaching each other rapidly.

"Boom boom boom..."

After a series of naval gun salvos, the Spanish warships took the lead in firing when the distance was within two chains.

More than a dozen black round shells came crashing down, most of which hit the ironclad ship "Zhennan", leaving obvious marks on the thick armor, and then bounced off.

The protective power of these heavy armors is so excellent that it is impossible to break through them.

Less than a minute later

The thick smoke had not yet dissipated, and the distance between the two sides had approached about one chain. During a brief encounter, the ironclad ship "Zhennan" fired another fatal salvo.

The rumbling sound of cannons broke the calm of the sea. The ironclad ship "Zhennan" sprayed out large balls of orange-red flames. The huge recoil pushed the ironclad ship sideways several meters away, and thick smoke rose like dark clouds.

The fired shells fell like raindrops, and amidst a series of teeth-grinding shattering sounds, more than a dozen thrilling gaps suddenly appeared on the Spanish warship.

Unfortunately
Because the 15-pound main gun was so powerful, it directly smashed through the rear stern of the sailing warship. The shell fell into the sea and exploded, creating waves as high as tens of meters.

Although the Spanish warship was badly damaged by the artillery fire, it luckily escaped the disaster. The two ships sailed away in a panic.

The ironclad ship "Zhennan" also fired two rounds of artillery fire at the third Spanish sailing ship behind it, causing some damage to it, but not fatal.

After a short and brutal naval battle, a Spanish sailing squadron was basically destroyed, one ship was sunk, two were slightly damaged, and more than 220 enemy white sailors were killed or wounded, achieving an important victory.

(End of this chapter)