Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 311: Fierce Battle at the Bay Mouth

"Coming, coming, combat alert..."

The alarm bell on the 7th floor pagoda of Corregidor Fortress suddenly rang, and the melodious bell sounds spread far away along the sea.

The sound of alarm bells echoed between the sea and the sky, which invisibly made the atmosphere suddenly tense.

Faintly...

Alarm bells also echoed from the Cavite Peninsula, and then from the Fubo Gate Fortress near the Manila Port.

Immediately, the alarm bells in Manila's Intramuros also began to ring, echoing throughout the city for a long time...

Lieutenant General Qian Jiang, Minister of Military Affairs, walked to the window of the pagoda and looked out with a frown.

He has been personally in charge of the Corregidor Fort's artillery for a week. As soon as the British and French fleet left Davao Bay, Lieutenant General Qian Jiang immediately rushed to the fort's command position and began to deploy combat matters.

The King of Chu personally came to Batangas to take charge. In the previous sand table simulation, there was a high probability that the British and French forces would break into the fortress on Ford Island and land there.

Now the main force of the First Expeditionary Division and the newly formed Second, Third and Seventh Royal Regiments, totaling more than 1.6 troops, and 2 militiamen have gathered here, preparing to fight a battle to defend the beach.

The 5th floor of the pagoda is the command position of Lieutenant General Qian Jiang. More than a dozen officers gather here, and there is a lookout at each window to report the latest military intelligence observed on the sea.

"Reporting to the commander, we have observed a squadron separated from the enemy's large fleet and heading towards our strait, intending to force its way through."

"Battle alert, order all batteries to load ammunition and prepare for bombardment."

"Visual observations indicate four enemy sailing battleships, two armored warships in the foremost, two wooden sailing warships in the rear, and seven sailing cruisers, a total of 4 warships, advancing in a single column."

"At 3:40 pm, the enemy fleet is 3700 meters away..."

"At 3:45 pm, the enemy fleet is 1500 meters away..."

"Fort C, first salvo, fire..."

"Boom boom boom..."

The first round of artillery fire from Fort Corregidor was from the six ten-inch rifled guns of Battery C, which roared and fired six shells.

Six shells fell into the sea, splashing up six tall columns of water. The closest shell landed only a few dozen meters away from the British ship.

This shows that the azimuth of the artillery fire is very accurate and does not need to be modified. Just keep bombarding it, using covering firepower to pursue the probability of hitting, and you will get a hit quickly.

Sure enough, in the second round of shelling, a shell hit the stern tower of the third-ranked British ship. The shell exploded, causing certain casualties to the officers and soldiers on board.

"Oh, it hit me."

There was a cheer from the "C" type artillery battery, and then the officers and soldiers rolled up their sleeves and started round after round of artillery fire, working in full swing.

After the "C" type battery started firing first, other batteries opened fire one after another within a short period of 1 minute, and soon formed a dense rain of artillery, which smashed heavily on the British sailing battleship fleet that forced its way into the strait.

In a blink of an eye
Hundreds of large-caliber artillery pieces roared, and the Corregidor Fortress at this moment was like a monster spewing fire. Large balls of orange-red flames flickered, and large patches of gray-black silencers rose up like dark clouds, and instantly became violent.

The Hudson Bay armored battleship at the forefront has a displacement of 2852 tons and is the flagship of Major General Harry Clark. The ship is equipped with a total of 106 guns of different calibers. The wooden hull is covered with 2.8 inches of iron armor, which is equivalent to 7.1 cm thick.

"Bang bang... bang bang bang!"

Shells rained down, and several hit the Hudson Bay. The hull vibrated violently after being hit. The subsequent explosion tore the sails, and shrapnel whistled and knocked over more than 10 sailors, followed by screams.

Major General Harry Clark stood beside the helmsman without frowning, giving orders calmly, directing the sails, and leading the fleet to rush towards Manila Bay.

His command position was unobstructed, which was the usual way for British captains to show their bravery. They would live and die with all the sailors on the ship and would never hide away like cowards.

"Keep course, bombard the shore, open fire."

After approaching the Corregidor Fort, the "Hudson's Bay" finally stopped being silent. The ship's broadside guns roared, and it fired back with all its might amidst the flashing flames.

The fortress and the British fleet that forced its way into the bay launched a fierce bombardment, and the sound of the artillery roared across the sea.

The leading "Hudson's Bay" plunged into the jungle of water columns, and continued to move forward tenaciously despite the dense barrage of shells.

In just a few minutes
The battleship "Hudson's Bay" was hit by dozens of shells. The shells landed on the deck and exploded, setting off waves of bloody storms, which caused heavy casualties to the sailors on the deck.

At the end of this era of sailing warships, large five-masted warships such as the Hudson's Bay were equipped with more than 58000 sails with a total sail area of ​​more than square feet. Various sail capstans were like a maze, controlling the windward angle of the sails.

The sailors used the winches to operate the sails and fire the top deck guns, which exposed them to the deck and made them the main victims of the bombardment.

The armored side of the battleship "Hudson Bay" was constantly hit by loud "bang bang bang" sounds, which was creepy to hear.

If the thick armor is broken and the powerful bombardment shells fall into the cabin and explode, it will not be as simple as killing a few sailors. It may break the keel, break the mast, tear a huge crack, and cause irreversible and fatal damage to the hull.

Fortunately, the Hudson's Bay sailing battleship was aiming at a position slightly east of the center line of the strait, about 1300 meters away from the lowest waterfront pier of Corregidor Fortress.

At this distance
The damage caused by the coastal heavy artillery to the ships was still within an acceptable level. The sailing battleship "Hudson Bay" had been hit by dozens of shells, but it still rushed into the strait despite the damage.

at this time
The huge hull of the sailing battleship "Hudson's Bay" shook suddenly, and after making a dull sound like shaking a sieve, the entire huge ship suddenly stopped, and then the hull turned sideways uncontrollably.

Oh, my God! We hit a wreck.

Damn it!

Major General Harry Clark understood instantly and his face turned pale. He had already felt the call of death. All 662 officers and soldiers on the Hudson Bay sailing battleship were on the brink of danger.

He never expected

The cunning Chu people actually blocked 3 kilometers of the main channel of the 2-kilometer-wide strait, leaving only a channel less than one kilometer long on the side near the Corregidor Fortress.

Major General Harry Clark was very experienced. Through the collision, he knew that the huge tonnage of the "Hudson's Bay" hit the shipwreck due to inertia, and it might have also knocked the shipwreck on the seabed askew.

The force was so strong that it even knocked the sunken ship on the seabed back more than ten meters.

Therefore, after the collision, most of the crew members of the "Hudson Bay" were still able to stand, except for the two unlucky rigging hands at the masthead who failed to grab the ropes in a hurry and fell from a height with screams.

He fell into the sea with a "splash, splash" sound, but luckily he did not die on the deck.

See this scene
The sailors on the ship could only quickly take off the lifebuoy and throw it far into the sea. As for other things, they were powerless to do anything.

After the impact

The Hudson Bay, with its 71.5-meter-long hull, was turned sideways and lay motionless at the entrance of Manila Bay, as if it were nailed to death.

No matter how hard the crew tried to manipulate the sails, it simply wouldn't budge.

"Report the damage."

"Reporting to the fleet commander, a 26-foot-wide crack has appeared in the bottom of the ship. A large amount of seawater is pouring in, flooding the keel of the lower hold. It is impossible to detect whether it has been broken."

"Damn it! Damn it! Prepare to abandon ship." Major General Harry Clarke reluctantly gave the order to abandon ship. Such a large breach was impossible to repair, and the artillery fire from the coastal fortress continued to pour down on them, showing no sign of mercy.

To know

The underwater part of the "Hudson Bay" was not covered with armor, but was made entirely of wood. With a large amount of seawater pouring in, it was impossible to stop the emergency repairs.

Following closely behind the "Hudson's Bay", the second and third ranked sailing battleships are the "Earl Perrin" and the "Arabian Sheik". Both ships are typical 18-gun sailing battleships of the late 74th century and have been in service for decades.

Due to her age and the end of her Royal Navy service career, she was not retrofitted with armor.

After seeing the sudden change in the course of the Hudson Bay, the experienced British captain at the rear was briefly surprised. He quickly determined the real reason and quickly gave the order to "turn the rudder".

The Earl Perrin and the Arab Sheikh were both in a single column, about 400 yards apart, firing their broadsides at opposite shores and were engaged in a fierce exchange of fire.

The ship's sudden and sharp turn instantly caused the artillerymen on the gun deck to lose their target.

Can see clearly

The Earl of Perrin turned sharply, avoiding the huge hull of the Hudson's Bay that was coming across, and headed straight for the Corregidor Fortress Pier.

When the Earl Perrin passed the Hudson Bay at close range, it successfully entered the Manila Bay waterway and did not encounter any unexpected shipwrecks on the seabed.

Come to think of it, the Chu people wouldn't be stupid enough to block the entire waterway, then wouldn't they be useless?

But the captain of the "Earl Perrin" could not laugh, but his expression became more and more frightened.

Because he found that the fortress's artillery fire was bombarding the "Count Perrin" with dense rain of bullets, and he was now bearing the heaviest concentrated fire.

What is even more despairing is

The Earl of Perrin's sudden evasive maneuver had just caused the sailing warship to rush towards the fortress. The distance between the two sides quickly shortened from over a thousand meters to 800 meters... 700 meters... 600 meters...

Due to the huge inertia and the low speed, the stress response of the sail is not as sensitive as when traveling at high speed on the sea.

Even though the captain yelled at the top of his lungs and the crew frantically cranked the steering wheel, they only managed to right the bow of the ship, and the ship was still moving towards the fortress.

500 meters...400 meters...

Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, some of the shots were particularly dull, as if a giant was hitting my heart with a sledgehammer, and the bone-chilling chill rose from the soles of my feet.

Before the British sailors could react, the "Earl Perrin" was hit by three heavy shells in succession. The huge shells easily broke through the thick plate on the side of the ship and had a devastating effect.

Then, amid the desperate screams of the British sailors, a 400-pound shell suddenly exploded. The huge fireball formed enveloped the 65-meter-long hull, countless sails and cables were blown off, and the sails were ruthlessly torn to pieces.

Three consecutive violent explosions tore the "Earl Perrin" sailing ship into pieces, countless broken wooden boards flew into the air, and a large amount of limbs were thrown away.

The Earl of Perrin, without armor protection, was ravaged like a helpless woman under the continuous attack of 400-pound bombs.

And the tragedy was not over yet. The British sailors on the following "Arab Chieftain" screamed in fear as they watched the "Earl Perrin" being torn apart by heavy artillery.

Because their ship was also sliding towards the fortress, the strait channel was only one kilometer wide. After a sharp turn at close range, the huge inertia of the sideways movement caused the ship to inevitably slide towards the fortress.

I don’t know who took the lead, but driven by fear, several British sailors jumped off the ship first, and fell into the turbulent sea with a splash.

Then more white sailors began to follow suit, and the British sailors on the "Arab Chieftain" jumped into the sea like dumplings.

The sea is now littered with scattered wooden planks, barrels, boxes, burnt sails and floating corpses. As long as you hold on to a piece of wood, there is a high chance of survival.

If you continue to stay on the boat, there is a 99% chance that you will die a miserable death.

Aboard the battleship Hudson's Bay

Major General Harry Clark witnessed all this with a pale face. Now the battleship he was on was no longer the main target of attack by the fortress's coastal artillery, and was able to survive for the time being.

But the battleship "Hudson Bay" had already sunk for the most part, and some of the other crew members climbed onto three small sampans, which were crowded with people and then quickly rowed away.

There is one last small dinghy, and Major General Harry Clark is unwilling to leave. He will abide by the tradition of the British Royal Navy and sink with his ship.

"Sir, you are commanding a great fleet sailing into hell. Look at the Earl Perrin, and oh my God, the Arab Sheik. They are all heading for destruction, and the rest of the warships are no exception."

"Please change the order. This will save more brave Royal Navy officers and soldiers from innocent deaths. This is ridiculous. Why send them to die in vain?"

"Oh my God, please wake up!"

The urgent urging of the officers around him finally awakened the conscience in Major General Harry Clark. He smiled bitterly and nodded, saying, "Pass on my order. Have the fleet change course and evacuate the battlefield."

"As you command, sir."

The authorized officer immediately stood up and, without the need for a messenger to give orders, directly picked up the signal flag and sent a flag signal to the warships behind, "change course and evacuate the battlefield."

The sailing ironclad battleship "Lexington" following behind was the first to see the flag command, and immediately turned the rudder to the left as if it had been pardoned. The huge battleship drew a clear arc on the sea and headed northwest, brushing the entrance of Manila Bay.

The British sailing cruisers following behind, one after another, turned the rudder to the left as if they had circled at the gate of hell, and followed the sailing battleship "Lexington" and fled away.

The white British officers and soldiers on these sailing warships also witnessed the final demise of the "Arab Chieftain", and all of them had tragic expressions on their faces.

For a fragile warship like the "Arab Sheikh" to charge into the strait under the repeated ravages of heavy coastal artillery, it would be simply courting death.

After being hit by several 15-inch Dahlgren bombardment shells in succession, the "Arab Sheikh" was enveloped in a huge orange fireball. The violent explosion was like a heavy hammer hitting the heart, tearing the huge hull of the sailing ship into pieces.

The air waves generated by the explosion raised the sea level hundreds of meters away by one or two meters. No one could survive in the fireball of the explosion.

After a series of violent explosions, the fortress's coastal artillery, which had been firing crazily, also stopped, and the battlefield, which had just been boiling, quickly became quiet, as if it were a memorial service.

The strait was littered with debris, black oil stains accompanied by large pools of blood and countless corpses. Two wrecked sailing ships were floating on the sea and burning fiercely. The thick smoke caused by them looked particularly miserable.

At the entrance to the strait

Most of the battleship "Hudson Bay" had sunk, leaving only the towering stern tower still floating on the sea.

Perhaps because the sea here is not deep enough, the stern tower, which is 27 meters high from bottom to top, is exposed obliquely above the sea surface, becoming a footnote to this short and brutal naval battle.

Major General Harry Clark, who was determined to die, had his uniform mostly wet. In the end, he was dragged onto a small dinghy by other sailors and left the strait with great sadness.

Because the battleship "Hudson Bay" collided with the sunken ship, the entire hull was across the mouth of the strait. Pushed by the waves entering the strait, it was unable to leave by its own strength.

It was like being nailed to the spot until it finally sank.

All the officers and soldiers of the British Second Battle Squadron, which turned sharply to leave the mouth of the strait, watched this hellish scene silently, wondering what they felt in their hearts.
Due to the structure of the wooden warships, the two shattered British sailing battleships remained floating on the sea, burning in the fire.

Even after nightfall, it was still floating on the sea and burning.

After the British fleet left, the officers and soldiers on the battery of Corregidor Fort rowed out in small boats to rescue the crew on the sea. They actually collected 231 people, most of whom were crew members of the "Arab Chieftain", which was a considerable harvest.

(End of this chapter)