What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 209 Colbert (3400 monthly votes in March)

Upon receiving the mission, an unseen force extended the sperm whale 1's underwater breath-holding time to 20 hours, giving Tang Wen 2 hours to prepare.

He can prepare warships first, and then directly deploy them to the story mission location for the final battle.

However, Tang Wen felt his scalp tingle when he saw this mission. Let alone the fact that it was limited to V-class and above warships, even a level 11 ☆-class super warship could not withstand the firepower of a modern fleet!
Fortunately, there was a lineup hint, and Tang Wen finally knew the composition of his opponent:
2条法系花月级护卫舰、1条法系闪电级船坞登陆舰，1条英系42型驱逐舰、1条西系圣玛利亚级护卫舰、2条补给舰，以及2条F系阿戈斯塔级潜艇，分别是阿戈斯塔号和拉普雷亚号。

Its main combat capability lies in one British-flagged destroyer, HMS Southampton, which was built in the 1970s. It has a displacement of over 3500 tons and possesses strong air defense capabilities. It was the first advanced destroyer to adopt all-gas turbine propulsion and integrated control. However, it did not carry shipborne anti-ship missiles and could only launch light missiles from helicopters. Its main gun was a 114mm naval gun.

It is still usable. The other three frigates have strong anti-submarine capabilities. The "Flower Moon" class has a full load displacement of 4000 tons and a low speed of only 20 knots. It is equipped with two "Exocet" missiles and a 100mm naval gun.

The Santa Maria-class frigate has a full displacement of 4000 tons, a speed of 29 knots, and is equipped with 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 6 torpedoes, and a 76mm naval gun.

The two Agosta-class conventional submarines have an underwater displacement of over 1700 tons, slightly larger than a sperm whale. Their maximum underwater speed is only 17 knots, which can only be maintained for one hour. They are capable of launching four Exocet missiles and 16 torpedoes, posing a significant threat.

All this information was thanks to the modern naval information collected by Tang Yi, which was gathered and compiled for him as quickly as possible.

Looking at Lin's exaggerated technical parameters, Tang Wen instantly felt that he had no chance of winning.

The dog game spawns 20 kilometers from the mixed fleet, making it impossible to hide under modern radar.

If it were to appear directly in front of the formation, attacking it with the main guns might offer some chance; keeping distance would only make you a sitting duck.

As for our own warships that can be deployed... all of Geijin's ships have sailed to the Spratly Islands, and the Twin Moons are still undergoing crew training, so none of them can be deployed!

Tang Wen quickly contacted the Sperm Whale 3, which was still in the Luzon Sea, to find out if it had recently sunk any ships.

According to the coordinates transmitted back by the Sperm Whale, it is currently lingering near Leyte Gulf. At most, it can salvage two ships in two hours, or even an hour and a half, and conservatively, it can only salvage one.

Tang Wen didn't care about anything else and sent it to the nearest destroyer, the Akizuki, which had already been discovered.

The Akizuki is the lead ship of the Japanese Akizuki-class, classified as Tier 8 in the game. It has six 100mm main guns and six torpedo launchers, making it very powerful.

As for the rest... we can only hope to open boxes.

The two enclosed berths in the Greater Bay Port have not been dismantled and remain closed and unattended as usual.

Tang Wen opened a supply box without hesitation.

[Open super supply box*1]

[Acquired: French Tier X cruiser "Colbert", French Tier X captain Robert Jojar]

Colbert:
Dimensions: 180 meters long, 20 meters wide, 7.5 meters draft;
Displacement: standard displacement 10000 tons, full load displacement 13677 tons;
Boiler: 4 boilers with 90000 horsepower, maximum speed 33 knots;
Main guns: 8 twin-mounted 127mm dual-purpose guns;
Secondary armament: 10 twin-mounted 57mm dual-purpose guns

Special Consumable: Engine Boost: Speed ​​+20%

Colbert, a cruiser built by France in the 50s, used a large number of dual-purpose guns as its main armament due to the limitations of the era, making it a rare modern warship in the game.

The key point is... this ship didn't actually sink in reality.

The model in the game is an early 50s version, while the real Kobel underwent various modern modifications starting in the 50s and was used until its retirement in 1991. It has now been leased by a private company to serve as a museum.

So... there are two Colberts in the world now, one is the real Colbert after modern modifications, and the other is a replica of the original 50s blank hull.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Wen had an idea.

The mission is to escort the Sperm Whale, not to defeat a mixed fleet.

He believed that the Germans in the fleet would recognize the Colbert at a glance, and wondered if they could make something of it.
...On the HMS Southampton.

Captain Figs is in close contact with the three frigates via radio.

A few hours ago, they discovered an unknown submarine in this area.

This is nothing special; many warships and merchant ships pass through the Suez Canal every day, and submarines from many countries also pass through frequently.

If it were a submarine belonging to a neutral party within an agreement, it would at least give a heads-up and pass through harmlessly if discovered, rather than surfacing and then suddenly diving down.

The sudden appearance of an unidentified submarine, an unidentified target, and a refusal to communicate with other vessels around a formation that was conducting exercises raises serious concerns about its danger.

Based on the data obtained from sonar, they guessed it should be a conventional submarine, and its ownership was unknown.

Submarines have always been shrouded in mystery, and even close allies are not informed of their whereabouts.

Moreover, judging from the other party's reaction, they are definitely not allies.

What are we waiting for? Seize them!
Sinking it wouldn't be an achievement, but if we could force it to surface, it would be a result no less significant than sinking it in this post-Cold War era—something we could boast about for a long time.

After all, revealing the submarine's location is tantamount to losing one's life.

The entire mixed fleet was originally going back to its hometown to rest and recuperate, but unexpectedly encountered a big fish. It immediately scattered and formed a dense anti-submarine formation, and launched two helicopters to search for it.

Two Agosta-class submarines also sank into the water, searching for their target with great fanfare.

If they weren't allies, the submarine that appeared at this location should actually be a nuclear submarine. Ordinary submarines don't have that strong long-range combat capability and are generally not sent out.

It is very likely a Kilo-class aircraft carrier, but it could also be a Type 209 that Hans sold; they have many export models.

He was quite certain that the unknown submarine was trapped within 10 kilometers of this area. If it could hold out for 48 to 72 hours, and provided the submarine's captain wasn't insane, it would definitely surface and surrender.

A Lynx helicopter carrying two MK11-3 depth charges flew over the bridge, dropped a string of sonobuoys shortly afterward, and continued its search toward the suspected area.

However, the helicopters will keep as far away from the warship as possible to avoid interfering with the sonar operators.

Philg closed his eyes, mentally simulating the unknown submarine's course and considering which direction he should evade if he were in its shoes.

As a British officer, Philger possessed detailed hydrographic data for this sea area, and suitable terrain for submarine concealment was being rapidly screened and searched.

All he could hear were the hurried and careful footsteps of the personnel, the hum of the electromechanical systems, the whooshing of the exhaust fans, the sound of the waves as the warship cut across the sea, and the dense barrage of the 100mm rapid-fire naval guns.

Philg opened his eyes.

The continuous "bang bang bang" of cannon fire reached his ears, and he was quite certain that he hadn't misheard.

"Which Frenchman is firing? Are they trying to sink a submarine with their naval guns?!"

Only two Flower Moon-class destroyers in the fleet had 100 guns, and Philger locked onto the target effortlessly.

But when he looked up, he saw two "Flower Moon" class submarines focused on anti-submarine warfare, one on the left and one on the right.

The sound of artillery fire came from behind.

"Report! Radar has detected a target!"

(End of this chapter)