What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 257 Early Contact (2000 Monthly Tickets in April)

The Second Fleet in the High Seas has 7 warships remaining.

[Survival time: 23 hours and 37 minutes]

On the evening of the 28th.

Several days after "going abroad", Tang Wen's satellite phone finally came online and he immediately received a call.

"Tang Wen? You're not in the Second Fleet, are you?"

Hearing Lao Zhang's somewhat anxious voice, Tang Wen immediately understood what misunderstandings had arisen in China due to the loss of contact over the past few days.

"Of course not, I'm in Southeast Asia."

Old Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. The size of the Second Fleet was beyond imagination, which also proved that the power behind it was extraordinary.

An organization that can risk everything with at least a thousand people is worth getting to know, whether it's good or bad. It would be bad if Tang Wen also got into danger.

Tang Wen: "I'm a bit busy here, it's not safe to talk for too long. Don't worry, I'm perfectly safe!"

After the Second Fleet left the waters off Argentina, the public remained very interested in the fleet, but their whereabouts were lost.

After all, the intelligence that the US obtains using B-52 bombers and reconnaissance satellites is not easily revealed to the media.

The outside world knows nothing about the amazing qualities exhibited by several warships.

The Beijing Strategic Research Office couldn't help but feel a little worried, especially since the current unusual quiet seemed to foreshadow an impending storm.

"Now Hans is going crazy. This fleet has only brought them more trouble. The investigation team has refused Hans's participation in the interception and investigation of the Second Fleet on the high seas. Only at the very end can they prove their innocence."

Old Zhang revealed some information that Tang Wen hadn't had time to find out, and then asked:

"Could you tell me how the Second Fleet will withdraw?"

This time, Tang Wen remained silent for a while before speaking:

"I have no intelligence either, but I know that two fleets are approaching. I expect that there will be contact tomorrow, and the Second Fleet will not surrender."

After hanging up the phone, it was morning in China, and Beijing was enjoying a rare sunny day, but Old Zhang felt inexplicably cold.

……

The phone call wasn't Tang Wen trying to create suspense; it was an unexpected turn of events.

Only a few foreign media outlets mentioned the three-nation fleet coming from Gibraltar; Tang Wen estimated its route and speed.

The Atlantic Fleet had three battleships. Bismarck determined the approximate route and estimated the speed of travel by using the aging battleships as the standard for calculation, based on the principle of "barrels being far apart".

The contact on the afternoon of the 29th is just a guess. Any slight unexpected event could delay it by several hours or even half a day, but it won't be earlier.

But what he didn't expect was that, because of the Carr's outstanding performance, the Atlantic Fleet accelerated and split its forces even faster.

Because the USS Carl could not be located by satellite or other means throughout the day on the 28th, the George carrier strike group, fearing a surprise attack on Panama, rushed to the Caribbean Sea at full speed to launch aircraft to search for it.

The reason it couldn't be found was simple: the Carr didn't head west but straight north, maintaining a high speed of 67.4 knots. The satellites didn't believe it could keep going that fast, so it was out of the search range.

Moreover, finding a destroyer in the vast ocean using only satellites is an even greater challenge.

Even after the Bismarck battle group shook off the Dubre, they encountered the usual gathering of clouds over the Atlantic in the afternoon, making it impossible for the satellite to distinguish the smoke generators and the clouds.

Both sides are currently in complete darkness, but both believe that the first contact will not occur before dawn on the 29th.

As night fell, Dalton's battleship squadron encountered a torrential downpour.

On the bridge of the USS New Jersey, the command teams of seven warships are holding a conference call:

"Meteorological experts used supercomputers to analyze the latest cloud images and found that the storm that formed in the west is moving towards the center of the Atlantic Ocean. It will be close to the center of the cyclone in another 600 nautical miles."

We are now right at the edge of the storm. At our current speed, we will be safe when we arrive, but the Second Fleet's northward advance may be hindered, further delaying contact.

Are the waves very big?

"Even without the risk of sinking, many external antennas and observation equipment would be damaged, and their commander would definitely detour or slow down."

Dalton nodded. Sometimes, the enemy is more formidable than the opponent. Even a 50,000-ton battleship is nothing in the face of towering waves.

"Our radar needs to be properly protected to prevent it from malfunctioning tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

Dalton didn't rush to end the meeting; he had a few minor details to add. "Report: Target detected by radar at 67 kilometers!"

A servant entered, and Edwin immediately asked:

"Is it a merchant ship or an ally's warship?"

"None of them, it's most likely the Carl."

"This is impossible!"

Dalton stood up abruptly, his voice echoing across the bridges of all seven warships.

Edwin frowned and said, "How could it be so fast? It's so far away and there's a storm... Tell me how you judged that."

"The radars of the two frigates detected them first, determining their bearings to be the same, accompanied by a very strong reflection signal, because its speed was close to 70 knots."

Time seemed to freeze on the bridge for a moment before Edwin immediately unfurled the chart, located the marked position, and began calculating using a scale. Finally, he placed his hands on the drawing board and said in disbelief:

"This means that the Carr would have to sail at 57 knots continuously for 26 hours to have any chance of colliding with us now."

He suddenly looked up and met Dalton's eyes.

……

[Entering radar detection range, our ship has been detected!]

At 0:50 on the 29th, the Carl finally located the Atlantic Fleet, 12 hours ahead of the Bismarck formation.

The severe weather had no effect on it; it continued to speed along at top speed. In fact, the Carr took a detour, using a serpentine maneuver to expand the search area; otherwise, it could have gone even faster.

The appearance of the Carl thoroughly frightened the Atlantic Fleet; they even hoped it wasn't the Carl.

But seeing the relentless radar targets, Dalton immediately ordered the three battleships to disperse and the four escort ships to shield the battleships from further damage.

At the same time, the lead escort ship, USS McClusky, began issuing warnings to USS Carl:
"Unidentified vessel, unidentified vessel, you have approached the Atlantic Fleet. Reduce speed to below 10 knots immediately and identify yourself! Repeat, reduce speed and identify yourself, or we will be forced to defend ourselves!"

As the call was being made, the two outermost frigates were already turning, preparing to get close enough to intercept the Karl.

Bismarck Lütjens could not see the Atlantic Fleet on his nautical chart. After hearing the call from the McClusky, he looked at Tang Wen, who was flashing towards him.

"That's enough. Turn around. This time, 36 knots will do. Lure and keep watch."

If the Carr continues north, it will inevitably cause the Atlantic Fleet to change its target, and it will easily suffer a pointless loss. Its purpose is to engage the main force in a head-on confrontation.

Moreover, Tang Wen believed that since the Atlantic Fleet had an aircraft carrier, getting any closer would likely arouse great suspicion, so it was better to retreat proactively.

With the accurate location, the two fleets might make contact not at 13 PM, but earlier.

He reinstated the original destroyer captain, completely relieved, and returned to the Bismarck squadron, which was sailing at full speed, making slight adjustments to the course once again.

……

As McClusky watched with a mixture of surprise and delight, the Carl, before even entering visual range, made a beautiful turn and began to accelerate in the opposite direction.

There has been no response, and it cannot be confirmed by other means.

Dalton was getting anxious and quickly ordered the helicopter to take off, but the pilot made it clear that in these sea conditions, it would be suicide.

However, they soon discovered that the Carl had reduced its speed and maintained a normal level of 36 knots.

In the shortest amount of time, Dalton made a guess:

"This destroyer is most likely not the USS Carl, but rather they have a secret port in a small place around Dominica and want to create panic in this way."

That high-speed mode can't be maintained for long!

He firmly refused to believe that a warship could run at nearly 70 knots all day, and guessed what he considered to be the most reasonable truth.

Edwin agreed, then asked:

"Want to give chase?"

"Chase!"

"Have the two escort ships accelerate and catch up. The remaining ships, form a defensive formation, be alert for anti-submarine warfare, and guard against surprise attacks!"

(End of this chapter)