What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 263 Support
The Gresenau has a triple 533 torpedo launcher on each side, with a range of 6 kilometers and a maximum speed of 64 knots, which increases to 67 knots with boost.

If the menacing USS Wisconsin were to actually ram into the USS Gresenau, it would surely sink. The USS Wisconsin launched three torpedoes in succession as soon as the USS Wisconsin came into range.

The first missile struck below the bow, causing a violent explosion below the waterline of the already damaged bow, tearing out a terrifying hole.

The damage control team that had just arrived to try to repair the damage was completely wiped out, and the bow of the ship began to take on water.

However, as long as the hatches are sealed immediately, the 50,000-ton Wisconsin will not sink.

The second torpedo arrived and hit the torpedo bulge amidships, causing water ingress and minor deformation.

Finally, the third torpedo struck the area between the first two, and the underwater explosion caused the steel to deform violently. The damage caused by the first torpedo expanded, and water began to enter the adjacent compartments.

Before the remaining damage control team arrived, several sealed compartments began to take on large amounts of water simultaneously.

The USS Wisconsin, traveling at 33 knots, suddenly sank its bow and tilted to starboard due to its immense inertia, forcing more seawater into the ship's hold and into the damaged No. 1 ammunition magazine.

In less than a minute, thousands of tons of seawater rushed in, causing the Wisconsin's speed to drop sharply to 20 knots and begin to list to starboard.

It hasn't sunk yet, but according to the system's assessment, it has already lost its combat capability.

Indeed, the rescue team immediately went to seal the gate and plug the damaged sealed chamber, while another team prepared to inject water to the left for balance. The plan was sound.

However, after modernization, the crew of the USS Wisconsin was also greatly reduced. The previous damage had already cost many of the damage control team members. When the last brave crew members reached the bottom of the ship, they were immediately submerged by the surging seawater.

One minute later, the bow of the USS Wisconsin broke off and the speed dropped to only a few knots, almost coming to a stop. All the crew members devoted themselves to the rescue.

By this time, he had already signaled the sinking of the fleet, and the Second Fleet did not launch another attack.

Inside the tilting bridge, Andrew, holding onto the leaning wall, grabbed someone at random and asked:

"Where's Captain Syplence? Get him to a safe location!"

The crew member almost cried as he said, "Captain Syplence suffered severe bleeding during surgery and was just undergoing the most delicate procedures. Now, I'm afraid..."

Under such circumstances, how could the surgery possibly be completed safely?
Almost simultaneously, the leader of the last damage control team, soaking wet, met Andrew:
"The flooding in the forward compartment is unstoppable. The Wisconsin is sucking in thousands of tons of seawater every minute, and it is beyond saving."

Andrew: "Only three torpedoes, while the Yamato sank after being hit by twenty torpedoes."

Squad leader: "The torpedo that hit the Yamato was a light aerial torpedo, but we were hit by a heavy torpedo, and the bow had already been damaged, and the structure was completely destroyed."

If the damage control team were still around, perhaps they could slowly salvage the situation, but now…

Andrew looked grave; he couldn't believe it.

"Woo——"

A deep blast of the ship's horn jolted him awake. Andrew turned his head and saw that there was a layer of pure white smoke outside the warship.

Amidst the heavy blast of the ship's horn, a battleship that seemed to have traveled through time appeared less than 10 meters from the USS Wisconsin, almost brushing past them at high speed.

He stared intently at Gresenau, whose entire body was also covered in burn marks. The ship had several dangerous breaches in its hull, and the exposed secondary guns on the deck were charred black, with the gun barrels twisted beyond recognition.

The entire bridge looked like it had been burned, but even at such close range, Andrew could still see people inside wearing dark blue uniforms, who were also watching them.

He also spotted the torpedo launchers and recognized the three twin-gun turrets as belonging to the Gresenau.

The enemy doesn't look much better than the Wisconsin, in fact, it's in worse shape. I really don't know how we can continue fighting. If we didn't have torpedoes, would we even have succeeded?

The Gresenau sped past them, but left all the lifeboats behind and continued the pursuit amidst the smoke.

Andrew suddenly stumbled—the ship began to list.

He instinctively reached for his waist, but was immediately stopped by a servant who then grabbed him and cried out:
"Sir, let's go. BB-64 gave her all, and Cyprus will always be with her!"

Andrew closed his eyes, blood-stained tears sliding down his cheeks, and murmured:

"Sound the horn in farewell, all ships—evacuate!"

He still clung to a last glimmer of hope that the 50,000-ton warship wouldn't perish as quickly as the Carl or the Clarkling, and that it would take at least several hours to capsize. He thought that if it could get help from other warships, there might still be hope.

Even being towed back to Norfolk at a speed of 5 knots is better than being salvaged later.

For this reason, Andrew simply announced in the fleet's internal channel that he was withdrawing from the battle and that personnel were beginning to evacuate.

But evacuation was no longer an option, as fuel began to leak from the Wisconsin and the fire spread rapidly.

Even though the Gresenau jettisoned lifeboats, it wasn't enough, and many people had to cling to planks and jump into the sea.

……

If the sinking of the two Perry-class destroyers was painful for Dalton, abandoning the Wisconsin was like a punch to the head.

This is a capital ship, a 50,000-ton fast battleship!

Apart from the unfortunate Oklahoma and Arizona, the Imperial Navy never sank a single battleship in a formal naval battle!

As the supreme commander, if he fails to annihilate the Second Fleet, his tenure as supreme commander will be over, and he may even face public accountability.

In a 3v2 situation, our two remaining battleships are completely at a disadvantage!
Dalton was heartbroken and could hardly breathe, and he was beginning to worry about the possibility of failure.

However, at that moment, a call was interrupted by the radio:
"This is HMS Southampton. Repeat, this is Captain Philger. Dalton, are you listening? If you can, please switch to the secure channel!"
repeat……"

About ten kilometers away, a Lynx helicopter that had taken off from the HMS Southampton hovered, witnessing the intense battle with awe.

The USS New Jersey and USS Iowa fled and fought back, one after the other, while the USS Wisconsin burst into flames, its towering black smoke contrasting sharply with the white smoke around it.

Smoke, black and white clouds of fire, and the flashes of gunfire mingled together, creating a huge impact on the Southampton and Sofia, which had just arrived.

In fact, when the two fleets began negotiations, they were 200 kilometers away. After hearing the exchange of fire, the two fastest warships rushed forward at full speed, disregarding their remaining range. They have now entered within 130 kilometers. The Sofia still has 4 Harpoons available, and the range is not a problem.

However, they couldn't identify their target, so they cautiously confirmed with Dalton beforehand.

The latter was initially overjoyed, as if he had seen God upon hearing that there was support, but fell silent after hearing about the size of the two warships.

4 harpoons?
A lot?
The two "Flower Moon" class destroyers behind it had no missiles, and the other one had two Exocet missiles left, for a total of only six missiles.

Dalton wanted to say that this wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap, but at this point, he couldn't care less.

"Thank you for coming. I need support. Please launch the missiles immediately. We can assist with guidance!"

(End of this chapter)