What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 268 Losses and Gains

The setting sun is like blood.

After two and a half hours of all-out rescue efforts, the Wisconsin sank as the sun set because all emergency measures failed due to excessive seawater entering the ship.

The remains of Captain Cyprus were found, and a simple burial at sea was held before a farewell ceremony.

When this warship was finally launched, the magnificent scene of six battleships clashing on the sea vanished without a trace.

The two sides invested nearly 30 tons, with a total sinking tonnage of nearly 23 tons.

Although it may not be the highest in terms of sheer numbers, the loss of five capital ships and nearly 80% of their tonnage in just one hour is of unparalleled intensity and brutality.

Meanwhile, a preliminary loss report was sent back to the think tank:
-
The USS Wisconsin was sunk by a torpedo hit from the USS Gneisenau, with 410 of its 1762 crew members killed and 368 missing.
The HMS Iowa was struck and sunk by the HMS Scharnhorst; of its 1807 crew members, 761 were killed and 210 went missing.
The USS McClusky sank after being caught in the blast wave of the USS Carl, resulting in the deaths of 134 of its 214 crew members and the disappearance of 27 (including the captain).
HMS Clarkling was sunk by gunfire from HMS Gneisenau; of its 206 crew members, 25 were killed and 5 were missing.
The USS New Jersey suffered damage to its No. 2 turret, severe damage to its superstructure, a breach in its hull, and a minor fuel leak. Of the 1780 crew members, 11 were killed and 165 were injured to varying degrees.
The sinking tonnage was 12.2 tons.

A total of 2 battleships and 2 frigates were sunk, with 1341 killed and 610 missing, totaling over 2000 casualties, including two captains, representing a loss rate of one-third.

Results:
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The USS Glaisenau sank after being hit by the USS New Jersey; all crew members were lost.
The Scharnhorst collided with the Iowa and sank, with all crew members lost.
-
The Bismarck was hit by a guided bomb and sank, with all crew members killed.
-
The USS Carl was hit by the USS McClusky and sank in a secondary explosion, with all crew members lost.
The loss of 62 seaplanes (about 20 of which crashed into the sea) and 124 pilots;

The total weight of the sinking ship was over 13 tons, and the estimated number of casualties was between 5500 and 6200.

After sending the report, Dalton was immediately relieved of his command by orders from the mainland and temporarily confined to the lower sailor's cabin, with Captain Edwin of the USS New Jersey acting as his deputy.

Meanwhile, the USS George, accompanied by a cruiser and a frigate, immediately joined them and guarded the site of the sunken ships.

The Tirpitz formation is counted separately, consisting of a Ticonderoga-class and a Perry-class destroyer that went to salvage the vessel.

Compared to the brutal Battle of the Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea was practically a one-sided massacre, with Tirpitz's fleet suffering a humiliating total loss.

The Second Fleet of the High Seas, a massive fleet of over 20 tons and an estimated crew of about 10000, was completely wiped out.

The Atlantic Fleet temporarily named it the Battle of Antigua after Bismarck's fleet, while the Battle of Grenada was named after Tirpitz, which was closer to Grenada.

Although they won, no one was happy about it.

All related information has been blocked, and apart from the surrender signal previously reported from the Dubreuil, the outside world can only wait for disclosures from the parties involved.

……

Port Maud Queen Maud.

The sunken Second Fleet appeared intact in the port, with an additional destroyer, the USS Carl, compared to when it set sail a week earlier.

The cold made Tang Wen eager to hide in the warm room on the shore, waiting for the settlement page to load.

The Second Fleet in the High Seas has 0 warships remaining.

[Survival time: 40 hours and 09 minutes]

[Task Difficulty: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

Combat Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆☆

[Achievements: "Survival Expert", "Total Strike", "Severe Damage", "Devastating Strike"]

[Battle Rewards: 2185 million Silver Coins, 1690400 Experience Points]

[Mission Rewards: 8 Super Supply Crates, 300 million Silver, 3750 Gold, Tier ☆ American Super Battleship "Maine"]

[Acquire commemorative banner: Undying Fleet (When German warships are flying this banner, their HP increases by 100%)]

[Christmas bonus ended]

Seeing the settlement page displaying a string of exaggerated numbers, Tang Wen patted his chest proudly. Nearly 2500 million silver coins, roughly calculated, exceeded 10 billion.

169 million experience points, divided by 16 times the actual combat experience, amount to just over 10. The last naval battle in the Gulf of Aden had less than 4 experience points.

Including the spoils from the previous occupation of Falkland Island, I have gained a total of nearly 3000 million silver coins and 185 million experience points.

Adding in the experience points I've accumulated but haven't spent, I have 190 million experience points.

With so much experience, it's more than enough to get two Silver Coin X-level lines from zero, and if you save some effort, you can get three.

In addition, another major objective of this special operation was to have a real and decisive battle with the once-invincible Imperial Navy.

Although the opposing force consisted of old battleships and relatively weak frigates, it was truly a head-on clash with the big boss, and the Second Fleet on the High Seas will surely become a household name.

However, the counterattack from the George made him truly understand what absolute dominance meant:
总共12架F14和4架F18EF就扭转了局面，提尔皮茨编队只撑住了30分钟。

There are almost no good countermeasures in the World of Warships tech tree; the only option is to use carriers to counter carriers and carrier-based aircraft to counter carrier-based aircraft.

However, there were limitations imposed by the technological lines of the 60s...

With a total of 190 million experience points, it should be enough to forcibly develop a certain type of missile or advanced fighter jet, even if it means facing technological penalties.

For example, the F-14, whose early models were equipped with the TF30 engine, was very unreliable, and many crashed during training, with perhaps still some wreckage that has not been recovered.

We can gather more relevant news later and try sending a submarine to see what happens.

It's already 19 p.m., and it's just morning in China. Tang Wen will have to adjust to the time difference when he goes back, so he plans to rest here until he's ready to go back.

Having personally experienced a major battle, and with a 406mm armor-piercing shell hitting him in the face, the excitement had worn off, leaving him feeling deeply exhausted.

Pushing open the window, Tang Wen glanced at the newly appeared super battleship USS Maine outside the harbor. He only knew that this thing did not exist in reality, with a displacement of 88,000 tons and equipped with four quadruple 406mm MK7 guns.

Whether there were ever actual design drawings or plans is unknown, but it's likely that using them wouldn't be a problem.

The Maine's defenses are similar to those of the Hanover, with a length of 320 meters and a width of 40 meters. At first glance, it looks somewhat like an enlarged version of the Montana, and it shares the same bridge design style.

The Hanover is a waste of tonnage, while the Maine seems a bit tight on tonnage. It would be much more reasonable if the two ships were swapped.

Battleship +1.

If there were an LV3 shipyard, all these super warships would definitely be converted into aircraft carriers.

After closing the window, Tang Wen heard a knock on the door, as well as the voice of a ship girl.

"Dinner is ready, Commander."

"Thank you, but I'm a little sleepy. I'll rest first and then skip the meal."

"You really don't want to eat? Okay, then I'll help you take a bath."

"Wait, really..."

The door was pushed open, and the ship girl didn't seem as lively as she sounded; even her golden hair looked somewhat dull.

Clearly, defeat is a huge blow to the ship girls who command the fleet.

Tang Wen felt a pang of pity and swallowed back the words he was about to say:
"Okay, but just a shower."

(End of this chapter)