Chapter 1000: ready to go (1/2)
Sometimes, it’s troublesome to act too quickly. For example, in the operation of Earl Spey, the French fleet was hit by a submarine the next day, he took all the elites directly up to copy people’s hometown, and then it succeeded. Up! This made the prince and the others feel that happiness came too quickly, and was a little uncomfortable. But no matter what, just prepare immediately, the fleet can set sail at any time, the only trouble is the hoisting and preparation of materials. And Earl Spey’s fleet will need a period of rest after returning to port.
”Up to three days to prepare! On the fifth night, Lieutenant Admiral Negovan’s fleet must appear in the Marmara Sea!” The prince finally made the battle determination on behalf of the Austrian Emperor! Three days of preparation time, and departure on the third night. This is a well-thought-out plan. If the time is too long, I am afraid that something will happen. The time is too short to finish loading things. Moreover, the Spey fleet also needs to repair the fleet, not to mention entering the dock for repairs, at least get a plug to plug the breach at the battleship's waterline, and then drain the stagnant water.
Considering the huge size of the fleet after the confluence, and the need for long-term attrition wars at sea, as well as the lack of the ability to manufacture 350mm armor-piercing shells in Turkey. So this time the Austro-Hungarian fleet almost took away the large-caliber naval artillery shells from all the naval ports along the Adriatic Sea. On the Santa Isabella transport ship, more than 4,000 rounds of 350mm shells and some propellant packs were stored.
Taking into account the concealment and anti-submarine problems of such a large-scale fleet, other warships of the Austro-Hungarian fleet have specifically strengthened their mine clearance and reconnaissance work near the Otranto Strait. Hit by a submarine at night. Then we can only blame bad fate. The fleet will set sail at 5 pm on the third day and pass through the Strait of Otranto at the highest speed. If no accident occurs, it will enter the Mediterranean Sea by 8 pm and use the last ray of sunlight during the day to pass through the most likely submarines and mines. The ambush area.
determines the moment of the attack, so the course must be decided. After exiting the Adriatic Sea, the nearest route is naturally through the Kihira Strait between mainland Greece and Crete, but the French fleet is deployed here, although people have been smashed by two bricks, right? But it is still not something the Austro-Hungarian fleet can afford. Therefore, the best route is to bypass Crete and pass through the strait between Rhodes and Karpathos. It is close to the mainland of Turkey, and the situation in the strait can also be learned through some offshore ships. Moreover, it is far from the French fleet and the probability of encountering is relatively low.
It stands to reason that when the French fleet has been hit hard and the state is very bad, the Austro-Hungarian fleet can go out by itself. The high speed and night operations most of the time, plus the French are definitely not willing to fight at this time. The mentality of the field, this matter should be stable. But the prince always felt that there seemed to be some problems, and he couldn't explain it clearly, but he could always feel a hidden black hand behind the scenes making him very uneasy.
”By the way, where is the Japanese fleet now?!” The prince thought for a while and wanted to ask.
”This, according to the report three days ago, it seems that the Strait of Malacca has not been passed.” Tirpitz is still very competent as a staff officer. Remember Men Qing about things related to the Navy.
”What about now?” the prince asked.
”This is not clear, I guess it's in India.” The Secretary of the Navy said embarrassedly.
”What is it called India?!” The prince was very dissatisfied with this answer. At this time, the prince had not forgotten the Fuso-class battleship that had just beaten the U.S. Navy in the Bismarck Sea battle. In history, this class of battleship was at best quite satisfactory.