Chapter 1109： Fleet dispatched (1/2)
Chapter 1109 The Fleet Is Out
The next day, the German minesweeper pair began to clean the minefields, and it took ten hours to open up a lane large enough for the fleet to exit safely. In the early morning of the third day, taking advantage of the high tide, the 16 capital ships of the High Seas Fleet headed by the flagship Bavaria, under the cover of 12 light cruisers and 36 destroyers, sailed out of the port under the cover of early morning mist.
Hipper’s remaining three battlecruiser squadrons led the three light cruisers as the fleet’s reconnaissance force and formed an arc cordon 20 kilometers in front of the main fleet. The remaining 13 battleships belonged to 4 battleship detachments, which were formed into two columns to follow. The speed of the fleet after leaving the port was not fast, probably at an economic speed of 14 knots. Heading true north, heading in the direction of the North Sea Blockade.
”Should we use the alternate line to contact Colonel Lefetsov?” Scheer asked.
”No more, we don't know where they are, and we can't wait for them to arrive for a long time on the North Sea Blockade. My attack this time is more of a test.” The prince thought for a while and said, of course, this It is certainly impossible to tell the soldiers below, this is detrimental to morale. For most of the middle and high-level officers and soldiers, the mission this time is to try to smash the North Sea blockade being rebuilt by the British. This is a low-risk mission. I definitely can't say that this time I plan to meet the big fleet.
Unsurprisingly, the prince, not long after the departure of the fleet, a British submarine discovered the main force of the high seas fleet sailing in the mist and sent a telegram to Jericho!
”The High Seas Fleet has been dispatched, heading north!” When Jericho received this telegram, he immediately ordered the fleet to assemble and prepare for dispatch! And inform the British Admiralty of the upcoming fleet attack. He has been waiting for this day for a long time! At this time, Jericho’s fleet has a total of 10 dreadnoughts, 10 super-dreadnoughts equipped with 343MM artillery, and 5 Vengeance-class battleships, plus 3 battlecruisers, totaling 28 battleships of various types, depending on the number More than 50% more than the high seas fleet! This is not counting the 3 armored cruiser squadrons, 6 light cruiser squadrons, and nearly 50 destroyers of the large fleet.
”Perhaps, after today, there will be a North Sea Square in London, the capital of the empire!” Jericho said excitedly. He now feels he has the hope to break the record of Nelson's predecessors and fight an unprecedented battleship duel.
At this time, Jericho’s fleet was stationed in the Gulf of Forth, not far from the Shetland Islands at the exit of the North Sea. In order to ensure that the German fleet was stopped, Jericho had lost his money this time. First of all, he asked the entire fleet to sail at a high speed of 18 knots or more, which is the maximum speed that old dreadnought ships can currently run! Let alone what kind of results can be achieved this time, the fuel consumption of the fleet alone is enough to make Jericho heartache!
”Let the aviation force dispatch all the V1500 long-range reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance near the Shetland Islands. I need to find the traces of the German fleet as soon as possible.”
”Also, let Major General Moore be more careful, this time they may be in big trouble, let them go north. Stay away from the High Seas Fleet.” Jericho added later.
After nearly an hour of preparation, the large fleet began to sail out of Forth Bay. The first to dispatch was Major General Hood's reconnaissance fleet. Then there are a full 6 battleship squadrons, with the 5 most powerful Vengeance-class battleships taking the lead, then Jericho’s flagship Iron Duke, and the following 3 similar super-intrepid. The huge fleet is organized into a 6-row box formation at sea. This is the formation that the large fleet has practiced countless times before. If necessary, it takes less than 15 minutes to deploy a single line of up to 10 thousand. The huge battle line above meters, this will be the most powerful existence on this planet!