Chapter 404: The Encounter of Fate (Plus 1)

Scapa Flow is the anchorage of the Royal Navy's main fleet in the British Isles.

It is located in the Orkney Islands to the north of Scotland. It is located at the key point of the German maritime transport line entering and leaving the North Sea, which is of extremely important strategic significance.

Therefore, for any German naval officer, this is their target, and for submariners, this is an even more tempting target.

However, as with other impregnable forts, Scapa Flow is heavily guarded, especially against a possible submarine attack.

Once, during the First World War, the submarine UB-116 under the command of Urmsman had dived into Scapa Flow in October 1918, but it sank due to a mine strike and all crew members were killed.

Since that time, the German navy has never fought the idea of ​​Scapa Flow, and the British considered it unbreakable.

But, in World War II, the German Navy did it at sea.

On October 14, 1939 in history, the U-47 submarine of the German Navy sunk the British warship "Royal Oak" with a torpedo. At that time, Captain Prien led the team. Captain Priyan rose to fame.

And now, history has changed amazingly, with Cyric's crossing, the German Navy and Air Force, far more powerful than ever, and now, they are attacking furiously at Scapa Flow, costing the British fleet heavy.

However, there are still fish that slip through the net.

For example, the current Royal Oak, staying in a corner, silently, and the constant explosions around it seems to have nothing to do with it.

HMS Royal Oak, the fifth ship of the Sovereign class. This is the eighth British warship to be named after the Royal Oak, an oak tree where King Charles II of England hid parliamentary soldiers during the English Civil War.

Like other warships, the Royal Oak was built at the Devonport Naval Base in 1914, commissioned in 1916, and participated in the Battle of Jutland, which is also regarded as the enemy of the German Navy.

Just after the end of the First World War, the Royal Oak was modernized and relocated to the Mediterranean Fleet. During the Spanish Civil War, the Royal Oak cruised off the Iberian Peninsula.

After the Civil War, the Royal Oak returned to Scapa Flow, where it temporarily served as a shore battery.

Because it's so old.

After many modifications, armor protection has been added each time, but the power system of this warship has not been modified. Now, the warship can start up to a speed of 20 knots.

At such a speed, it is impossible to catch up with the main warship. Therefore, the British Navy simply kept the warship, mainly used as shore guns, and then went to sea to attack when needed.

When the bombardment in the sky began, most of the officers and men on the Royal Oak were ashore, and some had not even returned.

The captain, Rear Admiral Mailer, was also the commander of the 1st Battleship Detachment. When the bombing started, he ran frantically towards the battleship from where he lived.

There are not many 30,000-ton warships in the UK, and one can protect one!

How to protect?

Mailer is very self-aware. Originally, this warship is an old ship. It takes a lot of trouble to ignite it. If you want to start fighting, it is even more delusional. Therefore, the best way to protect this warship is a smoke screen!

So, he greeted his men, and on the shore, he lit a few bonfires, billowing thick smoke, and flew into the sky, plus the smoke from other exploding warships, so that the sky above the warship was wrapped. stand up!

This place is originally a corner, and it is not easy to be taken seriously. Coupled with the cover of thick smoke, the dive bombers coming down from high altitudes are rarely taken into account!

Major General Mailer's plan was quite correct. The Royal Oak escaped the attack of the JU-290 bomber and the JU-88 bomber, and then escaped the attack of the current torpedo plane.

When the torpedo plane is attacking, it is close to the sea surface, but it will not be on the sea surface all the time, almost always search for the target in the air first, find a suitable one, and then turn to the low altitude, stand high and see far, this It's basic common sense. At a height of one thousand meters, you can take the entire harbor into your eyes.

However, the smoke screen will block.

So, the Royal Oak quietly hid in a corner, waiting for these terrifying beasts to leave.

Of course the UK will fight back, but definitely not now, at this time, they simply don't have the ability to fight back against those terrible planes.

In particular, communications have been interrupted.

It must be the Germans who are doing the trick. No matter whether it is wired or wireless, it cannot be used. This makes Major General Mailer feel uneasy. Now, the signal trooper is driving and asking for help from the nearby air force base. However, the distance of nearly 200 kilometers, at least It takes three hours to arrive.

Three hours! By then, this place would have been bombed into ruins!

While worried, Major General Mailer greeted his subordinates, continued to light the bonfire, and released smoke screens in the sky.

He didn't know that the Royal Oak had been discovered.

If it is from the sky, it is absolutely impossible to find it. From the sea, if the height of the torpedo machine is a little higher, it is not easy to find it, but now, it is a submarine.

The periscope is just beyond the sea surface, and the line of sight is almost close to the sea surface. Therefore, the Royal Oak, which is shrouded in smoke, can easily be discovered by the periscope!

I also left a big guy for myself, not bad!

Priyan's eyes kept looking at the warship, and at the same time, he ordered his submarine to move on.

Two cars, one forward!

After discovering, it is to occupy the attack position!

Submarines need to use torpedoes to attack each other. This weapon is still very primitive in this era, and the position of the attack is very particular.

If it is fired from the front or back of the opponent, it will miss the target 100%. Only attacking from the side and aiming at the side of the opponent is the best!

"Tubes 1 to 4, T2 torpedoes, fixed depth of 9 meters, maximum speed." The submarine was still maneuvering, and Prien gave orders to load and set the depth.

At this time, he has already determined the model of the other party, which is the British Royal Oak. This kind of warship has a draft of eight meters, so a depth of nine meters is enough!

The two most powerful special torpedoes have been used up, and the rest of his submarine are ordinary T2 electric torpedoes, which may not be powerful enough, so let's go on the four together!

After thinking about it, he felt that it was not enough, and then said: "The stern torpedo compartment, load the same torpedo."

The U-47 submarine has four launch tubes at the bow and one at the tail. This one at the tail is used to make up the gun.

The torpedomen quickly loaded and set the depth, and the U-47 submarine, with its massive hull, had come to each other's flanks.

"Full rudder left." Prien gave his last order before attacking.

The hull of the U-47 submarine, like a slow carp, turned around the hull, and the bow of the boat was just facing the side of the opponent, at a distance of three kilometers, the best attack position.