Nearly a month later, this information finally arrived in Ceylon.
The photos taken by Zhang Yong gave Bao Youzhi a more intuitive understanding of the Yin Army's Great White Fleet.
"Huazi, look at this photo, can you tell the caliber of the artillery?" On the flagship, after issuing the drill instructions, Bao Youzhi once again picked up the newly arrived intelligence and began to study it.
"Commander, without precise reference objects, it is difficult to calculate accurately. But combined with the tonnage of their warships, I think the main gun on this warship is definitely more than 300 mm." Wang Huatao silently estimated and said.
"Yes, I feel that their four battleships are similar to the Taishan-class armored cruisers under construction in our shipyard. The main gun equipped on our Taishan-class is 305 mm. I think the battleships of the Yingjun are similar.
"
"Commander, the most troublesome thing for me is these Japanese frigates. They have so many frigates. How can our torpedo boat formation get close to them?" The question raised by Wang Huatao is what Bao Youzhi is most worried about.
The advantages that the Renaissance Army originally had in terms of firepower, speed, and protection seemed to be gone.
In terms of firepower, a destroyer of more than 3,000 tons is definitely not as good as an armored cruiser of nearly 10,000 tons. (The names used here are all in accordance with the classification standards of the Renaissance Army for warships. In fact, the Koreans call their own 8,000-ton destroyers.
level battleship is a battleship)
In terms of speed, the enemy's speed information is not very detailed, but looking at the appearance of those frigates, they are almost replicas of the Jianghe class. It is thought that with the shipbuilding technology of the Chinese people, this kind of warship cannot be slow.
Not to mention the protection. With so many enemy frigates, they must be able to withstand the impact of the Renaissance Army frigates and torpedo boats.
If the frigates and torpedo boats do not get close, they will not be able to threaten the opponent's large warships with torpedoes.
"Commander, can our eight destroyers be able to withstand the opponent's 12 battleships? I don't know if they can withstand the main gun attacks from the opponent's four giant ships."
"If possible, we can let the frigates attack the enemy's formation and create opportunities for the torpedo boat formation." Wang Huatao said a somewhat feasible plan.
With just this premise, can the Renaissance Army achieve it?
Bao Youzhi fell into deep thought. This feeling of not knowing the enemy was really uncomfortable.
In the past, the Renaissance Army understood the enemy, but the enemy did not understand the Renaissance Army, but this time it was reversed.
The Yin Army basically understood the situation of the Renaissance Army through several previous wars.
But this situation comes in exchange for failure.
But now the strength of Dayang Navy has become a mystery, because this is their first appearance.
"Commander, we don't seem to have as many trump cards as our enemies this time." Wang Huatao's tone contained a hint of reluctance and helplessness.
"No, Hua Zi, we still have a trump card." Bao Youzhi seemed to have remembered something.
"Commander, you're not talking about the test objects sent by the research institute, are you? Everyone says they are the president's toys. Those things have tonnage but not tonnage, and protection but not protection. What use can they be put to?"
Although Wang Huatao has never seen those things called submarines, he has heard related descriptions.
He heard the word "boat" on this thing, and subconsciously thought it was another little thing like a torpedo boat.
Now that the secret of the torpedo boat has been exposed, it already feels a bit like a useless one.
Mainly because the enemy has sensitive frigates and small torpedo boats cannot fight in a surprise attack.
It can't defend itself against the artillery attack from the frigate.
"Haha, the president's toy is good, but among our current destroyers and frigates, which one is not the president's toy?"
"You have to know that any weapon developed by our president is not a killer weapon."
"That's true."
"It's just that the president said this time that these new toys cannot be used in the war unless it is a last resort. I think we need to report it to the president. Now it is a last resort."
"Now is of course a last resort. It is simply a time of life and death for our navy." Wang Huatao agreed.
"After the exercise, you divide the torpedo boat detachment into four shifts and conduct 24-hour patrols in the western and northern waters. In addition, send two destroyers north to the Mumbai waters to see if the Japanese fleet has arrived?"
"Let's go back to the submarine base in Jaffna to see how these new toys are played?"
…
After more than a month of sea voyage, Guo Yan led the submarine detachment down the river and passed through the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Malacca Strait.
After crossing the Bay of Bengal, we finally arrived at the Island of Ceylon.
At this time, the Jaffna base in the northernmost part of the island had just been built.
The tonnage of submarines is not large, and the requirements for ports are not very high.
It is said that Jaffna is not suitable for building a port. The main reason for establishing a submarine base here is due to its concealment.
It is not difficult to build this port. It mainly takes some time to build the supporting defense and living facilities.
It was the first time for Guo Yan to go to sea for such a long time. Although there was a tugboat, they still lived on the submarine.
You must know that the living conditions on a submarine are very harsh.
The tonnage of submarines now is not large and can only meet the most basic needs of life.
Even beds cannot be guaranteed for each person. Soldiers work in three shifts when not in combat. Each bed has three owners.
The three of them have to take turns going up to sleep.
Taking a shower? That's simply a luxury. It would be nice to be able to wipe your body.
When the weather is calm, take a bottle of water and run to the deck to solve the problem.
This is still with a tugboat following. If the submarine has the ability to travel long distances in the future, what should we do if we need to live on the submarine for a long time?
"Guo Yan, we seem to have overlooked some issues before. If this submarine wants to sail long distances, it is not just about the tonnage and engine. It must have living facilities on the boat."
"Damn it, why didn't you think of installing a bathing place in the first place?" Deng Gong, who had always been gentle and polite, couldn't help but curse.
He lived with these officers and soldiers on the submarine for more than a month.
He was deeply aware of all the difficulties involved.
He insisted that everyone live on the submarine.
Excess supplies from tugboats are not allowed.
In other words, they have to eat, drink, and have sex on the boat.
Fortunately, when sailing outside, there is an exhaust fan to exchange air with the outside.
But it was still unbearably hot inside the boat, and people's bodies were always sticky, which was very uncomfortable.
"Yes, Mr. Deng, you must have a bathroom, even if you make the living area smaller. The bath water can be directly discharged together with the excrement, and then you design a water pump that can pump them into the sea at a given time.
."
"In addition, don't we have air conditioning? The environment inside the boat is relatively closed. We can install one. As long as we don't use it when diving, it will be fine."
"The temperature here is like this. When we are floating on the sea, when the sun is shining, the whole submarine will be like a steamer."
In the past, Deng Bolin would have scolded Guo Yan for being obsessed with pleasure and unable to endure hardship.
But now that he has experienced it himself, he knows that these things are indeed necessary.
In such hot conditions, if people can't even sleep, how can they ensure their combat effectiveness?
The actual fighting time is actually not long.
Most of the time, officers and soldiers just live on submarines.
Therefore, submarines cannot only consider the needs of combat. The needs of life are equally important.
Without a normal life, how can one have fighting power?
"These will be available in the future. When we return to our home port this time, I will help you modify them."
After the submarine detachment arrived at Jaffna in the Palk Strait.
Guo Yan did not leave his men idle either.
Under the leadership of Deng Gong, everyone started to maintain the submarine by themselves.
The construction team on the island has helped them dig out the dock.
One submarine after another took turns to enter the dock, and then the water was drained, and the submarine landed on the preset support.
The sailors personally cleaned the hull. Engineer Deng took the engineer inside the boat to maintain the diesel engine, change the oil, maintain the motor, and check whether the battery fluid in the battery was leaking.
Guo Yan took several well-maintained submarines to the strait to familiarize himself with the situation in the strait.
Most of the channels in the Palk Strait are less than 100 meters long, and there are many islands and reefs, so it can be said to be quite complicated.
"Captain, if we go further we will enter the Gulf of Mannar, where the water depth exceeds two hundred meters." The boat Guo Yan was on was Squid 101, and the person reporting the position was Jiang Lifu, the navigator on the boat.
"Jiang Lifu, please remark those reefs just now. There are too many rocks around. I will tell the boats to pay special attention when entering this sea area." Guo Yan ordered.
Guo Yan is a very rigorous person.
This is related to his experiences as a boy. Compared with his peers, Guo Yan appears to be much more mature.
"Yes, detachment leader."
"Captain, if we can ambush the enemy's fleet here, we will definitely be able to kill all their capital ships."
Along the way, they gained a more intuitive understanding of the Palk Strait.
But the enemy fleet will not send us there.
You can definitely go to the south of Ceylon Island.
With the submarine's current range and maneuverability, it is suitable for some tactics such as waiting for the enemy or making a sneak attack.
"Yes, the channel here is narrow, and the enemy has no way to spread out and can only pass through in a long snake formation. We just need to line up the submarines in a row and wait for them to come under the water."
"After the fight, we sank to the bottom of the water. They had no means to deal with us and could only stare. But the premise of all this was that the enemy would come here." Guo Yan analyzed, with some regret in his tone.
Every new unit of the Renaissance Army is established as a gift with its own great victory.
The "Jianghe" class frigate buried the Spanish expeditionary fleet.
The "Zhenhai" class won the Battle of Putan and the Battle of South Amelia.
The "Sea Wolf" class torpedo boats destroyed two representative iron-hulled battleships of the Great Empire.
But their submarine force has not made any achievements so far.
"Yeah, the key is how to get the enemy to come over?"
Port Coron is on the west side of Ceylon Island and is the most critical place on the entire Ceylon Road.
This is the only foreign trade window on the entire island.
The decisive battle between the Dayang Navy and the Combined Fleet will definitely take place in the western waters.
Otherwise, how can Port Colon be defended?
Even if the main fleet withdraws directly to the east, the Yin army will choose to attack Colon Port first.
After that, people may still choose to take the southern route.
After all, the channel in the strait is narrow and the water is shallow, which is not suitable for large warships.
The two were discussing when suddenly, the lookout reported nervously: "Two frigates were spotted at nine o'clock."
After hearing the lookout's report, Guo Yan immediately went over and grabbed the periscope.
After a few breaths, Guo Yan's tense body relaxed slightly.
"Huh, don't be nervous. We are one of our own. Let's get closer and see if they can spot us in advance."
"The submarine will dive immediately." Following Guo Yan's order, a beam of radio waves was transmitted to several other submarines.
Immediately, three submarines dived into the sea.
At this time, Bao Youzhi was walking on the deck of the "Jianghe" class frigate.
He was still thinking about how to win this naval battle with great disparity in strength.
But this is a naval battle. Maritime combat, especially the confrontation between armored ships, is a competition of strength.
The so-called tactics and strategies play a very limited role in naval battles.
He is now coming to Jaffna on a frigate just to see what this so-called new toy of the president is like.
Can it be called a trump card?
There is a mast-like watchtower on the frigate "Shahe".
The young sailor Ding Jiafu is on sentry duty.
Because this is the rear sea area, Ding Jiafu is indeed a little slack.
We will enter the strait in a few dozen nautical miles. Jaffna is not far ahead.
The commander walked on the deck, frowning.
Ding Jiafu's eyes secretly glanced at the commander-in-chief on the deck from time to time.
It was precisely because of this that when the submarine discovered them just now, he did not see the submarine.
Of course, the submarine was in a semi-submersible state just now, with only a small part of the bridge exposed.
In addition, the submarine is painted black, making it difficult to spot it from a distance.
Another reason is that these lookouts have never seen a submarine and do not know how to observe a submarine.
Suddenly, Ding Jiafu saw a strange scene.
Bubbles appeared on the sea a few hundred meters away from the frigate.
Could it be a whale?
Ding Jiafu has also lived at sea for several years. He often sees whales accompanying warships.
When those big guys come out of the water, there is a burst of bubbles, and then a water column is sprayed out.
Ding Jiafu put his eyes on the telescope and observed carefully.
This sight shocked Ding Jiafu.
What kind of whale is this?
The first thing to emerge from the water was the submarine's bridge, which had a distinct metallic texture.
There was no time to report, so Ding Jiafu immediately sounded the alarm.
Because this unknown target has already appeared about two hundred meters away from the "Shahe".
"Prepare all artillery positions!"
Bao Youzhi heard the captain's order.
The main gun turret on the deck also quickly rotated and aimed at the unknown object appearing on the side.
Bao Youzhi also saw the black guy on the sea.
He didn't panic, but instead raised the corners of his mouth.
At this time, the captain of the "Shahe" ran to his side.
"Commander, please advance to the control tower." The captain begged.
"Captain Sun, please lift the alert. It is one of our own who ordered the ship to slow down and greet the guests." Bao Youzhi pressed his hand and said with a smile.