Battleships in the sailing ship era were not so much for fighting naval battles as for deterring opponents. Because of their slow effectiveness and huge expenses, deterrence was used to prevent wars and supplemented by diplomatic means, and the purpose could often be achieved without war.
Does it sound familiar? It’s the same as nuclear weapons in later generations.
Whether it was Britain, France, Spain or Tsarist Russia in the 18th century, they focused more on establishing a maritime power rather than a naval power. The former had a large number of maritime resource bases that could be transferred and used, while the latter's private enterprises were unable to provide shipbuilding facilities and marine practitioners.
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The purpose of everything is for economic benefits. If you can't see this clearly, you won't be able to understand the meaning of "sea power." The reason why Beihai Town has not expanded its navy is exactly the same. It is enough for the time being, and any more will be lost.
On the way to Changxing Island, the officers of the British Admiralty expressed confusion about the operational thinking of Admiral Hadang'a of the Qing Navy and raised objections, which made Hadang very unhappy.
"Your Majesty General, why are you launching an attack from the northwest?"
The man responsible for leading the Admiralty Officer Corps was British Rear Admiral Sir John Jervis. This man had participated in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence. In another history of time and space, he had served as an admiral of the Royal Navy and had served successively.
Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet and Channel Fleet, he became the British First Lord of the Admiralty after retirement.
After listening to the interpreter's explanation, John Jervis pointed to the southeast channel of Changxing Island on the map: "The fleet should seize the leeward position to prevent the enemy from retreating. First concentrate on destroying the enemy's large iron ship. They only have
There are two ships, one of which is a 1,500-ton merchant ship, and we have five sea fortresses. As long as the biggest threat is removed, we can order soldiers to board the ship in close combat and capture the enemy ship."
After hearing what the translator said, Hadang'a, who had a serious face, scolded the foreigners for being troublesome. I, the Qing Dynasty, eat well and drink well, and treat each other with courtesy. I just want you to serve well, but you actually want to criticize the strategy of my army?
It’s really unbelievable!
He couldn't explain to the other party what the "Guxu Technique" was, but Qianlong made it very clear in his edict that if he wanted to win, he would just have to drive away the Northern Navy, and everyone would be happy. Besides, rabbits bite people when they are anxious.
If you cut off other people's escape route, you may die together. When the bigger iron ship reaches Tianjin, you will be dead.
So Hadang'a lowered his face and said, "I don't need to worry about this. The general has his own arrangements. All you need to do is follow the arrangements. You must know that there are many ways to win. We only need to follow the emperor's instructions."
"
John Jervis advised: "Your Excellency, if we attack from the downwind, our advantage of victory will be more obvious. Use one boat to deal with the merchant ship, and the other four will form a double line to attack the iron ship. Just one round of shooting,
They will collapse!"
When Hadang'a was in charge of the new water camp in Fujian, he boarded the "Dingbei" for inspections many times and had a certain understanding of line tactics. He agreed with the double line tactics proposed by the other party, but he still stubbornly believed that it should be based on
Attack from the northwest.
Well, the British have lost their temper. Anyway, we sold the ship to you and we took the money.
On each floor of the warship, British officers and Qing military commanders were lecturing their subordinates.
"It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but it takes only a moment to deploy it. Your Majesty has treated us so favorably. Today is the day to kill the enemy and serve the country! After defeating Zhao Ni, promotion and wealth will be just around the corner!"
"I am willing to die for the Emperor!"
"Gentlemen, we have traveled thousands of miles to come to this strange country, all for the glory of His Majesty the King and the British Empire! Please remember that we must put the preservation of our own lives first, and retain useful bodies for the Empire in the future.
Effectiveness.”
"Boys, let those Orientals see how our British Empire gunners fire! If anyone dares to drop his chain, I will hang him on the deck and whip him!"
"Hey, Tommy, is there any reward after this battle? I heard that the Qing Dynasty was full of palaces and roads paved with gold, silver and precious stones. Their emperor should reward us with a large sum of money, right?"
"Gentlemen, on behalf of the East India Company, I assure you that each of you will receive a generous reward after this battle. Each of you will receive at least three pounds!"
"Great! Let's do it! Aren't we here just to make a fortune?!"
When the assistant leader on the second-floor gun deck heard the cheers and whistles on the deck, he frowned and said, "These are these barbarians who have no royal constitution!"
After that, he glanced at the gunners and soldiers in the cabin, cupped his fists and said: "Our Qing Dynasty has a glorious destiny, and the country will be prosperous forever. Feng Mou relies on the strength of all of you, working together, bravery and loyalty!"
"I am willing to serve you!"
"Come! Sing a song called "Strong Military Appearance". A strong military appearance is powerful in all directions. Sharpen your sword and spear, and be a warrior in the forest. Sing!"
"The army has a strong appearance and is powerful in all directions. It sharpens the sword and spear, and the forest armor. The rhinoceros is cut, and the seven attributes are as rotten as silver. It has a shark letter, and it is so bright that it is hard to describe... It is a noisy and prosperous dynasty. But push the boss.
, Seek good generals. The clouds move like thunder, and you are upright and dignified."
At this time, the British people on the main deck heard the singing coming from below. After listening for a while, they found that they did not understand a word, so they spontaneously sang "Long Live Britain". This song is from the opera "Alf"
The solo and chorus at the end of "Red" premiered in London in 1745 and quickly became a favorite among the navy.
"When Britain first,at Heaven\u0027s mand...Rule,Britannia! Rule the waves,Britons never will be slaves..."
The officers of the two countries who had just finished their military meeting in the captain's room heard noisy singing outside, and ordered their men to go out to see what happened. They took the people here out and came back to report that the British and the soldiers in the water camp were singing.
To boost morale, Hardanga asked the British what they were singing.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! When the translator finished asking about the lyrics, he was suddenly shocked. "Great Britain is destined by heaven to rise from the ocean." How could he dare to translate it truthfully, so he explained that it was
The folk songs of the English people are nothing more than words to boost morale and miss parents and relatives in their hometown.
Hadang'a and the generals couldn't help but sneer after hearing this, and they looked down upon the British more and more. A true man serves his country, and he is a shroud in horse leather. To serve the country is to be loyal and filial. I really don't know what to sing to remember my hometown during the war!
...
At six o'clock in the morning, the Thor's day began again. As usual, the sailor on duty in the communication room saw the minute hand of the alarm clock pointing to 5:59, and then turned on the amplifier. When the second hand pointed to 12 o'clock, he immediately pressed
the play button.
In an instant, a murderous piece of music suddenly sounded from the broadcast speakers on the deck and in the ship's building. As the prelude ended, footsteps were accompanied by trombones, and the passionate music resounded all around.
"Dang-dang~dang-dang~dang-dang-dang..."
Jiang Fan and Hong Liangji, who were still asleep, immediately woke up from their dreams and put the quilt over their heads. They sighed helplessly, thinking it's happening again!
There was nothing else on the Thor, but this murderous music was played at six o'clock in the morning. At first, the two of them were so excited with the music that they wanted to get dressed immediately, draw swords, and expand their battlefields.
. But after listening to it for four or five days in a row, no one was tired of listening to it.
In the cab, Ding Guofeng was holding a cup of coffee, humming along with the music while watching the situation on the radar. When the music came to an end, Ding Guofeng couldn't help but raise the cup and shouted: "Ula!"
Ever since he became the captain of the Thor, his biggest pet peeve was to play the "March of the Soviets" on time at six o'clock every morning. But this guy didn't speak Russian, so he just used the accompaniment version.
Even Deng Fei called him crazy, but after two years, he didn't get tired of it.
At this time, there was heavy fog on the sea, and it was impossible to see anything clearly a hundred meters away. On the deck, soldiers from the Marine Battalion were patrolling with guns in the cold wind, closely watching the movements on the sea.
Ding Guofeng looked at his watch and was about to ask the sailor next to him to check it for him before going to have breakfast. But suddenly an abnormal signal came from the radar display.
There are about five ships that appear to be under 5,000 tons and over 500 tons, and are approaching from the northwest, still 6 nautical miles (11 kilometers) away from the Thor.
He stared at the two radar displays back and forth for more than ten seconds, and then asked the sailor on duty to call Deng Fei over immediately. Five minutes later, Deng Fei arrived after just having breakfast and preparing to rest.
"what happened?"
"Look, I think it looks like a fleet, and this ship seems to be quite big. It's much bigger than the ones we encountered before. It seems to be bigger than the Beihai No. 2."
When Deng Fei heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly walked to the display screen, glanced back and forth for a moment, adjusted the working band, and then said in a positive tone: "That's right! It's a ship! Send a combat alert immediately
, notify all ships to raise anchor!"
It is said that because the Thor is a 7,500-ton bulk carrier, it is equipped with two sets of radars. This is not Zhao Xin's own initiative, but according to the provisions of the "International Convention on Maritime Safety", it was already there when he bought the ship.
All ships of 3,000 gross tons and above must be equipped with two independently operating radars, one of which must be 9GHz. Before the Thor was modified, the second one was 3GHz, but Deng Fei originally changed it to 9GHz for insurance.
The first radar is used to determine and display other water vessels, coastlines, buoys and obstacles; the second is an automatic tracker, used to automatically plot the position and distance of other targets to avoid collisions.
The working bands of the two radars are mainly X-band (9320-9500 MHz) and S-band (3000-3246 MHz). When the antenna sizes are the same, the former has higher azimuth resolution and is conducive to close range detection;
The latter is less interfered by rain, snow clutter and wave clutter, and is conducive to long-distance detection.
The detection range of this kind of radar for the coastline is 20 nautical miles, and the detection range for ships of more than 5,000 tons is 11 nautical miles. However, the detection range of the most common ships of less than 500 tons in this time and space is only 8 nautical miles; for small ships of less than 500 tons, the detection range is only 4.9
nautical miles.
It's not that you can't see it from a distance of 20 nautical miles, but the features of the target can't tell whether it's a ship or not.
In precipitation days and foggy days, because part of the energy of the radar wave is absorbed by the water, the object detection distance will be shortened by 15% to 20%. When the cold air moves to the warm water surface and is under-refracted, the propagation path of the radar wave will deviate.
On the ground, the action distance will be shortened by 30% to 40%.
If it is on the ocean surface in the dry season, the maximum detection distance can reach 1,500 nautical miles, but those are special circumstances.
As the sailor on duty pressed the siren, the alarm bell rang loudly on board the Thor. People eating in the restaurant were stunned for a moment, then put down their dishes and got up; those who were sleeping also got up and got dressed, preparing to wash their faces.
go out.
At this time, Ding Guofeng's voice came from the loudspeakers everywhere on the ship: "Attention everyone! This is not a drill! Get to your positions immediately according to the first-level plan! Attention everyone! This is not a drill!"
At this moment, the people on the boat immediately took action and began to prepare according to the contents of the plan.
Hong Liangji and Jiang Fan were also awakened from their sleep. Following Ding Guofeng's roar from the loudspeaker, there were bursts of rapid footsteps in the corridor outside the door. The two looked at each other and knew that something big had happened. Then they hurried through
After putting on good clothes and hastily washing my face, I left the cabin and went straight to the cockpit.
At this time, the inside of the Thor was obviously different from before. There were actually two more soldiers from the Marine Battalion with guns at the door of the cockpit. When he saw Jiang Fan and Hong Liangji approaching, he immediately raised his hand to signal them to stop; and then used the walkie-talkie to talk.
Report and let the two people in after getting permission.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The two were startled as soon as they came in. They saw Deng Fei and Ding Guofeng both wearing bulging orange clothes with pistols on their waists.
He also wore a dark green steel helmet on his head. At the doorway from the cockpit to the compass deck, there were two North Korean navy soldiers holding guns.
"Two generals, what happened?"
Deng Fei stared at the radar screen without saying anything, while Ding Guofeng first ordered a soldier to get life jackets and helmets for Jiang and Hong, and then said: "The enemy is coming."
"Enemies?" Jiang Fan and Hong Liangji were stunned for a moment, then said, "Did the imperial court send troops from the land?"
"No," Ding Guofeng shook his head and said, "from the sea, but I don't know what it is yet."
While the three of them were talking, two sailors walked in holding a drone and immediately walked towards the compass deck. After a while, the drone was already in place and could take off just waiting for Deng Fei's order.
At this time, Jiang Fan came to the glass window of the cockpit and looked out. He saw that the two cannons on the deck had taken off their colorful gun jackets. A team of Bei Navy was busy at the gun position. Boxes of cannonballs were being fired.
After being transported to the back of the gun emplacement, the muzzle of the cannon also began to turn, pointing to the northwest.
The tarpaulins covering the heavy machine gun positions on both sides of the deck were all removed. From time to time, soldiers would send boxes of bullets from the warehouse on the first floor to the back of each machine gun position. At the same time, the sides of the ship were also covered with tarpaulins.
A large number of sandbag fortifications began to be piled up. As soon as they were completed, a group of Northern Navy soldiers entered them.
On the Beihai No. 2, Guo Xuexian, who received the notice, also ordered the entire ship to enter emergency combat readiness. With the rapid ringing of the bell, the diesel motor in the stern cabin started, and the sailors on the deck began to raise the sail.
Although the Beihai 2's masts are all equipped with motors, a small number of crew members still have to climb to the top of the three tall masts and stand on the foot cables to help prevent the canvas from sinking or winding up.
All the closed gun windows on both sides of the ship were opened, and thirty 75mm guns entered combat mode one after another. Boxes of heavy artillery shells were moved out from the lower cabin. On the main deck, a platoon of Northern Navy soldiers were
Loaded with live ammunition.
When everyone was ready, the target on the radar had arrived at the ocean three nautical miles away, with a straight-line distance of five kilometers. At this time, the heavy fog still lingered, and the furthest field of vision could not exceed one kilometer.
Deng Fei immediately ordered the drone to take off and conduct reconnaissance over the target. Ding Guofeng also ordered the two cannons of the Thor and the fifteen 75mm guns on the port side of Beihai 1 to aim at the target area.