Under Zheng Wenxian's order, the fleet of the North Navy lined up diagonally at a 30-degree angle from southwest to northeast, with the port side facing south. When it was still 2 nautical miles away from the Dutch fleet, it opened fire with full fire, attacking the Dutch who were advancing in a double column.
White water columns exploded wherever the fleet passed, and the sea surface seemed to be boiling.
The rules of engagement for sailing ships in the 18th century were to wash the decks with fire at a distance of one-tenth of a nautical mile. However, the "ultra-long" distance fighting method of the Northern Navy was simply not adaptable to the Dutch.
This resulted in chaos on all ships.
Rear Admiral Kabien immediately ordered someone to raise a flag and order the fleet to move toward the northwest at full sail at a nearly ninety-degree vertical angle. In this way, the cross-section of the fleet that would be bombarded would be greatly reduced.
Suddenly, a loud sound like a sledgehammer falling on an anvil startled the officers and soldiers on the "Kerem Wilhelm IV". A shell from the opposite side struck the anchor claw of the ship's bow anchor and brought it down.
It flipped nearly a circle, and then fell into the sea; and the cannonball deflected as a result, exploding a column of water twenty meters away from the bow.
"How can their cannon fire so fast?"
The Dutch, from officers to sailors, were extremely shocked. In fact, from the time the North Navy fired its first cannon to now, some thoughtful people have already counted. In just a short period of time, the opponent has fired at least dozens of shells.
The "African" had to withdraw from the battle because there was a big hole in the cabin and serious water leakage. The captain had to turn the ship around, facing the enemy with its tail, and ordered the carpenters to rescue it immediately.
On the deck of the "King Wilhelm IV", the bosun and mates kept looking up at the sails to detect damaged sail pieces or cables in time. At the top of the mast, the lookout's loud roar never stopped.
Bean stood at the bow of the ship, lost in thought. Not far to his left stood the clerk and adjutant, and on the upper quarter deck were the waiting petty officers.
When the cannonballs whizzed past in the distance, or hit the fleet with a loud explosion, he did not move. There was even a cannonball that flew more than ten feet above his head and landed on the starboard side.
When a water column exploded on the sea outside, he frowned.
Baron Peter Melville van Carnby, a Dutch admiral of Scottish descent, is famous for his participation in the Battle of Cape St. Mary during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. Although Carbian commanded only 32
The door-gun "Castor" was defeated by the British "Flora", but it successfully ensured the escort of the merchant fleet to Spain.
What confuses Kabien is that every time the enemy's explosive shells hit one's own ship and exploded, what rose up was not ordinary white smoke, but streaks of gray-black smoke accompanied by fire, and the explosion was
The power is extremely terrifying.
In fact, despite the small caliber of the 75mm artillery shells of the North Korean navy, because they are filled with high explosives, the damage caused is much more serious than those of 24-pound or 32-pound explosive shells. The main reason is that this year
Except for the North Korean navy, the gunpowder used by all other countries is "low explosive."
The so-called "low explosive" refers to the contact reaction of black powder at the particle level, which is a thermal reaction. Because these years are granular gunpowder, heat is transferred through the particles, causing a chemical reaction, generating a large amount of gas, and then the gas expands to release the pressure.
.So when the explosive bomb explodes, all the white smoke that comes out is generated by thermal reaction.
"High explosives" are different. It is a combination of fuel and oxidant at the molecular level. Because of this, the closer the contact distance, the faster the reaction speed. However, the explosion of high explosives is not through thermal reaction.
Instead, it relies on shock waves to trigger chemical reactions, which can basically reach speeds of 6,000 to 9,000 meters per second, and then the energy generated continues to cause shock waves, and the cycle repeats. Therefore, high explosives require detonators for this reason, shock waves detonate; and open flames are used directly
If ignited, it will be an ordinary burning object, with at most some harmful gases.
But for Kabien, the confused thoughts only passed by for a moment. At the moment, his main consideration was how many battleships he would have to lose to defeat his opponent.
"We are almost catching up with them, sir." The adjutant's voice was not loud, but Kabien could hear that the other person's voice was full of urgency and joy.
"Send a signal! Order all ships to spread their battle sails!"
"Yes, sir! Spread the battle sails!"
At this time, on the various gunboats of the Northern Navy, the gunners kept issuing orders, and the gunners carried out the orders angrily, violently bombarding the opponent's hull as quickly as possible; behind them, a stream of
Boxes of artillery shells were sent from the ammunition depot to various artillery positions like an assembly line. In addition to the captain, junior officers and petty officers were running around, helping here, talking about that, and there were signs of chaos at any time.
deal with.
At this point in the battle, Zheng Wenxian had already determined the combat principles for this battle and conveyed them to the commanders of each ship through walkie-talkies. That was to first use the entire fleet to concentrate on attacking the outermost part of the Dutch fleet, just like skinning.
frigates and armed merchant ships to weaken the enemy's numbers, and then use our own rapid maneuvers to destroy the enemy's flagship through a one-time saturation bombardment at close range, forcing the remaining ships to surrender.
After working in Beihai Town Navy for so many years, Zheng Wenxian has long understood that there is nothing in the world that can fire faster than a 75mm cannon, so as long as you keep a distance from your opponent and ensure your shooting accuracy, it will be useless for anyone to come.
"Commander, the Dutch ship is about to sail within one nautical mile!"
"I saw it!" Zheng Wenxian put down the telescope and said to the adjutant beside him: "Inform all ships to form a single column and follow the flagship to the southwest! Keep the port guns firing!"
Half an hour later, when the Dutch fleet withstood the artillery fire of the Northern Navy, lost two more frigates and two armed merchant ships, and finally sailed to a distance of one nautical mile from the seven Siamese ships, all the Dutch were shocked.
Something shocking happened.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! I saw those Siamese ships with their sails lowered, as if being pushed by an invisible giant hand, drawing water lines on the sea and moving towards the southwest
, and the speed is not slow. Although the Dutch fleet has always been in the windward position and the ship speed is very fast, the seven Siamese ships always keep a distance of one nautical mile from them, which also makes the gunners on each ship stare blankly.
status.
Go ahead! Major General Kabien was so depressed that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. The helmsmen and sailors on each ship in the fleet were immediately ordered to scramble and hurriedly adjust their course.
Kabien has been in the navy for decades and has fought naval battles with the British and French. He has never seen an opponent like this. He knew that the large iron ships of the Northern Navy did not need sails, but what about these wooden ships in front of him?
thing?!
With sails and without sails, the latter actually ran faster than the former. Who the hell are you looking for to reason with?
At this time, on the "Amsterdam", the returning ship at the forefront of the Dutch fleet, several gunners who were operating the bow gun used winches and crowbars to move the 12-pound bronze long-barreled gun with the muzzle originally raised.
It was raised by five degrees, and with a roar, amidst the dazzling flames and choking smoke, an iron ball roared out, but it only flew more than 900 meters and smashed out a large water column.
The North Navy fleet on the opposite side kept firing, and the firing became more and more orderly, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. In just over half a minute, the seven ships fired a total of seven rounds and seventy shells.
It fell, causing the mainmast platforms on most ships in the Dutch fleet to be blown into pieces.
The explosion shot out countless wood fragments, and the large pieces of ignited planks were thrown into the air by the shock wave, and then fell on the deck, posts and hammocks. The rigging of the foresail and yard was blown to pieces, and the sails were blown to pieces.
There were countless holes in the film, and the uninjured sailors were either running back and forth carrying fire buckets to put out fires everywhere, or they were carrying the injured to the lower cabins and handing them over to doctors.
At this time, the Dutch on each ship were going crazy. They could no longer endure this situation of being beaten passively but unable to fight back. In order to increase the speed of the ship, boxes, cages, and wooden boards were being thrown into the sea on the deck.
.A cage containing several ducks fell into the water, and the ducks kept fluttering because of the weight of the cage; a frightened cat stood on top of a floating wooden box, barking uneasily.
Finally, on the "Albrasedan", a large ship returning home with 74 guns, the main topmast was hit by two cannonballs one after another. With a huge sound, the main topmast suddenly fell, pulleys, wooden blocks,
The ropes fell like hailstones, and the people alive on the deck didn't even have time to shout, so they ran around holding their heads.
On another ship named "Zudeburg", the upper rear deck has long been turned into a piece of rotten wood, and crimson blood flowed from the top to the deck drainage hole under the fragments of the poop stairs. Hammock
The grid frame was broken into broken iron bars. Next to the main garden, there were four gun barrels that rolled down from the gun frame. The safety net on the upper rear deck to prevent broken wood pieces from falling down was also punched with a big hole.
The accumulated scraps of sail gear were scattered everywhere. The whole ship became crooked, and it seemed that as long as the waves were bigger, it would be smashed to pieces.
The rear topmast of the "Prince Frederick" was knocked off, and a fire was burning in the middle of the "Dephasing Signal". As for the "Scorpion", which had most of its mast blown off, it could only be left to its fate.
Drifting aimlessly on the sea...
The time for Zheng Wenxian to wait finally arrived. He ordered his ships to suspend firing, and then followed him, diagonally inserting the Dutch fleet from west to northeast at an angle of 30 degrees.
Up to this point in the battle, the mast of the "William IV" has not been damaged. Kabien thinks it is a miracle. However, the side plates and deck of the ship have been badly damaged by the bombing. There are many wounded people, and it is almost an empty shell.
From the telescope, he saw his opponent adjusting direction and rushing towards his dilapidated fleet, so he said to the adjutant beside him: "Go down below and prepare all those who can fight. Spread all sails, all
!And the mizzen topsail.”
Ten minutes later, everyone on the messy main deck of the "William IV" had been divided into two groups. One group ran out from the lower deck and gathered at the bow, while the other group was already preparing for business amidships.
The captain's face was pale, the ordnance chief's face was covered with black smoke, the cook held a large kitchen knife in his hand, and the others also had various weapons in their hands. Even the barber and his assistant on the ship came out.
.
In the lower gun deck, each gun crew was ready. At this moment, they felt that as long as they were allowed to fire one round, it would be enough.
However, Zheng Wenxian would definitely not give the Dutch this opportunity. When his ship was still one-half nautical mile away from the "Korean Wilhelm IV", the helmsman made a sharp circle to the left, and the entire hull instantly tilted to the left.
The gun windows on the lower deck on the right side of the ship have all been opened, and the muzzles of ten black guns have been stretched out, followed by bright bursts of fire.
"It's over!"
The Dutch gunners on the two gun decks stopped breathing, and their boundless fear made their minds empty and their eyes widened. Kabien, who was standing at the bow of the ship, also sighed inaudibly.
In an instant, clusters of bright fireballs erupted from the entire port side of the Wilhelm IV, and the half-meter-thick double-layered oak hull turned into countless fragments. In the next dozen seconds, Zheng Wenxian's ship looked like
On the ordinary Siamese ship, ten gun crews fired five salvos in succession.
After the black smoke dissipated, several large holes were punched out in the left hull of the entire "King Wilhelm IV", and there were countless casualties on the three decks. The same scene also happened in the "Delft" and "Frey"
Aboard the "Prince Derek", the "Gertrude", and the "Willemstad and Botteselaer".
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Several armed merchant ships and frigates were frightened out of their wits and turned around and ran away. However, three ships were separated from the Northern Navy's fleet, and with the diesel engines
With the roar of high-powered horses, the opponent saw that they could not run away, so they quickly lowered their flags and surrendered. After that, there was no more gunfire on the sea, but from time to time, intensive gunshots would be heard on each captured ship.
At 11 a.m., Zhao Xin, who was at the frontline headquarters, received a telegram from Zheng Wenxian:
"Command: Thanks to King Zhao's regard, Wen Xian commanded the fleet to defeat the Dutch fleet in one fell swoop at 7 o'clock in the morning on the surface of the Thousand Islands after a fierce battle. Fortunately, he did not disgrace his mission. In this battle, seven brig frigates were sunk, and each ship was
It was equipped with thirty-two guns; one three-masted battleship was sunk, with a total of 74 guns; five two-masted armed merchant ships, each with fifty guns; two three-masted battleships were captured, and five large ships returned home.
The four frigates, named 'King William IV' and 'Prince Frederick'... were all seriously damaged and needed to be towed back to Bacheng Shipyard Island for repairs.
In this battle, countless enemy soldiers were killed, and the exact number is still being counted. Another 1,135 enemy soldiers were captured, including the enemy commander Major General Carnby and many captains.
Due to the difference in the number of ships and artillery between the two sides, I ordered the fleet to use long-range bombardment to weaken the enemy's strength, and won the victory through a one-time saturation attack at close range. After several boarding battles, I killed the enemy who was stubbornly resisting.
He captured several soldiers and captured the national flag and military flag on the enemy's flagship.
After the battle, when boarding the ship for cleanup, enemy soldiers lit gunpowder barrels and attacked in a sneak attack, causing two people to be seriously injured and four people to be slightly injured. Another two people were injured in the foot while carrying shells during the bombardment, causing fractures. Due to the medical conditions on the ship,
The number of soldiers is limited, and there are many enemy wounded, so we request that they be sent back to Bacheng immediately for treatment and custody. In addition, a lot of artillery shells were consumed in the battle, so we request to go back to Bacheng for supplies. The commander of the North Navy's Southbound First Squadron, Zheng Wenxian."