afterglow

Chapter 527: Wait for the order, grab the lifebuoy; are the friendly troops in trouble?

Two 533mm torpedoes directly hit the middle of the hull on the right side of the Kunlun Mountain. One of them exploded violently, and the violent vibration almost made the captain fall.

A large rectangular hole with a side length of about four meters was torn open at the waterline of the ship's hull, which could allow a car to drive in and out. Tons of seawater surged in through the breach.

The damage caused by the torpedo did not stop there, as a large number of cables were damaged and the sudden increase in short circuits overwhelmed the main distribution box of the Kunlun Mountain. The circuit breaker immediately jumped to cut off the power supply to prevent an electrical fire.

This caused the Kunlun Mountain to lose power supply, and the lighting and equipment were without power.

Fortunately, another Mk15 torpedo that hit the stern of the ship did not detonate and did not cause greater damage.

The Kunlun Mountain's power supply system outputs 220-volt and 380-volt three-phase alternating current, with the latter only used to drive the main turret. If the voltage of the entire ship's power grid is detected to drop to the 320-volt alarm threshold, the equipment in the emergency power supply cabin will automatically take effect, using a compressed air bottle to drive the diesel generator to start running, and output 220 volts of power to the entire ship's power grid.

But the trouble is that the current problem is that a serious short circuit fault has occurred in an unknown location, and the resulting trip is almost irreversible - there is no time to troubleshoot the fault now!

Battleship designers did consider this extreme situation, so important equipment has backup power lines.

Several electromechanical soldiers flipped the switch to switch the power output from the emergency generator to the backup power supply line. The lights finally came on one after another, and some instruments and equipment finally resumed operation.

However, because the emergency generator can only provide 220-volt power supply, the Kunlun Mountain's main turret is still in an unusable state.

More than thirty seconds later, the Kunlun Mountain's second salvo came again.

But the current battle situation is so urgent that the captain of the Kunlun Mountain is unwilling to withdraw from the battle just like this.

Someone quickly ran into the electrical control cabin and shouted: "The captain has given a fatal order. The power supply to the main line must be restored, otherwise the main gun will not be able to rotate!"

Everyone knows the story of a country perishing because a war horse lost its horseshoe, let alone a heavy cruiser now!

The main power supply lines were forcibly connected, warning lights were flashing continuously, and the "beep beep" alarms were rang non-stop. Countless cables inside the hull were rapidly heating up due to short circuits.

Someone brought a mop and used the mop pole to hold the circuit breaker lever. The length was just right.

Obviously, the battleship designers took it for granted that since they were forced to activate the emergency generator, they must have suffered heavy losses. At this time, the Thirty-Six Strategies were naturally the best strategy to save the green hills without fear of running out of firewood.

Although she has not lost her combat effectiveness, her actual combat efficiency has dropped significantly. There are nearly 20 fire points throughout the ship. The bridge is in a mess and covered with blood. The captain continued to stick to his post after receiving a simple bandage.

The shock wave even threw the deputy captain off the bridge. He rolled several times in the air and then fell heavily to the deck. His whole body was covered in bruises and blood flowed all over the ground.

Another artillery shell hit the top of the firing command post, killing or injuring the artillery officer and more than a dozen officers and soldiers who were calmly commanding.

Considering that Ming Dynasty's industrialization and military construction have a close relationship with France, it is difficult to say that this design concept has nothing to do with France - the same is true for the Dunkirk-class battlecruisers and Richelieu-class battleships.

Kunlun Mountain's twin 128mm high-level dual-purpose guns hit the target almost at the same time, but the target of these secondary guns was the turning destroyer USS Elliott (DD-398).

Several electromechanical soldiers tried hard to push the circuit breaker to reset, but they were unable to keep it in place and bounced away as soon as they let go.

At 2:21, the Kunlun Mountain fired its first salvo after power was restored. Nine shells rushed at the Indianapolis ten kilometers away in no particular order.

An old electromechanical soldier frowned and said, "If there is a short circuit in the line, there will be a big problem."

A flash of fire suddenly appeared, and a 208mm armor-piercing round accurately hit her bridge, causing heavy casualties instantly!

The 208mm capped armor-piercing bullet effortlessly penetrated the 2.5-inch armor of the A turret, and all the US sailors inside were killed or injured in an instant.

The counterattack launched by the Kunlun Mountain was precise and deadly. In less than two minutes, three 208mm shells were hit on key parts of the Indianapolis. The rest of the superstructure and deck were also hit by 128mm shells from Ming destroyers. Baptism of bombs.

This is a 380-volt three-phase alternating current in a short-circuit state. For a group of old electricians, what situation is more terrifying right now?

The lieutenant next to him waved his hand and shouted: "It's urgent, the enemy is under your nose, no matter what they have, just obey the order!"

Multiple artillery shells hit the ship, and flashes of explosions occurred one after another. A 128㎜ explosive bomb hit the main mast. The emplacements of the two Chicago Piano anti-aircraft guns below were instantly swept away by fragments!
Half a minute later, artillery fire from the Huaihe light cruiser also covered the maneuvering US destroyer, and a total of two 144mm anti-explosive bombs scored hits.

The Elit's C turret was blown up on the spot, killing more than a dozen people; another shell penetrated into the interior of the ship and exploded, destroying a flue. The choking waste discharged from the heavy oil boiler soon filled multiple cabins, seriously injuring people. The Elliott quickly released smoke and fled.

At the same time, the Kunlun Mountain's own condition has also deteriorated sharply. The cables inside the ship's hull have gradually become red hot, and the insulation layer surrounding the cables has melted.

The lights were flickering erratically, the cabin was filled with choking gray smoke, and countless ignition points appeared one after another.

At 2:23, it had been twenty minutes since the battle started, and the fierce fighting had made the battlefield increasingly chaotic.

However, the Ming army's lookout post still found clues and identified the model of the US warship in a scene of alternating light and dark and flickering fire.

The Yongping chose to change its attack target and launched multiple rounds of salvos at the West Virginia, which was the greatest threat. The majestic scene was thrilling.

The No. 384 turret accidentally fired a mm anti-explosive shell during the third salvo. The impact point of this shell was extremely tricky - it hit directly under the bridge of the USS West Virginia. If this shot was an armor-piercing shell, the consequences would be dire. Just imagine.

The huge air wave generated by the explosion of dozens of kilograms of explosives washed away the external facilities. Many people were thrown into the air and fell into the sea, like rag dolls flying in a tornado.

The U.S. military's attack was equally ferocious. Shells of different calibers were as dense as raindrops. As far as the eye could see on the sea, there were all white torpedo tracks. There were so many that it made people's scalp numb.

The Kunlun Mountain, which had severely damaged the Indianapolis, was soon retaliated by the San Francisco and Chicago. In four minutes, it was hit by more than a dozen 203mm armor-piercing shells and conventional shells, and flashes of explosions appeared one after another.

The main mast of the Kunlun Mountain was blown off, and it fell heavily into the shining sea, causing a large wave of waves.

After being hit by a torpedo before, there are about 700 tons of water ingress. Numerous electrical fires inside have caused the entire ship to lose power again. This time, it is really difficult to save the ship.

The first ship of the Benson-class destroyer, the USS Benson (DD-421), was a cutting-edge warship delivered just a few months ago. After discovering that the Ming army's heavy cruiser seemed to have been severely damaged, she immediately made a sharp turn at a high speed of 37 knots, showing her killing intent.

At 2:30, the Benson fired five torpedoes from launcher A when it was more than meters away; a minute later, five torpedoes from launcher B also fell into the sea one after another.

The artillery fire fired by both sides was reflected on the sea surface, which was extremely brilliant. Ten white tracks moved forward quickly on such a brilliant sea surface, heading straight for the Kunlun Mountain in the distance.

The destroyer USS Sims (DD-409) to the north also had a similar plan, but she was more ambitious and attempted to strike the battleship Zhang He by lightning five kilometers away.

The movements of the Sims were noticed by the Ming Dynasty destroyer Foshan, which was escorting the Zhang He. The Foshan decisively turned on its searchlight, and two bright and dazzling beams of light immediately enveloped the US destroyer with evil intentions.

All the Foshan's naval guns aimed at her and fired fiercely. Immediately afterwards, the Huaihe light cruiser also turned its guns to attack the illuminated high-threat target.

At this time, the USS Philadelphia light cruiser suspended its attack on the Yutai - the destroyer suffered heavy damage, all the guns were silenced, and only a few anti-aircraft guns were still firing.

Seeing that a Ming warship dared to turn on its searchlight, the Philadelphia immediately aimed at the source of the beam and fired continuously. The bravely charging Sims is attacking the Zhanghe, the Foshan and the Huaihe are attacking the Sims together, and the Philadelphia is attacking the Foshan again...

The chaos of the scene was beyond imagination. The distance between the two sides was too close, and the trajectory of the fired shells was almost straight and horizontal.

During the fierce battle between the warships of both sides, a large group of Ming army landing ships, transport ships, freighters, and auxiliary ships in the waters off Haleiwa were inevitably involved in the war.

These ships were slow, slow to start, and almost helpless in the face of countless incoming torpedoes.

The Ming army sailors used machine guns or anti-aircraft guns to shoot at those tracks, but it was in vain. They could only watch the torpedoes hit them.

Violent explosions came one after another. Sometimes there were several booms in a row within tens of seconds, and sometimes there was a boom every two or three minutes.

A Leichi-class minelayer was turning, and the anti-aircraft machine guns on the side kept firing at the sea surface, but a large ball of flames still burst out, and various debris splashed around, scattering into the sea with a thin clatter.

In less than two minutes, the minelayer disappeared without a trace.

The captain of the Luxun personally took to the steering wheel and dealt with multiple incoming torpedoes calmly and calmly.

The amphibious command ship, which was converted from a Type B83 freighter, has worrisome maneuverability and a large turning radius. Maneuvering such a clumsy ship to avoid numerous torpedoes can be compared to the most difficult alloy warhead.

The captain turned the rudder and ordered loudly, "Check the life jackets and everyone evacuate the bottom cabin."

He knew very well that he had to prepare for the worst now. No one could guarantee that the Luxun would survive the crisis without any danger.

The essence of the Luxun is the large number of elite staff officers it carries. It would be okay if a few of these people die, but if they are all killed, it will be a heavy price, probably no less than a battleship being sunk.

"Zhou Dizhao, get the life preservers as well." Someone walked quickly holding two orange life preservers.

"No need. If the lifejacket doesn't work, there's no point in adding another ring."

Zhou Changfeng was also checking his life jacket. He tried to stay calm and couldn't help complaining in his heart.

Oh shit! Didn't the Navy say that it was "fully prepared? If the U.S. military dares to launch a night attack, it will be defeated"?

Just half a minute later, a torpedo hit the bow of the Luxun, and many people felt the muffled sound of the contact.

After realizing it was a dud, everyone couldn't help but cheer happily.

"Boom!!!"

Before the cheers ended, another torpedo fired from an angle followed and exploded. Zhou Changfeng hurriedly grabbed the handrail on the side to avoid falling.

Although it has undergone a certain degree of structural strengthening, the Lu Xun is still a freighter. Less powerful aviation torpedoes may be able to barely support it, but heavy ship torpedoes are enough to cause fatal injuries to her.

The captain had already been mentally prepared for the mine being struck by the mine, and just shouted: "This ship is on the beach! Get ready! Hold your head and squat down!"

The 12-ton Luxun worked hard to turn to the beach and rushed over at a speed of knots.

At 7:27 on July 2, the intensity of the naval battle suddenly subtly weakened and turned silent for a time.

The fierce battle for more than half an hour left the warships on both sides covered with bruises without exception. After such high-intensity continuous operations for so long, the sailors of both the Ming and U.S. armies were exhausted.

Only the C turret of the USS San Francisco, the flagship of Task Force TF37.1, was still able to fire. Half of the engines failed, and the output power was less than 5.5 horsepower. It was hit in many places below the waterline. The speed dropped sharply to 19 knots, and the bottom tank was nearly flooded. Thousand tons.

The Ming army's side was equally miserable. The Kunlun Mountain had almost turned into an electric oven, or a crematorium. A quarter of the ship's cabins were filled with flames and thick smoke. The fire was out of control. In order to prevent the ammunition depot from exploding, , the captain ordered water to be poured into the ammunition depot, which caused the Kunlun Mountain to tilt sharply to the left.

永平号战列舰也严重受创，总计被406㎜穿甲弹命中11发、356㎜穿甲弹命中16发、203㎜通常弹命中24发，左舷全部高射炮都被炸毁，上层建筑千疮百孔。

The captain was killed, the deputy captain was seriously injured, and the gunnery officer was killed. Now the navigation officer is acting in command of the entire ship. The internal communications of the entire ship were basically interrupted. A large amount of seawater poured into the left side of the ship and the ship tilted. It could only be balanced by injecting a thousand tons of water to the right side.

This originally majestic 3.2-ton ship only had a maximum speed of 9.5 knots. Miraculously, the three 3mm main gun turrets were still functioning normally. However, because the firing command post was destroyed, the main turrets could only use their own rangefinders. He used equipment to calculate Zhu Yuan, and the hit rate dropped sharply.

The performance of the West Virginia's Mk1 406mm twin main gun is actually not very good, but in such a close combat... caliber is justice.

Seeing that both Ming battleships were damaged, the USS West Virginia could suppress them both by a single ship. The USS Arizona and USS California turned their guns and began bombarding the beachhead.

A large number of 356mm high-explosive bombs hit the beach like a heavy hammer hitting an anvil. The trucks, tents, and piles of supplies of the Ming army's landing troops were wiped out in the continuous violent explosions.

At 2:39, an artillery shell landed in the ammunition storage area at Yier Beach of the Ming Army, detonating boxes of 64mm and 80mm mortar shells stacked here.

The series of explosions illuminated half of the sky, and the loud bangs were accompanied by red and yellow brilliance, as if a volcano was erupting.

The Luxun was attacked by a US destroyer during the beaching process, but only two shells hit it directly, causing only a dozen casualties.

The command ship, which was completed less than a year ago, washed up on the beach. The violent shaking caused the sailors to stagger. Zhou Changfeng grasped the armrest hard, his body still swaying forward due to inertia.

"I'm convinced! Why haven't the squadrons come yet?!" In view of past experiences, he didn't quite believe that the Ming Navy would be unable to move when friendly forces were in trouble.

The straight-line distance from Cape Kaina to here is only fifteen kilometers, how could it be possible that he is still missing?
"Stop, put down the ladder!"

"Throw the rope down!"

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship! It's time to leave!"

The sailors gathered at the ship's railing, tied the ropes and rope ladders, and threw them down, preparing to disembark and evacuate.

But at this moment, several flashing light spots suddenly appeared on the distant sea. Thirteen seconds later, an extremely dazzling light suddenly appeared on the front of the Arizona's hull, covering up any other light source on the battlefield. .

Everyone looked subconsciously and saw five or six water columns retracting, with a huge fireball rising into the sky in the middle.

About twenty kilometers due north, the Longshuo's triple main gun muzzle was still emitting wisps of green smoke. There was a dead silence in the bridge command tower and firing command post. Even the most calm people were stunned when they saw this. , everyone's face showed a look of astonishment.

what?
After a while, a Guantong soldier spoke hesitantly, and then the silence was broken.

"Report... report, observed multiple near misses of missiles, two hits, enemy ship... exploded violently."

(End of this chapter)