Wild North America 1846

Chapter 363 Caught a Big Fish

after half an hour
"My God, it's the Constitution, I'm sure it's the Constitution, report sir, we caught a big fish!"

"There are four brigantine schooners accompanying the USS Constitution. It can be confirmed that they are armored sail frigates with a displacement between 4 and 850 tons. They are sailing in a single file to the northeast."

"They have discovered our fleet, and now all sails are fully opened, sailing at full speed with full wind, and the course is turned 20 degrees to the northwest."

On the iron-clad destroyer "Spring Moon" chasing to the north, the lookout post reported a series of lookout information excitedly, and the speed of speech was much faster, showing the uncontrollable excitement in the heart.

"Your Excellency, I once said that accidents always happen inadvertently." Major General Mo Chengcai made a rare show, with a smug smile on his lips, showing his inner happiness.

The Constitution is really a big fish!

His tone immediately turned serious, and he ordered; "The whole ship has turned into a high-speed pursuit state, the boiler continues to increase pressure, and heavy oil is added to burn to squeeze out the last bit of power. The speed is 17 knots. Sit tight, boys, we are going to start racing at sea. "

In order to catch this big fish, the armored destroyer "Spring Moon" is ready to go all out.

Putting heavy oil into the boiler room to intensify the combustion can make the steam engine run at the highest speed for a short time, but it should not exceed three hours, otherwise the entire power equipment is in danger of being scrapped.

war so far
The Expeditionary Third Squadron had never fought so hard before. It was all for the three-masted iron-clad galleon "Constitution" fleeing frantically on the sea ahead.

If you catch him, all the sacrifices will be worth it.

The sailing frigate USS "Constitution", also known as "Old Iron Hull", was the most famous warship during the American Revolutionary War in the 19th century. It was regarded by the US Navy as a spiritual symbol of hard work and victory.

It has participated in many naval battles and has never been defeated.

The "Constitution" sailing frigate has a displacement of 2200 tons and 44 guns. It is a three-masted galleon. It is a super sailing ship of the United States Federal Navy (Northern). The tough oak hull version has been armored and modified, so it was nicknamed "Old Iron Hull".

The wood used in the construction of this ship was collected from 1500 large trees from the north to Maine and the south to Georgia, and the artillery was cast in Rhode Island.

During the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain, the ship participated in more than 40 naval battles, and repeatedly won one-on-one battleship contests.

The "Constitution" sail frigate was launched in 1797 and entered service on July 1798, 7. It patrolled the West Indies and has been in service until 22. It has been in service for 2020 years. The longest battleship in service.

In July 1805, the United States and Tripoli signed a peace treaty on the "Constitution" sailing frigate.

On the afternoon of August 1812, 8, the United States and Great Britain went to war 19 nautical miles off Boston. The "Constitution" sailing frigate encountered the British warship HMS Guerriere.

In this naval battle, 14 people were killed on the American ship and 79 on the British ship. Later, the British ship sank due to severe damage.

On December 1812, 12, the Constitution encountered the British warship HMS Java 29 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil. In this naval battle, 30 people were killed on the American ship and 34 on the British ship.These were the two most important glorious victorious naval battles during the service of the Constitution, and they were also a disgrace to the Royal Navy.

In 1815, after the US-British War ended, the sail frigate USS Constitution served as the flagship of the US Navy many times.

In July 1828, the sailing frigate "Constitution" was temporarily decommissioned. After the outbreak of the Civil War, the ship underwent armor modification in Boston to strengthen its defense, and once again came out to contribute to the US Federal Navy.

Unexpectedly, I met today off the coast of Virginia...

"God, you must catch it. I didn't expect that I will witness a great naval battle today." Brigadier General Phillips was full of emotions at the moment, and he was already standing in the command tower and began to jump.

Rear Admiral Mo Chengcai could understand the psychology of the British at the moment. He firmly grasped the fixed armrest in front of the bridge with one hand, stabilized his body when the ship was galloping at high speed, and replied calmly; 17 knots, no sailboat can get away with that speed."

"I'm looking forward to it, sinking the damned sailing ship, and I promise you, Mr Admiral, you'll have the applause of all the Royal Navy."

"He can't run, man, today is the end of the USS Constitution."

"Great!" Brigadier General Phillips said happily, pumping his fist vigorously.

As black smoke billowed from the two huge chimneys of the "Chunyue" armored destroyer, the 3550-ton behemoth galloped on the sea, and the floating bow was like a kowtowing machine, sinking into the waves one after another. Then it suddenly tilted up again, galloping crazily between the crests and valleys.

The sharp bow split the waves, and countless tons of seawater were smashed into pieces, turning into mist and spreading...

At such a high speed, all the officers and soldiers on the gun positions must hold the fixed objects tightly with both hands to prevent their bodies from being blown away by the high-speed warship and the oncoming waves. It is simply too exciting.

Fortunately, it is the scorching sun in August, and the large expanse of sea water pouring on the body is extraordinarily cool, which will only arouse the soldiers' fanatical passion for fighting.

If it is in the cold winter, it will really kill people.

"The enemy fleet is 21 chains away, still fleeing frantically, with a speed of 15 knots."

"The enemy fleet is 19 chains away..."

"The enemy fleet is 17 chains away. Report to the officer. The four sail frigates following the USS Constitution have turned around one after another, intending to intercept our fleet. Please instruct."

"Don't worry about them, chase them at full speed." Major General Mo Chengcai gave the order decisively.

"Follow the general, leave them alone, and pursue at full speed." The navigator repeated the order loudly, and the excited look on his face disappeared in a flash.

They have seen a lot of hundreds of tons of coastal sail gunships like the US Northern Federal Fleet, sank a few ships, and captured a few ships. These small miscellaneous fish did not attract the interest of the 3rd Squadron at all.

Been through so many naval battles
The Expedition Fleet of the Datang Empire had already figured out the strength of the Yankee fleet. The three steam iron-clad battleships in front of them were in front of them. It is impossible to have any substantial destructive effect.

Unless the solid shell hits the officers and soldiers on the secondary battery, it is basically impossible to cause any casualties.

The bombardment of these old-fashioned artillery can be regarded as throwing a shot put at a long distance. After a distance of several hundred meters to 400 meters, it is just a sound when it hits the steel armor, almost hitting the sky.

on the blue sea
The three-masted galleon "Constitution" that took the lead spread out all its sails. Dozens of sails filled with sea breeze pulled the huge hull and galloped across the sea. The taut sails vibrated like a lyre. Play the simple music of "bouncing and bouncing".

The white officers and soldiers of the American ship on board all looked terrified, including the captain, Colonel Michelle, everyone knew it;

Once caught up by those terrible steam ironclad battleships, they will face the tragic end of their downfall.

for so long

The current battle situation is already very clear. In sea battles, the South cannot defeat the North, and the North cannot defeat the Expeditionary Fleet of the Tang Empire with its full crew of steam ironclad warships.Its artillery fire is particularly sharp and terrifying. The thin armored defenses of the ironclad ships in the north are like paper, torn apart in violent explosions...

The Northern Army fleet has given up its extravagant hope of blocking the southern ports. Most of the ships have retreated to the waters north of Virginia, focusing on defending the surrounding area of ​​New York Harbor. At that time, an unprecedented and tragic sea battle may break out.

None of the ironclad warships of the Northern Federation with all kinds of strange shapes can be used. The navigation performance is poor, but the key is the artillery fire!

The sailing battleship "Constitution" is of special significance to the U.S. Federal Navy. Seeing the enemy fleet getting closer and closer, Colonel Michel had no choice but to issue the order of "docking the tail for survival".

The four accompanying armored sail gunboats behind were required to entangle the enemy fleet, buy time, and create conditions for the "Constitution" to escape from this dangerous sea area.

There is no way but to sacrifice them.

Sail warships cannot turn quickly and at a large angle when driving at high speed, so when the four sail gunships spread out one by one and began to turn at a large angle, the sharply tilted hull had already wiped the mainsail on one side of the sea. Under the violent shaking of the mainsail, the sailor who was holding on to the rope lost his hand and fell into the sea, making a series of screams.

Ignoring them now, a more tragic situation happened on the deck.

Due to the sharp turn, the rope on one side of the cannon was broken, and the 500-pound cannon swept across the deck like a meteor hammer, instantly splashing a bloody storm.

Two crew members who couldn't escape retreated to the side of the mainmast, their legs were strangled by the swiftly swept ropes, and they screamed hysterically...

It can be seen that on the vast sea, after the four US sail gunships spread out and turned in turn, the sailing speed dropped sharply.

The steam iron-clad ship "Spring Moon" and the two iron-clad frigates "Han Feng" and "Han Ye" still sailing at high speed are like three bows and arrows in the shape of "pin", passing through the blank sea area where the US sailing warships spread out. , Chasing the "Constitution" away.

The four two-masted schooners that had slowed down and turned had already been left far behind, and soon they could no longer see their shadows.

Not to mention firing artillery to block it, even entanglement for a minute is an extravagant hope.

Colonel Michel was staring behind him all the time, and his pale lips trembled after seeing this scene. He underestimated the other party's determination to chase the "Constitution" and made a hasty mistake.

There is no way to escape now, there is no way to escape, so I can only fight up.

"Hold up the mainsail, everyone is ready to fight." Colonel Michelle shouted hysterically with a look of despair in his eyes.

In combat, the speed must be reduced and kept between 5 and 7 knots per hour. Otherwise, the ship will shake and tilt violently during high-speed sailing, and the crew will not even be able to stand firmly, let alone the artillery is aimed.

(End of this chapter)