I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 791: Battle of Genoa

Nelson continued: “In fact, the current position of the Toulon fleet is very unfavorable.

“When Genoa’s supplies run out, they will have no choice but to fight a decisive battle with us.

“By then, we can calmly choose the battle site and arrange our battle formation in advance.

"And if they were defeated - which was almost inevitable - they would have no choice but to flee south to the port of Bizerte.

"We can then blockade the port, and the French will have no warships available on their southeast coast.

"Our Marines can even capture the port of Toulon."

"I agree with your judgment very much." Lord Hood nodded and turned to the staff officer and said, "Order the fleet to deploy in the direction of Sardinia to prevent the French from slipping past us."

……

Southwest side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sicily waters.

68 sailing warships were moving slowly on the sea. Their huge hulls blocked out the sun but they did not have much domineering aura.

On the contrary, it seems a bit bleak.

This was the main force of the French Toulon fleet.

They were powerful enough to defeat the navy of any country in the world except Britain.

Unfortunately, the enemy they were dealing with in the Mediterranean at this time was the British fleet.

The largest ship in the fleet, which is like a city on the sea, is the flagship of the Toulon fleet, the "Orient".

This is one of the few heavy battleships produced by the French Navy in recent years. It was originally named "Prince", but Joseph did not like this giant ship that was sunk in Egypt in history, so he finally changed it to "Orient".

The core parameters of the "Orient" such as size, armament, and hull thickness all exceed those of the British "Victory", and it is ranked alongside the Spanish "Trinity" as the strongest battleship in the world.

Although the Holy Trinity has more guns than the Vostok, it is inferior in terms of hull structure and flexibility. In terms of actual combat effectiveness, it may be even worse than the Vostok.

At this time, in the spacious combat conference room of the "Orient", Brueys, commander-in-chief of the Toulon fleet, was looking at the nautical chart with a serious face, constantly measuring the longitude and latitude on it and circling some locations.

The fleet's chief of staff, Rear Admiral Anthony Gandom, looked out the porthole and couldn't help but sighed:

"It's really hard to accept this! I guess the British are laughing at us somewhere in the sea."

Without even looking up, Brueys said, “It’s definitely not pleasant to be a bait, General Gandom, you have to get used to it.

"But speaking of ridicule, I believe that one day you will ridicule the British."

Yes, no one could have imagined that the main force of the French Toulon fleet was just a bait.

Their aim was to draw the British Mediterranean Fleet away from Genoa and to do everything they could to avoid engagement.

The main force of this operation is the "Mediterranean Fast Squadron" which was newly formed.

This squadron was equipped with steam-powered warships, including 25 frigates and 8 fifth-class cruisers, commanded by Commodore Blanche DiCiayela.

Their mission was to break the British blockade of Genoa.

Currently, stuck off the coast of Genoa is Hotham's powerful squadron.

Normally, the third and fourth level ships in Hotham's hands alone would be enough to destroy the "Fast Squadron", but Di Chayela had to defeat them, or at least drive them away.

Brueys finally straightened up, pointed his pencil at the chart, and said to Gandom:

"Next, we will turn to Sicily. Lord Hood will definitely think that we are going to bypass Sardinia and head to Genoa from the east." Gandom showed a rare smile:

"Then, we will change direction and sail west. Perhaps we will have a chance to meet up with the Spanish fleet."

Brueys nodded:

“I hope General Diqieyela can complete the mission successfully.”

Dozens of nautical miles away, the British Mediterranean Fleet sailed north for a while, preparing to intercept the Toulon Fleet, and then chased the latter in a rage towards the Spanish coast.

……

25 nautical miles south of the Port of Genoa.

On the British third-class battleship "HMS Titus", Major General Hotham personally arranged the patrol route of the frigate. After making sure it was foolproof, he yawned.

The main force of the French Toulon fleet was far away in the waters of Sicily. It was impossible for the Spanish fleet to come and attack Genoa - even if the Spaniards were really crazy, there was still Louis's squadron watching them, and they could get the alarm in advance.

However, Hotham was not in a good mood.

He was unable to participate in the battle to defeat the Toulon fleet, which made him one step slower than his colleagues in future promotion.

He walked out of the cabin, came to the front deck, and looked at the sea in the distance:

"For God's sake, at least let the French send some transports."

If we could capture a large number of supplies transporting personnel, we might be able to make up for some of the losses in military exploits.

It seemed that his casual prayer was really heard by God, as a series of flag signals were sent from a galley speeding in the distance.

Without anyone else telling him, Hotham was almost the first to see the flag signal. He was immediately overjoyed and turned to the messenger and said:

"Quick! All ships ready for battle! A French fleet is approaching!"

He walked to the command room at the bow and said to the staff officer:

"As soon as you have information on the exact number of enemy fleets, let me know immediately."

Usually, the patrol ship that first discovers the enemy will return to warn immediately, and then another ship will scout the specific number, ship type and other information of the enemy and make a detailed report.

This time, however, Hotham never waited for details of the enemy fleet.

Because his reconnaissance galley was not as fast as the French "fast squadron" and was left out of sight.

An hour later, Hotham finally learned the exact number of the enemy fleet - he saw it with his own eyes. At this time, the French fleet had rushed to within 3 nautical miles of him.

Hotham put down the telescope and sneered disdainfully.

The French sent only eight cruisers with more than 8 frigates.

This was no different from committing suicide. His squadron had 4 third-class ships and 5 fourth-class ships, which were enough to crush the French boats. He also had 5 cruisers and 16 frigates.

Hotham was not unaware of the French steam battleships. Many British merchant ships and frigates had been sunk by them before.

However, the British Navy quickly developed a countermeasure, which was to use its own powerful firepower and sturdy hulls to form a battle line and advance steadily.

The French ships had only the advantage of speed; as soon as they came within range of the battleships they would be blown to pieces almost immediately.

As Hotham's flagship "HMS Titus" issued a series of orders using flag signals, more than a dozen British warships quickly formed a straight battle line and calmly occupied the upper wind.

(End of this chapter)