Munitions Empire-Chapter 1175: Goblin number 1095 capsizes
The damage control crews aboard the Shen Battleship are now extremely busy, trying every possible means to keep their warship alive.
Just moments ago, a 500-kilogram aerial bomb descended from the sky, piercing through the forward deck of their battleship. The massive explosion destroyed the anchor machinery in the front, blew off nearly half of the bow, and caused severe flooding.
A battleship cannot possibly have armor covering its entire hull, as that would leave it with insufficient reserve buoyancy. Therefore, outside the ship’s armored belt lies a substantial portion of the hull.
The bow, which houses relatively few critical compartments, is a region with thinner armor. A large bomb strike here dealt damage far worse than anticipated.
Many watertight compartments were destroyed, and the explosion even breached the outer shell, leading to severe flooding. As the flagship of Mirage Country and the newest battleship, the Shen Battleship naturally had elite damage control personnel, who gave their utmost effort to plug the leaks.
Yet despite their efforts, dozens of compartments are now fully flooded. The front of the warship is heavily inundated and the deformed bow can no longer endure high speeds, forcing a reduction in pace to two-thirds of its maximum speed.
For the Shen Battleship, the damage from this single bomb was far from over. Due to vibrations in the bow, the rotational mechanism of turret No. 1 also malfunctioned; it is now completely inoperative!
Originally, the Shen Battleship had only three turrets, with each turret housing just two guns. Now, a third of its firepower is unable to aim at its targets!
Shen Haifeng had no time to dwell on the loss of turret No. 1. Just a few minutes ago, more carrier-based aircraft from the Great Tang Empire descended upon them, becoming the final straw that broke the back of the Mirage Country fleet.
In mere minutes, the Pure Jade battleship caught fire and exploded, rendering it nearly completely immobile. Even from several kilometers away, Shen Haifeng could clearly see the raging inferno consuming the warship and the billowing smoke rising into the sky.
The Ben Island battleship made a second turn and was struck by a torpedo. At the moment it was hit, its bow pointed northeast—exactly opposite the direction Shen Haifeng had ordered it to charge.
It’s hard to say whether the Ben Island battleship was fleeing or merely evading an attack. Shen Haifeng was no longer interested in pursuing such humiliating details.
In his view, his fleet was destined to be annihilated here today. Before the end, whether someone perishes while charging forward or falls while fleeing… no longer matters.
"General, sir! Cold Wind, Swordfish, Razor, Offshore, Lookout… all sunk. Westwater, Cloud Wind, Chasing Moon… heavily damaged. The destroyer fleet is finished, and the cruiser fleet is already in shambles." The staff officer reported their fleet’s losses from within the command tower, catching a whiff of an acrid, burnt smell.
It was proven that sending cruisers and destroyers without torpedoes to engage enemy battleships was a grave mistake. Those warships were simply incapable of approaching the battleships—these mobile fortresses on the sea. The secondary guns of the battleships turned these lightly armored targets into nothing short of cannon fodder.
The heavily armored Mirage Country heavy cruisers, protected by plating, stood no chance at ranges of around ten kilometers. The flat trajectory attacks of the Great Tang Empire’s 380mm primary guns blew them into scraps in seconds.
The smoke from the bow explosion of the Shen Battleship had yet to dissipate. Shen Haifeng gazed through the glass at the distant Mountain Frost, now reduced to little more than a bow and half a bridge protruding out of the water, silently lost in thought. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Elsewhere, the Tang Country Stuka Attack Aircraft were besieging the Goblin Battleship. Through the dense webs of anti-aircraft tracer bullets, three Stukas flew close to the sea surface. Their pilots aimed their sights at the side of the Goblin Battleship, their hands already poised over the release buttons.
Between their two non-retractable landing gears hung torpedoes that skimmed the surface along with their aircraft, gradually creeping toward their target amidst the hail of bullets.
At almost point-blank range, the pilots of Tang Country pressed the release buttons. With a slight jolt, the torpedoes detached from their racks, making their planes instantly feel lighter.
The torpedoes, freed from their mounts, plunged into the ocean with inertia, splashing the seawater into white sprays.
The propellers, already spinning, churned up a white trail as the torpedoes raced towards the struggling Goblin Battleship in the distance.
The Tang Country pilots who had completed their attack sharply pulled back their control sticks, causing their planes to start climbing sharply and avoid the bullets streaking past. The other two Stukas also dropped their torpedoes and ascended amidst a flurry of tracer rounds.
"Torpedoes! Torpedoes!" Onboard the Goblin Battleship, the ever-diligent lookout shouted warnings to his comrades, spotting the ominous trails on the ocean surface as the deadly weapons raced toward their position.
"Hard to starboard!" Upon spotting the incoming torpedoes, the Mirage Country captain aboard the bridge once again ordered evasive maneuvers. But his damaged warship responded like an elderly man with frail legs, every movement exuding a sense of feebleness and frustration.
The soldiers stationed at the anti-aircraft gun emplacements remained focused on their aerial defense efforts, completely oblivious to the white trails approaching from the sea. From their angle, those ominous torpedo trails were unmistakably drawing closer.
While the Goblin Battleship struggled to steer rapidly, its bow came to face the Shen Battleship billowing smoke in the distance. One torpedo skimmed past its trail, narrowly missing its stern, allowing the Goblin Battleship to narrowly escape disaster.
But the other two torpedoes were now dangerously close, and disaster became unavoidable. The Mirage Country soldier stationed at the observation post, seeing the white trails about to meet them, instinctively tightened his grip on the railing and shut his eyes.
"Brace for impact!" Similarly aware of the imminent collision, the officer in the command tower grabbed the microphone and loudly warned the entire crew.
Two seconds later, a massive column of water shot into the air beside the Goblin Battleship’s side, causing the entire vessel to shake violently.
The deafening explosion threw everyone on the ship off balance. Despite bracing themselves, the intensity of the shock far exceeded their expectations.
Before the crew could process the first impact, a second torpedo struck near the side where turret No. 2 was mounted on the bow. Another towering spray of water erupted, accompanied by violent tremors, and everyone was once again thrown to the floor.
Soon, torrents of seawater surged into the dim corridors, rendering the damaged watertight compartments ineffective. The icy water gushed through gaps and swiftly filled every accessible space.
In compartments already submerged, the bodies of Mirage Country soldiers floated among debris, while the heavily deformed armored barriers now safely housed their soaked ammunition stores.
Both torpedoes had breached the side armor of the Goblin Battleship, causing extensive flooding. The unbalanced warship began to list rapidly.
In the command tower atop the ship’s island, the pencil on the chart table rolled off onto the slanted floor. It didn’t stop there; it continued rolling toward the corner, eventually resting against the wall.
"Two torpedoes hit! The side has taken on excessive water! Damage control commander is uncontactable! The ship is listing rapidly!" The executive officer tearfully reported the Goblin Battleship’s status to its captain.
The old captain of the Goblin Battleship sighed and looked at the executive officer. "Try to contact the damage control teams. Have them pump water to restore the ship’s balance! Check the engine room and the ammunition stores! Then report detailed damage to me!"
As a seasoned naval officer, he was exceptionally experienced in combat. He knew that as long as the ammunition magazines and boiler rooms remained secure, the situation was not yet irreversible.
The executive officer said nothing, aware that the Goblin Battleship was likely doomed. It had already taken a torpedo hit before, and now two more torpedoes struck the same side, making flooding seemingly uncontrollable.
Three massive holes continued to gush seawater. By now, the Goblin Battleship… was severely listing.
"The damage control commander is dead! Captain! Flooding is beyond containment! The engine room is heavily flooded, and very soon we will lose power!" Shortly afterward, the remaining damage control teams phoned in, and the executive officer once again updated the captain on the Goblin Battleship’s grim status.
"Then this is how it shall be." The Goblin Battleship’s captain removed his cap, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette, sticking it in his mouth. "Smoking has always been prohibited here, but now seems like the perfect moment to break that rule."
He struck a match and lit his cigarette. "Gentlemen, I’m ordering an abandon ship. It’s been an honor serving with all of you. Mirage Country will ultimately survive this calamity. May heaven bless our Emperor."
"Captain!" The executive officer stepped forward. "Please come with me! The lifeboats will soon be ready…"
"There’s no need! I have no intention of becoming a prisoner, nor do I plan to leave this warship! It’s so beautiful and majestic. As my final resting place, it’s perfect." The captain smiled at his executive officer. "Some rules can be broken, but others cannot. In Mirage Country tradition, when a warship sinks, the captain must remain at his post!"
"This isn’t your fault, Captain!" The executive officer appeared to have more to say. He believed the catastrophic defeat today was entirely the fault of the incompetent air force and Shen Haifeng’s foolishness. If anyone had to be held accountable for this failure, it should be that damned fool Shen Haifeng.
But the captain interrupted him. "Go now. Organize the soldiers to abandon ship! Get them onto lifeboats, distribute life vests… Hurry, this ship won’t hold out much longer."
As he spoke, the Goblin Battleship had already listed so severely that it seemed on the verge of capsizing. The executive officer hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately saluted, turned on his heel, and walked out of the command tower.
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Updating yesterday’s chapter.
