The raging waves aroused by the torpedo explosion rushed straight into the air. When the water waves fell one after another, the broad and solid steel body of the "Blüchel" continued to move forward in the swaying. The terrifying flames only appeared at the moment of the explosion, and the black smoke quickly dispersed with the wind. From the scene, the warships seemed to have not been seriously damaged, but the damage below the waterline was absolutely not to be underestimated to any ship. There were precedents of torpedo sinking ships in Russia, Turkey, Qing and Japan, and Russo-Japanese Wars. Especially in the Russo-Japanese War 10 years ago, the Japanese Navy fought undeclaredly and sent a destroyer to raid Lushun, severely damaging the battleship "Letvizan", "Zesalevich" and the cruiser "Palada", showing the powerful power of torpedo war.

The "Blüchel" built in the name of a large cruiser was in service in 1909. Since the 18,000-ton hull was equipped with four 11-inch twin turrets and was equipped with boilers and turbines that could provide 45,000 horsepower, the actual weight used for defense was relatively limited, and the armor thickness in key areas was the weakest among German battle cruisers, and the difference was more than one or a half. Therefore, its chief designer, the then senior technical specialist of the navy and the shipbuilding supervisor, was the appointment of the

Prince Ahim took great pains to improve its anti-sinking performance. Not only did he adopt a longitudinal rib structure and up to 24 waterproof compartments, he installed underwater lightning armor and ship-side lightning compartments, but he also added additional protection to the ammunition depot and power compartment, and was equipped with an extraordinary water pump and in-ship drainage pipeline. These unique designs allowed the "Blüchel" to avoid the doom of being sunk by a powerful 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo.

The designer may not be able to guarantee the extent of the blow a warship can withstand, let alone the user of the ship. After the lightning was in the side, Colonel Edman and his officers seemed extremely nervous. On the one hand, they were worried about whether the injuries of the ship were in a controllable range, and on the other hand, they were concerned about the torpedoes that could attack at any time behind. So, Colonel Edman did not slow down the ship, but asked all crew members to stay in the battle position, and at the same time sent a signal to the flagship "Sedlitz" that "thunder in the lightning" and "preparing to withdraw from the battle line".

How is the damage of the warship? Professional damage management personnel in the field inspection have the most say. With the warhead equipped with 225 pounds (100 kilograms) of tnt explosives, the armor belt of the hull that the British Mkii type torpedo directly exploded 5 meters underwater and destroyed the cross-border partition of the waterproof compartment on the side, causing the water to flow directly into the four waterproof compartments, and seawater seeps in the two adjacent compartments diagonally. The trained crew members were in the car and quickly closed the longitudinal watertight doors of the six lower compartments. The explosion caused two people to be killed on the spot. Three crew members who had not yet escaped were temporarily listed on the missing list.

After the preliminary survey, the first-class naval sergeant who led the loss management team to the bottom cabin reported to the bridge through the in-ship communication telephone: "The three watertight cabins of 13, 20, 21 have completely inflowed water, 22 have severe water inflow, 12, 14 have some water inflows, and the water inflow volume is about 500 tons. The water pumps of No. 3 and 4 are working normally, and the water inflow rate is in a controllable state. The backup electric pump is expected to start working in 5 minutes. The diver has been in place and requested to conduct damage surveys on the No. 20 cabins and enter the No. 12 and 14 cabins to be plugged in."

Inside the combat bridge, Captain Edman listened to the report from the bottom pole: "Well, yes, agree to the damage survey and leak plugging operation, report immediately whenever there is any situation!"

Hang off the phone, the colonel stared at the floor, hesitated for a few seconds, turned his head to the anxious officers and said, "The damage was better than expected, three watertight tanks were flooded, and there were three other parts of water inlet. If the sea water was urgently injected into the starboard side to maintain the balance of the hull, we would not be able to maintain the current speed, 18 knots, maybe lower... Gentlemen, exit the battle line or hold on to the battle?"

The officers looked at each other, the battle was still going on, and where to go was related to the fate of the warship and all crew members.

Since the officers did not have a clear opinion, as the commander of a ship, Edman made a quick decision and ordered the injection of 400 tons of water into the starboard bottom cabin to basically restore the deck to the level, thereby ensuring the normal shooting of the naval guns, and at the same time adjusting the power output to the maximum to keep up with the formation speed as much as possible.

In the lower cabin behind starboard, as one of the pumps stopped roaring, the damage toll personnel wearing submersible equipment entered the turbulent cabin No. 21 without hesitation. The circuit here was completely interrupted, and the divers could only use the emergency flashlight to illuminate the water. As the flashlight beam became darker in the dark water, the damage toll personnel who were connected at the watertight hatch door could not help but worry about the safety of their companions. After two cigarettes, the light of the emergency torch reappeared under the water. The diver floated to the water exhausted and reported panting: "The hole is about 2 meters high and 3 meters wide, and the center is 3 meters away from the bottom of the ship, which is very difficult to plug the leak!"

The naval sergeant who was in charge of the site ordered his subordinates to pull the divers up and closed the watertight door of the waterproof compartment again. Then, he reported the latest situation to the bridge. His personal damage pipe suggests to block the cracks between the three compartments 20, 22, 13 and the compartment No. 21 compartment, and temporarily reinforce the transverse compartment wall. This method can allow the "Blüchel" to maintain a certain navigation capacity, and ultimately it will need to return to the dry dock to repair the damage.

After a fierce battle, the British light ships that were involved in this "death shock" were only four destroyers who were sunk, injured, fell behind or evacuated in one go. At this time, the launch of torpedoes has a high chance of hitting, while the German fleet with superior firepower has also had an extremely high shooting accuracy. Both sides were like a pistol duel that was once popular in Europe and the United States, shooting face to face at a distance of fifteen or twenty steps apart.

It is courage, skills and luck. Another gap that cannot be ignored is that the German crew members are full of morale and fighting spirit because of their repeated defeats. The emergence of their main fleet makes everyone feel confident of victory. The situation of British crew members is just the opposite. They are shocked by the scene of death and injury around them. Most of them insist on fighting with their tenacious willpower, and their ships and equipment are unable to play their full role due to light or severe damage...

The most threatening to the German reconnaissance fleet appeared on the sea with a white trail. The German warships concentrated on the side of the side were as vast as the sailing warships. In the blink of an eye, four British destroyers who were turning at full speed were shrouded by fierce artillery fire. The storm waves rolled up by heavy shells made them in a state of violent bumps and swaying at all times. One of them got caught fire, and then another ship stern exploded, and the speed dropped sharply. At this time, the fire on the ship had been completely extinguished, and the hull damage was also dealt with urgently. "Sedlitz

The USS " broke out at high speed from the west of the battle patrol formation. Compared with the friendly ships that were shooting while avoiding torpedoes, its biggest advantage at this time was that it was not attacked by British lightning-striking ships, so it was able to launch artillery calmly. The nearly 30,000 tons of hull also provided a stable platform for the firing of large and small ship guns. After the final struggle, only one of the four British destroyers who rushed torpedoes nearby escaped by luck. The other three were either ignited a raging fire or stalled due to damage to the hull, staying under the muzzle of the German fleet. Their fate can be imagined.

The British fleet that launched the torpedo attack has collapsed, but the threat faced by the German reconnaissance fleet has not yet been lifted. At this time, the sea was full of scary torpedo traces, and the interception and shooting of the naval guns still had little effect. At this time, the four German battle patrols and four light patrols did not have to take into account the combat formation, but avoided according to their respective observations and judgments. Before the dazzling victory was achieved, Hippel's fleet was hit again, and two torpedoes hit "Maoqi" respectively.

The "Magdeburg" and the "Magdeburg" had an amazing explosion and a large hole was blown up in the bow of the former. In order to avoid the ammunition explosion, the crew had to urgently inject water into the bow ammunition depot, and the speed was sharply reduced from 22 knots to 8 knots. The "Magdeburg" was injured and was hit by the entire unit. The impact of the explosion almost penetrated the bottom of the ship. Even if there was a subdivided compartment and longitudinal rib structure, it was useless. The hull quickly tilted right. At 7:19, the captain Lieutenant Colonel Ait ordered the abandonment of the ship.

The Moltke and the Magdeburg were damaged one after another. In addition to the Blüchel, which was also in the red, the price paid by the Hippel reconnaissance fleet in just a few minutes was much heavier than the artillery battle in more than half an hour. Because of the continuous avoidance of torpedoes, the distance between them and the Betty fleet had reached 27,000 meters, which means that only the three-legged mast of the Lion could be seen standing on the bridge of the Seedlitz...

Within the range of the German reconnaissance fleet, there were several British ships that had lost all or part of their power floating on the sea. None of them lowered their combat flags, and some were still shooting at German warships with naval guns. At the same time, sailors who escaped from the overturned and sunken British ships were still struggling on the sea, and most of the lifeboats were filled with survivors...

Standing on the flagship "Sedlitz", German Navy General Franz von Hippel silently scanned the messy sea. For those British ships that knew there was no hope, he did not bully the weak or vent his unhappiness, but instead had respect and sympathy for those who had lost their combat ability. For those who had lost their combat ability, he ordered the accompanying light cruiser to search and rescue and containment after the battle.

In a short while, the battlecruisers and light cruisers that were scattered to avoid torpedoes gathered again behind the flagship. Although the Moltke did not have any chance of sinking, the damage to the bow was no longer suitable for rapid navigation; the injuries of the "Blüchel" were in controllable, but the entire ship had more than 900 tons of water, and the speed was greatly affected. Therefore, Hippel ordered the two battlecruisers to withdraw from the battle line, and the light cruisers "Stralsund" and "Korbor" accompanied the return after collecting the personnel of the "Magdeburg".

After adjustment, the battle patrol "Sedlitz", "Deferringer", "Gobon" and "Strasbourg" light patrol. The "Rostock" formation headed north and soon caught up with two British light cruisers and a destroyer retreating with injuries, and sank them one by one without any effort. These small results did not make Hippel feel proud and satisfied. With the three best battle patrols under his command, he stared at the sea ahead for a long time. Although the previous battle patrol formations were thrilling, they ended halfway without distinguishing the superiority. If the battle ended, it might become an eternal regret in my heart. Since the sword in my hand has been raised again, the two battle patrol formations are basically in a state of equal strength. If they can win a duel naval battle, they will definitely add the most perfect honor to their military career.

The Hippel fleet chased the Betty fleet 27,000 meters away with a speed of only 2 knots. The German dauntless fleet led by the "Frederick the Great" once narrowed the distance to 18,000 meters, but after the Betty fleet completed its turn, the distance between the two sides began to widen again. Without any change, the Betty fleet, like a frightened bird, will successfully hold on until dark. With the cover of night, it will not only avoid the threat of long-range artillery bombardment from the German fleet, but also be difficult to get rid of the pursuit through large-scale maneuvers.

Six Hubert E-type attack aircraft that flew over Betty's fleet first brought variables that the British did not want to see to this decisive sea battle.
Chapter completed!