Narwhals in nature are a kind of marine creature with a peculiar appearance. They are petite among cetaceans, but compared to most fish and mammals, they are well-deserved giants. The most unique thing is that their (mostly males) have a spiral "long horn" that extends from their heads (this is actually one of their teeth that continues to grow throughout their lives and eventually pierces the upper lip, like a sharp spear extending about 2-3 meters from the head). It is worth mentioning that narwhals mainly live in cold waters in the north, with relatively small populations, and their strange appearance, are quite mysterious in the eyes of the world.

In the early 1930s, the US Navy also had their "Narwhal" a large submarine designed for ocean-going cruise operations. This class of submarines was an attempt by the Americans to develop large submarines. The tonnage far exceeded any submarine they had designed and built in the past. Its water displacement was close to 3,300 tons, underwater displacement exceeded 4,000 tons, and can carry more than 700 tons of fuel. The range of range at a speed of 10 knots reached an astonishing 200

00 nautical miles, the airworthiness performance is much better than that of ordinary submarines, but it also brings negative effects on tactical performance. Users generally react that this type of submarine is clumsy in action, with slow steering and diving. The range of two 45-diameter 6-inch deck guns is very long. However, the observation distance and aiming accuracy provided by the submarine's own equipment are very limited. Tests close to the actual combat environment show that their effective shelling distance is about 10 kilometers, and the maximum is no more than 15 kilometers.

In order to meet the needs of ocean navigation, the narwhal class has a spacious interior space, with all kinds of living facilities, and can be equipped with sufficient ammunition and supplies to sail. In addition to regular combat patrols, it can also be competent for various tasks such as maritime crusades, coastal raids, secret transportation, etc., which can be regarded as a super versatile among submarines. Before the outbreak of the war, the US Navy formulated a large number of plans for various combat needs. For enemy colonial ports or traffic supply stations hanging overseas, a narwhal class carrying about 50 people went to attack, transport, support, and respond in one step.

In the early morning of that day, when the Allied Frederick Caesar fleet turned around and returned about 500 nautical miles east of the Azores, in addition to the "Green Cod" which carried out combat cruise missions, there was also a "narwhal" hidden in the nearby sea. This was the "Nautilus" that set off from Norfolk Port a week ago. Its mission was to transport a batch of combat supplies to Scotland and to pick up 60 important personnel designated by the British government from there. The Allied escort fleet was met by the Allied. The commander of the "Nautilus" did not intend to take an attack at first, but was preparing to wait until the target went away before informing the situation to his superiors. After that, the torpedo life of the "Green Cod" fired by the "Green Cod"

The enemy ship was then held down by the German destroyer and beaten up. Realizing that its submarine might be in danger, the commander of the Nautilus decisively took action. He commanded the submarine to float to the water and opened fire on the German destroyer that turned on the searchlight to search for the target and continuously fired deep-water bombs with two 152mm deck guns. Due to the long distance and the unsatisfactory sea conditions, the Nautilus fired 12 guns in a row, and all the bullet points were far away from the enemy ship. Even so, it took the risk of floating up and firing at the enemy ships to achieve the expected results. The enemy destroyer turned off the lights, stopped the pursuit of underwater targets, and worked with other escort ships to deal with the mutation of the war situation carefully.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of floating artillery bombardment, the Nautilus sent a telegram to its command center, promptly informing the combat location and observations of the enemy situation. The Irish heavy cruiser "Ruger" equipped with radio interference equipment adopted conventional interference measures at the first time, but the probability of completely preventing radio communication between enemy submarines was only about 40%, which was far from enough to ensure the safety of the escort fleet.

After some trade-offs, Major General Von Heinke ordered a telegram to the German Navy Staff and the Allied Fleet Command to inform the real-time location of the fleet and the enemy situation they are currently facing. At the same time, the intelligence department of the "Ruger" used radio direction finding technology to locate the enemy ships that had just shot and sent the telegram to guide their escort ships to explore. When they arrived there, the "Nautilus" had already submerged underwater. Although there was no obvious evidence left on the sea, the sonar equipment of the German destroyer discovered the large submarine in the submarine, which confirmed previous speculations.

Since there are at least two enemy submarines in this sea area, the Frederick Caesar fleet that has completed its turn is to do its best to sail towards the European continent. The experienced Major General Von Heinke left two newer German destroyers with good performance behind the fleet to prevent enemy submarines from following the fleet in a floating state. If no new accidents occur, this strategy can help the escort fleet get out of danger at the lowest cost. However, less than three hours have passed before the German tanker "Setres" entered the lightning, and a huge danger suddenly came. The radar of the "Ruger" found a fleet coming from the northwest at high speed.

At the beginning, the target was at the edge of the effective detection distance, and the radar could not judge its size and composition. The atmosphere on the bridge of the "Ruger" was unusually heavy. In order to avoid panic spread, Major General Feng Heinke decided not to inform his ships of the enemy for the time being. Fortunately, the telegram they sent to their superiors to get a reply soon, and the command from the Allied Fleet Command was very clear: to maintain the course, the fleet should not be disbanded unless they had to be forced.

The enemy fleet's tracks were discovered by the radar of the Ruger for only a quarter of an hour. The distance between it and the escort fleet of Frederick Caesar was reduced from 40 kilometers to 30 kilometers, which means that the enemy fleet not only has an absolute advantage in speed, but also knows the exact location of the Allied fleet.

At this time, on the bridge of the "Ruger", all the resigned officers have returned to their combat posts, with their eyes fixed on their respective job objects or looking at the dark sea. A fierce battle may come at any time, and the tense atmosphere has wiped out people's tiredness. People speculate, think, worry, and wait...

"Sir, the Radar Room reported that judging from the current detection situation, the fleet chasing from the northwest consists of two medium-sized warships, lined up in a single-line column with a distance of about one thousand meters."

With this valuable technical information, the commanders immediately felt like they could clear away the fog and see the sun and the moon. Although they could not see the true appearance of the enemy clearly, they could at least eliminate the potential possibility of huge power gap between the enemy and us.

As usual, Feng Heinke ordered: "Notify the radar room and be sure to monitor the enemy situation closely and report any circumstances immediately."

After saying that, the German Rear Admiral, who had experienced many naval battles, turned his head to look at his Irish partner: "If it were just two light cruisers, we would come up and fight happily and try to use the advantage of radar to wipe them out. What do you think?"

Colonel Farrell replied with a cold expression: "It depends on whether our enemies have the courage to fight to the death! If they have the idea of ​​reconnaissance and not fighting hard, it is easy to use speed and night to avoid us. In the daytime, we can still consider using the oncoming charge tactics, but at night, we must be particularly wary of the threat of torpedoes."

Feng Heinke thought for a while: "If we do not take the initiative to fight and eliminate the threat of enemy ships as soon as possible, they may break into our fleet separately, making us unable to take into account both front and back, and the situation will be very troublesome at that time."

"The situation you are worried about may indeed happen," Farrell said bluntly. "My opinion is to be prepared for the battle, but before the enemy expresses its intentions, the 'Ruger' will not act rashly for the time being."

Von Heinke touched his chin and said, "Let the 'Herta' carry out fire reconnaissance?"

Colonel Farrell did not answer because his primary task was to lead the "Ruger" to cooperate with this escort mission. He would only temporarily take over the command if the first commander was unable to perform his duties.

Before obtaining more information on the enemy situation, Feng Heinke did not make a hasty decision. After waiting for five or six minutes, a new report finally came from the radar room: It was initially judged that the enemy ship was two light cruisers of similar size, with a fleet speed of about 28 knots and a distance of 1,500 meters between each other. With their current speed, it is estimated that the effective range of the night will enter five minutes later.

Just one minute before the report, the radar room reported a new situation: the second enemy ship suddenly turned left and headed east, as if it was intended to surround the left wing of the regiment, while the first enemy ship still maintained its previous course and headed straight towards the rear of the regiment.

Since it is difficult to get a clear suggestion from Colonel Farrell, Major General von Heinke made his decision alone: ​​"The 'Ruge' turned around to face the enemy's ship No. 1! The 'Herta' face the enemy's ship No. 2!"

Colonel Farrell undoubtedly accepted the order and issued a series of tactical orders to his officers and soldiers. This beautifully designed and well-equipped Irish heavy cruiser quickly turned, and then increased the speed to 25 knots in a very short time to provide the combat performance of the "Ruger". Too slow is not conducive to tactical maneuver, and too fast is not conducive to aiming and shooting. Colonel Farrell's responsibility as the captain is to choose the most appropriate combat speed for the current sea conditions.

At this time, it was more than two hours before dawn. Before receiving the enemy's fire, both warships were sailing off their lights. Without radar guidance, it would be difficult to deal with enemy warships in time to make adjustments. However, after the "Ruge" and "Herta" turned one after another, the two enemy warships on the radar screen quickly changed their course, and the "Ruge" successively intercepted the radio communication signals of the enemy ships, which means that the two enemy ships had at least one of the radars and were in effective use.

Before the "Ruger" entered its ideal range, the enemy ship No. 1 quickly completed a large turn of nearly 180 degrees. At this time, even if the Irish heavy cruiser chased at full speed, it would not be possible to catch up with this cunning loach. The enemy ship No. 2 faced by the "Herta" made two small-angle steering times in a row, and its speed increased to more than 32 knots. It seemed that it wanted to get rid of the "Herta" and go around in front of the Allied fleet.
Chapter completed!