Hearing that the target was right ahead, US Navy Lieutenant General Thomas Hart, accompanied by his subordinates, boarded the open-air observation deck at the upper part of the Lexington bridge. At this time, the night was deep and the sea surface was very cool. The oncoming sea breeze was mixed with a sour breath, which was exhaust gas discharged from the chimney of the light ship in front. The glimmer of light cruiser "Nashville" sent to reconnaise the enemy situation. Its signal was like a lighthouse in the dark, guiding the combat fleet to chase the fleeing Allied escort fleet.

The officers who were already on the observation deck spontaneously gave the best position to Hart. Colonel Garcia, who was in charge of commanding the super battle patrol, quipped: "A heavy cruiser, a light cruiser, a destroyer and a minesweeper... With such a weak escort force, should we say that our enemies are too careless, or have they reached the end of their lives? What do you think, sir?"

Hart held the armored guardrail with both hands: "There is another possibility, that is, the enemy deliberately lures us to come."

Until now, the Americans have fully understood the strength of their opponents. Colonel Garcia's joke is a reflection of the Americans' optimism, and there is no intention of despising their opponents. After hearing Lieutenant General Hart's speculation, the officers put away their smiles just now.

Maybe the enemy's main battleship is really ambushed in the deep darkness.

"If this is the case, wouldn't we be in a very dangerous situation now?" said Colonel Garcia.

Hart asked back: "Or why would we dispatch most of the fleet?"

The colonel nodded. If the target was just an ordinary escort fleet, it would be enough to quietly dispatch the "Lexington" and there was no need to make such a big noise.

After a moment of silence, Hart said: "In the past two hours, the enemy's radio contact has been very frequent, and most of the communication content is something we cannot decipher. Next, everyone must be careful."

Colonel Garcia did not respond, but nodded in response. Thinking about the huge US-British joint formation that had been launched to the Azores, most people were full of longing for the prospects of the war, but after experiencing one cruel fierce battle after another, witnessing the fire and explosions and sinking of friendly ships, realizing that the mighty and majestic battleships might also turn into a hell of death in a flash, and many people truly realized the cruelty of the war.

The lights in the distance are still beating regularly, but now no one can tell whether it is the key to victory or the bait to fall into the abyss.

Hart's speech was deep, but his true mentality was not so pessimistic. At this time, the "Lexington" was not fighting alone. In addition to the accompanying cruisers and destroyers, there were two British battleships providing direct support. They were the "War-weary" and "Balham" that belonged to the Queen Elizabeth class. The battleships of this class were built from 1912 to 1913, with a scheduled construction period of 26 to 30 months. The harsh war situation greatly delayed their construction progress. After the signing of the London Armistice Treaty, they were able to continue construction and finally completed and put into service in 1917 to 1919. Affected by the advancement of turbine technology and adjustment of strategic thinking, the power output of the Queen Elizabeth class when it was built reached 85,000 horsepower instead of the original 7,500.

0 horsepower, with an extremely fast speed of 26 knots during the trial, becoming the fastest battleship at that time. By 1933, the five Queen Elizabeth-class ships, which were technically modified in Canadian and American shipyards, were still active on the front line of the British Navy. During the Battle of Texel, the US and British Allied Forces dispatched three Queen Elizabeth-class and two Pennsylvania-class to attack the "Brandenburg" fortress outside the Hero Port. This battleship formation successfully suppressed the enemy fortress with powerful firepower, and then launched a devastating artillery bombardment on the Hero Port, making great achievements for the US and British Allied Forces to seize this stronghold. In the Battle of San Miguel, the British main fleet was attacked by fiercely by opponents. The queens performed quite bravely and hit enemy ships many times in long-distance artillery bombardment.

At the edge of the detection range of the USS Lexington radar, the lonely Irish heavy cruiser was heading east at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. Such a coquettish move was one of the reasons why US commander Thomas Hart was vigilant and concerned.

In the face of the great enemy, Major General Feng Heinke, the commander of the Allied escort fleet, was not in the mood to blow the sea breeze on the observation deck. He was sitting on pins and needles in the closed combat bridge of the "Ruger", always paying attention to information from all aspects.

"Sir, we just received the second password telegram from the S fleet."

The communications officer on the ship presented the telegram to Captain Farrell. The colonel glanced quickly and handed it to Von Heinke.

After reading the telegram content, the German Rear Admiral frowned into the word "Chuan": "Let's turn around and reconnaissance the enemy's situation? What the hell? Is this S fleet our reinforcements, or is the enemy deciphering our communication password and deliberately inducing us into the trap?"

It is not difficult to solve this mystery. Colonel Farrell had given instructions to his subordinates before. Shortly after the communications officer sent a telegram, another officer came to report the radio direction findings, indicating that the previous signal of the code came from the southeast, not the northwest direction of the British fleet, which was consistent with the radar's current detection results.

At this moment, the orderly sent hot coffee, and the somewhat depressing battle bridge suddenly filled with a sweet and refreshing aroma. Major General Von Heinke picked up the cup and tasted it, stretched his eyebrows slightly, and then turned his head to look at the Irish colonel like a can: "I heard that our crown prince personally went to Ireland to invite His Majesty Joachim I to take over the Allied Fleet, and most people thought that Crown William could succeed in this trip."

Colonel Farrell responded lightly: "I have never heard of such rumors."

This answer made Feng Heinke feel bored. He sipped his coffee in small sips, then suddenly stopped and said with a serious look: "His Majesty Joachim is the god of naval warfare in our time. Many people think so, and I am no exception."

"So, you hope that this S fleet is the reinforcement fleet led by His Majesty Joachim. His arrival will lead the Allied fleet to quickly turn the situation around the war and then drive the US and British forces out of the Azores." Farrell said the other party's heart.

Feng Heinke nodded: "Although we know that this possibility is not too great, we still can't help but expect it. After all, our strategic situation in the Atlantic Ocean is obviously at a disadvantage. If we suffer another defeat, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Farrell glanced at the starboard direction. Outside the porthole was endless darkness, and behind the darkness was the mysterious fleet of S. Its energy contained, and the colonel was also full of curiosity and expectation.

"We might as well give it a try!" Farrell suddenly said.

"Oh?" Feng Heinke didn't hear the other person's words clearly, but hesitated in his heart.

Farrell did not repeat what he had just said. He remained silent as usual, which was both due to personality and a rational understanding of personal roles.

With the current situation, the time to consider a cup of coffee seems too extravagant. Von Heinke had no choice but to make a decision based on his intuitive feeling. The "Ruger" turned, and his speed increased to 28 knots, and the roar of the turbines seemed particularly clear before this quiet dawn.

The crew members were not sure about why their warships turned around again, but everyone followed the orders to stick to the combat post. Previously, they fought with two enemy ships one after another, and the "Ruge" killed two people and injured four people. Such losses were relatively minor in naval battles, and the damage to the hull was basically negligible, which means that it was still in an ideal combat state at this time. The higher speed and basically uninterrupted radar detection gave it space to move forward and backward.

After narrowing the distance from the target, clear light spots gradually appeared on the radar screen of the "Ruger". It is used to judge that a fleet of more than ten ships arrived from the northwest. After further detection and identification, it can be determined that three of them were large ships. These real-time information were continuously shot through password telegrams. However, when the enemy fleet tracked radio signals and took interference measures, it is still a big unknown whether the S fleet could receive these messages in full.

As the enemy fleet gradually approached, the "Ruger" re-appeared with the American light cruiser he had fought before. The two ships were divided, but the US ship "Nashville" was no longer a down-and-out lone wolf. Behind it was a group of sharp-toned and hungry wolves. Exploring the Irish heavy cruiser turned around and came forward without fear, and fired multiple cannon-fired flares from a distance, causing the shadow of the "Ruger" to appear and disappear on the sea.

In order to avoid getting entangled in enemy ships, the "Luge" decisively turned around and drove south at high speed. This trick failed to deceive the opponent. The enemy fleet was unmoved and continued to pursue the escort fleet's retreat. Only the "Nashville" tried to attack it from a long distance.

The plan to lure the enemy failed to take effect, and the "Luge" had to turn east and keep track of the enemy fleet. As time went by, it became closer and closer to the fleet coming from the southwest, and the scale of the opponent was clearly displayed on the radar screen. Three large warships and more than twenty light ships. The number of ships was advantageous than the enemy fleet that was pursuing the escort fleet, but not as big as imagined. However, if this was a premeditated ambush battle to lure the enemy, perhaps there might be a backup plan on our side?

Even with Major General Von Heinke's position was not enough to get in touch with a high-level strategic layout, so the crew of the "Ruge" was destined to continue to be in the valley. After about a quarter of an hour, the fleet in the southwest was so close that it could communicate with the "Ruge" through light signals.

"In the name of His Majesty the King of Ireland, I pay high respect for your heroic performance!"

When the other party's first lantern signal was interpreted, the bridge of the "Ruge" was boiling, the young officers were ecstatic, and some older officers were even more in tears.

As Von Heinke said, that name represents an undefeated legend.

The excitement calmed down, and the German Rear Admiral let out a sigh of relief, turned to Colonel Farrell and said, "Fortunately, you said you might as well give it a try, and then we made the right choice, otherwise we would regret it for the rest of our lives."
Chapter completed!