As the first volunteer to go to the Pacific War Zone, Captain Neil Casley completed the so-called retirement procedures on Valentine's Day in 1936. Although he was able to return to the Irish Defense Forces with a matching rank in two to three years, at least until then, he could no longer appear in public as an active-duty military. Now, this special officer is dressed in a standard US Navy submarine outfit, standing on a strange-looking command stand, scanning the open and empty sea with a high-power telescope.

As an outsider in the original sense, Captain Casley came here from thousands of miles away, obviously not just to show off his combat skills. From 1933 to 1935, he commanded two different submarines, sinking four Commonwealth ships and three American ships.

The U.S. official standing next to Captain Casley is Major Blin, the genuine captain of the submarine. He is also the commander of the 11th Submarine Detachment of the US Pacific Fleet. At present, this team with five combat submarines is ambushing the route between the Philippines and the Mariana Islands.

"Fortunately there will be moonlight and stars tonight, otherwise it will be dark, and it will be almost impossible to observe ships sailing with lights off a few nautical miles away!"

Captain Casley spoke British English, which was fluent, and it was quite convenient to communicate with Americans. This was also an important reason why he was able to stand out from many applicants and become the first volunteers.

Major Blin looked down at the chart, marking the predetermined lurking positions of the five American submarines with red dots. They were about ten nautical miles apart from each other. According to Captain Casley's suggestion, they were fan-shaped rather than straight lines in people's inertial thinking. It seems that the difference is not the same, but it is one of the effective experiences summarized in actual combat. You should know that when the commanders of the Allied submarines searched for US and British fleets, the formation search most often used. Although the efficiency is far less than that of aircraft, it can maximize the detection range of conventional submarines.

With the strict maritime blockade, the Allied Navy severely damaged the opponent's Atlantic shipping route with a limited number of submarine troops in the early stage of the war. Otherwise, the arrival of a large amount of American equipment would greatly improve the British army's ability to defend the local area, and it may even cause qualitative changes due to quantitative changes, helping Britain win the anti-landing battle that determines the direction of the war!

Major Blinn didn't seem interested in this, he calculated: "If we have the Japanese transport fleet traveled at cruising speed throughout the journey, it will not be here until this time tomorrow! We can have a good sleep tonight and keep our energy!"

"The war cannot be calculated like this. The Japanese are completely able to predict through various intelligence and adjust the fleet's itinerary accordingly." Captain Casley smiled. As the saying goes, it is not that enemies are not gathering. The two countries that once had a firefight have become close strategic partners. It is also a "miracle" to fight side by side on a submarine.

Major Blin seemed a little disgusted with Captain Casley's tone. Perhaps he had not liked this Irish officer with different styles from the very beginning, or perhaps no one was allowed to make any move within his power.

"If Mr. Captain insists like this, then the important task of serving the night tonight will be entrusted to you!"

Captain Casley did not seem to notice the sarcasm and provocation in the other party's tone. He straightened his back as usual and replied casually: "I'm happy to do it!"

Major Blin snorted, put away his chart, and went down the gangway to the cabin. He didn't come up until dinner. Captain Casley learned that the US submarine commander had had dinner early and went back to the captain's room to sleep.

Due to the need to set up an ambush at sea, the submarines of the team did not break the radio silence unless necessary, so there was no contact with each other. After dinner as if nothing had happened, Captain Casley added a coat to his waterproof suit, grabbed two packs of cigarettes and went to the deck.

After nightfall, the sea breeze in the Central Pacific was still gentle and gentle, blowing drowsy. A cigarette was lit, and Captain Casley walked back and forth on the deck, which was considered a walk after meals. Then he talked to the US crew about some European war experiences, and climbed onto the highest podium of the submarine every ten minutes and looked around with a telescope. Without the boat-mounted radar installed, the naked eye and sonar are the two major tools for submarines to search for targets. Therefore, Casley also specifically asked the US sonar on the boat to take turns to ensure that at least one person stayed at his post all night.

The night gradually became deeper. Although the air on the deck was fresh, except for the crew, everyone else went back to the boat to sleep. I had never closed my eyes since the morning. Captain Casley was also sleepy, but as a former Irish submarine captain, an excellent undersea hunter, patience and calmness were the two treasures he won against the enemy. From midnight, he almost never left his telescope and cigarettes. Even though his lips were blown dry by the sea breeze, he did not leave his post to drink water. It is said that "the reward of heaven". When the needle pointed at two o'clock, he suddenly found that the sea surface in his sight was a little mottled. He closed his eyes and adjusted it for a few seconds before looking. He could basically confirm that this was not his own vision.

Because the distance was still far, Major Ludendolf was not sure whether it was the Japanese transport fleet displayed by the intelligence or the Japanese Navy's patrol fleet. So he asked the crew on the deck to go down to remind the sonars to pay close attention to the movements in the northern waters, but after a while, Major Blin climbed up with a dark face.

"I didn't ask him to wake you up, because I can't tell you it's the target fleet or the enemy's patrol fleet!"

Major Blin was reluctant to accept such an explanation, and he muttered: "Can you judge such an important situation in your fleet without reporting it to the direct commander?"

The difference in thoughts and habits made Captain Casley still not notice the dissatisfaction of the American official. He replied in a stern manner: "On the battlefield, the officers should indeed have their own judgment!"

If he hadn't focused on the telescope, Major Blin would probably roll his eyes to this guy.

"I think that should be the target fleet. Their itinerary was ahead of schedule. Damn, maybe the information was inaccurate at all!"

He muttered a few words in surprise. Major Blinn seemed to have made a decision. He shouted to the voice transmitter: "All attention, all attention, and immediately enter the state of combat! Communications soldiers, prepare to send a telegram!"

"It's a big deal to send a newspaper now!" Captain Casley reminded warmly.

Although I was dissatisfied, the coming battle was an unpredictable outcome. Major Blin asked quickly: "What are your opinions?"

"A good hunter needs more patience!" Captain Casley deliberately said slowly, almost fainting from the decisive American captain next to him. He asked:

"Would we sit here and observe patiently for a few minutes?"

Captain Casley said with disrespect, "This should be the best choice at the moment!"

Major Blin muttered in a low voice: "I really can't understand the way you Europeans think."

"If the Japanese warships send a report now, it is easy to detect, and it is not difficult to judge that the radio waves are coming from nearby. They will immediately raise their vigilance and even take anti-submarine routes to avoid our attacks. This will not delay them for too long!" Captain Casley carefully analyzed in a professional tone: "Since it is a slow escort fleet, it is still time to notify other submarines later."

Major Blin wanted to continue to refute, but he opened his mouth and didn't speak. Some truths were actually not difficult to understand. The key lies in his mentality and direction of thinking.

Captain Casley said calmly: "To calculate the approximate distance, as long as the Japanese ship adopts a predetermined route, it will inevitably pass through our submarine ambush zone. At least one submarine should find an opportunity to attack. Once an attack is launched, there will be more opportunities!"

The gap between reality and imagination made Major Blin hesitate. After a minute and a half, he said, "Okay! I'll just listen to you once!"

This seems to be just a reluctant retreat, but psychologically speaking, practical experience is the most reliable basis.

Captain Casley still reserved some things, for example, the P-class submarine has a maximum underwater speed of 10 knots, which is much faster than the Irish submarine he commanded earlier!

In the early morning, in the breeze, the unengineered submarine was like a sleeping whale, floating quietly on the black sea. Even if a bright moon hangs in the sky, it is not easy to find the darkness lurking around this ship from a distance.

On the podium more than three meters above the deck, four completely normal adults squeezed together, turning it into an open can of meat, without worrying about the bumps of the breeze and waves. The officers each held telescopes and looked at the surrounding sea surface very seriously, especially in the northeast direction. As time went by, the group of black shadows appeared in that direction became clearer, and the outline of the fleet could be seen gradually!

"Good guy, such a fleet is carrying at least tens of thousands of tons of combat supplies! Captain, what should we do now?" Major Blin suppressed the excitement in his heart, his small eyes were about to emit green light. His previous dissatisfaction with Captain Casley seemed to have disappeared, but the cooperation between colleagues always had a dyke mentality.

In this case, Captain Casley did not act pretentiously, and there was no such pretentious word in his dictionary. Estimating the distance and speed of movement of the fleet, he thought for a moment and said in a rational and peaceful manner: "If they continue to maintain this course, it is very likely to pass through the sea between p-4 and p-6. As long as the commanders of these two submarines can remain calm enough, they should have the opportunity to find the attack angle. Even if the 8 torpedoes cannot hit important targets, they can disrupt their formation and drive some of the ships to our combat area!"

Major Blin asked in confusion: "Don't we seize the opportunity to take the initiative?"
Chapter completed!