At dawn, the breeze blew bright flags, the waves slapped against the solid shore embankment, and the huge Cartagena Port was shrouded in a peaceful tranquility, until the sound of barges running came from the entrance channel. At first, people did not realize that this familiar sound was different from the past. Only the soldiers on duty on shifts and residents who were waking up early were fortunate to witness this spectacular and special scene: in the hazy morning light, one blue and gray ship shadows drove into the harbor through the channel, and the leading light patrol had long spear-like lines and simple outlines, towering radar antennas and

The model weapon layout shows a modern atmosphere; the central aircraft carrier is like a strong battle axe, or a catapult to siege the city and village. It has a majestic body, a majestic and stable navigation posture and considerable combat aircraft show its technical background; the destroyers and submarine hunting ships behind the hall are like sharp battle knives, with smooth lines, light posture, efficient and versatile technical design and simple and reliable service performance show its practical style; the heavy patrol of the array is like a dazzling broadsword, not only with a cool appearance, fierce firepower, abundant operation space, advanced communication configuration and mature tactical positioning give it the role of the front-line commander...

After a fierce battle day and night, the New United Kingdom Navy's Mediterranean Task Force finally arrived at the Cartagena Naval Base in southeastern Spain. The Spanish military accepted the fleet as promised and blocked the news from the outside, so that it could supply in a relatively stable environment. According to the agreement between the two sides, if the Italians did not seize the handle and put diplomatic pressure on the Spanish government, the fleet would rest for three days at the Cartagena Naval Base. Otherwise, the fleet's stay may only be slightly longer than the 24 hours limited to the Hague International Convention.

Standing on the third-floor terrace of the base headquarters, Major General Cebaros quietly observed the visitors in the harbor. Judging from the results of visual observation, except for a few ships that suffered some damage, the other ships were basically intact. Although he had received news before, he still felt deeply shocked when he saw it with his own eyes: without the coordinated cover of battleships and battle cruisers, not only did he deploy the three main aircraft carriers in the Italians' "yard", but also exposed his position as soon as the war started, and launched fierce air strikes on the Italians' main fleet and Malta's aviation facilities one after another, and then rushed through the Italians' "yard gate" overnight and entered the relatively weak Italians' control.

In this interlocking process, as long as there is a problem, this fleet built with huge amounts of money may be gone. It dares to make such a deployment and hand over the command of the fleet to a previously unreliable admiral instead of a hard-working and experienced admiral. What courage is this? With only three aircraft carriers and more than 200 carrier-based aircraft, facing the Italian Navy and Air Force with thousands of combat aircraft, it not only sank two Italian aircraft carriers and severely damaging the Malta base, but also successfully resisted the continuous attacks of Italian aviation troops and lightning strike groups, and controlled its own losses to a very low level. What fierce combat power is this?

These "mysteries" made Major General Cebaros deeply puzzled.

Today's Spanish Navy is no longer the old, weak and self-contained maritime force in the late 19th century. Since joining the Western Allies, they have gradually integrated into the military system of the Allies, and have added various new types of ships through customization and self-built. They often participate in joint military exercises between allies and send military personnel to allies to study and exchange. At that time, the total tonnage of active ships of the Spanish Navy ranks 8th in the world and 6th in Europe after Germany, the core of which are three Spanish-class battleships, a 20,000-ton Allies-class aircraft carrier and a 30,000-ton Winner-class aircraft carrier. Their strength cannot be underestimated on paper. However, such a Spanish Navy, let alone fighting against the world's three strongest forces, is adjacent to the

Italy also has a considerable gap. As for the main ships, the Spanish-class battleship is a streamlined version of the dreadnought. In the early 1930s, it received a modern technical modification in Ireland, which can barely adapt to the needs of modern naval warfare, but its combat effectiveness is far from comparable to the main ships of the Italian Navy. The Confederate-class aircraft carrier ordered from Ireland in the early days lacked the necessary maintenance and upgrades and was only used to train aircraft carrier pilots and did not have the ability to go to sea to fight. What is really important is the purchase of technology and equipment from Ireland. The Winner-class aircraft carrier "Alfonso" built in Spain. However, the localized carrier-based aircraft has lagged behind the times in performance, and its overall combat power is inferior to the Italian aircraft carrier of the same model.

Without a breakfast, more than a dozen new United Kingdom naval ships sailing into the port had already docked at the dock in Area C. When Spain and Ireland signed a military secret agreement to provide each other with naval strongholds, the three-country economic alliance gradually took effect, and the industrial economy of Spain and Austro-Hungary were both optimistic under the stimulation and driving of Ireland. In order to show sincerity in cooperation, the Spanish military handed over the best geographical location of the Cartagena Naval Base to the Irish. After more than ten years of construction and operation, the Irish have built this place into a mature and complete military stronghold, and it is no problem to provide supplies to three aircraft carriers and multiple light ships.

With great curiosity, Major General Cebaros made a request to the New United Kingdom Navy through the coordination departments of the two countries' naval base temporarily set up in the Cartagena Naval Base, and quickly obtained permission. After rushing to breakfast, he brought several staff officers to the "C Zone". At this time, the huge "C Zone" had openly become the military zone of the New United Kingdom. The country's naval dressed in naval clothes could be seen everywhere, and trucks and rail trailers were busy commuting. Ammunition boxes, food baskets and various barrels were piled on the dock. The unloaded from the ship was a little messy, waiting for the ship to be loaded in an orderly manner. Cranes of large and small constantly lifted materials between the ships and the docks.

Under the leadership of a major officer, Major General Sebaros and his party boarded the USS Finnia, which serves as the fleet's flagship. The displacement of this conventional-powered aircraft carrier is not outstanding among the active aircraft carriers, but it uses a brand new oblique flight deck, coupled with advanced flight control and catapult systems, and its combat efficiency ranks first among the active aircraft carriers. Correspondingly, a Finnia-class aircraft carrier cost is twice that of the Allied aircraft carrier, and the cost of equipped carrier-based aircraft and daily maintenance is more than twice that of the Allied aircraft class that year. Therefore, only countries with strong national strength and abundant military expenditure can afford this highly modern naval military equipment.

The Finnia did not serve for a long time and appeared in public. Major General Sebaros and his staff officers were the first to come into close contact with the aircraft carrier, so they observed its overall layout and technical details very carefully. However, no matter how detailed the observation was, they could only understand the appearance and could not analyze the inner world, let alone copy it easily. After visiting the independent flight command room and combat command room of the Finnia, Major General Sebaros stood alone by the railings of the aisle, looking at the rippling sea surface in a daze, while his staff officers were amazed at the Irish four-unit air-to-air rocket launcher in the air defense position beside them.

Not long after, Major General Gavin Bainier, the commander of the task force fleet who had just come up from the dock, and Colonel Ian Flynn, the captain of the "Fenia", passed by this walkway and happened to see the commander of the Spanish Naval Base standing there with a melancholy look on his face. After learning about the situation from the officer leading the way, Bainier stepped forward and introduced himself in English. Sebaros immediately expressed his admiration in stumbled English:

"I didn't expect that, I really didn't expect that the hero who led the fleet to defeat the Italian Navy was so young!"

Bainier responded modestly and generously: "The reason why we can win is first attributed to our naval builders. It is through their unremitting efforts that we can use these strong and reliable combat ships. Secondly, the Navy Staff has formulated a complete combat plan based on the combat situation. All we need to do is to implement the plan faithfully and flexibly, and make subtle adjustments in time and situation, and that's all!"

Sebaros said enviously: "We always say that a perfect staff officer is better than a once-in-a-century genius commander. This is true for the Germans and you. No matter what, you and your soldiers will be recorded in history because of this battle. There should be no regrets in having this experience in life!"

Bainier smiled and said, "Maybe, we will have a chance to fight together soon, and then be remembered by the world as winners, wouldn't it be great?"

"Maybe!" Sebaros's answer was vague. After saying that, he turned his sight to the berths a little far away. The ships with Spanish flags had the largest tonnage were an armored cruiser that had been in service for more than 30 years. They are no longer suitable for long-distance voyages and can only be used as artillery training ships. The other ships are patrol guard ships with smaller tonnage, which is quite shabby in front of the Irish.

After the recapture of Gibraltar, the Spanish Navy's Mediterranean fleet moved southward, and the main ships were usually stationed in the ports of Gibraltar and Ports of Malaga. The Cartagena Naval Base has reduced its contribution to the Spanish Navy due to its particularity. Now, only a small warning unit and a few combat aircraft are deployed here. Even if Spain participates in the war, Sebaros, as the commander of the base here, will find it difficult to get the opportunity to perform.

After a moment of silence, Sebaros pointed to the heavy cruiser "Fal" and asked: "I heard... the cost of your heavy cruiser is almost the same as that of this aircraft carrier. Is this true?"

"Well, are you talking about the Fal and Finnia?" Bainier pondered, "If the Fal and the initial cost and the renovation cost, and the Finia does not consider the carrier-based aircraft, then their overall investment is indeed not much different. The Fal looks ordinary, but in various harsh environments, its combat effectiveness is better than the Finia. Our fleet is the only one who can compete with enemy battleships and battle cruisers at close range."

"Oh?" Sebaros couldn't help but stare at the heavy cruiser for a few more glances. After the influence of World War I and the baptism of World War II, aircraft carriers have replaced battleships, and battlecruisers have become the core combat power of the navies of various countries. Even so, battleships and battlecruisers have not withdrawn from the stage of history. They are still in service with the navies of Germany, the United States, Japan, Italy, and the Austrians. The latest ships are less than ten years old and have been gradually undergoing modern modifications to improve their combat capabilities and service years. Only the new United Kingdom retired their old battleships early and instead invested a lot of energy in the development of light and heavy cruisers. Could it be that...their heavy cruisers do have the strength to compete with battleships and battlecruisers of various countries?
Chapter completed!