Chapter 188 Encounter

HMS Lion is the first ship of the British Royal Navy's Lion-class battlecruisers. Before the battlecruiser "Tiger" entered service, it was definitely the most powerful battlecruiser in the British Navy.

In fact, the "Tiger" battlecruiser was originally the fourth ship of the "Lion-class" battlecruiser. But because many improvements have been made, it is divided into a separate level.

On the bridge of the battlecruiser 'Lion', Lieutenant General David Beatty stood in front of the window, watching the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled over the sea.

"It's really a beautiful scenery, but it's a pity that such a beautiful scenery was destroyed by the Germans!" Lieutenant General David Beatty shook his head.

"Yes, General. If there were no hateful Germans, everything would be great!" A colonel officer standing beside Lieutenant General David Beatty nodded. He was the ship of the battlecruiser 'Lion'. Colonel Kevin.

"The damned Germans are trying to challenge the British Empire's sea power. Then, we have to make them pay the price and let them know that any attempt to challenge the British Empire will be crushed!" David Betty Zhong Will speak confidently.

Lieutenant General David Beatty's self-confidence is not without sources. All of this is based on the strength of the British Empire and the centuries-old control of the Royal Navy over sea power. Until now, Lieutenant General David Beatty still stubbornly believes that the Royal Navy is the most powerful.

The "Lion-class" battlecruiser has a displacement of 31,000 tons, is equipped with four twin 343mm main guns, and has a maximum speed of 28 knots. Judging from the data alone, this is undoubtedly an extremely powerful warship. At least the firepower and speed are very good. Of course, this is also in line with the British Navy's consistent warship construction thinking, which emphasizes firepower and speed and despises defense.

Even the "Lion-class" battlecruisers have improved to a certain extent compared to the previous two-class battlecruisers in this regard. However, it still cannot be compared with the German Navy. The armor thickness of the "Lion-class" battlecruiser's turret front, waterline and conning tower is only 229 mm. Not to mention the 305mm or larger caliber main gun, even the 280mm main gun can penetrate it. In front of the battlecruisers of the German Navy, such thin armor is completely indistinguishable from paper.

"Let the 'Royal Princess' and the 'Queen Mary' spread out, and we are separated by one to two hours of voyage. The Atlantic Ocean is too vast, and it is not so easy to catch the Germans." Dai Lieutenant General Wei Beatty ordered.

"Yes, General." Colonel Kevin nodded.

After receiving the order, the battlecruiser 'Royal Princess' and the battlecruiser 'Queen Mary' began to turn, adjusting the distance from the battlecruiser 'Lion'. Under the escort of some light cruisers and destroyers, the search for the German Navy's battlecruiser formation began in the Atlantic.

On August 6th, perhaps because the British government had warned the merchant ships sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, the German Navy's breaking fleet did not achieve great results, only sinking 23 merchant ships. But even so, the loss of so many merchant ships has already caused the British a lot of headaches.

On August 7, the hunting of the German Navy's breaking fleet continued. Six battlecruisers and thirty submarines continued to hunt and kill British merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean. However, British merchant ships have become more cautious, making their results further decline.

Two hundred kilometers northwest of the island of Ireland, the battlecruiser 'Moltke' was sailing southeast.

"The general, the light cruiser and the destroyer have sent a telegram. They have searched and there are no targets nearby." A staff officer reported to Lieutenant General Spee.

"Damn it, where did the British merchant ship go? It's getting harder and harder to find now." Lieutenant General Spee couldn't help but cursed.

"General, we have sunk so many merchant ships of the British. They must have taken precautions. It is impossible for them to be easily caught by us without any precautions like before." An officer said.

Lieutenant General Spee nodded: "After half an hour, turn to the east and get closer to the British territorial waters. I think there will be discoveries. If the British are really scared by us and cut off overseas trade, that is also a victory! "

With fewer and fewer victories, Lieutenant General Spee made a risky decision.

"Yes, General. However, it may be more dangerous to approach British territorial waters. The British will not stand by and watch us attack their sea transportation lines without doing anything. They must have sent a fleet to pursue us."

"It depends on the situation. If we find a British warship and we can eat it, we will eat it in one bite. If we can't eat it, we will run away!" Lieutenant General Spee said indifferently.

"Send a telegram to the 'Goben' and 'Sedlitz' to shorten the distance between us. Once we encounter the British fleet, I'm afraid they will have to come to pick us up!" Lieutenant General Spee ordered.

"Yes, General."

Under the order of Lieutenant General Spee, the battlecruiser "Moltke" adjusted its course and sailed to the British coast.

I have to admit that Lieutenant General Spee's judgment was correct. Two hours later, they discovered a British merchant ship and sank it. However, before the sinking, the merchant ship had sent a telegram.

Lieutenant General David Betty, who got the news, was overjoyed.

"Go south at full speed, and the German battlecruisers will definitely be caught. Order the 'Royal Princess' and 'Queen Mary' to follow us." Lieutenant General David Beatty issued an order.

To be on the safe side, he planned to use three "Lion-class" battlecruisers to deal with one battlecruiser of the German Navy. In this case, the chances of winning will be greater.

The battlecruiser 'Moltke' knew nothing about it.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the battlecruiser "Moltke" caught a British merchant ship again, sank the merchant ship, and prepared to turn to sail south. However, at this time, in the sky to the north, thick dark clouds appeared.

"Report, a British warship is found in the north!"

"British warships? How many?" Lieutenant General Spey asked.

"One!"

"Continue to observe whether it is a British battleship or a battlecruiser!" Lieutenant General Spee ordered. If it was a battleship that was being dealt with, then the battlecruiser 'Moltke' would have to retreat. Even if the defense of the British battleships is not very strong, it is always not cost-effective to use battlecruisers to fight battleships. What's more, the task of the battlecruisers of the German Navy is to destroy the British sea transportation lines. If it is a battlecruiser of the British Navy, it can fight a battle. After all, the defense of the British battlecruisers is as thin as paper. The battlecruisers of the German Navy will have a great advantage.