Chapter 223: Battle of the Raging Sea

In the majestic bridge of the battlecruiser Trikupis, Admiral Kontoriotis looked at the Aegean Sea, where the fog was gradually dissipating, and his excitement and anticipation were beyond words.

On the vast sea, four ships were running at full speed, speeding towards the Xianlin.

The four ships were arranged in double rows, drawing two white tracks on the sea. On the masts of each warship, the flag of the Kingdom of Greece fluttered in the wind.

This is the most powerful naval force of the Greek Navy, except for a few old warships.

Kontoriotis was not calm in his heart. He was a little worried about the two destroyers that were responsible for the bait mission. The communication room had just received a telegram from the Xianlin, which had just been hit by a near miss from an Ottoman warship and had been damaged.

In fact, this bait mission was not easy for the two destroyers to perform.

Although the speed of the two destroyers can reach more than 20 knots, the other side must think that there is a real chance to destroy the two warships before they will pursue them.

This means that the two destroyers need to slow down.

If the two warships are kept within the firepower range of the Ottoman warships for a long time, the two destroyers with absolutely weak firepower will be hit by enemy artillery.

In order to ensure the success rate of the main fleet's interception, Kontoriotis did not order the fleet to rescue the two Greek warships directly, but first detoured to the Dardanelles to ensure that even if the enemy noticed the abnormal situation, it would be too late to return to the Dardanelles.

From all indications, although the Ottoman Navy is weak, the commander of the Ottoman Navy is indeed quite talented.

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Barbarossa Hayreddin flagship

As the pursuit time increased and the fleet's position moved further and further away from the Dardanelles, Ramiz Bey's uneasiness became heavier.

In our fleet, only the 280mm guns installed on the two Brandenburg battleships have a range that can reach the location of the enemy destroyers.

The two destroyers have been keeping this distance.

The pursuit has lasted for a whole morning, but the artillery skills displayed by the two battleships made Ramizbeyi despair.

During the pursuit, the Greek warships occasionally fired torpedoes. Although they did not cause damage to our ships, they successfully interfered with the fleet's formation.

Every time the enemy fired a torpedo, the formation of our warships would be disrupted.

Ramizbeyi was restless. The two damn Greek destroyers in the telescope suddenly accelerated away from the fleet. According to observation, the speed would not be less than 15 knots.

"Stop the pursuit, the fleet will return immediately and notify other warships." Seeing the sudden performance of the Greek destroyers, Ramizbeyi didn't understand that he had been fooled.

At this time, he finally confirmed his uneasiness, but his heart was full of bitterness. If he had been more resolute at that time, it would have been better. In the case of a large difference in strength, he should not have led the fleet out of the Dardanelles.

At 2:13 pm, the 7 fleets of the Ottoman Navy urgently turned their course and headed towards the Dardanelles.

When the fleet sailed to 19 kilometers northeast of Lemue Island, there was a loud "boom". 50 meters away from the Torgut, a violent explosion stirred up a water column that soared into the sky. The waves generated made the Torgut ship shake like a lonely boat in a storm.

"305mm naval gun, it is the Greek Invincible-class battlecruiser"

The alarm of the lookout came through the megaphone.

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Under the guidance of the telegrams of the two destroyers, the Contoriotis fleet approached the Ottoman fleet from the south.

At 2 p.m., the sentry patrolling the sea reported that a large column of black smoke was found on the northern sea surface, suspected to be the main fleet of the Ottoman Navy.

"Line formation"

Kontoriotis issued the first order.

The four warships, which were originally in a double-line formation, quickly changed their formation, with two destroyers assisting on the side, and the other two battlecruisers forming a battle line, ready to engage the enemy.

Then, through light signals, Kontoriotis delivered an enthusiastic speech to the entire fleet: "With the help of God's power, the king's will and the justice of the name, I sail with unstoppable power and am full of confidence in defeating the enemies of the country."

Then, the two battlecruisers accelerated towards the Ottoman fleet, followed by two destroyers.

At a distance of 12,000 yards, the eight 305mm cannons on the Trikupis opened fire first.

The Ottoman fleet consisted of 7 warships, with the flagship Barbaros Hayreddin leading the way. The entire fleet formed a battle line and was ready to meet the enemy.

When the distance between the two fleets reached 8,000 yards, the Ottoman fleet began to fight back.

The cannons roared, making a deafening roar, and the shells of both sides cut through the air, making a complex and piercing sound, splashing water, and rolling waves.

After several rounds of shooting, Cantoriotis saw that his artillery had been unable to hit, so he ordered the fleet to speed up to 24 knots, and after passing the enemy's first ship Barbaros Hayreddin, the entire fleet turned north.

The entire Ottoman fleet had a speed of 10 knots. The huge disadvantage in speed made the Ottoman fleet very passive when facing the enemy's seizure of the "T" crosshead.

Cantoriotis actually took advantage of the speed advantage of his own warships to seize the "T" crosshead.

When the entire Greek fleet was in front of the Ottoman fleet, the Greek 305mm cannons, which had taken the lead, concentrated their fire on Barbarossa Hayreddin.

"Crossfire"

The sentry's excited voice came from the megaphone.

The so-called crossfire means that the shells surround the enemy ships, which means that the next artillery fire has a very high chance of hitting.

A 300-kilogram armor-piercing shell hit the 120-mm main armor belt of Barbarossa Hayreddin, instantly igniting a brilliant orange-red fireball. The violent vibration made everyone feel that the hull tilted to the other side.

The entire side was swept by fragments and became a mess.

The captain of Barbarossa Hayreddin, Colonel Tafaolu, hurriedly asked about the situation, and Ramizbey on the side was also full of anxiety.

The answer from each cabin was that the main armor belt was seriously dented, but the Greek ships were not able to penetrate it.

Both Ramizbeyi and Tafaoru breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Although this shell did not cause more serious damage to Barbaros Hayreddin, Barbaros Hayreddin did look a bit miserable at this time.

As it has been in service for many years, Barbaros Hayreddin has painted its hull every year.

The 4-centimeter-thick paint on the hull immediately burned after being hit.

Seeing the billowing black smoke coming out of the enemy's first ship, all the soldiers on the Greek fleet cheered enthusiastically.

In the next half an hour, Barbaros Hayreddin was hit by two more shells, and the entire battleship was shrouded in flames!