On August 16, 1898, the fully equipped U.S. fleet finally sailed out of the port again, this time with the will to break the ship. pressed the bottom of the U.S. Navy's worst family. They are betting on the glory of the U.S. Navy for decades, and although there are heavy casualties, the Americans at this time are full of confidence, and they believe that the other side must be more exhausted. "It's time to put an end to all this, and the fleet of the United States of America will finally sail freely in the Caribbean!" Admiral Simpson said confidently.

At the same time, the Spanish fleet finally completed its final rearmament on the third day after the departure of the American fleet. For this war, the Spaniards also paid too much price, almost 10 years of preparation, countless money and manpower, so far, the Spaniards have only seen the dawn of victory. Careful calculations and a series of hard battles only came a chance to defeat the opponent in the end. "Even if Spain wins, the Spanish government will be overwhelmed by its heavy debt burden in the next five years." This is how Severa said about the war.

In this way, on August 21, 1898, the U.S. fleet finally arrived outside the port of San Diego, led by the flagship Iowa, three Indiana-class battleships followed, and four battleships lined up in a column slowly appeared in the field of view of the San Diego battery. Behind them are the three cruisers that the US Navy can participate in the war at the last time, compared with the 15 cruisers of various types in the United States at the beginning of the war, this number is only one-fifth of the number at the beginning of the war, and the tonnage is less than one-third. Until now, these warships, which were originally not suitable for the engagement of the main fleet. Also forced to join the battle line and deal with the terrifying enemy with the 4 battleships in front.

Behind these 7 battleships, there are 3 shallow-water heavy gunboats, which are good in numbers, but the actual performance is poor, and they are also put on the altar of war, and they will serve as a supplement to the main fleet and also as the main force for attacking batteries and port facilities. After all, there were so few main gun turrets on battleships that the U.S. Navy needed to use these shells where they could be used best.

Just 3 hours before the arrival of the American fleet in the port of San Diego. The main forces of the Spanish fleet also left the port, and the lightning strike forces hid in batches in pre-selected positions. And when the U.S. fleet began shelling the port of San Diego, Yang Yonglin did not choose to enter the battle at the first time. He needed the U.S. fleet to be fully deployed, and to reduce its speed, before directing the fleet to enter the battlefield from a suitable place at the right time.

"It seems that the main force of the Spanish fleet is not in the harbor." Simpson picked up his binoculars and looked at the rising plumes of smoke near the Spanish batteries in the distance. Right behind him. Three shallow-water heavy gunboats and three cruisers were tilting their fire on the batteries outside the port of Santiago, the long barrels were constantly spewing flames, and huge fireballs were spewing out of the barrels, followed by the sound of shells cutting through the air at high speed, and a 10-inch and 8-inch shells smashed heavily on the batteries in the port of Santiago. If it weren't for the fear of mines, the U.S. fleet might have fired at close range and completely swept away the entire battery.

"They should be around here. If the information provided by our spies is correct, their preparation work will not be faster than ours, and counting the time we have been here, they will only have just completed the preparation at most, and even if they go, they will not be able to go far. A staff officer next to him said.

"If the Spanish fleet is not there. Our plans have failed. Simpson said with a worried look on his face.

"No, Spain should have reached the end of their power, although their fleet is still strong, but their country may not be able to support this war for a long time, they also need a chance to end this war, victory or defeat." Majifen shook his head and said. …,

"So what do we do now? Keep fighting? Although the 8-inch guns and 10-inch guns were relatively well stocked. But we can't just waste our precious shells here. Simpson said.

"The formation of shallow water heavy gunboats broke away from the battle group and approached the attack, and we need to let the Spaniards out." After pondering for a moment, Majifen gritted his teeth and said. The Spaniards had time, and if they were allowed to delay, the entire fleet would have to get out of battle before dark, after all, Majifen and the others still took into account the lightning strike. In this case, it is better to give the Spanish fleet a chance in order to attract them out, and at the same time, the three ships behind are really not suitable for high-speed maneuvering, so it is better to give them up for the time being.

In addition, Majifen also has an idea, that is, to use these three warships as bait to see if there are ambushes in the Spanish fleet, and if there are ambushes, Majifen will immediately advise Simpson to evacuate, because in Majifen's opinion, it is already very difficult to deal with the Spanish fleet with such a lineup, and if the other party still has a hidden fleet, Majifen will choose to withdraw without hesitation. Avoid some kind of terrible consequences!

In this way, the American fleet was divided into 2 groups, with three shallow heavy gunboats approaching to attack the opposing battery, while 7 capital ships cruised at a distance. Soon, the situation of the American fleet was told by the Spanish in the port of San Diego by radio to the Spanish fleet 20 km away, and the Spanish fleet, which had been cruising at a low speed, chose a backlit position and reduced the speed as much as possible to avoid being discovered by the American fleet in the distance.

"Prepare for the attack, the American fleet has separated, and some of the ammunition has been consumed, and the situation is basically the most perfect." After a moment of contemplation, Severa commanded. After a few minutes, the entire fleet began to accelerate, and 7 battleships lined up in a column and rushed towards the American fleet in the distance at the highest possible speed. At the head of the fleet, the towering scissors of the Spanish flagship, split the waves, and the splashes reflected in the sunlight reflected 7 colors of brilliance. The three triple turrets rotated slowly, and the nine powerful 10-inch 40L Armstrong guns were pointed to the port side. The smoke from the chimney rose into the air in the sea breeze, and it all fell into the eyes of the U.S. Navy lookouts.

"The fleet turned. Get ready for battle. The fleet maintained a speed of 12 knots, waiting for the joining of the attack force on the opposite shore. Simpson took a deep breath and ordered after stabilizing his emotions. At 2:40 p.m. on August 21, 1898, the Battle of Santiago, which decided the ownership of the Caribbean, finally began.

"We have to speed up, otherwise, the opponent can completely grab the T. Just like in the last naval battle. Majifen said as he looked at the Spanish fleet approaching rapidly from the northwest at a high speed of 17 knots in the distance.

"That means that in the early stages of the war, we may be at a disadvantage. And because of the speed. It is difficult for our 3 shore defense ships to quickly go into battle. Simpson said with some concern.

"So we have to drag the war into chaos. Relying on rapid-fire fire at close range to strafe the opponent's deck, only in this way can we provide opportunities for the shore defense warships behind. We need to have the USS New York lead the cruiser from behind and cut into the second half of the opposing formation. Drag the two PISA-class armored cruisers and the Manila in the back, and wait until three shore defense ships join. Concentrate on eating a part of the opponent. Only then will the situation develop in favor of the American fleet. Majifen said after a moment of contemplation.

"Then if the other party chooses to get rid of it, what should we do?" Simpson asked.

"If only that. We can quickly join up with the main fleet and attack the remaining 4 ships of the Spanish fleet. Considering the losses from the last battle, the opponent's speed is only 17 knots at most, and we can reach about 20 knots now, in this case, they will definitely not choose to withdraw from the battle easily, otherwise, we must meet the main fleet first. Magiffen shook his head and said. …,

"So be it, increase the speed to 15 knots, and get ready for battle." Simpson thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. Forthwith. A few minutes later, the American fleet began to accelerate as a whole. After the U.S. fleet decided on tactics, the Spanish fleet also made the last tactical adjustment to the entire battle situation.

"We have to break up the U.S. fleet as much as possible, otherwise our lightning strikes will hardly work. If the large warships are grouped, the lightning strike fleet will not have any chance. Looking at the U.S. fleet in the distance, Yang Yonglin said.

"Actually, we can consider attacking the three shallow heavy gunboats left behind." Severa said as she looked through her binoculars at the three slow-moving boats behind her.

"The gains outweigh the losses, if the other side loses three coastal defense ships, it is a big deal to retreat, we just achieve a tactical victory. And what will be lost will be an opportunity that can break the backbone of the US Navy in a short time. There can be only one target for a mine-strike ship, and that is the battleship formation of the US Navy! We need a decisive victory! Yang Yonglin objected.

"Okay then, what do we do now? If we wait until the opposing fleet converges, we will be at a disadvantage. Sai Vela asked, after going through too many battles, Sai Villa showed extreme trust in this officer from Beiyang, although when he was not fighting, he might not be satisfied with Yang Yonglin's behavior of overstepping his bounds, but once the war officially started, he would still choose to listen to Yang Yonglin, after all, the strong man has the final say in war!

"We need the Princess Maria, the Okando and the Manila in the back to buy us time. We need to destroy a large number of secondary guns of the American battleship formations in the shortest possible time, and then create opportunities for the lightning strike units. After Yang Yonglin glanced at the three warships behind him, he made a great determination to tell this plan. In the last naval battle, three battleships were the most damaged, and there were no problems simply against 3 cruisers of the American fleet. But if you want to add 3 more coastal defense ships, then the pressure is too great. Especially the USS Manila, where the 10-inch guns of the American shallow water heavy gunboats were enough to penetrate its fragile defenses.

Thank you for the monthly ticket support of the book friend underground guard and the evaluation vote of the book friend Shadow with the wind. Here, the author reiterates that it is really not a drag plot, but just wants to write clearly about every far-reaching naval battle that took place in history. The Spanish-American War, as the rise of the U.S. Navy, is absolutely necessary to write about, of course, some readers don't like it, so let's skip this paragraph for the time being, the last war, and after the end, turn to the country. (Your support is my biggest motivation.) )