Midway, an island of Polynesia, is an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 2,100 kilometers (1,300 nautical miles) northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is a coral atoll with a circumference of 24 kilometers (15 miles) and encircles East Island and Sound Island. The land area is 5 square kilometers (2 square miles).

Beginning in 1934, after President Roosevelt took office, the U.S. Department of the Navy began to build a military port and a deep-water dock capable of docking huge ships with a draft of 15 meters.

It is now a military port of the U.S. military, known as an unsinkable aircraft carrier. The ship maintenance dock here has all kinds of outfitting construction machinery.

If the weapon system is not installed here, no one knows the bottom of the next 5,000 nautical mile voyage. Next, I will prepare to go home, and I am afraid that there will be no peace on the way.

Therefore, first of all, all ships, including 7 freighters, must be equipped with anti-aircraft weapons, that is, DW30mm five-tube phalanx.

At the same time, the bodyguards and sailors are assembled with self-defense weapons, that is, AK47 assault rifles, light machine guns and heavy machine guns, and everyone cannot be bare-handed.

In addition, cruisers and destroyers have left the continental United States and should now be restored to their original appearance. It also needs to install a certain weapon system, so that those sailors who have been trained for half a year can use this voyage to conduct run-in training.

In this sense, although this voyage is not a small risk, it is very meaningful for the growth of the navy. In particular, it is particularly important for the two people who are Guantong and the navigator and the departments under their jurisdiction.

Another point is that everyone directly participates in the outfitting of the ship, which is the most rare process of getting familiar with their own warship. Since then, I have basically known all parts of the warship.

Zhang Jingfu took Payne's documents from the Ministry of Defense and the Department of the Navy, and did not encounter any difficulties. After consulting with a major at the military port base, it was decided to stay here for a month to complete the final outfitting of eight warships.

Because I don't know how Bai Shujie wants to arrange these warships, this outfitting will be carried out according to the reserved turret position, and some weapons will be installed according to the script, so that the warships will have a preliminary self-protection capability.

Among them: 2 Atlanta-class cruisers, all of which are reserved in front of the conning tower, are equipped with two twin-mounted DW380mm main guns improved by Bai Shujie, with a firing range of 45 kilometers, a turret weight of 780 tons, a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute, and an automatic loader to feed ammunition.

Four twin DW88mm high-level dual-purpose guns are installed in the stern of the ship as secondary guns, which are mainly used to fight aircraft. The firing height is 10 km, the flat fire is 15 km, the rate of fire is 22-25 rounds per minute, and the automatic loader feeds the ammunition.

In addition, on the left and right flanks, a total of 4 quadruple Bofors DW40mm anti-aircraft guns were installed, with an altitude of 5,000 meters, a flat fire of 9,000 meters, and a rate of fire of 240 rounds per minute; The magazine capacity is 7 rounds in a single clip and 8 rounds in a row. 12-seat DW30mm five-tube phalanx, combat rate of fire 300 rounds / min, range 3600 meters, 1080 rounds × 7 boxes.

6 Sommes-class destroyers, respectively installed 2 twin DW88mm high-level dual-purpose guns as the main gun, 4 quadruple Bofors DW40mm anti-aircraft guns, 12 DW30mm five-barreled phalanx; 2 quadruple 533-mm torpedo tubes, 72 torpedoes; 2 depth bomb delivery machines, 2 slides, 36 depth charges.

Generally speaking, Zhang Jingfu carried out Bai Shujie's request in the telegram: air defense operations first, antisubmarine operations second, and ship operations third.

Speed first, range first! Sea power, within the range of Lao Tzu's cannon, everything else is fucking nonsense.

Based on the above concept, the weapon systems equipped with the six destroyers are all arranged around the two combat missions of air defense and anti-submarine. The main assault weapon was not the main gun, but 72 torpedoes.

The two cruisers, both heavy cruisers with a full load displacement of 14,300 tons, were not equipped with large-caliber main guns. Bai Shujie hopes to be able to run at a speed of 32.5 knots, mainly by taking advantage of the range of artillery, undertaking a certain frontal strike capability, and at the same time taking into account air defense operations.

As for the 6 destroyers, the main guns were not installed at all. The main purpose is to reflect the speed advantage of the destroyer. Make sure that when you encounter an enemy situation, you can run out at a high speed of 38.5 knots and start a grapple with the enemy. Then seize the gap to break through and use the torpedo to take out the enemy.

Bai Shujie's concept of the current naval warfare is: In the era when there are no homing missiles, it is necessary to use high speed to drag down the enemy, and use long-range artillery fire to kill and injure the enemy's living forces. As for whether he could sink the enemy's warship, Bai Shujie didn't care.

No matter how strong the opponent's ship is, if there is no one on deck, it is nothing more than an iron coffin floating on the water.

It is precisely because of this understanding that Bai Shujie thought of the Americans, whose ideas are very close to his own. The tonnage may not be the largest, but speed has an absolute advantage.

Recently, the various caliber artillery guns that came out of the "cottage" of Basket Caiqin and Zhang Jingfu were carefully deliberated by Bai Shujie after carefully scrutinizing the advantages and disadvantages of various cannons in this period, and then redesigned.

The main emphasis is on one issue: artillery of all calibers, at least five kilometers at a distance from the enemy's firing range. Let the enemy's ** caliber artillery come over, and it is not even a close miss.

There is only one object to fight with his own weapons: the dwarf of Monkey Island!

In the past, because of the limited processing and manufacturing capacity, the quality of the steel was not good, so Bai Shujie could only rob the little devil's cannon for use. Now with American craftsmanship, equipment, and materials, the dream in my heart is finally slowly becoming a reality.

The most important point of Bai Shujie's ability to lay out the warship's weapon system in this way is that the radar in his hand can detect 75 to 120 kilometers.

If you can detect the enemy first, you will be able to take the most reasonable countermeasures, and you will be able to fire before the enemy. Coupled with the obvious advantage in the speed of his own warship, the two hits of the little devil are not worth mentioning at all.

The "Age of Solid Ships and Cannons" is about to become history, and more high-tech weapon systems are about to appear, and Bai Shujie can't spend too much energy on it. What he needs is a carrier of weapons, not someone else's ready-made weapon.

As long as the enemy's warship is within 50 kilometers and continues to approach without heeding the call, the twin DW380mm main guns on the cruiser must start warning fire. So that the enemy is already under the threat of artillery before he sees himself.

For this record-setting long-distance voyage, Bai Shujie's telegrams in Pyongyang flew one after another to the hands of Basket Caiqin.

In order to hide people's eyes, the steam turbines, transmission shafts, and propellers of the seven ocean-going freighters have actually been replaced. And they are all the same as those used by future battleships, which is called "testing performance".

Although the high-speed turbines of future battleships are used for freighters, due to the influence of the hull structure, the freighter can only reach 28 knots, but it is much faster than ordinary freighters.

Besides, with these 7 sets of power systems, as long as 7 hulls can be produced, the power systems of 7 ocean-going freighters can be directly moved, that is, destroyers, cruisers, battleships, or aircraft carriers.

Drama actors will change, and each has its own mysteries. If the freighter can use aero engines, Bai Shujie is eager to ask Boeing to get a few of them to install on the freighter.

"Mr. Capone, the 420 brothers you brought out this time, after this long-distance training, should be able to operate the destroyer next." Seeing that the port was busy, Zhang Jingfu and Al Capone (Jentes) chatted on the side: "My boss has specially prepared two smaller destroyers for you, and it will be up to you to show your skills in this sea area." Ha ha! ”

"Mr. Zhang, it is my greatest honor to meet a friend like you." Capone, after all, is 40 years old and has a new vision for the future: "As your people say: one day is a brother, always a brother." I am willing to be brothers with you forever. ”

"The Japanese killed my brothers, and I must avenge them! So, the Japanese are your enemies, and they are Capone's enemies. I'm not very familiar with things at sea, and I'll need your help in this area in the future. ”

Zhang Jingfu said very happily: "It's okay, after arriving at the destination, I will ask the boss, and then send a group of military instructors here to you to seriously train a group of iron-blooded brothers who can fight tough battles." ”

With Zhang Jingfu and Capone as supervisors, the eight warships finally took on a new look in a month's time.

With his own weapon system, Zhang Jingfu found that eight warships were placed in front of him, and the black muzzles suddenly gave people a sense of oppression, which was indeed very deterrent.

Seven ocean-going freighters are 5 kilometers apart from each other, and a long snake formation is sailing in the middle. 1 destroyer opened the road 10 km ahead, 1 destroyer was on alert 10 km behind the flotilla.

2 cruisers each led 2 destroyers in formation, defending at a distance of 20 kilometers on both sides of the flotilla.

Anyway, the radar doesn't cost money, and each ship has a set of communication warning radars, and the communication between them is unimpeded. A huge diamond-shaped fleet left Midway and headed west.

8 warships escort 7 freighters, even if they encounter pirates, it is estimated that they will not be pleased. Let's not mention it for now.

It is said that Bai Shujie has been busy for a while recently, and he has a headache. Not a general headache, but a very good headache!

The reason for his headache is because there is a person in Pyongyang who he can't even imagine, and then he pesters him every day and chirps crookedly, so he is almost annoyed!

Kong Jiali, female, 22 years old, unmarried. A native of Ningbo, he is a captain of the military command.

Why did such a person appear next to Bai Shujie and make him so annoyed? We have to start from the beginning.

At the beginning of this year, Bai Shujie personally presided over the transformation of the weapons systems and communication systems of the Tianlong light cruiser and the Furong-class destroyer, and installed the shipboard radar early warning system, and then asked the fleet commander Zhang Bingyang to organize adaptive training.

Bai Shujie's original order was: "Just run 50 kilometers, and practice offshore." ”

However, for the first time, Zhang Bingyang had the "most advanced" warship, and the soldiers thought that it seemed unreasonable if they did not go out to show off, and they would not be able to get over it on their conscience.

On February 19, 1938, a "mini-formation" consisting of 1 light cruiser and 2 small destroyers left the Jiaodao base and sailed west.

Jiaodao is only 320 kilometers from Dalian to the west and Weihaiwei to the southwest. The maximum speed of the Tenryu light cruiser is 33 knots, and the speed of the Hibiscus-class destroyer is 35.5 knots. Since it is necessary to test the performance of the battleship, high-speed driving is an important content.

In other words, the three warships rushed out at a speed of 60 km/h and began to show off their might in the Yellow Sea, which can be called arrogant.

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.