I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Stained with fatigue

Smoke of burning heavy oil hung in the air. The gunfire that filled the sea had already disappeared, as if carried by a lonely wind. Only the smell of gunpowder blended with the waves, giving off an acrid fishy smell.

From the bridge, where the heat of battle had not yet gone, Admiral Pound raised his head and looked around the sea. Hundreds of giants were on their knees engulfed in flames.

“It is a pitiful sight.”

The admiral, lost in thought, muttered quietly. The chief of staff tilted his head.

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you know how many lives have been lost in this single battle?”

For an instant, the chief of staff frowned and cast a shadow over his face.

“… It must be at least 3000.”

“I caught less. There will be more than that.”

“But they are enemies.”

“That’s the problem, chief of staff.”

With an unusual sigh, Admiral Pound rested his palm on the railing.

“People who shouldn’t have died are dying. Without even knowing what it was for.”

In the old eyes, the two incapacitated battleships were barely afloat, belching fierce flames. The other two ships were already in pieces, with only parts of the bow and stern of each barely visible in the rough sea.

The admiral shook his head.

“Anyway, in order to end this damn war, things must be finished. The raiding party strikes the enemy carrier, and the destroyer destroys the remaining enemy ships with torpedoes.”

He ordered without hesitation. After a while, countless water columns rose up on Idaho’s side.

“Enemy New Mexico class, annihilated.”

“Let’s just say this is Warspite’s criminal record.”

As the ship tilted sideways with a shrieking scream, the sailors jumped into the sea en masse. By the time the deck touched the water, hundreds of shipwrecks were hovering over the rough sea, covered in heavy oil.

“Admiral, what about the Wyoming class?”

“What are you doing?”

He turned his head in the direction the chief of staff pointed. A short distance from Hood, the giant ship Wyoming was burning.

“Yes, you are still alive.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any damage from the bottom of the ship. The upper part is almost a big wave, but… If I drag it somehow, I think I can use it again.”

Admiral Pound lifted his binoculars and studied the Wyoming class closely. The main guns were all broken, the masts collapsed, and the deck burning fiercely. However, only the solid hull remained intact and floated on the sea.

Beside him as he stared at the wounded ship, the chief of staff continued.

“How about a capture?”

“Well, I don’t think they’ll leave it alone if we go.”

Admiral Pound clicked his tongue in reply. True to its word, Wyoming’s hull tilted slightly to starboard. All the officers on the bridge looked at the collapsed giant with pitiful eyes.

“You are trying to fall asleep. Get ready to rescue survivors.”

From the deck of the ship, where smoke was flowing like a last breath, survivors jumped in one after another. Admiral Pound, reluctant to witness the terrible scene any longer, was about to turn around at last.

“Admiral! It’s urgent!”

The fleet communications officer hurriedly slammed in front of him. Before the startled Admiral Pound could get angry, he handed out the newly drawn telegram and continued the report at will.

“Observation of a squall from 30 nautical miles ahead of the fleet!”

“Skoll?”

The admiral’s eyes changed at that moment. The thoughtful old man disappeared and a cold-hearted soldier appeared. He immediately approached the bridge window and looked up at the sky. Rain poured from the overcast sky.

“What about the remaining enemy ships?”

“One Wyoming-class and one Florida-class specified course. But the rest are already in the squall… .”

“The pursuit must be difficult.”

At the words of the chief of staff, the admiral immediately nodded. He was a man of quick judgment.

“Return the raid, summon the fleet. I have to go to the next level.”

The weather is gloomy. The sky I looked up from Repulse’s bridge was gathering dark clouds as if angry at the sea spewing acrid smoke.

“Damn it, squall in the middle of this!”

I lowered my binoculars and chewed curse words. I felt bad. From the flagship, it seemed like I was still shooting glare at the ship’s bridge.

sh*t! It’s a pity that I just hit the enemy battleship. In fact, I can only remember twisting my whole body to avoid shells throughout the naval battle. I don’t know as a squadron commander or a staff member, but as a captain, isn’t it a joke? At this level, it’s hard to get a voice later…

And why is his boat rocking so much?

Thanks to this, the bridge personnel repeatedly fell this way and that way throughout the day.

The navigator standing next to him had a haggard face and his eyes were widening as if he was half-killing. Fortunately, I’m looking at the distant sea, not me.

“Captain, I got a call from the flagship.”

“A chase order?”

It was the communication officer’s words. Looking at him, I had a ray of hope.

If you can chase down and capture even one of those remaining boats, you’ll still have the record to get a say. The carrier must have escaped anyway… If that doesn’t work, let’s grab an old-fashioned battleship, please!

However, what was delivered next was not a very good sound.

“He said he would summon a fleet. He said to maintain the battle formation at the head of the flagship… .”

“A summons?”

Reconvening in the middle of this, what the hell are you thinking? But I had no way of knowing what Admiral Pound was thinking.

No matter how much future knowledge I have, my true self is just a civilian.

I couldn’t even properly digest the captain’s job, so I couldn’t understand the thoughts of the admiral.

“I have an idea, but… That’s right.”

Looking around the bridge, everyone was staring at the flagship with tired faces. Destroyers from all sides roamed the waters of Yoritori, rescuing survivors, and the main battleships stained by gunfire turned their heads in unison. I quietly looked at the sailing yard.

“Turn the key. To course 310.”

“Course 310!”

From the top of Repulse, which turned while leaving behind a calm cry, he gazed at the white giant.

The next afternoon, in the overcast port of Halifax, Admiral Marshall gazed anxiously at the horizon. The deck of the Lexington aircraft carrier he was standing on was transformed into a garbage dump with camouflage nets and junk.

“Damn it, the clouds shouldn’t have dissipated.”

He muttered nervously, watching the yellow sunlight that occasionally poked his head through the white clouds. Not a single aircraft was seen around, let alone people. Due to the influence of the squall, the carrier planes that were circling the battle patrol were unable to land, so the remaining air force was reduced to about half.

Thanks to that, I was able to hide all aircraft in the hangar.

“Anyway, beggars, please don’t look away and pass by this time. please!”

As if he could not be relieved by the reconnaissance plane’s report, the admiral was scanning the horizon with his binoculars, watching every passing merchant ship one by one. Eventually, the chief of staff approached him and said.

“Admiral, if you’re too anxious, your subordinates will be worried too.”

“That is something you have to figure out. Check the camouflage again. We must return alive unconditionally.”

The chief of staff swallowed a sigh as he watched the admiral staring at the binoculars without hesitation.

Of course, the shock is bound to be great. Just a day ago, half of the available power of the imposing Atlantic Fleet sank into the sea.

It was an American battleship that had not been sunk in the last decisive battle.

Such pride was swept away at an overwhelming exchange rate in a single naval battle. When this happens, major revisions in the strategic unit cannot be avoided.

It was a nightmare for everyone.

That means the war is getting longer. However, that is not a reason for the admiral to remain calm and panic.

The chief of staff thought so and continued.

“Yes, but the day is almost over. If that doesn’t work out, why don’t you go south along the coastline, even in the middle of this night?”

“You don’t think they can come to our coastline? Nothing can stop the battlecruisers right now! Our East Coast is Muju Gongsan!”

The chief of staff had no rebuttal to his words.

I really didn’t have any tiles left in my hand.

It was at this point that Marshall was concerned.

‘Damn it, if we open the east coast like this, what will happen to our navy’s face! The Army won’t leave us alone! Herbert, you f*cking idiot!’

The admiral gritted his teeth and trembled his lips. Next to him restless, the chief of staff gazed at the distant sea to the south with mixed eyes. Eventually, the chief of staff turned to the port and continued.

“By the way, this is really inconvenient. You can’t even anchor properly.”

“That is what I mean. Damn, where in the world is there a country that completely demolishes such a large port and withdraws?”

The admiral also lowered his binoculars and glanced at the port facilities for a moment. There are many buildings lined up in the cold harbor, but the eyes looking at them were never comfortable.

The crane was down, and the dock was under construction every day with a shield made. In the distant city, smoke like a fire rose as if the guerrillas were still fighting.

The gentleman’s country is an asshole.

The admiral closed his mouth disapprovingly and thought.

“We don’t have any left. If even one cruiser appears on the horizon, you’ll have to sit still and die.”

“Still, don’t Lexington have guns?”

Following the hand of the chief of staff, the admiral slowly looked away. A huge turret cast a shadow in front of the bridge.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll get through a cruiser somehow.”

“It’s a tolerable heavy cruiser-class armament, after all.”

Lexington’s own anti-ship armament, 8-inch extended turret. A minimal weapon for self-defence, equipped with the judgment that you might encounter an enemy surface ship at any moment.

The admiral said in an absurd tone.

“I never thought there would come a time when I really had to trust that cumbersome junk.”

“Isn’t there a saying that weapons are used in ways completely different from their intended purpose?”

“Anyway, it’s true that war really isn’t something to do.”

The admiral shook his head with a wry smile. No one in the fleet thought it would actually be used.

Anyway, it’s enough to find the enemy before it comes and drive it away or run away.

But paradoxically, these 8-inch guns were their only hope now. Admiral Marshall let out a deep sigh and looked out to sea.

“How long until sunset?”

“About 3 hours left.”

He anxiously waited for the sun to set.

If you turn on the lights at night and spread camouflage, even if the enemy attacks, you will not be hit unless it is a blind shot.

But that didn’t make it reassuring. You don’t know when and where the enemy will pop out, and if it doesn’t come, that’s a problem.

I didn’t think that the enemies would return to their home port smoothly.

Obviously, I will try my best to expand my criminal record. At least, Marshall himself certainly did. As a result, my anxiety rose even more.

“how… Where did you go?”

Marshall corrected his hair with trembling hands. The rough sea breeze blew past the skin without a word.

It’s a night where you can’t see an inch ahead. The starlight that embroidered the sky shimmered sparsely, as if covered by night clouds. I shivered in the cold air and stared at the invisible horizon. Visibility limited to only a few kilometers. All he could do was barely follow his allies.

In this case, it would be convenient to have a radar. However, it will have to wait another 5 to 8 years for radar to be mounted on warships in earnest. At present, there is only one means of detection that works at night.

Human eye, Eyeball Mk.1

“Sailor, can you see anything?”

“Yes, there is nothing wrong.”

I talked to the sailor standing on the observation deck, but I got only an unreliable answer. I don’t even know if I ask anyway. I can’t see either

Of course, you can light the course with searchlights or flares. However, ignoring the light control system while sailing is like telling the neighbors that I am here.

Now that even the moonlight is obscured by clouds, it is best to watch the ships around you and not move away from the formation.

Looking around the sea at least, it was really spectacle.

To think that the number of giant ships were moving in a single file as if following a skein of thread… Will I be able to arrive?

The car that was looking at the fleet with anxious eyes, someone approached the side. When I turned my head, I saw the senior officer’s aged face.

“Captain.”

“Why but?”

Maybe it was because of the lack of lighting, or it was a dark complexion. He pursed his lips as if he had something to say, and spoke slowly.

“How about going in now?”

“what?”

in this situation? No, it’s too risky. Especially at night when visibility is limited. You never know when something will happen. In such a moment, the captain must protect the bridge unconditionally.

However, the chief junwi firmly persuaded me.

“You look very tired. You’re tired from yesterday, so it’s better to get enough rest… .”

“I am in operation now.”

“So that’s why I say more.”

As if cutting off the end of his words, he came closer.

After glancing around a few times, he hesitates before continuing.

“You haven’t slept for 30 hours already, have you?”

30 hours?

For a moment, my eyes were dizzy. As I stumbled, the chief warden quickly grabbed my arm and helped me.

“Captain? Captain!”

“Oh, it’s okay. Not a big deal. By the way, has time already passed like that?”

Somehow, my body felt a bit heavy.

But I couldn’t help it.

Our battlecruisers are the ones that have to be dispatched immediately whenever an enemy ship appears. I can’t sell my eyes. Anyway, what if I’m the Supreme Commander!

… I thought of all kinds of reasons and desperately tried to hold on to my spirit. The chief officer, who looked at me with mixed eyes, put his mouth to my ear and said,

“Especially since that day, I can see a sense of nervousness. Why don’t you cool off for a while?”

“No, I’m fine… .”

“My subordinates don’t.”

It was a voice as hard as steel. As I turned my head, we met eyes. It was a fierce pupil like an eagle. Then he spoke again and again.

“Captain, my subordinates don’t see it that way.”

Maybe he felt that the captain was overdoing it, so he lowered his head.

“It seems good to organize your thoughts even for 30 minutes. In times like this, more sober judgment is needed.”

After that, the sergeant major stepped away from me, saluted moderately, and stood in front of the bridge window as if nothing had happened. It must be his consideration not to show the appearance of bruising the captain.

That’s why it was hard to ignore that heart any longer.

“… Okay, I’ll leave it to the vice-captain for a while.”

I opened the door with tired hands. Antique furniture and a fairly spacious room caught my eye. I lay down on a large bed against the wall.

“I’ll turn.”

He buried his face in the pillow and relaxed all over his body. The tired muscles slowly contracted. I turned my head, buried in the matrix like a sinking ship. The first thing I saw was a bookshelf.

This is the captain’s room that I visited after a few days. I didn’t think of it because I was busy, but half of the knowledge about this world was taken from it.

On the first day of my reincarnation, the thought of frantically searching through books came to my mind.

It’s a world you really don’t know. Who would think that the UK and the US would grab and hold on to each other? Not even Germany.

Thanks to that, I feel like I’ve experienced everything I’ve seen and never seen for the past month or so. Are you really overdoing what you said?

Turning around and looking at the ceiling, he murmured softly.

“They won’t come out when they sit here.”

It was unsettling. For the first time, the Grand Fleet came into my hands.

Hood, Furious, Warspite, and other legendary capital ships of the Royal Navy! Those steel monsters that I could barely see in books or photos now move in line with each one of my fingers.

Who can not tremble?

“I’m going crazy.”

I covered the incandescent light on the ceiling with my outstretched hand and collapsed. I closed my eyes, and my mind went hazy.

Fatigue like falling asleep soon.

It was time to get some comfortable sleep.

“Captain, Captain!”

someone shook

No, take a break!

When I woke up, I saw a familiar face.

“Kirk? what’s the matter?”

“It’s a call from the bridge.”

“At the bridge?”

Following the guidance of the faithful orderly, I hurriedly got up and left the room.

Damn, how long are you calling me? That’s right, just don’t go down!

He rushed to the bridge as fast as he could. The captain’s office was right under the bridge, so it didn’t take long to get out.

Let’s stick out on the deck like that…

“what? Did the sun rise?”

It was a sight of clear skies. In the sky where the darkness that had risen like fog had disappeared, the brilliant morning sun was slowly raising its head over the horizon. In the western sky, where the night had not yet gone, clusters of stars twinkled through the thinly spread clouds.

As I watched the mysterious scene where night and day seemed to harmonize, I realized one fact. At the front of the fleet, three carriers side by side were launching something.

“A raid?”

It was unmistakably a biplane. As I listened, the sound of propeller engines rang out in the sky. Dozens of squadrons gathered in front of the fleet like bedtime.

Something, something is happening…

“Operation officer! Report the situation!”

They rushed into the bridge and shouted. Among the startled sailors, the officer jumped out with his eyes wide open. He handed over the professional right away.

“Yes, we are currently preparing an air group.”

“Air Corps?”

“According to the flagship, it is said to be an air raid on land… .”

Listening to his hesitant words, I unfolded the specialty. It was simple stuff.

Air raids on enemy ports. The battlecruiser squadron is to enter the forward perimeter as soon as the launch of the carrier aircraft is over.

It was the first time I had heard of it. The goal of the operation after the naval battle was classified, so I did not know the details.

It was only ordered to turn south-southwest and escort the fleet.

Looking around, I noticed something strange. The officers each look at me with tense eyes, and the sailors stare at the distant sea. Everyone looks anxious.

“Where is here?”

asked the operative. Like any other officer, he stood there with an uneasy expression. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth and spoke slowly and clearly.

“Boston… It is off the coast of Boston.”