I Became a Captain of the British Empire

By the way, voila!

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier Saratoga, Admiral Marshall clasped his hands tensely alone. In front of the square bridge window, pitch black spread out to see nothing.

“You really can’t see anything.”

“If I am attacked, I will be helpless.”

“You have no choice but to trust New Mexico.”

At the voice of the chief of staff, he imagined the appearance of the battleship New Mexico, which was advancing ahead. The shape of a huge 30,000-ton battleship was surrounded by a dark curtain without even moonlight. Above the thick wake, the small naval flag at the rear was barely visible.

“Where do you think the enemy will be by now?”

Marshall, who looked outside as if it was filled with black fog, turned to the chief of staff and asked. The chief of staff glanced at the navigator and accepted the chart.

“If you set a cruising speed of 20 knots… .”

He held the open chart in front of the admiral and drew a line with his finger. The line from St. John’s halted before reaching anywhere near Halifax.

“Maybe we can meet when the sun rises.”

“If the report from the submarine fleet is correct, it should be around there.”

Marshall looked up in the direction the horizon should be.

“Then what was the smoke on the horizon?”

An uneasy feeling welled up from the tip of his throat. It was clearly the smoke of a large ship.

Of course, I can’t guarantee that it’s definitely a warship. I’ve mistaken a large merchant ship for a battlecruiser several times already. It is an aircraft carrier battle group where fear of battlecruisers spreads like a neurosis.

So it’s nothing to bet on the first attack. It’s a common occurrence during war, but if you make that mistake and attack a merchant ship at night, it’ll be hard to just ignore it.

‘This is why I want to avoid night battles… .’

Wouldn’t it be better if they passed on without seeing each other?

In addition, the reconnaissance aircraft is the yard that I encountered once.

It could have flown in from hundreds of kilometers away, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t be right in front of it. In the end, the best he could do was to check it himself and move on.

Marshall bit his lip and shook his head.

An aircraft carrier in close combat! It’s a situation I want to avoid the most…

“Certainly, even if the fleet that had just sailed from St. John’s was running at full speed, it wouldn’t be able to get here right away.”

“Then, is it also a merchant ship?”

“That’s another unknown.”

I’d like to turn the hope circuit around, but he was a soldier. There was an obligation to keep in mind the number of cases. Marshall sighed and raised his hand.

“Let’s get closer. If it’s a merchant ship, you won’t bother hiding.”

With a heavy voice, the admiral made a decision.

dark sea. As if in the middle of the deep sea, I looked at the player of Repulse calmly cutting the water in the invisible sea. The officer spoke in a nervous voice.

“Will it really work?”

“Trust me, operative.”

An anxious face frowns at the corners of the eyes.

what, man

“Don’t you believe me?”

“yes… Oh no! I have confidence in everything.”

Look at this baby? see you go back

The officer coughed up awkwardly, and eventually changed his hair and continued talking.

“However, I don’t know if it will really work.”

“Isn’t that unprecedented? War is also a history of deception.”

“Even so, isn’t the risk too great?”

“What’s the use of a no-stakes operation?”

There must be something to bet on in order to have something to come back. If you’re going to cheat, one way is to openly and brazenly come forward.

I saw an aircraft carrier shining like a lantern.

Just two hours ago…

– Chief, are you serious?!

Goseong came and went between the two capital ships connected by a wired cable. To be precise, it was the voice of the Furious’s captain, Everard H. Jones alone. Anger was felt in the gentle words. You probably want to say that you are crazy.

“That’s right, Captain.”

But I’m serious. If you want to avoid nighttime brawls at all, you have no choice but to do this. Captain Jones raised his voice in disbelief.

– If you use it as bait, don’t you have a destroyer? Isn’t it a basic tenet that they should turn on their lanterns like fishing boats, and if they don’t like it, turn on the searchlights?

“There’s no reason for a civilian ship the size of a destroyer to operate in this area. It’s such an obvious tactic. But it’s a different story when it comes to large ships.”

– Then there is also Tiger and Repulse. Why do we…

“Do you want to use others as bait?”

For a moment, the area beyond the receiver became quiet.

Even I think it’s a cowardly question. Because I started using the Furious as bait. However, you have to be tough here.

“Tigers are so striking in shape. Repulse is the flagship. The risk is too great for the flagship to risk. On the other hand, isn’t the Furious more like a passenger ship than a normal warship?”

Finally, as if he couldn’t contain his anger, the captain said with a mix of curse words.

– Damn, what idiot doesn’t know an aircraft carrier that groans, “It’s a passenger ship.”

“Can you tell the difference between a car and a car by looking at the searchlights on the road at night?”

voice cut off again. Without missing a moment, he continued to speak.

“It’s the same thing. And in the worst case scenario, the destroyers will immediately set up a smoke screen to cover you. It’s only our battlecruisers’ job to fight.”

After speaking, he stayed still for a while. It was still quiet over the receiver.

Am I at a loss for words, or am I too busy putting the phone down for a while and having a tantrum?

I opened my mouth again in anguish.

“Don’t worry. We’ve never been exposed to reconnaissance planes, according to the watchman’s report, so maybe they don’t even know we’re here. If you do well, you can just skip it, and if you don’t, you can enjoy the effect of surprise. That is what I mean.”

There was a bit of silence, and finally the receiver rang.

– Did you tell Tiger?

“I sent a contact line. It’s too long to be a professional.”

– You’re not going to listen to their reply!

Damn, I heard you. But the old man is sure to make a fuss too. You can’t waste your time unnecessarily.

“Trust me, even once is fine.”

He spoke again and again in a firm voice. Of course, I won’t accept that. However, at least the awareness that there is a corner to believe in something should be given. Because that’s the commander.

– Since it’s an order, I’ll listen. However, if an unexpected situation arises, we will leave immediately.

“Let it be. The battlecruisers will cover you with all their might.”

Communication ended with that. It was an unpleasant voice until the very end.

It is a sea of tension. Looking at the navigation lights shining like lanterns in the pitch-black darkness, I made up my mind. The Furious, who turned on the navigation lights so that only a merchant ship-like outline appeared, took the lead in the distance, looking like a merchant ship at first glance.

Looking at it this way, it seems pretty plausible. In fact, it resembles a passenger ship more than a merchant ship, but… There are no passenger ships going nearby, so I’ll have to pack it that way.

“Are you really okay?”

The operation officer broke into a cold sweat and slightly turned his head. He cleared his throat and answered in a still tense voice.

“As long as they don’t violate international law, we won’t start firing at all. I’ll send a telegram to this side first to verify your identity.”

I know the opponent will come this way anyway. Even if you are not spotted by reconnaissance planes, there is a high possibility that you will find stack smoke or tracks. It is better to go out shamelessly.

“When their location is revealed, they pass by at a distance. If they approach with their searchlights on, the battlecruisers engage them, hiding the Furious in a smoke screen.”

“A preemptive strike?”

“It’s better to hit first. Especially during night battles.”

This is the basic operation. Intermittent unexpected situations are left to the discretion of each captain. To be honest, I can’t pinpoint anything other than this. If you run into each other without lighting a single lamp, it’s a scuffle.

Even if you take the same damage, this is the one where the damage is bigger. We’re currently the Royal Navy’s only fast-moving unit. Moreover, even if the US destroys one aircraft carrier, it can build another one. Dirty gold spoon bastards…

In any case, you must somehow safely cross this gateway and enter the next stage. I mean there is no time.

“Honestly, I’m still not sure. Is it really possible?”

“Well, even if the identities of this side are revealed in the worst case, we’re hiding the locations of the two battlecruisers. If they show up attacking the Furious, we can counterattack them.”

The standard engagement range for night combat is less than 10km. If you hit it literally, it’s a valid hit right away. Even if it’s a battlecruiser, there’s nothing you can’t catch if you attack first. You just need to keep your mind straight.

“Then it will work.”

He said quietly, clenching his fists.

At the same time, other concerns continued on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Saratoga.

“Port-hyeon, watch! Defense 300! Check the unidentified ship with the lights on! Distance about 20,000!”

“You turned on the lights?”

Marshall picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction the watchman was pointing. Indeed, a ship with its navigation lights on was passing by. Looking at the silhouette, it looks like a passenger ship.

“Send a message and verify your identity.”

“yes!”

Is it another private ship? No, there is no reason for a passenger ship to pass around here. It is forbidden to be careless, but you should check it once.

“Reply!”

The answer came faster than expected.

“Give it here.”

The admiral who received the telegram read it as it was.

“Spanish merchant ships… ?”

Marshall frowned.

it’s spain

Tilting his head, he was lost in thought.

“Should I check… ?”

“Weren’t you on a merchant ship last time too?”

“yes. But something is strange.”

He took up his binoculars again and looked into the shining of the navigation lights.

Looks really bold. It shows itself in a strange way.

“Certainly, if I were the enemy, I wouldn’t have bothered to walk around with a lantern on. If you do well, you can slip past it.”

“Is that right?”

“But it’s not impossible to think otherwise.”

He lowered his binoculars and sighed. It is a battlefield that cannot be known even an inch ahead. Moreover, the opponent is a master of deception and stealth.

It was a Marshall that I felt painfully in the battle last year. He turned to the chief of staff and said.

“Let’s get it right and shine a searchlight on it.”

“hmm… .”

he struggled again. If it’s really an enemy, there’s a problem with just sending it.

no If the opponent is a mobile fleet, isn’t it standard to take the first attack the moment the telegram is sent? As long as this side revealed its existence, it wouldn’t be strange if flares were fired at any time.

“But there is no sign of an attack yet.”

Even simply thinking about it, the enemy has the upper hand, he thought. Leading this side was only one slow New Mexico-class. The opposing reconnaissance aircraft must have seen it. In close combat at night, the disadvantage is this side.

But so far, not even a single gunshot has been heard anywhere, let alone a flare. After long thought, the admiral made a decision.

“It doesn’t seem like an enemy at all. pass at once.”

“Can I really move on? Even if you check according to the procedure… .”

“If the report of the submarine fleet is correct, there can be no enemy ships in the vicinity. The most cruiser you should ever have. There is no more time than that.”

He sighed and continued.

“We have to go into battle as soon as the sun rises.”

The two stared out the bridge window, where the distant horizon would exist.

By the time the sun shines on the water from the east, they will have to fly a scout plane to find the enemy. There’s a fleet right around the corner.

“I’ll leave him in the rearguard’s main fleet. If the merchant ships are right, we’ll run into them. We pass the sea at full speed.”

“All right.”

It’s somewhat reluctant, but that’s what a battlefield is.

“I hope the day will come soon.”

The admiral stared up at the ceiling indifferently.

The moment the decision was made on Saratoga’s bridge. Another refutation in the aft 5-inch secondary battery of the heavy cruiser Salt Lake City… No, the scolding was happening.

“Teach! you idiot! It’s not you who pulls the trigger!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Damn it, why did you transfer a new recruit like this to our auxiliary battery?”

The battery commander in charge of the new sailors shouted, regardless of the quiet atmosphere. Because I couldn’t stand it without getting angry.

It made me wonder how this stuffy fellow got into the military.

“Are we shooting live ammunition?”

“What were you doing when you loaded the flares?”

“I was checking the scope… .”

“You’re not coming to your senses, are you?”

Crying, angry at the foolish recruit, the battery commander raised his fisted hand.

Not knowing that your finger is on the trigger.

pop-

Along with cool gunfire, flares flew brightly in the sky. All I could do was stare blankly at the shells that flew like meteors.

“Oh, no!”

The belatedly astonished battery commander.

Before long, flares that exploded and flashed revealed the black curtain. A startled voice was heard from the bridge asking about the situation.

“Damn it! Teach you son of a b*tch!”

“Isn’t it the gun commander who shot you? Aww!”

There was no one to stop the boss who had lost his temper, at least at that point. The sailor, who was beaten so badly that he went to sea, soon turned pale.

“Po, battery commander?”

“What, do you want to leave time to leave a will?”

“That’s not it… .”

He raises his trembling hand and points to the sea. The battery commander turned his head. There was nothing in the sea illuminated by the flares.

“What is there?”

“Battleship… I think it’s gone… .”

pop-

Something snapped in the head of the battery commander.

“Is this bastard talking nonsense to get killed? Do you think I forgot that you f*cking said that every ship you see is a battleship?”

“Ah! no! It was a real battleship! Aagh!”

While the senior officers ran, the sailor looked at the shadowed sea with tearful eyes. The silhouette of the huge triangular field seemed to be still vividly visible.

The sun shining brightly in the middle of the sky.

Admiral Marshall peered at the horizon through stretched binoculars. A situation where dozens of reconnaissance planes have already been blown up. Unlucky or misguided, I haven’t heard any reports yet.

“Are there no enemy ships around here?”

He looked around with a confused look. All the staff members just turned their heads.

What happened? It’s been two days since I’ve been scouring the sea area, but I haven’t seen a single track, let alone an enemy ship.

Surely you saw the reconnaissance plane?

A chilly sensation ran through his body.

“no way… ?”

“Admiral, this is urgent!”

Scary to speak, the communication staff came running with a telegram. I read the professional that came out like lightning.

“Admiral? What are you doing?”

After receiving the telegram, the admiral did not move. I just looked through the paper.

A hard face like a mangbuseok.

“excuse me… Admiral?”

The chief of staff, who could not stand the frustration, came next to him and was about to look through the telegram. The professional was crumpled like a piece of tissue paper. Eventually, the admiral raised his head.

“… A battlecruiser appeared off the coast of New York?”

A corpse-like eye flickered across his face as he raised his head.