My Italy

On September 22, major European newspapers rarely published the same news on their front pages. New York was bombarded by the Spanish fleet.

The United States has shown its face in front of other countries in the world. Although this is not what the United States wants to see, some things will not change according to its will. News of this kind of thing spreads very quickly, not to mention that New York is still It was also the node of the Atlantic telegraph cable. If you wanted to, any news that appeared in New York could be transmitted to Europe in an hour.

As for European countries' willingness to report extensively, this is also understandable. The industrial scale of the United States exceeds that of European countries, and its products have already competed with European countries. In addition, the United States is far away in North America, and there are not many other countries that can do anything about it. It's a rare occasion when I see him being unlucky and I don't take the opportunity to publicize it for him. How can I keep this news for the New Year?

Therefore, newspapers from various European countries are ridiculing the United States on this matter.

Taking the Times as an example, it asked a senior British Navy general to comment on the bombardment of New York. The bombardment of New York and Newport News fully demonstrated the strategic deficiencies of the U.S. Navy. It did not take Spain's strength into account and made the mistake of underestimating the enemy.

The Spanish fleet took advantage of this and bombarded New York and Newport News one after another.

In addition, the general also pointed out that the U.S. Navy currently has no good way to harass the Spanish fleet on the east coast. Because of the difference in speed between the two, it was difficult for the U.S. Navy to capture the Spanish fleet.

He is right. There are currently only three Indiana-class battleships that the United States can rely on. Their top speed of 15 knots is completely unable to keep up with the times. And if these three battleships are not brought, then the US Navy's fleet will lack the battleship, the core battleship. It is impossible to be the opponent of this Spanish fleet by just relying on four Pennsylvania-class patrol ships to lead other battleships.

So at the end, the British Empire general said. For the U.S. Navy, the current main problem is how to force the Spanish fleet to fight with itself. Otherwise, if there are a few more such attacks, the United States will be unable to withstand it.

This Times report is quite pertinent. Those newspapers that want to attract attention have long ridiculed the performance of the US Navy. The performance of the U.S. Navy is a complete disaster. It is better to just ask Italy for help. As long as Americans are willing to spend money, Italians will definitely not refuse.

Well, this also includes Italy.

But no matter what the European media thinks, for the United States, the most important thing is to stop the Spanish fleet from plundering the east coast unscrupulously.

In the Atlantic Ocean, a fleet of warships is moving quickly. Judging from the flag, this is a battleship of the U.S. Navy. The four battleships headed by it are tall and mighty. Their shapes are different from other U.S. battleships. It is obvious that this is a Pennsylvania-class cruiser. Following the Pennsylvania class is the New York class of the same class. Brooklyn parade.

Compared with the New York, the Brooklyn is larger and has a standard displacement of 9,200 tons. It has eight 203mm main guns arranged in a diamond shape at the front, rear, left and right. In addition, there are 12 127mm secondary guns. The maximum speed is 20 verses.

In addition to the Brooklyn cruiser, this fleet also includes the Columbia-class protected cruiser, Columbia, Minneapolis, and Olympic protected cruisers.

These eight warships are also the eight fastest warships in the United States. This time, because of the Spanish fleet's harassment of the northeast, Major General Samplin personally led the team to come for support.

"Report to the general, we are still forty nautical miles away from Newport News. We have received news from the Hamilton Naval Port. A telegram from Rhode Island has found no trace of the enemy. A telegram from the Boston garrison. They have completed the evacuation of the residents. job and asked when we could arrive. A telegram came from New York asking us to arrive as soon as possible.”

On the flagship Pennsylvania, Major General Samplin listened to the reports of the communications officer.

"Tell the Hamilton Naval Port that we will stay there for three hours to refuel and hope that they will be ready. Also send a telegram to New York City that we will arrive in two days. Tell the Boston garrison that they cannot relax their vigilance. Spain The fleet is very likely to attack them and make them more vigilant."

After Major General Samplin finished replying one by one, he looked at the sea and fell into deep thought. Whether the Spanish fleet would continue to attack the port, where they came from, and where they were now, these questions kept pressing in his mind.

Of course, for Major General Samplin, he knew something was wrong after he got the Spanish fleet to attack Newport News. They underestimated the enemy, thinking that if they besieged the island of Cuba, the Spanish navy would rush to send a fleet to relieve the siege, and then he could lead the American fleet waiting to easily destroy it.

Unexpectedly, the other party did not follow common sense and ignored the safety of Cuba. Instead, they went to the east coast to cause trouble.

It has to be said that the Spanish Navy still has capable people, and they can see the weaknesses of the US Navy at a glance. So as soon as he heard the news of the attack on the east coast, Washington sent a telegram asking him to lead the fleet back to defense. Yes, it was more important to protect the East Coast from attack than to capture Cuba.

Rear Admiral Samplin also immediately collected eight battleships and personally led the team to rush over. As for the other battleships, they headed north together with the three Indiana-class battleships.

The eight warships led by Major General Samplin were also carefully selected. The eight warships can reach a maximum speed of 20 knots at least. Along the way, Rear Admiral Samplin galloped with the battleship, and the speed never dropped below 17 knots. That's why we were able to get all the way to Newport News the day after the Spanish fleet bombarded New York.

Now he just needs to wait for the Spanish fleet to attack Boston so that he can catch the opponent. Of course, his eight battleships cannot solve the opponent, but this time he can rely on speed.

According to intelligence, the Spanish fleet has two Garibaldi-class cruisers with a speed of 23 knots, three Maria Theresa-class cruisers with a speed of 20 knots, and then three Turin-class battleships, all with a speed of 18 knots. Two Venice-class ships patrol.

No problem was found. The speed of Spanish battleships was divided into three levels. As for the formation led by Rear Admiral Samplin, the warships have a maximum speed of 20 knots at worst.

As long as he could find the Spanish fleet, he would not let them escape from his eyes. As long as he waits for them, the Spanish fleet will lack the most important concealment. When the time comes, he can entangle the opponent and force him to a decisive battle when other warships arrive. This is also the most effective method currently thought by Rear Admiral Samplin.

But it’s already the afternoon of the next day. Why hasn’t the Spanish fleet appeared yet? Where are they?

I can't express that feeling because it's a matter of my level. However, the waters of New York are as easy to defend as a gourd and difficult to attack. It's really impossible to enter.