Napoleon II Reborn

(Chapter 1 arrives, there will be chapter 1 later)

The British Atlantic Fleet is the third-ranked fleet among the four major British fleets (before the destruction of the Mediterranean Fleet), and its active area is the entire Atlantic Ocean, of course, the focus is on the North Atlantic Ocean. Before the rise of Iberia, the South Atlantic was mainly controlled by Spain and Portugal, but the British Atlantic Fleet also had certain influence in the South Atlantic. Since the rise of the Iberian Navy, later the French Empire Navy, the British Atlantic Fleet has been slowly squeezed out of the South Atlantic. The strength of the Atlantic fleets of the two sides is almost the same. Although conflicts continue, this state of equally dividing the North and South Atlantic Oceans has been preserved.

After 1813, wars continued between the British Navy and the French Navy. The two major fleets were dragged in the English Channel, and the task of protecting overseas colonies fell on the shoulders of the Atlantic Fleet. However, on the one hand, the British Atlantic Fleet wanted to suppress the development of the United States Navy, an emerging North American country, and on the other hand, it had to compete with the French Navy for territory, and it gradually became a bit powerless. In the confrontation with the French navy, it has repeatedly been at a disadvantage. This can be seen from the fact that the South Atlantic is controlled by France, and Britain is also isolated from its colonies in Asia and Oceania.

"General, the fleet is fully prepared, is it ready to set sail?" A major walked up to Admiral Brian, commander of the British Atlantic Fleet, and asked.

Brian nodded and ordered the fleet to set sail. Thick black smoke rose from the tall chimneys, and the warships of the British Atlantic Fleet also began to move out of the port in order. Looking at his fleet, Brian felt a little uncertain about the future. Today is March 7. Since the Portsmouth officer was destroyed by the French Navy and he received an order from the Admiralty, the British Atlantic Fleet has all been in action. All the fleets stationed in North America were transferred back and forth, ready to put all their troops into the strait and destroy the French navy with a thunderbolt to ensure Britain's maritime superiority.

Brian was actually somewhat resistant to this plan of the Admiralty, because France also had a powerful Atlantic Fleet. If the British Atlantic Fleet withdraws to the strait, it will be tantamount to completely opening the North Atlantic to the French navy, and even the North American colonies will be threatened. But the orders from the Admiralty cannot be disobeyed. Despite some slander, Brian resolutely led the whole army to transfer to the strait.

There are two home ports of the British Atlantic Fleet, Halifax, a Canadian city on the west coast of the North Atlantic Ocean, and Oban, a British west coast city on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean. And now, the full strength of the British Atlantic Fleet is starting from Oban. They will bypass the island of Ireland, enter the Atlantic Ocean, then enter the Bay of Biscay, and then enter the English Channel from the Bay of Biscay. Bryan would have insisted on another sailing route, crossing the North Sea from northern Scotland into the English Channel. But this will take longer than the previous route, but it will be much safer. Because the North Sea is completely under the control of the United Kingdom, there is no need to worry about being attacked by the French fleet. Taking the Bay of Biscay is different. The British Atlantic Fleet is stationed in the Azores, and it is possible to encounter the British fleet deployed in the English Channel, which increases the danger a lot. But his proposal was rejected. The explanation from the Admiralty was that the French Mediterranean Fleet had been severely damaged, so there was no need to worry about it, while the French Channel Fleet was being held back by the British Navy. As for the French Atlantic Fleet, there was nothing to say Now, everyone's strength is about the same. If there is a fight, the French Atlantic Fleet may not necessarily take advantage of it. Moreover, the actions of the British Fleet this time are very confidential. The French Navy has no way of knowing the plan of the British Navy.

However, what the British Admiralty did not know was that the plan had been placed on Xiao Jie's desk a week after it was released, all of which were due to the unremitting efforts and infiltration of the French intelligence agency over the years . After the British Atlantic Fleet left port, the French Atlantic Fleet also secretly left their station, the Terceira Naval Base in the Azores. Two days later, the French Mediterranean Fleet also left St. Helier in the Channel Islands at night. It's just that the size of the French Mediterranean Fleet is now half smaller than before. There is only one 'Dreadnought' class battleship 'Brave', two 'Pre-Dreadnought' class battleships 'Grand Duke' and 'Warrior', and 4 "Bonaparte" class warships and 12 "Iberia" class warships, the total combat effectiveness is only half of the original. However, if it is united with the Atlantic Fleet, it is still possible to severely damage the British Atlantic Fleet. After all, the strength of the French Atlantic Fleet is much stronger, including two "Dreadnought" class battleships "Hero" and "Knight", 5 "Pre-Dreadnought" class battleships "General", "Marshal" and "Hundreds". The Captain, the Mariner and the Marauder, 14 'Bonaparte' class warships and 50 'Iberia' class warships, are almost two of the 'Mediterranean' fleet in its heyday. times. The strength of the British Atlantic Fleet should also not be underestimated. Although it ranks last among the major British fleets, the gap is actually not that big. The British Atlantic Fleet has more than 120 warships, 30 of which are "Honor" class warships. The rest are all 'British' class warships.

On the afternoon of March 10, the Bryan fleet circled the island of Ireland and entered the outer edge of the Bay of Biscay. In order to prevent a surprise attack from the French fleet, Bryan ordered the fleet to line up in a combat pair and advance at full speed. Fortunately, they only entered the English Channel through the outer edge of the Bay of Biscay, and did not need to go deep into the Bay of Biscay, so the danger they might encounter would be much less. It may be due to years of experience and intuition in sea combat. Since entering the Bay of Biscay, Brian has felt a little restless, as if his fleet is stepping into danger step by step. This feeling made Brian very uneasy, but by this time, retreating was impossible, and he had to order increased security.

At the same time, 120 kilometers southwest of the British Atlantic Fleet, there is a huge fleet sailing towards the English Channel. They are the French Atlantic Fleet. According to the direction and speed of the two sides' sailing, if there is no exception, the two fleets will meet at noon on the second day.

"Is there any news about the British Atlantic Fleet?" Admiral Kirkbride, the commander of the French Atlantic Fleet on the battleship 'Hero', was anxiously waiting for news from the search fleet ahead.

"General, there is no news about the British Atlantic Fleet yet." A lieutenant colonel staff officer replied. In order to detect the British Atlantic Fleet in time, Kirkbride dispatched 20 "Iberia"-class warships to search for traces of the British Atlantic Fleet in front of the French Atlantic Fleet, left and right at the fastest speed.

"What about the Mediterranean Fleet? How can we meet them?" Kirkbride continued to ask.

"We have just contacted the Mediterranean Fleet. If there is no accident, we will encounter them at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon." The lieutenant colonel replied.

Kirkbride nodded, he did not believe that the British Atlantic Fleet could escape under such an intensive search. "All the ships are in combat mode. Once they find traces of the British Atlantic Fleet, they will launch an attack immediately." Kirkbride ordered.

"General, the Navy Command is calling. Admiral Boult asked about the situation of my fleet." A communications officer asked with a telegram.

"Tell the Marshal that everything is normal now, and my fleet is doing its best to search for traces of the British Atlantic Fleet." Kirkbride replied.

At 7 o'clock in the morning on March 11, the "Hero" suddenly received a message from a search ship, which reported that it had found traces of the British Atlantic Fleet 30 kilometers northeast of the fleet.

Upon receiving this news, Kirkbride became excited immediately, and ordered the search warship to closely follow the British fleet, and at the same time send a report to the Mediterranean Fleet, informing the British fleet of its position, while he led the The main force of the French Atlantic Fleet rushed straight to the British Atlantic Fleet.

Almost at the same time, the British Atlantic Fleet also discovered the presence of French warships. "General, I found a French warship 10 kilometers southwest of my fleet, and has been following my fleet." An officer reported to Brian.

Brian immediately realized that his fleet had been discovered by the French fleet, and at the same time, the bad premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger. "Send a few warships to destroy the enemy ship that was following us, and at the same time, the fleet turned 10 degrees north." Brian was taking remedial measures. He didn't know whether the fleet could get rid of the tracking French fleet after turning, but now He could only do it with the attitude of trying.

Bryan's measures did not make the British Atlantic Fleet escape the tracking of the French Atlantic Fleet. At 12 o'clock in the morning, the main force of the French Atlantic Fleet led by Kirkbride finally caught up with the British Atlantic Fleet 110 kilometers southwest of the Normandy Peninsula. Brian did not back down, but ordered the fleet to fight. A total of more than 200 warships from the two fleets fought fiercely in this sea area.

The French Atlantic Fleet has strong ships and powerful guns, while the British Atlantic Fleet is "outnumbered and outnumbered". This includes the smoke from the shell explosion and the smoke from the fire of the battleship after being hit, covering the sky and the sun.