Chapter 284 Depth Charge
Just two days later, another Allied battleship was sunk.
This time it is the British HMS Dignity.
Its defense was even tighter. In addition to the anti-torpedo nets, there were also merchant ships and transport ships that formed a circle around the battleship. There were also three destroyers and two trawlers patrolling around.
But the German submarine still succeeded in sinking it.
The Germans were very smart. They chose to launch a surprise attack at dawn, when the slightly bright sky would make the water surface pitch black. The sailors could not see the periscope, but the submarines could accurately determine the position of the battleship by the huge shadow of the ship.
So, the German submarine launched a torpedo from 500 meters away. It rode the waves in the calm water, miraculously passed through the gap between two merchant ships guarding it, and then cut through the anti-torpedo net and accurately hit the center of the "Dignity".
Because the explosion hit the center of the ship, the Dignity sank in just seven minutes.
Fortunately, the Dignity was near the coast at the time and the ship ran aground, and in the end only more than 40 sailors were killed.
…
People seemed to have gotten used to the news of battleships being sunk by the enemy. Although newspapers still published headlines about it on the front page, there was not much heated discussion among the public.
Gallieni just shook his head. "It's hard to imagine that a multi-million pound battleship was destroyed by a small torpedo."
At this time, Kobdo handed a telegram to Gallieni: "General, the Germans may have five or six submarines in the Dardanelles."
"How do you know?" Gallieni looked at Kobdo in confusion.
This is information that even the Second Bureau cannot find out. The British may be able to find out, but they did not share this information with France.
Kobdo replied: "Someone saw a German submarine resupplying in neutral Spain. People didn't pay much attention to it before, but now they suddenly realized that it was probably a submarine bound for the Dardanelles. In addition, there are several small coastal submarines that are transported by train, but these are just speculations."
Gallieni nodded.
The intelligence Kobdo obtained was mostly "rumors", but it was extremely valuable for reference when there was no intelligence at all.
"The enemy only has six submarines in total." Charles was a little unconvinced. "And with only one large submarine, how could it be difficult for the Allies to be so embarrassed?"
Lieutenant Colonel Fernando said helplessly, "Even if there is only one ship, it's enough to give us a headache, let alone five or six."
Charles looked at Lieutenant Colonel Fernando in confusion.
The Allied fleet had more than thirty destroyers and more than a dozen cruisers. How could such a large fleet not be able to stop a submarine?
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan explained: "The submarine is only in danger of being attacked the moment it surfaces, otherwise no one can do anything to it!"
Charles was stunned, and then he realized that depth charges might not have been invented yet.
After asking a few more questions, Charles found that this was indeed the case.
There are very limited ways for warships to deal with submarines: using naval guns or directly ramming them. There may only be a few minutes of opportunity, and once it dives, there is nothing you can do.
Charles hummed and thought it necessary to go to the police training base.
…
Gallieni used the police training base as the training ground for the 105th Regiment because its facilities were much better than most of the makeshift military bases.
On the other hand, the police training base has been training soldiers during this period, such as mortars, 37 guns, etc. People have become accustomed to the coming and going of troops, and the arrival of the 105th Regiment will not attract the attention of spies.
As soon as the car Charles was riding in drove into the training base, he heard the roar of engines and shouts.
Following the sound, I saw dozens of cars on the playground, or to be more precise, modified cars with tall planks added to the rear, just like the pedals at the front of a landing craft.
Charles immediately understood that these cars were used to simulate "landing craft":
The rear compartment was filled with soldiers coming and going.
The car was driven backwards, and when it reached a slope and a plank was placed on it, fully armed soldiers rushed out of the car holding rifles.
Charles sighed in his heart: As expected of Tijani, he can get so many cars at this time.
However, Charles soon discovered that he had underestimated Tijani.
"Colonel!" Tijani must have received a notification from the signalman. He ran to Charles with sweat all over his forehead. Seeing Charles looking at the training ground, he sighed with guilt on his face: "There are not enough landing craft, and this place is not suitable for training, so we can only make do with it."
Charles was speechless. You actually call this kind of training "making do"?
Do you know how many people on the front line are waiting for cars to transport ammunition and supplies? You easily got more than 50 vehicles, and you still accepted it?
But Charles didn't say anything. He just hummed and replied, "Not bad, but there is another problem to consider. The troops who have been fighting on land for many years may have never been on a ship. If seasickness affects their combat effectiveness..."
"I have already made the contact." Tijani replied: "Starting tomorrow, they will go to the Toulon Naval Base for training. Let them ride on the warship for a few days!"
Ciel: ...
The way this guy spoke, it looked like he wanted warships anytime he wanted them.
Are you sure this isn't showing off your wealth?
"Colonel," Tijani asked hesitantly, "Do you also want to..."
Charles chuckled, "It's just a boat ride. I don't need it."
Charles had experience of taking a boat in modern times, so he was very confident.
However, he forgot that a warship that braved the wind and waves in the hail of bullets was different from a modern ship that sailed smoothly.
"There is something I need to discuss with you." Charles took Tijani aside: "You should have heard about the sinking of the Dignity, right?"
"Yes." Tijani nodded, and then seemed to understand Charles's concerns: "If you think we will have a problem with insufficient landing ships because of this, then there is no need to worry. I have already contacted Rear Admiral Geprat, and he has decided to send the battleship Gaul and five destroyers to provide us with cover, as well as several minesweepers and transport ships."
Ciel: ...
He was sure that he had chosen the right person to be the commander, at least he was quite capable in the navy, and everything was settled.
"That's not what I'm talking about." Charles' expression was somewhat difficult: "I was wondering, should we have something to deal with submarines?"
"How to deal with a submarine?" Tijani looked puzzled. "But it's underwater. How can we ..."
"A bomb," Charles answered simply, "a bomb that can explode underwater."
Tijani's eyes widened instantly.
This is indeed a feasible solution, and it is very simple, but why is it that only Charles can think of it? !
(End of this chapter)
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