No one expected that the first naval battle in the World War was actually initiated by the Turkish Navy. On the night when the two sides officially declared war, the fast battleship Sultan Selim I and the armored cruiser Fatik (German König-class former

Dreadnought armored cruiser from

China purchased.) left the Faao Port, passed through the Persian Gulf and then sailed to the open sea. Their goal was Karachi, the largest port in British India, where there were a large number of cargoes loaded with grain, cotton and other materials.

transport ships, and a huge fuel warehouse.

Karachi is a purely civilian port, but as the Fao Port gradually acquired the ability to accommodate the huge German-Turkish fleet, the British felt it was necessary to choose a port near the Persian Gulf as a base for the blockade. The Port of Mumbai

Although the facilities are very complete, the distance is a little far. Even if the British learn that the German attack ship has left the Persian Gulf,

There was no time to intercept. Further to the northwest, only Karachi Port could accommodate these steel behemoths. However, from an economic perspective, Karachi Port, as the largest grain and cotton export port in British India, was irreplaceable and could not be used as a

As a pure military port, the military transformation of Karachi Port seems to be quite slow due to the wrangling from all parties.

"According to our intelligence, Karachi only has the ability to station the fleet, but does not have the ability to provide overhaul for the dreadnought, and its defense force is very weak. However, it has four old 9.2-inch naval guns converted into shore guns.

And a 6-inch gun shore battery, and no mines were laid. Because the British were afraid that these mines would blow up their precious merchant ships." Al Barsha said with a smile.

"We don't need to be afraid of these shore defense firepower at all. The 9.2-inch guns can't even count the armored cruiser Fatik. Our main target is here!" Albasha pointed to a location on the map and said: "This is the British heavy oil

Library. Only we can destroy them, then this port has no significance to the British Navy. Second

The first goal is here. This is the warehouse of the entire port. There are tens of thousands of tons of food and other materials here. As for the third goal? I think if a few merchant ships can be intercepted, then our lives will be greatly improved.

." Albasha is obviously confident in this operation, because in his opinion, there seems to be no force nearby that can stop their operation!

It is impossible to say that the British were not prepared at the Port of Karachi. The London Dreadnought was currently carrying out coaling operations in the port. She would cover a fleet transporting food to Alexandria. The Italian Navy did not join the Allies.

Before the battle, the British had to seize the time to provide more supplies to the British army in North Africa. In order to defend against the Turkish attack ships, the British decided to provide this transport with

The convoy provides escort, and the escort warship is the British quasi-dreadnought ship London. It has a displacement of up to 14,000 tons. It has four 12-inch 45L main guns and four 9.2-inch secondary main guns.

It has a wide 9-inch armored belt, has good seaworthiness, and can reach a speed of more than 20 knots. Under the escort of the London, the British believe that they will be fine if they encounter any non-capital ships from Germany and Turkey!

"It is a waste to hand over such good warships to the Turks. They can only use pre-dreadnoughts with less than 10,000 tons. The Germans have not yet come to the Middle East, and General Goodnow will soon come to Karachi Port. South Africa and

Its fleet can completely lock the Turkish navy in the Persian Gulf. We are not in any danger this time." The captain of the London vowed to his men.

What the British captain said makes sense. If Albasha knew that Goodenow's fleet was heading to the Middle East before the war started, he might not dare to come out casually, but the British did a good job of keeping it secret.

, the Turks did not discover the whereabouts of this fleet at all, so Albasha, who thought it was safe, took the fleet out, and he thought

It's not far from the Persian Gulf. If you run away at full speed, you can go back soon. Once you see the entrance to the Persian Gulf, it will be safe. Wherever there are mine arrays deployed by the Turkish Navy, the British will not dare to break in. And in this place

When the British captain was talking nonsense, Al Barsha's fleet was already approaching Karachi Port, and Al Barsha could already see the lighthouse of Karachi Port!

The huge body of the Sultan Selim I gradually appeared on the sea level. The star and moon hanging high on the top of the mast were like the scimitar of the Ottoman Empire, which made all the British in Karachi Port feel a chill on their necks! "Oh God,

Am I dazzled? How did the Turks get here? I remember the British

There are also such warships in the imperial fleet." At this time, a British man was still hoping that he had seen it wrong. In fact, he did not want to think about it. The distance was so close, why couldn't the Turks come? Soon, Sultan Selim

The 9th 350mm heavy artillery on board the No. 1 demonstrated their position with practical actions!

The three huge triple turrets slowly turned to the side. The rangefinder quickly transmitted the distance and orientation to the fire control room based on the distant reference object. The fire control room then adjusted the artillery based on the calculated shooting elements. Because the main target

It is an important part of the attack on the port.

Oil warehouse, facing this huge and immovable thing, the accuracy of artillery bombardment will be very high, and in order to guard against the British mine array deployed outside the port, the Selim I was 15km away from the target.

launched an attack!

Boom! With a loud noise like thunder, three huge fireballs were sprayed out from the side of the Selim I ship at the same time. Three 14-inch artillery shells weighing 635kg flew from the barrel at more than twice the speed of sound.

After dozens of seconds, three artillery shells landed one after another not far from the heavy oil warehouse. Up to 42.5kg of picric acid explosives loaded in the shells were detonated by the fuze and collision.

, at the moment of the explosion, hundreds of kilograms of hot shrapnel mixed with flames covered everything around indiscriminately. A wooden house 50 meters away from the explosion point was reduced to a pile by the violent shock wave in an instant.

Firewood, no, it was a pile of burning firewood. The high flammability of picric acid multiplied the power of high-explosive bombs. They ignited everything they could touch, from wood to human bodies to steel!

The sudden bombardment instantly plunged the entire port into chaos. The merchant ships in the port never thought that the war was so close to them! They didn't expect that their little things could be taken care of by a fast battleship! And with Saili,

At the beginning of the attack by the USS Mu I, the armored cruiser USS Fatik also began to shoot at the British transport ships escaping from the port. There was no way, the accuracy and range of the old 11-inch 40l artillery were not satisfactory, so it could only find nearby ones.

The target was hit.

For the Turks, the battle can be described as relaxed and enjoyable from the beginning. After years of training, it is no problem to hit the oversized fixed target marked in advance from 15km away. In the third round of salvo, there were

Two artillery shells landed in the target area, and one of the artillery shells landed on the pipe, directly knocking out hundreds of people.

The pipe exploded into a twisted mess. The yellow-green flames produced by the explosion of the picric acid explosive quickly ignited the heavy oil in the pipe. The thick heavy oil splashed around under the huge impact, igniting more fires.

There are so many places! During this period, the Phatic used 11-inch guns and 6-inch guns to sink one ship and make an emergency landing on one ship.

Just when this old armored cruiser was on the rise, the loud noise coming from the port stunned the Turks! According to the prior intelligence, the British would not have large-caliber naval guns here, and from just now

Judging from the sound of the gun and the splash of water from the shell, this should be a 12-inch naval gun! Does that mean there is a British dreadnought or a pre-dreadnought in the port? This news made Albasha, who was shelling in the distance, feel confused.

tight!

When Al Barsha came to Karachi Port, he just wanted to make a time difference and get some cheap money before leaving. He really had no intention of fighting face-to-face with the British Royal Navy! If he followed the past Turkish style, he might just end up talking nonsense, but

Obviously, Albasha, who had received systematic training in China for several years, would not be so surprised. Soon, he saw the clues.

The opponent's artillery shells are very scattered and have no accuracy at all. This means that the opponent's range is very close and the observation conditions are not good. Not to mention Selim I, they can't even hit the closer Fartik.

Forming a straddle shot. The opponent is most likely just a Dreadnought.

Even if it is fearless, so what? There are not many warships currently in service in the Royal Navy that can defeat Selim I alone, and if it gets to the Middle East, there should be none. Al Barsha does not mind completing the mission.

Next, add a battleship to your record!

"Continue the attack, hit the oil depot first, and then the warehouse!" Albasha, who wanted to understand after a moment, ordered. Suhou, the attack speed of the Selim I has obviously increased. After getting a hit, the three-stage shot will be launched in time.

Change to salvo! Every 3

In about 0 seconds, nine 14-inch guns will burst out with a roar. Within one minute, 10 tons of ammunition will be tilted at the oil depot and cargo yard of Karachi Port. Whether it is heavy oil or cotton and grain piled in the warehouse, in the bitter taste

Acid high explosive bomb

The shells turned directly into balls of flames when hit. The fire-fighting facilities at the port were simply not enough. Then a shell hit a huge oil storage tank! A loud bang resounded throughout the port area, followed by thousands of tons of fuel.

Set aside from oil tank, caught in flames

After being ignited, they spread like lava flows in the port area, swallowing up everything they could touch! By now, everyone knows that the Karachi Port is finished, at least the port facilities will not be able to provide battleships within half a year.

Supplied!

At the same time, just when the Selim I turned the entire Karachi Port into a sea of ​​​​fire, the London finally rushed out, and his target was the Phatik, which was happily hunting transport ships outside the port.

Four 12-inch naval guns sprayed out angry

Tongues of flames and huge shells flew towards the target in the distance. Due to line of sight problems, the Phatic did not immediately notice the rushing battleship. For a while, this old cruiser that had experienced several wars was

Covered by the opponent's artillery fire!
Chapter completed!