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April 12, 1918, Lübeck, Germany.↑

Under the warm spring sunshine, more than a dozen warships of all sizes are parked in the calm harbor. The dock seems very busy, and two newly entered large Austrian warships are making final preparations before sailing.

Since the war started, the outer port on the north side of the Lübeck North Sea Shipyard has been lent to the Austrians for military restricted areas and became the base of the Austro-Hungarian Naval Squadron. However, the protection of the port was still under the responsibility of the German Naval Fortress Command. More than a dozen trucks carrying supplies drove onto the supply dock under the gaze of the port guards. At this time, the two large warships with simple and beautiful lines, and fully equipped weapons were docking next to the dock. Some sailors and porters carried boxes, baskets and barrels of various sizes to the warships under the supervision of officers.

The cranes on the dock were clattering, and even the small cranes on the warships used to recycle seaplanes and dinghys were busy.

Several black Mercedes cars stopped not far from the gangway of the boarding ship. Admiral Verenick got off the car and several subordinate officers who had been waiting at the dock came up.

"How are the preparations going?" the Admiral asked first.

"Three hours left, General!" The quarantine on the ship stood at attention with his legs and looked straight.

"Very good, we will set off all this time, and maybe we won't come back here until the war is over." Verennik looked around the dock and said, "I have been here for almost four years, and it seems that I have had some feelings." The newly formed fleet of the Austro-Hungarian Navy is about to move to Saint-Nazell in France, which has long been rumored within the navy. Since the war started, in order to make up for the insufficient escort and reconnaissance power of large warships, the Austrian Navy has ordered four "Novara-class" light cruisers from the North Sea Shipyard and joined the Atlantic Squadron. Later, the Austro-Hungarian Navy also ordered six "Uranus" class destroyers designed based on the improved design of Germany's 19** torpedo boats to join the Atlantic Squadron.

So far, the Austro-Hungarian Navy has a total of 14 warships in Lübeck, but if some auxiliary ships are added, it is already a fleet of considerable size, and its strength should be greater than any of the "Three South Americans". This is not an easy process, but fortunately, they did not act alone. The German cruiser commanded by General Sorochin will start to act after they set off. According to the plan, the two fleets will meet outside the exit of the Skagerak Strait tomorrow afternoon.

Willenick needed to bring four fast tankers to support the future in-depth operation of the Atlantic Ocean. Sorochin's mission was not easy, and he had to protect 10 supply tankers to transfer to Saint-Nazell.

As noon approached, the warship finally completed the supply and slowly drove into the waterway under the towing of two tugboats.

At about 12 o'clock, the "Grand Duke of Frederich" was hung with the Admiral's flag of the fleet commander Verennik. A signal flag was raised on the signal mast and issued an order to the warships waiting outside the port: "Let's sail normally as planned!"

The destroyer headed by Sirius and Aquila began to anchor, and the anchor chain brought a large string of white water splashes. Then thick smoke rose from the chimney, and the warship began to slowly move on the water surface, and then gradually accelerated. Behind the destroyer were two "Pra"-class cruisers, followed by two battlecruisers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the "Radetsky" and the "Grand Duke of Franz", followed by Admiral Verenick's flagship and the "Grand Duke of Maximilian", and at the end were four fast tankers and two light cruisers, Split and Kotor.

Two hours later, the fleet sailed out of the Bay of Mecklenburg and entered the Baltic Sea.

According to intelligence, the UK deployed about 40 submarines in the North Sea to monitor the movements of the German naval surface ships. However, the British had never entered the Skaglak Strait to move. In the past, Russian submarines could occasionally move around the Baltic Sea, but now, the Russians have withdrawn from the war, and the sailors have all gone ashore, becoming the land armed force that the Soviet regime relies most on.

In order to take care of the speed of several tankers, the fleet was sailing at a cruising speed of 15 knots and was expected to not be able to pass the Skaglak Strait until tomorrow morning. The sun shone through the gaps of clouds and shone the calm sea surface of the deep blue. The weather has become very hot. Now the cool sea breeze swept across the warships, making people feel refreshed.

The flagship raised a signal flag to change formations, and after sailing out of the Mecklenburg Strait, the fleet lined up in a double column and began to turn toward Copenhagen.

Everything was normal. Verennik got off the bridge and returned to the cabin at the stern to rest. Perhaps it was because he was too tired these days, or because he returned to the sea he was familiar with, the Admiral soon fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was almost dusk and the fleet had begun to approach the Ore Strait. There were more merchant ships on the monotonous sea surface. The fleet's actions could not avoid the eyes of the omnipresent British spies. In fact, when the German and Austrian navy formulated a combat plan, this action was more like a provocation. They had no intention of avoiding the British reconnaissance.

Now the British have no choice but to use Sorochin's fleet. The five newly-suspended "Markensen" class battlecruisers are no worse than the British "Queen" class battleships in terms of attack and defense, and are much faster than the "Queen" class. However, in other battlecruisers, the Germans are much stronger than the British, and there is also the Austro-Hungarian fleet commanded by General Verennik. If they encounter Betty's fleet, Sorochin has no reason to be afraid of his opponent.

But if you encounter the Jelico fleet, this fleet can easily get rid of its opponent with high speed.

This is not the first time the commander has seen his new warship, but its strength still makes him feel proud from the bottom of his heart.

Admiral Verenick returned to the bridge of the "Grand Duke of Frederi". Captain Kubert stood outside the bridge and was staring at the sea with a telescope. The admiral greeted Kubert and then looked at his warship.

In the sunset, a faint golden light appeared on the surface of the entire warship. Looking down at the entire ship from the bridge, the largest tonnage battleship in the empire is quite graceful and smooth. The four 380mm main turrets show the unparalleled deterrence of the sea overlords. Looking at the whole world, this warship that represents the peak of human industrial technology is rare to find a few opponents that match it. Standing on it, no matter who is, he will have a kind of magnificence in his heart.

At present, the war on land is coming to an end, and the originally tight supply of materials in the country has become slightly better. How to end the war as soon as possible, both the top leaders and the people of Germany and Austria have placed their hopes on the navy.
Chapter completed!