Chapter 66, Typhoon God of War Halsey (Part 1)
A sky as dark as the bottom of a pot, a furious ocean with violent winds and waves.
God! The fleet collapsed, the battle was over, and I might be miserable this time too!
Holding on to the bulkhead and standing in the bridge where the floor was swinging violently, the first captain of the 100,000-ton USS Hawaii, the largest battleship in the United States of America, Captain Warner R. Edsell, was almost seen in front of him. The sight was shocking!
While pressing his forehead with sterile gauze that had just been bruised and bleeding, he looked out the window at the gloomy sky as dark as night, the rough waves that blocked the sky, and Halsey who was struggling between the peaks and troughs of the waves. The fleet couldn't help but feel slightly distracted for a moment.
The entire field of vision has been completely occupied by strong winds, huge waves, heavy rain, and dense fog. The huge waves are like hills, one after another, surging and churning; the sea water seems to be boiled, and is picked up and carried by the strong wind. It hit the deck with incomparable power.
The hazy dark clouds and the equally hazy sea water merged together, making it so turbulent that it was almost impossible to tell which was the sky and which was the ocean. Only lightning flashed across the sky, and only a hint of blur could be seen in the only light. horizon. However, when the storm began to pour down, even this last trace of the difference between heaven and earth was completely obliterated. Amidst the thunder and lightning and the turbulent waves, the poor sailors had to yell to hear each other's words clearly. They could no longer see anything hundreds of yards away... Everyone in the cabin was holding on to their hands tightly. Things and knuckles turned white from the exertion until both arms were sore. Everyone's hearts were tense as could be. A new recruit who had just joined the army was even lying on the edge of the compass dial. His face was twisted as if he had suffered an epilepsy, his lips were trembling violently with fear, and there were several others. The individual was scared to shit.
Damn it! How did things come to be like this?
According to Colonel Edsell's many years of sailing experience, under normal circumstances, at least in tropical waters, compared to the North Atlantic, which is full of wind and waves all the time, the Pacific is indeed quite peaceful, and ships can sail on calm oceans for several months. And you won't encounter any big winds and waves.
When Magellan's fleet sailed across the Pacific, they "enjoyed" the good weather for two months along the way and were hungry for two months.
It was only at this moment that he finally realized how huge and terrifying energy lurked in this seemingly calm sea!
——When the signs of disaster first appeared, everything was not so obvious. However, the wind speed on the sea gradually increased to thirty knots, and some ships with smaller tonnage began to become difficult to control... No one expected that an unprecedented typhoon was heading towards them.
As a veteran seaman who has experienced battles in the field, Admiral Halsey is not afraid of such small storms at all, and still commands the fleet to continue to advance. But by this time, the ocean was already becoming more and more violent at an alarming rate. A large amount of gray-white water was turned into foam by strong winds, swinging towards the American fleet. The smaller thousand-ton destroyers and the medium-sized landing ships of only more than 900 tons were all bumping violently up and down in the ever-increasing waves. Although the captain and first mate were still trying their best to control the direction with the rudder, the huge waves directly lifted the entire stern of the ship out of the water, like a giant hand fidgeting with a small insect. Under such circumstances, it was no longer possible to just turn the steering wheel. Balance the hull! Some of the ship's propellers were even damaged!
As a result, the rapidly deteriorating sea conditions gradually dispersed the huge and bloated U.S. fleet. Some of the out-of-control ships were torn apart by strong winds and gradually moved away from other ships. The original fleet order can no longer be maintained. The undulating aircraft carrier deck caused great trouble to the U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft taking off and landing. One of the guys was too hesitant to land on the bumpy deck. As a result, he had to parachute to escape after the plane ran out of gas. Although a destroyer kept watching his whereabouts, he finally lost his trace on the stormy sea. .
It was only then that Admiral Halsey of the flagship Enterprise issued a wind and wave warning belatedly. Unfortunately, it was too late to adjust - bad news from various ships continued to come over the radio. There were reports on several ships that someone had broken his leg, and someone on a certain aircraft carrier accidentally fell into the water during deck operations. No one else had time to rescue him, and no one was seen on the sea. A water reconnaissance plane had no time to return, lost its way in the bad weather, and finally disappeared into the ocean... But compared to the nightmare that followed, these losses were nothing.
In short, by this time, even the dullest people understood that their fleet had probably encountered a strong typhoon this time - the most terrifying demon in the Pacific. And it is indeed summer in the northern hemisphere where typhoons are common...
However, in the era without satellite cloud maps, human beings' ability to predict typhoons was very limited. Whether it was the maximum wind force in the center, the future movement path, or even the location of the typhoon eye, we could only rely on experience and guesswork, and it was always unclear. Mistakes - For example, this time, Admiral Halsey made a wrong judgment and believed that as long as he slightly modified the route, he could bypass the typhoon and continue to advance towards the scheduled battlefield.
Therefore, after the U.S. fleet fine-tuned its course, it thought it was moving from the rear of the typhoon to safe waters, but in fact it was plunging into the center of the eye of the typhoon. After a while, even with a full load displacement of up to 105,000 The thousand-ton battleship USS Hawaii also started It has been shaking violently, tilting suddenly from time to time, or being thrown violently and then falling to the other side, and then another huge wave hits it... Every ship is struggling hard in the sea, and the road ahead is like being blocked by It was blocked, it felt like a stone wall blocking the way of the fleet. The radars on several large warships have even detected the location of the eye of the typhoon, and discovered that the fleet has been heading there - unfortunately it is too late!
By this time, the weather on the sea was far worse than they had imagined. The field of vision was filled with fog, the air pressure dropped to 920 Pascals, but the wind speed exceeded 60 knots. The turbulent waves of the sea hit the warship crazily, as if the entire steel giant would be overturned in the next moment. The flag on the mast had been blown away, and even the sturdy antenna and radar began to creak, as if they would break in the next second.
On the sea, which was dimly visible in the fog, the highest wave had reached fifty feet. They swarmed from behind the battleship from time to time, easily lifting the stern, and then pushing the bow into the huge wave trough. The anxious fleet tactical commander finally stopped asking for the formation to be maintained, and instead issued an order of "wind resistance first". The most important thing right now is undoubtedly to protect the thousands of ships in this sea area from the typhoon attack.
As the fog became thicker, one ship after another disappeared from the field of vision. In the gray color, the crew of each ship seemed to feel that they were the only ones left on the sea, and only the radio signals could be heard. The sound of calling can also make them confirm that they are not alone.
Unfortunately, all the news received from the radio was bad: through the sharp roar of the wind and the desperate groan of the creaking hull, the radio kept reporting the damage to other ships. People kept falling into the sea, being blown away by strong winds, and being thrown to the ceiling in the turbulence and injured. People continued to report that their bulkheads were damaged and their hulls were leaking. They also hoped that other ships would come to the rescue, but no one was able to help. Several other ships lost their signal forever after sending out desperate radio waves that said, "The ship is rocking too hard... It may capsize soon..."
——Amidst the hoarse exclamations of the lookouts, a huge wave suddenly rose from the sea, like a slowly closing curtain, with a huge roar, it embraced a destroyer, and then Together with the waves themselves, they return to the dark green abyss of death...
At this time, the air pressure measured on the ship had dropped below the measurement range of the barometer, and the pointer arrow of the anemometer also touched the top - eighty knots! The pointer shook violently and made a shrill scream. The sailors on the USS Hawaii were completely unable to stand in the wind. Those who were forced to work on the deck all fell down and held on to the ropes with all their strength. The strong wind was mixed with droplets, and hitting them was like needles. generally.
Then, a ship caught fire, and it was Admiral Halsey’s flagship, the USS Enterprise! The planes on the deck were thrown into the sea, and the planes in the hangar also collided with the hull, and finally fell apart. Gasoline leaked out and ignited after encountering sparks somewhere. Soon the flight deck and cabin below were on fire and the ship was out of control. The panicked headquarters immediately ordered several other ships to support the burning flagship Enterprise, but no one could save themselves... A plane was thrown out of nowhere, enveloped by huge waves, and flew like a cannonball. It hit the main mast of the battleship USS Hawaii accurately. Fragments of steel and aluminum alloys flew all over the sky like raindrops, and the radar screen suddenly turned gray.
Listening to the hoarse bad news one after another on the radio, Colonel Edsel's spine felt chilly, and boundless fear enveloped his body like a thick fog at this time - the various crises described on the radio also It could happen on his ship at any time. Immediately afterwards, the huge waves that surged onto the deck broke open several watertight doors that were not closed tightly, and poured into the cabin like a waterfall. Sailors had to line up in long lines to help scoop out water.
Suddenly, a huge wave crashed on the stern of the Hawaiian, lifting the 100,000-ton ship into the air like a puppy throwing up an old shoe. The propeller was exposed, and the ship's keel shook violently. Then as soon as the bow of the ship fell, it was immediately swallowed up by the sea water. The captain, Colonel Edsel, also failed to stand still and was thrown from the floor to the other end of the bridge. His forehead hit the handle of the cabin door. Blood spurted out immediately, and one of his shoulders was still free. Mortar... But in the face of the current crisis, he could only endure the dizziness and pain, stand up and continue working.
The situation became worse and worse, the radio signal became intermittent, and even the lights in the cabin became dim and bright. Looking out from the windows of the bridge, the violent hurricane is like a ferocious beast, running more and more unscrupulously on the undulating vast sea.
Under the merciless whipping of the strong wind, the undulating sea surface stirred up increasingly turbulent waves, one wave after another, like undulating mountains. The entire world that Colonel Edsell saw seemed to have become irrational, and began to wildly interpret the true meaning of the so-called "chaos" at a bold and bold pace. It is difficult to understand whether this situation and this scene are from the solemn and sacred power of God. Anger, or the devil's visceral ecstasy.
The 100,000-ton battleship USS Hawaii is now helplessly placed in this disordered world, completely reduced to a plaything of the Creator. Although in the eyes of humans, the Hawaiian, with a displacement of 105,000 tons and a 20-inch main gun, is already an indestructible steel floating city. But in front of the vast ocean, it is still just a small thing, and in front of the terrifying power of the super typhoon, it is even more weak and powerless!
In the occasional burst of lightning and thunder, the huge battleship was thrown from the top of one wave to the bottom, and then was thrown to the top of another wave. It just rolled and swayed helplessly on the sea, at the mercy of the strong wind and heavy rain, like the dice that kept spinning in the hands of a gambler...
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Fortunately, the battleship Hawaii's displacement of up to 100,000 tons and extremely thick armor plates are somewhat useful. Even such a devastating huge wave only smashed its superstructure into a mess, but it could not tear apart its hull after all. After some efforts, the first officer successfully managed to turn the bow of the ship back. into the wind and slowed the USS Hawaii. Compared with the worst scenes we had just experienced, although the wind was still howling, the sea was still turbulent, and the ship was still bumping and jumping in the typhoon, at least there was no need to worry about capsizing for the time being.
However, before all the officers and soldiers on the ship could breathe a sigh of relief, almost instantly, an even more terrifying disaster suddenly struck!
Under the pounding of huge waves, the entire fleet was in chaos. According to the newly repaired backup radar, several ships were rushing towards the Hawaiian from all directions! The radar operator was so frightened that he let out a hysterical cry of despair!
"...Three thousand yards from the starboard bow, there is a ship approaching!"
"...directly ahead, two thousand yards, there is a ship approaching!"
"...Fifteen hundred yards from the port bow, there is a ship approaching!"
"...Oh God! Is this about to collide?" Captain Edsel, the captain with many years of sailing experience, shouted, feeling as if his heart had jumped out of his chest and seemed to have stopped beating - he was I have never encountered such a dangerous situation in my life. Since it was already difficult for him to control his own ship, it was likely that the approaching ships were also out of control and were moving erratically.
The first mate at the helm ignored the risk of capsizing and turned the full right rudder. Unfortunately, it was useless under the turbulence of the huge waves. After receiving the news, the chief engineer rushed around the engine in a hurry, trying to maximize the horsepower and rush out. However, he made a mistake while busy and damaged the transmission system, causing the engine to idle and the entire battleship lost thrust. He couldn't move, so he could only stay there.
Everyone who understood the actual situation gathered around the portholes and stared in horror at the battleship approaching from the fog a few hundred yards away. It was as if he had seen the shadow of death hanging over his head. Through the ship's radio, everyone on the ship heard the terrifying and desperate roar.
A heavy cruiser luckily passed by less than 200 yards away from the Hawaiian, and blew four whistles indicating danger, and then quickly disappeared in the strong wind. But then the oncoming battleship USS Montana could no longer escape - Colonel Edsell only had time to shout a sharp and desperate "Prepare for impact!" over the ship's radio, and there was a terrible collision. It just happened!
With an earth-shaking loud noise, the two giant steel ships, regarded as the pride of the United States of America, became entangled in each other.
Sparks burst out, and the violent collision caused all the sailors on the two battleships who had not grasped anything to be thrown high into the air in an instant. Then they fell heavily onto the hard bulkheads and floors, with their heads bleeding and broken bones and tendons. The wails one after another sounded like the tide, echoing in the cabin aisles of the two giant ships. Some of the most unlucky people even screamed and fell into the sea. They only struggled twice and never floated again.
The entire bow of the USS Montana was inserted into the hull of the USS Hawaii, completely tearing apart the solid hull, exposing all the layers of deck structures to the huge waves! And the hull of the battleship Montana itself was torn open with several huge twisted cracks!
Driven by the strong winds, seawater poured crazily into the hulls of the two battleships, driving all the damage control team members who tried to block the passages away. When the two super battleships were tightly hinged together and struggling on the sea, another light cruiser that was already on fire hit the stern of the Hawaiian, and self-destructed and disintegrated, giving the already half-dead Hawaiian life. The number added a fatal blow!
Five minutes later, the entire ship lost power; half an hour later, the Hawaiian's keel was broken and began to disintegrate from the middle; forty minutes later, the largest battleship in the history of the United States of America had not had time to engage in a serious battle. During the naval battle, he was full of unwillingness and sank to the bottom of the sea in the typhoon. And when it was buried in the angry sea, the "murderer" Montana that assassinated it was also dragged into the cold and dark hell...
The tragic losses suffered by the U.S. Pacific Fleet in this "nightmare typhoon" were far more than the above... When the sun appeared in the sky again and the sea returned to its former tranquility, this fleet had already lost three points. One of them disappeared forever on the sea level, one third turned into steel garbage that twisted sideways or even turned upside down, and the remaining one third was also dilapidated and miserable...
Soon, all this was spread through radio waves to the United States on the other side of the Pacific, and caused a huge sensation in the news media and the public.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
PS: This weekend is really lively. First there was the crazy truck terrorist attack in France, then the mutiny in Turkey, and now even Armenia has mutiny. Is there a rhythm of breaking a big news every day? The bad things in the South China Sea were covered up by such an impact, but not many people cared about it... On the bridge in Istanbul, there was another scene where heavily armed coup soldiers were dragged out of tanks and beaten by the people, and they were disarmed without firing a shot. One scene. It was like a reenactment of the scene in Moscow. But we can't blame these soldiers for being too weak and spineless. Because they were not supporters of the coup at all, but were deceived by false orders. They originally thought they were practicing, but after watching the president's speech on the Internet, they realized that they were rebelling. They panicked and naturally surrendered - very soon. Obviously, the coup makers did not regard them as their own people at all, so why should they serve as thugs for those crooks? As for being beaten and tortured to death by peace-loving people after handing over guns... This is also common knowledge in today's world. People on the streets are generally more brutal than soldiers!