"Mr. President, I'm very sorry. We have failed your expectations," Secretary Frank Knox said with his head lowered.
President Roosevelt's face immediately turned pale. Although he had anticipated that such an outcome might occur before this naval battle began, now that he learned they had truly lost, he still found it difficult to accept.
"How could this happen? Weren't our chances of victory very high? Why did we still lose?" President Roosevelt asked.
Before the naval battle began, the Navy's generals had told him that the American and British fleets held an enormous advantage in this battle. Their chances of victory were extremely high. This had given President Roosevelt a glimmer of hope. He had hoped that the Navy could win this battle. If so, they would have gained far greater room to maneuver.
But now, the Navy had lost. This immediately plunged the United States into its most difficult predicament.
"Mr. President, the Navy made a fatal mistake in this naval battle..." Admiral Stark reported to President Roosevelt, giving him a detailed account of what had happened on the battlefield.
President Roosevelt was completely speechless. "Perhaps this is God's will! Even God is standing on the Germans' side now."
"Mr. President, after this naval battle, the Navy exists in name only. We lost all our aircraft carriers in this battle, and only three Iowa-class battleships remain among our Capital Ships. Our cruisers and destroyers also suffered devastating losses. The British are no better off than we are. They have only four Hood-class battlecruisers left. The entire Atlantic Ocean has fallen completely under German control," Admiral Stark continued.
There was no doubt that the American Navy and British Navy had suffered a crushing, utter defeat in this naval battle. After this battle, the navies of both nations would likely never