August 10, 1445, in the waters near Peloponnese.
The sun was blazing, and a warm southeasterly wind was blowing on the sea. A warship flying Palaiologos Flag sailed westward, patrolling according to a fixed route.
The battleship is called Scala. It has been in service for fifteen years and is equipped with twenty-two artillery pieces on its side. It belongs to Cruiser in the naval sequence and is responsible for patrolling and hunting down smuggling ships on weekdays.
Scala uses the Oak hull. The hull has been repaired many times and barely meets the service requirements. If it is cheap fast-growing wood such as fir, it is estimated to have been retired by now.
"To the southwest, there is an unidentified two-masted sailing ship!"
Hearing the shouts from the top of the mast, the captain walked to the front of the deck and used his binoculars to observe the edge of the southwest field of view. There was a vague sail shadow flickering on the steaming sea level, and there was no flag hanging high on the mast.
Scala slightly adjusted its course in an attempt to intercept this unknown and unfamiliar sailing ship with a deep draft.
As the distance shortened, the lookout at the top of the mast made a new discovery: behind this strange sailing ship, there was actually a Venice warship - it was also a three-masted sailing ship with a single-layer gun deck, and most of the guns were arranged on the sides.
"Interesting, two warships encountered the same smuggling ship."
The captain cursed a few times and suddenly raised his voice, "Everyone is in position and ready to fight!"
The nearby Boatswain was stunned for a moment, then ran over and rang the ship's bell to wake up the sailors who were taking a rest on the lower deck. "Get ready for battle! The gun crew is in place! Come on, get your lazy bones moving!"
In an instant, Scala's lazy atmosphere disappeared without a trace, and dozens of crew members sleeping in hammocks were awakened. They cursed and tied up the hammocks with ropes, and rushed onto the deck as quickly as possible. Amid the urging of the gunnery commander, Scala's gun crews completed loading one after another.
The deck of the Venice battleship is also busy. The crew is loading cannons and adjusting sail ropes, with no intention of giving in.
The smuggling ship only had two decommissioned cannons and was unable to compete with either party. In order to survive, the crew on the deck began to abandon the cargo in exchange for a further increase in speed.
However, the smuggling ship's hull is wider, which increases its load capacity, but at the same time reduces its speed and maneuverability. When the smuggling crew was busy and sweating profusely, the two warships behind them gradually shortened the distance and aimed at the smuggling ship, pouring shells.
Bang! Bang!
After suffering a round of artillery fire, the smuggling captain's throat was slit by splattered wooden thorns, and he lay in a pool of blood and soon lost his breath. The remaining crew wisely lowered the sails and waited for the winner to deal with their fate.
"What should we do now?" On the deck of Scala, the first mate asked the captain nervously.
According to navigation regulations, once the navy captures a smuggling ship, it must hand over the ship and smuggling crew to Maritime Court. Assuming that the smuggling is true, Maritime Court will publicly auction the smuggling ship and smuggled goods, and the proceeds will be used to reward participants in the war.
The crew and officers were unwilling to give up this huge sum of money. All eyes were focused on the captain, fearing that he would issue a "retreat" order.
Silence is painful.
The sun was hot, and sweat dripped down the captain's cheeks on the deck. His eyes swept across the deck, and all he saw were eager faces, including the usually steady first mate. Sensing the captain's doubts, the first mate lowered his voice and explained, "I My idiot brother went to Cappadocia to run a plantation. He died, causing the family to owe a lot of debt. Felix, I need this money to pay off the debt. I beg you once, don't retreat."
This was the collective will of everyone. Felix could not stop it and agreed to their request.
"No matter what, this smuggling ship cannot be given to the other side. You idiots, please listen carefully. I am not fighting for this smuggling ship, but defending the honor of Aegean Fleet."
Before he finished speaking, the crew's excited screams erupted from the deck. They aimed their guns at the Venice warship 200 steps away, and were ready to fire at any time.
Coincidentally, the Venice navy also had similar regulations. They also took a fancy to this smuggling ship and refused to leave. They confronted the Eastern Roman Empire warship across the sea.
Felix took out the tin kettle and sipped the fresh water warmed by the sun. He had only been at sea for three days, and the strange smell of the fresh water was not obvious yet.
Phew~
Suddenly, a shell flew from the starboard side of the Venice battleship, with a scalp-numbing scream. It passed over the bow of the Scala ship and landed on the sea dozens of steps away, splashing a little white spray.
First shot range measurement!
This thought flashed in Felix's mind. This was not an aiming error, but a range-finding round. The enemy was calibrating the range with the first shell, and the next salvo would not miss that far.
He took a deep breath and gave the order that everyone had been waiting for, "Fire and measure the range!"
A Nine-Pounder Cannon of Scala roared, fire and smoke spurted out from the gun port, and the shells passed two hundred steps across the sea and hit the bow of the enemy ship. The next moment, the enemy ship's shells hit hard, interrupting Scala's shooting.
A cannonball passed over the rear deck, very close to Felix's head. He could clearly feel the hot air passing through his hair, and his eardrums were buzzing from the shock wave.
By the time he regained consciousness, the deck in front of him was in a mess. Two crew members were holding the parts that were punctured by wooden thorns and howling. Some gun crews had finished firing and were in the process of the second round of reloading.
"Why are you still standing there? Send the wounded to the infirmary in the bottom cabin."
Felix yelled a few words, and asked someone to bring a few extra buckets of fine sand, all of which were sprinkled on the deck to prevent the crew from slipping due to blood.
"Reload quickly! Free fire!"
The gunners were busy with sweat, cleaning the barrel of the gun with a wet ramrod, stuffing powder packets and solid bullets, igniting and shooting. Then the next round of loading...
After more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, Scala was slightly better and drove away the Venice battleship.
"The war is about to begin." Felix sighed, and quickly sent people to take over the smuggling ship, changed its course to the northwest, and sailed back to the nearest Monemvasia Harbor.
"Just because of a broken smuggling ship, the stalemate between us and Venice came to an end. Do you know the seriousness of this matter?"
As the Aegean Fleet admiral, Fabius realized the seriousness of the matter. He stared at Felix and the remaining five officers fiercely, neither praising nor reprimanding. Fabius drove away these low-level officers, convened a high-level meeting, and then reported the news to Constantinople.
"It's really exciting now."
After suffering a loss this time, Venetian Fleet will definitely respond, and Eastern Roman Navy will retaliate with redoubled revenge. From this moment on, war between the two countries is inevitable.