On the deck of Venice's flagship, Soranzo looked at the chaotic rear battlefield and found that his plan worked.
"Ten of the enemy's Double-Deck Warships were entangled, and the remaining sixteen warships engaged us in exchange of fire. We lost two warships, and there are still eighteen warships left."
Soranzo blamed the enemy for the previous defeat Double-Deck Warship More.
At this stage, Venice's warships surpass the enemy's in number and should be able to gain an advantage.
The battle continued until one o'clock in the afternoon. Soranzo lost three battleships again, and the enemy only had two battleships withdraw from the battle.
"The enemy ships at the front of the column have average protection, but the warships behind have thickened hulls, and their defense capabilities greatly exceed those of conventional Double-Deck Warship. If this continues, we will lose this naval battle sooner or later."
Soranzo focused his attention on the enemy flagship flying Purple Double-Headed Eagle Flag. During the battle, it withstood the most firepower. The upper half of the foremast was broken and the side was blasted with craters.
If it were any other warship, it would have sunk long ago. However, this flagship is still fighting, using its few artillery pieces to fight back.
Bang!
There was a loud noise from the sea behind. Soranzo turned his head and saw a ball of orange-red fire blooming on the sea, illuminating the gloomy sea. A small half of the hull was lifted into the sky, and burning wood chips and numerous debris flew high into the sky, falling like raindrops on the nearby sea.
A Cruiser was closer, and was tilted nearly 30 degrees by the huge waves caused by the explosion. Two crew members who were watching on the mast were thrown into the sea. Several warships a little farther away were undulating with the waves and almost collided with each other. "The enemy Battleship's gunpowder magazine was ignited?"
Many speculations emerged in Soranzo's mind. He felt that it was most likely that his own crew initiated the boarding battle. During the melee, the two sides accidentally ignited the gunpowder magazine, resulting in this massive explosion.
After persisting for a while, Venice and Battleship couldn't hold it anymore, and two large gaps appeared in the column. The Eastern Roman Empire fleet was communicating with each other using semaphores, and seemed to want to attack a certain gap.
At this point, Murano issued a "retreat" signal, notifying the remaining Venice ships to evacuate the battlefield.
December 6, morning, Blachernae Palace.
Pelato entered Cabinet with the battle report, interrupting the ongoing meeting. Vitus quickly scanned the battle report, his face uncertain.
Rome won this one, but lost Fleet Admiral Fabius.
At noon, he was shot in the chest by a shotgun, and Marco Caboto, an officer on the flagship, temporarily took over command. Subsequently, Fabius fell into a coma and lost his breath that afternoon.
Venetian Fleet's admiral also died in the battle.
During the retreat, Murano attracted the pursuit of as many as six warships. Murano fought and retreated. When there were still ten miles away from Crete, the warship took in water and sank, and a few crew members were captured. According to the confession of the prisoner of war, Soranzo was stabbed in the neck by splattered sawdust and had already died of excessive blood loss.
This time, Eastern Roman Empire dispatched fifty-six main battleships, with a crew of thirteen thousand, and a total of three thousand casualties. Among them, six captains were killed and thirteen captains were injured. Minister of the Navy came after hearing the news. After hearing about the relevant situation, he explained to the emperor and Chancellor:
"During naval battles, captains and senior officers usually direct the battle from the stern deck of the ship. The stern of the ship has a wide field of vision, which facilitates them to observe the battle situation. The disadvantage is that it is extremely vulnerable to enemy artillery and musket fire.
Such casualties are unavoidable. If the captain huddles in the cabin and dare not come out, command efficiency and morale will be severely reduced, which will be even more detrimental to the battle."
Vitus remained silent. He handed the battle report to Prime Minister, then walked outside the hall alone, thinking about the next situation.
At the end of the naval battle, Eastern Roman Empire lost three Double-Deck Warship (two took on water and sank during the retreat, and one was ignited in the powder magazine and died on the spot.), five Cruiser, and eighteen ships suffered moderate or above damage.
Venice lost seven Double-Deck Warship, four Cruiser, and twenty Galleass battleships. The surviving ships returned to Crete for maintenance.
The Eastern Roman Empire fleet withdrew from Volos. With twelve Dry Docks and numerous craftsmen, it is the military port with the most complete facilities in the Aegean Sea area, which is conducive to the fleet regaining its combat effectiveness as soon as possible.
"This battle was a tragic victory, and the fleet will take a long time to recover its combat effectiveness. The enemy fleet is still strong, and there is a possibility of counterattack in the future."
Snowflakes were falling one after another, and he looked at the gloomy sky and let out a long sigh.
The two main enemies we have faced in recent years (Ottoman and Venice) are both in a period of rising national strength, with strong military morale and high-level leaders who do not reject new technologies. Eastern Roman Empire's battles with them are almost always head-to-head decisive battles, and it is difficult to have opportunities for trickery.
After this battle, Eastern Roman Empire will have to deal with Jagiellon and White Sheep. If the situation of Italy changes, he may also face French Army led by Joan of Arc.
"It's incredible luck to catch up with several forces at their peak at the same time." Looking back, Vitus has only experienced one "high-yield, low-difficulty" battle - to recover Northern Black Sea Coast.
Whether it was Principality of Theodoro, Crimean Khanate, or Golden Horde, Vitus pushed almost all the way through, easily recovering a large area of arable plains.
After a long time, Vitus abandoned these irrelevant thoughts, returned to the main hall, and issued three edicts in succession.
First, Vitus ordered Cohen to take over Fleet Admiral, and at the same time asked Admiralty to make personnel adjustments and promote officers to take over those vacant positions.
The second edict is about Fabius, involving his title, awards and funeral.
The third edict involves the next stage of the war. Vitus requires the navy to cooperate with the Army to recover Aegean Sea Islands, especially Lemnos, as soon as possible.
This island is located on the north side of the Aegean Sea, with an area of about 470 square kilometers and a population of nearly 15,000 residents. Moudros Bay in the south is an excellent deep-water port suitable for berthing large warships.
Since the beginning of the war, Lemnos has become the enemy's most important base in the north of the Aegean Sea.
Under favorable wind conditions, starting from here, Cruiser can reach Thessaloniki, Volos, Dardanelles Strait and other important locations within two days.
The disadvantage is that this island has a small population and can only maintain a limited garrison. The defense forces are concentrated in the southern bay and Myrina Harbor in the west, and other areas are almost undefended.
Now, the enemy has lost Battle of Antikythera (the name of the naval battle comes from the nearest island, and the battle took place twenty kilometers east of the island). The fleet is staying at Candia Harbor for maintenance, and it is difficult to prevent the landing of the Eastern Roman Empire. Losing these supply bases, Venice The efficiency of Cruiser in harassing the coast is reduced, and some shipping and fishing in the north of the Aegean Sea can be restored.