On May 18, the officers' worries came true.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the battleship Ephesus sent out a semaphore, claiming that an enemy fleet was in sight and requesting reinforcements from the remaining ships.
This semaphore spread to the entire fleet, and the remaining eleven Cruiser moved closer to the position of Ephesus to intercept the advancing Venice reinforcements.
The combat power of Galley and Armed Merchant Ship is weak. They group up nearby and sail slowly towards the north, trying to escape from this dangerous sea area as soon as possible.
Half an hour later, Ephesus gradually approached the enemy fleet.
Seeing this, a Venice Cruiser, with its sails fully loaded, broke away from the formation and entangled with Ephesus. The remaining Venice warships maintained their formation and continued to sail eastward.
There are not only search fleets in this sea area, but also Eastern Roman Empire Cruiser who patrol on a daily basis. When they receive the fireworks signal, they often rush to the nearby sea area as soon as possible to entangle these enemies who are fleeing from west to east.
Whenever a Eastern Roman Empire Cruiser arrives on the battlefield, Venice sends one of its own Cruiser to intercept it to prevent the enemy from harassing the transport ship.
At ten o'clock, all six Cruisers of Venice were dispatched, leaving only three Battleships and twelve large Armed Merchant Ships.
Armed Merchant Ship was loaded with weapons, ammunition and other supplies that Crete urgently needed, and its speed was relatively slow, slowing down the overall speed of the fleet.
Some captains sent out semaphore requests to discard some of the heavy objects, but were flatly refused by the flagship.
Crete's metal production capacity and the iron nails needed for ship repair cannot meet the demand. Without this batch of supplies, the island defenders cannot last long.
At 11:30, another Cruiser--Gray Parrot entered the battlefield. The captain assessed the current situation and decided to attack the enemy's end.
The Venice fleet is arranged in two columns, with the three Battleships located at the front, middle and end respectively.
The artillery of Battleship is arranged on the side, and the number of artillery on the bow and stern of the ship is very small. If Gray Parrot goes around the stern, the enemy ship will not be able to exert its firepower advantage.
Moreover, Gray Parrot attacks the fragile stern of the ship, which is likely to destroy its steering wheel and make it instantly lose its steering ability. Or, a certain artillery shell luckily penetrates the stern of the ship and sweeps across the entire gun deck, causing casualties and damage far greater than that of a broadside shot.
"Stop dawdling, Rome needs you bastards to do your duty!"
Amid the captain's urging, the crew members rushed back and forth, maneuvering the Gray Parrot to draw an arc on the sea surface, dexterously going around to the rear of the enemy formation, and aimed the port gun muzzle at the stern of the Battleship.
The captain walked to the starboard side, feeling the rhythm of the deck beneath his feet rising and falling with the waves, "Listen to my instructions and aim at their rudder chain and stern window later. Don't let the battle stop after a round, and turn around immediately."
At this time, Venice Battleship realized the danger and was trying to turn, trying to aim the side muzzle at the enemy.
Unfortunately, the turning speed of Battleship is not enough. It is large and has a deep draft. It is like a heavy grizzly bear, slow to respond to the bows and arrows shot by hunters.
Gray Parrot arrived at the best shooting position and the captain ordered to fire.
Starting from the forward gun position on the port side, the artillery blasted one after another. Nine-Pounder Cannon shells passed through the air one after another. The first one hit the sea not far from the stern of the Battleship ship, causing a white splash. The second one grazed the guardrail of the poop, and the wood chips exploded into a brown mist.
The next few shells hit the ship's deck near the waterline, but no obvious damage was seen.
The last cannon fired, and the shell hit the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship. Broken glass burst out of the stern window, and faint shouts came from inside. It should be that a sailor was hit by sawdust or broken glass.
Bang! Bang!
Battleship's four artillery pieces placed at the stern of the ship fired back one after another, and the ship's hull was still turning slowly, trying to aim its broadside at Gray Parrot.
"Turn around, full left rudder!"
Cruiser was like a nimble swift, making a sharp turn before the enemy ship opened fire. Those heavy artillery shells missed and splashed numerous water splashes on the sea surface. It was spectacular, but meaningless.
Next, Gray Parrot repeats this tactic.
The Battleship at the end has no choice. Every time Eastern Roman Empire Cruiser cuts in, it must turn to meet the enemy. And as soon as it slows down, the entire fleet also slows down.
As of two o'clock in the afternoon, five Cruiser ships arrived at the scene one after another, focusing on the Battleship ship at the end of the attack.
During the battle, Eastern Roman Empire's Cruiser was occasionally bombarded by enemy ships. One Cruiser was seriously damaged and the crew had no choice but to abandon the ship and escape.
More than a hundred sailors crowded on board four Longboats. They paddled hard out of the range of the enemy ships and stayed at a distance on the sea to quietly observe the battle.
Finally, something went wrong with the sailing attitude of Battleship. The bow of the ship swayed repeatedly in the swells, always tilting to the right unconsciously, like a giant beast with injured hind legs.
The remaining Venice fleet made a difficult decision: abandon the Battleship, and the main force continued to sail eastward.
"There's something wrong with her rudder," Gray Parrot's first mate put down the telescope, with suppressed excitement in his tone, "We hit something important in the round just now."
"Stern rudder hinge." the captain said firmly.
"The planks can be repaired and the rigging can be replaced, but if the rudder hinge is cracked, they can only barely maintain the course by adjusting the sail surface." The captain put away the telescope and sent a signal to the friendly ships:
The Battleship was put aside and left to the main fleet for disposal. Our ship responded to the crew of the Longboat, and the remaining four warships pursued the transport fleet.
"Roger!" Four Cruisers replied one after another, abandoning this slow-moving battleship.
Gray Parrot sailed towards those Longboat floating on the sea, rescued the distressed crew, and then followed the side and rear of the damaged Battleship, always outside the maximum range.
Two hours later, a huge group of Battleship appeared in the northern sea, and more than 200 crew members crowded on the deck of Gray Parrot shouted excitedly.
There was a huge disparity in strength between the two sides. Cohen had someone send out a semaphore to persuade the Battleship floating on the sea to surrender.
Ten minutes passed, and more than a hundred Venice crew members sailed north in seven small boats with white flags flying.
The prisoner told Officer Eastern Roman Empire: "The captain did not want to surrender, but he allowed us to leave on our own."
"What a pity for this battleship." Cohen sighed, leaving two Battleship to deal with the remaining enemies, while the remaining fleet continued to pursue the southeast.
Still a familiar tactic, the two Battleships circled the bow and stern of the damaged warship respectively, like two sharks cruising around an injured whale.
Battleship, which came around to the stern of the ship, opened fire first.
Forty multiple cannons fired one after another, and smoke engulfed the entire hull. The shells passed a hundred steps across the sea, and were accurately fired at the stern of the damaged battleship.
Eighteen-Pounder Cannon was far more powerful than Cruiser and Nine-Pounder Cannon. In just a few rounds of salvo fire, the stern deck of the ship was completely destroyed.
The shells were fired from the stern of the ship and swept across the two decks. Wood chips and blood poured out from the breach in the hull along with the shells, forming a cloud of brown mist.
Then came the second ship Eastern Roman Empire Battleship. She cut in from the bow of the enemy ship and bombarded the enemy's bow with broadside salvos. The shells ran all the way through the anchor chain cabin and lower gun deck, and crashed into the next door to the forward ammunition depot.
There was no explosion. But the entire ship was trembling from bow to stern, like the last twitch of a giant beast before its death.
The mainmast began to tilt, hitting the deck with broken sail yards and tangled rigging, causing a shower of broken wood and sea spray.
The foremast fell to the right, and there was a sharp whistling sound as the rigging snapped.
Within a moment, the mizzen mast was also broken. Large and small holes appeared in the hull. Water poured in from all directions, and the entire hull sank evenly downwards, eventually leaving a huge whirlpool on the sea surface. In the whirlpool were broken wood, canvas and a dozen struggling figures.
After some time, the whirlpool disappeared, and the blazing sunlight shone on the blue sea, as if nothing had happened.
The pursuit continued until evening. Cohen led the fleet back to the port and asked the inn to deliver the message to the Blachernae Palace as quickly as possible.
More than a week later, Vitus received this letter.
In this battle, Rome replaced the opponent's three Battleship, one Cruiser, and two Armed Merchant Ship at the cost of losing four Cruiser. The naval battle was a complete victory.
The remaining Venice Cruiser and merchant ships arrived at Crete to deliver some supplies to the defenders.
The number of the enemy's Battleship remains at thirteen, still at an absolute disadvantage, and can only continue to serve as an "existence fleet".
"After Battle of Antikythera, the enemy retreated to the port for half a year, and it is estimated that they will continue to persist."
Vitus put down the letter, led a group of guards to leave the palace, and drove intermittently for four hours under the scorching sun to an open valley in Northwest.
The valley is sparsely populated and is flanked by low hills. The soil is barren and unsuitable for growing crops, so it serves as a testing ground for new weapons.
Vitus came to the entrance, and the guard in charge hurriedly let him go.
Phew~
Just at this moment, several long-lasting screams came from inside the training ground. Vitus raised his head and saw ten Rocket flashing across the sky, followed by a white trail.
Crossing a hillside, civilian officials from the Army Department, Admiralty, and more than a dozen military officers gathered here. Everyone was discussing the parameters of this weapon.
At this time, a cavalryman ran back and reported, "Rocket failed to hit the target."
The crowd was in an uproar, "All in vain?"
Vitus walked to the launcher and observed the next batch of Rocket that was about to be tested. The length of the Rocket projectile was about 1.5 meters, the weight was set at 20 kilograms, and there was a wooden balance pole behind it.
Upon noticing the emperor's arrival, the chief craftsman in charge of this project felt uneasy, adjusted the launcher himself, and then ignited the fuses of the second batch of Rocket.
Hissing, the fuse burned, as if a poisonous snake was spitting a message, and then, a thick stream of white smoke spewed out from the tail of Rocket, and it suddenly jumped out of the launcher.
Twenty Rockets screamed and flew into the distance, their tails were curved, and they landed in the area around the target one after another, exploding into a ball of orange flames.
Vitus observed the landing point. Most of the Rocket were more than a hundred steps away from the target. A few Rocket were farther away. They simply turned around and flew in another direction on the way.
A cavalryman rode into the distance. Within a moment, he returned with two damaged targets. "Targets No. 26 and No. 49 were hit."
Sweat broke out on the forehead of the chief craftsman. There were fifty targets in that area. The higher the number, the farther the target was from the central area.
The civil servant was extremely sensitive to costs and reprimanded the relevant personnel of Arsenal, "The purchase price of one Rocket reached ten Florin. What is the result? I guess some people pocketed part of the funds."
The chief craftsman explained, "The projectile is filled with a large amount of propellant. This part is expensive and there is no way to save it."
Vitus does not care about the accuracy and cost of Rocket. The most important indicator at present is the range.
Venetian Fleet huddled in Candia Harbor. Their coastal defense forts had fierce firepower, and the Eastern Roman Empire fleet could only block the outside of the port. Rocket had a long range and could be used to burn ships in the port.
After hearing the emperor's instructions, the chief craftsman adjusted the angle of the launcher to test the maximum range of Rocket.
This time, the range of Rocket reaches three kilometers, meeting the range requirements.
Vitus recognized the work of Arsenal: "That's it. You seize the time to produce, give priority to obtaining gunpowder supplies from Treasury, and collect two thousand Rocket as soon as possible. The front line cannot be delayed any longer."
The supervisor of Arsenal asked the emperor to name Rocket. The latter thought for a moment and replied:
"This model of Rocket is used in Candia Harbor, so we call it "Candia". Arsenal is also developing a type of heavy-duty Rocket. Its target is Venice Lagoon, and its name is "Lagoon"."
The latter requires a longer range and must be launched in the sea outside Lagoon to attack the main island of Venice inside Lagoon.
The internal hydrological conditions of Lagoon are complex. On its west side is Po Valley, and on its east side is a slender sandbar called Lido Island.
Lido Island is about 18 kilometers long from north to south, and outside is Adriatic Sea.
Merchant ships heading from Lagoon to the open sea need to pass through the gap between Lido Island and the land on the left and right sides, and vice versa.
Assuming that the Rome fleet attacks the mainland of Venice, the enemy will definitely block the passage between Lagoon and the open sea with sea blocking chains and sunken ships.
As a result, the Rome fleet can only stay in the open sea and cannot enter Lagoon to attack the Venice main island.
Privy Council has developed three plans:
1. Send Army to storm the fortress near the gap, then dismantle the sea-blocking iron cables and clear the shipwreck obstacles in the waterway, allowing your own Galley to enter Lagoon.
The feasibility of this solution is low.
At the end of War of Chioggia, Venice learned the lesson of losing the fortress and focused on repairing the defense facilities. If the Eastern Roman Empire army launches a strong attack, the casualties will reach an unbearable level.
2. Let Field Legion land on the nearby coast, occupy the land on the west side of Venice Lagoon, and achieve a double land and sea blockade.
Venice occupies most of Po Valley. In critical moments, 30,000 to 40,000 people were improvised to defend the homeland.
This plan requires the deployment of at least 30,000 troops. Such a large army will go on a cross-sea expedition, consume unimaginable supplies, and bear extremely high military and Foreign Affairs risks.
Once Eastern Roman Empire Army returns to Italy, it will inevitably arouse the vigilance of many forces:
Holy See, France, Jagiellon, Naples, Milan, House of Habsburg... A counter-Palaiologos siege network will appear if you are not careful.
Although Vitus is good at commanding land battles, he has no interest in following the example of Napoleon and fighting a lifelong battle against a hostile encirclement.
This plan was rejected.
3. Send the navy to besiege Lagoon, block the enemy's shipping channels, and force them to surrender.
This approach has the lowest cost and least risk, but the disadvantage is that it takes too long.
At first, Privy Council's idea was to cast long-range artillery, and the fleet would bombard the main city of Venice in the outer sea, weakening the enemy's resistance and prompting them to surrender as soon as possible.
Venice The main island is about 2.4 miles (3600 meters) away from the narrow sandbank in the east, which exceeds the range limit of existing artillery (2000 meters).
In this case, the Navy urgently needs a Rocket with a longer range.
Although Rocket has poor accuracy, is expensive, and is not good at destroying solid bunkers, Eastern Roman Empire has no choice.