August 1447, Peloponnese southern waters.
Scala was sailing smoothly under the sea breeze. The mast lookout saw the coastline and lighthouse in the distance and excitedly informed the deck members:
"Ahead is Port Coron!"
Coron and Modon, these two towns have been under the rule of Venice for a long time and have complete port facilities. Coron owns a Dry Dock, which can repair the damage of Scala.
The battleship slowly sailed towards the dock. When the ship stopped, Felix took the lead to step off the pier.
After staying on the boat for a long time, he was not used to the solid and stable ground, and his gait was a little skewed.
The port officer came over and looked at this group of ragged and shouting sailors with confusion, "Who are you?"
Felix:"Scala."
The officer looked through a book, which recorded the names, hull numbers, appearance and other information of various Cruisers.
He found the contents of Scala and compared the book records with the battleship in front of him.
"Well, it's indeed Scala. Half a year has passed since you last went to sea, and Admiralty put you on the missing list. After a while, your family members may be able to receive pensions. Where did you go?"
"South of Sahara Desert, there is an uninhabited archipelago." Felix squinted his eyes and raised his head slightly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face.
"Bring some wine to the brothers, and I will ask the captain to tell you the detailed experience of this period. Just wait, this experience will be published in "Golden Horn News" sooner or later, and it will be as popular as the story of Admiral Cohen's survival in the mountain wilderness."
Soon, the crew members returning from the expedition caused a sensation in the port.
After hearing the news, people came to admire the Black Coral brought back by Scala, turtle shells, tree trunks leaking red sap, large lizards, and strange seabirds. They were dazzled for a while.
Felix joked with the first mate, "We should hold a paid exhibition and charge two copper coins per person."
The first mate grabbed his messy short hair and said, "I'm going to have some fun. You can let someone else collect the money." After that, he whistled cheerfully and walked away.
Felix was no exception. He couldn't wait to arrange various affairs, then walked to the street on the west side with a bag of coins, and stopped in front of a house following the smell of wine.
A faded sign hung on the lintel of the tavern, depicting a jumping light blue dolphin.
There were only five customers inside the tavern. The owner refused to light candles and the light was dim. Felix almost tripped over a bench.
Out of personal habit, he chose a corner seat against the wall and slapped two silver coins on the table. "You can bring me some wine and meat, I'm not short of your wine money."
The drinkers were attracted by the luster reflected by the silver coins. They looked at the new outsider and found two golden horizontal bars and two pieces of Silver Laurel Leaves on his shoulders. Some of their thoughts disappeared instantly.
The boss walked to the table and introduced the dishes in the store to the customers, "During the war, there were no merchant ships berthed at Coron, so the tavern's business was deserted. I didn't reserve too many ingredients. There were only some ordinary wines and dishes in the store."
Felix casually threw the silver coin to the boss. "I have been at sea for half a year, and I am tired of eating hard bread and Salt Beef. If you exclude these two things, I can accept other foods."
After a while, the boss brought a plate of pickled anchovies.
The small silver-gray fish was cut in half and soaked in dark olive oil, with two slices of lemon and chopped wild herbs floating on the oil. The captain picked up one with his rough fingers, raised his head and put it into his mouth to chew.
"It tastes much better than Salt Beef."
Felix After finishing the plate of appetizers and pickles, he ate some pickled olives. Afterwards, the boss brought a small can of wine and a fried sole wrapped in flour.
The skin of the fried fish is crispy, the meat is fresh and tender, and it tastes great. However, Felix is tired of seafood and inexplicably wants to eat mutton.
Helpless, the boss went to the market, bought some sheep offal, and made a makeshift bowl of haggis soup.
"Your Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel, I am not neglecting you. Coron really has no business. There are no out-of-town merchants. The butcher shop rarely slaughters livestock. Sometimes you can't even buy the offal of cattle and sheep."
"I know," Felix drove away the boss impatiently and enjoyed the lunch after returning from a long voyage.
Occasionally, Scala's crew members walked into this tavern. Felix briefly greeted them and then continued to eat.
For the next three days, Felix had fun in the town, until a crew member came to report:
"Boss, the admiral is here. I want you to go see him!"
"The fleet headquarters is at Nafplion, why did the admiral come all the way to see me?" Felix dressed up in a hurry, walked out of the room on the second floor of the tavern, threw a coin to the tavern owner, and then jogged all the way to Dry Dock.
There is a long table on the left side of the dock door, and four staff officers are checking the logbooks of the captain, first mate, and second mate to confirm the actual route of Scala.
If doubts are encountered, the staff will question the crew to verify the authenticity of the contents of the logbook.
Felix walked into the dock. Not far away, the admiral frowned and observed the damaged parts of the hull.
"Have you ever stopped at ports in other countries along the way?"
Felix nodded, "Castile South, Cádiz Port, the total expenses during the berthing period are two hundred and five Florin, the accounts record this aspect..."
The conversation lasted for a long time. After listening to this experience from beginning to end, Cohen let out a long sigh:
"Scala first arrived in the waters south of Sahara, which is of great significance. I suggest you go to Constantinople and send the relevant information to Admiralty for archiving and preservation. Rome has become the second Europe country to explore the southern route. The war is over, and these information can be of great use.
I remember that it was only half a year since you were promoted to lieutenant colonel. This time you went to sea and sank two Cruisers, killed Mamluk envoys, and explored ocean routes. You have accumulated enough military exploits, and you will most likely be promoted again.
However, the captain of the heavy-duty Battleship is at full strength, and the next heavy-duty Battleship will be launched at the end of the year. Before the warship enters service, you may be transferred to the Military Academy to teach."
Felix did not pay attention to overseas exploration. His mind was focused on the current war. "I don't want to be idle for a long time. Is there any other way? For example, serving as the commander of the Cruiser unit, or other military positions?"
In response to the subordinate's request, Cohen agreed to help speak, but there was no guarantee that it would be successful.
Today is different from the past. The authority for personnel transfer belongs to Admiralty. The admiral can make suggestions but does not have the final decision-making power.
On August 5, Cohen returned to Nafplion and received a new order: Admiralty sent a batch of new weapons for the decisive battle fleet to attack Candia Harbor.
"Is Rocket developed by Constantinople Arsenal?"
As the top general of the navy, Cohen had been exposed to this information. He convened the fleet command and asked Arsenal's technical staff to explain the various parameters of Rocket.
During the meeting, Cohen focused his attention on Candia Harbor's topographic map, which was the result of Cruiser's reconnaissance on the periphery of the port. The map marked the distribution of ship berths and port facilities.
Admiralty's request is to severely damage Venetian Fleet and related facilities and weaken their strength again. After this battle, the fleet needs to mobilize some ships to attack Ionian Islands and Adriatic Sea.
"If the enemy is seriously damaged, I can deploy half of the ships to attack Ionia, and subsequent operations will be much easier."
In the afternoon, the technical staff of Arsenal selected a site to demonstrate the power and range of Rocket to the captains.
Although the accuracy of the new weapon is very poor, it can produce loud noises and eye-catching flames, giving people an indescribable shock.
Cohen heard someone whisper, "It's like the flames descended by the Titan giant Typhon in ancient Greece myths."
The sea breeze blew by, and the white fog gradually dispersed. In everyone's surprised eyes, the target ship Galley was floating quietly on the sea without any damage.
The technician hurriedly explained, "The number of Rocket is too small. If fifty are fired at once, it is guaranteed to destroy the target ship."
"That's enough, you go and rest first." The total number of Rocket was only two thousand. Cohen was unwilling to waste such expendable weapons and forcibly interrupted the subsequent exercise sessions.
He walked alone on the beach, thinking about how to use new weapons.
"At night, the enemy's vigilance decreases and there is no time to respond to the ship's fire. Night attacks are more effective."
The problem is that the vision is dim at night, and the lookout high on the mast cannot clearly see the situation in the harbor and cannot guide Rocket to shoot.
Therefore, the Rocket ship must be anchored at a position calculated in advance and launch Rocket at a specific angle.
Cohen thought about it for a long time, Candia's lighthouse never goes out, so it is better to use the enemy's firelight to locate it.
He summoned the fleet's staff and held a meeting all night to discuss and come up with a feasible night attack plan.
At this time, the sky outside the window was getting brighter, and a staff officer yawned, "In the final analysis, the number of Rocket is too small. Use 10,000 Rocket to aim at the port and fire a salvo to ensure that the enemy fleet can be severely damaged."
Cohen poured half a cup of cold honey water and told everyone, "The purchase price of one Rocket is ten Florin. Ten thousand Florin is equivalent to one hundred thousand Florin. Ten Battleship can be purchased. Admiralty really has no money and cannot agree to such a luxurious tactic."
On the afternoon of August 10, the decisive battle fleet arrived at the sea off Candia, thirty miles away from the port. The main force of the fleet did not continue to approach and sent a Cruiser to conduct reconnaissance.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the lookout stayed at the top of the towering mast and used telescopes to observe the bay inside the breakwater.
"The enemy's main battleship remains at its original berth without any change."
After the reconnaissance, Cruiser fired two cannons at the port, and the coastal defense fortress launched a symbolic counterattack.
Eastern Roman Empire Cruiser came to provoke every now and then. The defenders were used to it. They chatted with each other and watched the enemy ship gradually leave.
As night fell, Candia Harbor returned to calm. The oil lamp was lit at the top of the lighthouse, and the bright flame disc player dispersed the darkness nearby. Everything on the sea surface was normal.
The towers of the city wall were also lit with lights. Sentinels leaned against the battlements and looked at the iron chain blocking the sea at the entrance of the bay, and unconsciously began to take a nap.
Finally, the fire attack fleet began to take action, and the ten Medium Galley boats paddled their oars and sailed quietly towards the offshore Candia Harbor.
On the bow deck of the flagship, the captain used a telescope to observe the lighthouse and city wall towers. Using these light sources as a reference, he found the preset launch location.
"Stop paddling!"
Galley turned flexibly on the sea surface and pointed its starboard side toward the port. Five metal brackets were erected on the deck. The crew carried many buckets of fine sand from the bottom tank, laid the sand near the launcher, and splashed water to wet it to prevent Rocket's tail flame from burning the deck.
Then, they took out those thin iron cylinders, fixed a balance beam pole at the tail, and placed it above the launcher at a 45-degree angle.
When everything was ready, the captain came to the stern deck of the ship. The cool sea breeze blew from the Northwest direction, making his clothes rustle. "Send a signal to inquire about the situation of other ships."
Upon hearing the captain's order, the sailors on the mast sent out light signals, two long and one short.
The remaining nine fire attack ships responded with light signals one after another, indicating that they were ready and ready to fight at any time.
Phew~
The flagship was the first to launch, and five Rockets shrieked through the night sky with a shrill sound. Fiery flames streaked across the sky above Candia Harbors, and then plunged into the sea water, causing large splashes of water.
In Sentinels's horrified eyes, forty-five Rockets came one after another, and a few Rockets fell on the deck of the battleship, bursting into a ball of orange-red flames, igniting nearby ropes and ship boards.
"Enemy attack!"
Sentinels rang the copper bell frantically to alert the friendly forces. Soon, the coastal defense fortress fired artillery at the dark sea, trying to prevent Eastern Roman Empire's night attack.
However, Venice Artillery could not find the target at all. Those Galley did not raise their sails, and the entire hull was hidden in the night and sea fog. Only the brief flash of light when Rocket was launched revealed their position, and then disappeared into the darkness again.
In the shore camp, officers rushed into the soldiers' barracks and woke up the sleeping crew members.
"Quickly, return to your posts!"
Venice The crew came to the open space to gather and saw countless fireworks streaking across the sky above their heads, each trailing sparks and thick smoke. At this moment, the fire was spreading, and the night sky in the port was reflected in dark red, with thick smoke rising, mixed with the continuous roar of artillery.
"The enemy has entered the port?"
Someone screamed in panic, further exacerbating the confusion among the crew.
Some foreign sailors took advantage of no one's attention and found a safe corner to hide, hoping to escape this sudden night attack.
Most of the sailors were restrained by the officers and could not escape for the time being. They could only rush to the port in chaos and rush to their own ships.
Nearly half of the sailors were assigned to put out the fire, and the remaining sailors were responsible for raising the anchor, maneuvering the sails and cables, and allowing the ship to leave the densest berth area and sail to the relatively safe sea for refuge.
Occasionally, a Rocket slammed into the deck, and then exploded violently. The nearest crew members were killed by the shock wave and splashed shrapnel, while the crew members farther away were not injured and were stunned on the spot.
"Don't be in a daze, you guys crank the water pump to put out the fire, and you carry the wounded to the barracks for treatment..."
Outside the port, the crew of the fire attack ship familiarized themselves with the launch steps. They skillfully placed Rocket on the iron frame, lit the fuse, and watched them fly high into the sky and pass over the breakwaters and sea-blocking cables outside the port.
In less than an hour, all Rocket were launched.
The fire attack ship was four hundred steps away from the nearest coastal defense fortress. In the dark environment, the enemy's hit rate was severely weakened, and the damage caused was minimal. The hulls of two fire attack ships were leaking, but the situation was not serious.
The captain looked at the port from the deck of the fire attack ship. His view was blocked by the breakwater and he could not see the specific results of the battle. He only knew that the fire ignited in the port reflected half of the sky red.
The mission was over, and the fire attack ship no longer stayed. The crew rowed the oars and quietly left the area.