Chapter 549

Chesapeake Bay naval battle

Among the countless decisive naval battles in human history, it may only be a battle of the mean with small scale and non classic process.

In this battle, Britain and France, the two great powers in the world, gathered the unprecedented powerful maritime forces in the war history of the new continent, but configured two mediocre commanders.

Yes, it's mediocrity.

In this crucial battle, neither Francois Joseph Paul de glass, the French governor, nor rear admiral graves, the British commander, could show the true standards of the two navies.

The bland French victory in the battle ended and soon lost weight in the hearts of most people in the industry.

But for Americans, it was the most important and greatest naval battle in human history.

Because it was part of the victory of York Town, it was the small victory that could not leave an imprint in the history of human war that made the British Army trapped in York town completely give up the illusion of breakthrough.

The victory of York town laid the end of the war of independence. After eight years of struggle, the United States finally separated from Britain and became an important member of the human world enjoying independence.

This battle has irreplaceable political significance in the United States. Therefore, even if the weak United States has only undertaken a small part of logistics in this war and has never seen the battlefield with its own eyes, it is still regarded by the U.S. Navy as the first representative battle example in naval history.

No one expected that fafuna behind the screen would put the naval battle on the podium of the defense meeting

"The Chesapeake Bay naval battle is a classic case of the application of traditional battle lines."

Fafuna's voice is weak, so people can't tell whether it is sincerity or ridicule.

"The configuration of the two sides of the war is 32 French battleships and 19 British battleships. It seems that there is a huge difference in firepower, but from the analysis of other similar cases, it is easy to draw the conclusion that the combat power of the two sides is similar."

"The root of this unequal and similar formation is actually the root of the battle line tactics, that is, arrange the ships in a specific way to make them relatively stationary on the sea for a relatively long time, so as to realize fire gathering, pour a large amount of ammunition into the unit sea area per unit time, strive for victory by quantity, and increase the absolute hit times to the target in the most brutal way to achieve victory."

"In this war, France took 32 to 19. Neither side had a first-class ship to participate in the war, and the proportion of second-class ships was similar. Therefore, for each round of saturation, the amount of ammunition should be close to 3 to 2."

"However, France's advantage lies in its long range and accurate shooting. These two advantages are offset to the greatest extent in the battle line. Britain's advantage lies in the firing speed. The special operation specifications make their heavy artillery firing speed reach 23 or even 12 of France. In practice, the theoretical shooting capabilities of both sides are basically the same."

"Britain's defeat was due to improper scheduling. 23 of the originally disadvantaged ships failed to reach the combat position in time, resulting in a one-sided situation at the beginning of the decisive battle."

"France's defeat was due to its rigid tactics and failed to adjust to a more targeted formation in time, so that the God given opportunity slipped away from hand. Under the great advantage, it only seriously injured a British battleship."

Lorraine heard a disdainful sneer. The person laughing was lieutenant general linggus, deputy chief of staff.

"Big talk everyone will say, little girl, since you say that the Lancey fleet also lost in Chesapeake, why don't you guess why they didn't adjust the formation in time?"

There was a sudden silence behind the screen, and lieutenant general linggs's mood became higher and higher.

"Why? Can't you guess? Can't you guess? Or are you worried that the previous big talk will be punctured and let us see your appearance as a layman?"

"No... no..." whispered behind the screen, "I had prepared a lot of connected topics... I never thought that someone would cooperate so..."

"Ha?"

"Why do the French sit and watch the fighters slip away without changing the battle line? The answer to this question coincides with one of the most important questions today. Why is the United States not suitable for battleships now."

Fafuna re entered the popular science mode.

"As mentioned earlier, the key to the formation of the battle line is to keep the ships in a relatively static state in battle, so as to improve the efficiency of fire collection."

"However, the ocean itself is not static, ocean current, water depth, wind speed, wind direction... Even if it is close at hand, the situation that each ship needs to face cannot be exactly the same. In order to achieve tactical results, grass-roots sailors must have a high level of professional quality."

"In today's world, the basic requirement of Britain, France and Spain for the battle line is not to deform for at least two hours and not to disintegrate for six hours, which is the result of their tactical accumulation for hundreds of years."

"The composition of the U.S. Navy is similar to that of Drake's fleet. Most of the sailors are born of fishing boats, merchant ships, privateers and pirates, and most of the commanders have no experience in command of the battle line."

"Considering the performance of the direct fleet in the battle line exercise, the American navy can only maintain no deformation for half an hour and no disintegration for two hours, which is far from meeting the basic combat requirements."

"The commander has to take great risks in the large-scale adjustment of the formation in the battle line. If he is careless, the fleet will fall into irreparable chaos. Because of this, France would rather sit back and watch the victory slip away in the Chesapeake Bay naval battle."

"On the other hand, the battleship without the support of the battle line is at best a clumsy large gunship. In order to give full play to the fire gathering effect of the battle line, on the premise that the quality of seafarers meets the standard, the United States needs to put at least five battleships into active service in a short time."

"Considering the cost and manpower requirements, the chamber of Commerce believes that the current United States is not suitable for ordering battleships. Compared with this traditional maritime weapon, the Battlecruiser unique to the chamber of commerce is a better choice for your country."

It is eloquent and justified.

Fafuna has no persuasive talent. She neither dares to exchange eyes with the speaker, nor does she have enough words to express her views clearly and orderly.

What she can do is to pour out her knowledge according to the outline and turn it into a reference, so that the audience can decompose the needed nutrients and think for themselves.

And that's exactly what America needs right now.

On the one hand, they need to build a strong naval framework in the shortest time to boost the prestige of the central government and protect their coastlines and businessmen at sea.

On the other hand, they lack technology, budget and poverty, and are simply unable to meet the practical needs of developed economies for marine force.

The reality is doomed that the US Navy must find a way to build an army different from the old maritime power. This is the obligation and right of contemporary American soldiers and politicians. They only need reference and do not need to be persuaded.

Washington feels satisfied, just like eating top desserts, full of sweet and greasy aftertaste.

He sighed comfortably.

"Mr. President, your representative gave us a wonderful reply. We finally have a certain understanding of the ocean. Although these understandings are not enough to make us a strong country immediately, your kindness makes us feel in our hearts."

"I know you still have real food not on the table. Drake must have designed the procurement scheme and basic tactics for the United States, but I hope it will end today."

Lorraine frowned. "Mr. President, it's not fair."

"I know this is unfair, so I assure you that if I am still alive after the meeting with general Drake, I will try my best to persuade the Confederate parliament to give you the first order of the American navy. This is George Washington's promise..."