Big-Ship Big-Gun Combined Fleet

Chapter 97 - Striking the Elders

At a distance of less than 25.000 meters, it became impossible to ignore the Second Fleet. The four South Dakota-class battleships aimed their guns at the Nagato, Mutsu, Kongō, and Haruna. Seeing this, Vice Admiral Ugaki, the commander of the Second Fleet, ordered a change in course when the enemy ships commenced firing. The firing speed and projection capability of the American new battleships clearly surpassed those of the Imperial Navy battleships. Delaying the change in course until being hit or crossing paths might not allow for effective evasion.

The early change in course order took such possibilities into account. Moreover, with the massive displacement of nearly 40.000 tons, the Nagato's inertia was excessively significant, meaning it would take a considerable amount of time for the rudder to take effect. Despite the absence of spotter planes, the accuracy of the American battleships' gunfire was quite impressive. Therefore, it was prudent to act as soon as possible.

The South Dakota-class battleships, even though they were nearly 25.000 meters away, exhibited remarkable accuracy, especially in terms of distance. They were likely equipped with highly advanced targeting radar. Huge water columns rose one after another near Nagato, Mutsu, Kongō, and Haruna. The four older battleships maneuvered through them, closing the distance to the South Dakota-class. Particularly with the 41 cm shells of Nagato and Mutsu, and the 36 cm shells of Kongō and Haruna, it was desired to close the distance to within 20.000 meters at the very least, or preferably within 15.000 meters to ensure accuracy.

However, Ugaki understood that achieving this was extremely challenging. If they closed the distance, the enemy would likely try to maintain an appropriate range to avoid being vulnerable. With the South Dakota-class possessing a maneuverability far beyond that of the outdated American battleships, it was entirely possible. In such a case, the enemy would feel threatened, forcing them to engage in long-range combat just within the limit where they couldn't ignore the Japanese, repeatedly adjusting course to waste ammunition and time.

Despite actively engaging in gunfire and executing frequent evasive maneuvers, the main gun shells of Nagato, Mutsu, Kongō, and Haruna were not hitting close to the South Dakota-class, except for occasional near misses. However, as long as both sides were firing, at least near misses were likely to occur.

This turned out to bring fortune to the Japanese and misfortune to the Americans. The main gun shells fired by Nagato, Mutsu, Kongō, and Haruna were Type 1 armor-piercing shells, similar to the conventional Type 91 armor-piercing shells, with a strong emphasis on underwater shell effectiveness. Underwater shell effectiveness refers to the phenomenon where a shell falling in front of the target ship continues straight through the water and hits below the opponent's waterline. However, unless the shell entered the water at a certain angle, its effectiveness would not be fully realized. One of the 36 cm shells fired by the Kongō at intermediate range fell just in front of the Massachusetts, traveled through the water, and hit the ship's hull below the waterline.

The Massachusetts was the third ship of the South Dakota-class battleships, and this class had even more enhanced underwater shell defense than the previous outdated battleships and the North Carolina-class. However, even with underwater shell defense, it naturally did not cover the entire length of the ship. The underwater shell hit by the Kongō penetrated a part near the bow, where underwater shell defense was nonexistent and blasted a large hole. The lack of buoyancy on the bow side, a known issue with the South Dakota-class battleships, particularly affected the Massachusetts. The ship tilted slightly due to flooding, compromising its firing accuracy.

Sensing this development, the Kongō's captain proposed to Ugaki to change the target from the enemy third ship to the enemy fourth ship. Leaving the first and second enemy ships to the Nagato and Mutsu, the Kongō would ignore the accuracy-compromised third ship and, along with the Haruna, focus on taking down the enemy fourth ship. Ugaki, seeing an opportunity for victory, promptly approved the captain's proposal.

If the Kongō could close the distance and take down the enemy fourth ship while it was attacking the Haruna and before the enemy third ship corrected its list, it would be a wish come true for Ugaki. After neutralizing the fourth ship, the logical next step would be to redirect the focus to the enemy third ship.

Under the guidance of the commander and captain, the Kongō accelerated. The oldest serving ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy, a British-born veteran, charged against the American young lady.