Fleet Battle # 2 (sortie # 1).
After seeing the old Hood sink twice in one sortie in the first fleet battle because I was trying to overpower the Bismarck, I decided that I would try to fight more of a running-gun battle with my after cannons, and try to put some damage on the big German while avoiding taking so much damage in return.
Perhaps I could hurt him early on in the sortie, so that he couldn't run me to earth later on in the battle.
So when the sortie started, we made a head-on pass, exchanging some side-mounts, and I backed off of the throttle, and allowed the Bismarck to come about, and fall in astern of me.
I was expecting Roland to attempt to engage me on just my port side, as I had both of the Hood's after turrets trained to starboard, but he brought the Bismarck straight in, and when I altered course in order to bring my after turrets into play, and Hood's "C" turret started hammering home some shots into the Bismarck's port bow, the big German returned fire with her forward port cannon, and increased speed so as to eventually bring her after port cannon into play as well.
I had started off running rather close to the shoreline, in order to keep the Bismarck from coming up on my port side, where I had no after cannons, but now that he had come up along my starboard side, I was pinned in between the shore, and the Bismarck.
It now became obvious to me that Roland was absolutely comfortable exchanging broadsides with the Hood.
So we ran down the shoreline with guns blazing away at each other until our ammo was exhausted, and only then did the Bismarck turn out into the open water. And as the old Hood came about it was obvious that she had gotten the worst of the slug-fest. She was slightly down by the stern, and had a noticable port list again. And her pump was putting out a respectable stream.
My strategy seemed to be working out for someone, but it didn't appear to be me.
And the pride of the German navy came on again.
The situation was pretty bleak.
I had two full magazines left, but they were in my forward two turrets, which were both trained off of my port bow, and there was no doubt in my mind that the Hood was indeed going to sink.
As there was no hope of saving the old Hood, I decided to try to finish off the big German as well. At least if we both sank, it would still be a victory for me, as the Bismarck is worth more points.
So the two great adversaries closed in on each other, and the cannons went to work again.
We ran down the shoreline exchanging broadsides, and although I could see that I was hurting the big German, my quarterdeck was getting so low that the water was starting to ride up on the port side. I absolutely had to stop. I had to get some of the water inside the Hood to run forward, in order to bring the stern up out of the water, or she was going to sink very soon.
So I reversed the engines, and the Bismarck continued on a bit before circling around to have another go at me.
But now there was a new developement.
The old Hood was sitting low in the water, with a pretty nasty list to port, and was pumping hard. But now that some of the water had been shifted foward, her quarterdeck was no longer awash.
But more importantly..
The Bismarck was slightly down by the bow, and was pumping very hard. He was hurting big-time. And I was liking it.
Roland called 5-minutes, and brought the Bismarck in closer to shore.
He would not be able to run, which was good. Because I was not going to be able to give chase in the open water. But I knew the old Hood was sinking, and I didn't think the Bismarck would survive his 5 if I could make him run, and possible also put some more damage into his bow.
I still had some ammo in the forward turrets, and I swung the old Hood about, and started slowly backing down the shoreline chasing the Bismarck in reverse. But using as little throttle as possible. As any movement caused the water in her hull to move back and forth. The port side of the quarterdeck was awash, and had water a third of the way up to the turrets. But a little reversing of the engines would send some water forward in the hull, and although the bow would lower slightly, the quarterdeck would rise to the point where the water was just lapping at the edge of the deck. At least for a moment. Then the water would creep back into the stern, and the quarterdeck would go awash again, but perhaps a little worse than before.
It was a slow, and painful process, and Roland and I were laughing and giggling like a couple of kids.
It reminded me of the Knight fight in the movie Monty Python, and the Holy Grail. Where the one knight got his arm cut off, then a leg.
And the knight that was winning was just biding his time, while the one with no limbs was slinging insults at him, in order to lure him back into the battle.
But Roland would have none of that.
His pump was keeping the great Bismarck afloat, but only just barely.
He had to sit still, and keep the pump going, and he would surely win this epic battle.
The old Hood, on the other hand was losing her battle.
She slowly crawled up the shoreline after the big German, which now got into some moss, and couldn't keep moving out of range of her cannons. But Hood was settling deeper in the water. The water was now almost touching the after turrets.
So with just a little reversing of the engines, the forward turrets came to life, and the carnage continued.
The two great adversaries were parked so close to each other that they were actually in contact. Neither one able to move. Both still in the fight, but only one still fighting. The Mighty Hood, was raining destruction on the Pride of the German navy, which was fighting for her life.
"A", and "B" turrets roared out 6 times in unison. 8 times. Then the Mighty Hood, slowly rolled over onto her beam ends as the turrets fired one last salvo under the keel of the Bismarck, and sank.
The Mighty Hood was gone. Sunk by the pride of the German navy.
The Bismarck did in fact survive her 5-minutes.
Roland had wracked up another victory for the day.
And I was running out of ideas.
So ended the second fleet battle.
Mikey
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