Chapter 577 - 71: Suppression
Naval battles are different from land battles; with no solid ground to rely on, the sailors on the ship must not only attack enemy ships but, more importantly, protect the ship beneath their feet.
Once the hull is severely damaged, even if they win the victory, it’s a case of killing a thousand of the enemy while losing eight hundred of their own.
The cost of a leaking ship often leads to the destruction of both the ship and its crew.
Monidez, having close ties with the Royal Portuguese Navy, had learned some tips for training sailors to engage in naval warfare.
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In the mid-17th century, after nearly two centuries of exploration, seasoned Captains and the navies of Europe had developed systematic tactics from the early chaotic modes of naval battles.
For example, fleet column tactics.
This tactic emphasizes all warships forming a column with intervals to concentrate broadside cannon fire on enemy ships.
It maximizes the firepower of the warships and is especially suitable for dealing with enemies with equal strength, quickly gaining an overwhelming advantage over less powerful Pirates.
Besides column tactics, the Dutch also utilized their ships’ high maneuverability and command advantages, arraying their ships like a sharp sword to cut off the enemy ships’ front and rear connections, then concentrating forces to annihilate a small portion of the enemy fleet.
Of course, although the status of the Cannon in naval battles was steadily rising during this era, traditional bloody boarding battles still frequently occurred.
When Pirates plunder treasures, they must board and seize control of ships to get the onboard treasures; sinking the ship would waste cannonballs, and cannon fire is not the Pirates’ strength——
They would use the high maneuverability and flexibility of small boats to approach large ships, then climb aboard for hand-to-hand combat using grappling hooks or specially made long ladders.
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In the age of sailboats, humans are the soul of the ship, determining the outcome of naval battles.
The skill in manipulating sails, the Captain’s command, the tacit cooperation between the helmsman and the sailors, the gunners’ shooting accuracy, the speed of loading Cannonballs, and, when necessary, the rowers’ rhythm and stamina.
There is also the reserve of supplies on the ship, including ammunition, provisions, repair materials, and so on.
At this time, the core of naval warfare lay both in firepower configuration and tactical coordination, completely different from modern beyond-visual-range combat.
The Captains of the three armed merchant ships dispatched by Monidez were experienced old sailors whose thoughts were also limited to traditional modes of naval warfare.
"Who hasn’t seen Pirates?
No matter how formidable the Pirates are, they can’t escape utilizing high maneuverability to approach the target, covering with cannon fire to initiate boarding battles, and achieving victory through numerical advantage and fierce fighting style."
Usually loaded with a full cargo, armed merchant ships suffer even more from lagging in speed and flexibility, sometimes carrying passengers not adept at fighting.
Moreover, a large amount of cargo compressed the space for storing ammunition, making it difficult for these large ships to contend with small pirate ships, which often resulted in the ships being seized and all sailors and passengers being captured.
But things are different now; in this mission aimed at "pirate suppression," they emptied the ship’s cargo, carrying only necessary supplies, leaving space for ammunition enough to fire forty rounds.
Under such firepower, any pirates would be driven into a frantic retreat——
None of the three Captains doubted that they might face a disastrous defeat on this journey.
As they were about to reach their destination, instead of feeling pre-battle fear, they anticipated the richness of the treasure Kilian had been robbed of and whether they could profit from it.
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At this time, neither the sailor responsible for lookout nor the Captain standing on the ship’s deck realized that their enemies had already observed their movements in advance and had spurred the powerful hearts of those two "Steel Sea Beasts."
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Time is life, time is the weight on the scale of victory and defeat.
From the moment they discovered the enemy’s approach, Sunday entered into a wartime state.
Through observation, he roughly estimated the speed of the three enemy ships, and by simple comparison, he found that his side’s warships had an absolute advantage in speed.
Based on information obtained from the Spanish sailors, their Cannon performance was also far ahead of the enemy ships.
Then things became easier——
Sail directly to the upwind side of the enemy ships, outside their firing range, to deliver a cannon strike, and decide whether to engage in a boarding battle when the enemies were unable to withstand the assault.
Sailboats have a fatal flaw of relying on wind direction, while their steamships are not as affected by wind forces.
In the same upwind conditions, the speed advantage of the steamships could be maximally utilized, while the large and cumbersome sailboats could not turn flexibly nor catch up with the steamships, remaining mere targets constantly under attack.
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The footsteps of sailors running up and down the deck formed a dense drumbeat.
The Steel Bone furled its conspicuous "beggar’s sail," leaving only bare masts towering on the deck.
The steam engine roared, and the propeller’s speed increased.
The gunners were nervously adjusting the Cannons, checking the Cannonballs, revisiting in their minds the scenes of loading Cannonballs during training, seeking the sensation of the most accurate shot...
The Iron Heart took the lead, with the Steel Bone like two unsheathed swords, breaking through the waves, charging towards the three wooden sail-armed merchant ships.
Through the information provided by the observer, the two ships constantly adjusted their direction, keeping the ship’s broadside facing the enemy ships’ broadside——
The ship’s Cannon performance crushed the enemy.
In a slugging match with the enemy, the Steel Bone and Iron Heart had a huge advantage; even though those three wooden sailing ships were a size larger, the sailors did not fear.