Chapter 58

Why did the German fleet fire first? This is indeed a much-discussed question in history. The captain of the Wiesenburg always refused to admit that he had given the order to fire. Later historians believed that this was the initiative of a junior officer, while others thought that the captain of the Wiesenburg was unwilling to take responsibility. Regardless, the battle had already begun.

Seeing the German warship fire, Deng Shichang, the commander of the Zhiyuan, immediately ordered a counterattack. However, he ordered the 210mm main gun at the bow, which was a twin-barreled gun, to load solid shot for the counterattack.

In films about the First Sino-Japanese War, there is a scene where the shells are filled with sand. In fact, for solid shot, filling the shells with sand is quite common. This type of shell is mainly used to penetrate the enemy ship, and its destructive power is less than that of an explosive shell, or high-explosive shell. Therefore, during the Battle of the Yalu River, the Beiyang Fleet, lacking high-explosive shells, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Japanese Combined Fleet.

Once the order to fire was given, the observer in the crow's nest on the mast used a rangefinder to calculate the distance between the two ships and the speed of both warships, then solved for the ballistic parameters. These parameters were used to determine the elevation angle and direction of the gun barrels.

The gunners on the Zhiyuan were experienced, having served for many years. After receiving the ballistic parameters, one gunner quickly adjusted the position of the gun barrel. Since the main gun at the bow was hydraulically powered, the heavy gun could be easily moved by a single gunner.

Below the gun positions on the Zhiyuan, there were multiple small compartments for storing shells. There were as many as 42 compartments under the main gun at the bow. These shells were stored near the gun to avoid the danger of stacking them next to the gun. To prevent secondary explosions, there were no compartments for storing propellant charges. However, during the preparation process, the sailors had already taken out the propellant charges in advance.

After adjusting the position, several gunners lifted the nearly 100-pound shell and inserted it into the breech of the gun from the rear loading port. A sailor then picked up a 30-40 pound propellant charge and loaded it into the breech. After closing the loading port, the gun was immediately fired.

The two solid shots whistled and struck the Wiesenburg. The first shell hit the side of the Wiesenburg near the waterline. Due to the displacement limit, the Wiesenburg's main armor was concentrated in this area, so the shell did not penetrate the armor. However, the impact of the high-speed shell still shook the entire ship, and several sailors were even thrown into the air.

The second shell landed on the aft deck. Since it was a non-explosive solid shot, it shattered the wooden deck, sending splinters flying, and penetrated to the lower deck, where it was stopped by the armor plating outside the engine room.

Although these two shells did not cause fatal damage to the Wiesenburg, they made Captain Konst very worried. He knew that his warship's propulsion system was malfunctioning, and in front of the fast Zhiyuan, his Wiesenburg was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. He knew that if he could sail out of Jiaozhou Bay, the Zhiyuan might abandon the attack, but the slow speed of his ship made this hope a fantasy.

The reason Deng Shichang ordered the use of solid shot was partly due to the insufficient funds of the Beiyang Fleet, which had not purchased high-explosive shells for a long time, and partly because he did not want to escalate the situation, but only wanted to use two solid shots to punish the German warship.

The observer in the crow's nest reported the results of the shell impact, and the gunners on the deck immediately cheered, waiting for the next firing order.

The Pingyuan was only a coastal defense ship with a maximum speed of 11 knots, which could not be maintained for long, so it fell far behind in the pursuit.

At this moment, the observer on the Zhiyuan noticed that three warships were rapidly approaching from the southeast. The waves cut by their bows showed their astonishing speed. The observer then identified the black, white, and red tricolor flag on the warships and reported: three German warships are heading towards us.

These three warships were light cruisers from the German fleet, specifically sent to support the Wiesenburg. They did not expect to encounter the ongoing artillery duel.

These light cruisers were mainly equipped with 105mm quick-firing guns, with four on each side. Therefore, when these cruisers wanted to attack an enemy ship, they had to turn their sides to face the enemy. The three light cruisers immediately joined the battle, and their high speed of 18 knots allowed them to quickly enter the battlefield.

The goal of the three light cruisers was simple: to cover the Wiesenburg's quick withdrawal from the battle. However, the Zhiyuan did not know this. The Zhiyuan ordered all guns to be ready for battle and to fire at any time.

The Zhiyuan did not have a speed advantage and could only rely on firepower. After all, the Zhiyuan was equipped with three 210mm guns and two 150mm quick-firing guns. Deng Shichang then ordered these five guns to turn to the side, preparing to attack the three light cruisers.

The three light cruisers, outside the range of the Zhiyuan's guns, used their speed advantage to sail behind the Zhiyuan, hoping to surround it from three sides. This way, the Zhiyuan's five large-caliber guns could not concentrate fire on any one warship, and it also made it easier for the light cruisers to attack the Zhiyuan.

Deng Shichang had already seen through the German warships' trick and ordered the Zhiyuan to approach the three German warships while keeping the side facing them, hoping to use the firepower advantage to quickly damage one of the German warships and break the disadvantageous situation of being outnumbered.

Seeing the Zhiyuan approaching, the three German warships also understood the Zhiyuan's intention and accelerated, hoping to complete the encirclement before the Zhiyuan closed the distance.

The Zhiyuan moved first, and one of the German warships entered its range. The three 210mm guns fired together, and this time the Zhiyuan used high-explosive shells.

These light cruisers, to improve speed and endurance, were only equipped with relatively thin armor around the ammunition magazines and engine rooms. Two shells exploded in the water near the side of the ship, and the flying shrapnel penetrated the wooden deck. The compartments inside the deck were filled with coal, which was a design concept of 19th-century warships, as coal could serve as protection. Although this design did not show significant protective effects in the history of warfare, it did protect the German warship.

The third shell directly hit the deck, and the massive shock wave and shrapnel broke the tall mast, killing the observer on the spot. The Zhiyuan continued to approach the damaged German cruiser. At this moment, the other two cruisers had already circled around to the stern of the Zhiyuan, maneuvering to attack the other side.

Deng Shichang did not order the large-caliber guns to move. The Zhiyuan was also equipped with over a dozen machine guns of various calibers. He ordered the machine guns to attack the approaching German warships, while the large-caliber guns continued to attack the already damaged German cruiser. After correcting the trajectory, Deng Shichang decisively ordered a five-gun salvo. In the design of the Zhiyuan, the captain only needed to press a button, and the ship's guns would fire in unison.

These five shells dealt a fatal blow to the light cruiser. One shell hit the gun room on the side, and the thin layer of iron armor was not enough to resist the powerful shell. The shell hit the stacked ammunition, and a terrifying secondary explosion occurred. The explosion on the side of the ship affected the engine room, but fortunately, the ammunition magazine, protected by armor, remained intact.

The speed of this warship immediately dropped, and it lost its combat capability. As long as the Zhiyuan continued to attack it, sinking was inevitable.

At this moment, the cruisers that had maneuvered to the other side and the stern of the Zhiyuan opened fire simultaneously. The Zhiyuan was instantly showered with shells. The searchlights and flying bridge were damaged to varying degrees, and a 150mm gun on the side of the Zhiyuan was destroyed and lost its combat capability.

Deng Shichang ordered all large-caliber guns to turn to the other side, but this required time, especially the 210mm main gun at the stern. Since the living quarters were arranged under the stern deck, it was impossible to install complex hydraulic transmission devices in this area, so the main gun had to be manually operated, which took even longer. The small-caliber machine guns could not cause fatal damage to the German cruisers.

In other words, the Zhiyuan still had to endure at least three rounds of artillery salvoes!