Chapter 59 of 100

Chapter 59

13 min read3,314 words

As the Zhiyuan warship was turning its rotating gun turret, two German cruisers launched another salvo. A 150mm high-explosive shell exploded in front of the Zhiyuan's stern gun, and the shrapnel, like dancing death, leaped around, killing several gunners.

At this moment, the twin-barreled main gun at the bow had already turned and fired, accurately hitting the left side of the cruiser, immediately rendering one of its guns out of action.

The Zhiyuan's main gun was equipped with a recoil and counter-recoil mechanism, achieving a firing rate of one shot every 2.5 minutes. This rate was relatively fast for a large-caliber gun, but compared to the rapid-fire guns of the cruisers, it was still too slow. Moreover, the Zhiyuan's speed was far behind, making it difficult to avoid the cruisers' gunfire. The Zhiyuan was now like a boxer trapped in a corner, with no way to retreat, and could only swing its fists desperately, hoping the opponent would fall first.

The remaining 150mm main gun on the Zhiyuan turned to attack the German ships, and a dozen machine guns also poured fire onto the German ships. Soon, the deck of one German ship caught fire. The German ship adjusted the elevation of its guns and concentrated its fire on the Zhiyuan's waterline. Dozens of shells struck the waterline, and seawater began to flood in. The German sailors thought the Zhiyuan would soon sink and cheered.

If the Zhiyuan were an ordinary cruiser, it would have quickly tilted and sunk. However, it was a protected cruiser. A protected cruiser did not have armor plating covering its entire hull like an ironclad. Instead, its hull was still made of wood, with only a layer of armor added over the engine room and ammunition storage. The term "protected" in Chinese means "domed," indicating that the armor was flat in the middle and sloped on the sides, with the sloping sides extending below the waterline. This design meant that even if the hull near the waterline was damaged, the armor would prevent seawater from flooding the ship in large quantities.

At this moment, the Pingyuan, which had been far behind, finally caught up. The Pingyuan had only one 260mm main gun and two 150mm main guns, but this was enough to pose a threat to the German warships. Seeing the Pingyuan arrive, the German warships did not engage in a prolonged battle and quickly sailed out of Jiaozhou Bay.

The previously damaged cruiser and the Wiesenburg, which had mechanical issues, had already withdrawn from the battle. The Zhiyuan and Pingyuan, unable to catch up, also returned to the temporary port in Jiaozhou Bay.

This engagement greatly boosted the confidence of the German fleet commander, Diederichs. He became even more convinced that this was a battle between cavalry and artillery, where the cavalry could destroy the artillery's guns and then leave at will. He believed that at the right time, he could severely damage the Beiyang Fleet and then use this to gain the maximum advantage for the German Empire at the negotiating table.

Diederichs reported his thoughts to Wilhelm II, who, with his ambitions greatly inflated, immediately ordered Diederichs to act as he saw fit. Although the weak Qing Empire was easy to defeat, it was like a dying hedgehog, with the Beiyang Fleet being its spines.

This conflict was later known as the "Jiaozhou Bay Naval Battle." The German government subsequently accused the Qing government of attacking their warships, and the German warships claimed they would have to take necessary self-defense measures. Britain, France, and Russia also criticized the Qing government. France even opened the Cam Ranh Bay port to allow the German fleet to rest and refuel, and Britain offered to provide the port of Hong Kong for the German warships to rest. Despite previous conflicts among Western powers, they were unusually united in their stance against the Qing Empire.

The Qing government also accused the German warships of unprovoked aggression and called on Western powers to remain neutral.

On November 7, 1894, the Wiesenburg repaired its mechanical issues, and the damaged cruiser sailed to Hong Kong for rest. On November 8, the German fleet entered Jiaozhou Bay and bombarded Qingdao, resulting in twelve civilian deaths and forty-five injuries. The Beiyang Fleet conducted patrols in formation within Jiaozhou Bay.

At 9:00 AM on November 9, the German fleet spotted a large amount of coal smoke in the northern sky. Diederichs knew this was due to the Beiyang Fleet using inferior coal, which produced a lot of smoke. The German fleet had discovered the enemy two hours earlier than the Beiyang Fleet.

At 10:30 AM, the German fleet noticed more smoke columns, and the outlines of the warships below became clearer. Diederichs judged that they had found the main force of the Beiyang Fleet, consisting of nine warships.

Diederichs observed that the Beiyang Fleet was in a "staggered V" formation, with five warships in the front and four in the back, the latter trailing 45 degrees behind the former. Diederichs decided to use a line formation, which was advantageous for broadside fire. Since the German ships were generally faster, he ordered the fleet to use a flanking maneuver to surround and outnumber the enemy, aiming to sink two to three Qing warships before withdrawing.

Twenty minutes later, the German fleet completed its formation. At 11:00 AM, Diederichs ordered the fleet to have an early meal, even allowing the soldiers to drink a small amount of alcohol and smoke after the meal, despite the risk of fire on wooden ships.

At this time, the Beiyang Fleet finally spotted the German fleet, consisting of seven warships. Admiral Ding Ruchang knew that the most powerful warships in his fleet, the Dingyuan and the Zhenyuan, had significantly reduced speeds due to long-term use of inferior coal and boiler issues, far below their designed speed of 15 knots. In contrast, the three Brandenburg-class battleships in the German fleet could generally reach 15 knots, not to mention the four faster cruisers.

Ding Ruchang noticed that the German fleet was in a line formation, with its broadside facing his fleet, moving southeast. He understood that the Germans intended to flank him. Therefore, he decided to turn the bow of his ships northeast, with the faster protected cruisers Zhiyuan, Jingyuan, Jiyuan, and Jingyuan maneuvering northeast to form a包围圈 around the five warships, including the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, to encircle the German ships.

Ding Ruchang hoped to use the firepower of the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan to severely damage one or two enemy ships, forcing them to withdraw.

In the age of steam power, naval battle formations were crucial for maximizing firepower and increasing survivability. The decisive battle began with the struggle for advantageous positions.

At 11:20 AM, Ding Ruchang ordered the fleet to have a meal. After a hearty meal, the decisive battle was about to begin. Most of the sailors in the Beiyang Fleet were veterans, so they faced the impending battle with no signs of the excitement or anxiety typical of new recruits.

At 12:10 PM, the German warships entered the range of the Dingyuan's four 305mm guns. At this point, the German warships had not yet reached their intended flanking position, and the Beiyang Fleet had not completed its encirclement. The battle thus formed a situation where the Beiyang Fleet's two lines were charging at the German line.

Ding Ruchang was well aware that if this continued, the battle would turn into a chaotic melee. While closing the distance would benefit the use of the large-caliber guns on the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, the generally slower speed of the Beiyang Fleet's ships meant they would not have a significant advantage in a melee. Therefore, he ordered the first shots to be fired.

The thunderous roar echoed across the sea, marking the beginning of the first ironclad fleet battle in human history.

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