Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 122

The Paixhans cannon, named after Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans. And explosives that had so far been conceived only in the imagination of some scientists and artillery officers.

These two weapons were like gifts bestowed by the Almighty God for the rise of France. Admiral Rosnay fell in love with the Paixhans cannon and its explosive shells the first time he saw them.

"First of all, a total of 18 Paixhans cannons wilI be distributed to the fleet here. After that, there will be additional deliveries depending on the circumstances of the production center and factory."

"Huh! On which ship should I put only 18 guns on? Please take a look at the situation. It is very shallow for the imperial fleet."

"Sigh... The quantity produced is infinitely insufficient, but everyone is asking for them. Of course, the fleet under the Admiral is important, but the Atlantic fleet of the Empire, which is directly in contact with the British Navy, cannot be ignored. They are also very eager to see the Paixhans cannon."

"The first naval battle will surely take place in the Mediterranean Sea. Why don't we use the initially produced items first and then turn them toward the Atlantic Fleet later?"

Admiral Rosnay was eager to secure supplies for Paixhans cannons and explosives long before the war broke out. When Emperor Napoleon himself showed off the power of this new weapon, Admiral Rosnay recognized the value of the cannon and its shells at once.

In order to equip his fleet with just one more weapon that could completely reverse the naval battles that had happened up until now, he did not hesitate to do all kinds of lobbying that he hated.

Thanks to this, Admiral Rosnay was able to equip a total of 27 Paixhans cannons and 1,300 explosive shells. He distributed them evenly among the major battleships, including the flagship 'La Ruyter'.

"All fleet, open fire! Fight at will while maintaining a certain distance between ships! However, don't use the Paixhans cannons and explosives yet!"

As if watching a battle between battlefield infantry on land, Rosnay opened only the gun ports on one side after lining up the ships and gave orders like in a typical artillery battle.

A ship of the line was a warship specialized in naval battles that could open gun ports on its sides and fire cannons.

In order to do so, the side of its hull had to be thick and strong enough to protect the crew members while enduring the side shelling of the enemy fleet.

For this reason, the side hull of the battleships became harder as the shipbuilding technology developed over the years, and by the 19th century, they became so thick that they could never win with this kind of naval artillery battle.

Taking advantage of that, Admiral Rosnay maintained a deadlock on the front line by deliberately making a straight line that did not leave a gap.

'If we continue to spend time like this, we, whose distance from our ports is close, are overwhelmingly advantageous. You guys should take out your cards first.'

Eventually, the British fleet made a move. They ordered an autonomous response by matching the French line ships with their own lines, and then began to bombard the French with fast-paced frigates on the flanks.

The captains of the French battleships, which had been belittling the frigates, freaked out at their power beyond imagination. In the midst of accumulating damage, urgent signals were pouring out toward Admiral Rosnay.

"This is a message from the 'Grace'l They are requesting to leave the battle line to chase the frigate firing at them."

"Tell them they can't do that! Instead, they are allowed to change the direction of the ship!"

"The captain of the 'Saint-Domingue' is recommending the use of the Paixhans cannons and explosive."

"Tell him to wait! For now, respond with normal cannons!"

Meanwhile, Captain Drennan of 'La Ruyter' released the anchor and advanced the flagship. The highest ranked person in the fleet was Admiral Rosnay, but Drennan was in command of 'La Ruyter'.

"The battleship located at 15 degrees to port on the front is the flagship of the enemy fleet. Find similarities in the signal system they send to other battleships. And show me a rough sketch of their structure."

"Yes!"

"Open the gun ports, but do not fire. When we seize a decisive opportunity, we will charge and break the heart of the enemy."

"Yes, Captain!"

There were not a few Irish people, including Drennan, in this fleet. They had a huge grudge against Britain, who had swallowed and brutally robbed their homeland, and they never intended to miss today's opportunity to take revenge.

Perhaps it was judged that they could take the chance to win, so the British command tolerated the active offensive of the frigates on both sides and ordered the advance of the other battleships.

In doing so, large and small holes were formed in their solid line, where no gaps could be seen. At that moment, Admiral Rosnay, who was looking at the progress of allies and enemies with a telescope, clenched his fist strongly.

"Now! Show the new weapon of the Imperial Fleet to that flock of sparrows!"

The frigates, which were approaching at a close distance fearlessly after seeing the poor response of the French warships, were IIterally new weapons to conquer the sea in the future.

Whaaam!! Booml! Booml!

The Paixhans cannon had several problems compared to other common guns. Not only its effective range was short, but sometimes the trajectory was incorrectly configured, the consumption of gunpowder was extreme, and the gunpowder barrel had to be changed frequently.

In addition, the risk of explosion was considerable, the preparation process to firing was very complicated and long, and could not be used at all with shells

other than explosives.

There was a famous saying in the history of war that 'war is not about fighting the enemy, but about enduring the difficulties of time, nature, and the field.

The army that wisely endures the trials faced by the military will achieve victory.'

Following this saying, it would be logic in war to abandon weapons that were not uniform and that were cumbersome and tricky like the Paixhans cannon and its explosive shells.

However, there were 'exceptions' in everything in the world, and sometimes such exceptions had achieved very revolutionary results. Things would change as much as possible with the utility and destructive power to endure all those inconveniences, waste, and inefficiency.

The cannons made by Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans that had been quietly sleeping in each battleship fired at once. After finding the right target, a tremendous sound made by a huge cannon that was clearly different from other artillery sounds was heard.

The frigate, which was smaller than ships of the line, with a weaker hull made of lighter materials, was the best stage for explosives to play.

Amid the pouring of ordinary shells, an explosive shell flew in and fell in the middle of the upper deck. And it exploded.

BoooooomH

The upper deck was the second most frequented place after the artillery deck in naval battles. In particular, there was a large proportion of senior officers and lieutenants giving orders to other crew members.

The flames triggered by the explosion swallowed them at once. One frigate caught at the aiming point of the Paixhans cannon became a sea of fire. The frigate, which lost a lot of officers and non-commissioned officers in an instant, fell into a state of incapacity for battle.

"Send to each captain a signal not to forget the main hunting target of the Paixhans cannon! I'm watching everything, so it would be very good for captains who are overly greedy to prepare themselves after the battle!"

The Paixhans cannons and the explosives that the new fleet had been cherishing were part of an operation to focus on the enemy fleet's frigates from the beginning.

Rosnay had conducted various experiments before the war to know the characteristics and power of this new weapon. If it hit the target, it could unleash hell by pouring out flames, explosions, and debris, but there were quite a few variations in its power.

In particular, it was difficult to inflict fatal damage on a huge ship with multiple decks on several floors, such as ships of the line. This was because the explosion spread horizontally rather than vertically.

On the other hand, it was very effective for small ships such as frigates and sloops made up of small, single decks. If it hit properly, it could neutralize the entire ship in a single blow. Indeed, this order was effective.

The frigates, which had been bothering very much both sides of the French fleet, were hit by explosive shells fired from Paixhans cannons and were left paralyzed. Only some of the frigates who quickly widened the distance were able to escape alive, but the ranks of the British fleet collapsed in the process.

"Now is the right time to order an assault!"

"Yes! Send a signal to the captains."

Upon Drennan's advice, Admiral Rosnay ordered the advancement of the front line of the fleet. And at that time, the new fleet that had never been seen in French naval history moved precisely under his orders.

"The 4th and 6th ships of the left wing adjust the port angle, and the rest stays in line like this!"

The ships reacted and moved like a creature at the command of the admiral. The French navy in the past had often failed to maneuver after unexpected variables appeared.

Rosnay had been training French naval officers and lieutenants, imitating the methods of Britain, the strongest naval power. Assuming various situations, including when exposed to the artillery fire of the enemy fleet, he established strategies and policies to respond, and conducted repeated training on them.

As a result, the captains of the battleships moved flexibly under autonomous judgment while following the given overall operational outline, and the crew members also showed their true value by performing their duties with unimaginable calmness and coolness even in the midst of shelling.

"It's time to pay back for the Battle of Abukir! Open the gun ports on both decks! All cannons, get ready... Fire!"

"For the great Britannia Empire! Show the glory of the Royal Navy! Fire!!"

Booml Booml! Bang! Booom! Bangl!

In the path where the battle ships of the two fleets crossed each other, no matter who came first, they fired artillery at the same time.

In the middle of the battlefield full of roars, screams, and explosions, La Ruyter led by Drennan approached the HMS Hound, the flagship of the British fleet. Now it was their turn to do their job.

"If you catch the flagship of the French fleet, you can turn all this around! Attack! Attack!!"

A brutal attack began under the command of the captain of the HMS Hound, Viscount Rodmell. One of the railings of the upper deck was blown by their artillery fire, and chain and grape bullets flew in, killing crewmembers of La Ruyter. La Ruyter also fought back immediately, making the area a mess, but both battleships did not slow down their speed as they approached each other.

"These ignorant bastards! Admiral! Please stop postponing it and come down! I think they're going to board us! Evacuate to the officer's cabin for a moment!"

"Hahaha! I will reject that offer. An admiral never leaves the command under any circumstances!"

"Ha, again with that! What are you doing!? You're pretending to be Nelson instead of coming right away!"

Now the battlefield was in a state of chaos. In the middle of it, the command signals from the flagship were invisible because of the thick smoke, fog, and dust.

The only thing left was for each captain to independently destroy the enemy in front of him. Drennan took Admiral Rosnay, who could no longer influence the battle, to a safe place. He twitched his lips and glared at the opponent's flagship.

"That ship is taller than ours, so they will definitely come over first in a boarding. The defenders wait with their muskets and riffles loaded. If they come into range, we'll shoot first."

Although Drennan had never served in the Royal Navy, he had been fighting them for nearly 20 years. He already knew all their tactics. Indeed, a mast of the HMS hound side was loosened and tied with a string.

The mast was fixed to the railing of the opponent's ship, making it look like a bridge over the sea. Boarding a ship to take control of it was a classic yet effective strategy in this kind of turbulent situation.

Most of the officers who saw that scene advised the gunners to aim above the mast, but Drennan did not listen to them.

"They are not the ones we have to kill first! The aiming point is still the deck of the enemy flagship."

Unlike the noticeable movement on the mast side, something secret was being done on the deck. Drennan was watching the enemy sailors bending their backs on the deck of the HMS Hound, and he shouted as soon as they stretched their backs and raised 'something' they were holding.

"Now! Kill those guys!!"

Tatatata! Tatata!

Muskets and riffles fired all at once. The crew of the HMS Hound, who were preparing to throw something, fell into chaos.

The gunners shot at the captain's order but did not know what their targets were holding. Soon, the smoke went away and the sound of explosions was heard here and there, indicating the identity of that 'something': grenades.

"They're still using that cunning trick of creating a diversion with a mast while they throw grenades on a ship with a lower deck! They haven't changed!"

Drennan sneered as he simply blocked the enemy's tricks. The screams and shouts of the British were more satisfying for him than the company of a beautiful woman.

After that, the HMS Hound and La Ruyter crossed each other and passed by, because of the retrograde of currents and wind directions that commonly occurred.

However, the two vessels had no intention of retreating like this. Under the control of their crews, the flagships returned close to each other. It was like seeing fighting dogs that did not back down until one collapsed.

Drennan, who succeeded in giving the HMS Hound and Captain Rodmell a shot, went down to the gun deck. This was to issue a new order to the artillery there.

"At this distance, explosives would be perfect. Get the Paixhans cannons ready!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Now that they were back in range again, the HMS Hound was shooting shells and chain shots without mercy, but La Ruyter responded by only using 76-pound guns to make holes in the enemy's hull.

Except for the crew members on the upper deck that were openly exposed, the damage on both sides was not so great, because the hull on the side of the flagships was so hard and both sides were controlling the ships as to not expose their rear, which could be a weakness. On the deck, marines and sailors were shooting muskets and riffles at each other. Both French and English sailors were bleeding to death.

Meanwhile, the distance between the two ships became so close that they could throw grenades again. Drennan ordered the prepared operation.

"Aim at the perforated area of the hull with the four Paixhans cannons. Now that the distance has become this close, you will be able to hit it easily."

At that time, a shell shot flew in from the guns of the HMS Hound and hit La Ruyter. Since it was shot from a close distance, it neatly penetrated the middle of the hull and flew to the other side.

The crew members who were swept away by it were killed or seriously injured, but the gun deck, where the Paixhans cannons were located, was a relatively safe area slightly below it.

"It's time to show them hell. Fire!"

The four Paixhans cannons deployed on La Ruyter fired. Two of the four explosives that flew at close range exploded when they hit the outer side of the hull, but the other two penetrated the holes in the hull of the HMS Hound. And exploded in the center.

Whaam! Whaaaaml! Booml!

The explosions outside were blocked by the hull of the ship of the line, so the damage was certainly minor compared to the frigates. But the explosion inside

the ship, which had nothing to protect, showed a different level of power.

The explosion in the center caused a huge flame storm that swept all crew members in the cabin inside the ship.

As if the fire broke out in a dry reed field, it quickly spread, and hell was unfolding inside the HMS Hound. The crew members were screaming all over the

ship. But this was not the end of the disaster that fell upon them.

Whaaaaaaml! Booom!!

An explosion that was more overwhelming than any other before occurred. The fire that was spreading inside had finally reached the gunpowder stock.

The gunpowder gathered caused a series of explosions and smashed the insides of the ship one after another. The crew members died en masse. No matter how huge and solid this first-class ship of the line was, it had no chance to withstand in this explosion.

Burning firewood barely floating on the water. There would be no better expression to describe the HMS Hound that had turned to ashes.

Soon after, a white flag went up on their mast. After confirming that, shouts and cheers that pierced the sky rang out on La Ruyter. Drennan was able to smile coolly at the beginning of the year.

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