Chapter 1192 Strategy Adjustment 1

"You want to ask about the future naval strategy, right?" Thomas looked at the somewhat lonely old friend before him. "Although no resolution has been formed yet, we all know that we can only choose one of the two options for ensuring local security and implementing remote blockade of Germany. I think you have a clear answer to this alternative question?"

"Are we out of power to maintain the cordon?" Betty said with a frown.

"Yes, it's not just a problem of being stretched out in strength, but also the fiasco of the fast fleet made us realize that in terms of the fast fleet, we will never beat the Germans." Jericho said.

"This is equivalent to giving the German Navy the initiative to engage in the North Sea." Thomas said.

"How about?" Jericho asked rhetorically. "This result is a bitter fruit that was planted long before the war started. The navy's inertia is too great. After the initial decision fails, it may take us several years or even ten years to make up for it!"

The British are very rich. They started a naval arms race with the pride and will of building two ships in Germany. However, in the end they found that a bunch of slow-speed battleships they had built were not useful at all. And the fast fleet is inferior to its opponents in terms of quantity and quality... One step was wrong, and the failure of two consecutive battles made the situation of the Royal Navy worse, so that the fast fleet was in a state of extreme shortage, so that the original naval strategy had to be adjusted.

So now let’s talk about the history of the Royal Navy’s fast fleet. The only fast warships that can be used at present are the three battlecruisers of Major General Hood... After three months, the 4 Queen-class battleships and Tiger can be repaired, and then... Still useless! Thomas’s fleet cannot be without fast warships as the fleet avant-garde. What can 4 Queens and 1 Tiger do? If the Thomas Fleet could still compete with the main force of the German High Seas Fleet before. So now, that is definitely the rhythm of being overthrown when you meet! Looking at the situation of this encounter, 5 queens and 2 battlecruisers, with 2 teams of light cruisers and a large number of destroyers filled out with their lives, more than half died....

Of course, you can say that in the future, the Royal Navy can add two more Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. However, by that time, maybe Bavaria will have 12 ships. You can add 2 ships and others. This is still a shame! With the British fast battleship unable to accumulate the number, the overall strength of the German fleet increased. After the battle off the Gulf of Forth, the fast battleships of the Royal Navy could no longer serve as a strategic force. At most, they can only perform reconnaissance missions, and then move with the large fleet.

Even after the last two Queen-class battleships were put into service, it would be impossible for the British to repeat Thomas' victory in the siege of Blücher! Because by then the British fast fleet only has 6 Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. It is difficult to completely encircle the opponent, and as the German fleet grows, the force that can break through the blockade forever will increase. The last time it was two battlecruisers, this time it may be one Bavaria and two battlecruisers. In this case, even if the British fleet is divided into two groups to encircle, it is estimated that it will be defeated by each. Three queens can never beat one Bavaria and two battlecruisers.

Therefore, with the heavy damage to the Thomas fleet as a sign, heralding the full contraction of the British naval strategy, the Tiger will be incorporated into the battlecruiser squadron under the Grand Fleet as the flagship of Major General Hood. The remaining queen will exist as a battleship squadron of the Great Fleet! And to recover to this situation, the Royal Navy will have at least 4 months!

"This is tantamount to abandoning the North Sea Blockade. From then on, materials can be continuously transported to Germany by sea, and our maritime transportation line will be attacked by German submarines. The current form is very bad." Thomas sighed. Said.

"There is no way, at least it will not change in a short time." Jericho did not follow Thomas' words. In fact, this contraction of troops is not only due to the loss of the Navy's high-speed battleship, but one of the important reasons. But not all reasons.

If Thomas has not been removed, Jericho might as well say a few more words with him, but now, Jericho can only say that. The reason that is really hidden under the surface is not convenient to tell the other party.

There are two reasons why the British are actually preparing to shrink the naval power to the mainland. The first is to deal with the increasingly rampant submarine operations. Just last month, the tonnage of merchant ships caused by German submarines has reached 900,000 tons! The U.S. government has banned any U.S. merchant ships from entering the ports of Britain and France, even with Britain’s strong shipbuilding capabilities and ship holdings. The most pessimistic view is that if such a loss rate continues, the British maritime transport will collapse within 9 months! Now the British have fallen to the point where they need to rely on buying ships from Japan!

Therefore, it is imperative to ensure the safety of maritime transportation lines! And providing **** for the fleet has become the most direct and effective option~lightnovelpub.net~ According to the data, the loss rate of British transport ships is generally below 3% when there are destroyers escorted. The destroyer cannot destroy the submarine, but it can also effectively contain the submarine's attack. Do you really think that the submarine of World War I mainly rely on torpedoes to obtain the results? too young too simple! Most of the results are obtained by deck guns! How many torpedoes does a submarine fire? If you use torpedoes, how many ships can you hit at a time? ! And if there is a destroyer escorted, no one can lose to a submarine in a gun battle.

This requires a large number of ocean-going destroyers. However, although the destroyer is easy to build, it can be described as smashing when it is dead.... For example, this time, more than a dozen destroyers were directly sent. If they were used for escort, they could be directly equipped with 4 **** teams.

The British fleet is not only lacking in capital ships, but also in lack of light cruisers and destroyers. Not only is there insufficient number of battlefields, but also the number of destroyers that can be used for escorts! Moreover, for the needs of ocean navigation, the tonnage of the destroyer must be enlarged. The hundreds of tons are not wanted, and the future **** destroyer will also have at least about 1,200 tons. Therefore, under the huge anti-submarine pressure, the British also had to shrink the fleet in order to free up their hands and ensure the safety of some routes!

Two changes today~~~! Please subscribe for a reward~~~!

(End of this chapter)