For years, the Orkney Islands at the northern tip of Scotland have attracted attention as an anchorage for the British Royal Navy, especially the famous Scapa Flow, where large and formidable British warships could often be seen whenever the specter of war loomed. In the first half of the 20th century, two major events that shocked the world occurred here: the collective scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in 1919 and the sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak by German submarines in 1939. A cycle of twenty years passed, and this time, the Royal Navy ultimately lacked the ability to stem the tide. With the German army landing and occupying much of Britain, the Cross of St. George naval flag could only flutter helplessly in the wind and rain!
Despite the twists and turns of history, the natural advantages of Scapa Flow continued to be valued by the Royal Navy. After the sinking of the HMS Royal Oak, the British Navy underwent a comprehensive upgrade and reinforcement of its existing defense system in Scapa Flow for over a year, especially enhancing air defense warning and combat capabilities. Commanders confidently referred to it as the "Maritime Castle of the North." After 1941, considering that German submarines could no longer penetrate and other ports were either occupied by the Germans or within the operational radius of dive bombers, warships large and small continued to enter this familiar harbor. The battleship HMS Rodney, returning from escort duties, the old-fashioned battleship HMS Revenge, and the George V-class battleships Duke of York, Anson, and Howe, as well as the incomplete aircraft carriers HMS Victorious and HMS Indomitable—all five of these large warships were launched around 1940 and were planned to be completed and commissioned in the mid-to-late 1941. However, factors such as shortages of materials and damage caused by German bombing raids had left them in a serious state of disrepair. Globally, only the large shipyards on the American coast could provide them with the necessary fittings and armament!
On a day in early spring, drizzling rain enveloped the sea like a vast curtain. A fleet, dusty and weary, brought with it the chill of the North. The flags of the Soviet Union fluttered on their masts. It's worth noting that apart from the fleet review during the coronation of the English king in 1937, combat vessels of this special alliance had never seemed to approach important military areas of Britain before—nor had the alert network of Scapa Flow ever been opened to non-national and non-federal military vessels.
Comprised of three destroyers and two large escort ships, the Soviet fleet's visit was by no means to reinforce the beleaguered Royal Navy. In fact, even if they were to engage in combat, it would be of no avail. In a sense, the actions of the Soviet government could be seen as taking advantage of the situation. As a supplement to the secret agreement signed between Britain and the Soviet Union at the end of 1940, the state-of-the-art battleship Anson, with its main armor and boiler machinery installed and an evaluation of completion reaching sixty-five percent, was to be transferred to the Soviet Navy to support its "rapid completion of military preparations against Germany."
"Murmansk... it must be cold there all year round! Are there suitable deep-water berths for this battleship?"
On the majestic bridge of the HMS Rodney, the burly new captain, Colonel John Lang, looked at the Soviet officers and soldiers boarding the "Anson," which was still basically empty. Although it had not yet been equipped with command systems and main guns, the true value of a battleship often lay in its main design—the King George V-class battleships adopted a flush-deck hull form, which provided good stability and placed considerable emphasis on protection. The vertical arrangement of the main armored belt along the sides was designed to withstand 15-inch caliber armor-piercing shells. Unlike the prevailing inclined arrangement, multiple layers of torpedo bulkheads with a "sandwich" structure were used below the waterline, with particular emphasis on horizontal protection, covering a large area. In the Royal Navy, a considerable number of captains were eager to become commanders of these cutting-edge battleships. If it weren't for the fact that the "HMS Prince of Wales" fell into the hands of the Germans in Belfast before it was completed, Colonel Lang would have been appointed as its first captain according to the decision of the senior Royal Navy officials!
Although the resistance capability of the Nelson-class battleships had been fully demonstrated in the Battle of Wash in the late 1930s, what restrained them from becoming a decisive force in naval battles was their excessively slow speed. In the late 1920s, a maximum speed of 23 knots was not particularly lethal for a battleship, but after the 1940s, the mainstream battleships of various countries generally reached speeds of over 27 knots, especially Germany's two-tier battleships, both of which had maximum speeds exceeding 30 knots. The speed of the Nelson-class battleships had dropped to 20 knots due to wear and tear over the years. In the Norwegian Campaign, although two Scharnhorst-class battleships were spotted by the British Nelson-class battleships, they exchanged glances and left, and the Royal Navy was powerless!
Standing on the bridge of the HMS Rodney was Deputy Commander John Tovey of the British Home Fleet. Since the change of senior personnel in the British Home Fleet, although they had also experienced the painful defeat in the Battle of the North Sea, the cautious Deputy Commander and the straightforward and bold Commander General Bruce Fraser cooperated closely and successfully moved the five large ships under construction and more than thirty small and medium-sized ships to the north from under the noses of the German Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. Among them, the first batch of cruisers had been transported to the United States for final fitting-out. As for the North Atlantic shipping since Christmas, it had not been deterred by the powerful attacks of German warships such as the Bismarck—before the return of the large number of German submarines used for auxiliary operations in the early stages, the "small boat fast transport" and "slow boat dispersed transport" tactics had achieved unexpected results, with nearly 400,000 tons of supplies still being imported monthly, ensuring the basic clothing and food needs of more than four million soldiers and civilians retreating to the Scottish Highlands!
"Don't underestimate Russian ports. After all, they've built a 25,000-ton battleship themselves. Although their weapons and command systems are far from achieving the designed effectiveness, deploying a powerful warship in the north is still a considerable threat to the Germans!" Compared to the subordinate captains, John Tovey appeared much calmer in demeanor and tone, but his gaze toward the Anson and the Soviet sailors seemed somewhat peculiar.
"Do they have the capability to build naval guns of 12 inches or above on their own now?" Colonel Lang asked somewhat contemptuously.
Dressed neatly, Tovey replied with his hands in his pockets, "As far as I know... not at the moment!"
"Do they intend to dismantle the main guns from those battleships equipped with 12-inch guns for use on the Anson?" Colonel Lang speculated.
"That's not something we need to worry about anymore!" Tovey said.
Lang sighed. This was what they called being like a tiger falling to the plains and being bullied by dogs!
"Colonel!" Tovey turned his head, staring at Lang for a few seconds, "As soon as the Russians leave, notify your crew to prepare to sail!"
"Oh, are we setting sail?" Lang didn't seem surprised. Due to the special circumstances of the war, every British ship anchored in Scapa Flow was fully fueled and resupplied every three days to ensure maximum self-sufficiency for immediate deployment.
"Yes!" Tovey replied, revealing nothing more. In the current meetings of the Home Fleet command headquarters, he was always the most composed—complementing General Bruce Fraser's straightforwardness.
With Soviet engineers and technical officers having moved aboard the Anson a week earlier, the battleship, now equipped with a makeshift funnel, had undergone trials in recent days, achieving a speed of 12 knots—a far cry from its designed performance of 28 knots. Nevertheless, considering Britain's precarious situation and the current relationship between the Soviet Union and Germany, the Soviet government decided to transport it to the northern port of Murmansk as quickly as possible for final fitting-out there. Considering that Britain could no longer provide sufficient naval guns, the Soviet government planned to arm it with its existing equipment, even giving it a name: the Borodino.
After the Soviet sailors brought aboard the ship, they quickly settled into their roles. In fact, the Gangut-class battleships of the Soviet Navy were originally constructed in shipyards on Russian soil under the guidance of British technical engineers, with their main structures and many details filled with British style. With no need to familiarize themselves with the extremely complex firepower systems of the King George V-class battleships, after two days of brief adjustments and two stationary trials and one sea trial, as the thick fog once again enveloped the North Sea, they impatiently set off— the distance from Scapa Flow to Murmansk was a staggering 3000 kilometers, and sailing at 12 knots day and night would take nearly six days. The Anson was fully fueled for this long journey, but the accompanying Soviet escort ships would need to refuel midway!
The Russian naval officers and sailors departed from the North Sea happily with their unprecedented behemoth. Perhaps they were still extremely excited about their political victory—if they could turn the Anson into a red battleship, the Soviet military would greatly improve its situation, which had been heavily reliant on the army alone. If considered from a cost perspective to transform it into a heavily defended aircraft carrier, it would also be in line with the operational characteristics of the Soviet Navy in the Arctic Ocean. From any angle, their deal was very profitable.
Shortly after the departure of the Soviet fleet from Scapa Flow, the British began to closely monitor the movements of German vessels in the Norwegian and northern British waters. Just 18 hours later, as they had hoped, a German pocket battleship accompanied by two destroyers left Bergen and headed northwest. Although the main German fleet operating in the Atlantic had not appeared, it was likely that German high command and naval officers had temporarily shifted their focus to the north. Seizing the opportunity while the thick fog had not yet dissipated, the Rodney-class battleship led the way, followed by the Revenge-class, and the 85% completed Duke of York, the 80% completed Howe, and the nearly completed but still unable to carry aircraft for combat, the Victorious and the Indomitable, quietly slipped out of Scapa Flow's traditional anchorage. Their destination? The shipyards across the Atlantic in the United States!