"God! How is this possible? We clearly achieved two hits, yet inflicted only minimal damage on the enemy," exclaimed Rear Admiral Carol, his expression one of disbelief.
In his view, striking the enemy with two shells should have resulted in significant harm to the German battlecruiser, especially considering that one of the shells struck the turret of the *Moltke*. If that turret had been penetrated, it could have not only destroyed the turret itself but potentially caused even greater damage.
However, the final outcome was entirely unexpected.
"Damn it, could the defenses of the German ships be this formidable? If that's the case, this battle is unwinnable," Carol felt a deep foreboding settle within him.
In truth, the failure of the shells fired from the *King George V* to penetrate the armor of the *Moltke* was attributed not only to the turret's robust armor but also to a critical flaw in the British shells; their fuses were overly sensitive and detonated upon impact, significantly diminishing their armor-piercing capability. After all, to inflict severe damage on a heavily armored battleship or battlecruiser, one must breach its armor. The British shells detonated before breaching the armor, thereby failing to deliver greater damage.
The battle grew increasingly intense. Despite the British navy being on the back foot, they persisted in their counterattacks. The German navy sought to capitalize on their advantage, aiming to inflict as much damage as possible and even sink the British battleships, thereby transforming their external advantage into a tangible one.
"Boom!"
Once again, the *Daring* was struck, this time by a direct hit to the command tower. A 305mm shell struck the command tower with tremendous force. The 280mm armor was no match for a 50-caliber shell, leading to its breach and an explosion within the command tower.
The violent blast obliterated all the officers inside, including the captain, plunging the *Daring* into chaos.
Seizing the opportunity, the *Blücher* and *Seydlitz* launched even fiercer assaults.
In the ensuing five minutes, the *Daring* was struck by six additional shells—two of which were 343mm and four were 305mm.
A massive hole was blasted into the waterline of the *Daring*, with seawater surging violently into the vessel. Moreover, the rudder mechanism at the stern was destroyed, allowing more water to flood in.
The upper structures of the hull were also devastated by explosions, igniting a raging fire.
After sustaining multiple hits, the fate of the *Daring* was sealed. For a colossal battleship weighing 25,000 tons, sinking would typically be a daunting task, but a shot to its critical areas changed that entirely.
"Admiral, the *Daring* has sustained severe damage and is requesting to abandon ship," reported the communications officer to Rear Admiral Carol.
With a pained expression, Carol closed his eyes and, without speaking, nodded in acknowledgment.
Before sinking, many sailors aboard the *Daring* managed to evacuate onto lifeboats, but unfortunately, numerous others were unable to escape in time and were swallowed by the icy depths of the Atlantic alongside their vessel.
The misfortunes of the British navy did not cease with the sinking of the *Daring*. Merely five minutes later, the *Centurion* followed the same fate as the *Daring*.
In a round of concentrated fire from the *Goeben*, two shells struck home. One shell hit a smoke stack on the *Centurion*, toppling it and destroying turret number three, rendering it inoperative.
The other shell, however, fatally struck the *Centurion*'s turret number four at the stern. The 280mm armor proved utterly impotent against the 343mm shell, akin to paper, and was easily breached.
What made matters worse was that two 343mm shells and hundreds of kilograms of propellant were still in the chamber. Upon detonation, these shells and propellant caused a catastrophic secondary explosion.
Flames rapidly spread to the ammunition storage beneath the turret, while the fire doors failed to close in time due to a malfunction.
And thus, tragedy unfolded.
Under the searing heat, hundreds of 343mm shells in the magazine detonated.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion reverberated across the sea, lifting the *Centurion* from the water and then crashing it back down violently.
When the smoke cleared, it became evident that the stern of the *Centurion* had vanished, as if devoured by some monstrous beast.
Seawater rushed madly into the *Centurion*, causing it to begin its descent. Ultimately, the *Centurion* sank with its stern downward and bow upward into the Atlantic.
With the sinking of both the *Daring* and *Centurion*, the situation became increasingly dire for the British navy. On the battlefield, they had but two battleships remaining, while the German navy's six battlecruisers remained almost entirely unscathed.