"Scoundrels! Damn those Germans, fire! Sink them!" The captain of the battleship *Ramillies* erupted in fury. The actions of the *Sachsen* were a blatant provocation!
The four twin-mounted 381mm main guns of *Ramillies* unleashed a furious counterattack. However, as the gunners could only aim manually, the impact points fell far short of the *Sachsen*, with the furthest reaching over five hundred meters away. Such inaccuracy left the Royal Navy feeling embarrassed.
In contrast, the German battleship *Sachsen* performed admirably. Although it failed to hit *Ramillies*, its shots landed much closer.
Following Admiral John Jellicoe's orders, the British battleships *Dreadnought* and *King Edward VII* abandoned their bombardment of the *Baden* and *Württemberg*, redirecting their fire towards *Sachsen* in an attempt to rescue the beleaguered *Ramillies*.
"Order *Baden* and *Württemberg* to continue their bombardment of *Dreadnought* and *King Edward VII*. Seize this rare opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the British!" commanded Admiral Reinhard Scheer.
He did not alter his strategy despite the British Navy's tactical shift. After all, it would not be easy for *Dreadnought* and *King Edward VII* to strike the *Sachsen* in such a short timeframe.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The battle intensified, with shells continually exploding upon the ocean's surface, revealing the ferocity of this naval conflict.
Among the British fleet, the most remarkable performance came from the battleship *Akinjuku*. Originally constructed for Brazil, this ship boasted an impressive seven main gun turrets, comprising a total of fourteen 305mm guns. While this formidable armament provided exceptional firepower for a battleship with a standard displacement of just over 27,000 tons, it came at the cost of stability and inadequate armor. In fact, the armor of *Akinjuku* was hardly thicker than that of British battlecruisers. Its waterline main belt armor was a mere nine inches thick (228mm), with turret armor measuring only ten inches (254mm) and the conning tower armor at eleven inches (280mm). As for the deck armor, it was a scant one inch thick, as fragile as paper. Such inadequate defenses meant that a single hit could lead to catastrophic damage.
However, outwardly, *Akinjuku* appeared vigorous. Its seven main gun turrets fired relentlessly, hurling shells towards the German battleship *Regent Leopold*, sending geysers of water skyward.
Though *Regent Leopold* possessed only three triple-mounted 343mm guns—five less than *Akinjuku*—the 50-caliber 343mm guns boasted far greater destructive power than the 45-caliber 305mm guns. Given *Akinjuku*'s already vulnerable armor, a hit from *Regent Leopold* could spell disaster.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The German sailors aboard *Regent Leopold* were undeterred by the formidable firepower of *Akinjuku*, maintaining their orderly barrage. Once a crossfire was established, *Regent Leopold* shifted to a full broadside, though they had yet to achieve a hit.
Yet often, fortune arrives unexpectedly.
In this round of concentrated fire from *Regent Leopold*, one shell struck the stern of *Akinjuku*. Notably, three of *Akinjuku*'s main turrets were positioned at the stern, arranged in a pyramid formation with the central turret higher than the others, allowing them to fire in unison. However, such dense armament also posed a greater risk.
The 343mm shell, propelled by tremendous kinetic energy, possessed formidable armor-penetrating capabilities. Given *Akinjuku*'s already thin armor, it was easily breached.
This shell struck the sixth main turret of *Akinjuku*, aptly named Saturday (the turrets were designated from Monday to Sunday). Its armor, merely 254mm thick, was torn asunder before the shell's might.
Upon penetrating the turret, the shell did not explode immediately but continued downward, breaching the firewall between the ammunition magazine and the turret before detonating.
The explosion ignited hundreds of shells within the magazine. Critically, the three main turrets at the stern of *Akinjuku* were closely clustered, with their respective magazines adjacent to one another. Once the central magazine detonated, the adjacent ones were doomed to follow suit.
The simultaneous explosions of the three magazines produced a cataclysmic force. The entire stern of *Akinjuku* was obliterated in a violent eruption. From above, it would appear as though a monstrous creature had taken a devastating bite, tearing off the ship's rear.
Water surged ferociously into *Akinjuku*'s gaping wounds. British sailors aboard the battleship, unable to control the damage, began to scatter in a frantic bid for survival. They were not fools; they understood that, after sustaining such a grievous blow, *Akinjuku*'s fate was all but sealed. Remaining on board would likely lead to a swift death, akin to that of other unfortunate souls.
The other British sailors were likewise stunned by this turn of events. They had not anticipated the vulnerability of *Akinjuku*; to be undone by a single shell was simply outrageous!
Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty shared expressions of shock. Had they truly begun to lose a capital ship so early in the battle?