Decisive Fleet Battle (3)

"Fire as soon as you're ready!"

At that command, the destroyers and light cruisers began firing their guns like mad.

Deafening cannon reports erupted one after another, muzzle flashes flickered without pause, and long trails of white smoke stretched out on the sea breeze.

The result was horrifying.

A merciless carpet bombardment rained down over the Eastern Fleet. Dozens of columns of water erupted in succession in the middle of a sea packed with sailing ships.

Among those eruptions, some were a different color from the water.

Thud!

A 76mm shell slammed into the port side of a 2nd-rate ship of the line. Thick oak planks dented inward and split apart, while finely splintered pieces of wood shot into the sky.

The ammunition magazine of a 3rd-rate ship of the line exploded, setting off a spectacular series of secondary explosions, while frictional heat from the shells ignited the sails of the frigate following behind it.

In the blink of an eye, ten sailing ships exploded. The proud ironclad's mast snapped, and the sound of wood bursting apart rang out from all directions several times every second...