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The Empire’s Dreadnought-class Battleships, Battlecruisers, and one seaplane tender set sail for the North Sea.

“What is the situation with the colonial fleet?”

“They say they’ve begun to breathe easier now that we’ve moved.”

The Battlecruiser squadron dispatched to Bermuda to contain the colonial fleet had withdrawn. In effect, the Imperial fleet stationed in Havana was now free.

“A message from the colonial fleet. They have left Havana harbor and are heading for the North Sea.”

Hipper gazed at the nautical chart, thinking. If we’re lucky, they’ll join us when we’re fighting the British. We could strike those proud British bastards in the back of the head. But that would only happen if we were very, very lucky, a miracle even.

“Tell the colonial fleet to come slowly, leisurely.”

We mustn’t meet the British fleet before we start the battle.

“Hmm…”

He looked up at the sky. The North Sea sky was unusually clear, without a single cloud. Good luck. He smiled faintly.

Of course, ever since humans first lashed logs together to make a boat, sailors have had a fondness for clear skies, a kind of instinct encoded in their genes.

Of course, the reason they were smiling now was a little different from that of their ancestors, who relied on sails and compasses to explore the ocean.

He turned his gaze to the seaplane floating on the water. It was an item introduced on the emperor’s recommendation. How great its effect would be… he didn’t really know. But he knew it wouldn’t disappoint him.

It wasn’t so much the result of meticulous calculation… but rather the intuition of a sailor who had been on ships for decades.

“How long until departure?”

“Preparations should be complete in about 10 minutes.”

“Complete it in under 5 minutes.”

As the seaplane tender was a makeshift affair built in a short period of eight days, it was necessary to stop in place to launch the seaplane. Currently, the entire fleet was escorting the seaplane tender, stopped in the middle of the North Sea for that one purpose.

Of course, this was a dangerous thing, but it was forcibly implemented because of his own judgment that ‘it was worth it.’

Of course, it wasn’t as if he didn’t hear the disgruntled protests of his subordinates…

“Why are we wasting time for those pathetic sparrows?!”

…but even so, it still seemed ‘worth it’ to him.

“Admiral! Launch preparations are complete!”

“The naval Air Force will launch the seaplane immediately. We will reform the line and then advance again.”

Vroom!

He watched as the seaplane splashed water and soared into the sky.

“Your Majesty… You certainly said it was like a blind man and a Mongol archery contest, right?”

He grinned, anticipating the results it would bring.

Meanwhile, the Anglo-French Allied Fleet hastily formed a fleet in response to the Imperial Navy’s movements and rushed out of port.

Its flagship was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship, the Queen Elizabeth. Although it was rated as inferior to the Imperator Franz in terms of quality, it was an object with combat power that could not be ignored.

The 15-inch guns mounted on the Queen Elizabeth Battleship were capable of tearing apart even the armor of the Imperator Franz, which was considered to have the strongest defense in the world, and the thick turtleback armor could only be penetrated by the Skoda-made 15-inch guns mounted on the Imperator Franz.

Its speed also easily exceeded 30 knots. It was no wonder that the British claimed that the world’s strongest Battleship was their Queen Elizabeth, not the Empire’s Imperator Franz.

There were as many as nine such Queen Elizabeth-class Battleships. Even the French Navy, a traditional naval power (although they had fewer Dreadnought-class Battleships due to the influence of the Jeune École), contributed.

The size of the Anglo-French Allied Fleet currently gathered in the Atlantic was so great that it was no exaggeration to call it the largest fleet in human history.

Of course, the average quality of the Battleships was inferior to that of the Imperial forces, but that difference could be sufficiently narrowed with the technology and know-how accumulated over hundreds of years.

Therefore, he, Admiral Jenrico, commander-in-chief of the Allied Fleet, did not doubt that their country would fight and win against that evil empire.

“Hmm…”

He looked down at the map in the center of the bridge, thinking.

The basis of all operations is reconnaissance.

By knowing the enemy’s movements, deployments, and ship types through reconnaissance, it becomes possible to derive a strategy appropriate to the situation.

This is not only his own military philosophy, but a common sense that anyone with a yellow stripe on their shoulder should have.

‘No matter how muscular a man is, if he has no eyes, it will be difficult for him to win against an ordinary woman.’

“Send the Battlecruiser squadron to begin reconnaissance.”

Battlecruiser squadron. But the name was just Battlecruiser squadron, and its power could not be ignored.

In the first place, the flagship of the Battlecruiser squadron was the Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship, which had been boasting of being an invincible Battleship.

Even if the Battlecruiser squadron were to encounter the Imperial main force, they would be able to return safely. He was so sure.

“Hoo…”

He exhaled the cigar smoke that had been filling his lungs. Through the thick smoke, he could see the Battlecruiser squadron advancing rapidly.

Admiral Beatty frowned as he looked out at the vast ocean beyond the bridge.

“The weather is clear…”

It was a day when things were strangely going well. That’s what he thought.

This morning, he arrived at his seat exactly 5 minutes before the strategy meeting was scheduled to begin. As a British gentleman, it was neither too late nor too early, just the right timing. And what about during the meeting?

His tea was refilled just as he finished drinking it. One might ask if it was just a normal service. But he heard the French officer sitting next to him complaining about why the tea refill was so slow.

Based on that, he could see that the tea refill was just done at a fixed time like a clock hand.

And what about on the way to his flagship? A seagull brought him a 10-pound note that had fallen on the floor, and a beggar who had dropped his wallet did not steal it and run away, but gave it to him obediently, a rather bizarre thing.

Of course, this may simply be a concern. But… somehow…

“I have a good feeling.”

He had a hunch that this luck would continue for a while, at least until this battle was over.

“Lookout. Any enemy ships?”

1915 was still an era in the transition from modern to contemporary. The main means of detecting Battleships was still the human eye, not radar or aircraft.

“Not a single sign of them!”

“Tsk…”

They had been scouting for over 3 hours already. But they had yet to find the enemy, let alone meet their scouts. Something was wrong.

He thought so and walked around inside the bridge.

And he narrowly avoided stepping on gum without even realizing it.

As he was sure, luck continued to be with him.

At least for himself.

“Ah! Smoke! One… two… three… four… Oh, there are a lot! It’s the Imperial bastards’ fleet!”

Finally, the news he had been waiting for arrived. He grinned.

“What are the enemy’s ship types and size?!”

“That bridge looks like… three Scharnhorst-class, three Mackensen-class, and two Landsknecht-class!”

A threatening force. The Landsknecht-class was a Battleship built to counter the Queen Elizabeth-class. Therefore, although its defense was lacking, its firepower was comparable to that of the Imperator Franz.

‘But we still overwhelm them in terms of power.’

No matter how strong the Landsknecht was, it was a makeshift Battlecruiser. Naturally, it was designed to focus on speed and firepower, so its defense was almost abandoned. It was somewhat inferior to the Queen Elizabeth-class, which was a proper high-speed Battleship.

“Judging from the fact that they are made up of Battlecruisers, it seems to be the Imperial Battlecruiser squadron.”

If they continue to advance and scout out their main force first… it will be a bit of a nuisance. So he decided.

Let’s take them out now, in this place. He checked his pocket watch and said.

“Signalman, contact the main force. Encountered enemy Battlecruiser squadron. Commencing engagement from 14:31 hours. All ships! 30 degrees to starboard!”

A brief silence followed. Inside the Battleship, only the whirring sound of the turrets moving could be heard. And. A few seconds later.

Boom!

“Fire!”

Boom boom boom!!!

The Imperial Landsknecht-class lead ship Landsknecht and the British Queen Elizabeth-class second ship Warspite fired at each other almost simultaneously, signaling the start of the naval battle.

Signaling the start of the largest naval battle in human history.