Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

The Storm German Fleet

The Storm German Fleet - 1

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Now, let's talk about the Japanese Navy after arriving in the UK; they were working tirelessly like carriage horses. The German Navy, based on the fleet in being doctrine, refrained from large-scale sorties and instead conducted repeated attacks with small fleets. Their targets extended beyond merchant and transport ships, as in November 1914, they even shelled the British port city of Yarmouth.

"It's quite a hassle for the enemy in this damn cold early morning."

The lookout of the destroyer Umikaze, which was additionally dispatched to the UK along with the seaplane carrier Kurama, muttered in the North Sea as the sun was rising.

Umikaze-class destroyer

- Displacement : 1.100 tons

- Length : 100 m

- Beam : 8,5 m

- Powerplant : 8 I-go Kampon oil/coal mixed-fired boilers, 2 Brown-Curtis direct-drive turbines, 2 shafts

- Maximum power : 23.000 shp

- Maximum speed : 33,0 knots

- Range : 2.700 nautical miles at 15 knots

- Armament :

-- 2 × twin 40 caliber 120 mm guns

-- 1 × quintuple 45 cm torpedo launcher

The Umikaze-class destroyers, six in total, were the Imperial Japanese Navy's flagship destroyers aiming to be the strongest. They clearly surpassed the attack power of British G-class destroyers and others. Unable to afford the construction of expensive powerful mainline ships, the Japanese Navy focused on torpedo squadrons to aim for "big game hunting," making their intentions clear.

"...? Aircraft spotted from the southwest! What's that... oh, it's the Kurama's seaplane."

"They should be taking off soon. Today, we'll probably receive reports of an enemy fleet discovery from them over there," the ship's captain, Commander Shinji Koizumi, replied in response to the lookout's report.

During the day, the Kurama's twenty Type 3 seaplanes, which had come to the UK as carrier aircraft, were patrolling the North Sea in shifts. Just the other day, a fleet, including three battlecruisers, was detected. The Germans quickly withdrew when spotted by Japanese planes, preventing naval engagements for now. However, the effectiveness of reconnaissance by aircraft was evident, and the Japanese Navy was frequently thanked by the Royal Navy.

. . .

"Sighting report from Recon 3! Enemy fleet spotted! 5 battleships, 2 cruisers, 14 destroyers! They're heading toward Norfolk!"

"They'll probably escape again, but just in case, we'll sortie. Inform the British fleet of the enemy fleet's position."

Commander-in-Chief of the European Expeditionary Fleet, Vice Admiral Tomosaburō Katō, immediately ordered all ships to sortie. If the German fleet were to charge forward, there was a risk of an attack somewhere along the Norfolk coast. Note that one of the "5 battleships" was, in fact, the armored cruiser Blücher. With a displacement of 16.000 tons, it was a large ship not much different in size from ships like the Kawachi in this world, making the mistake understandable.