I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Orientation(2)

quiet room. Cigarette smoke billowed from the ceiling, and Admiral Hozzers sat down in a chair and smoked a pipe.

“Admiral? I’m sorry, but I understand that smoking is prohibited on board.

I followed the fumes that rose up with my eyes and said while holding my breath. Doesn’t this man even ventilate?

“Of course it is. So, are you going to brag about the fact that I smoke?”

Like a cunning inspiration.

He shook his head firmly.

“Of course not.”

“good choice.”

With a satisfied smile, he quietly put down his pipe and clasped his hands on the desk.

Admiral Michael Hodgers. never heard the name Well, in actual history, now was the interwar period. The great generals of World War II under the spotlight of history are in the midst of building their careers. On the other hand, Hozzers is Admiral Roh who managed the fleet in peaceful times.

Maybe it’s because of that kind of composure, but it’s a relaxed face that’s different from the impression in the conference room. This must be what he looks like

“So, Louis… .”

He opened his mouth indifferently, and spoke in a low voice.

“Why do you think aircraft carriers are dangerous?”

There was power at the end of the words.

It is important from now on.

“Because it is a new weapon that we have never faced before.”

The admiral’s eyes twitched. He hesitated for a moment, but nodded his head as if telling him to continue.

“None of the captains in this fleet have ever faced an aircraft carrier before, right?”

If it was just like a conference room, I wouldn’t have been able to talk like this. It was possible because there was no one in the room except him and me.

“In other words, the response method is not clear?”

“Exactly.”

And this person has enough cool judgment to listen to my story. So, can you sit here?

“Of course, my concerns about the airstrikes may be overblown.”

take a step back here An attitude that is too radical can, conversely, lead to a loss of trust.

“However, if there is even the slightest possibility, wouldn’t it be better to devise countermeasures? The military is a group that prepares for just in case.”

The focus is on just in case. Just this amount of appeal is enough.

“That’s a good idea, Louis.”

To make even the slightest impression on the admiral. It doesn’t matter what impression it is. Just that’s enough.

“I was thinking a lot. Did you at least do a good job after collapsing in the morning?”

“Well, maybe something like that.”

He smiled bitterly and nodded his head. Admiral Hozzers blinked quietly, then smiled.

“Well, that’s fine.”

Making an impression is success. I still don’t know what kind it is. Even if I say that now, I don’t know what kind of evaluation I’m doing inside. That kind of person, that person.

“There were a few people who thought like you.”

The admiral rose from his seat and approached the window with a five cigarette between his fingers. Outside the porthole was a world dyed pitch black. Night Scaper Flow. As he stared out the window, he quietly put a cigarette in his mouth and continued.

“But our Battleship Squadron friends didn’t seem very happy with it. Well, I have my doubts about their claims.”

I guess so. No matter how much time passes, it is still the era of the giant ship. Aircraft carriers are just taking their first steps and are accumulating operational experience.

But its potential cannot be ignored. Later history proves this.

“So, if you come up with a countermeasure according to your opinion… .”

Round and round, the admiral turned around and looked at me. Blue eyes twinkled as if they were piercing my gaze. I catch my breath…

“What countermeasure do you think?”

is it a question It’s definitely not an easy opponent. But preparations have already been made.

“It’s simple.”

All the plans are in my head.

“Place three battlecruisers, Renown, Repulse, and Tiger, at the front of the fleet and attach aircraft carriers directly to them. Not to mention escorts of cruisers and destroyers.”

Combination of carrier, battleship and frigate. This is not delusion. There are already great precedents.

“Simply put, it is to create a high-speed mobile unit.”

United States Navy Carrier Task Force. The protagonist who led the Pacific War to victory appears on the battlefield in the 1930s. This is the main plan.

“A task force composed of high-speed ships of 28 knots or more. So what are you going to do with it?”

The mobile unit itself already exists in this era. Strategic Task Force like Admiral Beatty’s Battlecruiser Squadron. However, the purpose of the unit I will propose will be slightly different from theirs.

“Of course, like the existing units, they will take on the role of reconnaissance and pursuit of the fleet. But the most important mission for this unit is… .”

He inhaled. What I am going to talk about now is the backbone of the plan. It’s easy to forget, but it’s something that should never be neglected. value of this unit.

“It will be the pursuit and destruction of enemy aircraft carriers.”

Hit the enemy aircraft carrier.

The night air is cold. The wind blowing over the deck was exceptionally sharp. When I looked up, the North Star was shining.

“It is beautiful.”

Waiting for the boat to be ready, Kirk blinked as if he was saying something. It must be the sky he sees every day. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

“As always.”

Hot breath rose like mist.

It’s already been half a day since I woke up in this weird world. It is a commemorative first day to finish a beggarly life and get a new opportunity. But my insides were so frustrated. It looks like there will be a war starting tomorrow.

What happened to the proposal to the admiral? Of course it was black

He sent it to me, saying he would think about it, but it’s no different than black. I didn’t even look at it very seriously. It is also expected.

It was for the purpose of leaving an impression anyway, so I’m satisfied. If the aircraft performs an impressive performance in the future war, the day will come when I will also be in his eyes. It’s not bad to make a suggestion in advance.

Still, the war with the United States is disturbing.

“I am tired.”

“Would you like some tea when you get back?”

“I will. Coffee, please.”

I looked up at the sky anxiously, wondering if I would get better if I drank some caffeine. The Milky Way, sparkling like jewels, lit up the ocean. It was an unimaginable scenery in Korea covered in fine dust. Looking at the stars shining like the sand on the beach, I indifferently opened my mouth,

“Hey, Kirk.”

Kirk, who had been looking down the railing at the boat, turned his head.

“Do you think I look strange?”

It must be a sudden question. As expected, Philip is unable to say anything with a stiff face. Well, since the captain is like this, looking back, I can understand what Andrew said. I can tell the boss what kind of attitude that is.

I was looking at the sky without much expectation.

“It’s not like that.”

An unexpected answer came.

“You haven’t been working for a long time, have you? I think it’s because you’re tired. Take a long rest and wake up, everything will be fine.”

Surprised, he looked up at Kirk. His confident voice sounded even at first glance resolute. Infinite trust fluctuated on the face that did not show even a hint of doubt.

“Right. Thank you.”

He smiled contentedly and nodded his head. Still, it doesn’t seem like I’m on my side at all. Maybe it’s just because I’m a soldier.

Still, that was enough for me now.

Admiral Hozzers sat cross-legged in a room filled with pipe smoke. Right after the private meeting with the unique captain ended, no one entered the room.

I didn’t even think of that.

Thanks to this, the old Admiral Roh was able to forget the fatigue of the long meeting and think about it. Leaving myself in the scent of cigarettes, I quietly recalled the story we had just shared.

‘An aircraft carrier is a being that will become the eye of the fleet in the future. No matter how strong your arms and legs are, what’s the use if you don’t have eyes?’

A funny story. Airplanes are an essential element of naval warfare.

The admiral did not ignore the aircraft’s potential, but I thought the captain’s claim was a bit premature.

So that’s why I was more interested.

‘Moreover, as far as I know there are no battleships in the Atlantic Fleet that can catch up with our battlecruisers. Then, if we only deal with the enemy’s aircraft carriers, our fleet can have an overwhelming maneuver advantage.’

Innovative. It would not be strange if the rank of captain of a capital ship was gradually buried in stereotypes.

But I felt a fresh perspective from him. His eyes were so challenging that it would be hard to think of him as a 40-year-old.

This is the kind of man the Royal Navy needs.

“A task force with aircraft carriers as its main enemy… Would Admiral Beatty agree with him?”

Hozzers closed his eyes, thinking of the generation before him, the legendary Admiral of the Great War. It is unknown. However, most battleship captains are not very sympathetic to flying objects. Hodgers is the same to some extent.

New and fresh ideas are appreciated, but he is the admiral of the fleet. Countless lives are in his hands. You can’t try unverified simply because you’re interested. Especially, now that we are on the verge of a major war.

“Samuel D Lewis. I will remember it.”

Therefore, the admiral made a note of the name of the captain he saw today in a corner of his mind. That was all I could do for him now.

Returning to the Repulse’s captain’s office, I went straight to work. It’s already midnight, and I don’t think there’s any need to call the vice-captain and repeat what I just said. Because I knew roughly what I wanted to say.

And now there are more urgent matters than that.

“It’s a quandary.”

Dozens of newspapers Kirk brought to the captain’s office. From 22 to now, we have looked at each of the incidents in the breaking news. I drank coffee and squeezed my hair, synchronizing the memories of my previous body. Thanks to that, I was able to see a little bit of what was going on in the world.

First of all, it is virtually difficult to bring the United States back.

“Theodore Roosevelt won the 1912 presidential election… sh*t! The necessary human will leave, and the wrong Roosevelt will appear.”

Theodore Roosevelt of the Democratic Party caused a change. According to my memory, I shouldn’t have been elected here in the first place… It must have been a hot topic enough to be featured in the newspapers at the time. That’s not good news at all.

And in 1916, he stole the votes of the left wing of the Democratic Party and was elected again by defeating the Democratic Party. After that, Republican hegemony continued throughout the 20’s.

The Republican Party launched pro-business policies for its supporters, the middle and wealthy, and it is only natural that workers were trampled on in the process.

Here, the Republican Party, which declared non-intervention in the great war, did not participate in the war after receiving an apology from Germany for the sinking of a US merchant ship. This is where Britain and America split.

“This is irreversible.”

As a final wedge, young prospect Franklin Roosevelt dies at 22. As a result, it can be said that the possibility of the United States building a healthy hegemony as the head of the allied forces has disappeared. Preparing for war means that War Plan Red, the plan for the war against Britain, will be put into action.

Now that the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated this much, there is nothing I, as a mere captain, can do. At least to the extent of going to war and fighting hard?

“If that’s my job, I can’t help it, but… I’m going crazy.”

I groaned, and lay down on the bed. It’s such a daunting situation. Wouldn’t America be doomed if this happened? Workers’ dissatisfaction is about to explode, but the Great Depression blows up, and there’s even a war with Britain…

If somehow the war ended well, the United States might get a chance to make a comeback. But what good does that do for me?

Now I am an officer in the Royal Navy. It means a soldier who protects the country of His Majesty the King. I don’t care what happens to the United States, and whether they take hegemony or destroy themselves on their own has nothing to do with me.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that the United States, which gained its opportunity through a war of aggression, will not taste war like the Nazis and the Japanese Empire. In the worst case, the world’s strongest militaristic state will be born. Well, I’m not going to go all the way here…

Anyway, there is no reason to lose to them, and there is no loyalty. The life of a non-regular worker, which has nothing to do with the past life, is now a no-brainer. Once I get a chance, I will aim for the top.

Then there is only one way

“The British Empire must survive. That is our only hope.”

With the knowledge I have, I save the empire.