Chapter 321 Turbulent Waves
March 15, 1842, sunny.
Friedrich put aside the logbook he had just finished writing in his hand, and couldn't help but sigh at the unpredictable nature of nature. His officers and soldiers were also surprised by the unexpected sea conditions in front of them.
This place is only a day's sail from Calcutta. Just as he was about to order the fleet to move towards the destination at full speed, suddenly the vision reappeared, strong winds came up, and the sea surface suddenly stirred up waves, even sending the 4,700-ton super battleship Venetia away. to a height of five meters.
"Emergency avoidance!" Friedrich shouted.
What's worse is that as soon as he finished speaking, the flag bearer's command flag on the mast instantly fell out of his hands and disappeared without a trace. The entire fleet could only rely on usual training and exercises to understand and execute the orders of its commander - follow the flagship closely. .
The ship trembled violently, almost throwing the people on it away. Franz returned to the cabin in shock under the protection of a group of guards.
"What exactly is going on!"
With lingering fear, he couldn't help but speak. Even in Namibia, known as the "Gate to Hell", he had never encountered such changeable sea conditions.
Through the porthole, he could see the thunder in the distant sky. The originally clear sky was changing to gloomy at a speed visible to the naked eye, and all the storms were converging in the same direction.
The clouds seemed to be torn apart, and huge waves drove the sea water to spread rapidly in all directions.
This huge flagship was as weak and helpless as a lonely fallen leaf on the sea at this time. The hull of the ship shook violently, and everything in the cabin flew around with the shaking.
Whether it is furniture or beds, even living people like Franz and Oshiosugi are not immune. It can be said that in the face of disaster, everything in the world is equal.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging sound like exploding beans outside, and hailstones as big as fists fell from the sky. Even the deck made of oak and covered with teak also left potholes of different sizes. As one of the clear evidence of close contact with natural disasters.
A few unlucky sailors who were unable to escape were unfortunately killed on the spot. Some people tried to rescue their companions, but the violent ups and downs of the battleship threw the injured and the rescuer into the waves.
The ruthless sea water crazily devoured everything on the sea, and even the air became stagnant. Everyone felt dizzy, their dizziness heightened by the low air pressure.
Fortunately, the Venetia is equipped with the latest tempered glass, and the principle comes from the current Tears of Rubes.
This became the famous bulletproof glass. Its strength, toughness, and impact resistance are more than five times that of ordinary glass. Even if it cannot withstand the pressure, it will only break into small obtuse-angled particles similar to honeycombs, making it less likely to cause secondary damage to people. harm.
The surrounding sea became darker and darker, and the entire fleet seemed to be in the dark. Under the orders of the officers, all the warships lit their lights.
"Could it be that we were attacked by a tornado?" Franz first instinctively thought of this natural devil.
"It's a tsunami!" Oshiosugin said desperately. No nation in the world is more in awe of tsunamis than the Japanese.
The black sky reflected the sea water into deep black, and the sky and the earth presented a doomsday scene of dark sky and dark sun. The only light source was the lightning that continuously cut through the night sky, revealing the ferocious appearance of the world.
The dark waves kept lapping at the side of the ship, and the angry waves passed through below, one wave higher than the other. The entire sea turned into a roaring beast, opening a huge abyss mouth to swallow everything in the world.
Friedrich was still at his command position fearlessly, but seven of his messengers had gone to see God.
Compared with the few battleships that were relatively intact, the real lives hanging on were the accompanying frigates and transport ships.
The officers and soldiers on the Venetia watched them being swallowed up by the black sea several times and emerging from the water several times. The weak light on the flagship became their only beacon.
After an unknown period of time, this disaster seemed to show no signs of stopping. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and streaks of lightning pierced the darkness. From time to time, heavy rain and fist-sized hail fell. On the sea, huge waves like gables rose higher and higher.
There are even undercurrents surging underwater, making it extremely difficult to control the ship's sailing direction. Fortunately, Friedrich was a very good captain and could make the most correct judgment every time, saving the fleet from danger.
While Franz and others were struggling at sea, the Indian Ocean coast was experiencing an impact that was more than ten times stronger than here. Waves more than thirty meters high hit the British Royal Navy Indian Ocean Fleet anchored in the port.
Their flagship was swept more than 500 meters inland, and ended its life shattered into thousands of pieces. Seven of its twenty-five battleships were sent away by the tsunami, and the remaining ones also suffered heavy damage and lost their combat capabilities.
The tsunami penetrated nearly fifteen kilometers inland, and several important port cities in the Indian Ocean suffered huge losses; houses were destroyed, and a large number of people who had no time to evacuate were either drowned or shot alive on the coast.
However, this is only the first wave of impact. There will be second and third waves after that, and they will become stronger and stronger.
Although the epicenter was close to the Arabian Sea, the entire Indian Ocean was affected. The Austrian fleet in the deep sea suffered the least losses, with only two ships sunk and 320 people missing or dead.
After an unknown amount of time, a hole finally opened in the dark sky, and the long-lost sunlight shone in again. The sea gradually became calm, and the ships and sailors swallowed by the sea disappeared without a trace.
It was as if nothing had ever happened, only the pitted decks still silently told the horror of the previous natural disaster.
The officers and soldiers walked out of the ship's cabin one after another. Everyone was glad that they were still alive. Some cried loudly, and some knelt down to pray. But more people chose to return to their posts and continue working, starting to inspect the ship and count the losses.
At this time, Friedrich was helped out of the captain's cabin. The bandage on his forehead was still stained with blood.
"Damn beasts! They obviously led us here on purpose. They must want us to overturn the boat and then swallow us one by one!"
With a gloomy expression on his face, he naturally regarded the whales as a scapegoat, and said angrily.
At this time, Oshiosugiyin interrupted at an inappropriate time, "It was those whales who saved us. If we were on the shore or according to the original plan, the wave height we encountered would not be 4-5 meters."
"What does a mere servant know?"
Friedrich, who was still angry, was irritated and sneered with disdain. He had always positioned this oriental girl as Franz's pet and nothing more, just like a horse or a kitten kept in a noble family.
"There are frequent tsunamis in my hometown. Waves of ten meters are common. Once the sea god is angry, it is not surprising that it can even hit the shrine on the mountainside. But what we just encountered was just a relatively large wave."
Oshiosugine continued to retort, but was stopped by Franz's eyes and gestures.
"That's enough! We don't have time to waste on pursuing responsibility. First, we should count the losses as soon as possible. Second, we should find a suitable docking point as soon as possible. If you have anything to say, we can't talk about it until we get to the shore! The top priority is to dock for rest, not Discuss who is right and who is wrong”
In fact, when a tsunami occurs, the closer you are to the open sea, the safer you are. On the contrary, the closer you are to the shore, the greater the impact you will suffer.
Because when a tsunami occurs, the speed of the waves is related to the depth of the water; the deeper the wave, the slower the impact speed, and on the coast, the speed often exceeds 150 kilometers per hour.
The height of coastal waves is also several times that of deep water areas, and may even produce a superimposed effect, forming a wall of water that can cause devastating damage to everything that blocks it.
When Franz and his party arrived at the coast of Calcutta, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
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