Chapter 110: The Enemy Sees Clearly, I Remain Hidden

When the Berlin entered the North Sea, it was immediately regarded by the Royal Navy as the top threat.

Interestingly, a few years earlier, Fisher, then serving as Britain's First Sea Lord, had scoffed at the Berlin, considering such a warship—which could neither outmatch battlecruisers nor outrun light cruisers, and displaced as much as twenty thousand tons—completely useless and even worthless.

Everyone knew that if the Berlin sailed alone, it was surely on a commerce raiding mission.

If the goal was to monitor the main fleet, the Imperial Navy did not need to deploy such a large battleship; sending a few light cruisers into the North Sea would be far more effective.

That afternoon, Jellicoe ordered Beatty to lead the battlecruiser Invincible, just returned to home waters, out to sea.

Beatty’s mission was clear: intercept the Berlin, prevent it from leaving the North Sea, and preferably sink it.

The question was, could the Invincible catch up with the Berlin?

The very issue once mocked by Fisher had become the Royal Navy’s dilemma: British warships fast enough to catch the Berlin could not defeat it in combat, while those powerful enough to defeat it could not keep pace. Intercepting the Berlin in the vast ocean was evidently nearly impossible.

For this reason, Jellicoe reinforced Beatty’s squadron with eight light cruisers.

Tactically, these light cruisers were tasked primarily with locating the Berlin and, upon finding it, engaging it to hold it in place until the Invincible could close in.

The problem lay in the Royal Navy’s inaccurate intelligence at the time.

They believed the Berlin's top speed was less than 28 knots, so light cruisers of the Caroline and Calliope classes, which could nearly reach 29 knots, would be able to catch it. But the Berlin’s actual maximum speed was 31 knots. Light cruisers barely capable of 29 knots couldn’t catch it, and even the then-under-construction Cambrian-class cruisers could not.

As for the Invincible, whose maximum speed was under 26 knots, it was completely outpaced.

Of course, the Royal Navy did have some chance.

If they could accurately predict the Berlin’s course and set an ambush, they might trap the ship with no escape.

The key was intelligence.

Before Beatty’s departure, Jellicoe had received precise intelligence that the Berlin would sail north along the Norwegian coast, then pass around the Faroe Islands from the north into the North Atlantic. Its main operational area would be the southwestern waters off the British Isles, tasked mainly with intercepting ships traveling from Britain to the Mediterranean.

Jellicoe did not doubt this intelligence, as it aligned perfectly with known facts.

At the time, Jellicoe’s reports indicated the Berlin’s maximum range was between 7,000 and 8,000 nautical miles, with endurance around ninety days. Thus, relying solely on home ports, the Berlin would remain in the North Atlantic and not venture too far.

Yet, this intelligence was flawed.

The Berlin’s true range exceeded 8,000 nautical miles, and it used mixed coal and oil-fired boilers, giving it endurance well beyond ninety days. With proper maintenance and sufficient spare parts, and assuming fuel was not an issue, the Berlin could operate at sea for at least half a year.

Clearly, the Berlin might not remain confined to the North Atlantic.

Guided by this erroneous intelligence, Beatty sailed straight for Norway, preparing to intercept the Berlin west of Norway.

At that moment, the Berlin was indeed heading toward Norway.

Once entering deep waters, the Berlin sailed north along the Jutland Peninsula—not to linger near Norway, but to rendezvous with a cooperating warship.

That ship was the Regensburg, a light cruiser departing from Kiel and entering the North Sea via the Skagerrak Strait.

The Regensburg was the second ship of the Graudenz class and was still incomplete at the time.

Before leaving Kiel, the Regensburg had only completed installation and testing of its propulsion system; none of its guns were installed.

Following von Chengqian’s orders, the Kiel Naval Shipyard spent a week modifying the still-unfinished ship to closely resemble the Berlin in appearance. Though the Regensburg was significantly smaller, it was difficult to distinguish from the Berlin at a distance.

The Regensburg’s mission was to divert the approaching British fleet.

Because it was unarmed and lightly loaded, the Regensburg’s top speed approached 30 knots.

This meant that if it encountered the British fleet, the Regensburg could escape.

More importantly, the Regensburg was nearing completion, so the Royal Navy paid it little attention. Even if it left Kiel, the British assumed it was on routine sea trials prior to commissioning, a common occurrence.

Whether the Berlin could break through the British blockade depended on the success of this deception.

On the morning of January 1, 1915, a lookout on the Berlin spotted the Regensburg’s mast on the horizon.

After the two ships met, the Regensburg led the way.

According to von Chengqian’s plan, upon detecting the British ships, the Regensburg would hoist three signal flags, signaling the Berlin to turn away.

Due to the Earth’s curvature, the British ships that spotted the Regensburg would not simultaneously see the Berlin some ten kilometers behind it. By seizing the right moment and exploiting its speed advantage, the Berlin could evade the British interceptors.

This tactic was straightforward.

In fact, the simpler the tactic, the easier it was to execute; overly complicated plans often backfired.

For over ten hours thereafter, nothing unexpected occurred.

Though the Regensburg encountered a merchant ship flying the Norwegian flag, the merchant ship did not meet the Berlin and fled upon seeing the Regensburg.

At nightfall, von Chengqian grew tense.

Daytime was manageable since lookouts could see over ten kilometers out to sea, but at night, under strict blackout conditions, lookouts could not spot warships.

The Berlin also enforced tight light discipline.

“Captain,” the first officer Strang said.

Von Chengqian glanced back at Strang, then forward toward the bow.

“The night meal is ready. Shall I have it brought to you?”

“No need, I’ll go to the dining room.” Von Chengqian exhaled deeply and said, “Keep a close watch around us. If Beatty moves quickly, he’ll be nearby by now.”

Strang nodded in understanding.

The previous night, Hipper had sent a telegram from Wilhelmshaven reporting that Beatty had led the Invincible and eight light cruisers out of the Bay of Biscay. Though no further details were known, everyone assumed Beatty’s sortie was aimed at the Berlin.

What von Chengqian feared most was an encounter with Beatty.

Although the Berlin’s main guns were formidable, its broadside firepower rivaled that of the Invincible. In a fight, it might not necessarily lose. But the Berlin’s mission was not to engage the Invincible but to penetrate deep into the ocean for commerce raiding.

Moreover, the Berlin was accompanied only by an unarmed light cruiser.

If a battle broke out, those eight light cruisers could give the Berlin a hard time.

Inside the officers’ mess, there were few people. Most officers were on duty, and those off duty were mostly in their cabins.

In the Imperial Navy, officers and sailors alike worked in two shifts, each lasting eight hours, with eight hours of rest.

Von Chengqian had little appetite and ate some light refreshments before returning to the bridge.

“Any developments?”

Strang shook his head and handed von Chengqian his binoculars. If anything had happened, he would have reported it immediately, not waited for the captain’s return.

“Captain, are you married?”

“Married?” Von Chengqian was taken aback, then shook his head.

“That’s not good.”

“Is that so?”

“I heard that only married sailors’ souls can return home.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” von Chengqian smiled. “Have faith. Even if we can’t win, we can escape. Besides, once we reach the North Atlantic, no warship will be able to catch us. Then, whether to fight or not will be our choice.”

“But we have only one warship.”

“War is never just about numbers. If you think fewer ships mean defeat, how did we win at the Shetland and Dogger Bank battles?” Von Chengqian looked at Strang. “The key is initiative. We are in hiding; the enemy is exposed. The initiative is ours. Even with one ship, our chances are not small.”

Strang smiled but did not respond.

“Major, you’re married, right?” Von Chengqian continued.

“I have three children already.”

“Is that so?” Von Chengqian looked at the first officer again and laughed. “You must be a very responsible father. I bet your children adore you.”

Strang nodded. “Whenever I return to the fleet, they refuse to let me go.”

“Well, you have something to hold onto. That’s much better than someone like me, all alone.”

Strang was about to reply when a buzzing sound came from outside.

Both men were startled, then recognized it as coming from the air—a plane’s engine. Could it be a British reconnaissance aircraft?