Empire Conquest-Chapter 745 - 45 Active Evacuation_3

According to the deployment, after the outbreak of the war, all attack submarines operating in the North Sunset Ocean immediately entered combat status.

That’s right, they were to blockade the shipping routes of the North Sunset Ocean and attack the transport vessels traveling between the Gu Continent and the West Continent.

In large-scale warfare, submarine interdiction has always been the primary mission of submarines.

Despite the Empire’s Navy having the strongest surface fleet in the world, with 15 large carriers and super carriers, many people overlooked that the Empire’s Navy also had the strongest underwater fleet. The "Nanjing" class attack submarines had already built 40 units, with a planned number of 80. The next generation of even more advanced attack submarines had completed their design and were scheduled to begin construction within three years.

At any given time, the Empire’s Navy had at least 72 attack submarines in service.

Even after deducting the 30 that were incorporated into the carrier battle groups, there were still 42 attack submarines available for interdiction missions.

Additionally, the Empire’s Navy’s attack submarines were famous for their large tonnage and excellent performance. The "Nanjing" class weighed 7000 tons, while the earlier "North River" class weighed 6000 tons. To meet the Navy’s performance specifications, the newly designed "Xu Sea" class reached a record-breaking 9000 tons.

However, not many submarines are active in the North Sunset Ocean. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

According to the information in Li Shenzhi’s possession, the four attack submarines of the North Sunset Ocean Sub-fleet were all going to stay put, while the Land Heart Sea Sub-fleet might also send two submarines over. Even if the four submarines from the South Sunset Ocean Sub-fleet were included, only about ten submarines would be carrying out interdiction missions in the North Sunset Ocean.

Of course, there definitely wouldn’t be so many.

Primarily because the South Sunset Ocean also needed submarines to perform interdiction tasks.

As for surface vessels, not a single one!

Indeed, without absolute numerical superiority, deploying surface vessels in the North Sunset Ocean was tantamount to a death sentence, utterly pointless.

Obtaining absolute numerical superiority was no easy task.

Even without considering the shore-based air force that would inevitably be encountered, at least three carrier battle groups would need to be deployed to possibly gain sea control. And if competing with shore-based air forces for air superiority, at least six carrier battle groups needed to be deployed and could only operate in the open sea.

Actually, against the backdrop of a global war, the Navy definitely couldn’t challenge an entire group alone.

This was also why the Empire’s Navy had decided to give up Scapa Bay.

A military base isolated behind enemy lines was simply indefensible!

Besides, the importance of Scapa Bay was definitely inferior to that of Alexandria, so there was even less of a reason to waste forces on Scapa Bay.

Thus, Li Shenzhi and his team were heading to Alexandria.

As arranged by the General Staff Department, Li Shenzhi was to serve as Commander of the Land Heart Sea Sub-fleet, responsible for defending Alexandria and the Xifan Canal.

This was the last line of defense.

No matter the cost, or more precisely, no matter how many forces were needed, this port must be held to control the Xifan Canal.

Li Shenzhi only had 2 to 3 days left.

But that was enough.

"Wuzhou," traveling at 24 knots, would pass through Dover Strait and enter the Land Heart Sea by tomorrow, reaching the eastern waters of the Land Heart Sea the day after.

The key point was, the "Tang Dezhu" carrier battle group was operating in the East Land Heart Sea.

With the carrier present, there was nothing to fear.

After decades of development, the Empire’s Navy’s greatest strength was still its carriers, and all combat tactics revolved around carriers!