A New Mexico-Class Battleship Somewhere Else

News To the Fox Ears

I have updated the BIO and Uprooted the 2nd chapter from the ground up. Highly recommend a recheck of the 2nd chapter.

For any regards on the picking of Colorado's rigging. 2 things:

1. The New Mexico class was the first class to have 16-inch cannons proposed.

2. The freedom for him to move his scythes around.

Now, back to the story:

Post-Battle: 

Zuikaku Pov:

(Talking to herself)

"Those pesky reflexes of his saved him from my attack..."

"Well played..."

"But the next one will be your last."

"Maybe-"

Turning behind her to look back over the damages reflected on her deck.

"Got lucky from his fire delay with all those HE shells-"

She turned her gaze to a 14-inch shell hole on the port side with the HE round lodged deep within the deck.

"And unlucky that 2 didn't explode."

Before looking at 10 metal cracks where wood should be on her deck...

And the last shell-hole going down into the barren stern.

An attempt to remove the last one backfired heavily.

A fire erupted from it and caused the stern's wood to burn...

Leaving nothing but a clean metal stern with a hole in it...

And ash sprinkled on it.

It was only stopped after getting help from their escorts and her sister.

Eugen, however, wasn't so lucky.

Zuikaku walked to her stern to see Prinz Eugen's ship being towed by both carriers.

Both front and aft turrets had a shell going through each of the turret's front plates.

Effectively knocking the turrets out.

She examined the concrete surrounding the 14-inch holes had been shot clean through the front turrets and were now stuck in the superstructure.

The rest of the rounds were dispersed around the superstructure. 

Leaving clean holes through to the other side. 

She was trying to remember why they were towing Eugen.

That beat down had, unbeknownst to everyone but Eugen during their retreat, given Eugen's hull a slightly bowed appearance. 

Mostly noticeable around her engine room...

She went back to looking at the turret's shell holes and the round stuck in the superstructure.

"I wonder how he swapped rounds mid-fight."

Zuikaku thought to herself before looking over to her sister.

"Did she contact our superiors yet?"

Zuikaku then throws a paper plane to Shokaku to ask.

Shokaku, hearing the whizzing noise of the paper plane to her right, let it come closer.

Once it got to her, she grabbed it, and Zuikaku spoke from her end.

"Did you tell them about the new battleship?"