Great warships

Across the ocean.

"It has been clearly investigated that Dongfang's main comprehensive supply ships are all at the port. The two newly built Type 901s and the purchased and modified Type 908 are both at the Mingzhou Military Port." said an intelligence officer.

The two Type 901s are comprehensive supply ships with a displacement of 908 tons. The outsourced and modified Type is a comprehensive supply ship with a displacement of more than tons. They are just modified from oil ships. They have a single propeller and a very slow speed.

These three ships are currently the main force of Eastern Ocean's supply. Especially if the aircraft carrier formation is dispatched, comprehensive supply ships of this level must be dispatched, otherwise the fleet's supply mission will not be completed at all.

Now, these comprehensive supply ships are in the port, which means that the Orientals just want to take a trip out of the Pacific Ocean, not too far!

"They also have the Type 903, which has a lower displacement. What about these?" Swift was still worried.

"Only two of these ships are not in the port. They should be performing tasks. However, there are only two ships. It is impossible to supply the entire aircraft carrier formation. After all, this type of comprehensive supply ship is too small!"

"Swift, you don't have to worry. I can guarantee that those guys just think they have a new toy in their hands and want to show it off. In fact, what they are doing is just childish. Our U.S. Navy has been playing tricks for decades. They have already played with it before." An officer said: "They are like babies that have just learned to walk and are still far from growing up."

Swift said nothing more, but looked at the sea chart with cold eyes. Did the other party really just go out and wander around for a while and then go back? However, without supplies, it is indeed impossible to sail far.

They didn't know that at about five o'clock in the afternoon that day, when no reconnaissance satellite would fly over in the next two hours, two No. 901 comprehensive supply ships left the port. As soon as they left, they luxuriously took the two The gas turbine is pushed to full power operation!

The soldiers and horses must go ahead before the soldiers and horses move the food and grass. The soldiers and horses have already moved. As long as the soldiers and horses run fast, they can still catch up!

Type 901 integrated supply ship No. 965.

On the huge bridge, Captain Li Li looked at the ocean in the distance that was gradually shrouded in night, full of excitement. It was finally their turn to go out!

"Report, the maximum speed has been reached!" the chief engineer reported: "According to the current speed of thirty knots, we will catch up with the formation in four days!"

With a maximum speed of 15 knots, it can cover nautical miles in one day and nearly nautical miles in four days! Although the entire aircraft carrier formation will reach knots when taking off and landing carrier-based aircraft, under normal circumstances, it will still sail at an economic speed of about knots. In this way, the aircraft carrier formation has an eight-day voyage, and the comprehensive supply ship You can catch up in four days!

This is what high speed means!

"Thank you, Mr. Qin, for using two 40-megawatt gas turbines for our comprehensive supply ship." Li Li sighed: "Our power is stronger than the power of the British Queen-class aircraft carrier!"

The Queen class has a displacement of 6.5 tons, uses a gas turbine with a slightly lower power, and has many subsystems that require energy. Therefore, the maximum speed is about 25 knots. To brag a little, it is 27 knots, and at knots On a ton comprehensive supply ship, the power is mainly output to the propulsion system, which is enough to reach thirty knots!

This kind of pleasure of riding the wind and waves does not look like an auxiliary warship, it is simply the main player!

"Yes, we will be able to cross the Miyako Strait tonight." His subordinates also sighed with emotion: "As long as we enter the ocean, no one will be able to find our traces!"

When it gets dark the next day, the reconnaissance satellites overhead will definitely notice that they have disappeared from the port and will search for them at sea. However, they will never expect that these two comprehensive supply ships will sail more than 300 nautical miles eastward!

The military port is 350 nautical miles away from the Miyako Strait, and it only takes twelve hours to cross. When they get there, it is five o'clock in the morning. By the time it gets light, they are already dozens of nautical miles east of the Miyako Strait, and the other party is in vain on the west. Search and you will find nothing!

"Not only do we have strong power, we also have strong supply capabilities. We only need one aircraft carrier to supply a single carrier formation," the subordinate continued.

This is a super supply ship with a full load displacement of 50,000 tons. This time they went to sea, they carried 15,000 tons of ship fuel, 5,000 tons of aviation kerosene, 500 tons of fresh water, and 3,000 tons of dry cargo supplies, which was enough to supply the entire aircraft carrier. The formation carries out a supply mission.

This is also the meaning of their existence. When some countries are only willing to build aircraft carriers of 30,000 to 40,000 tons, Dongfang's supply ships have reached the 50,000-ton level!

Everyone is excited.

Different from the high-profile construction of other warships, the construction of these two Type 901 integrated supply ships was very low-key. The Navy placed the order and the Mingzhou Group started construction. It only took a total of two years to build the two supply ships. , fully reflects the speed of Mingzhou.

And now, this kind of comprehensive supply ship will use actual actions to prove their value!

The night is getting darker, and the radar on the top of the bridge is searching the sea to ensure the safety of the route ahead.

"Report, shall we dispatch the ship-based helicopter?" his subordinate asked Li Li.

Comprehensive supply ships have three replenishment methods. Horizontal replenishment has the largest transportation volume and is the most important replenishment method. Vertical replenishment is suitable for high sea conditions. Dry goods are not needed, but at least oil and fresh water can be replenished. Vertical replenishment is through helicopters. to transport high-value goods and speed up supply.

Of course, the 901 comprehensive supply ship has three supply methods. Its large hangar can accommodate the latest domestically improved Z-, one of which has a small rotating stick on the back of the butt.

"No, everything is safe around now. If the ship-borne early warning helicopter takes off, it may alert the enemy and cause unnecessary trouble." Li Li said.

The strait here is not always monitored by opponents. Just drive across it quietly. If you fly a helicopter up and turn on the early warning radar, it is equivalent to turning on a flashlight in the dark night sky.

It was a peaceful night, and it was an uneventful night.

When it was already dawn in the east, it was just evening on the other side of the ocean. After finishing her day's work, Swift came to the familiar bar again and planned to have a drink. However, as soon as she sat down, her phone vibrated.

He immediately had an ominous premonition that something special was going to happen again!

see? dont see! Drink, go home and sleep after drinking! If you read it and can't sleep well tonight, let's talk about tomorrow!

In a rare moment of freedom, Swift turned off her phone. The next day, when he went to work, he saw the dark circles under the eyes of one of his colleagues.

"What's going on? You look like you didn't sleep last night."

"Yeah, of course we didn't sleep. We were looking for those two damn 901s." A companion said: "We searched for a long time but couldn't find them."

901, two ships? These two comprehensive supply ships disappeared together, there must be an accident!

Swift's face became serious: "What on earth is going on?"

"Last night, that is, in the morning in the East, we found that the two 901 ships disappeared. At first we didn't pay attention, thinking that they must be nearby. However, we didn't find them in the nearby waters, so we expanded the search scope, but still didn't find them! Then The two 901s seemed to have evaporated from the port!"

"Where have you been looking?"

"This way, this way!" The companion pointed to the chart: "We took the port as the center of the circle and searched all the places for two hundred nautical miles around, but we couldn't find it! It's really a ghost!"

"The longer the time goes, the farther away the opponent will be. However, we have sent a ship to the Miyako Strait. As long as it passes through there, we will definitely find it!"

Nothing can be done, but at least knowing that the thing is there is enough.

The most helpless thing is not being able to find it.

"Is it possible that it left the Miyako Strait and entered the Pacific Ocean before you searched for it?"

"Impossible, how is it possible? If that were the case, the two comprehensive supply ships in the East would be able to reach a speed of more than 25 knots! Our supply-level fast combat support ship can only reach a speed of knots!"

"Yes, for a comprehensive supply ship, a speed of 25 knots is already very fast. In the past, we have never seen this kind of comprehensive supply ship from the East sailing at a speed of more than 20 knots!"

Everyone is skeptical.

Are Dongfang's comprehensive supply ships so awesome?

The Yankee's comprehensive supply ship is called a fast combat support ship, and its main focus is fast! The original Sacramento class used 4 V2M boilers and 2 General Electric steam turbines, all of which were surplus materials from the war, allowing this 26-ton comprehensive supply ship to reach a speed of 2500 knots. , the later supply-grade aircraft was equipped with four LM25 gas turbines, with a speed of knots.

This is not slow. You must know that a cargo ship with this displacement can sail at a speed of more than ten knots, which is already good.

The ones in the East are at this level. How can it be possible to open to 30 knots? Isn’t this better than the ones in the United States?

"Then have you considered what power this comprehensive supply ship uses?" Swift asked. "Generally speaking, low-speed or medium-speed diesel engines are most suitable and save money." A companion said: "If you want to reach a speed of 30 knots, you need at least two 40-megawatt gas turbines, as well as Proper boat design. That kind of powertrain doesn’t come cheap.”

"Whether it's cheap or not depends on who you are looking for. For Easterners, the gas turbines they use may not cost much." Swift said, "The biggest skill of Easterners is to make these things cheap. "

Everyone's expressions changed, yes, Easterners really have this ability!

If purchased from the East, the 40-megawatt gas turbine is expensive, which is slightly cheaper than Rolls-Royce's by 10%. However, if the Orientals use it themselves, the internal purchase price may be 10% of the export price. , their cost advantage makes people drool with envy.

If the domestic construction costs in the United States can be reduced to the same level as the East, or even twice that of the East, then they can start a new round of mass construction. The funds for one Hollywood warship can build at least seven or eight Type 055s!

There's no comparison at all.

"It seems we were wrong. They have entered the Pacific Ocean a long time ago, but...what does this mean?"

This means that Dongfang’s dual aircraft carrier formation will have to sail in the Pacific for a longer time! Everyone had made a miscalculation. With so much force being deployed in the East, it was definitely not a matter of going out for a walk and then going back. Instead, they would not return until they had traveled enough.

"Use all your strength to search the Pacific and find that aircraft carrier formation!"

"During this period, due to the frequent use of reconnaissance satellites, two have exhausted their energy. If the remaining satellites continue to change orbit, four more will fall early."

"Then launch two more ones."

"How much does this cost?"

“What needs to be spent must be spent!”

On that day, two reconnaissance satellites were sent into space, searching the ocean like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, when they found the aircraft carrier formation, it was already three days later.

However, the timing was just right. When the reconnaissance satellite was pointed below to take pictures, the aircraft carrier formation happened to be replenishing at sea.

The aircraft carrier formation expands the distance between warships to facilitate the entry of integrated supply ships.

"No. 965 calls aircraft carrier No. 17, which is about to enter the supply position!" Li Li held the microphone in his hand and conducted voice communication with the carrier.

On the No. 17 aircraft carrier, Zhang Zhen looked down from the island and saw the huge comprehensive supply ship approaching slowly from the starboard side, finally sailing side by side with the aircraft carrier.

"It has been accurately positioned for horizontal supply!"

Whoosh, whoosh!

On No. 965, the operator quickly used a cable gun to shoot thin cables in the direction of the aircraft carrier, one at the front and one at the front. The thin cables pulled the thick cables over, and the thick cables were hung at the corresponding positions of the gantry and the aircraft carrier, forming a supply channel. , then, the oil pipe slid along the thick cable. When the personnel on the aircraft carrier plugged the oil pipe into the refueling port, the huge refueling pipe began to refuel!

The front is liquid cargo supply, and the back is dry cargo supply. After the supply channel of the gantry at the back is established, the supply boxes are slid one by one to the aircraft carrier through the cable. On the opposite side, there are already forklifts waiting, quickly bringing the supplies over. The dry goods can be delivered to the corresponding location, eliminating the need to occupy deck space.

With thousands of people on board an aircraft carrier, eating, drinking and diarrhea is a big problem. Among these dry goods, food is the most important supply. In addition to food, there are also ammunition and mechanical parts.

Compared with the starboard side, there is an additional half supply bridge on the port side. This is specially reserved for the aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier needs a lot of supply materials and many types of supplies. This half supply bridge can only replenish the aircraft carrier with aviation kerosene. It's also good.

901, aircraft carrier wet nurse!

While No. 965 was supplying the aircraft carrier on the port side, a 052C destroyer approached from the starboard side, and a supply channel was quickly established. Following that, a 052D also came from behind. Although there is no gantry, there is no problem in replenishing liquid cargo through longitudinal cables. As for dry cargo, it can be replenished by helicopter!

On board No. 965, the roar of helicopters sounded, and all the dry goods needed by 052D in the rear were quickly supplied by helicopter. This powerful comprehensive supply ship can supply three warships at one time! After a few rounds, the aircraft carrier formation will be fully supplied.

On the other side, the 001 aircraft carrier and another Type 901 comprehensive supply ship are also rapidly docking and replenishing.

There are patrolling 054 frigates nearby, and patrolling fighter planes in the sky. The entire supply process is impeccable, and the quality is definitely no worse than that of the US military!

Looking at the satellite photos, countless people fell silent.

Who said that even if Dongfang has an aircraft carrier, it has no experience in operating an aircraft carrier? Who said it would take decades for the Easterners' aircraft carrier fleet to mature? Now their professional standards are comparable to those of the US military!

The aircraft carrier battle group is here, well integrated, and its supply capacity has also increased. From now on, the Pacific Ocean will be everyone’s back garden, and you can come wherever you want!

"Have you noticed that a Renhai-class and a Luyang-3 have disappeared?" Swift looked at them several times and finally said.

Only then did everyone react.

It's hard to tell about 052. After all, there are a lot of them in the fleet, but there is only one 055. It was originally at the front, so it was easy to spot.

The two ships are gone. What are they doing?

"Maybe it's on the periphery and our satellites didn't detect it," an intelligence officer said.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Swift said: "Expand the search scope!"

I made the same mistake last time, will I make it again this time?

However, it turned out that they had made the same mistake. After searching dozens of nautical miles near the aircraft carrier, they were surprised to find that 055 and 052 had disappeared!

Where did these two warships go?

Nobody knows.

"That Renhai-class warship is their most advanced warship. It probably discovered a major problem during the voyage, so it returned early. As for the Luyang-3 class, maybe it was accompanied by protection?"

055 is the most advanced warship in the East. If it goes on a long voyage, it might have a big problem and become a joke!

"Yeah, if that's the case, of course it's the best, but we still have to be prepared for the worst." Swift said: "I remember, at the beginning, we observed two The 903 comprehensive supply ship is not at the port either. Did one of the two comprehensive supply ships supply the two warships in advance, and then the two warships left the formation and cruised alone?"

If you are cruising alone, there are so many things you can do! Countless people were shocked after hearing Swift's words.

"It can't be that bad."

"According to our experience, when we think things won't be so bad, they will definitely be so bad!" Swift said: "I suggest that our shore-based patrol aircraft can go out for more activities recently."

Everyone knew what this meant, and their emotions were extremely complicated.

And now, the most exciting thing is definitely No. 055, the first ship of 101. Captain Li Pingfan stood on the bridge, watching the waves split by the warship, leaving the sunset behind, and a familiar melody could not help but come to mind. echoed in his mind.

The red flag flutters in the wind...