Great warships

Chapter 1209: The Navy's First Time

In recent years, Qiongzhou has not only developed tourism and real estate, but also a large number of industries, especially the aerospace industry. There is a rocket launch site on the island, as well as the famous Starship Corporation.

All these industries consume electricity, and Qiongzhou is becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the electricity provided by the mainland. The completion of this 200-megawatt nuclear reactor will completely ease Qiongzhou's electricity supply.

After all, in the future, Starship will fully switch to liquid oxygen and methane rockets. These fuels can be produced in Qiongzhou, which is convenient and fast, but at the same time, it also means that a large amount of electricity supply is required.

"We have already become the world's best in nuclear reactor technology," Qin Tao said. "Our nuclear reactors have already started commercial operation, but other countries are still conducting experiments, right?"

"Yes." Zhao Ling said: "Last year, the president of the American Nuclear Society, Professor Andrew from MIT, came to the site and was very envious of our commercial nuclear reactor. He said that we are already the world leader in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors."

Qin Tao smiled and said, "Of course, we are the best in the world. However, nuclear fission reactors are not perfect. When we have nuclear fusion reactors in the future, we can completely solve the energy problem."

Qin Tao has always believed that nuclear fission is imperfect. After all, the efficiency of this type of reactor is low and the fuel source is difficult to obtain. If you want to use nuclear raw materials to provide energy, you must first waste a lot of energy to concentrate the raw materials. The truly perfect one is the nuclear fusion reactor, which has a wide source and can provide an almost unlimited energy supply.

"Brother Tao, you are talking about science fiction." Zhao Ling smiled.

"No, Xiaoling, many of the things we thought were science fiction in the past have come true now, haven't they? In the past, humans dreamed of flying into the sky and flying to the moon, haven't they all come true? Things that we think are science fiction now, maybe they will be successful in ten or twenty years?"

Zhao Ling nodded: "Yes, Brother Tao, you are right. I heard that the pulse detonation engine developed by our domestic relevant departments has made great progress. Maybe it will be installed on airplanes in five years. By then, we will have advanced supersonic aircraft. This engine can propel the aircraft to a speed of Mach 10. It will only take one hour to travel from the East to Rainbow Country."

How convenient it would be if I could go back and forth in just one hour!
"Yes, we will definitely be able to do it in the future, but for now, let's just enjoy the scenery along the way and think of it as a vacation."

In fact, when the naval fleet set out, Qin Tao could have waited, and then taken a passenger plane to Rainbow Country after the fleet passed. However, Qin Tao still decided to go with the fleet, not only for safety, but also to enjoy the scenery along the way.

It has been a long time since I last felt the feeling of traveling slowly on the sea.

As he was speaking, a flame suddenly appeared from the direction of Qiongzhou and rose rapidly. White smoke was pulled out behind the flame. The flame rose very quickly, and the white smoke column soon rushed straight into the sky, as if building a ladder to space.

"Is this another rocket launch?"

"I don't know. Our Starship Corporation is independently operated. I can ask."

"No, they launch rockets frequently, so we don't need to make a fuss every time." Qin Tao said calmly: "They do their thing, and we travel as we please."

Since the two bulk carriers were not moving very fast, it took two days for the fleet to reach the Siam Canal, where they lined up to cross the river. Due to their good relationships, they were immediately given the highest priority and quickly passed other fleets and entered the canal.

The construction of the canal by Siam was a major event and also Qin Tao's masterpiece. With the help of this canal, the relationship between the two sides became increasingly close, and the traveling cargo ships saved time and costs. At the same time, it also dragged down Singapore.

Looking at the piles of containers on the dock, you should know that these businesses originally belonged to Singapore, but now they have all fallen into the hands of Siam. Qin Tao has never had a good impression of that small country, and it would be best if he could drag it down!
Zhao Ling suddenly thought of something: "Brother Tao, let's go through the canal, what about the one under the water?"

Could it be that he was also walking along the canal, and when no one was paying attention? Could the underwater person be walking completely under the water of the canal?

Qin Tao smiled and said, "I don't know either, but I guess it should be a feint to the east and attack in the west."

Since the opening of the Siam Canal, this place has become more and more lively. After all, going here saves distance and money. As long as the toll is lower than the cost of detouring through Malacca, cargo ships will choose to go through the Siam Canal, and it also saves time.

This place has become almost as busy as the Suez Canal and has attracted a lot of attention.

This time, the Eastern Navy's visit to the Rainbow Country to hold joint military exercises must have stimulated many people. They will pay close attention to the movements of this formation. If the submarine goes through the canal, it will be easily exposed. You know, even if the submarine hull is still underwater, the command tower will definitely be exposed, otherwise it will be too dangerous.

Submarines from various countries are almost always in this state when passing through the canal.

Now, by relying on the surface ship formation to attract attention, the 096 can bypass Malacca. Although it looks very narrow on the map, it is actually quite wide. The water depth of the entire route is over meters, and most of it can reach a depth of meters. There is no problem for a submarine to pass through there in a submerged state.

Moreover, as the route to Siam becomes more and more popular, fewer and fewer ships are sailing through the Malacca Strait, and it is very quiet. The passage of 096 will be unnoticed by anyone.

"Openly repairing the plank road, secretly attacking Chencang." Zhao Ling nodded: "Then I feel relieved."

"It's not your turn to worry about this."

Zhao Ling rolled her eyes at Qin Tao.

However, it is not really Zhao Ling's turn to worry about this matter.

Malacca, underwater, in the silent world, a group of submarine soldiers are excitedly driving their submarine forward.

"This is the first time our submarine force passes through the Strait of Malacca. Everyone must give 100% of their energy and there must be no problems," Hu Yizhou said to his men.

Conventional submarines basically operate near the coast. Although nuclear submarines often travel far away, they generally operate in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time they have passed through the Malacca Strait and entered the Indian Ocean.

"Actually, this isn't the first time." The helmsman looked at the nautical chart on the big screen in front of him and said, "In the 1990s, when we bought Kilo-class submarines from the Russians, we took this route."

"Nonsense, how did you get here? You were towed here by a semi-submersible vessel, can that be considered walking on your own? And it was on the sea, not underwater." Hu Yizhou said to the helmsman, "Hold the rudder well, don't talk nonsense to me."

The helmsman chuckled and said, "Captain, we only have so many people underwater, and even fewer on duty at the same time. It would be boring if we don't talk."

"Want to talk? When we get ashore and go to the cafeteria to eat, how about you tell everyone a story?"

"No, they eat it. I say that's not fair."

"The military is not a place for fairness. This is an order."

As soon as the command came out, the helmsman immediately looked serious: "Yes!"

"Don't be too loud, be careful not to be heard outside."

The helmsman chuckled and said, "How is that possible? American movies are so fantastical. They can actually use sonar to hear the voices of the enemy submarines, and even know which side of a coin is facing up when it falls."

Submarine sonar technology is becoming more and more advanced, but it can only listen to the sound of propellers and the friction between the submarine hull and the sea water. It is absolutely nonsense to say that it can hear people talking and dropping coins inside the submarine.

Especially now, thick sound-absorbing tiles are laid on the outside of submarines to prevent internal noise from leaking out. Even if there is sound of talking, it will be absorbed by the sound-absorbing tiles and cannot be transmitted to the outside at all.

"Okay, I'll tell you this story next time."

The helmsman knew that he was assigned again, but there was nothing he could do, because the captain was the boss. Moreover, after he said this, the tense atmosphere inside the submarine disappeared. This kind of mission would not take a few minutes or hours, but several days or even dozens of days. If he was always tense, it would be too energy-consuming. It would be best to relax and create a relaxed atmosphere.

The huge submarines continued to sail underwater, moving along the complex waterways. They were silent, relying entirely on pre-prepared nautical charts. There were few sounds of cargo ships overhead, indicating the complete decline of this route.

Finally, they passed through the Strait of Malacca and entered the vast Indian Ocean.

"This is the first time that our Eastern Navy submarine force has come to the Indian Ocean!" Hu Yizhou said excitedly: "All the oceans in the world are our stage!"

If it were an old submarine, they would not dare to drive it like this. Who knows if there would be any malfunctions in the middle of the journey? However, the 096 submarine gave them great confidence. The space inside the submarine is very large, and they will not feel bored staying in it for two or three months. Even if they go around the oceans of the world, there will be no problem. There is also a super-large cold storage inside the submarine, so they can eat fresh food every day!

It was not until this time that Hu Yizhou finally relaxed. He walked with brisk steps to the submarine's restaurant. This was the most spacious place on the 096 submarine, spacious enough to give everyone a fixed seat. They could eat when they wanted to, read when they wanted to, and entertain when they wanted to.

At this time, in this restaurant, about one-third of the crew members were active. Some were reading books, some were playing chess, and some were opening their laptops and typing away at the computers.

"Xiao Zhao, what are you doing on the computer?" Hu Yizhou asked curiously.

"I was bored on the submarine and wanted to write an online novel."

"Write a novel? Great, you have always loved reading novels, and this time you have evolved to writing novels. That's amazing." Hu Yizhou said.

"What can I do? It's just too boring. After entering the water, I can't follow the updates. I can't bear it anymore. Since I can't read it, I might as well write it myself." Xiao Zhao said, "I will publish it when I go back next time. Maybe I can gain some fans."

"What did you write about?"

"Of course it's a time-travel novel. The protagonist has superpowers and takes the entire fleet back to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894. He uses our modern weapons to drive the entire Japanese fleet to the bottom of the sea, and then leads the fleet to land on the island country. We do what the island country did when it came to our country."

"Is this appropriate?" Hu Yizhou frowned, "We are a mighty army, a righteous army, and a civilized army."

"Of course it's appropriate. If we write our military novels, we have to destroy the US and slaughter Japan. Otherwise, it won't look good."

"Okay, when you finish writing, put it on our submarine's internal network for everyone to see."

"no problem."

The dining rooms on submarines of many countries are separate, divided into officers' dining room and sailors' dining room. However, in the East, equality between officers, soldiers and sailors is emphasized. Officers also dine in ordinary sailors' dining room, and they can get to know each other better while eating. After a few meals, they can get to know clearly who the soldiers under their command are, what each person's personality is like, hobbies and so on.

Just like just now, Hu Yizhou knew what Xiao Zhao was doing recently after chatting with him for a few sentences. If they were eating in a special officers' restaurant, they would never know this.

"Lao Wang, what's the food today?" Hu Yizhou walked to the place where food was served.

A buffet is served on the submarine. The cooks only need to cook and put the food in the dish bowl in front. However, Hu Yizhou still likes to chat with the cooks.

"Rice, steamed buns, vegetables. Today, there are still eight hot dishes and eight cold dishes. It depends on your taste. You can have whatever you want."

In the past, submarine soldiers could only eat eight or ten dishes on shore, but now, they can also eat such fresh and delicious vegetables underwater!

"By the way, today's after-meal fruits are watermelon and grapes." Lao Wang continued, "I just cut two watermelons and they are almost finished. I will cut you a new one."

"No need." Hu Yizhou looked at the remaining neatly arranged watermelons and the grapes on the plate next to them. It was rare to be able to eat such fresh fruits underwater. The watermelons were fine, after all, they could be preserved for a while on the submarine, but the grapes were not easy. Generally speaking, they would go bad in a week on the submarine, unless there was a large enough cold storage on the submarine to store so many fruits.

Sailors stay underwater all year round, and they dislike meat the most. What they want to eat the most is fruit. They could only eat canned food before, but now they can eat whatever they want.

Since taking control of the 096, the submarine soldiers have been very satisfied and even reluctant to go out. They want to stay in the submarine and go out to sea every day.

"By the way, we will definitely spend the Spring Festival on the submarine. You guys need to get ready. We will make dumplings then."

"Okay, we have enough flour, meat filling, and fresh water, but we don't have enough rolling pins. Captain Hu, how about letting the soldiers drink some wine recently? Then we can use wine bottles to roll out the dough."

"drink wine?"

There are strict regulations on whether you can drink alcohol on a submarine. Alcohol must be present on Russian submarines. Not to mention alcohol, the antifreeze with alcohol in the torpedo tubes is often secretly drunk by sailors, regardless of whether it is industrial alcohol or not.

The navy of the old British empire also has the custom of drinking, and they only drink rum. Before going to sea, the sailors go to the wine cellar at the base to get wine, then push the oak barrels into the submarine, line up on the submarine to get the wine, and drink it during their off-duty hours.

In the 1980s, due to budget constraints, the government cut the navy's wine money, which almost caused a naval mutiny. Until now, British submarines still retain the traditional project: once someone obtains the Dolphin Badge, the captain will soak this honor in wine and let that guy drink it.

France is romantic. Canned beer is always available on the submarine dining table, and the officers' mess has fine liquors such as brandy and wine. The Germans also like to drink beer, and such scenes can be seen in movies.

However, the Eastern army has a regulation that alcohol is strictly prohibited during missions. If the submarine soldiers want to drink, they have to go ashore!

"Yes, we brought dozens of small bundles of champagne before we set off."

If it is French petite champagne, it is definitely alcoholic beverage. However, Oriental petite champagne is just a soda drink that was most popular in the 1980s. The bottle of this drink is generally the same size as a beer bottle, making people mistake it for beer.

It was also very popular all over the country back then, and many places had their own specialty petit champagne. However, after entering the 1990s, various foreign beverages emerged, and Coca-Cola once dominated the market. However, after entering the new millennium, the retro style began, and petit champagne became popular again in many places.

It is said that the Mingzhou Group has set up a beverage division to produce retro products. The taste is the same as in the past, pure fruit juice drinks, no additives.

Hu Yizhou finally felt relieved. Since it was a juice drink, it didn't matter.

"Okay, then drink some of it in advance, but whoever drinks it will be responsible for rolling the skin with the wine bottle!"

There are not so many rolling pins in the army, so whenever there is a need to make dumplings at a dinner party, many people will use other items instead, with wine bottles being the most common.

Hearing Hu Yizhou say this, a submarine soldier immediately raised his hand: "Me, me!"

"Report, the sonar operator just heard the sound of the fleet, about 150 nautical miles away!"

There are different sonars on submarines. The sonar at the bow has the shortest detection range, and fifty nautical miles is just luck. The towed array sonar has the strongest performance, and can even detect three hundred nautical miles away. However, since the sonar needs to be released over a distance of several thousand meters or even tens of kilometers, it is very complicated and is generally not used. In comparison, the side sonar array combines the advantages of both. It can detect long-distance warships and does not need to be retracted or released, making it the main sonar of submarines.

"Slowly approach the fleet." Hu Yizhou said, "And observe the back to see if there is any tail. If there is, notify them to conduct anti-submarine training in advance." Hu Yizhou said.

Many novels describe the details of submarine combat, and describe it seriously: strategic nuclear submarines are used to launch ballistic missiles, and attack nuclear submarines are used to protect ballistic missile nuclear submarines. This is pure nonsense. Submarines are lonely warriors underwater. Even strategic nuclear submarines can conduct anti-submarine operations!
(End of this chapter)