My Italy

Massawa is the main port in Italian East Africa and a very important port on the Far East trade route. Basically, Italian ships traveling to and from the Far East like to stop at Massawa for supplies and repairs.

Because here is the best shipyard in East Africa and very skilled shipyard workers. These workers will quickly deal with the algae and shellfish on the bottom of the ship, allowing the ship to sail again quickly, and the charges are relatively cheap. With the advantages of being cheap and fast, many ships from other countries also like to choose Massawa as a port for docking and repairs.

Therefore, Massawa has been prosperous and prosperous in recent years by relying on East African trade and port calling services.

Of course, as Italy's largest port in East Africa, Massawa will certainly not be short of warships. But today, off the coast of Massawa, a strange warship suddenly surfaced, and a group of naval officers and soldiers were scrambling to climb out of the hatch.

"Ahem, cough, cough, Mr. Luofu, can you inform us next time you conduct experiments? Look at how embarrassed everyone is."

Captain Barrera, who had a beard and a greasy face and wore the same greasy navy shirt, stood on the boat and coughed twice, complaining to the engineer on board who had just climbed out of the submarine.

Rolf, who looked similar to Captain Barrera, apologized to him with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Captain Barrera. I was expecting to arrive in Massawa soon, so I wanted to check the underwater emergency submarine charging, but I forgot to close the hatch."

And Luofu's words made the other officers and soldiers on the boat look angry. You must know how dangerous it is to start the diesel engine underwater, and something might happen. This person actually dared to do this for the sake of experiment. Are these onboard engineers who are inspecting submarines desperate for their lives?

Captain Barrera gestured with three fingers in his hand and said with a vicious expression. "We can't just let this matter go. When we get to Massawa, you have to treat everyone to at least three glasses of rum."

"No problem, I'll buy you three glasses of rum, everyone."

Knowing that Captain Barrera was trying to save himself from the siege, Rove readily agreed to this condition.

As for the officers and soldiers of the submarine, most of their attention was attracted by three glasses of rum at this time, so most of their anger was reduced.

After a while, the smoke in the cabin cleared, and then Barrera spoke. "Boys, now move on to Massawa, where there is wine and food waiting for us, as well as hot baths and girls."

Barrera's words made everyone on the submarine cheer. They had not been on land for half a month. At this time, there was nothing comparable to these. Staying in a small submarine cabin was simply worse than going to jail.

So under the leadership of Varela, this new submarine built by the Livorno Shipyard rushed towards Massawa not far away.

Captain Barrera and others are driving Italy's latest submarine, a C-class submarine. This is the 11th submarine built in Italy and the second submarine designed by John Holland in Italy.

The father of modern submarines still had great ambitions. Faced with an invitation from Italy, even at an advanced age, he left the unhappy United States without hesitation and came to Italy to design his beloved submarine.

The Type C submarine has a displacement of 250 tons, an underwater displacement of 303 tons, a length of 41.2 meters, a pressure hull length of 27.8 meters, a width of 4.08 meters, a height of 8.6 meters, a draft of 3.83 meters, a maximum depth of 90 meters, and a normal depth of 50 meters.

It is equipped with two four-stroke six-cylinder diesel engines, each with a power of 350 horsepower, and underwater power is provided by two electric motors with a power of 220 horsepower. The maximum speed on the water is 11.4 knots, the maximum speed underwater is 5.8 knots, the fuel load is 12 tons, the surface endurance is 1400 nautical miles/8 knots, and the underwater endurance is 35 nautical miles/4 knots.

The main weapons are two 533mm torpedo launch tubes, which can carry 5 torpedoes or 12 mines. A 37mm gun is installed on the deck. The submarine has a crew of 26, including 3 officers.

Think about it, how uncomfortable it is for 26 personnel to stay in a small space of more than 20 meters long (the pressure-resistant shell is the only place where personnel can stay), or to stay there for more than ten days. Not to mention the addition of several shipyard engineers who were on board to inspect the equipment, it became even more crowded.

Although the C-shaped water surface was not very fast, it was just off the coast of Massawa, so it quickly arrived at the military port in Massawa.

"Barela, long time no see!"

"Long time no see, Tovani."

Two rough palms are held tightly together, representing deep friendship.

Captain Tovani, who is currently the first mate of the cruiser Farias, said with joy as he looked at his friends and classmates for many years. "I didn't expect you to go to the submarine force, let alone meet you here."

Captain Barrera said equally happily. "Actually, I've wanted to come to you for a long time. Isn't it just the right time?"

"In that case, let's go. I know you are arriving in Massawa today, and I have specially prepared to take you to taste the delicacies of East Africa."

"That's just right. I've been eating all the bread in the submarine these days, and I've long wanted to change my taste."

After saying that, Barela left the military port in a car under the leadership of Tovani. Since Massawa is a trade and supply port, it will bring together people from all over the world, and the style of Massawa's architecture is also the same. What about the Middle East, Buildings of various styles such as South Asia, Africa, and Europe can be seen everywhere, and Tovani took him to an East African-style restaurant about one kilometer away from the military port.

"Your Majesty Tovani, welcome to your visit."

As soon as I got off the car, I saw a fat black man of 200 pounds walking quickly towards Tovani with an exaggerated expression and dancing.

"Tuke, are you ready for me to treat my friends to delicious food?"

It seems that Tovani is very familiar with this fat black man.

"Of course, of course. How could I forget the distinguished guests that Mr. Tovani is going to entertain? They will be here soon."

Tu Ke, who brought the two people to the dining room, immediately answered.

After a while, the waiter came with various delicacies, such as roasted tender lamb, roasted camel hump, fried bananas, black coffee, and some delicacies that looked good but could not be named. The table was piled with these foods.

"Come drink to our friendship."

After the crisp sound of clinking glasses, the two started eating happily. Especially Barrera, who is tired of eating bread these days, it's like a wind and a cloud.

“It’s so comfortable, and the East African food is really good.”

Barrera, who was very satisfied with his meal, put down his knife and fork and touched his belly.

As for Tovani, he had already taken out two cigars. A cigarette after a meal is better than a living god. This is true for smokers all over the world, and this person obviously has not escaped the range of smokers, so puffing up after a meal is inevitable.

"Barela, there's something I don't understand. Why did you want to go to the submarine force?" Tovani looked at his friend and asked where he came from.

Don't blame Tovanihu for asking this, because currently, in the Italian Navy, submarines, an emerging force, do not attach much importance to it. Moreover, the nature of submarines made many navy officers scorn them.

In their opinion, the navy should drive battleships to confront the enemy head-on, with cannons roaring and steel colliding. There is nothing more romantic for a man than this. Hiding in a dark corner like a submarine, waiting for the enemy to come and attack suddenly, is simply unattainable.

This is not just a view held by the Italian Navy, but also by navies from all countries. After all, the navy is a noble service, so sneak attacks will definitely not be recognized by the nobles.

When asked by his friend, Barrera answered silently. "Because I like this feeling of lurking, and I think submarines have great potential in the future because they can lurk in the sea. The navy not only needs warships on the surface, but also warships under the water."

Since his friends had said so, Tovani could only raise his glass again. "Then I hope your wish comes true."

"Thanks."

Barrera was very satisfied with the treat given by his friends tonight, and his subordinates were not as well fed as they were. Next, they will spend a week in Massawa for repairs, and then continue to test this new submarine.