Chapter 340 Going to the Ocean (Please vote for me!)

The weather is very good and the sea is very calm. This is rare good weather, especially for salvage operations.

Under normal circumstances, sunlight can shine more than ten meters below the sea surface. The sunlight passes through the water layer powerfully and disperses the colors in the water, allowing divers in the sea to clearly distinguish objects within a hundred meters.

The water depth in the sea outside Arashiyama is very shallow, but the Yellow Sea is as its name suggests. The water is turbid, and the sight in the sea with a lot of sediment is not even as good as in the deep sea of ​​tens of meters. After all, the light in the deep sea can be seen clearly, but

In the turbid Yellow Sea, even if you use lights, your sight range is very limited.

Because the battleship "Hanoi" sank offshore, the superstructure of the battleship was exposed to the water, and equipment such as turrets were lifted directly by the crane on the ship. Otherwise, only the nearly 700-ton turret was lifted to float.

It was a big project, and here, it only took two days to lift the six turrets.

It is also very easy to salvage the connected shells. The divers only need to swim into the ammunition depot from the turret base and then lift it up. In the past few days, all the salvage work has been carried out in an orderly manner.

From the main turret to the side guns, almost all the weapons and equipment that can be removed on the surface have been numbered and removed to reduce the weight of the battleship when it is salvaged from the water.

The divers who dived into the water saw very blurry things. With some moderate light on the seabed and through the diving goggles, the divers could vaguely see the damage caused by the torpedo blast in the middle of the battleship.

The edges of the damaged area, which was nearly one meter in diameter and wide, were full of jagged fractures. When the diver swam in, he was careful to avoid being scratched by the fractures. After a while, the plug used to block the leak was hoisted from the water.

Several divers immediately got busy,

“When the pontoons arrive, we will almost be able to salvage!!”

Zhang Qiaofu, a former diver, looked at the sand sprayed out by the sand pump on the ship and thought to himself that salvaging this large warship was not an easy task. The company not only used all the equipment, but also even brought some equipment from Hong Kong.

In addition, we rented two 1,500-ton pontoons.

But even so, based on the tonnage of the sunken ship, it can barely meet the needs of salvage. In order to ensure the smooth floating of the sunken ship, in addition to removing turrets, shells, and weight reduction of equipment, dozens of divers worked day and night to stabilize the ship.

of coal, and used a sand pump to pump out the sand in the cabin.

"If this battleship can be refloated, the salvage agency can join the ranks of the world's first-class salvage agencies!"

Stepping on this somewhat dilapidated iron barge, this 2,300-ton barge with an 800-ton crane is the company's largest salvage ship. Zhang Qiaofu knew that this ship was an old ship that the British had eliminated, but even so

, but what is about to be salvaged at the salvage office is the largest ship ever salvaged and floated in the water.

While Zhang Qiaofu was muttering in his mind, on the sea more than ten kilometers away, accompanied by several barges, a huge "U"-shaped ship was slowly sailing towards the wreck area. In fact, this was not

Not a ship, but a floating dock.

In 1900, in order to further implement the aggression plan against China and the Far East, the German authorities dispatched its Far East Fleet to Qingdao. At the same time, it was convenient to repair the fleet ships and build new ships nearby, so the ship repair center founded in Aosta was taken over by the German government.

The Governor's Palace of Australia was originally called Qingdao Navy Factory, Qingdao Shipyard Craft Factory, also known as the Governor's Palace Factory. In order to build a large-scale shipbuilding and repairing yard matching the port in Houhai, Qingdao (today's Qingdao Dagang site), in September 1901, in Dagang

The construction site also held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the port and the factory. The new shipyard site was built on the left side of the entrance to the Dagang breakwater.

At that time, more than 1 million pieces of earth and stone were used to reclaim land, and a 1,100-meter-long deep-water ship berth and large factory building were built. The naval factory gradually moved from Qianhai to the back sea. In 1902, the first steam engine boat produced by the factory was launched. In 1903

In 1905, German technicians started construction of a 16,000-ton floating dock at the Dagang construction site based on the largest ship sailing along the East Asian coast at that time. It was completed and delivered for use on October 12, 1905. The second year after the floating dock was put into operation, that is, in 1907

On April 1, the relocation of the factory to the new Dagang factory was completed. After 6 years of construction, all workshops, warehouses, machinery and equipment of the new factory with a total construction cost of 50 million marks were put into operation. At that time, it was commonly known as Manjing Island Shipyard.

Among this shipyard, the essence of the shipyard is this 16,000-ton floating dock. This large dock with a floating slipway is 125 meters long, 39 meters wide, has a tonnage of 16,000, and can accommodate 145 people.

Meters, ships of 10,000 tons or above are mainly used for ship repair and construction. During operation, 30 people operate the mechanical equipment and can lift a 30,000-ton ship. This floating dock with a total cost of more than 6 million yuan is called Asia's at this time.

First, in addition to the steel and mechanical equipment used being imported from Germany, the main construction and construction were undertaken by Chinese workers, making Qingdao Shipyard famous around the world. After Germany returned Jiao'ao, the floating dock was also returned to China, and this time

In the salvage operation, the floating dock is the main force in the salvage operation, and the ship will transport it to Lianyungang.

Aosta, the chief engineer of Qingdao Shipyard who designed and supervised the construction of the floating dock, stood on the deck, looking at the seagulls flying on the sea. Without thinking about anything, he stretched and took out one by one from his pocket.

He lit the cigar with a windproof lighter, and then said with some concern.

"The length of the battleship Hanoi is 160 meters, but the floating dock is designed to accommodate only 145 meters!"

"But you can always give it a try. The length may be a little off, but the tonnage can lift 30,000 tons!"

Fang Zicheng raised the corners of his lips slightly. In his opinion, these two sunken ships with repair value must be salvaged no matter what. This is related to China's coastal defense.

"It's a big risk!"

Turning his head to look at Fang Zicheng, Aosta continued.

"The Japanese Hanoi-class battleships have lagged behind the navies of other countries. If you intend to strengthen the navy, you should redesign and build a new type of warship. The main force of Japan's navy was indeed destroyed in World War I, but they are still building more powerful ones.

Battleships, only rely on the Hanoi class..."

Aosta shook his head. In his opinion, salvaging and repairing the Hanoi class always outweighs the gains and losses. Although the construction cost of the two warships exceeds 30 million yuan, the salvage fee alone will cost millions. After the warships are out of the water and docked,

Also check the boiler and engine. If the boiler is flooded, it will need to be replaced, repaired, and repaired. It will cost at least five to six million yuan to make it capable of combat. If the keel is bent, I am afraid it will have to be dismantled.

Ironclad.

"Mr. Aosta, China is not Germany. Germany has many warships, but China..."

Sighing, Fang Zicheng looked towards the sea. Since the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Navy has ceased to exist, and a few cruisers are simply not enough to defend China's coastal defense.

"The Hanoi class may be lagging behind other naval powers, but for China, it can enable China to achieve zero breakthrough!"

Then Fang Zicheng turned his attention to Aosta, a shipbuilding engineering expert who was re-employed as the chief engineer of Qingdao Shipbuilding Institute. He had participated in the third Helgoland-class ship Thuringia at the Wessel Shipyard in Bremen, Germany.

Whether it is Lianyungang or Qingdao, he is one of the few technicians capable of building and designing warships, and it is for this reason that the company recruited him.

"Perhaps, in the future, you can help the Chinese Navy design and build new battleships! Mr. Aosta!"

Aosta shrugged his shoulders and said very seriously.

"Although I am in China now, I am still a German. If I help you design battleships, wouldn't that be an enemy of Germany?"

After that, he held on to the side of the ship and looked at the wreckage of the shipwreck that had not yet been salvaged from the sea, as if talking to himself.

"I read in the newspaper that your Huaihai Economic Envoy may become prime minister. I hope he can prevent you from sending troops to Europe by then!"

Then, he turned around with a somewhat innocent smile on his face.

"For our friendship!"

When Aosta mentioned friendship, Fang Zicheng just smiled and said nothing. When he looked into the distance, what he saw was a merchant ship of about 2,000 tons, slowly heading north.

Go, Fang Zicheng can guess that the merchant ship is probably flying the Chinese flag without using a telescope.

When he turned his attention to the merchant ship, in the bridge of the merchant ship, a young, even surprisingly young captain was holding a telescope and looking at the ship that was being towed by the barge and heading towards the sunken area.

At the floating dock, the young captain's eyes were full of surprise. Perhaps it was the first time he had seen such a huge floating dock.

"When we come back from Vladivostok, maybe the company will have two more merchant ships!"

Putting down his binoculars and wearing a brand new captain's woolen uniform, Meng Wei's young face was full of pride. Although this "Newport" merchant ship was an old merchant ship built 14 years ago, he

But he was among the first batch of captains trained by the Eagle Merchant Shipping School, and he was the youngest among them, at 17 years old! Not only that, he was also the youngest captain in the world, so when he was promoted to captain,

Even foreign newspapers reported on it.

Half a year ago, most of the merchant ships sailing along the coast of China were merchant ships from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Italy and other countries. Even the merchant ships of China Merchants Shipping Bureau did not have a Chinese captain. However, this war has changed many things.

, the participating countries have redeployed merchant ships back to their countries to meet their own transportation needs.

The merchant ships originally purchased by the company and idle in the bay berthing area immediately entered the market left after the merchant ships of various countries evacuated. Those old ships purchased from Britain, the United States, France, Germany and other countries before the war could be used after some maintenance.

Putting it into use, but having a ship does not mean the problem is solved. The navigation of merchant ships requires sailors and merchant ship officers. The former can be solved with a little training, but merchant ship officers are not a problem that can be solved in the short term.

Lianyungang has a merchant marine school. The Yingyou Merchant Marine School is modeled after the American Merchant Marine School. Compared with the long six-year course of the British Merchant Marine School, the initial course of the Yingyou Merchant Marine School was four years, but it was shortened to six months after the establishment of the school.

In two years, students first receive 6 months of classroom training, then 6 months of on-board internship, and then return to school for another year of education, take exams, and obtain certificates. Even though the school hours are shortened by half, in China Ocean Shipping

It seems that the training period is still too long and the transportation company is currently shortening the courses.

As a first-term student of the Merchant Marine School, Meng Qu naturally knows all this very well. He clearly knows that he can become a captain precisely because of this. In fact, the result of shortening the school hours is that a large number of young people have

A surprising person became the captain of the company, but Meng Qu was the youngest among them.

"Full left rudder, speed six!"

Putting down the telescope, Meng Qu skillfully issued commands. When the first mate conveyed his orders, he puffed out his chest to make himself look stronger.

For Meng Quan, who three years ago was still dreaming of being able to "drive a big ship" one day, never expected that he would become a captain three years later. Apart from being proud, he was more cautious.

Looking around the bridge of the "Newport", Meng Kuo saw a group of similarly young faces. The first mate Li Buwei, 19 years old, was a second-year student at the Eagle Cruiser School. The deck officer Huo Mingyu, who was the same age as him, only accepted

He had received three months of training, and his classmate was also only 17 years old, and he was the engineer officer of the "Newport".

The combined age of all the officers of the "Newport" is less than 100 years old. In the China Merchants Shipping Bureau, the combined age of two merchant shipping officers randomly selected exceeds theirs. This cannot but be said to be a "miracle".

"When we get to Vladivostok, we will definitely scare those Russians to death!"

Thinking of the surprised expressions of the port officials when they entered the port a few days later, Meng Qing raised the corners of his lips and showed a smile, but the smile only flashed by. Precisely because of his youth, he understood that he must

Establishing the authority of the captain and being unsmiling should be the character that a qualified captain must maintain.

When the horizon disappeared from the telescope, Meng Qing knew that the merchant ship had sailed into the deep sea area, sailed away from Jiangsu, and slowly sailed towards Russia. When he took a last look at the direction of the land, he was silently thinking for himself.

I am also praying for the "Xingang" and that everything goes well.

"Army and Marine Corps!"

In the office, after Li Zicheng and Han Wu put down the salvage report, they both mentioned the most important link for the Army and Navy - officers!

Although the Jiangsu Army Marine Corps is named after the Army, it is actually the Navy. The Navy is different from the Army. The Navy has always been a technical branch. This technical branch cannot be built by just recruiting a group of people.

If you want to build a navy, apart from warships, the most important thing is people, officers!
To be continued...