Chapter 254: 100,000-ton oil tanker
Chen Shao did not understand the British idea, and he did not bother to understand. At the beginning of World War II, a lot of things would change. Once the two countries are at war, the contract is just decoration. There is no binding force in the slightest, and the words are always spoken by the victors.
"Is the fleet ready?" Chen Shao asked Jiang Baili.
"It's already assembled and standby, and a regiment of marines has boarded the ship."
At the time of negotiations with the British, all the equipment had been prepared, and as soon as the conditions were negotiated, they could immediately set off for the Persian Gulf. Chen Shao does not want to develop so-called supporting facilities, as the UK says. Moreover, Britain also miscalculated the speed of China's oil well construction and the oil situation in the Middle East, according to China's current level of drilling, and the shallow oil fields in the Persian Gulf region, it will not take long to build an oil well.
Chen Shao wanted oil, not anything else. In just three years, a steady stream of oil will be transported from the Middle East to China, not by rail, but by sea. It will take five or six years for the construction of the railway from China to the Persian Gulf to start construction in full force. Chen Shao's main purpose in building this railway was not to transport oil, but to build a fast passage to the Middle East under the guise of oil. Of course, once built, it can also be used to transport supplies and oil.
The special oil tanker with a load of 100,000 tons is the main force for Chen Shao to transport oil. With those tens of thousands of tons of oil tankers, like ants moving, contributing to China's oil reserves.
"The sooner you depart, the better, and inform the British, and send a cruiser squadron to escort the convoy, and explore the waterways there." Chen Shao never missed any opportunity to prepare for future wars.
"Well, I'll do it right away." Jiang Baili said.
"Go ahead!" Chen Shao didn't have anything to ask, so the latter walked out of the imperial study directly.
After Jiang Baili left, Chen Shao did not leave with Jiang Baili, but took out a report from the drawer and flipped it up.
China's oil reserves are not limited to the Middle East, and the United States also has a lot of oil. During the economic crisis, Chen Shao also acquired a lot of oil companies in the United States. Or buy directly in the international crude oil market. Anyway, all this money is not from the United States, and Chen Shao spends it with peace of mind.
Chen Shao's layout is very large, and many things are hosted by him alone, and he is handed over to the people below, which is really a little reassuring. In his spare time, he often sighed: "Alas! It would be nice if it was the same as when I was a kid or played computer games. ”
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In the Bass Strait, on the sea filled with night, a fleet of more than a dozen oil tankers flying the golden dragon flag was slowly moving forward.
In the fleet, on a 100,000-ton cruise ship with Guangyuan written on the side of the ship, Chu Ming was eating dinner in the wheelhouse. He is the captain of this oil tanker and the leader of this fleet, he grew up on the coast of Fujian, has always dealt with the sea, and for 40 years, he has been accustomed to a life of drifting at sea. I have seen the docile side of the sea, and I have also seen the violent side of the sea, and he is an elite and rich sailor.
Putting down the rice bowl and spoon in his hand, Chu Ming looked at the brand-new equipment in the cab, and once again showed a proud smile on his face. Having been dealing with ships for decades, he never dreamed that one day he would be on such a huge ship, or as a captain. In his previous cognition, he had never seen such a huge non-military ship outside of the foreigner's warship. The loading capacity of 100,000 tons, in his opinion, is an absolute miracle. Now he's sitting on a miracle.
Chu Ming was very glad that his decision back then was not wrong. Since he was a teenager, he has been working in the fleets of other countries, when China's own ocean-going fleets were few and far between. Twenty years of work has allowed him to accumulate a lot of experience. China was unified, sovereignty was established, and when recruitment was in full swing everywhere, he resolutely resigned from the job with a decent salary and joined China's own ocean-going fleet. With his rich experience, he quickly became a captain, and although it was only a freighter of several thousand tons, he was extremely satisfied. In five years, he can basically go up a step every year, from thousands of tons, 10,000 tons, tens of thousands of tons, and now 100,000 tons. And he also witnessed China's own ocean-going power step by step, and he knew that he was only one of countless seafarers, and there were many, many ships like this in China.
Chu Ming is proud of a lot of things, a 100,000-ton oil tanker, which is the first in the world. Although this tonnage is talking about loading, not displacement, it is definitely the first in the world among civilian ships. Not to mention how high the actual loading capacity of this tanker is, just looking at its huge hull can make others stunned.
During this mission, when the Guangyuan docked at the dock in the United States. No matter what kind of people from that country, no matter what kind of skin color, they all let out a huge exclamation, the dragon flag and Chinese characters, which is a good interpretation that this is a Chinese ship. When the purchased oil poured into the ship's hold, the belly that seemed to never fill was a shock to the staff of the docks.
Ten 10,000-ton oil depots can fill a freighter, and this is the first time they have seen such a thing. A fleet of ships emptied the entire dock and all the oil depots around it. It's hard for anyone to imagine that it won't take long to empty all the oil depots in the United States. Their minds flashed: what a horrible load.
Chu Ming knew very well the meaning of those foreigners' exclamations, and a large part of them exclaimed that this ship was Chinese. Chu Ming has heard a lot of this kind of exclamation. China is showing miracles to the world. Not only foreigners are surprised, but even Chu Ming himself often wonders if he is dreaming. Pinching his arm is already the most frequent action he does nowadays.
Ten years ago, as soon as Chu Ming's fleet docked, the most common question he heard was, "Are you Japanese?" Every time, Chu Ming would answer helplessly: "I am Chinese." ”
Ten years later, as soon as the fleet docked, the most common question heard was, "Are you Chinese or Japanese?" Now Chu Mingdu is proud to announce: "I am Chinese." ”
Two very different questions, the same answers, different moods. It reflects two completely different attitudes.
The cab of the Guangyuan is very large, the oil is **, and there are more operators. At this time, it was not a later generation, many advanced oil tankers were operated by computers, and there were satellite navigation and autonomous driving on them. Nowadays, a 100,000-ton oil tanker needs at least 50 sailors to operate, and there are three shifts 24 hours a day to ensure that the oil tanker can sail continuously at sea.
"Uncle Chu, how many days can I take a few days off when I come back this time?" A young man in his early twenties asked Chu Ming, who had just eaten enough.
"What's the matter, do you want to go back to see your family again?" Chu Mingdao.
This young man's name is Wu An, and Chu Ming is a fellow countryman. However, he is not a serious sailor, and he can be regarded as a security guard for this ship. I usually help out and do chores. Once you encounter something like pirates, you need him to take action. Since the beginning of the two-year reserve system, millions of soldiers have been discharged from the army every year. Many of these soldiers were placed directly in security posts. Unlike the security guards on land, the security personnel on the ocean-going fleet are all loaded with ammunition. Because once you encounter pirates, you need to use real guys.
The sea is changing, not only to pay attention to the sea conditions, but also to beware of pirates in the open sea. Although they generally do not dare to approach large fleets, everything is done just in case. In order to smoothly dock with other countries, cargo ships cannot be loaded with artillery, so they can only secretly carry some light weapons. This kind of thing can not only solve the employment problem of retired soldiers, but also can be used as a kind of military training, even if they are discharged, they can also make soldiers feel a tense atmosphere, and many military skills will not be wasted.
"Yes! I haven't been back for a while, but where are you going to go ashore this time? Wu Andao.
"We are now going through the Bass Strait, and then we will go directly to the South China Sea and go ashore at Fangchenggang. I won't go to Fujian, even if there is a holiday, I won't be able to go back in a short time, next time! Chu Ming stood up and walked to Wu An's side, patted him on the shoulder and said, "This is what going to sea looks like, it's good to be able to go back a few times a year, not to mention taking a long-distance route like ours." But the next time I come back, I will have a month off, enough for you to go back, and endure it for another two months. ”
"I knew I would have signed up for the Navy that year." Wu An sighed.
Just as Chu Ming was about to say something, a bright light appeared on the sea in the distance, scanning the fleet. The oil tanker's radio intercom rang: "We are the destroyer detachment of the East China Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy, please report the fleet number." ”
Chu Ming walked to the radio, picked up the microphone and said: "We are the third squad of the ninth transport fleet of Longteng Group, I am Chu Ming, the leader of the third team, and the fleet number is *****."
"The number is confirmed to be passed, and we move on."
After receiving that it was possible to move on, the strong lights on the sea surface were also extinguished, and there were three more destroyers on the sea. The destroyers, which had been in front of the fleet, slowly bypassed the flotilla's forward line.
"The Navy is also fortunate, you don't see that you have to go out to sea to patrol every day." Chu Ming put down the microphone and said to Wu An beside him.
"It's better than this, I feel like I'm about to rust." Wu An shook his arm and said.
Chu Ming shook his head and didn't speak, looking at the walkie-talkie in front of him, he also felt a lot of emotion. In the past, there were flags or light signals, but now they all use intercoms, and the times are progressing too fast, but this kind of facility is only available on new ships. Maintaining a specific wavelength frequency band, which cannot be changed, can be connected with the Navy through this frequency. It is very convenient to call for help or respond to inspections, although the communication distance is not very long, but it is enough to use.
(To be continued)