One hundred and forty, the silent fleet
U.S. Western Pacific Overseas Territory, Guam
This lush and peanut-like tropical island covers an area of less than 600 square kilometers and is located at the southernmost tip of the Mariana Islands. Originally formed as an undersea volcano and surrounded by coral reefs, it has a warm climate throughout the season, rich in luscious tropical fruits, and resembles a tropical Eden.
In general, compared with the entire Philippine Islands next to it, Guam itself does not have any products worth mentioning, and what really makes people look up is the geographical location of the island - it is 5,863 kilometers away from Hawaii in the east, and only four days away from Japan in the north.
As early as 1521, the Chamorro people, the indigenous inhabitants of Guam, discovered Magellan, the first navigator who completed the circumnavigation of the world, on the shore of this island, and began the Spanish occupation and rule of this remote island for 300 years. Then, in the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States seized Guam from Spain and built it into a forward base for the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific.
However, in the thirties of the twentieth century, for the United States of America, which had not yet become the hegemon of Shijie and domestic isolationism was prevalent, the strategic value of Guam, where earthquakes and typhoons were struck, was not as important as it would have been in the future. The island's white settlers, garrisons, and military installations were also scarce, wasting its fine deep-water port of Apra, which had only one naval station, except for a few dismal tropical plantations. There are 200 to 300 logistics personnel stationed there, with a Navy Colonel serving as station commander and governor of Guam, and the main task is to provide logistical supplies for US warships that rarely pass through once a month. Arrange for the wounded and sick to go ashore to recuperate...... In the eyes of U.S. Navy personnel of this era, Guam was considered a place of exile because it was a remote and desolate place, boring and unprofitable, and usually only the unluckiest were kicked over.
However, the current Governor of Guam, Admiral Macmillan. He hadn't lost interest in the sweet tropical island, for he had only been transferred from Alaska in March, and he still had the chill of the Arctic ice sea -- Guam's blue skies, white clouds, coral reefs, coconut groves, tropical fruits. In the eyes of Colonel Macmillan, it was like a fairy tale. And when he talks about Arctic storms, drift ice, fog, seals, Eskimo natives and frost-wounded amputations in the island's little bar, Guam's tropics hear what seems like a fairy tale.
Since there was really little official business on this isolated island, Colonel Macmillan spent his free time wandering around. Sometimes I go diving in Tumon Bay in a small boat. See the colorful marine life and catch some fish and shrimp for a snack; More often than not, it's the highest peak on the island, Lan Mountain, at 407 metres above sea level, for a bird's-eye view of the island – it's the dry season and the irises are rising and falling with the sea breeze. The waters between the coral reefs are calm and clear, like golden-green chrysoprase. The blue sea reflects the floating clouds, the thin waves set the coral island with a circle of silver, and the beach is as pale as jade. The island's coconut groves and shrubs are verdant. Bathed in the golden light of the rising sun, the air is always filled with the sweetness of tropical fruits. There is also a refreshing sea breeze and fragrant floral scents...... What a scene of tranquility and peace!
Of course, even the most beautiful tropical scenery can be boring and boring after watching it for a long time. And the local indigenous people of Guam who have broken their hair and tattoos and roasted taro with red-hot pebbles to eat make the "civilized people" feel out of place, and they are more and more nostalgic for the glittering and bustling hustle and bustle of the metropolis...... In fact, most of the employees of Apra Naval Station dream every day that they want to leave the ghost place of Guam, but unfortunately they can only survive day by day. Thankfully, before the novelty of the tropical scenery had passed, Colonel Macmillan discovered something that excited him: a huge fleet flying the Star-Spangled Banner had suddenly appeared on the shoreline of this wild island!
-- I'm afraid that since God created Shijie, I am afraid that there has never been such a large fleet in the waters of Guam! He thought so.
Colonel Macmillan was still largely clear about the origin of the American fleet -- while he was moving from Alaska to Guam, the federal government assembled the Asian fleet of the Philippines, as well as the native fleets of Hawaii and the West Coast, and traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean to China to teach the Bolshevik thugs who dared to infringe on the interests of the United States and kill American expatriates...... Next, because he was on a remote island at the end of this Shijie, his understanding of outside information was always half a beat, but he vaguely knew that China's war was fierce, many people died, and the country was still calling for the second batch of reinforcements. As for the Marines originally stationed on Guam, they were transferred to the battlefield to serve as cannon fodder before he arrived.
Now, this fleet has actually appeared on Guam, and it is estimated that most of them are going to return triumphantly...... From the beach, looking at these majestic ships with many barrels, and hunting the naval and star-striped flags fluttering on the masts, the people of Guam think so.
For a lonely and remote island, every ship from afar can always cause quite a stir. Enthusiastic islanders swarmed out from the harbor in small boats and loaded with goods, trying to sell their freshly picked mangoes, pineapples, coconuts and bananas to the officers and men of the fleet. Colonel Macmillan, the Governor of Guam, carefully freshened up, put on his crisp military uniform, and put on his only medal, and then rushed to the docks with his whole class to prepare for the captains of the navy. There were also countless indigenous boys and girls wearing garlands on their heads, who came to the harbor at the behest of the tribal elders, standing in a line with bouquets in their hands, and craned their necks to look at the approaching fleet.
As time passed, several 10,000-ton battleships anchored in the open sea, while several other destroyers with small tonnage and shallow draft continued their journey towards Apra Harbor on Guam, accompanied by circling seabirds and howling sea winds. Getting closer to the marina......
Seeing this, the islanders on the shore immediately burst into a boiling cheer, and almost everyone was busy waving and shouting to the boat. But the fleet remained deadly silent. No one cheered, no one waved, only the roar of the bow of the boat rowing the waves...... The people on the shore fell silent, they had never seen such a quiet fleet, and an indescribable uneasiness instantly seized their hearts, and made them feel as if something unpleasant was about to happen, but they could not tell where this premonition came from.
Followed by. With a gentle ramming, three destroyers docked in turn at the port of Apra, and after a few more moments. Only a few sailors stumbled and jumped off the ship...... It was uncomfortable that most of these sailors were hobbled and haggard, and their eyes were filled with an indescribable despair and fear, and everyone they looked at with them. I can't help but feel a creep.
From these lost American sailors. The people of Guam smell death!
Attempts were made to talk to the sailors, or to sell fruit and cigarettes, and even to prostitute prostitutes who were promising. But these sailors, like the walking dead, seemed to be not interested in anything, but sat silently under the coconut trees or by the reef of the beach, looking at the roaring sea without saying a word. There were also a few sailors who took out all the money in the bar without saying a word, and then gulped on the spirits in an attempt to numb their nerves...... If you look closely. It can also be found that a considerable number of sailors have lost their hair, eyebrows, and even beards, while some sailors have festering scars on their skin. It seems to be marks from burns, and purple-black spots have appeared on the skin of some people.
Sensing that something was wrong, Colonel Macmillan quickly found a transport boat and rushed to the battleship Pennsylvania, the flagship of the American fleet, to meet the fleet commander Frank. Admiral Upperm...... As a result, when he stumbled back from the flagship, the same mental state of the whole person was wrong. But in the duty of an officer, Colonel Macmillan summoned all the officers and staff of the Apra naval station, as well as several local planters, and announced to them in a trembling voice the terrible news:
“…… Pestilence! A terrible plague has broken out in our expeditionary fleet! And they've now brought the plague to the island! ”
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At the same time, O'Brien, a U.S. military doctor in Guam, was also ordered to board a warship to check on the epidemic, and then in the stenching cabins, he saw a horrific scene -- countless dying sailors were lying in cramped cabins with rancid air, covered in pus, festering, moaning in pain, their skin peeling off, and even maggots growing on their bodies...... Zuihou died a miserable death, and before he died, he was almost inhuman.
In the face of this sudden and violent plague, the doctors of the expeditionary fleet were helpless against it - in fact, the doctors and nurses on board were often the first to die, because they were involved in the Nagasaki fires and were often contaminated with large amounts of "volcanic ash".
On the destroyer that O'Brien had boarded, he simply dug out the medic's notebook from the empty medic's desk, and recorded the poor medic's masterpiece—he described how at first he felt a strange sour taste in his mouth, then found himself blurry, and then began to vomit, and vomited until there was no food in his stomach. After that, the hapless resident doctor was lying in a hospital bed, in a state of high fever, high blood pressure, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness and semi-shock, all of which were ineffective, until he died in agony...... And until he died, the doctor didn't know what was wrong with him. The nurse who cared for the doctor and wrote the record had died a day earlier from a similar condition.
-- After witnessing these many brutal scenes of death, Dr. O'Brien, who had never actually been on the battlefield, had a nervous breakdown, and he returned to shore in despair, and went into his humble medical room, and then wrote down the horrors of his warship:
“…… According to the logbook, more than 70 percent of the expeditionary fleet had been suffering from a strange illness since it left the port of Nagasaki, which was covered in 'volcanic ash', and headed for Hawaii. The initial presenting symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite; Then there was severe diarrhea. The stool contains a lot of blood; This is followed by fever, weakness, dizziness; Subsequently, a large amount of blood seeps under the skin, causing purple spots to appear on various parts of the body...... Inflammation and ulceration of the mouth, throat and gums...... Constant bleeding from the mouth, gums, throat, rectum and urethra...... A large amount of hair falls off the scalp or other parts of the body...... Some are even alive. The entrails are already rotting!
In most cases, this is an irreversible, chronic process that continues until the patient's entire body ulcerates and eventually dies.
At present, at least one-sixth of the officers and men of the entire fleet have died, and many more are dying, and new cases are emerging every day...... Every crunch of the battleship has been cleaned. All the medicines and antiseptic precautions had been used, but they could not stop the rapid spread of the plague, and even the commander of the fleet, Admiral Upperm, contracted the plague. What's even more terrifying. As the sailors continued to fall ill, the remaining people who could barely move were no longer enough to sail the warship normally, so they had to abandon their original plan to go to Hawaii. Anchored in Guam. Ask for help from your local naval supply depot. Unfortunately, we are just as helpless about it......"
At this point, he paused for a moment, then seemed to shudder, and then wrote in a more shaky and messy scribble: "...... Bleeding under the skin, dark spots, strong rancid odor...... All of this reminds me of the terrible Black Death in the Middle Ages. The Black Death, which killed nearly half of Europe's population, originated with twelve 'ships of death' from the Crimean peninsula...... Oh, God willing. Let the same tragedy not occur in our time, let alone spread to Guam......"
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In front of the discovery of these majestic steel ships. It was not a victorious army that returned triumphantly, but a team of "ships of death" that brought a terrible plague, and Guam exploded for a while. The first reaction of the islanders, who were frightened half to death by the tragic situation of the plague, was to drive the scourge out of the way, so that this hapless fleet would get out of the way quickly, so that the plague would not spread to the island...... Unfortunately, such a thing is really impossible.
Then, in the name of preventing the spread of the plague, they tried to prohibit the sailors from disembarking, but they failed—any general in the expeditionary fleet had a higher rank than Colonel Macmillan, the governor of Guam, and had the right to dictate to Colonel Macmillan, and they obviously did not intend to stay in the foul-smelling battleship and wait for death, and the Department of Defense in Washington also sent a strict order for the Guam supply depot to provide full support!
Colonel Macmillan, who did not dare to disobey the military order, had no choice but to take in the sick sailors ashore and make every effort to vacate houses and beds for housing, turning Guam into a giant field hospital...... It's a pity that the level of the Apra Naval Station is really not high, and the medical conditions are very simple. Despite all the efforts of the Guam side, hundreds or thousands of sick sailors continued to die, and only a few patients were able to recover in the end, and the deaths were generally extremely horrific, with swelling and blackening all over the body and rotting internal organs...... As a result, Guam has been transformed from a giant hospital into a giant cemetery.
Such a tragic scene has caused the spirit of some Guam residents to collapse. They believed that a terrible disease had enveloped the island, and that the only way to survive was to escape to sea. As a result, some of the U.S. Navy officers and sailors of the Apra Naval Station abandoned their duties and their colleagues in the fleet and fled in small boats to the islands of Saipan and Tinian (also known as Tinian), which were under Japanese rule at the time......
Since relations between Japan and the United States were not bad at that time, the Japanese troops stationed on the island, who did not know the inside story, were friendly at first, and tried their best to provide shelter and food for the refugees, and tried to inquire about their escape. However, after the Japanese finally figured out the inside story of this "plague", they were also so frightened that they quickly expelled these suspected plague refugees and let them return to Guam to fend for themselves!
Over time, while the expeditionary fleet became almost a fleet of death, no one in Saipan and Tinian, as well as the indigenous people of Guam and American immigrants, contracted a similar plague. While they were happy, they couldn't help but be a little confused.
-- Unbeknownst to the people of the Mariana Islands, the U.S. fleet was hit by a subtropical storm on the way shortly after leaving the port of Nagasaki, which caused the torrential rain to wash away the radioactive dust on the warships...... However, while the rainstorm was able to wash away the radioactive fallout from the surface of the battleship and prevent it from harming more people, it could not restore the health of those who had already suffered a huge amount of radiation......
At the same time, the British fleet, which had retreated to Hong Kong, and the French fleet, which had fled to Vietnam, silently spread death and fear in all directions...... As for the Japanese island of Kyushu, which is covered by nuclear radiation clouds, it has completely become a purgatory of death. (To be continued......)