Chapter 73: The Day of the Tsunami
The frightened Ed took Gu Tie to find a hotel. In fact, there is only one hotel in the whole of Blansk. "Little Kiev. Interesting, opened by the Ukrainians?" Gu Tie seemed to read the sign of the hotel with interest, and the Poles rushed to open the glass door and walked to the front desk, blocking the murderous Chinese behind them.
The drowsy receptionist looked up from behind the counter, "Do you want a room, two?" and with just one glance, the meaty-faced butcher and the cold-eyed dejected ghost guest behind him made him shiver and wake up immediately. "Good afternoon, what kind of room would I like, gentlemen?" he asked, with a slight movement of his buttocks, respectfully re-asking.
"The best room you guys. Ed pulled out his ID and placed it on the counter.
"All rooms are the same price,...... Mr. Grenevsky. The receptionist opened his passport and looked at it, "105 zlotys per night including tax, check out before two o'clock in the afternoon." Stay one night, right?...... Do you want two rooms?"
"No, one. The bearded man said categorically.
The receptionist raised his eyes and glanced at the two guests, with a look of "complete understanding" on his face, "Of course, a double room." If the two gentlemen are on their honeymoon, the 'Little Kiev' hostel offers complimentary roses and chocolates that can be prepared before the two of them check in. β
"No need. Just give us a secluded room, at the end of the hallway, preferably without a window. Ed said calmly.
The receptionist suddenly realized: "Ah, yes, yes, I fully understand such a request! From a secular perspective, isn't it? Legalization is one thing, openness is another......
Gu Tie glanced at him impatiently, and the receptionist immediately lowered his head and brushed to fill in the registration book, and then handed out a bunch of keys: "Room 219, at the end of the corridor, no windows, very good sound insulation, super comfortable big bed, if you need food delivery service, just give me a call......"
"Thank you. Ed dropped the 5 yuan tip, took his passport and key, and carried Gu Tie upstairs. Two men's feet crunched over the old synthetic carpet, and the unmaintained wooden staircase creaked, "I'm not stupid. The bearded man suddenly spoke, "What exactly are you doing on the Genesis network?"
"When I want to say it, I will say it. The Chinese calmly ascended the stairs.
The Pole shrugged: "I will remember this phrase." β
Compared to the somewhat shabby lobby, the room is clean and tidy. Ed locked the door, moved a chair and sat next to the door, took out a pistol, and raised Erlang's legs: "You do what you have to do, I'll call you at dinner time." Mind if I watch TV?"
"Turn up the volume. If you want to increase the realism, you'd better call **. Gu Tie made a joke with an expressionless face.
He was lying on the KingSize bed, and as the receptionist said, it was a very comfortable bed, and he landed on the quantum network. In the blink of an eye, the turbulent world of the Pure Land surrounded him, Gu Tie took a deep breath, stood still under the pitch-black sky, and raised his hands.
His goal is very clear. Guided by a search thread, information about the Royal Caribbean "Oasis of the Seas" poured out like a flood: it went to sea in November 2009 for its maiden voyage, costing $1.4 billion, with a tonnage of 225,000 tons, a draft of 9.1 meters, a length of 361.8 meters, a waterline width of 47 meters, a maximum width of 63.4 meters, a height of 72 meters, and a speed of 22.6 knots, which is five times larger than the Titanic and 60,000 tons heavier than the next cruise ship "Ocean Freedom". Harbored at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, the cruise ship has 16 decks and 2,000 cabins, with a capacity of 6,000 passengers, a large shopping mall, numerous bars and restaurants, an outdoor amphitheater the size of a football field, and sports facilities such as a climbing wall. It will operate the Equatorial Round-the-World route from September 15, 2034.
Gu Tie's eyes slid over many useful and useless strings, his left hand clenched into a fist, and the related news arranged in chronological order automatically formed a vast and boundless matrix. June 17, 2052...... "He silently recited the date of the accident, and the irrelevant news quietly faded, leaving only one hundred and ten relevant reports in the air. He opened a video news from Japan's Kyodo News Agency, and the rough Sea of Japan appeared beside him, and the photographer sitting in the helicopter was taking pictures with trembling hands of the terrifying tsunami slowly rising on the skyline, and the reporters on the scene shouted frantically: "33 meters! According to measurements, the height of the tsunami reached 33 meters! This is the third tsunami in this century to exceed 30 meters! After the Aleutian Tsunami, another terrifying disaster! The port city has activated its emergency plan to evacuate all residents, and everyone look ahead, the largest cruise ship in history, the Ocean Oasis, is in the direction of the tsunami!"
The photographer turns his lens in the other direction, and the rain-soaked glass window is the pitch-black sea, and a huge ship with bright lights is slowly turning its rudder, ready to deal with the impact of the sea. In the lower right corner of the screen, the face of the news program host appeared: "Nagashima-kun, we have seen the situation on the scene, it is very amazing! The 5,500 passengers on the 'Oasis of the Sea' are in an unprecedented crisis. Now in the studio, I have invited Miura Otsu, Director of the Faculty of Maritime Science at Kobe University, Miura-kun, can you explain to the audience the dangers of the tsunami to ships?"
The balding maritime expert pushed his glasses: "First of all, ships traveling at sea should not return to port after receiving a tsunami warning, because the tsunami can cause rapid changes in the water surface of the port, bringing unpredictable and dangerous currents. In the event of a tsunami, people should not stay on ships docked in port. The deeper the water surface, the less damage a tsunami causes, and a tsunami wave is a long gravitational wave with a wavelength between 50 and 500 nautical miles, and its energy accumulates and increases in shallow water. Tsunamis often cause significant damage to ships, destroying above the waterline. β
"So what options does the Ocean Oasis have in response to a tsunami?" the host asked.
Miura Otsu thought for a moment: "Just like when dealing with the wind on the ocean, there are roughly three ways: top Lang, Shun Lang, and stagnation Lang. The top Lang is facing the direction of the tsunami, and the bow is slightly at an angle of about 20 degrees to the crest of the wave. Phenomenon such as empty car; Lang is to move at full speed along the direction of the tsunami, reduce the relative speed between Lang and the wave, weaken the impact, the potential danger is that if the speed of the crest of the tsunami exceeds the speed of the ship, the big Lang will flood the stern and cause the phenomenon of flooding; the lag Lang is to sail at the minimum speed, the wind Lang is placed on the compass point of the bow 2-3 Lang, at this time, the ship is actually not in the state of advancing or retreating, which can reduce the rocking of the hull and the Lang, and the potential danger needs to adjust the speed according to the speed and direction of the wave Lang at all times, and maintain the rudder effect, otherwise it is easy to be beaten into a horizontal Langγ Either way, try to avoid becoming a cross, i.e., the side of the board against the tsunami crest, which can cause great damage. β
"Is there any precedent for a cruise ship as large tonnage as the 'Oasis of the Seas' to be severely damaged in a tsunami, Minister Miura?" the scene cuts back to the scene, and the host's voiceover asks.
"Basically, no. In fact, cruise ships sailing in the deep sea are the best places to take refuge in the event of a tsunami, and only a special ocean surface such as the Sea of Japan can cause such a high tsunami crest, similar to the Mediterranean. In 2010, the 40,000-ton cruise ship "His Majesty Louis" of the Louis Post** Division of Cyprus was hit by an 8-meter-high tsunami on its way from the port of Barcelona, Spain to Genoa, Italy, and the bow of the ship was submerged by the waves, killing 2 people and injuring 14 others. However, the 'Ocean Oasis' is 60 meters above the waterline, so it shouldn't happen, and overall I think it should be able to survive the tsunami safely...... Unless there is a major mishandling. The expert's voice was uncertain.
The camera pans to the faces of the reporters at the scene. A news reporter in a yellow raincoat urged the photographer: "Don't shoot me, aim at the cruise ship, aim at the cruise ship." β
The largest cruise ship in human history is slowly turning around, 4 pairs of bow thrusters and 3 stern thrusters stirring up the turbid waters, "Minister Miura, do you think the 'Ocean Oasis' is going to use the stagnation method to fight the tsunami?" The host's voice sounded, "For such a large tonnage ship, the best choice is to stay in the stagnation." "But the earthquake is unpredictable, and the ship received the tsunami warning very late, so I think it's too late to start making a U-turn, and without the help of the pilot wheel, I am afraid that it will not be too late to reach the predetermined angle before the tsunami contact." β
Gu Tie frowned. The ten-story tsunami was approaching at 500 kilometers per hour, and the huge cruise ship was slowly turning around, and he could see to the layman that it was not the right choice.
Two minutes later, the 33-meter-tall giant Lang attacked the "Oasis of the Seas" at a 45-degree angle to the waves, not reaching a reasonable angle to the top Lang. "Bang!" exclaimed the host, excitedly, "not good...... This angle is really not enough!" Miura Otsu exclaimed.
From the helicopter's point of view, the height of the wave Lang was less than half of the hull, and the tall wall of water smashed into the side of the ship, setting off an overwhelming Lang flower. The camera shuddered, "Pull up, steady!" The reporter yelled at the pilot, the helicopter swayed upward, and the camera aimed at the "oasis of the sea" to zoom in on the focal length. The waves did not cause damage to the steel hull, but the enormous force contained in the tsunami pushed the entire hull, "cluck, knock, knock......" In the dull sound of metal twisting like a drum, the huge cruise ship slowly tilted to the opposite side, "Look! 'Ocean Oasis' tilted!" The reporter exclaimed, "Did you get it?
"We saw it!" The host immediately asked the expert: "Miura-kun, this situation ......"
"Disaster!" Miura Otsu whispered.