At noon, the Japanese navy was stationed at the dock.
Commander Yantian is holding a farewell ceremony for all members of the Yayoi.
As a latecomer, the Japanese Navy almost completely copied the various systems and regulations of the British Navy, including various ship etiquette, ceremonies, etc., and they all followed the same pattern.
Therefore, every time a ship leaves port and performs a mission, the Navy will hold a special farewell ceremony.
At the farewell ceremony, in addition to the banquet, there was also a military band playing the Japanese "Naval March" using Western instruments.
Full of Showa flavor.
After they had had enough wine and food, the 150 crew members of the Yayoi began to board the ship, and those on duty entered their posts and performed their duties.
Commander Yantian took the captain of the Yayoi, Major Morishita, and once again emphasized the specific itinerary of this mission.
"As soon as you sail out of Wusongkou, you should move forward at full speed and try to reach Sasebo Port tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"
"My subordinate understands."
The straight-line distance between Shanghai Port and Sasebo Port is only more than 500 nautical miles. Even if the warship passes by at normal cruising speed, it only takes two days.
And if they advance at full speed according to Commander Yantian's request, it will only take them fourteen hours to arrive.
At such a speed, except for warships, it is difficult for ordinary ships to keep up. Moreover, if it sets off in the afternoon, most of the journey will be at night, making it harder for the "Yayyo" to be discovered by others while traveling at sea.
This is why the Yantian Commander did not ask them to load the goods immediately after they arrived last night.
Although Commander Yantian also felt that he was a bit of a battle of wits with the air, he was careful not to make a big mistake. Faced with such an important task, he still chose a more cautious plan.
At exactly two o'clock in the afternoon, accompanied by the roar of the engine and the symphony of the military band on the shore, the "Yayai" put away the anchor and slowly left the dock under the watchful eye of the Yantian Commander.
It wasn't until the Yayoi disappeared around the bend of the Huangpu River that the Yantian Commander breathed a sigh of relief and left the dock.
More than half an hour later, the "Yayyo" left Wusongkou and headed towards the estuary.
When the waters ahead became open and smooth, Major Morishita followed the request of Commander Yantian and asked the engine room to increase the power output.
The speed of the "Yayyo" became much faster visible to the naked eye. It soon left the other ships on the river behind and headed east.
Soon, the "Yayyo" sailed into the high seas, and no other ships were seen around it. The entire warship was like an isolated island, sailing on the endless sea.
As time passed, the sky directly in front of them became darker and darker, which meant that they were about to enter the dark night area and start the night flight mode.
"Cumulonimbus, straight ahead!"
Murata, the lookout from high above, suddenly issued an early warning.
Major Morishita observed with a telescope and found that just on their route, there was a long dark cloud lingering on the sea, blocking their way.
"Let's see if we can take a detour."
"No, it's visually estimated to be over a hundred kilometers long, and it's difficult to get around."
The message Murata replied made Major Morishita frown a little. It is not uncommon for heavy rain belts stretching for tens or hundreds of kilometers on the sea. Generally speaking, as long as it is not an extremely bad weather like a typhoon, the warship can directly resist it according to the strength of the hull. past.
But the problem is, my ship "Yayyo" is a little different.
As a deformed product that just happened to hit the "Washington Treaty", the Mutsuki class and the super-class destroyers improved from the Mutsuki class have a common and serious problem:
The hull is not strong enough.
In the "Tomoho Incident" and the "Fourth Fleet Incident" two years ago, accidents occurred in which the bows of these two types of destroyers were directly severed by strong storms.
The original plan was that after the Yayoi transported this batch of cargo back, it would undergo hull reinforcement modifications at the Navy Yard in Sasebo.
What is at stake is so important that Major Morishita must ensure the safety of the Yayoi.
"Send a report to the headquarters and say that we have encountered a storm and need to slow down to ensure the safety of the ship. The arrival time will be slightly later than planned."
After thinking for a while, Major Morishita made a decision.
When I set out, I did not receive a warning about a typhoon on the East China Sea, which meant that what I encountered should be just a regular storm zone. As long as the ship slowed down and the control was more stable, it could go directly through it. .
The Electronic Communications Department quickly turned on the radio and sent a message to the Sasebo Naval Base. Soon they received a reply. The person in charge of the naval base agreed with Major Morishita's solution.
So the crew on duty on the Yayoi began to hurriedly reinforce various facilities on the deck. The ship's speed also dropped from more than thirty knots to a dozen knots in cruising mode, preparing for the coming storm.
Soon, except for the lookout at the top of the tower and a few correspondents, all the members of the shift team hid in the cabin to take shelter from the rain, and the deck became empty.
When the Yayoi approached the cloud belt, the violent storm rushed over like a giant beast.
The curtain of rain preceded the night and enveloped the Yayoi.
Heavy rain poured down, and the sea water became turbulent and turbid. Bean-sized raindrops hit the portholes, causing ripples in circles. The view from the command room became extremely poor. The entire ship was completely covered by wind, waves and water mist. Surrounded.
As the ship rose and fell in the waves, the people in the cabin were shaken and dizzy.
However, Major Morishita, the first officer and others in the command room looked very calm, because for now, such a storm surge was nothing at all.
Judging from the water stains on the portholes, this storm was just an ordinary rainband, just as he expected. Although the situation outside looked scary, it did not pose any threat to the Yayoi.
Just over ten minutes later, the rain began to weaken at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the moonlight could even be seen faintly in the distant sky.
On the top of the Yayoi, Murata wiped the water droplets from his face.
As a person who is used to seeing wind and waves, the storm just now had no impact on Murata at all. Even in the violent storm, Murata was still thinking about going home this time and whether he should take his younger brother to Manchuria to start a farm. matter.
When the storm began to subside, Murata knew it was time to do something.
He had to quickly determine the current location of the Yayoi based on the stars in the sky, and then report it to the captain so that the captain could adjust the direction in time.
However, as a person with strong senses, Murata inexplicably placed his gaze on his feet.
Just now, there seemed to be some unusual movement under the mast.
Murata stuck his head out and glanced below him for a long time, and soon discovered the problem.
At the first chimney, the watertight door used as the emergency escape passage of the engine room was opened. At this time, it was being blown by the strong wind and making a "clanging" sound.
That is to say, a person with clear ears and eyes like Murata can hear this unusual movement in such a windy and rainy situation.
"What are the people in the engine room doing?"
Murata was secretly suspicious, and then he leaned out half of his body, preparing to report the situation to the correspondent.
But the correspondent on deck was missing.
Just as a bad feeling arose in Murata's heart, he saw a hook flying from below and strangling his neck.
In order to ensure that they would not be swept away by the wind and waves, the lookouts semi-fixed their lower bodies, so Murata could not be pulled down by the hook.
Instead, it was like being torn apart by a car, and his neck was violently torn off.
There was thunder and lightning, and streaks of lightning flashed across the dark sky, making people feel chilled to the bone. In the interplay of light and dark, Lu Feng climbed up the mast and unhooked the hook from Murata's body.
After destroying the radio antenna on the mast, Lu Feng set his sights on the command room on the bridge below.
Thanks to book friends Xiuxian Taoist Priest, 20201129210555317, It’s Difficult to Figure Out, and Black Hand Stanley for their monthly votes.
Thanks to the book friends for their recommendation votes and support. gratitude.
It’s too big for everyone to order, so let’s just develop it. There is another chapter later.
(End of chapter)
