Chapter 260: Sailing
At 8 o'clock in the morning, after the cruiser Lichun raised the flag, a signal flag was raised on the signal mast, and the order that people were waiting for nervously was issued - "Set sail on time!"
Li Di was wearing a white navy summer uniform and a staff ribbon, standing on the bridge of the Lichun, watching the ships of the 1st Reconnaissance Team. [Read the latest chapter] The 200-ton Type II ketch patrol boat began to weigh anchor. The anchor cables splashed with white water. When these arm-thick anchor cables passed through the anchor chain holes, the silt on them was washed away by the water spray. The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron immediately set sail, followed in sequence by the 3rd Special Agent Squadron, the 5th Special Agent Squadron, the 1st Gunboat Squadron and the 2nd Gunboat Squadron... The Ocean Fleet finally set off for the battlefield that was about to determine the fate of the Senate.
When the fleet sailed out of the anchorage, the troops stationed in Hong Kong and those departing later bid farewell to the First Fleet excitedly. The sailors lined up along the railings of the ship to cheer and wave their hats. Accompanied by the music of "March of Warships", the sailors of the First Fleet stationed on the slope also waved goodbye to them; everyone was overjoyed. Each man believed that he was about to enter the battle for a glorious victory.
No one has the slightest doubt about victory. The service of the Beginning of Spring was a great shock not only to ordinary indigenous people and naturalized people, but also to all naval personnel-the Beginning of Spring is the largest ship built so far, with an iron-bone body. , the huge main gun, the chimney emitting black smoke and white gas, and the huge splashing of waves during the full-speed trial voyage in the strait not only once again showed off the power of the Senate, but also made them understand that the Senate has the ability to continuously Repeat their industrial miracles, rather than a few irreproducible "magic weapons" that no one can compete with.
The fleet sailed northwest and left Saint Lady's Bay via Lei Yue Mun. The north shore of Saint Lady's Bay is still under the rule of the Ming Dynasty and has not been blatantly included in the territory of the Hong Kong Agricultural Reclamation Wing, but the entire bay is already out-and-out. "The Australian Lakeland". Ming army ships never entered Saint Lady's Bay. Aboriginal fishing boats that wanted to fish in the bay must also apply for a license at the Hong Kong Commercial Station and pay a 20% in-kind fishing tax.
Coastal merchant ships heading to Guangzhou and the Pearl River Basin, under the constant patrols and "persuasion" of the Coast Guard Hong Kong Detachment, no longer enter the Pearl River Estuary, but dock in Hong Kong for trade. The masts are like a forest. The deserted bay, which had only a few fishing boats fishing, has become busy.
The Lichun sailed slightly north to round the North Cape. It sailed briskly along the coast at a sail speed of 6 knots. Fortress Mountain could be seen from the deck. A puff of white smoke rose from the fort on the mountain, and then came the news. The rumble of cannons came - that was the farewell salute fired by the coastal artillery.
The secondary battery on the Lichun also fired a salute in return. The thin clouds in the morning gradually dispersed, and the sun shone through the calm blue ocean. The gentle breeze blew across the deck of the Beginning of Spring, making people feel refreshed and refreshed.
In order to pass through the Lei Yue Mun waterway, the twenty-seven ships of the First Fleet lined up in a long snake, with each ship one kilometer apart, like a naval review. Steam-powered ships sailed under sail, only maintaining pressure in their boilers.
Soon, a dozen fishing boats from a fishing cooperative waiting for the tide appeared on the starboard side, and the fishermen waved and cheered to them. On the port side, the rice fields of the Kowloon Peninsula turned golden - a tribute to the Tiandihui - heralding the arrival of autumn. The number of green leaves along the coast is even more eye-catching against the hazy background of green mountains.
On the sea not far from the shore, there was a 601 paddle wheel tugboat, puffing out black smoke and struggling to tow a string of barges towards the sea. After a while, when Cha Guoling was seen from the bridge, the string of barges had already fallen far behind.
Tugboats perform many tasks in Hong Kong, one of which is to load various materials purchased from Guangzhou onto barges and tow them to Hong Kong. This heavy and slow water train is now a wonder on the Pearl River Estuary.
As the fleet continued to move forward, the Coast Guard's small patrol boats puffed out black smoke and passed by suddenly from the outside. They were performing patrols and inspections. Ensure the absolute hegemony of the Senate in the Pearl River Estuary.
Li Di looked at all this, and it was almost completely incompatible with his memories of the old time and space. In the old time and space, he had been to Hong Kong more than once, but the original state of the dense high-rise buildings, busy streets, and docks in front of him made him It felt very strange, and he couldn't help but reminisce about the past. Suddenly, his recollection was interrupted by the signal commander loudly conveying the command through the microphone.
At this time, all the senior officers of the First Fleet Headquarters, as well as the captain of the Lichun and his staff, were concentrated on the bridge, because the regulations stipulated that when passing through the narrow waterway, all personnel on the ship must be in their respective positions.
As soon as the signal commander's signal sounded, four signal flags were raised on the small signal mast behind the bridge command post. The first signal flag is an order to change formation. Since they had now passed the narrowest part of the waterway, they could conclude without looking at the other three signal flags that the order was given for the ships to form a normal navigation formation.
On the top of the signal mast were flying the flag of the rear admiral of the general adviser of the First Fleet and the flag of Li Di's acting admiral - Li Di's military rank was only lieutenant colonel, but he was the chief of staff of the first fleet and nominally commanded the fleet. Hang the general's flag.
Suddenly, the loudspeaker on the ship announced: "The passage of Lei Yue Mun Water Channel is completed! Put away the tools! Resume normal deployment!"
In order to take a final look at the receding coast, people wearing white military uniforms and blue overalls began to flock to the front and rear decks. About a dozen boilermen who had just finished their shift came to the bow deck, took off their shirts, and started doing gymnastics with their shirts off to the sound of the corporal's whistle.
Li Di also left the bridge and came to the "balcony deck" behind the bridge. This is a place specifically for officers to rest on the deck. It has wrought iron pattern handrails, teak decks, and cast iron fixed tables and chairs. . The tonnage of the Lichun was not enough to install a captain's balcony at the stern, so such an area was set up behind the bridge.
He sat down on the chair and looked at the scenery on the sea - it was rare to have such beautiful wind and sunshine and pleasant climate.
Li Ziping, the captain of the Lichun, walked down from the bridge and came to the deck. He sat down on a chair next to him, lit a cigarette casually, and said:
"Are you still used to it?"
Li Di was famous for his seasickness - although he insisted on becoming a navy, he always suffered from seasickness. When I went on a cruise with 8154, I was so sick that I couldn't bear to die. Later, during the trial voyage after the Fubo was completed, he was carried off the ship again. So in the end, I could only settle down in the positions of chief of naval staff and port director. Neither my job nor my part-time job required ocean voyages. But senior naval officers who cannot sail across oceans know that they are "a disgrace to the navy" without anyone else telling them.
For this reason, Li Di spent a lot of time doing adaptive training, using equipment to exercise his sense of balance, and often seeking opportunities to go to sea. After more than a year of training, he became much stronger than before.
"It feels good now. I think it will be okay this time."
"The current wave height is less than 1.2 meters, and the waves are typically calm. When we enter the ocean, it may not be so calm." Li Ziping said, "And it requires continuous sailing. I don't know if you can withstand it then?"
"No problem." Li Di said angrily, "I might get a little seasick, but it won't be a problem." He changed the topic, "You guys are doing joint training for the entire ship, you must be quite busy."
"That's disgusting! It only took more than two months from the delivery of the ship to the departure of the ship in the beginning of spring. It is simply impossible to form a combat effectiveness. We have to train while sailing - anyway, we have strong firepower and fast speed. As long as we don't let the enemy get close to each other, we can fight. No matter how hard you fight, you won’t suffer any loss.”
"Speaking of which, the quality of the sailors and department chiefs on your ship is probably not as good as that on the secret service boat - there are many old sea dogs on it, and they are at least first-class masters in sailing."
Li Di's last words touch on an unpleasant issue. In order to ensure the "absolute safety" of the Lichun, all naturalized civilian sailors who were "not reliable enough" were eliminated when compiling sailors and department heads. Many of them were junior officers and sergeants with pirate backgrounds. Because the naturalization time was short and their political ratings were Those who are not tall are excluded.
Li Ziping said: "I am very opposed to this approach of looking at political reliability first - a certain amount of vigilance is necessary, but unlimited quantitative management is too much..."
Li Di felt the same way, but declined to comment. Quantitative management is something that Mr. Wen "talks about every day and all the time". He is determined to implement the ISO system in all aspects. Political ratings and reliability ratings are systems developed under the banner of quantitative management, and it would be unwise to openly oppose them.
"This is a system issue," he thought for a while before using an old-fashioned answer. "We should consider how to get things done within the system."
"I don't know if this operation will go smoothly..." Li Ziping was talking. Suddenly the microphone rang: "Report to the captain, the water in the bottom cabin is accelerating..."
"I know, I'll go right away." Li Ziping said, picking up his hat on the table, "This ship! I knew it wouldn't be so safe!"
Lichun is a newly launched boat - as a newly built wooden hull boat, it is normal for water to enter the boat. The wooden shell will automatically seal after sailing for a period of time. As long as the water pump can be used to control the water inflow below the warning level, the navigation and combat will not be affected. Almost every European sailing ship is equipped with a manual water pump. Sometimes, a ship in poor condition even needs to pump water in shifts 24 hours a day to ensure it floats on the water.
There is a steam auxiliary engine on the Lichun, so no manpower is needed to pump water, but the speed of water inflow is still closely monitored. Li Ziping was very worried about the quality of the ship, fearing that some quality problems would not be discovered in time - it would be his responsibility if the shipwreck occurred.
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