Chapter 322 Going to unfamiliar waters to protect fishermen
In the southern Bay of Bengal, ship No. 53 sailed all the way south, maintaining a speed of 12 knots.
Next to her, only a few dozen meters away, is the Luoma Lake ship, a new comprehensive supply ship that has only been in service for a few years.
The oil and water pipelines have been connected and are being replenished for the No. 53 ship. The fresh water pipe and the oil pipe are together. The oil pipe is thick, with a diameter of at least thirty centimeters. The fresh water pipe is as thick as a child's arm. The oil and water are replenished at the same time.
The gas turbine of the No. 53 ship has been burning diesel since it was installed on the ship. The other two diesel engines naturally also burn diesel, so the supplement is diesel.
Parallel with the more than 20,000-ton Luoma Hu ship, the small and slender size of the No. 53 ship is even more highlighted.
In front of the two ships is a 052D, and in the rear is a 054A. Together with the Luoma Lake, they form a new batch of escort formations in the Gulf of Aden.
In other words, on its way south to the Indian Ocean, the No. 53 ship happened to encounter the Gulf of Aden escort formation, and by the way, it replenished some consumables from the Luoma Lake ship as a nanny.
Of course, it's not "just right", but according to the unified arrangement of the theater joint command, the nearest supply ship was selected for the No. 53 ship to help the No. 53 ship return to full health.
According to the plan, Ship No. 53 should return to port. However, a new order made the return date of Li Hai and others elusive.
The fishery administration department sent a briefing. After the start of this year's fishing ban in the South China Sea, the number of fishing boats going to the deep sea for fishing increased sharply. It actually increased by more than 300% compared to last year!
This is a terrifying growth rate.
"That's right." Chang Haizhou said, "What I can't figure out is why it is us. To be fair, many new ships are more suitable for this task than us. In terms of endurance, we are not as good as destroyers. "
The main reason is that objective factors have suppressed offshore fisheries in the past two years. On the other hand, fishing activities have dropped sharply in the past two years. Many fishermen must find ways to recover their losses. They can no longer rest on the shore during the fishing ban period as before. , or do some odd jobs, and that little money is simply not enough to live on.
But outside these inland seas, fishing boats are actually unprotected for a long time.
He looked at the huge Luoma Lake ship and continued, "Using warships to protect fisheries is a bit sensitive, so it is inappropriate to let the Coast Guard come. Letting Aegis and New Youth come, it seems to be excessive force."
There are so many fishing boats in the deep sea, and according to statistics from the fishery administration department, some whose tonnage is not suitable for fishing in the open sea have also sneaked out - this phenomenon has always happened, but it is particularly serious this year.
The same adventure cannot be repeated a second time.
According to surveys, the eastern waters of the Indian Ocean between northwest Australia and southern Indonesia, as well as the southwestern waters of the Pacific north of the Solomon Islands, are the two sea areas where my country's fishing boats are most concentrated in distant sea fishing.
"It is precisely our old-fashioned frigate, both in terms of capabilities and meaning, that is very suitable. Moreover, with so many new types of equipment installed on the ship, the superiors must want to use this opportunity to conduct full tests and speed up the subsequent large-scale deployment on the ship. speed."
Li Hai is already very clear about how important hydrological data is. In order to gain time, he soared to the point where the speedometer exploded and passed through the Palk Strait at ultra-high speed. This was already a huge adventure.
He's not just worrying.
After careful analysis, superiors decided to send the No. 53 ship to the above-mentioned two sea areas to perform guard patrol tasks to ensure the smooth implementation of my country's offshore fishing operations and respond to various emergencies at any time.
It is indeed relatively rare to send warships specifically to provide protection for Chinese fishing boats fishing in the open sea. The North Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea are all inland seas, and there are coast guard units dedicated to this task.
Immediately, he shook his head with a wry smile, "However, the two mission sea areas are unfamiliar to us. Even the higher-level command agencies probably do not have very detailed hydrological data. This time, we must be fully prepared to protect the fishery."
Be mentally prepared.”
Li Hai said, "I have thought about this problem."
"Our fishermen brothers are also very fierce. For them, this is also an unfamiliar sea." Li Hai said with a smile.
Li Hai said solemnly, "The situation has changed now. Just like the number of fishing boats going to the ocean to fish during the fishing ban period has increased sharply, we must also make adjustments at any time. Protecting overseas interests is the mission of the People's Navy. Fishing boats operating outside,
It is also our overseas interests."
"This is my first time encountering such a mission." Chang Haizhou said with a slight frown, looking at the sailors on the deck who were operating the supply unit.
After listening to Li Hai's analysis, Chang Haizhou nodded in agreement, "This makes sense."
Chang Haizhou said with emotion, "In the past three years, everyone has been in difficulty. The general environment has not improved as expected. Many fishermen's boats were built with loans. Those who had some financial resources have been exhausted in the past three years. During the fishing ban period,
Three and a half months will save us a lot of fish. If we don’t take the risk of fishing in the open sea, there is no other way.”
"Yes, it's difficult!" Li Haishen felt the same way.
Professional soldiers are not insensitive to the social economy. After all, there are ordinary people at home, there are friends and classmates around, so and so has been laid off, so and so is in debt, and so on. Even Li Hai, who has very little contact with the local area, can
From a few words, I felt the power of the economic winter.
Fortunately, the overall situation is improving, at least it is better than the economic crisis that swept the world in 2008.
"I heard that you don't have to worry about food and drink." Chang Haizhou joked.
It is impossible to keep Li Hai's family situation completely confidential. At least many people know that his mother is a senior technical cadre in the army, and his father is the boss of a large state-owned enterprise in the fishing industry. Even in the cold winter, it is difficult to affect him
Such a family.
"Who doesn't have many relatives and friends? I have a lot of high school classmates who have struggled financially in the past few years, and I can feel it," Li Hai said.
Chang Haizhou nodded slightly, "Yes, our food is guaranteed after all. To put it bluntly, we have a strong ability to resist risks, while many ordinary people have almost no ability to resist risks."
"The fishery protection operation has a deeper meaning. Deputy Chang, I think we can mobilize the soldiers based on the actual situation. It has been a long time since they came out, and the team is tired. Just combining work and rest is not enough, and thinking is not enough."
You have to keep up." Li Hai said.
Chang Haizhou smiled and gave a thumbs up, "You have the talent for political work!"
"No, I'm still new to military command." Li Hai quickly shook his head and waved his hands. He didn't want to be called a political expert like his master.
Chang Haizhou recalled that two days ago, Li Hai was temporarily transferred to participate in joint anti-terrorism operations, and then the No. 53 ship was also dragged to the sea formation to participate in an actual combat operation.
He asked in a low voice, "Honestly, are you not going to be able to stay on the surface ship for much longer?"
Li Hai was stunned and said helplessly, "I don't know. Of course, I really want to return to Hainan Airlines and the Flying Shark Force. I am still suitable for flying fighter jets, and I also like to fly fighter jets."
"I can see it." Chang Haizhou said.
In the past few months, they have been getting along with each other at sea and on ships. Li Hai usually works hard, has a clear mind, novel tactical ideas, and decisive command decisions. He has advantages in everything. However, Chang Haizhou can feel it.
Afterwards, Li Hai was not truly happy in his heart.
It is true that soldiers have the duty to obey orders, but from the inside, Li Hai's heart is still with the Flying Sharks, at least for now.
Chang Haizhou believes that Li Hai has great potential to become a flight captain, but Li Hai does not seem to yearn for that position.
After all, he believed that he was born to fly fighter jets, the carrier-based kind.
As the order was issued, supplies were completed.
The No. 53 ship said goodbye to the Luoma Hu ship and broke away from the formation. The new young people behind caught up, reorganized the escort formation with the Aegis ship and the Luoma Hu ship, adjusted its course and headed west.
Watching the new batch of Gulf of Aden escort fleet leave, Li Hai asked expectantly, "Mr. Chang, when you participated in the Gulf of Aden escort, the situation must have been very complicated, right?"
Soldiers, of course, yearn for the battlefield. The more complex the environment, the more likely they are to make achievements. If you don't have the heart to make achievements, you are not a qualified soldier.
Chang Haizhou said, "It's very complicated. Americans, British, Japanese, French, Indians, Italians... Dozens of warships from more than a dozen countries are crowded in the small Gulf of Aden. It is said that it is based on the framework
Jointly combating piracy, each actually has its own agenda, which in turn gives pirates an opportunity to take advantage of them."
"We spent a lot of effort to straighten out the route and open up a safe route that belongs to us. Later, ships of other nationalities were willing to take our route. In short, there was an undercurrent."
Just like starting a business, the first few escort fleets were definitely accompanied by crises. Li Hai was impressed by this. He even remembered that in those two years, the ships and commanders sent out were all ships and commanders who had already performed escort missions. Many of them
It has been floating in the Gulf of Aden for more than a year.
Li Hai said, "This fishery protection operation is both a challenge and a debut for us. After the Luoma Lake ship leaves, we have to support ourselves to the southwest Pacific to get new supplies. Deputy Chang, now we have to do The most important thing is to formulate a plan for the use of materials, so you have to be more economical."
"I'm going to call a meeting."
Chang Haizhou immediately summoned the heads of other departments of the command team, as well as the engineer chief and the manufacturer chief who were on board the ship.
For such a large warship, plus the number of people on board, the number reaches 220, and daily consumption is a big problem. In remote and unfamiliar seas, it is extremely difficult to obtain supplies in time. Replenishment at the shore involves many complex issues. , simply unrealistic.
Therefore, for the No. 53 ship, the current primary issue is to ensure that it can support the warning patrols in the sea areas to complete the two missions.
Don’t worry if something happens to you by then. Before the fishing boat has any problems, the warship will be unable to hold on. ()