~.< Shuhai Pavilion >-~ 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 - "On time - < Shuhai Pavilion >-!"
Li Di was wearing a white navy summer dress and a staff ribbon, standing on the bridge of the Lichun, watching the ships of the 1st Reconnaissance Team. The 200-ton Type II ketch patrol boat began to weigh anchor. The anchor cable splashed.
White water huā, when these arm-thick anchor ropes passed through the anchor chain holes, the mud on them was washed away by the water huā. The 1st reconnaissance team immediately - < Shuhai Pavilion > -, followed in turn by the 3rd team
The Secret Service Boat Squadron, the 5th Secret Service Boat Squadron, the 1st Gunboat Squadron and the 2nd Gunboat Squadron... the Ocean Fleet finally set off for the battlefield that will determine the fate of the Senate and the country.
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 troops standing on the slope
The sailors of the First Fleet also waved goodbye to them; everyone was beaming with joy. Everyone believed that they were about to enter the battle to win a glorious victory.
No one has the slightest doubt about victory. The service of the Lichun is not only a great shock to ordinary indigenous people and naturalized people, but also to all naval personnel - the Lichun is the largest ship built so far, with an iron-bone body.
, the huge main gun, the chimneys emitting black smoke and white gas, and the huge waves splashing out 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
The repetition of their industrial miracles, rather than a few irreproducible "magic weapons", is a miracle that no one can compete with.
The fleet sailed northwest and left Saint Mary'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.
"Australia's inner lake". 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. On the commercial wharf near Central, ships
The masts are like a forest. The desolate bay, which used to have 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. From the deck, Fortress Mountain could be seen. A puff of white smoke rose from the fort on the mountain, and then came the
The rumble of cannons came - that was the farewell salute fired by the coastal artillery.
The secondary guns on the Lichun also fired salutes. The thin clouds in the morning gradually dispersed, and the sun shone through the calm blue ocean. The gentle wind blew across the deck of the Lichun, making people feel relaxed and at ease.
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 separated by one kilometer, like a naval review. The steam-powered ships sailed with sails and only kept the boilers.
pressure.
Soon, more than a dozen fishing boats from a fishery 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 on the Kowloon Peninsula turned golden - that was the credit of the Tiandihui - heralding the arrival of autumn.
There are a number of lush green leaves along the coast. They are even more eye-catching against the hazy background of green mountains.
On the sea not far from the shore, there was a 601-type paddle wheel tugboat, puffing out black smoke as it struggled to tow a string of barges towards the sea. After a while, when Chaguoling was seen from the bridge, that
The barges were already 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 spectacle on the Pearl River Estuary.
As the fleet continued to sail forward, the Coast Guard's patrol boats puffed out black smoke and passed by suddenly from the outside. They were performing patrols and inspections to 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 - the old time and space. He had been to Hong Kong more than once, but without the dense high-rise buildings and busy streets in front of him, the original state of the dock made him
It felt very strange, and he couldn't help but reminisce about the past. Suddenly, the signal commander loudly delivered the command through the microphone, interrupting his memories.
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 the personnel on the ship must take their own positions. // Shumilou most
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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 was an order to change formation. Since they had now passed the narrowest part of the waterway, there was no need to
Looking at the other three signal flags, it can be concluded that the order was issued to put the ships into a normal navigation formation.
On the top of the signal mast, 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 is only lieutenant colonel, but he is the chief of staff of the first fleet and is the nominal fleet commander.
Fly 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 fore and aft decks. About a dozen boiler soldiers who had just finished their shift came to the bow deck, took off their shirts, and followed the corporal.
The whistle sounded, shirtless, and began to do gymnastics.
Li Di also left the bridge and came to the "balcony deck" behind the bridge. This is a place specially designed for officers to rest on the deck. It has wrought iron 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 a sunny 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 getting used to it?"
Li Di was famous for his seasickness - although he insisted on becoming a navy, he always suffered from seasickness. When he went on a cruise with 8154, he vomited in pain. Later, during the trial voyage after the completion of the Fubo, he was carried off again.
ship. So in the end, I can only settle in the positions of chief of naval staff and port director. There is no need to sail on the ocean for my own job or part-time job. But senior naval officers who cannot sail on the ocean, needless to say, know that they are a "disgrace to the navy."
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.
"I feel good now. I think it will be fine this time."
"The wave height is less than 1.2 meters now, and the waves are typically calm. When we enter the ocean, it may not be so calm." Li Ziping said, "And it has to be a 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 subject, "You guys are doing joint training for the whole ship, you're 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 in a melee."
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 quite a few old seals on board, and at least they are first-rate masters in sailing."
Li Di's last words touched on an unpleasant issue. In order to ensure the "absolute safety" of the Lichun, all naturalized sailors who were "not reliable enough" were eliminated when compiling sailors and department heads, many of whom were pirates.
Lower-level officers and sergeants who were born in the army were excluded due to their short naturalization time and low political ratings.
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 also felt the same, but he would not comment on this. 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 all in
It would be unwise to openly oppose the system created under the banner of quantitative management.
"This is a system issue." He thought for a while before replying in an old-fashioned way. "We should consider how to get things done under the system."
"I don't know if this operation will go smoothly..." Li Ziping was talking when 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 wooden hull will automatically seal after a period of sailing. As long as the water inflow can be controlled below the warning level with a pump
It does not affect the course and combat. Almost every European sailboat 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, and no manpower is needed to pump water, but the speed of water inflow is still closely monitored. Li Ziping is very worried about the quality of the ship, for fear that some quality problems will not be discovered in time - if there is a shipwreck, it will be
It’s his responsibility. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)~.-~