After Li Chiqi left, Wen Desi quickly convened a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee. Everyone looked at each other in response to Li Chiqi's concerns - this matter is really hard to talk about. No one has the guts to guarantee that such a thing will not happen.
"How about we discuss it?" Wen Desi said, "Should we postpone the trip for a few weeks and put the ship into dry dock for refitting? Or should we just set off like this?"
"That will take at least another month!" Wang Luobin has also made a ship model and is very clear about the performance of the ship. Adding power, whether it is a propeller or a paddle wheel, involves structural modifications, and a series of processes need to be explored.
Under control, it is still optimistic to say that it will take one month.
"I don't know much about ships," Ma Qianzhu first came to the "push hand" before continuing to express his opinion, "To be more prudent, of course I modified the engine to go out, at least for personal safety. After all, the time traveler is our first priority
Wealth. Otherwise, increase the firepower on the ship, 56 and a half, one for each person, and install a few more cannons."
What Wen Desi thought of was a simple solution. A dozen 56-and-a-half guns were fired at the same time, and the firepower density was comparable to that of a machine gun.
"Semi-automatic rifles are good, but the crew on the Zhenhai can only be about thirty people at most. Unless everyone is a sharpshooter, they will still die if they are surrounded by seven or eight boats." Chen Haiyang expressed concern, "We must ensure that when the enemy is in sight,
When shooting outside the artillery range, the 56 and SKS have to fire from 400 meters away. To hit the target at this distance requires considerable training. Most of the people who went there this time were technical personnel, so I was quite worried.
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"Rocket!" Li Yunxing proposed his own solution. "The rocket we tested has achieved initial success. The effective range can reach more than 600 meters. It only needs a simple launcher-"
"It's meaningless," Chen Haiyang disagreed. "The rockets are pretty much the same for bombarding surface targets on the shore, but hitting point targets on the sea is basically just setting off fireworks."
After much discussion, no one could come up with a solid plan on how to increase the Zhenhai's firepower without fail.
"We are all stupid!" Lin Chuanqing, the captain of Zhenhai, slapped his head and shouted, "What power does the ship to Yingzhou rely on?"
"Diesel propeller engine!" Wang Luobin thought about it. The so-called propeller engine is an outboard engine, which is standard equipment on sailboats. This is a modification that does not require too many hands and feet. Two diesel propeller engines are installed directly on the stern of the boat.
Yes. It is easy to provide 50 horsepower of power. And there is no need to enter the dock again. The modification work is completed directly on the waterline.
"It consumes diesel fuel." Ma Qianzhu felt sad for the industrial blood.
"How about changing it to a gas machine?"
"Forget it, don't bother with this in a big place on the ship. You all gave me carbon monoxide poisoning before the enemy came, and there is no hyperbaric oxygen chamber here." Ma Qianzhu snorted, this was considered a no choice.
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"Actually, it doesn't use much diesel." Lin Chuanqing said, "It's just a hybrid. I usually use the sail, and when I need to escape from a war, I use the diesel engine. If I'm lucky, I might not be able to use it."
The next day, some of the supplies on the ship were unloaded, and crew members from the mechanical department climbed on board to install two W-power diesel propeller engines. During the installation process, they discovered a new problem: Zhenhai
The Deng Yingzhou has a displacement of 170 tons and the waterline is much higher than 70 tons. The propeller cannot enter the water.
Fortunately, this problem is not difficult for mechanical enthusiasts. Since the length is not enough, we will lengthen it for you. However, some people soon discovered that simply lengthening the transmission rod results in a greatly increased vibration, and the intensity is no longer good.
"How about opening two portholes at the stern below the deck to install the propeller, then the length will be appropriate." Someone suggested.
"It's possible, but you have to move the hull." Wen Desi looked at it for a long time, "We have to avoid the ribs of the ship, so we can only make holes in the shell plate."
After the portholes were opened, the two propeller engines were installed on special iron holders, which were firmly fixed on the bottom deck of the ship. Because the portholes were too close to the waterline, they were prone to splashing water when traveling at high speeds, and the machines were prone to water splashing for a long time.
It is also easy to be damaged when exposed to the seawater environment, so the propeller machine adopts a retractable propeller, which can only be lowered when in use, and can be stowed and closed when not in use.
After testing, when driving with a propeller, the speed can easily reach 8 knots in a windless environment. However, when driving with the portholes open in moderate sea conditions, the water splash is severe, and a water pump must be used to continuously pump water. For this reason, the machinery factory
I also made a temporary set of sealed window guards for use when driving, trying to block the gaps around the machine when the portholes are open. The water intrusion phenomenon still existed in the second test, but it was within the acceptable range.
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The entire modification and testing was completed within two days. The unloaded cargo and supplies were reloaded on the ship. This time, several hundred liters of diesel were added, enough for escape when necessary. It was also provided to the expedition members.
A number of additional modern firearms were issued.
The fleet set off from Bopu and their route was to go west, circling the entire Hainan Island to get a general understanding of the island's coastal terrain and products.
This is the first time for most time travelers to try to go to sea on such a small ship. No matter how Wen Desi implements the principle of comfort, it cannot be compared with the modern ships of the original time and space. Not long after the Zhenhai went to sea, some people began to get seasick. After half a day, almost
All the sailors were seasick, and the bulwarks were crowded with sailors rushing to hand over their rations to the sea. In the end, they could not spit out anything. They were exhausted after vomiting and were helped back to their bunks by sailors and soldiers to sigh.
Only those in the special reconnaissance team and the navy have already adapted to it due to long-term training.
"You're vomiting on the side! Yes, I'm talking about you! Pull the rope, there's no way you can be saved if you fall!" Lin Chuanqing scolded a guy who was vomiting. He personally steered the ship on the stern. The Zhenhai uses a Western-style steering wheel.
The steering wheel is operated by gears and wire ropes. The rudder is very light and sensitive to operate. For safety, the Zhenhai uses a double backup system. In addition to the main steering wheel on the poop platform, there is also a backup inside the poop.
The rudder of the steering wheel prevents the ship from being unable to operate if one fails.
Looking here, Mond was actually leaning against the railing of the poop with a gloomy look on his face, with a look of hopelessness on his face. He was still holding a sextant tightly in his hand.
"Damn, you also learned sailing?" Lin Chuanqing said disdainfully.
"When we were doing internships, we were sailing on large ships with thousands of tons -" Mond retorted, "How did I know that one day I would come to ride on such a small ship."
Lin Chuanqing said: "Hahaha, you just lack exercise at sea. You see, other girls are better than you."
"It's hard to compare--" Mond was about to continue, but ran to vomit again.
Sea conditions of this level are certainly nothing to Li Huamei. After boarding the Zhenhai, she originally expected to see new things that would surprise her - just like she felt when she boarded the "Holy Ship" that day. However,
After boarding the ship, she saw that except for the arrangement of the front and rear gun emplacements, which were somewhat new, the whole ship was no different from the European-style brig she had seen, except that the accommodation was more comfortable. As for the two delicate little cannons, according to her
My opinion is that it is better not to use it. The most shells fired were 6-pound shells, and the number was very small. After all, the Hangzhou still had 14 cannons of various sizes.
She doesn’t know why the Australians want their fleet to sail around Hainan Island. Hainan Island is quite familiar to merchants and pirates, especially the harbors along the coast. Almost all of them can be temporarily anchored to avoid wind, repair, and replenish fresh water. But
The significance of this island is just that. Basically no one is interested in the resources on the island - neither silk nor porcelain is produced, and there are no goods of interest to maritime merchants. It is too poor and has too few people.
There is nothing to sell. But Australians are so interested in it. Why?
She raised her eyes and looked at the man steering the wheel. He had a Chinese character face and gray hair. He was wearing a tight-fitting jacket with blue and white stripes alternated horizontally - people here often wear this kind of jacket, which is almost close to the body and has no collar.
, with very short sleeves. He stood very firmly on the poop with a nonchalant look on his face. He was a real sea dog.
"What is this?" She discovered the fan-like instrument in Mond's hand.
"Sextant." Mond's eyes were blurred by seasickness.
"Sextant?" Li Huamei knew intuitively that it was an astronomical measuring instrument. But she had never seen it before.
Mond was so dizzy that he couldn't speak. He simply put the instrument into her hand and went to vomit.
Lin Chuanqing stabilized the tiller and said, "This is an instrument for measuring latitude."
"Really?" Li Huamei took it in her hand and looked at it curiously, "It's like a quadrant?"
"Haha, I don't understand what a quadrant is." Lin Chuanqing smiled, "I've never played with it. The thing you're talking about is probably the ancestor of the sextant, right?"
Li Huamei was puzzled: "Ancestor?"
Only then did Lin Chuanqing realize the slip of the tongue and said vaguely: "This is definitely better than your quadrant."
It is now the early 17th century. Navigators like Li Huamei usually use the quadrant used by the British navigator John Davis at the end of the 16th century to measure the latitude of the earth during navigation. The quadrant is also called "
The "rod projector" is rarely seen today, but it was the greatest navigational invention of the 16th and 17th centuries. Its working principle was simple. Navigators did not have to try to see the sun as required when using an astrolabe or a simple quadrant.
Instead, the shadow cast by the stick onto the scale is used. The position of the shadow end indicates the height of the sun, so that the latitude can be calculated. When navigators use the Davis Quadrant on calm seas and the deck is stable,
It can achieve the best results. Because its measurement is simple and accurate, the calculation of latitude has been advanced from just degrees to being accurate to minutes. It soon replaced the past astrolabe, star board and other instruments.