Chapter 9: A Narrow Escape from Death
Old Hua ... ... saw Hua Jianfeng about to leave the command center, and Lu Chengwen chased after him, "Why not take action?"
Approximately fifty-four hours later, the "Gun Squid" attacked the nuclear submarine as it entered the Mozambique Channel, releasing a communication buoy
It seems that we have encountered the 'Sea Wolf'
Hua Jianfeng nodded slightly. "You should go rest now; I will send someone to call you later"
"Wait a moment..." Lu Chengwen immediately rushed out, "We cannot surface now; we must leave this sea area first."
"What does it mean?" Lu Cheng, who was standing nearby, asked.
In the dimly lit cabin, everyone remained in place, trying to relax and avoiding any unnecessary movements
Lu Chengwen pondered for a moment and said, "Are you referring to the incident where our submarine tracked the American aircraft carrier?"
"Sonar, maintain close surveillance of the surrounding situation." Hua Jianfeng had already taken his position at the command center, "Prepare to connect the main thrusters, and the forward ballast tank is ready to drain"
Hua Jianfeng smiled and shook his head, no longer paying attention to Lu Chengwen
With a faint sound of footsteps, the grease-stained chief engineer entered the command center, and Hua Jianfeng immediately went to greet him
A brief telegram was swiftly relayed through two military communication satellites to a large military base thousands of miles away. Approximately half an hour later, a red-headed document marked "Top Secret" and "Urgent" arrived on the desk of the Chief of General Staff. General Peng Maobang, who had just changed into civilian clothes and was preparing to go home for dinner with his wife and children, upon seeing the document, immediately instructed his secretary to prepare the car and contacted the office of the head of state.
It has turned, and now we are behind it
Aren't we in a favorable position
Backup plan? At this point, Hua Jianfeng felt a bit puzzled
There should be no problem, but at least 20% of the power must be retained for the books; otherwise, it will have to float to the surface of the sea and use a diesel generator to assist in starting the reactor
Rest assured, I will safely take you to your destination. " Hua Jianfeng patted Lu Chengwen on the shoulder, "Now, go take a shower, then have a cup of hot tea, eat something, and get some sleep.
"How is the situation?" Hua Jianfeng immediately inquired
Seeing Hua Jianfeng's confident demeanor, Lu Chengwen felt there was little more to say
No need, I will stay here instead
"Attack that American submarine?" Hua Jianfeng smiled faintly as he entered the captain's cabin. After Lu Chengwen came in, he gently closed the door. "Do you think the opponent is an idiot?"
Can we float up?" Lu Chengwen asked anxiously again
Lu Chengwen no longer argued; he had already grasped the abilities of Hua Jianfeng
"Sea Wolf?" Lu Chengwen asked again
"I am not referring to the present moment." Lu Chengwen unfolded a global maritime chart. "I have given this careful consideration. Regardless of whether the United States is aware of our true identity, they will certainly set up ambushes at several key chokepoints around the Indian Ocean to prevent our departure. Over time, the U.S. military may even establish a comprehensive net in the southern waters of Australia. We cannot return along our usual routes; we must adopt an alternative plan."
Captain ... ...
After pondering for a moment, Hua Jianfeng nodded slightly. "There is no issue with this route, and we can continue to submerge. However, we cannot send out any messages for now; we will have to wait at least forty-eight hours."
Entering the Atlantic from the southern part of Africa, then proceeding into the Pacific through the Drake Passage, the entire journey will be conducted submerged. Lu Chengwen marked a route on the nautical chart, stating, "After entering the Pacific, we will head northeast towards the Line Islands, in the coastal waters near the equator as per the *Atlas*. We must send a message in advance to inform the General Staff that we are adopting the contingency plan to return, so that they can promptly dispatch a cargo ship to meet us."
For three days and nights, we went undetected, even utilizing the escort submarines and anti-submarine aircraft from the U.S. aircraft carrier group to test the quiet performance of the "Gun Squid". Additionally, we discovered several Japanese submarines participating in the exercises and gathered valuable information. As a result..." Hua Jianfeng chuckled wryly and said, "It seems that the U.S. military commander sensed the danger and dispatched a 'Seawolf' class attack submarine. Within less than a day, our whereabouts were exposed, and we were pursued by that U.S. submarine, forcing me to nearly sink. If it weren't for the timely arrival of several other submarines and the long-range anti-submarine patrol aircraft from the naval aviation dropping hundreds of sonar buoys in the incident area to interfere with that 'Seawolf's' passive sonar, the 'Gun Squid' would have likely plunged straight into the muddy depths of the sea.
Half an hour ago, when the torpedo exploded above the stern of the "Gun Squid" vessel, almost everyone thought it was the end. Fortunately, the torpedo was set to a proximity detonation mode rather than a contact detonation mode, and the double hull at the rear of the "Gun Squid" absorbed most of the destructive force, preventing the submarine from sustaining catastrophic damage
"We can only wait, and we must wait," Hua Jianfeng sighed. "Waiting is the best approach. The enemy did not hear the sounds we made when we submerged, indicating they do not know we have not been sunk; otherwise, they would not continue searching in this area. The fact that the enemy has not deployed active attack sonar suggests they are still unaware of whether the 'Gun Squid' has suffered severe damage, and thus they dare not inform their navigation, exposing their position. In this situation, the enemy will assume that I and the *Tushus* have quietly escaped the battlefield at a slow speed. More than ten hours later, if they still have not found us, that American submarine will actively leave. The oxygen candles on our submarine can provide enough oxygen for all crew members for twenty-four hours, and we can also use batteries to power the oxygen generation equipment, which can probably last another twenty-four hours. Rest assured, half an hour ago, we were not finished, and we will not be finished." The oxygen candles on our submarine can provide enough oxygen for all crew members for twenty-four hours, and we can also use batteries to power the oxygen generation equipment, which can probably last another twenty-four hours. Rest assured, half an hour ago, we were not finished, and we will not be finished.
The chief engineer has just left, and Le Jia has hurried over.
Hua Jianfeng picked up the spare headphones placed on the sonar control panel and listened carefully for a while. Indeed, there was a very unique and faint noise, and the direction from which the noise was coming was slowly shifting to the left.
Hua Jianfeng was slightly taken aback, but he immediately nodded, instructing Le Jiacheng not to convey the order
The main thruster has successfully started. Upon saying this, the chief engineer revealed a hint of a satisfied smile
The U.S. "Sea Wolf" class attack submarine. Hua Jianfeng leaned against the beam next to the sonar operation console, rubbing his face vigorously with both hands, seemingly trying to refresh himself. "Do you remember the incident that occurred in the eastern waters of the Okinawa Islands two years ago?"
Upon hearing the sonar's long call, Hua Jianfeng immediately turned around, and Lu Chengwen also looked over at him.
We were able to take down the "Houston" because we had a performance advantage that allowed us to catch the "Houston". After sitting down, Hua Jianfeng immediately took out a cigarette. After a moment's hesitation, he put the cigarette down. At this time, the submarine's nuclear reactor had already stopped working, and the equipment for producing oxygen was unable to function properly. To reduce the rate of oxygen consumption, most officers and soldiers ceased their activities. Even though Hua Jianfeng had privileges, he should not smoke at this moment. To reduce the rate of oxygen consumption, most officers and soldiers ceased their activities. Even though Hua Jianfeng had privileges, he should not smoke at this moment
As Le Jiacheng issued the command, the submarine shook violently for a moment before returning to calmness
Using communication and book buoys, no need for ... ...
Prepare to connect the main thruster
We are right behind the USS Washington.
The reactor can only output a very small amount of power, and the cruising speed cannot exceed four knots. Hua Jianfeng provided a brief explanation and then asked the chief engineer, "Is it possible to restart the reactor?"
You all! ? '' Lu Chengwen immediately cast an admiring glance at Hua Jianfeng
"Isn't it too early?" Hua Jianfeng pulled Lu Chengwen to the chart table
Hua Jianfeng cast a grateful glance at the chief engineer. "Empty the fore ballast tank and prepare to surface."
The main compartments are intact, but the pressure in the two aft ballast tanks is abnormal and should have been breached
Are we just going to wait like this? Lu Chengwen was also anxious
"Not now." Hua Jianfeng nodded towards Le Jiacheng. He then walked over to the sonar operator. "How is it? Any contact?"
This ... ...
After sitting for about ten minutes, Hua Jianfeng went to the command center
Approaching from the 330-degree direction
Upon hearing this, Lu Chengwen immediately turned to look at Hua Jianfeng. Although he was not a submariner and did not understand submarine warfare, he knew from the previous battles that the "Gun Cuttlefish" was now in the most advantageous position for an attack
Hua Jianfeng sighed and said no more
"Transfer all personnel and movable items to the forward compartment. Reduce the weight in the aft compartment. Then, pump out the seawater from the forward and main ballast tanks. We will be able to float to the surface. Rest assured, we will not sink." After saying this, Hua Jianfeng let out a sigh, feeling much more relaxed.
Lu Chengwen did not follow along, but was contemplating a more important question
"When are we leaving?" Lu Chengwen also secretly breathed a sigh of relief
The radiation shielding is intact and there is no damage to the books. I have tested it with instruments and found no radioactive contamination. Furthermore, the primary loop of the reactor is undamaged; only the main circulation pump has been damaged by the shock, and it can only operate using natural circulation
Old Hua, we must find a way to send out a message
Continue monitoring and report immediately if there are any developments
"Who can be certain?" Hua Jianfeng sighed and had to explain in detail. "First, our power supply is insufficient, and the sonar cannot operate, making it impossible to determine the opponent's distance and to set the firing data for the torpedoes. Secondly, if the opponent is a 'Sea Wolf', which can reach a maximum speed of 39 knots, our torpedoes, at a maximum speed of 55 knots, have a range of less than 20 kilometers. This means that if the opponent is more than 6 kilometers away, our torpedoes will not hit them. Thirdly, if we set the torpedo speed to 55 knots, it will immediately expose us after launch. Conversely, if we set the torpedo speed to 35 knots, we can avoid early exposure, but this speed cannot catch up with the opponent. Finally, we have lost our main propulsion; even if we repair the reactor, we can only move at a very slow speed. If the opponent gets a hold of us, we won't be able to escape."
Time passed unknowingly, and when the lights in the captain's cabin suddenly brightened, Lu Chengwen was jolted awake and immediately went to the command center
Sonar Chang slightly shook his head. "Very weak. The position is not fixed. Unable to determine the identity of the other party"
"So impressive?" Lu Chengwen was also quite surprised. In his view, the "Gun Squid" that had just taken down the "Houston" was the most advanced attack submarine in the world
I understand that even if we use communication buoys, we must first leave the search area of the U.S. Navy's shore-based anti-submarine patrol aircraft before we can send out a message, correct