RPAGF Chapter 868 If you're small, don't mess with big guys.
Chapter 868 If you're small, don't mess with big guys.
Deep in the Yellow Sea, the interior of submarine 418 was dimly lit, with only the instrument panel emitting a faint glow. The entire small vessel reeked of engine oil and sweat.
Captain Zhao Gang frowned, practically lying on the periscope, vigorously wiping the lens with his fingers.
"Damn it, this Russian TPH-1 periscope has been used for ten years, and the lens is worn down to the point of being like frosted glass!" he cursed under his breath. His field of vision was just a hazy gray, and he could only vaguely make out a huge, blurry black shadow in the distance, with no details at all.
"Captain, still can't get a clear signal!" Sonar operator Xiao Wu's voice was filled with frustration. All he could hear in his MG-11 sonar headset was a jumble of ocean noise. "We were just picking up the regular acoustic signature of a large ship on the surface, but it's all gone now?"
Hey, of course it disappeared. At this time, the "Yuejin" had already executed the "stop both vehicles" order and was in a low-noise drifting state. With the old sonar equipment of the 418 boat, it was perfectly normal that it could not be heard.
Deputy Captain Zhou Jianjun frowned as he looked at the pressure gauge and the battery indicator light, which showed only 35% charge remaining.
He leaned closer to Zhao Gang and whispered, "Old Zhao, don't hesitate! Go up! Once you're on the surface, at least you can spot targets with the naked eye and send out the communication buoy to contact the base."
Our battery only has 35% charge left. If it keeps running out of power, it'll really break down here, and that would be incredibly embarrassing!
Zhao Gang's face turned slightly red from holding back his anger, and he did not answer immediately.
In fact, he was well aware of the awkwardness of the situation.
But he knew even more clearly how unwilling he was to accept this!
Just hours earlier, in front of all the officers and men on the submarine, he had elevated the mission of searching for the "Yuejin" to the level of "a covert search and tracking exercise that closely resembles actual combat."
He demanded that everyone remain silent, use all means to locate and lock onto targets underwater, and hone their true submarine combat skills.
But now?
The periscope became "blind with open eyes," and the sonar became "half deaf." Not only could it not find the target, it was even forced to surface and search with the naked eye, just like an ordinary reconnaissance ship.
This is hardly a "live-fire exercise" anymore. It's a complete disregard for the submarine's most crucial element: "stealth." It's tantamount to admitting to the entire submarine that our outdated equipment is utterly incapable of supporting a proper underwater operation!
This is practically a death sentence written all over their face!
Which submarine would willingly surface and expose itself to the enemy in "real combat"?
Seeing his unpredictable expression, Deputy Commander Zhou Jianjun knew what was troubling his old partner, so he added, "Old Zhao, saving face is important, but the safety of our boat and the dozens of brothers on board is even more important! The power is almost gone, and if we don't surface soon, we'll have to wait for someone to come and rescue us!"
"Don't push yourselves too hard! We're just a training vessel! Our job is to get the lads familiar with how to operate it!"
"Ugh... I really want a big black fish... I could accept it even if it had a ball on its head..."
Captain Zhao Gang patted the periscope with disdain, but immediately wiped the sweat off with his sleeve.
"Attention all personnel, prepare to surface!" Captain Zhao Gang finally made up his mind, his voice regaining its usual decisiveness.
"All departments shall execute the surfacing procedure in accordance with Chapter 4, 'Surface Exit,' of the Submarine Underwater Operation Rules! Repeat, execute the standard surfacing procedure!"
Once the order was given, the cabin, which had been filled with anxiety, was instantly replaced by highly disciplined action.
Sonar operator Xiao Wu reported first: "The final all-around sonar scan is complete. No echoes from nearby surface targets were detected in the upper waters!"
The helmsman repeated the command: "Understood! Maintain rudder effectiveness, keep course unchanged!" At the same time, he skillfully moved the control stick, adjusting the bow and stern horizontal rudders to a suitable angle for surfacing.
A response came from the engine room: "Main engines at low speed! Prepare to purge the main ballast tanks!"
Zhao Gang kept a close eye on the depth gauge and personally issued the key command: "Blow out the No. 1 and No. 3 main ballast tanks! Pay attention to controlling the buoyancy!"
With the hissing of the high-pressure gas cylinders, seawater was rapidly discharged from the ballast tanks, and the hull began to lighten, slowly and steadily rising to the surface.
The crew member in charge of balancing kept reporting: "The hull is in good balance, and the trim angle is normal!"
Captain Zhao Gang's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he subconsciously clicked his tongue: "Tsk, this old guy, the hull is almost rusted with age spots, but the handling of underwater hovering and buoyancy is really unparalleled, very stable!"
As he stared at the depth gauge, he seemed to remember something and turned to the deputy captain, Zhou Jianjun, beside him, casually saying:
"Old Zhou, you don't know, but I went to the Jiangnan factory a while ago to observe their water trials."
Sigh, that thing looks brand new, and the shell is smooth, but when it comes to actual operation, especially when it comes to controlling the depth while surfacing, it's incredibly difficult!
The trim response is slow, and the rudder effect is sluggish. The whole boat is like a dumb goose, just rising straight up. It's not nearly as nimble as our old M boat!
Eh…
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jianjun nodded in deep agreement. Just as he was about to reply, the command rang out again from inside the cabin: "Report to the captain! Approaching safe surfacing depth!"
Zhao Gang immediately stopped talking, his expression hardening as he returned to full-focus command: "Raise the periscope! Make final observations! Prepare to open the derrick!"
He quickly rotated the telescope to check the water surface again. Although the view was blurry, he found nothing unusual.
"Hard right rudder! Both cars advance one step! Maintain surfacing!"
"Open the hatch cover! Observation post in position!"
With a click, the hatch of the control tower was unlocked and pushed open from the inside. Wang Xiaohu and another lookout, who had been waiting below, immediately and nimbly climbed up the ladder to the control tower platform.
"Xiao Hu," Zhao Gang said, tilting his head back slightly, giving instructions to the lookout who was already in position, "After deploying the communication buoy, focus on observing the surrounding sea area, especially the position of the 'Yuejin'! Report any situation immediately!"
"Yes, Captain!"
As the control tower hatch popped open, a fresh and icy sea breeze rushed in, instantly invigorating everyone.
After spending so much time in a confined submarine, every breath of fresh air feels like a blessing.
Wang Xiaohu nimbly climbed out of the hatch, unconsciously taking a deep breath. He then dragged the precious communication buoy from the mounting bracket.
The main body of this thing was an orange rubber float about half a meter in diameter, with a signal transmitter about the size of a flashlight attached to the bottom. However, its originally striking orange-red color had long been painted black by the sailors with something...
In the words of a veteran, "The color of a live target, do they have a death wish at sea?"
He had just pushed the buoy into the sea when he looked up and excitedly pointed to the starboard side, shouting, "Captain! I see it! I see it! It's the 'Yuejin'! What a huge vessel!"
"You saw it? How can you be sure it's the 'Yuejin'?" Zhao Gang asked, his head still a little sluggish from being underwater for so long.
“Captain! I’m not blind! I can read! The two characters ‘Leap Forward’ on the bow are clearly visible!” Wang Xiaohu’s voice was filled with excitement at finding the target, but then turned into a hint of confusion.
"Hey... that's weird, these two words... why do they seem to be getting bigger and bigger?"
Zhao Gang squinted at it, then subconsciously chuckled to himself, "Hey, it really is! It's getting clearer and bigger, huh..."
"Pah! Your farts are getting bigger and bigger!!"
"That wrecked ship is going off course and is heading straight for us!" Zhou Jianjun, the deputy captain who was half-lying on the ladder of the command tower, was the first to react, following behind Zhao Gang.
He turned his head and roared at the helmsman's position below:
"Hard to right! Emergency evasive maneuver! Quick! Both cars move into third position! Quick!"
It's alright...
Today, after the submarine surfaced, its first action was to deploy a communication buoy. If it had followed the usual operating procedures, this 418 would probably have had a hard time getting moving...
At this moment, the 418 boat has just surfaced, mainly relying on the buoyancy generated by high-pressure air blowing away the ballast water tanks. Its power source is still the previously stored battery power, and the diesel engine has not been started to charge the battery.
Therefore, it can still maneuver relatively quickly by relying on an electric motor to drive the propeller, just like underwater, which is the key to its ability to make emergency evasive maneuvers.
According to training protocols, when a submarine surfaces, it's usually to quickly recharge its batteries in preparation for the next dive.
The helmsman almost instinctively slammed the rudder shut, and the electric propeller suddenly accelerated its rotation. The old hull tilted violently amidst the ear-piercing roar of the motor, and began to desperately twist to the right, trying to avoid the steel cliff that was slowly pressing down on it.
Oh my god!
It was one of our own... we hit another one of our own!