A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 644 That's why I want a large warship—a general's obsession.

A minute later, a loud crash came from the sea, and the towering spray finally caught the attention of the Bald Eagle on DD-744.

"CAP! This indicates that the enemy's small boats already possess weapons capable of threatening us. I request permission to take coercive measures!"

The first mate, still holding his livid chin, reported to his captain in a measured and methodical manner.

"Tsk, this little mouse is too close, the main guns aren't working, and the torpedoes are hard to launch..."

"CAP! The twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns are leveled, enough to deal a devastating blow to that small, unpredictable boat! We just need to deviate our course by three degrees, and we'll be able to create distance in two minutes!"

"Of course I know... but if you do this, the Chinese will go crazy. You probably haven't experienced the terror of the 'King of Night Battles'..."

"Hmph! That was on land, this is at sea! We have the most powerful navy in the world!"

Captain Williams slowly shook his head. "The instructions we received from above were merely to gather information on the enemy and, if possible, salvage our ally's plane. Such impulsiveness is not worthwhile... Report to base and see what instructions they have."

"Aye! AN/ULQ-6 'Fraudster' electronic jamming system is preparing to shut down! Restoring remote communications!"

Yes, that's right. Don't be fooled by the fancy name of this electronic jamming system. Due to current limitations in the development of electronic devices, once it's activated, even the Bald Eagle's own communications will be affected.

To restore remote communication, it must be shut down. It's a trade-off; even the "flying wire" digital radio that Xiao Daimao made is probably a generation or two ahead of this thing.

While waiting for communications to be restored, a report came through the ship's internal radio from a deck officer:

"CAP! Enemy ships are continuing to throw floating objects into the sea; they appear to be the same type as the weapon that was just detonated! Their light signals also indicate..."

"Soldier! Stop stammering!"

"Aye! The enemy boat said they're blasting fish and told us to stay away, otherwise they won't be responsible for compensation if we get hit!"

"Hahahaha..." Colonel Williams laughed angrily: They really don't know what's good for them!

"Command! Emergency stop! Left engine (port propeller) reverse at full speed! Right engine (starboard propeller) forward at full speed!"

This single order fully demonstrated the US's profound expertise in shipbuilding. Back then, only they had truly mastered the twin-shaft, twin-propeller design for destroyers. While the Allied Type 56 destroyers at the time also used this design, however…

(Let's not talk about it. Given the Russians' nature of being strong and capable of throwing bricks, they simply couldn't handle those things. This led to many problems for the Type 051 destroyer we built using their blueprints...)

This design allows the two propeller blades to be controlled independently, using asymmetrical thrust to rapidly swing the stern to the right, away from the area where mines are being laid, while simultaneously reducing forward momentum. This is standard operating procedure for emergency avoidance.

That's not all, "Hard to port!"

"Starboard signal light! Send an international signal to the minesweeper: 'You are endangering navigational safety! Cease operations immediately!'"

"At the same time, raise the international signal flags 'Kilo' (communication) and 'November' (stop!), but don't communicate with them; this is just a small 'footnote'..."

"Lookout post, sonar room!"

"Closely monitor the waters on the starboard side! Focus on searching for the sinking location and trajectory of the recently laid mines!"

"Sonar room, activate active sonar, short pulse, accurately map the seabed situation on the starboard side! Mark all suspicious contacts!"

Professional? Absolutely professional! And that's not all!

"Boarding correction plan!" Captain Williams returned his gaze to the nautical chart and quickly pointed in a direction.

"Helmsman, take note! Report immediately once the bow has turned 270 degrees (due west) to port!"

"Attention, engine room! Once the bow has passed 270 degrees, both engines will proceed at full speed!"

"Helmsman! After both vehicles are moving at full speed, the steering command is corrected to 'right rudder 20'! Maintain a heading of 240 degrees (west-southwest)!"

A chorus of responses immediately came from the radio, converging into a single voice: "Aye, aye captain!"

The moment the order was given, the destroyer trembled violently. After a piercing blast of the ship's horn, the urgent clanging of the engine room toll clock and the muffled roar of the main engines echoed from deep within the ship.

The massive twin propellers churned the seawater, the left propeller thrusting wildly backward while the right propeller propelled forward with all its might, generating enormous torque. The ship spun like a horse being forcibly turned, its stern violently swung to the right, and unsecured items on the deck rattled loudly.

At the same time, the huge rudder surface was hydraulically driven to deflect to the left to its limit, and with the thrust difference of the propeller, the bow began to turn firmly and rapidly to the left.

Captain Williams gripped the handrail tightly, feeling the steel beneath his feet groan and struggle. He stared intently at the minesweeper so close at hand, and through his binoculars, he could even see the excited faces of the opposing crew.

"Ha, rejoice! Be ecstatic! Then, die! You ants..."

…………

"It...it's turning!" shouted the lookout on the Seahawk. "Captain, your plan worked!"

"Hahaha! The enemy has been scared away; all capitalism is a paper tiger!"

The lookout first shouted to his captain, but then turned around...

"Huge wave on starboard! Hold on tight—!" The lookout's piercing alarm was instantly drowned out by the deafening roar!

"boom--!!!"

The massive amount of seawater, carrying the violent force accumulated from the forced turn of the USS Blue, slammed into the frail starboard side of the Falcon boat like an out-of-control giant hammer!

The hull emitted a terrifying groan as it was instantly thrown to the horrifying limit of port list. All unsecured items on the deck—tool buckets, cable reels, even heavy fire axes—were swept away as if by an invisible giant hand, flying up, tumbling, and crashing down! Icy, bone-chilling seawater poured into the open aft deck work area like a waterfall, instantly submerging the sailors' knees.

"Hold on! Hold on tight!" Liu Huaqing gripped the cockpit armrest tightly, his body thrown against the left bulkhead by the immense inertia, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder. Ignoring his own injuries, he roared hoarsely, "What's the situation?"

"Report...Report to the captain!" The bosun's coughing, choking on water, and his forced, calm report came through the loudspeaker: "The grab bucket...the grab bucket has been detached! One of the anchoring cables...is broken! Haisheng...Haisheng was swept away by the waves and hit the winch...his arm may be broken!"

"Medic! Quickly!" Liu Huaqing's eyes were bloodshot.

"It's alright! Captain, you won't die!"

The massive surge created by the destroyer's forced turn not only pushed the "Seahawk" off its current course, but also sent the gasoline drums that had just been dropped as "mines" crashing down on it with the surge!

With a clang, the gasoline drums were thrown onto the deck by the waves. Below, several large yellow croakers, caught in a fishing net, thrashed about unwillingly...

"Hahaha! Great! Great, you even returned the fish!" The 37mm gunner, ignoring the ship's rocking motion, gave the Bald Eagle destroyer the middle finger. "Come on, try again! I'll blast you in the face!"

Liu Huaqing pursed his lips tightly, and before he could say anything, radar operator Xiao Zhao immediately shouted, "Distance! The distance has increased!"

"Helmsman! Push him forward! Maintain the safety line!" Liu Huaqing suddenly turned his head and looked at the helmsman.

But it was too late. Don't forget, this minesweeper was only going 11 knots. The previous dogfight had already caused plumes of smoke to rise from the veteran's engine room...

"The engine room! Can it hold on?"

The engine room was as hot as a steamer. The engineers, shirtless, sweat mixed with oil dripping down their bronze skin, stared intently at the instruments, repeatedly cooling the scalding valves and pipes with cotton yarn soaked in fresh water.

"Captain! We can still hold on!" The chief engineer's mumbled reply echoed through the loudspeaker.

“Alright! Maximum power! Distance, maintaining distance is the only way we can…” Liu Huaqing steeled his heart and nodded to the helmsman.

"Captain! Look at the Blue!" the lookout's voice interrupted irrationally.

"What……"

Liu Huaqing looked up:

Having completed this abrupt "turn," the Blue completed an extremely ruthless maneuver ahead of the Seahawk, its massive hull drawing an arrogant, enormous arc across the sea. Its towering bow was once again aimed at the Falcon boat! This time, it wasn't a tentative maneuver, but a naked, blatant hostility, ready to crush any obstacle!

Driven by a mechanical device, the barrel of the twin-mounted 127mm main gun began to be finely adjusted at a heart-stoppingly slow pace—the muzzle was pointed precisely at the Falcon Boat's vulnerable cockpit!

“凸(艹皿艹)！”

"So, I want a large warship..." Liu Huaqing closed his eyes slightly.

"Bang bang bang bang..."