novelaction Chapter 857: Past Glory
Chapter 857: Past Glory
No?
That's nothing. Just the word "unimpeded" made Jiang Xia happy for a while as he held the badge, before he followed Lao Wang to wander around the depths of the shipyard.
"Good lad, you've got some skills! This kind of thing isn't common!" Old Wang first grinned heartily, then lightly punched Jiang Xia on the shoulder.
Then, a tear twitched at the corner of her eye, and it seemed like a few golden tears would immediately follow.
"Sigh, look at Beihai, they have such a solid foundation. And then think about our South China Sea... Sigh, let's not talk about it! A few years ago, many of our brother units were guarding the docks, eagerly waiting for the new ships to be launched. They were really looking forward to it."
I finally managed to save up my 'treasure', but I have to glue it back together every time I open it..."
"Unlike our big brother Beihai, where the docks are practically 'dumplings'!" Old Wang said, pointing half-enviously and half-jokingly to a dock not far away.
Jiang Xia looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a rusty red steel frame standing in the dry dock. Thick H-shaped steel beams spread out like the ribs of a giant beast, extending nearly twenty meters along the bottom of the dock.
The outer frame was covered with dense bamboo scaffolding. Workers wearing indigo overalls and rattan safety helmets moved nimbly on it. Occasionally, sparks from welding torches would sizzle and explode, falling like shattered stars onto the bottom of the dock covered with fireproof cloth.
The outline of the hull is already visible, with a narrow bow and a wide stern. Portholes are reserved on the sides, and the outer steel plates are being welded onto the frame piece by piece. Fresh welding slag is still left at the welds, exuding a lively and energetic atmosphere.
"Tsk tsk, looking at this keel bed, it must weigh at least several hundred tons!" Old Wang squinted and estimated.
"Look at the precision of the steel splicing and the regularity of the frame arrangement, it's clear that a lot of effort has been put into it."
Jiang Xia nodded. He wasn't an expert on the details of shipbuilding, only vaguely remembering that the Jiangnan Shipyard had a 10,000-ton hydraulic press that could forge large ship components. As for the specific model and tonnage of the ship in front of him, he had no idea.
"Are you two here to inspect the technology?" A steady voice suddenly came from behind.
The two turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a gray Zhongshan suit walking over. He had a pen clipped to his cuff, half of a drawing sticking out of his breast pocket, and he was wearing glasses. His gaze behind the lenses was meticulous, and he was holding a leather notebook labeled "Process Records" in his hand.
His gaze first fell on the North Sea Fleet badge on Jiang Xia's chest, then he raised his hand to adjust his glasses. "I am Zheng Yujian, the chief engineer of the factory, in charge of the technical coordination of these shipyards."
Jiang Xia was unaware that behind the name "Zheng Yujian" lay the story of the abandoned ship left behind after the experts from the restoration alliance withdrew, and the hard-core past of mastering the key technology of the "Yuejin" ship. However, the white-washed Zhongshan suit cuffs, the oil-stained pen nib, and the densely written process records in his hand all exuded the down-to-earth spirit of the older generation of technicians.
True to his habit of respecting his seniors, he quickly stepped forward, extended his hands slightly, and said respectfully, "Hello, Chief Engineer Zheng! My name is Jiang Xia. I'm just here to learn and observe at the factory. Please don't trouble yourself. This is my friend, Wang Kui..."
As he spoke, he subconsciously clenched the badge on his chest, afraid that his impetuous manner might be impolite.
Old Wang nodded in agreement, not saying much. He knew Jiang Xia was always respectful to his senior technical colleagues, so he was just joining in the fun.
Seeing his humble attitude, Zheng Yujian's eyes softened, and he pointed to the steel frame in the dry dock to explain: "These are transport boats built for patriotic people in Malaysia. The flow of goods between them and the mainland is becoming more and more frequent. Before, they were using old boats from decades ago, which had small carrying capacity and were prone to breakdowns."
Patriots, upon hearing that we could build ships independently, took the initiative to place orders, specifically using foreign exchange for settlement, saying they wanted to support the country's industry and also for the convenience of subsequent maintenance!
Last year we mastered the hull construction techniques for the 'Yuejin' vessel, and now we're very skilled at building these near-shore transport boats.
Jiang Xia didn't realize what the Yuejin represented. He originally thought that the domestic industry was still in the "self-sufficient" stage, but he didn't expect that it was already able to export ships.
"Now our shipyard can accept foreign exchange orders?" Jiang Xia couldn't help but ask.
"This is nothing new."
Zheng Yujian opened the leather-bound notebook, his fingertips lightly tracing the yellowed pages, and handed it to Jiang Xia after turning to the first page:
"Although this ship isn't very big, the reputation of Chinese shipbuilding has long been established! Let me tell you, more than forty years ago, around 1919, the United States placed an order with our shipyard to build four 10,000-ton ocean-going freighters! Those were the largest ships ever built in the entire Far East at that time! This is the skill of our master craftsmen!"
Chief Engineer Zheng gave a thumbs-up, his face beaming with pride.
"When the Bald Eagles were inspecting the ship, they said that the hull rigidity of the ship we built was stronger than that of the ship they built in their own country, and its ability to resist wind and waves was better."
Hearing this, Old Wang's eyes lit up: "I never imagined our shipbuilding industry had such a strong foundation! I'd only ever heard veterans talk about old ships before, I never imagined they were this impressive!"
"of course!"
"Although the contractor is Jiangnan Factory, our Dalian is not to be trifled with!"
Chief Engineer Zheng closed his notebook and pointed towards the dock on the east side of the factory area: "The old skills must be passed down, and new skills must be practiced even more. To tell you the truth, just this morning, the factory's newly built 10,000-ton giant ship has already set sail for trial voyage."
"The keel of this ship is made of special steel forged by the 10,000-ton hydraulic press at Jiangnan Shipyard, and the power system is also a diesel engine that we have independently improved. Once the sea trial is successful, it will be able to sail to ports all over the southeast coast!"
"Early this morning?" Old Wang stroked his chin thoughtfully. "No wonder that landing craft insisted on setting off this morning... it was for mutual cover?"
Old Wang thought of the instructions he had given to keep a close eye on Company Commander Tang in Jiangxia before he left.
Yes, Company Commander Tang also boarded the landing craft, preparing to go to Hong Kong to meet up with Squad Leader Ru and the others.
The reason for their reunion was that Sergeant Ru, that good-for-nothing, brought a message asking Company Commander Tang if he could "kill a few more skinny, dark-skinned monkeys," because the monkeys over there seemed to be up to no good for their comrades...
Tsk tsk, listen to what kind of talk this is!
Want to fleece a few more?
So, does that mean he's already been killed?
Oh dear, that won't do. If we fleece too many people, what kind of accident might happen?
But not everyone can control the disciples of the Heavenly Killer Star.
Helpless, Company Commander Tang could only rush off to clean up his apprentice's mess...
However, given his reputation, it's hard to say whether his trip was to discipline his apprentice or simply because he was itching to do something himself.
Old Wang shook his head inwardly at this thought.
Just as Lao Wang's thoughts were drifting away, Jiangxia was suddenly jolted awake by the keywords "10,000-ton giant ship" and "trial voyage at dawn today," and a long-forgotten, less-than-pleasant historical memory gradually came to light...