Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 477 - 336: How to Get It Back!_3

Han Yu pondered for a moment, then continued, "Although I’m not from the Navy, I do have some understanding of submarines. If it sails back on its own, it needs to pass through the waters of many countries. This means that the submarine’s noise characteristics could easily be captured, which is very dangerous for the submarine and unfavorable for maintaining secrecy.

Moreover, like tanks, the main engine, auxiliary engines, batteries, and critical components of submarines all have a service life. Without officially being commissioned, sailing over ten thousand nautical miles will definitely affect the submarine’s service life.

Additionally, it’s hard to say whether there would be a need to dock for resupply along the way. Warships docking are different from cargo ships docking; it is not conducive to secrecy and may involve some international conventions, even sovereignty issues, which can be quite troublesome."

An expert opens their mouth and shows if they really know.

A senior officer showed a surprised expression, while another senior officer signaled for Director Feng to continue questioning.

"Salted Fish, I can reveal that we, China, have purchased two submarines and are now looking to transport one back, with Cosco involved in the transportation. Think again, how can we safely transport the submarine back?"

"Tugboats and barge transport are not feasible either, as these methods are only suitable for short-distance coastal travel. Moreover, the underwater maneuverability of submarines and barges is too poor, which can be very dangerous in high sea conditions."

Han Yu racked his brain and then added, "It seems impractical to transport it by land; it’s too heavy, and even if it can be loaded onto a train, it would be too tall and too wide. Besides, submarines are precision equipment and cannot withstand such rough handling."

"Think again, is there a perfect solution? We need to consider both cost and safety!"

"It would be great if we had a large floating dry dock. The Navy of South Korea seems to have used floating docks to transport submarines."

"We have floating docks, but none large enough, and our docks have only operated in coastal waters, never in distant seas, let alone ocean voyages."

"Do we have any semi-submersible ships? A semi-submersible ship is similar in principle to a floating dock."

The two senior officers’ eyes lit up, unable to believe that a Changhang Public Security Officer came up with the same idea as Cosco’s experts.

The young man did well, Director Feng was proud, and couldn’t help but smile, "Honestly, this is the solution we are considering, but it’s the first time for such a transport, there’s no precedent internationally, and it might even require international cooperation. Salted Fish, what situations do you think we should be cautious about when using a semi-submersible ship for transport?"

"Director Feng, as mentioned earlier, submarines are precision equipment that will eventually dive underwater, and the hull structure cannot have any deformation, otherwise the costly equipment could be very dangerous, and the crew’s lives would be at risk. Therefore, we must be extremely careful when loading it onto the semi-submersible ship, and securing it afterward is also an issue."

"Can we find a professional reinforcement company?"

"There’s no precedent for this, the reinforcement companies in the ports aren’t up to this task."

"Can you do it?"

"I’ve never done it either; I’ve only fixed 001 and participated in the dock repair of a short-haul passenger ship and two short-haul cargo ships. However, to ensure it’s foolproof, we must first understand the structure of the submarine, preferably identify the position of every keel. Then install additional dock piles on the semi-submersible ship, each one supporting a keel position, ensuring a tight fit so that the submarine’s structure does not deform."

Han Yu thought again and added, "I almost forgot, the outside of submarines are equipped with anechoic tiles; the condition of the anechoic tiles directly affects the level of noise the submarine makes, so we can’t directly place it on the dock piles. We need to use cushioning materials, which will protect the anechoic tiles while also providing some buffering."

Just like the experts in the company said!

Director Feng asked with a smile, "Anything else?"

"My 001 cannot be anchored and left unmanned for a long period; I suppose it’s similar for submarines, at least the main equipment in submarines needs to be frequently operated, and perhaps some electronic devices cannot be powered down. This means that a scaffold that can access the submarine needs to be installed on the semi-submersible ship, including a generator to provide power, considering ventilation inside the submarine."

Han Yu touched the corner of his mouth and continued, "Submarines use batteries for undersea navigation, and batteries are prone to catching fire, so firefighting must also be considered during the transport. Plus, we’ll pass through the waters of many countries and may need to dock for supply; the Navy really did right by choosing Cosco for this task, other units really couldn’t handle it."

"It wasn’t the Navy who sought us out; it was the General Staff Equipment Department."

"No matter who sought us out, the task is challenging; the equipment is too expensive, and even insurance companies would likely refuse to cover it."

"What do you mean, the task is hard? It’s a matter of national defense; however difficult, we must figure out a way to transport the submarines back. I’ll hang up now; don’t go anywhere, wait for my call."

"Ah..."

Director Feng didn’t wait for Han Yu to finish and asked with a smile while putting down the phone, "Gentlemen, what do you think of this Salted Fish?"

"Old Feng, where did you find this gem?"

"I watched him grow up."

"Did you train him?"

"I don’t have that much ability; he was trained by his master, who has a knack for nurturing talent. Actually, Salted Fish isn’t the only one; apart from him, there’s another kid, Xiao Yu, who never went to school and is basically illiterate, yet he was trained to be a police academy instructor by his master."

"Is that so!"

"Why would I lie to you? But his master was into elite education, only trained these two disciples. Unlike me, I used to lead troops; I couldn’t devote all my energy to just two people. And the resources we had compared to theirs, well, there’s just no comparison."

The tall officer chuckled, tapping on the table: "He has worked at the Marine Police Bureau in Political Security, taken crew members aboard foreign vessels, and carried out guard duties; politically, he should be fine."

The shorter officer laughed: "He understands Marine, has long-distance navigation experience, even been to Finland, familiar with routes and sea conditions. Plus, he speaks English, knows technology, even firefighting, a true jack-of-all-trades; I think he’s the one."

"Minister Chen?"

"I have no objections."

"Then it’s settled."

...

PS: At that time, there were three headquarters. The General Equipment Department was only established in 1998.