Great warships

Chapter 1208: Can a used gantry crane be sold? We want to expose their shamelessness!
The deal was made. India decided to grit its teeth and spend $1 billion to jointly develop a catapult with the British. When Sunil agreed, many British people present found it unbelievable.

One billion dollars! The British were short of military funds, and it was too difficult, even impossible, to raise one billion dollars. Unexpectedly, India could come up with it so easily!

One billion, that’s one billion!
All the Asans were excited.

"Mr. Sunil, with advanced electromagnetic catapults in the future, you should try to build an aircraft carrier with a larger displacement, right?" Steve continued to ask.

"Of course. A 40,000-ton aircraft carrier is just the beginning. In the future, we will build larger aircraft carriers, 60,000-ton, 80,000-ton, and even 100,000-ton super aircraft carriers. The power system will also transition to nuclear power. At present, we are developing fast reactor technology. Once these technologies are broken through, we will be able to build advanced fast reactors to meet the needs of aircraft carriers." Sunil said.

The fast reactor is a special type of reactor. Its biggest advantage is that it can utilize uranium 238. You should know that uranium 238 is the most abundant in nature, but it is not easy to undergo nuclear fission. Therefore, it is necessary to enrich the uranium in nature, throw away the uranium 238, and keep the uranium 235. It must be enriched to a certain concentration before it can be used. This causes a lot of waste, and there is also the problem of nuclear waste disposal.

If uranium 238 could be burned, the nuclear fuel available to humans would increase from a few hundred years to tens of thousands of years, and there would be no need to worry about fuel shortages.

However, this also means that the efficiency is very low. Fast reactors can be used as commercial reactors on land, but they are definitely not suitable as nuclear reactors on warships.

However, Sunil wanted to brag that if the East had something, the Indians would have something too! The East had nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, so of course the Indians would have one too.

"Yes, your technology is very advanced, we can all see it." Steve was very cooperative: "However, if you want to build such a large aircraft carrier, it means you need a larger dock and an advanced gantry crane, right? If you want to speed up the construction, you have to build it in sections, and to build it in sections, you need a gantry crane with a strong enough capacity, such as a 12,000-ton one."

When they heard this, the people at the Rosyth Shipyard who were present suddenly became excited. In order to undertake the task of building and assembling the aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy, they spent a huge amount of money to purchase a 12,000-ton gantry crane from the East. After the aircraft carrier was built, the gantry crane was no longer useful. They were worried about looking at the huge gantry crane every day. Well, now it’s all right, they will sell it directly to India!

"Yes, we do need large gantry cranes, but... we Indians also have principles. We will never buy products from Zhenhua Heavy Industries!"

Indians would never buy gantry cranes from Oriental, but if they don’t buy from Oriental, it seems that there is no second choice. After all, the best gantry cranes in the world are in Oriental.

Hearing his words, Steve immediately patted his chest and assured: "Of course you can't buy from the East, buy from us in the UK. We also produce gantry cranes. We can sell you 12,000-ton gantry cranes at any time!"

"Really?" Sunil asked excitedly, "How much?"

The East already has three aircraft carriers, each stronger than the last, and the East is still selling aircraft carriers. The Indians see it and are anxious. At the same time, they are not convinced. If the East can sell aircraft carriers, they can also sell them. After all, when it comes to the advantage of labor costs, no country can compare to the Indians! Needless to say, the workers' wages are so low. If an accident happens and a worker is injured, they will just scold him and drive him away. There is no compensation at all.

They, the Indians, need large gantry cranes so that they can build aircraft carriers in large quantities and sell them to make money in the future!
Steve looked at the people present and said, "Lambert, how much does a 12,000-ton gantry crane cost?"

Lambert was extremely excited: "This, this, at least 80 million US dollars!"

It was bought for 60 million US dollars, and two Queen-class aircraft carriers were built. Now it can be sold for 80 million US dollars! Indian money is really the easiest to make! Lambert was in a very good mood.

"This is the world's largest gantry crane, with a lifting capacity of 12,000 tons. It can also be used to manufacture 10,000-ton destroyers. Once it's built, it can be directly lifted down. It's definitely worth 80 million US dollars." Steve looked at the Indians.

Sunil swallowed and said, "Yes, it's definitely worth it. Let's buy it!"

Another business!
Benjamin was filled with emotion, this Steve is so amazing!
After the meeting, the excited British held a banquet and invited the Indians to dinner. The banquet was held in their most grand place and there were many important people in attendance. Sunil and others were flattered and honored. They could brag about it for a long time when they returned.

In the development of aircraft carriers, India finally moved closer to Britain, jointly developed with the British, and purchased gantry cranes from the UK. This news could not be hidden and soon spread back to the East.

Qin Tao was still working at the Mingzhou Shipyard when he heard the news. He smiled faintly and said, "These British people are too unkind. They are actually starting to cheat Indians."

"Yes, the gantry crane that Ah San bought was made by our Zhenhua Heavy Industries. I don't know what Ah San was thinking. He bought it directly from us because the price was low and we also provide after-sales service."

"If they don't get cheated once, they won't know who does business most honestly." Qin Tao said, "The gantry crane they bought for 80 million yuan can't be used, and the electromagnetic catapult they invested 1 billion yuan in developing can't be used. When the time comes, let's see where they can cry."

When doing business with Rosyth Shipyard, a prerequisite was already agreed upon that the gantry crane could only be used by them themselves and could not be resold to a third party. If they sold it, they could dismantle it and reinstall it, but after installation, it would definitely not be able to be started and the gantry crane would become scrap metal.

"Even the Americans are unable to successfully develop a catapult, so the British probably don't have the ability to do so either?" Xu Zhengyang said.

"Of course not. The British have long lost their creativity. Apart from shouting a few environmental slogans, they can't do anything else." Qin Tao said, "Asan has been fooled this time. I estimate that after getting the money, the British will most likely find American suppliers to contract the R&D projects. At that time, it is impossible for Asan to participate in the core technology research and development. At most, he can help write some software."

The electromagnetic catapult sounds simple, it's just a linear motor, but there are a lot of technical problems to be solved: a large amount of electricity is released at once, which requires flywheel energy storage technology, and the design, installation, and debugging of the linear motor, the sequential input of electricity, etc., are not things that the British can solve.

"Moreover, the British aircraft carrier is not powerful enough to support the use of powerful electromagnetic catapults," Xu Zhengyang added.

The Queen-class aircraft carrier has an output of only 108 megawatts. In order for carrier-based aircraft to take off, the aircraft carrier must have a certain speed. At least megawatts of electricity are used to drive the warship, and the rest must be distributed among the entire ship. The Queen-class aircraft carrier simply does not have any extra electricity to supply the electromagnetic catapult!
"How do you know?" Qin Tao was very curious.

"I just received a message from the bureau chief. His new program intends to focus on this recent incident and expose the British people's true colors, but he is afraid that it will ruin your plan, so he came to ask for your opinion. I have read the content."

"Go ahead. Zhang Zhong said the show hasn't had any new ideas in a while and the audience is no longer interested."

"But, will it make Ah San wake up?"

"Of course not. The more we tell them they can't do it, the more they will do the opposite. They are just like rebellious kids."

"it is good."

Zhang Zhong was very excited after receiving the news. He completed the recording of the program on the same day and met the audience during prime time in the evening.

"Dear viewers, welcome to watch this episode. Today's program is called Zhang Zhong Talks about the Queen's Tears. The Queen here does not refer to a person, but a Queen-class aircraft carrier."

Zhang Zhong was in high spirits: "We know that the Queen-class aircraft carrier has had countless tears from the project establishment to construction to launching and commissioning. It was rebuilt due to segmentation errors, and four gas turbines became two with insufficient power. Even now that it is in service, it is still worried about the carrier-based aircraft. As a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier, it is still operating the Sea Harrier, which is really laughable."

"The British can't wait for the United States' vertical take-off and landing carrier-based aircraft, so they decided to perform a major operation on the Queen-class aircraft carrier, which is to add a catapult so that it can take off and land conventional carrier-based aircraft. Let's analyze whether this improvement is reasonable. First of all, we know that the electromagnetic catapult not only has a drive motor, but also other equipment. According to the information currently available, the electromagnetic catapult used by the US Ford-class aircraft carrier weighs 630 tons and has a volume of more than cubic meters. We don't know if the Queen-class aircraft carrier will cry again with such a burden."

Sunil, who had just returned to the country, was writing a report when he saw such a program and his face immediately turned grim.

"Taking all the factors into consideration, we can conclude that if the British want to modify the Queen-class aircraft carrier, it will cost at least 5 billion, which is almost the same as building a brand new warship. Therefore, we believe that it is impossible for the British to carry out such a project. The reason they proposed the modification project is just to fool people."

Fool people?
Sunil’s brow furrowed.

"I heard that a certain country's aircraft carrier had an accident during a sea trial, so they also hope to use electromagnetic catapults to improve the performance of the aircraft carrier. We believe that currently in the world, only Eastern aircraft carriers have mature electromagnetic catapult technology. Even the United States has not yet developed it to maturity. It is impossible for the British to build such an advanced catapult..."

"Humph, this is a conspiracy by the Orientals. They want to sabotage our cooperation and try to stop us from acquiring advanced aircraft carriers!" Sunil said, "We will never be fooled."

"That's right, we should listen to the Orientals' words in the opposite way. If they don't let us do something, we will do it anyway!"

"Britain's technology is world-class and is definitely not comparable to that of the Orientals. The electromagnetic catapult is not some high-tech thing. It's just a linear motor. It will definitely be developed to maturity! By that time, our Indian aircraft carriers will also have electromagnetic catapults!"

"Yes, Orientals are jealous!"

Asan would not believe Zhang Zhong's persuasion. The more terrible the consequences Zhang Zhong said, the more they would not believe it.

In the future, facts will prove that Zhang Zhong is right. At that time, I wonder what Ah San will feel. Although he will still grit his teeth and insist that he is right, he will probably regret it deeply in his heart.

For Qin Tao, this was just a small episode. He still had a lot of things to do. The four amphibious assault ships were also a big test for the Mingzhou Group. They had to complete the construction with the fastest speed and the highest quality!
"Mr. Qin, the Glorious Years Shipyard is ready to start construction and invites you to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. If you want to go, the start time will be determined according to your travel date." That day, Xu Zhengyang received new news and said to Qin Tao.

"Really? That's great news. By the way, have you reported this to your superiors? Did they allow me to go out?"

Xu Zhengyang looked at Qin Tao's concerned expression and couldn't help but ask, "If your superiors don't agree, you won't go?"

"Of course I have to go."

"Then we still need to consult our superiors?"

"It's better to come back and cause trouble." Qin Tao said, "It's easier to go out than to come back."

"I have already reported this to my superiors. Their intention is... if the start of construction can be delayed, then we should wait until we send a fleet over to hold a maritime military exercise with the Rainbow Nation Navy."

"Joint maritime military exercise?" Qin Tao became interested: "Then what kind of warships should we send over?"

"One Type 055, two Type 052s, and a comprehensive supply ship." Xu Zhengyang briefly introduced: "Oh, and there will be a submarine underwater, and this one is the most important."

Underwater is the most important thing?
Qin Tao reacted: "Is it the 096?"

After 096 was launched, various intense tests began. Qin Tao did not participate in them. After all, there was a large team of professionals, and Qin Tao just went there to watch the fun.

The submarine should have completed all the testing work and officially joined the navy. After the running-in period, the submarine will need to conduct long-distance voyage training.

A submarine can go out alone, but if it encounters an accident, it will have to deal with it on its own. It would be much safer if it was escorted by a surface ship.

This is not just going to the Rainbow Country to organize a joint military exercise, this is also a submarine voyage! The new 096 submarine has powerful performance, which gave the superiors great confidence and decided to conduct a long-distance training!
"Okay." Qin Tao nodded: "Then let's say that the steel produced here is in short supply, and there is no way for the time being... No, follow our naval fleet and transport a shipload of aircraft carrier steel over. Isn't that better?"

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements." After Xu Zhengyang finished speaking, he thought of something else: "Boss Qin, are you going alone this time, or are you bringing your wife with you?"

Qin Tao had at least gone out for fun last time, but Zhao Ling had been in China and had not had the chance to go out. It had been several years since she had been abroad. Qin Tao thought about it briefly and nodded: "If it won't cause too much trouble to our security work, then I hope to take her with me."

The superior mentioned is actually the father-in-law. If the father-in-law agrees, Qin Tao will take his wife with him. If the father-in-law disagrees, then forget it. However, since the navy has made such a big fuss and is going out for joint exercises, it can naturally protect the safety of Qin Tao and Zhao Ling.

Time passed unnoticed and it was the year 06. Just after the New Year's Day of that year, the Navy dispatched a fleet consisting of three destroyers and a comprehensive supply ship to the southernmost tip of the earth. Also accompanying them were two bulk carriers full of ship steel plates, which also went to the Rainbow Country.

This is of course on the surface. Under the water, there is another big guy following.

Zhao Ling and Qin Tao stood together at the bow of one of the bulk carriers. Seeing Qin Tao's eyes fixed on the water, she knew what he was thinking.

"If I weren't here, you would have followed them, right?" Zhao Ling looked underwater and asked.

The submarine is full of men, and it would be very inconvenient for a woman to go up there. After all, the smell in the submarine is unpleasant, and everyone often works shirtless when they are underwater. Although there are two toilets inside, one of them needs to be filled with daily necessities before departure.

The 096 underwater is now a big guy with ample space, but it is still not suitable for women. Therefore, if Zhao Ling cannot go down, Qin Tao cannot go down to experience it either.

"Me? I don't want to go down." Qin Tao said, "It's okay to go up for a few hours occasionally, but if you stay in there for a month or two, it's not something that most people can endure. Besides, if you don't know how to use the equipment inside, you might get into big trouble."

Needless to say, you have to be very careful when using the toilet. If you use it incorrectly, it may pose a threat to the entire submarine at any time.

However, if he really gets on the submarine, the confidentiality will be very good, and no one will know that Qin Tao is out. It is not like now, where he has to hide on a bulk carrier.

"Hey, what's in front?"

At this time, the fleet had just set off and arrived at the southern waters. Qin Tao looked towards the direction of Qiongzhou and found that on a small island close to the Qiongzhou mainland, a chimney had been erected with white smoke coming out of it.

This is not smoke produced by burning, but by cooling. Could it be here?
"High-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor." Zhao Ling said, "A few years ago, Professor Wang developed a 10-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor. Last year, he started to build a 200-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor. It was originally planned to be built in Dongshan, but because the power shortage in Qiongzhou is getting bigger and bigger, it was built here. By the way, Krasnopolsky is also busy with it."

High temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor! This is the most advanced and safest fourth-generation nuclear reactor. The biggest advantage of this type of nuclear reactor is that it will be shut down immediately if a problem occurs, and no major safety accidents will occur.

(End of this chapter)