50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 258 Even Damaged, It's Still a Treasure

The Norfolk Naval Base dock is a straight line running north to south, and Sun Zhiwei infiltrated from the north.

The berths at the naval base were in high demand, and because the Nimitz was only temporarily docked, it was assigned to the northernmost berth.

This made it easy for Sun Zhiwei to infiltrate, and he quickly sneaked into the vicinity of the 'Nimitz'.

Then, it remained submerged at the bottom of the water, quietly using its spatial probes to observe the situation inside the Nimitz.

The USS Nimitz has been docked here for two days, but none of the crew members have disembarked, and the atmosphere in the fleet is a bit tense.

However, it wasn't the tension of facing a battle, but rather the tension of internal strife.

It was already night, but many parts of the ship were still brightly lit, and two groups of people were facing off on the bridge.

A bearded colonel said impatiently to the group opposite him, "What else is there to investigate? This was clearly an accident."

"If you think you can use this accident to bring me down, I think you're dreaming."

The leader on the other side remained unmoved by the bearded man's words. Behind him was a group of soldiers in black uniforms; they were military police belonging to the Marine Corps.

Whether it was an accident or not, an investigation team will naturally come to investigate.

"This incident resulted in the destruction of 10 fighter jets, damage to the aircraft carrier deck, the deaths of 14 soldiers, and injuries to 48 others. In addition, 10 aircraft and one helicopter were affected to varying degrees, with direct losses amounting to as much as $5 million."

"Such a major accident cannot be covered up by simply saying it was an accident."

"Colonel William Lansey, I have been ordered to relieve you of your duties. Come with us. We'll find out what happened when the investigation team arrives."

"You'll regret this." Upon hearing this, Colonel William angrily smashed his coffee cup, picked up his military cap, and walked out of the bridge.

The military police followed behind him, and since Colonel William did not resist, the soldiers on the ship did not stop them either; they simply watched them leave.

The captain of an H-powered aircraft carrier may look impressive, but in the US Navy, he is only a colonel. Later, the captain of our country's aircraft carrier was only a senior colonel.

Because the highest-ranking officer of an aircraft carrier battle group is only a major general.

After the captain was taken away, the deputy captain automatically took over his duties and began the follow-up work of comforting and reassuring the crew.

Sun Zhiwei saw the accident report that the deputy captain was writing; the matter was not complicated.

The incident involved an EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft pilot who failed to follow procedures during the return flight, resulting in the fighter jet crashing on the deck.

Then the crashed plane exploded, causing missiles on board to fly wildly, leaving the aircraft carrier deck in a mess.

Other aircraft parked on the deck were also damaged, and in the end, a total of 10 aircraft were destroyed.

其中包括一架EA-6B电子战飞机，5架F-14A雄猫战斗机，4架A-7“海盗”攻击机。

EA-6B价值6800万，F-14A价值3800万，A-7价值500万，这样一算下来，光损毁的战机费用就高达2亿7800万美元。

However, the cost of repairing the 10 affected fighter jets, compensation for the dead soldiers, treatment for the wounded soldiers, and deck repairs must also be calculated. 5 million is no exaggeration.

It's worth noting that in the United States, the cost of maintaining a fighter jet is often higher than the cost of purchasing a new one; this is quite normal.

When writing the section on repairs, the first officer stopped writing and asked the technical advisor, Captain Sean Carr, who was standing next to him: "None of the 10 damaged aircraft can be repaired?"

Sean Carl was also helpless: "It really can't be repaired. Repairing that kind of damage would cost three times more than rebuilding a plane. It's impossible to get the budget approved."

Upon hearing this, the vice-captain curled his lip and said, "Then sell it to a scrap metal dealer. Go and contact them, and give me an answer tomorrow."

"It's so badly damaged, nobody would want it even as scrap." "Then sell it as scrap."

Sean Carl nodded after hearing this, then lowered his voice and asked, "What price do you think would be suitable?"

"Even if it's scrap metal, an airplane weighs about 20 tons, right? What's the price of scrap metal these days?"

"About $200 per ton."

"Those plane wreckages contain a lot of precious metals, they're not just scrap metal."

“Go find a buyer and say that the 10 damaged fighter jets are worth a total of $10.”

"By the way, after you find the recycler, bring him to my office."

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel,” Sean Carr replied.

After the deputy captain finished speaking, he continued writing the report, which read as follows:

"Ten completely destroyed fighter jets will require environmentally friendly dismantling and harmless treatment because their wreckage contains many hazardous materials. The estimated cost for dismantling each aircraft is $500,000."

After listening to the infighting in the bridge and seeing the nonsensical accident report, Sun Zhiwei already had a plan in mind.

He carefully memorized the technical consultant's name and position, then turned and dived back into the water.

An hour later, Sun Zhiwei came ashore again on a deserted beach two kilometers away, changed out of his diving gear, took out his RV, and drove back to the city.

The next morning, Sun Zhiwei first made a set of business cards, then bought several bottles of good wine, and then rented a pickup truck from a car rental company in the city.

After completing his preparations, he drove his pickup truck to the naval base to request an audience with Captain Sean Carr of the USS Nimitz.

Half an hour later, Sean Carlson met up with Sun Zhiwei at a coffee shop next to the base.

Sun Zhiwei began by introducing himself: "Hello Captain, I am George Wilson from West Point Recycling Company. This is my business card."

Sean Carr took the business card without even glancing at it, took a sip of coffee, and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. George?"

“I heard that you have a batch of waste products that need to be disposed of, so I came here to seek cooperation.”

"Yes, there is a batch of scrap, a total of 10 damaged fighter jets. What price are you willing to pay?"

What price do you think would be suitable?

"$20, fixed price."

Upon hearing the price, Sun Zhiwei thought to himself, "This guy has a really big appetite."

“I heard that more than 10 planes were damaged. If there were a few more, that would be great. I’ll give you $5 for each additional one.”

Sean Carl hadn't expected this unexpected bonus. After careful consideration, he realized that as the ship's technical advisor, he had the final say on which aircraft needed maintenance and which didn't.

Although the repair costs for those fighter jets that need maintenance are high, he won't get a penny. But he can get 5 yuan for each one that is scrapped. This is a deal worth doing.

"10. Give me 10 for each additional scrapped plane, but you also need to recycle the scrapped planes at the price of scrap metal."

“Deal.” Sun Zhiwei readily agreed, then wrote a check for 50,000 to Sean Carl as a deposit for the transaction, and agreed to send a cargo ship to load the goods in three days.

(End of this chapter)