50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 262 The Memphis Vanishes
The Memphis continued to sail southeast for the next three days.

During the journey, the 'Memphis' conducted various functional tests from time to time, such as surfacing and diving, and occasionally launched a torpedo to blast a reef.

On the third day of its voyage, the 'Memphis' arrived in the Bermuda Triangle.

From the seabed here, it doesn't look much different from the seabed in other places, and no magnetic field disturbances have been found.

However, as the number of reefs in the waters ahead increased, the 'Memphis' began to turn south and head towards Puerto Rico.

The new ship test did not have a specific course or objective; its main purpose was to test whether the submarine's various functions and performance met the standards.

Therefore, they want to explore all kinds of sea areas, without any particular order.

Clearly, the temporary captain decided to test the waters in the deep waters off Puerto Rico, where the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean is located.

After hearing the heading from the cockpit, Sun Zhiwei knew the time was almost here.

Time passed quickly, and on the seventh day after leaving port, the 'Memphis' came to rest on the edge of the Puerto Rico Trench.

After a night's rest, on the morning of the eighth day, the 'Memphis' began a new round of testing.

In order not to interfere with the submarine's operations, the repair ship following behind them began to move away from the 'Memphis'.

"Attention all units, close the hatches, water tanks will begin filling with water."

The submarine's top hatch began to close, and at the same time, the submarine's ballast tank inlets opened, and water began to be drawn in. The 'Memphis' was slowly sinking.

Just then, a worker in the battery compartment accidentally slipped and dropped a bottle from his pocket onto a battery pack.

The bottle shattered, and the liquor inside spilled onto the battery pack, connecting the two terminals and instantly igniting it.

The workers quickly tried to extinguish the flames by patting them with their clothes, but the liquor was flowing and not so easy to put out.

The battery casing quickly caught fire, emitting thick black smoke that began to fill the battery compartment.

The workers in the same compartment also panicked. Some tried to help put out the fire, while others began to run away. The team leader of the battery compartment immediately alerted the command center.

Unfortunately, none of them noticed that several smoke canisters had suddenly appeared in the compartment, releasing more thick smoke that quickly poured out of the battery compartment.

Within minutes, the entire cabin of the 'Memphis' was filled with thick, choking smoke.

The captain was experienced and knew what to do in this situation.

"Attention all units, command center order: water tanks stop filling, 'Memphis' cease descent, periscope team open top hatch, execute immediately."

The submarine was piloted by a group of veteran crew members. Although the cabin was filled with smoke, they still carried out the captain's orders accurately.

"The hatch has been opened and smoke is being released."

"The water tank inlet is being closed."

"Oh no, Captain, something is blocking the inlet of the forward water tank. It's not closed properly, and the tank is still filling with water."

Upon hearing this, the captain's expression changed drastically, and he immediately asked, "Estimate the dive time."

"Report to the captain: the water tank inlet is still one-third open. The top hatch is expected to reach the water surface in 15 minutes."

The first mate promptly warned, "Captain, let the crew evacuate. We'll deal with the problem once everyone is safe."

The captain coughed, agreeing with the first mate's suggestion, and the first mate immediately began issuing orders over the loudspeaker:

"All personnel, evacuate immediately. This is not a drill."

"All personnel, evacuate immediately. You have only 10 minutes." Actually, there was no need to give the order at this point. Half of the workers and engineers had already run out, and the other half were waiting at the hatch.

The sailors in charge of navigating the ship only began evacuating in the last five minutes, and before leaving, they were gradually shutting down various systems.

Sun Zhiwei had already put on a gas mask and was hiding in a corner of the crew rest room.

He closely monitored the entire submarine's situation using his spatial awareness. The ballast tanks were still being filled with water, and the 'Memphis' was slowly sinking. Thick smoke billowed from the top hatch as crew members emerged.

The repair ship in the distance had already spotted the abnormality of the 'Memphis' and was heading towards it at full speed.

At this point, due to the large amount of water in the forward tank, the 'Memphis' was beginning to feel top-heavy.

Soon, the seawater in the tanks exceeded the submarine's buoyancy, and water began to enter the submarine's hatches.

Once Sun Zhiwei confirmed that the last crew member had exited the cabin, he immediately rushed from the crew rest area to the cabin door.

He had to close the hatch before the water pressure increased; if the submarine flooded, the equipment on board would be lost.

This was the most dangerous moment. The submarine was completely submerged, and the water pressure outside was too great; it was impossible for a normal adult to close the hatch.

Fortunately, Sun Zhiwei is not a normal person; his strength is many times that of an average person.

In just over ten seconds, he rushed to the hatch, held back the gushing seawater, and used brute force to close the hatch lid.

Then there was a spinning motion, the hatch was quickly sealed shut, and the 'Memphis' finally stopped taking on water.

However, due to inertia, the submarine was slowly sliding forward, with the Puerto Rico Trench ahead. If the 'Memphis' fell in, it would be impossible to come back up.

After closing the hatch, Sun Zhiwei rushed into the cockpit and turned on all the equipment that the pilots had just turned off, except for the radio.

At the same time, he was also draining water outwards using the space. Water conducts electricity, and if any wires leaked electricity, he would be in danger.

Draining the water could also slow the submarine's descent. Of course, he also remembered to remove the steel plate that was wedged into the water tank's inlet and shut off the tank.

Soon, all the equipment restarted, but Sun Zhiwei still did not turn on the propeller.

It's not the right time yet. There's a repair ship on board, and its sonar is on, allowing them to see the location of the 'Memphis' as it slowly slides into the Puerto Rico Trench.

On the sea, the repair ship has arrived at the location where the 'Memphis' sank and is conducting rescue operations.

Inside the bridge of the repair ship, a sonar operator is reporting the position of the 'Memphis'.

"The Memphis is 500 meters from the trench."

"400 meters". "100 meters"

"The Memphis has disappeared."

At this moment, the captain of the 'Memphis' was already standing in the bridge of the repair ship.

Upon hearing the sonar operator's report, he grabbed his hat and slammed it to the ground, then crouched down, knowing he was done for.

Just as the 'Memphis' entered the trench and detached from the repair ship's sonar scan, Sun Zhiwei started the propellers and began to turn.

The 'Memphis' narrowly avoided the opposite trench cliffs and began to sail eastward along the trench.

The matter was not over yet. After stabilizing the 'Memphis', Sun Zhiwei began to use space to drop things into the trench.

A torpedo with its safety engaged and two missiles with their safety engaged were launched towards the distant cliff face.

(End of this chapter)