50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 493 Set sail
Following the fire on the HMAS Melbourne, the investigation team determined the cause of the fire, and everyone knew that dealing with the HMAS Melbourne issue could not be delayed.

There's no one on this ship anymore, and it's already caught fire on its own. If we wait any longer, it might destroy itself. We'd better get rid of it as soon as possible.

Because the compartment where the fire started was only one wall away from the ammunition depot, if the fire had spread to the ammunition depot and caused the ammunition to explode, the Melbourne would definitely have sunk.

At that time, this entire sea area will be ruined. A large amount of pollutants will completely pollute the seawater within a radius of more than ten kilometers, and the entire port area will become stagnant water.

The incident was quickly reported in the newspapers, which further cemented the already retired Melbourne's reputation as a "jinx".

The residents of Melbourne's harbor were also filled with lingering fear. If this area of ​​water were polluted, how would they continue to live? There are millions of people living here.

Local residents quickly organized larger-scale demonstrations and protests, demanding that the authorities immediately take action against the Melbourne.

They demanded that the pollution be demolished immediately or towed away; they were determined not to allow this enormous pollution hazard to remain on the dock right in front of their house.

The military quickly dispatched personnel to remove all the carrier-based aircraft and ammunition from the ship to prevent any further accidents.

Meanwhile, the Naval Strategy Department formally submitted a bill to dismantle the HMAS Melbourne. Both houses of Congress, responding to public opinion, passed the dismantling plan and initiated a tender process.

After the news spread, many qualified companies took a liking to the project and came to Canberra to participate in the bidding process.

Sun Zhiwei's "West Point Recycling Company" was also one of the bidders, but he was not flustered at all in the face of the new competitors.

The parliamentary budget is $9000 million for dismantling and a two-year dismantling period.

Sun Zhiwei has reached an agreement with all parties through intermediaries, under which he will share $5400 million, or 60% of the total fee, with each party as a profit-sharing entity.

His only request was that we not worry about his subsequent handling of the situation.

Since the remaining $3600 million is far from enough to cover the dismantling costs, he will definitely resort to some illegal methods to make up for the losses.

If all the dismantling is done in accordance with the requirements of the dismantling agreement, and it's supposed to be environmentally friendly, then he'll lose money, and nobody's willing to do a business that loses money.

Of course, he also assured that the Melbourne would not be used for military purposes.

Under such behind-the-scenes deals, no matter how much effort other bidding companies put in, they will only become his foil.

Of course, when submitting the bid, he would definitely have to write a more impressive bid so that other bidding companies would have nothing to say, lest the collusion be exposed.

For example, he wrote 10 months for the dismantling time in the tender document.

Other companies can also complete the dismantling in 10 months, but that would require hiring more than twice the manpower.

A significant increase in employees would drastically reduce already low profit margins, and if cost management is not done well, it could even lead to losses.

In addition, Sun Zhiwei also stated in the tender document that he would tow the Melbourne away from Australia for further processing and would never pollute local Australian waters.

This is another big plus, as it aligns with the political correctness of protecting the domestic environment, but it will significantly increase transportation costs, further reducing profits.

Ultimately, Sun Zhiwei's "West Point Material Recycling Company" won the bid with flying colors.

The other recycling companies that participated in the bidding, after learning about the contents of Sun Zhiwei's bid, outwardly remained silent, but behind his back, they vehemently criticized the West Point Company. "It's just collecting scrap, does it have to be this shady? If everyone does it this way, how are we supposed to make money?"

Sun Zhiwei didn't care about any of that. He had won the bid, and his next step was to take over the Melbourne.

He couldn't possibly hand over an aircraft carrier by himself, but he didn't have the manpower to do so.

So, on the same day the bidding ended, he rushed to Melbourne and hired a group of basic staff at the local talent market.

These people are mainly used to handle various small and miscellaneous matters. They are not actually going to dismantle the Melbourne, so there is no need for professional dismantling workers.

In the following days, he took over the Melbourne with his newly hired men. By then, all the ship's aircraft had been transferred and the ammunition depots had been emptied by the naval logistics department.

Now, the Melbourne's weapon system is reduced to only 25 40mm anti-aircraft cannons, and it has no shells left.

After Sun Zhiwei's men arrived, the military police team responsible for guarding the Melbourne quickly handed over their duties and ran away.

They've had a tough time lately, with frequent protests from local residents, leaving them overwhelmed and exhausted. Now that someone has come to take over, that's wonderful.

After the military police left, Sun Zhiwei stood on the dock, looking at the huge Melbourne in front of him, feeling a bit complicated.

So this huge aircraft carrier is now ours?
But before he could be happy for long, he quickly shook off his joy. The Melbourne was still in an Australian port, so it didn't belong to him anymore, and he needed to get out of there quickly.

At this point, the promised funding from parliament had not yet arrived, but Sun Zhiwei could not wait any longer; he had to leave Australia before anyone could react.

But to leave quickly, he needed a good reason. As he thought about it, Sun Zhiwei turned his gaze to the scattered protesting residents not far from the dock.

A day later, volunteer associations in several blocks near Melbourne Dock received donations from anonymous benefactors.

The donations were specifically designated to support protests against the "disaster aircraft carrier," with a determination to drive this source of pollution away.

The protests, which had started off lukewarm, suddenly took off with the support of anonymous funding.

The number of protesters gathering at the Melbourne aircraft carrier dock is increasing daily, and with so many people, it is easy for emotions to get out of control.

A few days later, due to an accident, the conflict erupted, and someone even threw Molotov cocktails at the Melbourne. In the end, the West Point Company employees guarding the dock had no choice but to call the police.

Someone set fire to the ship, and the situation escalated, with newspapers starting to report on the pollution issue of the Melbourne again.

Feeling the pressure, the MPs sent someone to contact Sun Zhiwei, hoping he could advance the funds to get the Melbourne ship away, and they would pass the funding bill as soon as possible.

When facing the messenger, Sun Zhiwei acted reasonable and, as was his nature, showed fear. He then agreed to advance the money to hire a tugboat to tow the Melbourne away.

On April Fool's Day, amidst loud cheers from protesters at the docks, a large tugboat towed the rusty Melbourne away from Melbourne docks.

Sun Zhiwei, standing in the tugboat's wheelhouse, also wanted to cheer loudly, but he suppressed his slightly anxious feelings and quietly watched the tugboat slowly accelerate.

The crowd on the dock receded into the distance until it was no longer visible.

(End of this chapter)