50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 494 Forward Forward
The straight-line distance between Melbourne Harbour in Australia and Anatahan Island, the tourist island where Sun Zhiwei is located, is 6000 kilometers.

However, to travel by boat, one needs to bypass the mainland and islands and follow the shipping route, which is more than 7000 kilometers away.

This time, he hired a large ocean-going tugboat with a steam turbine of the same model as the Melbourne, which has a power output of 2 horsepower.

It towed the Melbourne forward with full power, reaching a speed of 20 knots, and could have gone even faster if it weren't for maintaining the ship's stability.

Just in case, Sun Zhiwei had no choice but to travel with the tugboat. He estimated that it would take 9-10 days to sail from Melbourne Harbour to Anatahan Island.

This is because when passing through the eastern part of Australia, ships will encounter the East Australian Current, which flows from north to south and will significantly reduce ship speed.

As for the funding promised by the Australian Parliament, he could only temporarily hire a lawyer to oversee the receipt of the funds. With no time to spare, he had to focus on the aircraft carrier project first.

However, he believes that the lawmakers will not delay the payment of this sum, because they will receive the lion's share, a full 60% of the allocation.

Of the 40% that Sun Zhiwei received, not only did the middleman take half, but he also had to pay huge dismantling costs. He was lucky if he made a 10% profit.

If the money still doesn't arrive safely and completely after all this, it means the other party is too greedy. If they want to steal his money, then wait for them to come back and take revenge.

On the fourth day after departure, the Melbourne successfully passed through the Tasman Sea off the east coast of Australia and entered the Coral Sea in the northeast.

To the west of the Coral Sea lies the famous Great Barrier Reef, a coral reef system stretching over 2000 kilometers.

At low tide, some coral reefs are exposed above the water, forming coral islands. Cruise ships pass through these islands, and the continuous, colorful, and diverse coral scenery beneath the boats has become an underwater wonder that attracts tourists from all over the world.

They are currently sailing in a channel that is not above the Great Barrier Reef, but they can still see the nearby reefs. The sea is light blue, and seeing such a beautiful view can lift one's spirits.

Unfortunately, their good mood didn't last long; after crossing the Coral Sea, they entered a rain cloud.

Looking at the increasingly large waves, the tugboat captain said to Sun Zhiwei with some concern, "Mr. James, there seems to be a storm zone ahead. Should we continue?"

April is the season when storms are frequent in the Pacific region, but even if you want to avoid them, where can you go?

They are now at the northern end of the Coral Sea, and the nearest deep-water port is on Papua Island to the north. They can only continue forward.

Sun Zhiwei followed the captain to check the nautical chart, and then said to the captain, "The nearest deep-water port to us is Alotau Port on Papua Island, which is 600 kilometers away."

“Captain, the only way we can get the Melbourne to a safe dock is to go there.”

“My suggestion is to set the destination at Alotau and then mark a few small harbors along the route.”

"If we encounter particularly large waves that prevent us from passing through, we can temporarily take shelter in the small harbors along the way. What do you think?"

In fact, Sun Zhiwei's suggestion was very pertinent. They couldn't turn back; there wasn't a single port within 1500 kilometers to the south, and the storm was faster than they could go.

The captain, a seasoned sailor, knew the situation well. Unless they abandoned the Melbourne and fled in the tugboat, they had no chance of outrunning the storm.

But that's obviously impossible. Sun Zhiwei would never agree to abandon his aircraft carrier. Even though this behemoth has been decommissioned, its value is far greater than that of a 5000-ton tugboat.

The captain was unaware that, apart from weapons, ammunition, and carrier-based aircraft, most of the equipment on the aircraft carrier was still intact.

Either of the two search radars alone is more expensive than his tugboat.

His 5000-ton tugboat was worth at most $200 million, while the original cost of the HMAS Melbourne was $1 million. After Australia bought it, they spent another $800 million on modifications. If Sun Zhiwei had to choose, he would rather lose the tugboat than lose the aircraft carrier.

But if they turn back south with the Melbourne, they will inevitably encounter the eye of the storm near the Great Barrier Reef, where they are at greater risk of running aground.

The best option now is to risk going forward, rushing into the storm area, and trying to reach Alotau port to take shelter before encountering the storm's center.

“Okay, let’s continue forward. I’ll calculate the course and the refuge points along the way.”

The captain's orders were quickly relayed, and the crew members on the tugboat performed their duties diligently, all remaining at their posts. The entire vessel operated smoothly and efficiently, a sight to behold.

"Your sailors are truly excellent," Sun Zhiwei exclaimed sincerely.

The captain replied with no small amount of pride, "They're doing alright. They've been with me all along, growing from a small 100-ton vessel to this 5000-ton ocean-going tugboat. The teamwork is excellent."

Sun Zhiwei has seen many ships, including several aircraft carriers. The only ships that can be steered so smoothly, besides his own fleet, are this tugboats.

Starting with a 100-ton vessel, and by the age of 50, owning a 5000-ton ocean-going tugboat and commanding a crew of over 100 people, this captain has every reason to be proud.

At this moment, the tugboat was carrying the Melbourne through the wind and waves, and the weather conditions were getting worse and the wind was getting stronger.

This is still the outer edge of the storm, where the wind force is already around level 10. The storm center is at least level 12.

Sun Zhiwei was also worried. His external device wasn't very useful at sea, especially in a storm.

If only I had stolen a submarine and brought it with me, now that his space is big enough to easily fit a submarine.

“Mr. James, we can’t go any further. My ship can’t withstand a Force 12 gale. We can only take shelter on a nearby island for the time being.”

“You’re the captain, so make the decision based on your judgment.” Sun Zhiwei wasn’t stupid; he could offer suggestions, but he wouldn’t let an outsider direct an expert.

The tugboat quickly changed course and headed towards a small island nearby.

Just as they were about to approach the island, the ship suddenly shook violently, and its speed decreased significantly. An alarm sounded from the control panel.

The captain immediately steadied himself and quickly assessed the situation, while reports came from all parts of the ship.

"The engine is operating normally."

"Radar is normal."

"Damage control is normal."

"The steering wheel is functioning normally."

All the main equipment on the ship was normal, but what happened during the collision? Sun Zhiwei quickly launched a spatial search of the entire ship.

Just as the captain was making his judgment, Sun Zhiwei had already noticed the ship's anomaly: one and a half of the four propeller blades were missing.

It's clear that the ship's propeller hit a reef and was damaged. Although it's still spinning, its power has been significantly reduced.

(End of this chapter)