50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 526 The Twilight of the Empire
After the old chef arrived in Portsmouth with the medical records and Sun Zhiwei, he immediately found the head chef of the aircraft carrier.

After a brief conversation, and with Sun Zhiwei paying a thank-you fee, the head chef decided to keep him on.

Firstly, the old chef had medical records, which was indeed understandable; secondly, Sun Zhiwei was the old chef's nephew, so with his guarantee, there was no fear of any problems.

Thirdly, this temporary assignment wouldn't last long; the old chef would return after recovering from his illness in six months. Finally, the fleet was about to depart, and there wasn't time to find someone else to replace the old chef.

Therefore, despite not meeting the regulations, Sun Zhiwei still replaced the veteran chef and became a member of the aircraft carrier's kitchen.

After making arrangements for Sun Zhiwei, the old chef turned around and left, while Sun Zhiwei followed the head chef onto the ship.

He began to deploy his spatial array as he approached the Invincible, then analyzed the entire aircraft carrier piece by piece, comparing it with the equipment of the Melbourne.

The Invincible-class aircraft carrier is 209.1m long, 36m wide, has a cruising speed of 18 knots, a high speed of 28 knots, a range of 7000 nautical miles, and a crew of 1801. It is the lead ship of a new Invincible-class light aircraft carrier.

The ship carries 685 crew members, including the carrier itself, 366 airmen, and 750 Royal Marines.

The Invincible-class aircraft carrier is a product of a certain stage. Currently, due to the domestic economic downturn, fiscal austerity, and strict restrictions on military spending by the parliament, the situation is still developing.

However, at the same time, the Royal Navy's main aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is about to be decommissioned, and a new aircraft carrier must be provided to replace it, otherwise the Navy will face the predicament of having no aircraft carrier available.

Therefore, the invincible version with a lower price was developed.

However, the Invincible-class aircraft carrier has too small a displacement and can only be used as a support carrier. Its main functions are anti-submarine warfare and sea control, and it only has 15 Sea Harrier vertical takeoff and landing fighters for air defense.

Although the Sea Harrier was very advanced, being the world's first vertical takeoff and landing fighter jet, and possessing the rudiments of a third-generation fighter in terms of speed and avionics systems, it was referred to as a second-and-a-half generation fighter.

However, the number of Sea Harrier fighter jets was too small, and both the Navy and Margaret Thatcher at Downing Street were filled with both anticipation and trepidation.

However, HMS Invincible is truly advanced in electronic technology, at least one generation ahead of HMS Melbourne.

It has six different models of radar alone, as well as various electronic warfare equipment such as electronic decoys, electronic reconnaissance, electromagnetic interference, electronic support, and electronic countermeasures.

It even has data links, automatic combat data processing, and command information systems installed on it, which are not yet in service with the Russian and American countries.

It has to be said that at this time, the British were truly the emperor's favorite son, as these electronic devices could effectively assist the old M's combat groups in battle.

Old M always brings them along when he gets into fights, which is why they're jokingly called "Uncle Sam's shadows."

However, Sun Zhiwei could see that the Invincible aircraft carrier had significant weaknesses when operating alone.

One problem is the insufficient number of fighter jets carried, making it impossible to achieve absolute air superiority; the other is the lack of early warning capabilities, making it impossible to launch a preemptive strike.

This situation is very dangerous for an aircraft carrier. Once enemy aircraft get close, the carrier itself has little ability to fight back.

Fortunately, the Invincible was not operating alone this time.

Downing Street has appointed Admiral John Fiddlehouse as Supreme Commander, giving him full authority over the war. He has already decided to form Task Force 317.

Task Force 317 consisted of four sub-fleets, with the main fleet including Britain's last two aircraft carriers: the soon-to-be-retired HMS Hermes and the newly commissioned HMS Invincible.

Sun Zhiwei had to admire this British navy; they had been fighting almost continuously for hundreds of years and had a wealth of combat experience.

This is precisely why the British fleet was able to respond to Parliament's order to send troops within 24 hours and quickly conduct pre-war mobilization. Of course, the ships of Task Force 317 were not yet complete at this time; most of them were still scattered throughout the Atlantic coast.

In the days that followed, the dispersed ships would set sail according to the routes instructed by the fleet commander.

Centered on the main fleet, they reorganized along the way until they reached the battlefield and were fully reorganized and formed combat capability.

Soon, the head chef arranged a bed and daily duties for Sun Zhiwei. Sitting on the narrow bed, Sun Zhiwei's most immediate impression of the Invincible was its crampedness.

This light aircraft carrier, which is only about 200 meters long, actually crammed 1800 people onto it. He was speechless.

But then again, it makes sense. Britain is a long-established power, and most of the personnel on this aircraft carrier were transferred from the large aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Even after repeated streamlining, the entire formation still has this many people left, and in order to maintain combat effectiveness, they have no choice but to cram them all in.

In addition, the British Navy's traditional officer system has a very strict distinction between superiors and subordinates, and the 60 officers each occupy a living space of a prescribed size.

This led to a sharp decline in the housing benefits for lower-ranking soldiers.

However, the kitchen equipment on the Invincible is quite good, all of which are the latest models of fast food equipment, and there is a large kitchen at both the bow and the stern.

Sun Zhiwei's job was to arrange the soldiers' meals in the large kitchen at the bow of the ship.

He boarded the ship at 3 p.m., and before he could even make his bed, the head chef started calling for people.

He needs to start preparing dinner now, otherwise, his team, responsible for the dinners of nearly a thousand people, won't have enough time.

Helpless, Sun Zhiwei followed to the bow kitchen and began to get busy.

Shortly after the smoke rose from the kitchen, he sensed the ship moving; the Invincible was beginning to leave port.

The journey from Portsmouth Aircraft Carrier Base to the Falkland Islands in South America is over 13,000 kilometers.

Because of the limited range of the HMS Invincible and other destroyers and frigates, the fleet will refuel and replenish supplies at multiple ports along the route, while also meeting up with other ships that are coming along the way.

Every day, Sun Zhiwei gets up at 3 a.m. to prepare three meals a day for the soldiers. Even though he has to ask the soldiers on duty to help each time, he is still very busy.

Throughout the entire process, he kept his spatial awareness open, constantly monitoring and recording the ship's movements, with a focus on the various activities in the captain's cabin, including fleet intelligence, ship operation procedures, and so on.

Whenever he had free time, he would quickly write down what he had noted down in his notebook.

Along the way, in addition to the gradual gathering of naval warships, Margaret Thatcher also mobilized a large number of civilian vessels to participate in the operation.

Task Force 317 consisted of a total of 118 ships. Of these, fewer than 40 were front-line combat vessels, while the rest were mostly logistics support ships converted from civilian vessels.

Since the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the rise of the British Navy has led to the establishment of the British Empire on which the sun never sets.

For centuries, the British fleet has had a tradition of requisitioning merchant ships during wartime to provide supplies and transport spoils of war along the way.

These merchant ships were referred to as: ships taken up from trade.

(End of this chapter)