Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 153: Training at Sea (Seeking monthly votes, the second part of the -word update, and the third part will be updated later.)
"Let go of the jib sail."

"Lower the mainsail."

"Lower the mizzen sail."

"Hurry up, quick, quick..."

Following a series of orders from Captain Fu Hongyu of the ironclad ship "Zhennan", the sailors on the ship acted quickly and methodically, like a spinning top being whipped.

More than 10 sailors worked together to turn the huge capstan, and with the sound of their calls, they slowly pulled up the heavy anchor chain.

The rigging hand climbed up the tall mast like a nimble monkey, and lowered the foresail, gussets, mainsail and mizzen sail one after another.

Under the captain's command, the other sailors manipulated the sails and cables in an orderly manner, adjusting the angle of the huge sails to the wind. Afterimages appeared from the hard work of their hands.

With a "crash" sound

The lowered sails were filled with sea breeze and immediately tightened, generating a huge dragging force, causing the tall masts to creak under the heavy load, dragging the heavy ironclad ship to move slowly.

"Hurry up and tighten the sails, move faster." Fu Hongyu shouted loudly, feeling like stabbing someone.

The mast made a sound beyond its load and showed a noticeable tilt, which meant a low-level mistake in sailing. This was because the sailors did not tighten the rigging, and at this time, the boatswain must be held accountable.

A main mast rigging is pulled by at least 4 to 5 rigging cables to help the main mast disperse the force. If any rigging cable is not tightened, it will cause the force to be deflected.

If he goes wrong, the mast might break, and he would be finished as captain.

"Wang Dali, Hu Erdan, what are you two bastards doing?" The boatswain Zheng Tiechui rushed over like a gust of wind. He was a burly man and shouted loudly in anger.

Zheng Tiechui pushed Hu Erdan away, grabbed the noose handle and shook it vigorously. Soon the cable was stretched straight and he shouted, "What are you looking at? Come and help me."

Wang Dali and Hu Erdan went over immediately, and they worked together to pull the cable tightly.

The ironclad ship made a large arc in the bay, leaving a clear semicircular track on the blue sea.

When the cable loosened slightly, several people worked together to turn it a few more times to tighten it completely.

Zheng Tiechui then skillfully wrapped the cable at the other end of the capstan several times, and then looped the rope end around the thick side pile of the ship, and then looped it around again, doing this five times in a row, and finally tied a knot to secure it.

There are dozens of knots on sailboats, used in different scenarios.

This type of mooring knot is very strong. Once it is tied, it will not slip unless the cable is broken. It is a skill that must be mastered.

When untying the cable, just pull it open, which is extremely convenient.

Under the control of the sailors, the ironclad ship made a circle like a clumsy black fat man and slowly sailed towards the vast water surface of the bay.

Compared with the flexibility of the three-masted sailing ship and the extremely fast response to sail control, the ironclad ship was much more clumsy due to its own weight, and it took more than ten minutes to turn a circle.

After resolving the previous mistakes, the boatswain Zheng Tiechui obviously had no intention of letting Wang Dali and Hu Erdan off the hook. Instead, he sternly rebuked them and asked,

"Are you two just idiots on board? You've practiced this hundreds, thousands of times, and you've memorized the sailor regulations by heart. How dare you try to fool me at this critical moment?"

"Reporting to the commander, Erdan's hand slipped while we were working together to reel in the cable, and it hit the capstan pile. I'm afraid he broke his fingers, and his hand was almost tangled in it. In a hurry, I helped him pull it out and was looking for something to bandage it..."

"Bao N's mother! Even if this idiot's hand is broken, we still have to tighten the mooring bit first. This big mast is the life of all the soldiers on the ship. If anything goes wrong, the captain will be unable to save himself."

"Sir, I know I was wrong."

"I wish I could kick you two to death. Stretch out your hands and let me see them." Zheng Tiechui said with lingering anger.

"Yes, sir."

Hu Erdan stretched out his hand. One of his little fingers was obviously twisted and deformed, and it hurt so much that it must have been broken.

Ultimately, the sailors lack experience in dealing with emergencies.

Zheng Tiechui's expression softened a bit, but he still glared, "Those hands are fucking useless. Go back to the hold. When we're done training and back at the harbor, I'll file a report and have you disembark. What can a cripple like you do?"

"Sir, please give me a chance. Even if one finger is broken, I still have four that can be used."

"What are you supposed to do when you're in so much pain?"

"It won't affect you, sir."

Hu Erdan was also a ruthless man. He stretched out his other hand and stroked the injured hand with force. With a muffled groan, he forcibly moved the twisted fingers back.

There was an obvious layer of cold sweat on his forehead and his face turned pale.

Zheng Tiechui, who looks rough, is a man who has seen life and death many times, and of course he knows that the fingers are connected to the heart.

He looked at Hu Erdan with some surprise, and the soft spot in his heart was touched. He said with a dark face: "We need someone to be at the battle station right now. Go to the lower deck to find Doctor Meng for treatment and apply some medicine."

"Sir, I want to serve the Marshal. Please give me a chance." Hu Erdan pleaded.

Zheng Tiechui chuckled and said, "There are so many people who want to serve the Marshal, we don't need you. Hurry and find Doctor Meng for treatment. How come I didn't notice that you have a ruthless nature?"

"Sir, then I..."

"I know. Go away now. Stay on the boat as long as you can bear it."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. I'll go find Doctor Meng now."

"Get the hell out of here! I'm annoyed every time I see you. You're always causing trouble for me." Zheng Tiechui cursed without any politeness, turned around and looked at Wang Dali, his expression becoming fierce.

"Sir, it's my fault. I have a jug of wine hidden in my luggage to treat you tonight."

Wang Dali quickly bowed and tried to please him, with a fawning smile on his face.

Zheng Tiechui looked at him with disdain, stretched out his hand and hit his head once, twice, and three times, beating Wang Dali so hard that he lowered his head and begged for mercy.

"I've caused such a big disaster for you that I don't know how to explain it to the captain. Do I need your bottle of wine? You bastard!"

"When you get back, copy the Sailors' Regulations 10 times. You won't be allowed to sleep until you finish."

"Now stand aside. I'm punishing you by making you practice tying a stake knot 500 times. Report each time you complete it."

"As you command, sir."

"Humph!"

Zheng Tiechui stood aside with a dark face, looking like he wanted to eat someone.

Wang Dali did not dare to neglect it. He was originally from northwest Shandong and was one of the refugees who arrived in Mindanao more than three months ago. He was fortunate to be selected, join the army and board the warship.

nowadays

Wang Dali is a dazzling and handsome guy among many Chinese immigrants, envied by many people. He cherishes this opportunity very much.

So Wang Dali stood upright on the side and began to practice tying the stake knot with a spare cable. After tying it, he would remove it, which counted as one time.

After finishing the drill, Wang Dali stood up straight and shouted loudly, "Report to the commander, the first knot is completed."

Zheng Tiechui looked at him coldly without responding. Wang Dali tied the stake knot a second time on his own, then removed it. He stood straight and shouted again, "Report to the commander, the second knot is complete."

Then, without any response, Wang Dali continued to tie the knot, untie it after finishing it, and report again, repeating this process...

After seeing him beat him more than 10 times, Zheng Tiechui turned around and left with a fierce look on his face, looking at the busy sailors with vicious eyes all the way, and he might get angry again at any time.

The sailors were busy like spinning tops, trying not to let the boatswain, who was on the verge of anger, find any fault with them.

Ship's side

More than a dozen young trainee officers, led by a white instructor, were practicing sampling using azimuth and anemometers, each with a serious expression.

The two huge sails in front and behind the ironclad ship were fully unfolded. Under the captain's command, the sail angles were adjusted and the team followed the ironclad ship formation into the depths of the bay to start today's ship handling and formation training.

The formation training was very strict. The other ships had to sail along the snow-white track plowed by the lead ship, turning left, right, and changing formation from time to time.

The warships behind followed one another and were not allowed to leave the range of the track ahead, otherwise it would be a serious error in ship operation and the captain would be penalized with points deducted.

If the captain is unlucky, then everyone on the ship will be unlucky.

Ship handling training

The most leisurely ones are the front main battery and the rear main battery. The gunners are both retired American officers, and the gunners are all Chinese. This is mostly the configuration.

At this moment, they were all sitting leisurely in the circular turret, opening their mouths and yawning out of boredom.

The commander of the former main battery was a retired US Army lieutenant named Charlie. Since smoking was not allowed in the battery, he was bored and bit a small branch in his mouth while lying on the round shield of the battery to watch the fun.

After seeing the fierce look of the boatswain Zheng Tiechui, he smiled and saluted.

Zheng Tiechui had no way to deal with him, so he returned a perfunctory military salute and continued to patrol the deck.

Charlie saw the boatswain leave and shouted in his strange Chinese: "Hey, man, your boss is gone, so you can do less."

After saying that, he winked and laughed, looking lazy.
Wang Dali simply ignored him. The artillery crew and the sailors belonged to two different departments and rarely interacted with each other on weekdays.

The artillery group includes the "front battery", "rear battery", the port battery on the lower gun deck, and the starboard battery, with a total of 122 officers and soldiers, under the command of the white deputy captain.

"Report to the commander, complete 31 knots." Wang Dali carried out the order meticulously. He had to tie 500 knots today, not a single one less.

I guess my voice will be hoarse when I get back.

Wang Dali's attitude was very correct. Since he had made a mistake, he had to be punished. He was very grateful to the boatswain Zheng Tiechui for the opportunity and did not have any resentment in his heart.

The boatswain wasn't the boss on the ship, and no one could take the blame for such a major mistake. The captain would definitely punish the boatswain severely, and a fine of one month's salary would be the minimum.

Although the boatswain Zheng Tiechui looks fierce, he is actually not a bad man. He is fair and never makes things difficult for his sailors. Instead, he protects them.

Someone like Hu Erdan who broke his finger would normally be fired from the ship.

If things go wrong, I might not even be able to wear this military uniform and have to take it off to work as a farmer.

Zheng Tiechui is responsible for this matter.

In the engine room of the Zhennan, dozens of sailors were sitting on the coal pile or in other corners. Some were drinking water, some were smoking pipes, and they looked very relaxed and comfortable.

The two huge, dark steam engines and six boilers were not started, so they had nothing to do, but they had to stay at their battle positions.

At the captain's command, the boiler must be preheated immediately and prepared to start the steam engine.

During normal sea training, these energy-consuming steam engines would not be started. When running at full capacity, they would consume 1 kilograms of coal per hour.

Even if it runs at low speed, it consumes thousands of kilograms of coal per hour.

You also have to use good quality coal, which has a high calorific value, heats up quickly, and produces less slag and ash. Of course, it is expensive.

If the steam engine was started every time he sailed, the Marshal would feel the pain when he saw the bill.

Lieutenant Colonel Phelan Williams led the ironclad fleet across the Pacific Ocean. On the way, he did not start the steam engine, but sailed along the Pacific Current relying on the front and rear mainmasts.

Although the speed is much slower, the key is to save money.

The US military also avoids using steam engines if possible. Every time a steam engine is used for navigation, the captain must write a report stating the reasons why it must be used.

Otherwise, the captain would have to pay for the coal and firewood out of his own pocket, and this was no joke.

Vice Admiral David Porter of the U.S. Navy once issued a clear order;
"Commanders of all naval fleets, detachments, warships, and all support vessels must comply with this order.

All commanders should endeavor to adapt themselves to using only sail for all sailing and training, strictly limiting the use of coal...

The Navy will not be held responsible if this order is not duly carried out, and the cost of the coal will be charged to their bills..."

"We must return to the old ways..."

"Before each fire is lit and the steam engine is used, the captain must state the reason in the ship's log..."

think back then

When Lieutenant Colonel Phelan Williams led the ironclad fleet across the Pacific, each sailing ship was equipped with only forty or fifty sailors, which was the minimum.

There were basically no gunners and related officers, and there was no one in the engine room of the ironclad ship. All the sailors were on the deck operating the sails to maintain navigation needs.

Only in this way can we accomplish the feat of crossing the Pacific Ocean with the least amount of manpower.

Today, the entire fleet has 19 sailing warships and a total crew of more than 4300 people, including 76 retired white American officers and more than 420 white sailors.

More than 1760 artillerymen were mobilized in an organized manner. These were militiamen who had been trained on Mindanao for more than half a year and were to be used in this critical location.

About 800 experienced captains and sailors were transferred from the Fujian fleet that withdrew from long-distance voyages, and the boatswain Zheng Tiechui was one of them.

In addition, more than 1200 young and strong new recruits were recruited. Wang Dali and Hu Erdan belonged to this category. They were selected from the best and received training and elimination before they could finally board the ship for actual operations.

The Great Chu Navy was divided into four squadrons. The first squadron was the ironclad fleet, consisting of four ironclad ships: Zhennan, Zhenbei, Zhendong, and Zhenxi. It was a firepower strike formation.

The 2nd Squadron is the main sailing fleet, consisting of the Guangming sailing ship and four thousand-ton sailing battleships Zhenhai, Zhenjiang, Zhenhu and Zhenhe. It is the main formation.

It usually operates simultaneously with the fire strike formation, forming the powerful maritime punch of the Chu Navy.

The Third Squadron consisted of six 6-ton brigs, all of which were named "Fen" (Fen-zhan), "Fen-dou", "Fen-qian", "Fen-jin", "Fen-wei" and "Fen-wu", collectively known as the "Wei-wu Fighting and Forward" six-ship formation.

The 4th Squadron is composed of four 300-ton brigantine clipper ships, all of which are warships with the prefix "Fen", namely "Fenyong", "Fenli", "Fenzheng" and "Fenqu", collectively known as "Yongli Zhengwu". They are the vanguard fleet that carries out reconnaissance, searching for enemies, vigilance and guarding, and are the vanguard formation.

The four formations were scattered across the vast bay, conducting drills and confrontations as separate units, creating a strong atmosphere of actual combat.

Especially the armored firepower strike squadron and the main squadron, they opened the gun ports on their sides, revealing the black muzzles, adjusted the pitch and elevation angles at the target, and allowed the artillery to join in the training.

Under the constant attention of the Marshal, high-intensity maritime training has been ongoing without a moment's relaxation.

(End of this chapter)