What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 271 Bureau of Paranormal Phenomena
On the evening of the 30th, a day after the Battle of Antigua, rumors began to circulate:
The Second Fleet on the High Seas is a ghost fleet; they are not human, but some kind of illusory creation or a time-traveling fleet.

Thanks to the popularity of science fiction culture during the Warring States period, time travel is now a well-known concept, so this rumor did not attract much attention.

If someone were to investigate further, they would discover that the source of the news was sailors from the European Fleet, but it was quickly retracted and disappeared.

As we all know, if a message is left to circulate unchecked, it is often a rumor, while an urgent cover-up reveals the truth.

The news that the Southampton had not salvaged any Second Fleet warships puzzled the other ships, and two subsequent Flower Moon-class ships also joined the salvage operation.

After a busy day, the divers even found the sunken Iowa, but discovered that the Scharnhorst, which should have been embedded in the bow of the ship, was nowhere to be found.

Subsequently, the Dubre and two other ships from the Atlantic Fleet also reported their findings, saying that no wreckage was found at the site where the Tirpitz formation sank.

Once the news of the wreckage's disappearance was confirmed, the four parties in the know immediately reached an agreement to blockade the area of ​​conflict.

Meanwhile, more than 20 ships of various sizes, as well as an aircraft carrier, were dispatched from the east coast, heading straight for Antigua.

Meanwhile, many of the parties involved were also transported back to their home countries by backup helicopters, including Dalton.

With thousands of lives lost and heavy losses on his shoulders, Dalton is no longer the splendid man he once was; now he looks like a silent old man.

However, he was not detained, but instead taken to a think tank for questioning.

"Chief of Staff Dalton, are you sure there was combat at that time?"

"First of all, I have been dismissed. And then, please don't insult me ​​like this."

Dalton became somewhat agitated when questioned by the interrogation team:
"The USS Wisconsin and USS Iowa sank right in front of me, there were several 380mm armor-piercing shells outside the bridge of the USS J, and so many dead children. Is this a hoax?"

I admit my defeat and am willing to take responsibility for it; otherwise, wouldn't it be better to commit suicide after the war than to suffer this humiliation here?

"Calm down, this is not an insult, I just want to confirm some facts... Never mind, Mr. Dalton, please leave."

An emotionally charged Dalton was unable to respond calmly, so they consulted crew members from several other warships, and the responses were remarkably consistent.

There are 4000 living witnesses who experienced this, so the possibility of large-scale forgery does not exist.

Moreover, each warship in the task force had video recordings and numerous photographs, including audio recordings of F14 squadron firing its cannons, so it was definitely not faked.

However, the initial salvage results were very perplexing; not a single piece of wreckage could be found.

The Second Fleet response team, comprised of think tanks and intelligence agencies, was somewhat at a loss and could only wait for further salvage and search efforts. How could hundreds of thousands of tons of steel have suddenly disappeared?

Just as a group of people were having a heated discussion, a group of fully armed soldiers walked in.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

Just as the person in charge was about to get up, he was pressed down by a burly man who was leading the group.

The burly man glanced around the room, and after confirming that everyone was there, he said:

"Everyone, you will now be assigned to the Oak Research Institute. Everything related to the Second Fleet will be classified as secret, and everyone will need to raise their security level."

The people present were all of high rank, and seeing this, they jokingly asked:
"We ourselves have the right to access top-secret information. Do you think the Second Fleet is made up of aliens?"

The burly man said unhurriedly:
"We haven't found any aliens. In fact, we are the Bureau of Paranormal Research."

The think tank members' expressions suddenly changed, and they muttered curses under their breath:
"Damn it, you're the BPRD who did the Stargate Project? I remember you did a lot of superpower experiments."

Wait, does the higher-ups think this is a supernatural event? That's absurd.

"Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you all, my new colleagues."

The burly man is named York, and he is currently the director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research.

In reality, BPRD had been essentially shut down and awaiting disbandment since the 90s, but with the emergence of the Second Fleet and the unresolved issues surrounding the Gulf of Aden, BPRD was restarted. Although BPRD had not achieved much in the past, given the Second Fleet's remarkable performance and the availability of additional funding, it was not an issue for the higher authorities.

The advantage of a large country is that it can invest spare money everywhere, and you never know when you will reap some rewards. The restructuring of BPRD has only received a little attention.

The super-high speed of over 70 knots, the magical smoke that can interfere with radar, and the virtual technology that allows two battleships to store more than 60 aircraft are all fascinating.

In fact, the performance of the Second Fleet has already caused a huge stir in the industry, especially as the Imperial Navy's requirements for a new generation of warships have also changed.

……

"The new DDG1000 should be able to reach speeds of over 50 knots."

"All warships must be equipped with this kind of smoke that remains stable even at high speeds."

"The Scharnhorst launched at least 30 seaplanes, so can an aircraft carrier at least double the number of carrier-based aircraft?"

At the Prism Building, the assembled manufacturers gasped in shock at Minister Johnson's outrageous demands.

After witnessing the Second Fleet's performance, Secretary Johnson, while lamenting his own enormous losses, then took notice of the new technologies.

Although the underlying principles are unclear, it is evident that these methods would be very useful to the Imperial Navy as well.

In Johnson's view, the United States is a land of great resources and outstanding people, what technology do we lack?
We want what others have!
沙恩霍斯特号3.7万吨能跑42节，2000多吨的卡尔号能跑近70节，两万吨的新DDG1000方案退一步50节不过分吧？
Interference smoke is also very useful, we need it!
Amazing hangar compression technology, I need it!
The navy has plenty of money, so you suppliers better hurry up and bring your goods over!
It's just a pity for a group of giant companies, who think this is some kind of fantasy.

But when the crew members give their accounts and the actual videos are filmed on their faces, what would happen if they said it wasn't good enough?

The Raytheon representative was the first to speak:
"We can study this smoke generator. It is actually a very old technology, but the smoke that completely covers the warship without affecting their own observation and aiming is really different."

We need to send personnel to the area of ​​conflict to collect residual samples as soon as possible. We also need $300 million in funding to launch the research and development program.

Upon discovering that the simplest piece had been snatched away, the other companies cursed inwardly. Johnson nodded in satisfaction, then looked at General Electric (GE):
"Can you handle the propulsion technology?"

GE was also caught in a bind; they wanted to know what kind of advanced propulsion technology could be so fast, but they couldn't back down.
"This will take time, and the shipyard will need to conduct joint tests on the underwater hull shape. The drag effect may be greater than that of the propulsion system."

His gaze fell upon Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding Industries.

The latter could only bite the bullet and say:
"We will cooperate in the testing, but it will be very difficult to apply high-speed hull shapes to heavy-load vessels."

"The Navy will provide full support, so the last technology that can accommodate more carrier-based aircraft will also be handed over to you."

Before anyone could back out, Johnson kicked them out to confirm.

While the task force's defeat was undoubtedly devastating, it was still somewhat acceptable to him.
The sunken ships were all old vessels that were about to be decommissioned, so the loss of the two Perry-class ships was not huge.

What's even better is that Dalton didn't commit suicide, and his position still allows him to take responsibility, giving Johnson confidence to extricate himself from the situation.

When the parliament held a hearing, the navy claimed that it had suffered heavy losses, with more than 100,000 tons sunk, and urgently needed to replenish its tonnage.

Whether it's building more next-generation destroyers or adding an aircraft carrier, it's actually very worthwhile.

Furthermore, given the fierce battle that took place in the Atlantic, should the Atlantic Fleet be expanded and new ships added?

Moreover, with the loss of two battleships and the USS New Jersey severely damaged, the plan to send battleships to the Pacific had to be shelved.

The USS New Jersey will need at least six months to repair, and the USS Missouri has special significance and cannot be dispatched casually, so this plan has essentially failed.

So... let's add a few more DDG1000s.

As for Geiger? Compared to investigating the mysterious Second Fleet, Johnson had no interest in a small company; let the intelligence agency handle it.

(End of this chapter)