What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 694 Joint Training (3600 monthly votes in August)

"Floating fortresses are great; we can even move H-6 bombers up there."

Tang Wen shook his head slightly, then returned to his computer, logged into his account, pinned and highlighted "Night Wolf 888's" post to the top of the entire forum, locking it to prevent modification or deletion, and then forcibly inserted a reply on the second floor:
[Tang Jia Da Shao: I agree with the original poster. Gaijin Heavy Industry is now soliciting luxury cruise ship design proposals from around the world. No advanced expertise is required; amateurs are welcome to participate.]
Requirements: The tonnage must be between 50 and 100 tons, the speed must be no less than 20 knots, it must be advanced enough, and the goal is to be the most dream cruise ship within the next twenty years;

Please post your design proposal under my main post (click here to jump). Irrelevant posts will be deleted. The top 30 posts with the most likes will be selected and published within one month.

The account designing the adopted proposal will receive a cash reward based on the degree of completion and adoption of the proposed solution, with a minimum reward of 1 million yuan (limited to one person, with no upper limit).

release!

"Starting at one million?!"

Standing next to him, Wu Cheng carefully examined the numbers on the screen and immediately became unsettled:
He was also a ship designer by training, so in his spare time, didn't he also draw some abstract sketches like Lieutenant Colonel Kaneda?

That's a million dollars! If I get selected, I'll be automatically entering retirement.
"Mr. Tang, to be honest, I've also had some bold ideas!"

……

Several months later, Tang Wen's post once again ignited the internet and shipbuilding industries.

Originally, "WildWolf888's" post was just a trending topic, but after Tang Wen posted it, it quickly spread all over the world.

As the world's number one influencer account, with the added bonus of a million-dollar reward, netizens who have already tasted the benefits are exclaiming that a new perk has appeared, leaving comments under the post and sparking numerous discussions.

You should know that during the last BBS lottery, a lucky person from the Empire actually won an A4 attack aircraft. Gaikin shipped it directly to the ship, and the lucky person auctioned it off to a wealthy man at the port, becoming rich overnight.

This time, the reward is more straightforward, with a million-dollar prize that is not limited to any particular profession. Even netizens who know nothing about shipbuilding are starting to rack their brains and become designers.

The reaction in the shipbuilding industry was even more exaggerated, becoming top news in the struggling industry, with many shipyards focusing on the exaggerated tonnage of 50 to 100 million tons.

A 100 million-ton cruise ship is not just about piling up materials; it involves pushing the limits of human engineering. If Gai Jin were to actually build one, it would be outrageous. This tonnage wouldn't even qualify as a ship; it should be classified separately.

Domestic and international industry media published the reward notice in newspapers and on television, and it became a household name within two days.

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., the manufacturer of the world's largest ship, the "Knock Nevis," immediately responded, analyzing the feasibility of a million-ton ship from an engineering perspective. They raised serious doubts about the strength of its keel and its ability to withstand wind and waves, and argued that its enormous mass could even lead to structural deformation or tearing due to insufficient structural strength in extreme cases. They criticized Tang Wen's "unrealistic fantasies."

Meanwhile, Inkwana Shipbuilding, the company behind the largest luxury cruise ship, also expressed its views in the newspaper. Although it also acknowledged the immense difficulty of construction, it quietly praised Tang Wen and even Geijin for their courage in challenging the limits of engineering and expressed its willingness to participate in the construction of the largest cruise ship and provide priority assistance.

However, after responding, both shipyards also included their own visions for million-ton dream cruise ships, sparking a new round of discussion.

The responses from the two shipyards immediately reignited the topic and even made it out of the mainstream. Other well-known shipyards and designers also followed suit, engaging in heated discussions about the feasibility in newspapers and BBS forums, and beginning to tentatively propose some solutions.

The Russian shipyard in Severodvinsk made a groundbreaking statement, proposing that such super cruise ships must be nuclear-powered to be economical, and then emphasizing its own outstanding achievements in high-power marine reactors.

Empire's general-purpose electric ships proposed abandoning traditional ship types and building mobile floating islands to ensure stability and recreational purposes. These islands could carry a large number of aircraft and small yachts to any location in the world, even easily exploring the North and South Poles, a plan dubbed the "Unsinkable Hawaii." Even South Korea and India have joined the fray, though Daewoo Heavy Industries and Cochin Shipyard have stated they plan to build floating cities of 200 million tons or even 500 million tons, far more extravagant than any super cruise ship.

What's even more bizarre is that Tang Wen responded to these wild ideas discussed in public, analyzing the feasibility of nuclear-powered floating islands one by one whenever he had time on the BBS, and even praising the wisdom of the Indian brother.

……

"What a vibrant scene, where everything is thriving!"

Yangjiang Guesthouse
After browsing through the posts by user "Zhao Gong of Wuzhou Shipbuilding", Tang Wen couldn't help but sigh.

It has to be the domestic approach that's so bold. They actually dared to design a 50-ton tribohydrofoil spacecraft. They really treat Geiger as the Tribo people.

Such examples abound. One major consequence of soliciting opinions from the public is the emergence of all sorts of proposals, with such a wide variety and incredible creativity that it's truly eye-opening.

"Old Zhang, take a look at this plan, it's really interesting."

However, Old Zhang just kept his head down, deep in thought. When he heard Tang Wen call him, he couldn't help but turn around and ask:
"How can you build ships so quickly?"

"Don't worry, the quality is definitely not a problem, and it comes with a lifetime warranty."

"It's not about warranty... it's that the shipbuilding method is wrong. How can it be a tower construction method? And the speed is too fast."

The naval delegation has already visited the Yangjiang Shipyard and seen the CV13. They were deeply impressed upon their first meeting.
Gaijin actually used a tower construction method, which means building it layer by layer from the bottom up, rather than the block construction method.

While the tower construction method cannot be said to be outdated, it is indeed the oldest shipbuilding technique. When used in the construction of warships, it is not only slow but also prone to insufficient strength and tearing of welds. The Nagato, Dunkirk, and Scharnhorst-class warships, which used this method, suffered losses in actual combat and were abandoned long ago.

The United States-class ships in history also used the modular construction method, didn't they?
However, since Tang Wen assured him there would be no problem, he could only put his mind at ease for the time being and turn his attention to another matter:

The construction speed of the Type 013 aircraft carrier far exceeded expectations. The dock of Yangjiang Shipyard was only completed at the end of June. In just two months, the hull below the waterline was nearly completed and its basic shape could be seen. So the exaggerated construction cycle of six and a half months is no joke. The aircraft carrier will really be launched in January 1999!
If construction continues uninterrupted, by the time the 891 Project is completed in its sections, the Yangjiang Shipyard will be able to build three super-United States ships.

"Boss Tang, the Navy's talent development system is really lagging behind."

"I do have an idea. Why don't we put the sailors' shipboard training in the maritime joint defense team? We can give each person a few hundred dollars a month for food expenses, and training 10,000 sailors wouldn't be a problem."

"You only charge for meals?"

"Cost price, but... I'll have to arrange the training plan."

What kind of training plan?

"Of course, these are some very normal, perfectly reasonable plans, such as taking tourists for a drive?"

(End of this chapter)