Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 199 The Dock Hidden on the Cliff
The reason why Zhao Xiang was so surprised was that the dock that Wang Gensheng had mentioned earlier, which the old fish could not find, or even if it did find, could not bomb, was actually a dock that was still standing on the cliff.

Indeed, after Wang Gensheng acquired that thousand-ton warship last year, he understood that in the absence of absolute air defense capabilities, stealth docks were absolutely necessary.

Wang Gensheng already had the answer to how to build an invisible dock: find a cliff by the sea to build it.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've still seen pigs run!

You should know that before Wang Gensheng traveled through time, there were many movies that featured the construction of invisible docks on cliffs.

There are even airports built on cliffs, such as the Hydra airport in Captain America 1, which was built inside a cliff.

The biggest advantage of building a dock at the cliff is that all you need is a large piece of canvas dyed to match the color of the cliff. Unless you get close, you won't be able to tell that the entrance is at the cliff.

The entire dock was dug little by little into the sea line of the cliff. Of course, it would be more accurate to say it was blasted rather than dug. Originally, this was just a crack, no more than five meters wide.

After discovering this place, Wang Gensheng immediately had the idea of ​​converting it into a cliffside dock.

So, for nearly a year, the two thousand or so people, apart from training warship pilots and occasionally engaging in combat, were engaged in the construction of the cliffside dock.

Although there was excavation, the main method was to use explosives. Wang Gensheng used explosives to widen the cliff crack, which was originally less than five meters wide, to more than thirty meters.

Its length into the cliff reaches more than 300 meters, but it has a drawback: the water depth is not very deep, only a little over six meters, so it is not easy for warships with a deep draft to enter.

Of course, this depth can be increased in the future. With such a large space, it can accommodate not only a light cruiser like the Congqing, but also a light aircraft carrier of 10,000 tons.

The entrance to the inner dock of the cliffside shipyard, which was then taken from the Qinghao, was once again covered by canvas.

Wang Gensheng then smiled and said to Deng Zhaoxiang:
"How about it? My shipyard is pretty good, isn't it? Isn't it well-hidden!"

Wang Gensheng was naturally very proud. From discovering the crack in the cliff by the sea, to thinking about building a dock, and then building the dock, Wang Gensheng had suffered a lot. Of course, the soldiers who participated in the construction should be the most grateful.

Cliff climbing, installing explosives, and clearing fallen rocks—these are all extremely dangerous jobs!

Nine soldiers were even killed in non-combat while building this cliffside dock.

There's no way around it; this is the tragedy of having no air defense capabilities. Otherwise, things wouldn't be like this. Just imagine, decades from now, no country will dare to interfere with the proper construction of aircraft carriers in open-air shipyards.

Actually, Wang Gensheng prefers to use this place as a submarine manufacturing base rather than a shipyard. He values ​​the combat capabilities of submarines more than warships, or even aircraft carriers.

After all, warships are far too vulnerable to fighter jets, while submarines, especially nuclear-powered submarines, are far superior and have no need to fear fighter jets or even missiles.

More importantly, once nuclear weapons are acquired, nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear missiles or nuclear torpedoes would become a terrifying force for a second nuclear counterattack. With such weapons, other countries would have to consider whether they could withstand nuclear weapons before launching an attack.

Even from a strategic perspective, nuclear submarines are far more important than nuclear aircraft carriers, and the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, will be launched in five years.

The USS Nautilus, as the world's first nuclear submarine, not only ushered in a new era of the ocean but also became the first ship to reach the North Pole. Its construction process was quite legendary, starting in 1951 and being launched in January 1954, with full completion at the end of the same year, marking the official arrival of the nuclear submarine era.

As the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus was primarily an experimental vessel, so it wasn't built very large, weighing only 2,800 tons, even smaller than some submarines from World War II. It was 98 meters long, 8.4 meters wide, and had a draft of 6.6 meters.

When on water, it has a displacement of 3,500 tons, while when submerged, its displacement increases to 4,000 tons, demonstrating its powerful underwater navigation capabilities.

Although the Nautilus nuclear submarine weighs only 2,800 tons, even less than some conventionally powered submarines, it has demonstrated its unique advantages.

What is particularly remarkable is its ability to sail continuously for fifty days at maximum speed, covering a distance of 30,000 kilometers without refueling. This capability made it approximately half as fast as ordinary submarines of the time. Furthermore, the nuclear power plant occupied half of the hull, highlighting its immense power and potential.

The Nautilus nuclear submarine's hull shape and internal structure, as well as its power instruments and combat equipment, all embody the most sophisticated scientific and technological processes. Its streamlined hull design, combined with a user-friendly operating control system, allows for greater maneuverability in the deep sea. Specially equipped sonar systems enable it to easily detect the road ahead, ensuring worry-free navigation in the deep sea and avoiding the dangers of running aground or hitting rocks.

After completing construction and testing, the USS Nautilus nuclear submarine did not rush to set sail for missions, but instead chose to remain at the dock for further improvements. It was not until November 1955 that it officially set sail, leaving behind the historically significant message in the deep sea: "Propelled by nuclear power."

Of course, in terms of weaponry, it is not equipped with nuclear missiles or nuclear torpedoes, but rather with six conventional 533mm torpedo tubes, carrying a total of twenty-four torpedoes, six of which are loaded into the tubes and the remaining eighteen are in reserve. Its maximum diving depth is two hundred meters, and in submerged mode, its maximum speed can reach twenty knots.

Of course, the allure of the USS Nautilus nuclear submarine extends far beyond its excellent sailing performance and minimal fuel consumption. During its service, it participated in numerous North Korean anti-submarine exercises and repeatedly demonstrated its outstanding combat capabilities. In one "counterattack" exercise, it even successfully attacked sixteen surface ships, including an aircraft carrier.

Amazingly, despite suffering more than 5,000 attacks during the exercise, the US Navy estimated that it could only be sunk three times, a record far superior to that of conventional submarines, which could face up to 300 sinking risks.

The outstanding performance of the USS Nautilus nuclear submarine set it apart from the US Navy, which largely contributed to the US Navy's eventual decision to abandon conventional submarines and focus on the research and development of nuclear submarines.

Therefore, as the naval commander, Wang Gensheng naturally wanted his family to quickly acquire nuclear submarines.

(End of this chapter)