Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 476 We bought the oil tanker to convert into an aircraft carrier!
What's it for?
Convert it into an aircraft carrier!
Qin Liang had already planned it out for Yang Duo'er before they set off!
Oil tankers and aircraft carriers have many similarities. For example, the upper decks are empty and have nothing on them. As long as the bridge is removed and a flight deck is laid, fighter jets can take off and land.

The lower cabins are all directly connected, making them easy to convert into hangars.

Moreover, the lower deck can also store fuel directly!
This is by no means a matter of assumption; there have been many successful examples in history of converting large ships into aircraft carriers.

During World War II, the United States converted C3-class freighters into escort carriers. Island nations converted luxury cruise ships into Eagle-class aircraft carriers, and the British Sea Harriers conducted take-off and landing tests on oil tankers.

Of course, this requires sophisticated industrial technology support, but with the current technology in the East, it's not a problem at all!
After all, in later generations, Lang Tuo was able to convert oil tankers into aircraft carriers, even if they carried drones, they were still aircraft carriers!

Yang Duo'er didn't answer directly, but instead asked the shipping magnate opposite her.

The shipping magnate smiled and said, "Then let's not talk about it. What we're selling you is just an oil tanker. Although its displacement is a bit large, it's still a very ordinary oil tanker."

The Sea Giant is 458.45 meters long and 68.86 meters wide!
In comparison, the world's largest behemoth, the Nimitz-class, is only 332.8 meters long and 76.8 meters wide.

Moreover, these data from the Nimitz-class were measured on the deck, which is flared outwards!
If the Sea Giant were modified, its length could be increased to at least 480 meters, or even 500 meters if one were bolder, and its beam could be increased to 100 meters!

That deck area is at least twice as large as that of the Nimitz-class!
Needless to say, the East has its existing light fighter jets, and even heavy aircraft can take off with a ski-jump ramp, and even bombers are no problem! As for landing... the East already has arresting cables!

Not to mention the large deck area, which means a large apron, easily operating two hundred fighter jets—what level of capability does that represent?

Therefore, converting an oil tanker into an aircraft carrier is a piece of cake!
The only drawback is that the size of civilian ships cannot compare with that of warships.

For example, oil tankers prioritize economy and use single propeller propulsion. The power of the giant of the sea is a 50,000-horsepower steam turbine. In contrast, the smaller French ship Battilus uses twin propellers and a 65,000-horsepower steam turbine.

Thinking of this, the shipping magnate continued, "I wonder if your company needs more oil tankers?"

"That's natural. We already have another team that went to France to purchase the 550,000-ton displacement Battilus."

really!

It's definitely as I guessed—it's going to be converted into an aircraft carrier!

There are so many of them, they're definitely not for personal use, but for sale!
They're clever enough to find another use for aircraft carriers. But there's no use in being envious; I'm just a maritime transporter, and I don't own a shipyard.

"Next, let's talk about the price. Your ship cost around five hundred million US dollars to build back then, but it has been in the water for many years and the condition of the hull is not very good, so... you can make an offer."

The shipping magnate smiled and said, "Two hundred million US dollars, how about it?"

An oil tanker has a lifespan of about thirty years. Even considering the significantly increased maintenance costs in the later stages, it is generally sold after twenty years. It can still generate profits for more than ten years. Selling it at half price now is practically giving it away for free.

Yang Duo'er nodded: "Okay!"

The shipping magnate was somewhat surprised that the Pacific Trading Company, with its vast wealth, didn't even try to negotiate the price.

The Sea Giant has always been a loss-making venture in their hands! To be honest, they would consider selling it for a hundred million dollars, but now…

"You have five oil tankers with a displacement of over 200,000 tons. Would you consider selling them all to us?"

The shipping magnate's eyes widened. "How many aircraft carriers are you planning to build?"
Is America's maritime hegemony about to come to a complete end?

However... if they are all sold off, the shipping capacity will be reduced, and the problem of excess oil tanker capacity at sea can be solved.

Are you planning to buy all the other shipowners' supertankers?

"That's right!"

"Okay!" the shipping magnate nodded.

Once the overcapacity issue is resolved, everyone's profits will increase... This business is worth doing.

The Pentagon, United States.

"Recently, the behavior of people from the East has been very strange."

William Casey asked curiously, "What earth-shattering thing have they done this time?"

"They're buying up VLCCs and ULCCs all over the world." Intelligence Officer Philip looked worried. "Hundreds of tankers, almost all of them have been acquired by them, they..."

This is clearly a big move they're preparing, but... nobody knows exactly what they're doing.

William Casey's expression also turned serious: "What are they trying to do?"

"I don't know, but based on their mysterious tone during the acquisition, some people suspect that the Easterners are planning to build an aircraft carrier fleet..."

"What? That's impossible! How can an oil tanker be converted into an aircraft carrier? It's clearly a civilian vessel!"

Tankers come in many different types. Small ones aside, there are Suezmax tankers, whose maximum displacement does not exceed 200,000 tons. VLCCs, which are supertankers, have a displacement of 200,000 to 300,000 tons, while ULCCs are supertankers with a displacement of more than 300,000 tons.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, on the other hand, have a displacement of only 100,000 tons.

Therefore, in terms of size, supertankers could indeed be converted into aircraft carriers, but this is only a possibility.

There are many countries in the world that can build oil tankers, but very few that can build aircraft carriers!
After all, aircraft carriers require much higher construction standards. From the steel plates used in shipbuilding to the quality standards, they are several orders of magnitude higher than those for civilian ships! Even the laying of internal wiring has strict standards. For Easterners, this is just wishful thinking!

At the same time, his reaction also concealed a hint of fear. If hundreds of aircraft carriers with a displacement of more than 200,000 tons appeared around the world, the US Navy would also have a headache!

"Yes, oil tankers are civilian vessels, but it's still possible to make do with them. After all, there are precedents for this during World War II..."

"Don't mention World War II. The technology back then was too backward. Now we live in a high-tech era, and civilian ships simply don't have that capability!"

William Casey never believed it.

"If it's not for converting an aircraft carrier, then what are they doing? They spent nearly 10 billion!"

Northwestern Polytechnical University is incredibly wealthy! When making purchases, they prioritize speed and don't bother to negotiate prices. As long as the offer is acceptable to them, they'll sign the agreement and buy immediately!

Only those who wear a cloak over their heads could pull off such a grand gesture.

Thinking about the methods these people used, William Casey felt his eyelids start to twitch.

"Has Sha's side increased oil production recently, as we requested?"

"It has already begun. Their oil fields are operating at full capacity, and in just half a month, daily crude oil production has increased to four million barrels."

"So much? Not bad, not bad!" William Casey nodded. "Once this crude oil hits the international market, oil prices will definitely come down! However, it's really something that I, Sha, would rather increase oil production than not cooperate with the East..."

This is really worrying for Americans!
Once Shah acquires a stealth aircraft, the strategic balance in the Middle East will be disrupted.

Moreover, this is a collaboration with the East, and has nothing to do with the United States, so they can't interfere!

Even more critically, if Shah's weapons and equipment are completely replaced with those from the East, that's not good news for the United States!

"Yes, Easterners are buying supertankers all over the world with this money."

This is equivalent to... someone named Sha buying oil tankers!
William Casey's eyelids twitched even more violently. Instinctively, he felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was.

beep, beep...

Just then, someone ran in.

"Report, report!"

"what happened?"

"The Suez Canal, the Suez Canal..."

"What's wrong? Tell me quickly!"

"We're blocked by a Soviet bulk carrier!"

The Soviet Union? The Suez Canal? In an instant, William Casey seemed to understand something, and his face turned extremely ugly.

"How could this be?"

"The Soviet 80,000-ton bulk carrier, the Labor-Walker, was carrying a load of coal from the Far East when, as it sailed into the Suez Canal, it suddenly...capsized!"

The bulk carrier capsized!

William Casey felt his head buzzing. Eighty thousand tons! It was overturned! Wouldn't all the coal on this ship have been dumped into the Suez Canal?
"The canal is completely blocked, and it is estimated that it will take at least six months to clear it."

Half a year!

Shipping worldwide will be significantly affected in the next six months!
If the Suez Canal is closed, then the only option is the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, which adds more than 5,000 kilometers to the journey and more than half a month to the time! This will strain global cargo capacity. Previously surplus capacity, such as crude oil transport capacity, will suddenly become scarce.

Wait a minute, if you're going to sail the Cape of Good Hope, then VLCCs and ULCCs are definitely the best choices, and almost all of the world's supertankers have been bought up by people from the East!
These damned Easterners actually teamed up with the Russians to scam us!
"Get me a car right now, I need to go to the White House!"

It's already November, and the nighttime temperature in Chang'an might even drop to zero. However, the daytime temperature is quite nice, with clear skies and refreshing air, which makes people feel good.

The president's office at the new campus of Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Qin Liang sat in the large chair, looking at the person on the sofa next to him, his tone full of emotion.

"Mr. Honkyo, you did a perfect job!"

Qin Liang only thought of turning the ship sideways to block the waterway. In this case, all that was needed was to send a few high-powered tugboats to straighten the ship.

At most, a few more containers will fall, and salvage will take time, so this will continue to delay things.

Where are the Russians?

Either don’t do it or never do it!
If we're going to block it, let's completely block the Suez Canal!
The consequences of blocking the canal would be severe. Not only would the capacity for transporting crude oil be greatly reduced, but the transport of other goods would also be restricted. Europe would be the first to suffer, and its economy would decline.
What were the Americans' goals? To cripple the Soviet economy? Okay, then the Soviet Union will cripple the European economy first!
The Soviet Union couldn't reach as far as the United States, but it could take down America's lackeys. In particular, the Soviet Union always regarded Western Europe as meat on its own plate, something it could eat whenever it wanted.

Upon hearing Qin Liang's words, Benjing smiled and said, "Moscow is very grateful for your intelligence. If it weren't for your help, we might have suffered a great loss. Our economy... after all, is heavily dependent on energy exports."

When he returned and reported back, a group of bigwigs in Moscow broke out in a cold sweat.

They were not afraid of fighting, of real weapons, or even of growing mushrooms. However, the Soviet Union practiced a planned economy, and after decades, their understanding of market economy was not deep. They didn't even know that economic means could be used in this way!

The Soviet Union could indeed have suffered a severe blow!
Since that's the case, of course we have to go all out!

"Furthermore, we have already made contact with Lang Tuo through clandestine means."

What?
Qin Liang's eyes widened: "Don't you support Yi Tuo? Lang Tuo calls you little Satans every day, and that's the biggest insult to you."

The insult wasn't directed at Satan, but at the smaller one. Why is America considered the Great Satan while our Soviet Union is relegated to the status of the Little Satan? This is blatant discrimination!

Hearing Qin Liang's words, Benjing smiled wryly: "Yes, Langtuo is dissatisfied with us, but their biggest enemy right now is still the United States. Last time they laid mines, so many ships were destroyed and so many people were injured by the Americans, so..."

"So, you made secret contact? What weapons did you provide to Langtuo?"

"It's nothing much, just that we've provided a batch of P-270 shore-to-ship missiles. From now on, not a single oil tanker will be able to leave the Persian Gulf!"

What?
P-270? That's the Sunburn anti-ship missile mounted on the Sovremenny-class destroyer!
Although its range is only about 100 kilometers, this thing is supersonic! It's safe to say that even Aegis might not be able to stop it!

Sending this anti-ship missile to Russia is enough to show that the Russians are determined. You have to know that this missile was only developed in the late 1970s. Although its range is only about 100 kilometers, which does not meet the Russians' needs for attacking aircraft carriers, it is still a supersonic anti-ship missile.

Only the Russians possess supersonic anti-ship missiles; they are their most powerful weapon!
With such advanced weapons, Langtuo will be able to better guard the gateway to the Persian Gulf. Whoever is allowed to enter or leave will be allowed to enter or leave, and whoever is not allowed to enter or leave... no one will be able to leave!

This is much better than the C801!

"Aren't you afraid the Americans will cause you trouble by doing this?"

"What's there to be afraid of? We're already being very lenient by not causing trouble for the Americans!"

This is the domineering spirit of the Soviet Union in this era!

Qin Liang chuckled inwardly. With this, Northwestern Polytechnical University's purchase of those hundred or so oil tankers would be even less of a problem. We were just getting a bargain!

Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello, what? Okay, I got it."

After hanging up the phone, Qin Liang's face was full of helplessness: "Sigh, you blocked the Suez Canal, and the Americans immediately started to suspect us and wanted to cause us trouble."

Benjing's expression changed: "We can issue a statement that none of this has anything to do with you."

"No, please don't!"

This is just like trying to hide something obvious!
Please don't make such a statement, it's harming us!
Qin Liang took a deep breath: "We will withstand the pressure. The Americans' methods are too much. Although we in the East have many cooperative relationships with them, we still stand on the side of morality!"

"Thank you, Principal Qin!"

The title of principal is something I have to have, whether I want it or not.

Benjing left the principal's office, and a few minutes later, an American diplomat walked in.

"President Qin, I... During my term, relations between the United States and the East were harmonious, and I was very pleased. I never expected that such a thing would happen as my term was about to end, casting a shadow over our relationship. Personally, I really didn't want to see this happen..."

Heng Anshi was born in Shanxi in 1920. After the age of eight, he returned to the United States to study. In 1940, before graduating from university, he returned to the East and became an English teacher at the Affiliated Middle School of Fu Jen Catholic University in Beiping.

After the outbreak of the Pacific War, he was captured by the Japanese and taken to a concentration camp. He was rescued a few years later and joined the anti-Japanese guerrilla force.

After World War II ended, he began his diplomatic career, and in 1981, he succeeded Woodcock, who had resigned, as the second U.S. ambassador to China.

His term was considered the most harmonious period in the relationship between the two countries, and now, he never expected that such a thing would happen.

We can help Europe, we can help the Middle East, but we can't help Russia!
It was one thing to have been secretly in contact before, but now it's obvious that Northwestern Polytechnical University is colluding with the Russians to trick the United States!
This is a serious matter! After all, it's a major international strategic arrangement by the Americans!
"What's wrong?" Qin Liang asked curiously, "Sir diplomat, what exactly happened?"

"Pacific Trading Company, although it appears to have no connection with Northwestern Polytechnical University, is actually known to everyone as the company that handles external relations for Northwestern Polytechnical University, right?"

"Ah."

"Recently, Pacific Trading Company has been acquiring supertankers all over the world, and now it owns hundreds of them. Then... the Suez Canal got blocked. Isn't there a connection between these events?"

Heng Anshi's eyes were full of seriousness, "You better not try to fool me!"

Qin Liang frowned: "This..."

"Principal Qin, this matter is very important. I hope you can give me an explanation!"

"This was originally a secret, but since it has already caused you to misunderstand, I might as well explain it to you clearly."

Qin Liang looked across at the other side, his eyes bright and clear: "We received some requests from major clients to modify large aircraft carriers for them."

"To convert an aircraft carrier, do you really need so many oil tankers?"

"Yes, our client wants to build a super fleet."

"That's impossible. Who is this customer?"

You should just say it! Don't tell me it's someone like Sha!
"Colonel Li Tuo."

what?
Heng Anshi's eyes widened.

In a remote desert region, a guy living in a tent sneezed loudly.

"Only ten ships will be modified in the first batch, and the rest will be modified gradually. After all, once the first batch is out, it will be very difficult for us to buy supertankers. Mr. Diplomat, I can solemnly promise you that none of the tankers we have will be used for crude oil transportation!"

(End of this chapter)