Binjiang Police Affairs

Chapter 1450 - 239: Tempestuous Waves

Just as Director Qi and others were delighted with the "timely rain" sent by the visiting fleet, Han Yu was fighting with the commanders and soldiers of the visiting fleet on the vast ocean amidst storms and monstrous waves!On the morning of the 29th, Chief of Staff Zheng, in a bid to seize the initiative, decisively decided to let the slower supply ship set sail 10 hours earlier. The "Shenzhen" ship would end its visit and then pursue at full speed.

Unexpectedly, after three days of sailing, the low-pressure system suddenly shifted from southeast to due east, and its center’s encounter with the fleet was advanced.

Chief of Staff Zheng convened a radio meeting with the two captains, Han Yu, and Captain Qian to study and decide on adjusting the deployment for slower navigation.

Then they decided to sail in reverse!

Sailing while resupplying.

As a result, the fleet was delayed by more than 10 hours from the original plan, skillfully avoiding the low-pressure center on the route. To cross the storm zone before the next stronger low-pressure system arrived, the fleet command made another decision: change course and charge through!

The fleet thus rushed into the latter half of the previous low-pressure system.

The sea surface had a wind force of level 9, with wave heights of six to seven meters, and the huge waves surged over the ships.

Although the "Shenzhen" ship is designed to withstand waves and is known for its stability, encountering such monstrous waves means that even the best-designed hull struggles to remain stable. The bow rose high and was buried in the waves repeatedly, with the waves crashing up to the twenty-meter-high bridge.

Squeak, crack...

The more than 7,000-ton ship continuously emitted the sound of metal being squeezed and collided, swaying up to 30 degrees!

The supply ship paralleled on the right of the "Shenzhen" ship was massive, appearing as a giant when docked at the pier. But now it was like a small boat, struggling in the wind and waves, with its huge bow sometimes lifted high and other times plunged into the sea, leaving only a part of the stern above the water, creating towering splashes.

The two warships were caught in continuous swaying. Theoretically, the systems and equipment of the "Shenzhen" ship are sufficient to withstand such harsh sea conditions, but it requires precise operation at every post.

Faced with such monstrous waves, even the seamen on ocean-going freighters would get seasick.

Navy soldiers are also seamen, and the soldiers had rarely experienced such conditions; everyone held a bucket in front of the equipment, vomiting while operating.

For an entire day, all officers and soldiers, including Chief of Staff Zheng and Political Commissioner Shen, did not eat anything, staying at their combat posts with only one thought in mind: to arrive on time.

Han Yu had experienced bigger storms before and, like Captain Qian, who had also faced great storms, did not get seasick.

He stayed at the "Shenzhen" ship’s bridge, transforming from an outside electrical and mechanical supervisor to a meteorological observer, researching and analyzing the newly received satellite cloud images and marine weather information, closely monitoring the changes in the low-pressure system to help the commander make timely decisions.

Meanwhile, Captain Qian remained on the supply ship’s bridge, assisting Captain Wang with the command.

The supply ship is a kind of special freighter, and in terms of experience driving ocean-going freighters, especially handling storms, ten Captain Wangs combined might not match the experienced Captain Qian.

With low-pressure systems one after another, Han Yu spread the marked meteorological charts on the command table, supporting the table as he reported, "Commander, it looks like we need to adjust our course again."

Chief of Staff Zheng was severely seasick, not knowing how many times he had vomited. He gathered his strength, looked at the charts, and turned back, saying, "Xiao Yang, draft a new route based on the meteorological data."

"Yes!"

"Xiao Han, you’ve worked hard."

"It’s no trouble, it’s my duty."

Without experiencing great storms, how can we test the performance of the Shenzhen and Nancang ships, and how can the troops form true combat capabilities?

Although Chief of Staff Zheng felt terrible from seasickness, he thought it was all worth it.

He tightly gripped a hanging handrail, watching a big wave slam onto the ship, and pondered, "If this wasn’t a new ship, sailing under such harsh conditions, the consequences would be hard to predict!"

One must admit that the commander’s words held some truth.

If it were the old ships anchored at the Zhanjiang Base facing such harsh sea conditions, all everyone could do would be to pray. It wouldn’t even be necessary to write a will, as it would likely sink to the seabed, making it difficult for relatives to see it.

Thinking back to being a bit disappointed earlier, feeling the "Shenzhen" ship was not what he imagined, Han Yu realized he had been too narrow-minded.

Everything needs to be done step by step, especially navy construction, which isn’t achieved overnight; otherwise, there wouldn’t be talk of the "Hundred-Year Navy."

With the current conditions, the first issue is to have something rather than nothing.

Once that’s achieved, then consider whether it’s good or advanced enough.

Moreover, the testing opportunity can be used to train the team and cultivate talents. After all, having ships without officers capable of operating advanced vessels is not ideal.

As Han Yu was lost in thought, Political Commissioner Shen, who had been crouching in a corner holding onto the cabin wall, finally finished vomiting and carefully moved over amid the violent shaking, tightly gripping a spot welded to the deck on the command table, saying weakly, "Salted Fish, didn’t expect you know something about meteorology?"

"Any senior crew member in the deck department must understand it, as marine technology is an interdisciplinary field encompassing oceanography, meteorology, geography, physics, and mathematics."

Han Yu took a deep breath and, after thinking for a while, bitterly smiled and said, "Unfortunately, times have changed; ship sailing isn’t in demand anymore. Whether you’re a captain or chief officer, no matter how extensive your sailing experience, many people just consider it simply ship sailing."

Whether soccer can be played well is closely related to whether there is a sufficient soccer population and whether a good soccer atmosphere is present.

The same goes for naval construction.

Why is the navy of Western countries so advanced? It has much to do with them being oceanic nations.

The most significant trait of an oceanic nation is their daring spirit of adventure. The navy holds a high social status; captains of merchant ships, chief officers, and even sailors are respected. To them, anyone who works on ships possesses an adventurous spirit, and they are all heroes.

In this aspect, our country falls short.

Political Commissioner Shen was unsure what to say, and Adviser Wu forced a smile, pretending to be relaxed, "Political Commissioner, Salted Fish just mentioned half and left half."

"What do you mean half and left half?"

"He understands meteorology for a reason; his father-in-law is a meteorological expert."

"Really?" Chief of Staff Zheng and Political Commissioner Shen were quite surprised, instinctively turning their heads.

Han Yu organized the meteorological cloud charts and grinned, "My father-in-law was a military transfer official, and before his career change, he worked at a weather station at an aviation brigade within the Nankong air force division. He studied radar technology at military school, but became involved in meteorological analysis and forecasting halfway through his career."

"And then?" Political Commissioner Shen asked curiously.

"Later, he moved to our Binjiang Meteorological Bureau as Deputy Chief Engineer and Chief Forecaster for several years. Though there were weather satellites at the time, the cloud charts weren’t like they are now, and there were no computers for analytical calculations, leading to his forecasts being inaccurate nine times out of ten."

"You doubt your father-in-law’s professional capability!"

"It wasn’t me who doubted him; it was my mother-in-law and my wife who did. You might not believe it, but my mother-in-law, my wife, and my sister-in-law never believed my father-in-law’s weather forecasts."

"Ha ha ha."

Navigating against the wind and the waves was like riding a roller coaster, constantly experiencing weightlessness.

Everyone’s spirits were highly tense; having been seasick for a day and a night without eating much, they were at their most fatigued and error-prone.

Feeling it necessary to lighten the atmosphere and boost morale for everyone including the two commanders, Han Yu mused and laughed, "Actually, my father-in-law’s weather forecasts are not entirely incorrect. They’re only wrong when they should be right, and incredibly accurate when they shouldn’t be, making my mother-in-law, my wife, and my sister-in-law call him a doom prophet. During the flood relief of ’98, my sister-in-law wished to tape his mouth shut and escort him back to Binjiang from Beihu."

"What happened? Your father-in-law also participated in the ’98 flood relief?"

"He had just retired and the Bureau leaders were worried he might impact the new Chief Forecaster’s work, so they sent him home with his bedroll to await his official retirement. Although he wasn’t a leader, he was regarded as an ’authority’ in the bureau professionally. He felt quite despondent, so I took pity on him and bought a red certificate with a radish stamp, appointing him as a member of the Senior Expert Group at our Linghai Reserve Camp."

"Was there any salary?"

"No, our camp funding comes from fundraising under the guise of military-civil cooperation, so there’s no way to pay him."

Han Yu chuckled and continued, "Unexpectedly, he took it seriously, arranging to transport the old radar discarded by the bureau to our camp, continuing his meteorological forecasting. Later, when the big flood came, the Changhang Bureau and Yangtze River Water Resources Commission reported to their superiors, and the Central Military Commission ordered us to rush to Beihu.

Being retired, he had nothing to do, and given that the meteorology circle is small, he had several friends in Beihu. So he installed his old weather radar on my dunship and went with us to Jingjiang for flood relief efforts."

Chief of Staff Zheng asked curiously, "And then?"

Han Yu animatedly said, "Initially, he was helping out at Jingzhou Meteorological Bureau. During that period, the Water Resources and Meteorological departments were under immense pressure. From central units down to Yanjiang, we called Jingzhou Meteorological Bureau and Shashi Hydrological Station numerous times daily, asking about weather conditions and Shashi water levels.

We repelled the second flood peak, watching Jingjiang water levels recede across the board and thinking the flood was over. Many troops assisting the flood efforts began to withdraw, and we packed our things to return home.

As we were preparing to hand over the remaining flood prevention materials to local units, ready to head back, my father-in-law’s weather forecast suddenly proved accurate, predicting potential heavy rain. We were skeptical, yet that night Hanwu encountered torrential rain directly causing Hanwu’s inundation."

"And then?" Political Commissioner Shen also asked with a laugh.

"His weather forecasts became increasingly accurate. After barely repelling a flood peak, he predicted another. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law also joined the flood relief effort. My sister-in-law truly feared him and wished to tape his mouth shut."

"To make accurate weather forecasts at a critical time provided immense contribution to higher-ups in making flood relief decisions; Salted Fish, your father-in-law is impressive!"

"He was impressive only that once. If possible, we truly wish his forecasts back then were as inaccurate as before."

"Weather is unpredictable; he’s not the heavens themselves, determining whether torrential rain happens isn’t up to him."

"I know, but it was extremely dangerous back then."

Chief of Staff Zheng understood the sentiments of Han Yu and the frontline flood relief soldiers, paused for a moment, then asked, "Salted Fish, have you summed up why your father-in-law’s previous weather forecasts were inaccurate, yet suddenly became precise during the flood relief?"

Han Yu gestured toward a freshly organized stack of meteorological cloud diagrams and sighed, "I’m not a meteorologist, so I haven’t summed it up. But my father-in-law has. He said during the flood relief, the superiors placed unprecedented emphasis on meteorological predictions, giving him access to much more meteorological data and technology than at Binjiang.

Additionally, at Binjiang Meteorological Bureau, he predicted climate changes across Binjiang. He’d say it would rain today, and it did rain, but it might have fallen in Linghai instead of reaching the city area. People need precise forecasts; not necessarily pinpointing a village, but at least a township, unlike flood relief needing forecasts for just one segment of the Yangtze River."

Chief of Staff Zheng didn’t expect Han Yu’s whole family went to flood relief, especially didn’t anticipate Han Yu’s father-in-law being a meteorological expert, and sighed, "We also have meteorology stations, but Binjiang is too far from Zhanjiang. Otherwise, we could have invited your father-in-law like you did years ago, issuing a hiring certificate, inviting him to serve as an expert consultant for our base’s meteorology station, and have him give lectures to our base’s meteorology station colleagues."