Chapter 1006: Build a few more Type 002 aircraft carriers?
The leader's speech was over.
The launch of the aircraft carrier really began.
"Salute!" As Zhang Zhaozhong gave the order, 3,000 naval personnel saluted the Type 002 aircraft carrier that was moving slowly.
There are many ways to launch a ship. After a small fishing boat is completed, a few people can push it into the water. Medium-sized ships usually use the "slipway launching method", which is to build a track from the slipway, and the ship slides into the water along the track.
Large warships, especially aircraft carriers, cannot use this method because their tonnage is too large and it is easy to capsize, which will cause heavy losses. Therefore, the dock water injection method is used for launching.
Aircraft carriers are built in dry docks, which are connected to the sea surface and are lower than the sea surface. When the aircraft carrier is built, water is injected into the dock, the aircraft carrier will float up, and then it will be towed out by a tugboat.
Although the power system has been installed, it has not been started at this time, and the power test must be carried out when conditions are ripe.
Therefore, the aircraft carrier has no self-power when it is launched.
An aircraft carrier is a huge thing. Driving this huge thing requires extremely high skills. The dock itself has a small space. Even if the aircraft carrier uses its own power to drive out of the dock, its safety cannot be guaranteed, so a tugboat is needed to tow the aircraft carrier out.
Of course, this does not mean that the tugboat is completely "towing" the aircraft carrier. During the entire launching process, the aircraft carrier needs to drive out of the dock, adjust the direction, and dock at the dock, so multiple tugboats are needed to cooperate, some towing, some pushing, some pushing, and some pulling, so as to ensure the safety of the aircraft carrier.
Safety is the first priority at this time.
The entire 002 aircraft carrier was launched smoothly.
A grand celebration banquet was held at the Yangcheng Shipyard.
It is called a celebration banquet, but it is actually in the cafeteria. The chef cooks more abundant dishes, including seafood, mountain products, chickens, ducks, vegetables, etc. There are as many as 20 dishes for everyone to choose from.
Everyone can choose whatever dish they want to eat. There are also drinks, including various juices, sodas, beer, wine, and liquor. Even Moutai is prepared for everyone to drink to their heart's content.
From the groundbreaking ceremony to now, these workers, engineers, and scientific researchers have put all their energy into building the Type 002 aircraft carrier.
Most of them don't even have the energy to take care of their families.
It is their hard work that has enabled the Type 002 aircraft carrier to be launched so quickly, even more than a month ahead of schedule.
The leaders are no exception. Liu Tao did not cook for the leaders, but also attended the celebration banquet in the cafeteria.
The leaders also seemed very happy.
The construction of national defense and the improvement of military strength will make everyone's words have weight in the international arena, and people will listen.
Perhaps a few years later, if something happens, the leader will ask where the nearest aircraft carrier is and immediately go to the destination to perform the mission.
And the aircraft carrier can greatly enhance the weight of the words.
At the celebration banquet, the leaders also poured some wine and toasted to celebrate with their comrades. Everyone drank a glass of victory wine together.
After the celebration banquet, Liu Tao took the leaders to a room with a high level of confidentiality, where they would rest.
"Comrade Liu Tao, some comrades now think that it is not enough for our Chinese Navy to have only one Type 002 aircraft carrier, and we need to build several more Type 002 aircraft carriers. You are an expert in this area. What do you think? Tell me?" The leader stopped Liu Tao who was about to leave and said.
Next year, China will have two aircraft carriers and officially enter the era of two aircraft carriers.
One Type 001 light aircraft carrier and one Type 002 medium aircraft carrier.
And the Type 001 light aircraft carrier can still form combat effectiveness quickly!
After tasting the deliciousness of an aircraft carrier, you will want more than just one aircraft carrier.
"Leader, the Type 002 aircraft carrier is not bad. We in China do need more aircraft carriers to deter jackals, tigers and leopards. However, I do not recommend building another Type 002 aircraft carrier. We only have one Type 002 aircraft carrier!" Liu Tao said after a moment of hesitation.
This is his true words!
China is such a big country, and in the final analysis, it is necessary to develop large aircraft carriers!
Medium-sized aircraft carriers are just a transition!
The leader asked curiously: "Why?"
"Leader, we in China are not Britain or France. We are a big country. Our navy must guard a large area of sea and safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. Large aircraft carriers are suitable for us!" Liu Tao said: "We can build another medium-sized aircraft carrier, but it should not be a Type 002 aircraft carrier, but a Type 002B aircraft carrier, that is, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!"
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have unique advantages.
As early as September 30, 1954, the news that the US nuclear-powered submarine "Halibut" was officially put into service shocked the world, and people began to imagine applying nuclear power to aircraft carriers.
Although the technical performance of aircraft carriers at that time was much more advanced than that of aircraft carriers during World War II, it still had many fatal defects: aircraft carrier engines, steam catapults, aircraft elevators and arresting devices require a lot of energy, and conventional power often cannot meet the needs. The chimneys of conventional-powered aircraft carriers not only take up space, but also leave hidden dangers for enemy attacks; a large amount of exhaust smoke will corrode electronic equipment and antennas; the production of fresh water is limited, etc.
Nuclear power undoubtedly brings hope for solving these problems.
In 1961, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the 90,000-ton "Enterprise" of the US Navy, was officially completed and put into service.
It overcame the defects of previous aircraft carriers and pushed the development of aircraft carriers to a new height.
In order to verify the ability of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to perform global combat missions, in 1964, the US Navy formed a task force led by the Enterprise, escorted by the nuclear-powered cruisers Long Beach and Bainbridge, and sailed around the world at an average speed of 22 knots in 64 days without any fuel replenishment.
The Enterprise achieved a historic leap in the history of aircraft carrier development with its huge power resources and endurance. Due to the success of the Enterprise, after 1964, the US Navy decided not to build conventional-powered aircraft carriers, but to build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
The most advanced aircraft carrier in the world today is the US Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a large multi-purpose aircraft carrier of the United States. It is currently the largest warship in the world, equipped with 4 elevators, 4 steam catapults and 4 arresting cables, and can launch a combat aircraft every 20 seconds.
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have many advantages. Compared with conventional-powered aircraft carriers, first of all, the huge power resource of nuclear power makes aircraft carriers more maneuverable. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can sail to any sea area in the world at high speed. In terms of maximum speed, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and conventional-powered aircraft carriers are indistinguishable, but in terms of continuous high-speed navigation capability, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the best. Therefore, in regional crises and conflicts, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can rush to the scene quickly, playing an irreplaceable dual role of deterrence and actual combat.
Furthermore, nuclear power saves a lot of space and load tonnage for aircraft carriers. On the one hand, more aviation fuel can be loaded to meet the needs of carrier-based aircraft operations, and on the other hand, it greatly improves the living and working conditions of the crew.
Another very big advantage is that nuclear power reduces the dependence of aircraft carriers on bases and logistical support. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can sail 500,000 nautical miles continuously after changing fuel once, without the support of overseas bases. Conventional-powered aircraft carriers need to establish a fuel supply network in advance around the world to perform the same mission.
Of course, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers also have disadvantages, namely, the cost of building and maintaining nuclear reactors is extremely high.