My words silenced Marshall. Looking at him with an embarrassing expression, I didn't want to make him embarrassed anymore, so I greeted him casually and planned to leave with the translator.

He didn't take two steps, but was stopped by him. When I heard him let me stay, I couldn't help but secretly rejoiced, wondering if he was going to make an exception and arrange for me to see Roosevelt alone. Hastily stopped again, pretending to be calm and asked: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, do you have anything else to do?"

"That's it, General Oshanina." Marshall said hesitantly: "Tomorrow, at Norfolk Naval Base, a newly built destroyer will be launched. Would you like to see it?"

When I first heard that Marshall asked me to see the launch of the new ship, I still felt a little uncomfortable. I said that I wanted to see Roosevelt, but you arranged for me to go to the naval base. You just didn't want me to appear in front of the President of the United States. But on second thought, I have never been to a naval base, just to see what the US aircraft carrier fleet is like. He nodded, and readily agreed: "Thank you, I am very happy to visit your naval base. But I don't know who I should call tomorrow. Come with me?"

"Colonel Henry!" Marshall turned and shouted into the room. An officer in a white navy uniform squeezed out of a group of army officers and quickly came to Marshall and stood still. Marshall pointed to me with his hand and told the other party: "Colonel, tomorrow you will accompany General Oshanina to the Norfolk Naval Base."

After the tall navy colonel gave a loud promise. Marshall turned his head and smiled and said to me: "Oshanina, Colonel Victor Henry will accompany you to Norfolk Naval Base tomorrow."

After I waited for the officer behind me to translate for me, I stepped forward and shook hands with Colonel Henry. At the same time, he said politely: "Colonel, please trouble you."

"General," Colonel Henry said blankly, holding my hand, "I will pick you up at eight tomorrow morning. Please be prepared in advance."

"Okay, Colonel, I'll be ready before eight o'clock." After saying these few words to Henry. I turned to Marshall again and thanked him. Turn around and leave with the translator.

Back at the embassy, ​​Molotov called Khrulev and I into his room as usual and asked about the progress of today's negotiations. When I said that I would go to Norfolk Naval Base tomorrow to watch the launch of the new ship, Molotov said nothing. But Khrulev said in surprise: "The Atlantic Fleet is usually under the leadership of the Navy and the Secretary of Naval Operations, and under the command of the U.S. Atlantic Headquarters in wartime. Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the Army, has the right to let people visit the launch of the new ships? ?"

After hearing Khrulev's words, my heart couldn't help but chuckle, and wondered if Marshall was fooling me? Before I could understand, Molotov waved his hand and retorted Khrulev and said: "Comrade Minister, the United States is currently at war, and the division of labor within the US military should be adjusted that we do not know. As General Marshall. He will definitely not promise Oshanina anything he can't do."

After my report was over, Molotov threw me out of his room again as usual, saying that there were important things to discuss with Khrulev. I know in my current identity. There are many secrets that cannot be listened to casually, otherwise the possibility of being silenced will not be ruled out in the future.

When Colonel Henry came to pick me up the next day, an interpreter came along with him. He sat in the front passenger seat and kept interpreting for Henry and me.

I asked Henry curiously: "Colonel, how far is it from us to Norfolk Naval Base?"

"582 kilometers." Henry said the answer without hesitation.

Hear this number. I counted silently in my heart, if the speed is 60 kilometers per hour. When we change Norfolk, it will be dark, and we still need to see what new ships will be launched into the water. Thinking of this, I tentatively said: "Colonel, Norfolk is so far from Washington. When we get to the place, isn't it all night, can we still catch up to watch the new ship launch?"

"General, you can't delay." Henry didn't care about my worry at all. He said confidently: "We'll be there by a military plane at most an hour."

Hearing what Henry said, I know that he must have made preparations a long time ago, and he just needs to go with him. Don’t worry about missing the ceremony of launching the warship, so I didn’t continue to ask questions. He lowered his head and started to close his eyes to rest.

A transport plane was parked on the military airport. A pilot wearing a flight cap was waiting next to the plane. He saw our car driving past and hurried over. After raising his hand to salute Colonel Henry who just got off the car, he asked, "Is Colonel Henry, please?"

"Yes, Captain." Henry glanced at the opponent's rank and asked politely: "Are the planes ready?"

"The plane can take off at any time, I am waiting for your order." The pilot captain replied respectfully.

Colonel Henry turned to look at me, gestured to please, and said, "Please, General." Seeing me stepping into the cabin on the gangway, he turned his head and said to the pilot: "Ready to take off."

On the way to the Norfolk Naval Base, I asked Henry loudly amid the loud roar of the motor: "Colonel, are you a combat staff officer?"

Henry shook his head and replied: "No, I am the captain of the warship. I was originally appointed as the captain of the California, but before I took office, my ship was sunk by the **** Japanese. At Pearl Harbor, I was changed to the captain of the USS Northampton. Currently my warship is still being repaired in the shipyard, so I was temporarily seconded to work in Washington."

When our plane approached Norfolk, he began to introduce me to the local customs: "Norfolk is across the river from the three cities of Portsmouth, Hampton, and Newport News. It is important The industrial and commercial center. After the outbreak of the war, the city developed rapidly, and huge naval and air force facilities were successively established. It is the seat of the US Atlantic Fleet Command.

The Norfolk area is the largest concentration of naval activities on the east coast of our country. It is located in the southeast of Virginia. It has a large number of shipbuilding facilities and docks for loading and unloading cargo in Newport News. The area includes Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Atlantic Fleet Combat Training Center, Naval Amphibious Base and Naval Ammunition Depot, and Naval Air Force Base.

The Norfolk Naval Base is currently the largest naval base in the world, about eighteen nautical miles to the west to enter the ocean. There are fifteen piers for ships to berth. There are about ninety ships of various types in the port at any time. They are berthed in the port for repair, modification and training. The naval base is the home port of aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, large amphibious ships, submarines, and logistics ships. "

When our plane landed, I saw a jeep approaching in the distance and parked not far from the plane. A second lieutenant got out of the car, wearing a big brimmed hat, and wearing a thick white navy uniform with gold-plated buttons, and stood straight outside the cabin door.

When Colonel Henry got off the plane, the second lieutenant gave him an American military salute. After glancing at me, he said to Henry: "Colonel, I'm here to pick you up."

"Has the location for the ceremony been arranged?" Henry asked quietly. Although the translation behind me did not translate this sentence for me, I still understood it. Just because I understood it, I couldn't help but murmur again, wondering if we had to hide it from everyone when we arrived?

The second lieutenant nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes, Colonel, the position has been arranged for you, please come with me."

I was sitting in the jeep driven by the ensign and looking towards the port, I saw a group of large and small ships pressing on the water, which made me secretly amazed. Xin said that there are only a few dozen ships, and they all look so spectacular. If the five or six thousand ships of Normandy landed in one place, what a breathtaking scene would be.

Our car parked at the door of a gray container on the shore, and the ensign turned to Henry and said: "Colonel, here it is, in this container remodeled box, you can clearly see the whole process of the launch of the new ship."

"Second lieutenant, where are you going?" Henry asked curiously.

The second lieutenant shrugged and replied, "Where else can I go, of course I will stay in the car and wait for you to come out~lightnovelpub.net~ and handed a bunch of keys to Colonel Henry.

Henry took the key in his hand, thanked him, took me to the door of the container, and opened the door with the key. I followed in and took a look. The facilities inside were very simple, with a long table on the left and a few chairs on the right. Perhaps it is because people often watch the launching ceremony of the new ship here, and there are still a few binoculars on the table.

Henry walked over, then picked up a telescope and walked towards the window at the other end of the container. I hurriedly followed suit, picked up a pair of binoculars on the table, followed him to the window, and looked out.

A few hundred meters away, there was a brand-new grey warship, which was parked on the berth by the water. Seeing this situation, I can’t help but be a little puzzled, because in my impression, ships are usually launched in floating docks, which are similar to super-large ships of the aircraft carrier type, and longitudinal launch methods suitable for most ships. . And the warship parked on the berth at this moment does not look like it would be launched in either of these two ways.

I just wanted to ask Henry how this new ship will be launched. He turned his head and smiled and said to me: "General, I guess you haven't seen the newly built ship launched. Did you see that destroyer? It's called'Eldridge', I'll wait a moment. It will be launched in a way you did not expect." (To be continued)