Chapter 812 PD-50 Floating Dock

Lao Maozi's land is still covered with snow, and many ports are covered with ice and snow. Seeing this situation, people will understand why Lao Maozi has been pursuing ice-free ports. In winter, most of the fleet cannot be dispatched. , can only be beaten passively, this is really unbearable.

  However, there are exceptions. Among the ports owned by Lao Maozi, one of them is located in a cold area at 69 degrees north latitude, but it is not frozen all year round. This is Murmansk.

   Regardless of the high latitude, the Arctic Ocean where Murmansk Port is located is affected by the North Atlantic warm current from the Atlantic sea area, and the source of the North Atlantic warm current is the Gulf of Mexico warm current.

  This warm current is very powerful. Its temperature is eight degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding sea water, and its scale is large. It flows northward and divides into two branches at 30 or 40 degrees north latitude, one of which becomes the North Atlantic warm current.

Under the influence of the prevailing westerly belt, it flows eastward. Therefore, after a long journey, this warm current originating in the Gulf of Mexico transports the warmer seawater from the middle and low latitudes of the northern hemisphere to the area where the port of Murmansk is located. sea ​​area. Even though it has crossed the entire Atlantic Ocean, it still maintains a high temperature, so the port of Murmansk will not freeze.

  In addition to the characteristics of sea water, there is also the local terrain, surrounded by mountains on three sides, which blocks all the cold air, and the relatively closed space also helps the port to keep warm.

   "The port of Murmansk is a gift from nature to us." Looking at the scene in the port, Nikolai sighed with emotion.

   "Yes, this place is really a miracle of nature." Qin Tao followed suit.

After discussing in Moscow, Qin Tao did not go back immediately, but came here with Nikolai, because they were going to complete the preliminary work of the modification of the third Kirov-class cruiser, the Admiral Nakhimov , Only after the survey is completed can a decision be made on whether to actually do it.

  In order to operate better, they decided to move the cruiser to the floating dock in advance.

   At this moment, the two walked forward while talking, and a huge floating dock appeared in front of their eyes.

  Both sides of the floating dock are vertical bulkheads, with front and rear openings, which can accommodate ships in and out. Although this big guy looks a little rusty, it is still useful. On its side, the words PD-50 are painted.

"This is the largest floating dock in our 82 ship repair yard, and also the largest dock in our entire country. It was built in 1980, with a length of 330 meters and a width of 67 meters. Let’s use this floating dock for renovation.” Ivan, the person in charge of the 82 ship repair yard, said: “With the floating dock, the renovation will be smoother.”

   "The distance is too far, and the cost is too high." Nicholas shook his head: "Besides, there is only such a floating dock, and there are many ships to be repaired. How can we let our aircraft carrier occupy it all the time?"

   "Can this floating dock accommodate the Kuznetsov?" Qin Tao asked curiously.

"That's right, when our Kuznetsov needs a mid-term overhaul, it can be repaired on our floating dock. It was built during the Red Empire. It can repair a warship of 80,000 tons at most. When it was built At that time, it was planned to be used as a floating maintenance base for aircraft carriers." Ivan nodded.

   "80,000 tons, when it was built, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was also counted."

  Speaking of that warship, many people felt sad. If the Red Empire hadn't collapsed, then they would have three aircraft carriers!

   Now, the sister ships of the same type of aircraft carrier have become the main force in the East, while the next-level nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been dismantled into scrap iron, which is embarrassing.

"The Ulyanovsk aircraft carrier plans to adopt a nuclear power system, but judging from our experience with nuclear-powered cruisers, this system has serious problems." Nikolai said: "Even if it is It will take a few years to equip the troops, and they will lie down because of the failure of the power system. It is no pity that the aircraft carrier has not been built. Now, we need to replace the Nasimov with a mature power system. We will have similar gas turbines ourselves, and at that time, we will build gas turbine-driven aircraft carriers."

  Nicolas is optimistic. One cannot always hang on to the past, one has to look forward.

   "That's right, Your Excellency Nicholas is right." Ivan quickly agreed.

   Even though they have an 80,000-ton floating dock in the 82 Ship Repair Yard, they haven’t received any business for a long time. Now that they finally have a project, they have to compliment Nikolai, and everything must follow him.

   "This floating dock won't fall off the chain?" Qin Tao was a little worried: "It doesn't look very good."

"It's just some floating rust. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with it. We'll be able to lift the Nasimov when the Nasimov moves over. First, check the condition of the bottom of the hull and clean up the dirt on the bottom. Hull flaw detection and internal inspection can also be carried out to determine whether the warship is worth refitting." Ivan said.

  What is rust? Are there any weapons in Damao that are not rusted now? This thing is out of the way.

  Nicolas nodded: "That's right, we need to check first, and hope that the Nasimov will not disappoint us."

  This is a necessary step before modification.

Warships will encounter many problems during their voyage. The hull may have internal damage. If the damage is serious, it may lose the value of refitting. They first pulled out the No. 3 ship in anticipation of the newest ship. warships have refit value.

   While several people were discussing, a Volga drove up nearby, the car stopped, and a person inside walked quickly towards this side.

   "Your Excellency Nikolai, Mr. Qin, the superior ordered me to be the deputy chief engineer of this modification project to assist you in completing the improvement of the power system."

"I'm curious, why did your Ruby Design Bureau take over this project? Shouldn't it be the Northern Design Bureau? You have worked on surface ships?" Qin Tao looked curiously at the person who came over: Bazaro, the head of the Ruby Design Bureau Husband, this guy is willing to be the deputy of this modification project, what's the situation?

  The Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruiser is a masterpiece of the Northern Design Bureau. It failed to bid for the 22350 frigate project this time. The Northern Design Bureau needs to be comforted. It is best to let them take over the modification plan of this nuclear-powered cruiser.

  Why is there a submariner?

"If it is to modify other equipment, of course the Northern Design Bureau will take over, but now the modification is the comprehensive electric propulsion of the whole ship. The superior thinks it is very similar to the drive system of our submarine." Bazarov said: "So, we should be able to Help, for example, in terms of driving motors, we can provide related products.”

  The drive system of the submarine?

Qin Tao realized that although his side refitted Lao Maozi this time, Lao Maozi obviously did not trust his side, or Lao Maozi had greater ambitions. They wanted to learn the most advanced technology in the world through this modification. With the integrated electric propulsion system, they can use this experience to refit other warships or build new warships after they arrive.

  However, Lao Maozi did not have relevant technical reserves. They must have spent a lot of brainstorming to send relevant professionals to study. Finally, they found out: Isn’t this very similar to the submarine’s power system?

  The steam heated by the nuclear reactor of the nuclear-powered submarine is used to drive the steam turbine. For simplicity, the steam turbine is generally used to directly drive the propeller, but conventional diesel-electric submarines are troublesome.

   On the water surface or in the snorkel state, the submarine needs to use a diesel engine, but when it is underwater, it can only use batteries. Or power first?

  In the previous era, the submarine was the mainstream when it was on the surface, so it was directly driven by a diesel engine. The underwater state of the current submarine lasts longer, so it has transitioned to the way of diesel engine power generation and driving the tail motor, which saves the need to fiddle with two sets of devices.

  For example, the Kilo-class submarines commonly seen by Lao Maozi use this method. There are 4 propulsion motors at the tail. The maximum power of the main propulsion motor is 4040 kW, the maximum power of the cruise motor is 95 kW, and the two backup propulsion motors are 75 kW each. The old man probably knew that his motor was unreliable, so he simply used the advantage of quantity to improve reliability.

At this time, hearing what Bazarov said, Qin Tao nodded: "Of course, it is no problem for you to provide us with motors, but is the power enough? You have calculated how big it is to drive a 25,000-ton cruiser. Drive the motor?"

  Bazarov thought for a while, and then his face became a little ugly.

This is not difficult to calculate. According to the scheduled plan, the Kilo-class cruiser needs to install two 40-megawatt gas turbines, plus two low-speed diesel engines, so that the total power will definitely exceed 100 MW. For the propulsion system, a part has to be reserved for the warship to use electricity. In this way, each propeller needs to obtain at least 40 megawatts of power, that is to say, each drive motor needs 40 megawatts?

   If you use the main propulsion motors of Kilo-class submarines, you need to use ten of them!

   Even if they enlarge the motor, it is impossible to increase the power by ten times. It seems that they cannot provide the power system and can only use products produced in the East.

   "President Qin, can you produce electric motors with a power of 40 megawatts?" Bazarov asked. He didn't think Dongfang could do it.

"Of course not." Qin Tao said: "At present, the maximum power of the motors we produce is 25 megawatts. We use two motors to drive a propeller, so that the output can reach 50 megawatts. Four motors are 100 megawatts. Megawatts, although the power generation system may not be able to generate so much power, but providing a drive motor large enough to meet the needs of future upgrades is considered a technical reserve.”

  Nicolas nodded, expressing his satisfaction with Qin Tao's arrangement.

  Actually, he didn't know anything about electric propulsion, but he believed in Qin Tao, as long as Qin Tao said it, he would definitely be able to do it.

   "Two motors drive one propeller, so that when one of the motors fails, the power will not be completely lost." Qin Tao continued: "This is also a safe solution."

   "That's right, Mingzhou Group's plan is the most suitable." Nicholas said: "Bazarov, since you have come to participate, you should follow along and learn together, and we can develop our own system in the future."

   Bazarov blushed a little, although that's what I meant, there's no need to say it, right? Isn't this embarrassing in front of President Qin?

Who would have thought that Qin Tao was very generous: "Yes, if you learn well, although you still can't modify the Kirov-class cruiser, it is still no problem to modify the 22350 frigate, just use the electric motor of the submarine. "

   A 25,000-ton cruiser needs tens of megawatts of electric motors, but a 4,500-ton frigate is enough to be equipped with a few 4-megawatt motors, which can be completely transplanted from a submarine.

  Of course, Qin Tao will not go into detail about the specific technical principles. AC and DC, high voltage and medium voltage, this kind of route choice is different, and the difficulty of research and development is also different.

  They want to learn? That can only be a kind of wishful thinking, because it is impossible for them to learn the most critical thing. When they use it themselves, at most they can use gas turbines to generate electricity and then supply the propulsion system, but how to distribute the power of the entire warship, how to There is no way to learn to prevent tripping and the like.

   While several people were communicating, a warship slowly approached on the distant sea.

   This warship is very large. On the ten-meter-high main mast, the huge orange peel-shaped radar antenna is very eye-catching and can be recognized at a glance.

   "The cruiser Admiral Nakhimov is coming!" Nikolai said, "Fortunately, it can still start."

   "That's right, even if the nuclear power fails, the heavy oil boiler can still be used to start it." Qin Tao said: "The West calls this kind of warship a battlecruiser. Now it looks like it really has the feeling of a battleship."

  The Kirov-class cruiser is too huge. There is no other type of cruiser in the world, so it is called a battlecruiser. Looking at its majestic and majestic appearance, Qin Tao yearns for it.

  In the future, China will build a 10,000-ton large drive, and the figure will definitely not be so huge. Should the country raise its goal and build a monster of this level?

  Of course, this can only be thought about. There are not even many tons of large drives in China, so 052 is more practical.

"That's right. Although our navy has been weakened in recent years, we still have a lot of first-class equipment." Speaking of these, Nicholas is also in a happy mood. He still has good things under his command, and this 1144-type cruiser is one of them. one!

There are many reasons for choosing to transform the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov first. Although this cruiser can still be operated, many minor problems have been exposed in the nuclear power system, and it has been in operation for ten years. It is a big project to change the nuclear fuel, so just replace it directly and replace it with a mature system.

  If this ship is rebuilt, the first two ships will also be remodeled according to this plan. After the remodeling is completed, the fourth ship may also be remodeled. Four 25,000-ton cruisers are enough to support the future of the Damao Navy!

   This kind of cruiser with a large group of 22350 frigates is also quite spectacular. Even without an aircraft carrier, it is enough to show off its force! When Nicholas thought of this prospect, he was very yearning.

  Ivan also got busy.

   "Fill water, water the floating dock!"

The floating dock is somewhat like a submarine. After the water is filled, the hull sinks, and the floor of the floating dock enters the water, so that it can be driven to the bottom of the target ship, or the target ship can be driven to stop above the floating dock, and then the floating dock is drained. The boat was lifted up, and some maintenance items could only be carried out by getting the boat out of the water.

   "Can the PD-50 floating dock be driven over?" Qin Tao asked.

"There is a problem with the power system, and the propulsion motor can't be used. We use the electricity on land to meet the water pumps and other operations of the floating dock. It's not a big problem if it can't move. Anyway, the Nasimov has its own power system. Just come here," Ivan said.

  East also has floating docks, and their floating docks are self-powered. When needed, it is no problem to cross the ocean. This is how the Varyag was brought here. However, Lao Maozi's floating dock has long since grown old. If something goes wrong and he has no money to repair it, he can only make do with it.

  Seeing the land cable connected to the floating dock, Qin Tao had an indescribable feeling, is this thing reliable? Is there any backup?

  The floating dock was sinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, the cruiser Nasimov was slowly moving over, and several tugboats went to help. At this time, one must be careful, and if an accident occurs, the loss cannot be borne by the navy.

  However, it seems that it is not easy to make the old Maozi, who has always been careless, be careful. Now, they have tried their best.

  The 25,000-ton Nasimov slowly drove towards the floating dock. The tugboat kept helping to adjust the position of the cruiser. It took about half a day to finally move up.

   "Attention, now start the water pump to drain water, hold up our cruiser, we are going to work!"

  The floating dock will sink when it is filled with water, and it will float when it is drained. The sinking is to install the warship, and the key is to float.

   The roar sounded.

  The high-power water pump started to work. Amidst the sound of rushing water, the huge floating dock supported the cruiser to float up little by little, and the bottom of the Nasimov, which had been soaked in seawater all year round, slowly surfaced.

Lao Maozi's warships have always been careless. In the contemporary era when countries value stealth, the decks of Lao Maozi's warships are still covered with brick-red anti-rust paint. It sounds good to call it traditional, but it is hard to say that there is no money and no anti-rust paint. Paint other colors on top.

The same is true for the parts below the waterline, all of which are brick-red anti-rust paints, but after a long period of immersion in seawater, a lot of marine life, various shells, and various seaweeds have been attached to the outside of these anti-rust paints. .

   "It seems that it is indeed time for a major overhaul." Nicholas frowned: "These damned free travelers have to be shoveled down, this is a big project!"

   "Yes, these repair shops can work for a while." Ivan said.

   This is purely physical work, and normal people can do it. This can provide a lot of labor opportunities, as long as the Navy allocates funds, they can live off this income.

   Just then, suddenly, the rumble of the pump died away.

   "Why did the water pump stop?" Nikolay asked.

   "I don't know, it should not be like this." Ivan said: "We have four water pumps, even if one of them stops, it will not affect the normal operation of the floating dock."

   "Report, there is a power outage!" A boatman hurried over.

   "Power failure? We are performing important tasks for the navy, how can there be a power failure?" Ivan said angrily, "Go and check the line!"

   "There is no problem with the line!"

   "Damn it!" Ivan took out his mobile phone and made a call: "Hello, is this the Power Supply Bureau? We are the 82 ship repair yard, and we are currently undertaking key projects for the Navy..."

"Yes, we understand, so you need to pay us the 300,000 ruble electricity bill in arrears." A lazy voice came from inside: "As long as you settle the electricity bill, we will restore the power supply immediately. "

   "Damn it!" Nicholas grabbed the phone and said, "Hey, I'm Nicholas, and now I order you to restore the power immediately, otherwise... Hey, hey!"

  Nicola looked at the phone angrily, but the other party had already hung up the phone. Could it be that his name was too common for the other party to recognize who he was?

"Zaytsev!" Nicholas shouted: "You immediately take a team of people to the power supply bureau and ask them to restore power immediately. If they don't obey, use the guns in your hands to let them know that this is wrong. !"

  Nicolai got angry, and the consequences were serious.

  But at this moment, Bazarov suddenly shouted: "How can I see that the left side of the floating dock is sinking?"

  Now, the floating dock is in the process of rising. Even if the water pump is not powered, the floating dock just cannot continue to float. How can it sink now?

   This is unscientific!

   "Damn it, hurry up and rescue our floating dock immediately!" Nicholas shouted loudly.

  Ivan has already pounced on it: "Drain, drain immediately!"

   "No, fill the right side with water immediately!" Another person shouted loudly.

Under normal circumstances, the floating dock will not sink. However, the PD-50 floating dock, which has been in disrepair for a long time, has an unexpected situation during a power outage. The whole dock is tilting.

   If left unchecked, it will soon affect the cruiser inside. The best way is to fill the right side with water to balance the weight and prevent it from tipping over.

   But, it's useless!

   It can be seen with the naked eye that the floating dock tilted about 30 degrees to the left, and the Nasimov held inside it slid sideways on the floating dock, and then hit **** the left side of the floating dock.

  Boom!

  The sound stimulated everyone's eardrums, and everyone looked at the floating dock with terrified eyes. After the impact, the floating dock sank faster. How about the Nasimov, which was tilted 30 degrees? Will it turn over together?

  (end of this chapter)