bookbashuk #480 - Filling the gaps
#480 - Filling the gaps
Yandu, this city with a long history, seemed particularly solemn today due to an important conference on maritime safety.
Inside the conference room, elites from all walks of life gathered together. Giants of the shipping industry, high-ranking military officials, and experts in the field of maritime safety were all present, listening to the experience sharing of a heroic figure who had returned from the front lines—Lin Liang.
As the first instructor to confront pirates in actual combat and achieve significant results, his return undoubtedly added a touch of anticipation to this conference.
Lin Liang stood on the podium, facing the expectant gazes of the audience. His voice was firm and confident.
He first reviewed the thrilling pirate incident of the "Yangbo One." That incident not only tested the courage and wisdom of the crew but also verified the effectiveness of the new safety measures implemented on their ocean-going freighter.
"This incident fully proves that our new safety strategies for ocean-going voyages are effective, especially when facing small-scale pirate attacks. Our ships have demonstrated considerable self-defense capabilities," Lin Liang said, revealing pride in his team's efforts.
Subsequently, he elaborated on the important role of the compound bow in defending against pirates.
"With its powerful force and ease of use, the compound bow has become an effective defense tool that young sailors can quickly master. After a week of training, most sailors can accurately hit targets at a distance of ten to twenty meters, which is a huge advantage for us," Lin Liang said, full of recognition for the compound bow's performance.
However, he did not avoid the limitations of the compound bow.
"Although the compound bow performs well, its lethality still needs to be improved. Some pirates, even after being hit by several arrows, can continue to move as long as they are not hit in a vital spot, which poses a potential threat."
Faced with this challenge, Lin Liang proposed a creative solution: "We can improve the arrows by adding anesthetic drugs. In this way, no matter which part of the pirate's body the arrow hits, as long as it penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream, it can quickly render them incapable of fighting. This improvement will greatly narrow the gap between the compound bow and the AK rifle in close combat."
Next, Lin Liang further elaborated on how to maximize the use of the improved compound bow in actual combat.
"Combined with existing personal protective equipment such as shields and bulletproof vests, the compound bow equipped with anesthetic arrows will have an overwhelming advantage at close range of ten to twenty meters. Especially when our crew members outnumber the pirates and the number of compound bows is more than twice theirs, our twenty-plus crew members can cope with small pirate gangs of less than ten people with just ten compound bows.
Of course, to ensure a continuous and effective deterrent, the reserve of arrows is crucial, requiring at least a thousand or more to cope with possible long-term confrontations until the escorting warships arrive."
Lin Liang's sharing not only demonstrated his profound insight into maritime safety issues but also reflected his practical wisdom and innovative spirit as an instructor.
His every word struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer, stimulating in-depth thinking and discussion on maritime safety protection.
This conference was not only an exchange of experience but also a collision of ideas, providing valuable inspiration and direction for future maritime safety defense.
"In addition to the configuration of compound bows and anesthetic arrows that we have already discussed, I believe that the addition of another security supply is crucial to enhancing the defensive capabilities of our giant ships, and that is the javelin," Lin Liang said, revealing his deep consideration of maritime defense strategies.
He explained, "Considering that the height of our giant ships is generally above seven or eight meters, it is not easy for pirates to climb up. They need to use tools such as ropes, which is precisely the time difference we can take advantage of.
However, although the mace is powerful, it can only be used to attack after the pirates show their heads, which undoubtedly increases our risk. Because pirates may well grab the rope with one hand and sweep with a gun in the other during the climbing process. Once they show their heads on the deck, our defense work will fall into a passive position."
Lin Liang further analyzed the limitations of the current defense strategy: "Even if we are equipped with shields for defense, the use of bows and arrows is still more complicated and slower than firearms in close combat. We can partially compensate for this by building a multi-layered deck defense system, but our ultimate goal is to stop the pirates outside the giant ship to reduce potential risks."
"Therefore, the javelin, as a long-range lethal defensive weapon, is particularly important," Lin Liang emphasized, "Trained sailors can usually easily throw a javelin a distance of more than ten meters. Although the accuracy of the javelin may not be as good as that of bows and arrows, we can organize sailors to form a concentrated throwing formation, using the favorable terrain on the deck to attack the pirates intensively from a high position. The lethality of the javelin is more powerful than that of the arrow, and even if one hits, it is difficult for the pirates to bear."
"I think it is very appropriate to use the javelin as the second long-range lethal defensive weapon," Lin Liang continued, "Considering that its use scenario is mainly when the pirates are close to the giant ship, it should be enough to equip between 100 and 200. In this way, at the critical moment when pirates are trying to climb the giant ship, we can quickly and effectively use javelins for defense, minimizing the threat of pirates."
Lin Liang also revealed some of his thoughts.
"When talking about the third aspect of enhancing the defensive capabilities of giant ships, what I want to emphasize is the configuration and layout of high-pressure water cannons," Lin Liang said, revealing his rigorous consideration of maritime defense details.
He elaborated on the importance of high-pressure water cannons in detail: "High-pressure water cannons have shown significant effects in preventing pirates from boarding the ship. Their powerful water jets can not only knock the pirates on the approaching speedboats over but also greatly interfere with their ability to act. This physical impact not only weakens the pirates' attack power but also buys us valuable response time."
Lin Liang further pointed out the shortcomings of the current high-pressure water cannon configuration: "However, the high-pressure water cannon configuration on our giant ships is not perfect enough to achieve full coverage of the entire ship without dead spots. This means that in some areas, we may not be able to use high-pressure water cannons in a timely and effective manner for defense."
In order to make up for this deficiency, he put forward specific improvement suggestions: "Therefore, I suggest adding high-pressure water cannons around the ship to ensure full coverage of the entire ship without dead spots. In this way, no matter which direction the pirates approach from, we can quickly activate the high-pressure water cannons to effectively suppress them. Under the interference of high-pressure water cannons, the pirates' actions will be greatly restricted. At this time, we can assist with the attack and self-defense of javelins or bows and arrows, and the effect will be much stronger than simply using one method."
Lin Liang emphasized, "This defense strategy can not only significantly improve the defense capabilities of our giant ship, but also ensure the safety of sailors to the greatest extent. After all, in maritime defense, the safety of sailors is always our most important core concern."
Lin Liang's words made Ren Zhong and Staff Officer Ye, who were sitting in the audience, nod frequently.
These are all valuable experiences gained from real combat on the front line, and everyone naturally cherishes them very much.
"Lieutenant Lin, in terms of personnel allocation, do you think it is necessary to send two or three retired soldiers to serve as full-time captains for sailors' safety counterattacks?" Staff Officer Ye asked after listening to Lin Liang's introduction.
"Chief, regarding the issue of personnel allocation, I have indeed given it in-depth consideration." Lin Liang gave a detailed answer immediately after Staff Officer Ye raised the question, obviously he was well prepared for this issue.
"I personally strongly recommend that we should send two or three retired soldiers to serve as full-time captains for sailors' safety counterattacks." Lin Liang's voice was firm and powerful, and he continued, "Pirates are often vicious and evil people, and the weapons in their hands are even more deadly. Although our sailors have acquired a certain ability to fight against pirates after preliminary training, there are still large gaps in their combat command, combat will, and actual combat capabilities."
"If there are two or three professional security personnel to lead the sailors in counterattacks as captains and deputy captains, then the possibility of successfully preventing pirates from boarding the ship will be greatly increased." Lin Liang further elaborated his point of view, "These two or three captains can not only provide professional tactical guidance, but also stabilize morale at critical moments and improve the combat efficiency of the entire team."
He paused for a moment, as if weighing his words, and then continued: "Of course, we cannot be too optimistic. You must know that pirates are also constantly learning and evolving, and they may be equipped with more powerful weapons, such as machine guns, rocket launchers, etc. However, under normal circumstances, if pirates only rely on conventional weapons such as AK rifles, then it will be difficult for them to break through our two lines of defense blocked by bows and arrows and javelins. Coupled with the assistance of high-pressure water cannons and the command of two professional captains, our defense will be even more indestructible."
Lin Liang did not consider his previous design of directly killing the pirates on a speedboat as a routine tactic. He knew that the success was more due to surprise and the pirates' lack of preparation. If the pirates were prepared, or even dispatched two speedboats to carry out the hijacking, with one patrolling around 100 meters away to attack the sailors on the ship's side as cover, and the other approaching to seize the ship, then the situation would become more complicated and tricky.
"Therefore, we must be fully prepared, not only to improve the safety defense training level of sailors, but also to strengthen our defense equipment and personnel allocation." Lin Liang's words were full of confidence and determination for the future, "Only in this way can we be more calm and protect our crew and property when facing the threat of pirates."
Staff Officer Ye listened to Lin Liang's answer, with an approving look on his face. He turned to Ren Zhong and said, "Brother Ren, what do you think?"
From the perspective of actual combat, high-pressure water cannons need to have both fixed and mobile types. It is best to add two steel plates to the fixed water cannon as a defense against rifle or machine gun bullets. Similar to a gun position, it can be moved left and right and up and down to select the attack range.
But there must also be a high-pressure water cannon with a mobile water belt to increase the coverage of the giant ship's range, otherwise too many water cannons need to be set up for a giant ship that is more than 100 meters long.
Set up 6 to 8 fixed water cannons in the front, back, left, and right, and add 4 high-pressure water cannon heads for mobile ones. In this way, there is a fixed water cannon position every 50 meters. Normally, the jet distance of a fixed fire water cannon is generally between 55 meters and 70 meters, so that the fixed fire water cannon position can basically achieve cross-coverage of the giant ship.
Mobile high-pressure water cannons can choose models with longer jet distances. For example, the range of some brands of high-pressure water cannons can reach 70 meters when the flow rate is 60L/s under a working pressure of 1.0 MPa. Using this high-pressure water cannon as a supplement to the fixed water cannon position, about 10 water cannons can ensure that there are basically 4 high-pressure water cannons that can spray high-pressure water to prevent speedboats from approaching the giant ship in one position.
The first anti-piracy actual combat experience introduction meeting was very successful. Shipping giants, military leaders, and experts in the field of maritime safety all gained a lot. The military also began to conduct gap-filling enhancements to the problems that occurred during the escort process. They are now preparing to dispatch new Luhu-class and Luyang-class destroyers equipped with shipborne helicopters on the destroyers they send out.
Even though the current shipborne helicopters are still relatively scarce, through priority adjustments, the destroyers on the front line of escort directly draw trained shipborne helicopters from the newly commissioned amphibious assault ships.
Now solve the needs of the front line first. The amphibious assault ship does not have any combat missions for the time being, so bear with it for now and first support the escort detachment to equip its own air power first.
Although the current shipborne helicopter has a range of only about 500 kilometers, the lead time can be increased by at least 6 hours. At a distance of 400 kilometers, it takes about 8 hours for a destroyer to arrive, but a helicopter can arrive in at most 2 hours.
If there were shipborne helicopters in the case of Yangbo No. 1, it would only take about 2 hours to come over and resolve the battle.