Chapter 865: There is a catapult-carrying merchant ship on the seabed
Khedira, standing nearby, put on the eyepatch Xiao Peng had given him and sighed, "Boss, I'm increasingly impressed by your Chinese technology. Is this a military product?"
"Huh?" Xiao Peng was stunned. "What military product? I bought it at a German toy store. If you like, play with it. I bought several!"
The VR glasses he was wearing were actually just a screen, and the joystick in his hand was an operating rod. This set of equipment belonged to the DJI FPV drone produced by the Chinese company DJI, also known as an "immersive" drone.
This drone features a front-mounted camera that transmits first-person footage to the headset in real time, allowing users to experience the thrill of high-speed flight. Operation is also relatively simple, with both traditional controls similar to a PlayStation controller and a one-handed joystick. The drone follows the operator's hand movements, creating a sense of human-machine integration. It also allows for a variety of challenging maneuvers.
This drone also has a very convenient feature: an "Emergency Brake Hover Button." Simply pressing this button stabilizes the drone's hover, regardless of its movements. This is perfect for taking photos or observing details. Xiao Peng just used this feature to observe the crane's operation on the Sentinel. And there's no need to worry about returning to home. Simply activate the "Smart Return Home" function, and the drone will automatically return to its takeoff point for a smooth landing. This is a powerful, yet easy-to-use small drone. Anyone who sees it will be impressed by its capabilities.
No matter what, China’s technology is indeed eye-catching in many aspects.
Not long after the drone returned, a small speedboat also came speeding in. A bearded old man wearing an octagonal hat sat at the bow, along with two other people: a white man at the helm and an Asian.
Upon seeing Xiao Peng, the Asian man waved. Chen Cheng signaled for the boat to moor to the stern of the Luna and board from there. Xiao Peng and his companions also arrived at the stern to greet them.
"Hello, Mr. Xiao. I'm Huang Linze, the company representative responsible for coordinating the Sentinel's salvage efforts and your translator." The man introduced himself. "This is Mr. Pinte, the Sentinel's captain."
Pingte shook hands with Xiao Peng and said, "The reputation of the Sea Salvage King is truly well-deserved. Following the coordinates you provided, we found the sunken ship in just two days. It's a British freighter. According to my investigation files, it should be the British catapult-carrying merchant ship 'Springco' that sank in 1942. According to our mini-ROV, the cargo on board is rubber, metal ingots, American-made equipment, and tea. The composition of the metal ingots has not yet been determined, and the deck is still closed, so we can't bring the ingots up."
Xiao Peng nodded: "It's okay, don't worry, the ship is on the bottom of the sea, it can't escape."
Pingte said to Xiao Peng, "Mr. Xiao, you came all the way here, why don't you come to our ship and take a look? Huang, how should I put it? It's that...that..."
Huang Linze reminded quietly: "Guide the work!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Pingte said hurriedly, "You are welcome to come to our ship to guide our work!"
Xiao Peng laughed. "Okay, I'll go take a look. Hua Chong, Khedira, you guys come with me! Khedira, bring the drone!"
The three of them boarded Pingte's boat and headed for the Sentinel. Hua Chong asked, puzzled, "Boss, what is a 'catapult-carrying merchant ship'?"
Xiao Peng asked Khedira: "Khedira, let me test you, do you know the answer to this?"
Khedira nodded: "As a German, I know a little bit. This is a strange product of Britain during World War II!"
"A weird product?" Hua Chong was confused after hearing this.
Xiao Peng nodded: "It's really quite bizarre. Khedira, please continue."
Khedira scratched his head and said, "Boss, please don't make it difficult for me. My ability to express myself is limited. You should explain it to Hua Chong so that I don't make any mistakes."
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "Look at how promising you are, Hua Chong. Do you know where the lifeline of Britain was during World War II?"
"On the sea?" Hua Chong asked uncertainly.
Xiao Peng snapped his fingers. "Why would Britain take the lead in enacting laws like 'Ownership of Warships'? It's simple. During World War II, Britain relied on overseas imports for over 80% of its strategic materials and food. On average, over 2,500 ships sailed the seas every day, and a large number of them sank to the bottom of the sea. Maritime traffic safety is the foundation of the entire British and German war systems. This is something not only known to Germany but also to Britain."
"After Germany occupied France, it had a naval base with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, so it began to wreak havoc on Britain's sea routes. U-boats were in the sea, and bombers and torpedo-carrying fighters were in the sky. British ships had a hard time back then. With 'Sea Wolves' in the sea and 'Vultures' in the sky, countless British ships sank throughout the Atlantic."
"Damn it!" Hua Chong said. After he finished speaking, he looked at Khedira on the side and realized that it was not right to say that with a German next to him. He smiled embarrassedly.
Xiao Peng continued to explain, "At the time, Britain's air force wasn't that powerful. There simply weren't enough aircraft carriers and planes to protect merchant fleets at sea. There were fewer aircraft carriers in the entire Atlantic Ocean than could be counted on the palm of your hand, and fighter planes launched from the British mainland had a limited range. So, the British Navy tried every possible means, such as adding anti-aircraft weapons to merchant ships. But at the time, British weaponry wasn't very advanced. Their most commonly used anti-aircraft guns were mostly three-inch anti-aircraft guns that had been in service before World War I. They were nicknamed 'pom-pom guns,' meaning they would jam after firing two shots. And the so-called 'anti-aircraft ships' were nothing but superficial, like the Crispin, which sank countless times before it could even shoot down a plane. Finally, the British came up with a brilliant idea."
"What a brilliant idea?" Hua Chong asked.
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "What's the biggest danger to bombers? Fighter planes! So the solution they came up with is to use fighter planes to deal with bombers."
Hua Chong said, "Boss, you just said that British fighter planes are useless, right? They don't have enough aircraft carriers and their range is not enough."
Xiao Peng gestured with his hands, saying, "Their method is to install a catapult on the front of the merchant ship and place an aircraft at the bow. If German bombers approach, they can eject fighter planes like a slingshot to fight the bombers. However, these fighter planes are quite miserable, because there is only one aircraft per ship, and because they are cargo ships, these fighter planes cannot land even if they break away from the battle. Once the mission is completed, they can only choose to make an emergency landing at sea or parachute out. These aircraft are disposable. And this kind of merchant ship is called a 'catapult aircraft merchant ship.'"
Hua Chong couldn't help but curse after hearing this: "Fuck, this is really weird!"
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