Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 823 Cape of Good Hope Aircraft Anti-Submarine Warfare, Uranium Ore Loaded and Returned to Po

This time, Fang Wen was piloting a seaplane carrying Mark 7 depth charges that he had obtained from the British Navy.

This type of depth charge is equipped with an adjustable depth-setting fuse, which can precisely set the blast depth according to the submarine's diving depth. Its power is sufficient to penetrate the pressure hull of a U-boat. It was specifically designed for the German Type IX long-range submarine and is a powerful weapon for anti-submarine warfare.

At this moment, we are 100 meters underwater.

Inside the German U-boat, the interior was dark and oppressive, with only the green light of the instrument panel flashing in the gloom. The low hum of the machinery filled the space, and the air was filled with the smells of engine oil, seawater, and human sweat, making it stifling.

Captain Hans Petersen is receiving a live report from the sonar operator.

"Captain, the target convoy is maintaining a constant speed, heading due south, and is 1500 meters away. It is a large cargo ship, but no escort fleet has been detected, making it an ideal location for an attack."

Hans's lips curled into a sinister smile. Previously, when the British escort fleet passed through this area, they had remained silent underwater, but now, facing an unprotected cargo ship, there was naturally no need to hide.

He ordered the torpedo officer beside him: "Prepare to launch torpedoes! Load G7a torpedoes into torpedo tubes one and two, set the depth to 3 meters, and aim at the target ship's waterline!"

"Understood, Captain!" The torpedo officer immediately left the command room and went to the torpedo launch bay to prepare.

The soldiers in the mines compartment turned the torpedo tube loading handle and slowly pushed the torpedo with the adjusted fuse into the launch tube.

On the command side, the sonar operator stared intently at the screen, trying to detect the propeller noise of the Taishan-5 aircraft carrier and constantly correcting its bearing parameters.

The water they were in was perfectly shielded by the thermocline, making it impossible for conventional surface detection to reach them. In addition, they had shut down most of their machinery and were only moving at a low speed, so their sonar signals were extremely weak. They thought they were completely hidden.

Everyone was immersed in the excitement of their impending success, unaware that someone high above them had already seen their every move clearly.

"Captain, torpedoes loaded, bearing calibrated!" The torpedo officer's voice broke the silence in the cabin.

"Rise," Hans ordered, leaning down to look through the periscope.

The submarine surfaced from a depth of 100 meters to a depth of 50 meters, but this depth was still insufficient. The periscope could not penetrate the sea surface to observe the target, so it could only rely on sonar for positioning.

He ordered, "Rise to a depth of 20 meters."

The submarine's ballast tanks are drained, the hull rises to the surface, the surrounding seawater pressure gradually decreases, and the pressure gauge needle inside the compartment slowly drops back down.

A few minutes later, the submarine stopped at a depth of 20 meters. Hans raised the periscope, and the lens emerged from the water, pointing at the Taishan half-aircraft carrier in the distance.

The massive ship slowly sailed on the sea, with the fighter jets on the deck clearly visible.

Hans exclaimed in surprise, "It's a modified aircraft carrier. It doesn't look like it's finished yet. How come it's already out here?"

He raised his head and shouted to his men, "An unfinished and unprotected modified aircraft carrier, though not flying its identification flag, cannot belong to us or our allies. Sink it, and we can return to port."

This is exactly what they have been dreaming of.

Hans and his men smiled, unaware that death was quietly approaching.

High in the sky, Fang Wen had already locked onto the submarine's surfacing trajectory using his special ability. His eyes narrowed as he watched the tiny splashes of water emerging from the sea surface at the top of the periscope.

This is also a golden opportunity for him.

The water depth is 20 meters.

Fang Wen pulled a dial on the left and turned it.

As he operated the mechanism, the mechanical device, through the linkage gears, completed the delayed adjustment of the depth charge fuse.

He immediately steered the fighter jet to dive down.

The aircraft sped off like an arrow toward the sea area where the submarine was located.

In just over ten seconds, the fighter jet descended to an altitude of several hundred meters. Fang Wen leveled the fuselage and flew parallel to the sea surface. Just as the fuselage was about to reach the submarine's position, he pressed the depth charge release button.

Two Mark 7 depth charges detached from the fuselage and quickly fell into the sea, creating two small splashes. They then sank rapidly towards the predetermined depth of 20 meters.

Inside the underwater U-69, the sonar operator's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he roared, "Captain! High-speed falling object detected! It's a depth charge!"

Hans's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he shouted, "Dive immediately! Dive to 100 meters at full speed!"

The crew members panicked instantly and worked together to control the submarine to dive quickly.

The ballast tank inlet was opened, and a large amount of seawater was poured in, causing the hull to plummet into the deep sea like a stone.

But it was still too late.

Two Mark 7 depth charges exploded at a depth of 20 meters.

A massive shockwave, carrying shrapnel from the explosion, swept through the seawater, instantly breaching the submarine's outer hull and creating a crack in the pressure hull at the bow. Seawater surged into the compartments like a raging tide, causing the pressure gauge needle to spike and triggering a piercing alarm.

"The hull is damaged!"

"Flooding in the front compartment!"

"The pressure chamber is leaking!"

Sailors' shouts and reports, mechanical alarms blaring, chaos reigned in the cabin.

Hans gripped the handrail tightly, his face pale. He knew that the attack had failed; the enemy had discovered the submarine long ago and was just waiting for them to surface to launch an attack.

Staying in shallow water will only lead to more depth charge attacks.

"Abandon torpedo launch! Focus all efforts on repairing the damaged hull, dive to a depth of 150 meters, and evade enemy attack!"

He gritted his teeth and gave the order, without the slightest hesitation. The submarine was only lightly damaged and could continue to fight.

As long as they evade reconnaissance from overhead aircraft, they still have a chance to launch the next attack.

An unprotected and unfinished aircraft carrier is a very tempting prospect for submarines.

The submarine slowly submerged into the 150-meter-deep trench, using the terrain to its advantage to conceal itself. The crew worked tirelessly to repair the damaged hull, sealing the cracks with gaskets and starting the drainage pumps to pump out the seawater from the hull.

Fang Wen hovered high in the sky, using both his supernatural abilities and sonar to probe.

The submarine dived to a depth of 150 meters, indicating that the two depth charges did not cause serious damage to the submarine.

Judging from the submarine's movements, it did not withdraw but instead hid on the seabed, clearly still eyeing the Taishan-5 aircraft carrier.

Fang Wen's eyes were cold, and he had already made up his mind: if it dared to surface again, he would make it perish at the bottom of the sea.

Time passed slowly, and after more than half an hour, the damage to the outer hull of U-69 was finally repaired, the flooding was brought under control, and the pressure of the pressure hull returned to normal.

However, since the hull was already damaged, staying in deep water for an extended period of time would put too much pressure on it.

Hans frowned, looked up at the ceiling, and fell into deep thought.

He knew that the enemy planes were most likely still circling at high altitude, and that surfacing rashly would only lead to another attack.

After a moment's thought, he ordered the boatswain beside him: "Surf to 80 meters, release two frogmen, surface to scout the airspace, and report back immediately once you confirm there are no enemy aircraft!"

As the submarine ascends to the required depth.

Two divers in diving suits climbed out of the upper hatch of the submarine and swam toward the surface.

A few minutes later, two frogmen surfaced. They cautiously watched the sky, carefully searching for any trace of an aircraft.

All of this was clearly seen by Fang Wen, who was high above the clouds.

As early as when the submarine surfaced to a depth of 80 meters to release the frogmen, he had already pulled the fighter jet up to an altitude of 6000 meters and hidden in the thick clouds.

At an altitude of 6000 meters, the clouds were so thick that the fighter jets could not be detected by sight below. Even with binoculars, all that could be seen was a hazy layer of clouds, and nothing unusual could be detected.

Fang Wen, however, was able to observe the frogmen on the sea surface by combining his supernatural abilities with his equipment, patiently waiting for the best opportunity.

After a while, one of the divers reported to the submarine via an underwater communicator with a connecting cable:

"Captain, there are no enemy aircraft detected at high altitude!"

Hans, who was in the submarine, finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered: "Slowly rise to a depth of 20 meters. This time, do not use the periscope for observation. Locate the target directly through sonar and launch a torpedo attack."

The submarine slowly surfaced again.

When they entered the water, which was 30 meters deep.

High in the sky, Fang Wen suddenly maneuvered his fighter jet out of the clouds, like a swooping eagle, and sped down toward the sea area where the submarine was located.

The two frogmen only discovered it when the plane was diving to an altitude of 3000 meters.

In a panic, they grabbed their underwater communicator and reported, "Don't surface, the plane is coming."

Several seconds had passed between the time the communication was transmitted underwater and when Hans received it.

In those few seconds, the high-speed diving aircraft had already descended to an altitude of 1800 meters.

Hayes paused for two seconds upon hearing the report.

Two seconds later, his face turned pale and he urgently ordered, "Dive! Dive immediately!"

This order needs to be relayed to the control room inside the submarine, and the sailors begin operating to open the water inlet.

Fang Wen piloted the fighter jet, rapidly descending to an altitude of 800 meters, quickly leveling the fuselage, and pressed the torpedo release button at the optimal pre-release time.

The remaining four depth charges mounted on the fuselage were dropped all toward the location of the submarine.

The bomb fell into the sea and sank rapidly, this time at a predetermined depth of 30 meters.

Twenty-five seconds later, the bomb fell to a depth of 30 meters underwater, triggering the delayed fuse.

Meanwhile, the German U-boats were also diving from a depth of 20 meters to a depth of 30 meters.

Four depth charges exploded in succession, sending massive shockwaves raging underwater.

The already damaged submarine hull was completely blown to pieces, the pressure hull burst open, seawater rushed in, the machinery inside the cabin instantly failed, all the instruments malfunctioned, and thick smoke and seawater mingled together, filling the entire cabin.

With the failure of the pressure chamber, the submarine's hull began to sink rapidly.

The rapid increase in underwater pressure caused even more severe damage to the already damaged hull.

The crew members inside the cabin screamed in despair. Some were submerged by the seawater, some were crushed by the collapsing machinery, and others tried to open the escape pods but were trapped by the enormous water pressure.

Hans watched the submarine sink rapidly, his eyes filled with resentment and despair. He never imagined that his meticulously planned ambush would end in this way.

On the surface of the sea, a large number of bubbles gushed out from underwater, accompanied by oil and debris, and slowly rose to the surface. After a while, the bubbles gradually decreased and eventually returned to calm. The lurking deep-sea shark had completely sunk into the deep sea of ​​the Cape of Good Hope and was never seen again.

Fang Wen maneuvered the fighter jet to increase its altitude and hovered over the sea area. Using his supernatural abilities, he confirmed that the submarine had sunk.

He sighed.

He felt no hatred for the Germans, and could not feel the same satisfaction as when he killed the Japanese.

But war is war, and any act of mercy will only bring danger to oneself, leading to a life-or-death situation.

He encountered German soldiers here; there was no right or wrong, only the outcome.

The plane returned to its origin.

The fighter jet landed smoothly on the deck of the Taishan-5 aircraft carrier. Ground crew immediately surrounded the jet to check its condition. When they saw the empty ammunition racks under the fuselage, someone couldn't help but mutter, "Why are all the ammunition racks empty?"

Fang Wen took off his helmet and said calmly, "It was just a routine live-fire exercise. We've run out of ammunition. Quickly inspect the fighter jets and prepare for the next flight."

Although the ground staff had doubts, they dared not ask any more questions and quickly got to work.

During the subsequent voyage, they encountered no more German submarines or disguised attack ships, as if the underwater hunt at the Cape of Good Hope had completely cleared away any potential threats to the route.

However, the daily reconnaissance flights have not stopped, and even without danger, this is still a good training exercise for carrier-based aircraft.

A few days later, the Taishan-5 aircraft carrier finally arrived safely at Soyo Port at the mouth of the Congo River.

The mine workers, who had been waiting in the port area, spotted the massive semi-aircraft carrier at a glance and immediately rushed over to greet it.

Leading the group was Parker, the mine's manager, who quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Fang Wen: "Manager Fang, you've finally arrived. The ore is all ready, just waiting for your inspection."

Fang Wen nodded, and without any further pleasantries, said directly, "Take us to the warehouse to inspect the goods."

In order to conclude this transaction, Parker did not dare to delay and quickly led Fang Wen and his group through the port area to a warehouse that was under strict guard.

The warehouse was surrounded by heavily armed mine guards, who kept a close watch on it.

The mine manager opened the thick iron door of the warehouse, and a strong wave of radiation immediately hit him, causing Fang Wen to subconsciously frown.

This warehouse looks unremarkable, but it's actually made entirely of iron, which is why it's shielded from radiation.

The amount of radiation released by such a large quantity of ore was astonishing, and Fang Wen simply could not stay in the warehouse for long.

His gaze swept quickly across the warehouse, where more than a hundred tons of pitchblende ore were neatly stacked in the center, the dark brown ore surface gleaming faintly.

The people here, including Parker and the security guards, were completely unprepared for them.

Fang Wen said to Parker, "Immediately organize manpower to transport all these ores out. No physical contact with the ores is allowed during the handling process."

"Are you sure you've completed the acceptance test?" Parker asked in surprise.

"Confirmed." The radiation level was sufficient for Fang Wen to determine the quality of the ore.

Parker immediately made the arrangements.

Fang Wenze moved away from the warehouse and solemnly instructed his men: "Once the goods are loaded onto the ship, none of you are allowed to approach the area covered by lead plates, and you are absolutely forbidden from touching the ore. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to discipline."

The men responded readily. Having participated in the construction of the Little Andaman Island, they understood the dangers of these ores.

At the warehouse, the mine workers immediately sprang into action, wearing thick clothing and carefully transporting the pitchblende uranium ore out of the warehouse. They then transferred it to the Taishan semi-aircraft carrier using specialized transport vehicles, and then used cranes to move it to the lower deck before transporting it to the cargo hold sealed with lead plates.

After loading the cargo, Fang Wen did not linger at Suoyue Port for even a second longer and immediately issued a return order.

The crew quickly took their positions, the engines roared again, and the Taishan-5 aircraft carrier slowly turned its bow, leaving Suoyue Port and heading into the vast ocean.

The return journey proceeded without encountering any danger; the two potential threats had been eliminated. (End of Chapter)