Chinese sailors have several explanations for this phenomenon. ////////Some people think that this is purely a coincidence. However, more analysis attributed the complete absence of sharks to the fact that they were scared away by the continuous violent explosions inside the huge ship. In the last few minutes, the 46,000-ton aircraft carrier was blown around several times, and the force of the explosion spread far through the water. Shock waves propagate over long distances in liquids, and violent underwater explosions can kill fish within a radius of several hundred meters. Air is compressible, so the force of an explosion dissipates quickly, while water is incompressible, allowing the shock wave of an explosion to travel great distances. Therefore, the sailors attributed the absence of the "dwellers of the deep seabed" to this reason.
When the bomb exploded in the middle of the warship, Captain Yang Baiyu and the deputy captain were shaken off the hemp rope, and they both fell into the clear and warm water. The two exhaled seawater and swam towards the last few motorboats in the search water. The two of them were roughly dragged onto the motorboat, the captain still wearing his gold-rimmed No. 1 hat.
It¡¯s 18:30 now. Tropical night comes early and is almost dark. As the sun sets over the sea, the rescue work is coming to an end. The pilots found that the motorboat was full of exhausted swimmers, some of whom were very sick after eating ice cream and drinking sea water. Everyone on the motorboat is on board. Except for Yang Mingjun and Ensign Ma Wenkai, everyone else climbed onto the boarding net put down on the cruiser deck. At this time, another terrible explosion occurred. It was the most powerful explosion on the "Huqiu". A total of about eight to ten tons of strong cotton explosives in the torpedo head finally exploded.
¡°Everyone take cover!¡± came the shout of the deck officer.
Ma Wenkai and Yang Mingyun secretly glanced at the exploding aircraft carrier "Huqiu" and saw debris, planes, steel plates, wooden boards, large and small fragments mixed in the thick white smoke and fire, rushing into the sky. The crew hid tightly behind the steel plate of the cruiser, and debris splashed hundreds of meters around the sea.
Even at this time, the "Huqiu" that was not destroyed did not sink, but the fire became even greater. The flight deck was now completely torn apart from end to end. Obviously, this last explosion blew large holes in both the fuel tank and the gasoline tank. The fire rushed to an altitude of 100 to 200 meters, and the top was a thick black smoke.
In the vast twilight, this scene was really spectacular, but it also deeply hurt the hearts of everyone who saw this scene.
After boarding the ship, Yang Mingjun went to the laundry room of the cruiser and got wet all over his body. There Yang Mingyun met a friendly Marine. He was in charge of the laundry room. At his suggestion, a sailor lent Yang Mingjun a set of shirts and trousers, and Yang Mingjun's burned tattered clothes were washed and baked there. The pair of expensive leather shoes was bought by Yang Mingjun in Beijing. They were also put into the drying oven and were retrieved in less than an hour. They were not damaged at all after soaking.
Yang Mingyun came to the deck. Night had fallen, and it might have been a starry night, but Yang Mingyun couldn't identify it. The "Huqiu"'s incoming fire covered up all the dim light in the sky. In the dazzling firelight, every outline and wreckage of the aircraft carrier was clearly visible. In comparison, the surrounding tropical night sky was as unfathomable as velvet. The two destroyers circled around the burning hull to ensure that no one was left in the water.
At 19:15, Vice Admiral Zhang Qifan on the "Longyao" aircraft carrier sent a signal, ordering the fleet to regroup and then transfer. Yang Mingyun has been staying here for at least three hours. In this sea area where enemy submarines are infested, doing so is asking for trouble. It was time to leave, but the warships moved slowly, as if unwilling to leave their brave companion, the Tiger Hill.
The Chinese sailors did not abandon the "Huqiu", leaving a destroyer behind, sailing around the hull that was burning inside and now turned cherry red. Apparently it had a few more hours to burn before sinking. How like a signal sign in the dark night! Japanese submarines or reconnaissance aircraft can be seen a hundred nautical miles away or even further, and the position of the Chinese navy can be accurately marked on nautical or aerial maps without any effort. Therefore, General Zhang Qifan ordered it to be sunk.
The remaining destroyer "Qian 122" carried out this mission. The crew fired four torpedoes towards the starboard side of the "Huqiu" from 1,500 meters away. The sound of the explosion was almost completely drowned out by the sound of fire rising into the sky. Even so, the torpedo explosion did not cause the "Huqiu" to sink quickly. It sank slowly and almost steadily for several hours. The torpedo penetrated the last layer of protective steel and shook it. Huge tongues of flames mixed with smoke rose into the sky, and the white-hot steel plates bent and deformed when exposed to water, making a sharp hissing sound. There were new explosions inside the ship, and there was a rumbling sound. This must be the huge pressure that broke down the bulkhead and the explosion of gasoline vapor. Now, the sinking speed of "Huqiu" has begun to accelerate."However, it still maintained a stable state, and neither the ship nor the stern of the ship dipped down. The waves gradually submerged it. An officer standing next to Yang Mingyun looked at this last scene and said to himself: "It sank, it did not turn over. It went down with its head held high. The heroic 'Tiger Hill', a soldier who persisted to the end warrior!"
¡° In this way, Yang Mingyun and everyone went down to eat. We always have to eat. As soon as Yang Mingjun walked into the officers' conference room, there were cheers and friendly teasing. Yang Mingyun paused for a moment and looked around. He was surrounded by familiar faces that Yang Mingyun had dined with for several hours on the "Huqiu". Yang Mingyun seemed to have returned to the "Huqiu", but this room looked different. Yang Mingyun realized that the "Huqiu" was still alive, living in the hearts of the crew members who operated it. They will continue the business.
The entire officers' conference room was buzzing with friendly, tanned and unshaven faces everywhere. They were invited to a sumptuous table, and everyone was full. As cruiser officers and soldiers, they were very relaxed.
The crew of this cruiser is very hospitable. They don¡¯t have enough supplies, but they help with everything they have. Everyone on the ship opened their wardrobes and duffel bags and donated uniforms, underwear, undershirts, blue overalls, shoes, and best of all, beds. Boxes of cigarettes and cigars were passed among the pilots. Sour plum soup, ice tea and ice cream were also forced on Yang Mingjun and the pilots. For the crew members who were at sea for a long time and isolated from the land, these little things were not a lot. On this ship, the pilots had no money at all.
After dinner, when Yang Mingyun was chatting with the ship's quartermaster, he asked Yang Mingyun if he had a place to sleep. He was more thoughtful than Yang Mingyun, because Yang Mingyun hadn't thought about it yet. He gave his bed to Yang Mingyun and said, "Okay, you can sleep in my cabin. I won't be able to go to bed for a day or two. I have to arrange things on the ship."
He pointed out the bed to Yang Mingyun, then took out a "Ship Order" to find out what "rights" Yang Mingyun had in this situation. I found a paragraph in the "Warship Victims" section, which talked about providing clothes, bedding, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and razors to each member of Yang Mingyun's gang. He immediately ordered the quartermaster to rush to open all the useful storage rooms.
He made arrangements for each crew member of the cruiser one by one according to the list, that is to say, they had to receive their colleagues from the "Tiger Hill". For example, the captain of the cruiser received Rear Admiral Yang Baiyu into his cabin, the deputy captain of the cruiser received Lieutenant Colonel Lin Zun, the chief electromechanical officer of the cruiser gave up his cabin to Lieutenant Colonel Jun Kerding, and so on, all Everyone has made such arrangements. Tiger Hill's gunners doubled the number of gunners on the cruiser. The cruiser's engine room crew moved into the engine room, making room for Tiger Hill's engine room crew, as did the boiler room crew. The Marines were with the Marines on the cruiser, and the signalman was with them. Even Rear Admiral Lu Qi and his staff had a place to live on the cruiser. The cruiser also has an admiral's cabin, but there is no admiral on the ship. Now the admiral and staff who were originally on the aircraft carrier live there.
The situation for pilots is slightly different. The cruiser has eight pilots, and the aircraft carrier has dozens of squadrons. The cruiser pilots still try their best to arrange them in their own cabins, and arrange the rest wherever there is room. In other words, small beds are also put up in the corridors and aisles, and in some places, mattresses are placed on the deck. .
The cruiser crew had an arrangement that left a deep impression on Yang Mingjun. They all shared a bed, but now they volunteered to share a bed, freeing up a berth for the crew of the "Tiger Hill". They took turns taking breaks, one taking a break and the other taking a break.
Yang Mingyun walked to the soldiers¡¯ dining room deck to see if he could find one or two soldier friends. Dozens of people sat there chatting and smoking cigarettes contentedly. Yang Mingjun asked everyone: "How do you feel on the ship? Are there all beds?"
"What else can I say? It's very good. They treated us so warmly that they almost gave up the entire ship to us."
That night, the cruiser¡¯s band got together and played lively music for the aircraft carrier crew.
The navy captain in charge of editing the cruiser's tabloid said that if the crew would provide him with material, he would like to do a special issue on the "Tiger Hill". The crew held a meeting and designated a few "Tiger Hill" People aboard the USS Qiu wrote reports about the aircraft carrier. On the first page is a portrait of the Tiger Hill Pagoda, which is the laurel crown of the Tiger Hill because it is called a "Pagoda Ship". Below is a picture of a sailor standing on the deck of the "Tiger Hill". The second page published a short poem by Lieutenant Commander Li Yuxi: "We have seen her glorious life, so that everyone who has witnessed her heroic sacrifice for the country will be strengthened when thinking of her in the battle to defend the motherland."
Next to the poem is Lu QihaiIn the short text of Rear Admiral Yang Baiyu and Rear Admiral Yang Baiyu, General Lu Qi wrote: "Dedicated to the officers and men of the Tiger Hill, I would like to express my most profound gratitude for your performance in the battle and for your efforts to save this heroic warship. High respect. You have carried forward the fine traditions of the Chinese navy. The enemy used at least three aircraft carriers to fight against two of ours. As a result, they lost two and we only lost one."
"It is my personal hope that the crew of the Tiger Hill will board another Tiger Hill together to avenge the loss of the ship we lost. I am honored to fight alongside you and hope to continue to work with you. You are in this together."
Rear Admiral Yang Baiyu wrote: "I have never received such hospitality as the cruiser Xichang gave us. On behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the Tiger Hill, I would like to express my deep gratitude to you. Your hospitality has lightened the mood. We are saddened by the loss of our warship."
"The Tiger Hill is a great warship that we love. We hope to still be able to operate a new Tiger Hill as a unit. We have lost this warship, but we have made the enemy repay it twice as much. "
¡°We are proud of our achievements and proud to fight side by side with good comrades like the officers and soldiers on the cruiser Xichang.¡±
The third page of the newspaper is a brief history of the "Tiger Hill" written by the boatswain ¡ª¡ª 6 ¡ª¡ª>. There is also a picture of a sailor toasting: "She died with honor, let the damn Japanese go to hell!"
The fourth page describes the "suspended" football match on the "Huqiu", the fifth page is miscellaneous news about the last hours of the "Huqiu"; the last three pages are the battle history of the "Huqiu". Yang Mingjun stayed up all night to compile it and type it out on a borrowed typewriter so that it could be printed out in the morning. Such was Yang Mingyun's life as a reporter.
The bottom of the last page is a seascape, with a wreath floating on the water and the inscription: "Goodbye!"
Around midnight, Lieutenant Colonel Lin Zun came wearing pajamas. It turned out that as soon as he stumbled into the cruiser, he was pushed onto the bed by the doctor. He led the damage control crew of the "Huqiu" to put out the fire. They fought continuously for 5 hours. The fire was so smokey that he was overtired and exhausted.
He found several officers from the Tiger Hill and started registering the list of survivors in a corner of the officers' conference room. He also requested that an officer on other rescue ships should make a list of the crew of the "Tiger Hill" on the ship early the next day. Later, he asked the doctors to make a similar list of the wounded. Finally, he asked all officers of the "Tiger Hill" to report the names of the crew members they knew who died in the air battle and on the ship.
After the loss of a warship, the amount of documents to be provided to the naval authorities is staggering, and it takes a long time to complete. Now, this work begins.
In the ward on the ship, the doctors were very busy treating 60 wounded people. They had to perform orthopedic corrections for the wounded, prepare splints and models, treat burns with tannic acid ointment, and treat gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds. The operating room was packed all night long. It was the same situation on other ships. The lightly wounded patients returned to their beds after treatment, which was about twice the number of patients living in the ward.
Yang Mingyun was very surprised when he saw some people were seriously burned but slept soundly. The doctor explained that as soon as the patients were brought onto the ship, a large amount of tannic acid ointment was applied to the wounds. In addition to its analgesic effect, this ointment also formed a protective layer for the burned tissue; at the same time, morphine was injected to relieve the wounds. In order to cope with the pain, the severely burned patients were given blood transfusions to replenish dehydration and prevent shock. This comprehensive treatment approach has significantly reduced the mortality rate associated with extensive, deep burns in the past. Applying ointment promptly can heal the wound without leaving any scars.
"But isn't it hard for you to save the lives of some wounded soldiers like this, doctor?" Yang Mingyun asked him, thinking of his own combat experience.
He replied: "No, after the injured is plastic surgery, apply sulfonamide again and use a plaster model. In this way, the wound does not need to be constantly changed dressings. The treatment work is roughly transferred to observation, feeding, and allowing the wound to heal slowly. You You must remember that sailors live and dress cleanly at sea and are rarely exposed to air pollution. They will never lie in dust or on the ground like Army soldiers are treated. There is a possibility of infection among sailors during the treatment process. The sex is very small."
Now, the survivors of the "Tiger Hill" have greatly overloaded the several warships hosting them. For example, the accommodation cabin of a destroyer received more than 400 crew members of the "Tiger Hill", and the ship's wartime crew members alone were full there. Almost all the ships in the fleet are crewed by the crew of the "Huqiu", which hinders the combat effectiveness of the fleet. Vice Admiral Zhang Qifan was anxious to get as many warships as possible ready for battle, so he ordered a reorganization to gather the crews.
This work is carried out at sea, and the entire fleet continues to maintain cruising speed.?Although a little noticeable, it is neither difficult nor dangerous. The steps are as follows: Two warships receiving crew members from one ship and transferring crew members to one ship move closer, keeping about 50 meters apart from each other, and use rocket launchers to shoot a rope at the other ship. First tie the rope on the deck, and finally tie it to the superstructure so that the place where the rope hangs is out of the water. A mail bag is hung on the rope, and the rope can be pulled back and forth to transport it in.
Sailors carried two at a time in mail bags. A mail bag carries an average of eighty pounds an hour, or a little more than one pound per minute. Several warships carried out this work at the same time until it was completed according to General Zhang Qifan's deployment.
On the fourth day of the month, that is, June 12, Yang Mingyun arrived at Noumea, a French port in New Caledonia. Thousands of Chinese soldiers landed here just a couple of years ago. Yang Mingjun transferred to another batch of medium-sized ships here and sailed to the port of an island further west. In this way, Yang Mingyun left his new friends on the "Huqiu" aircraft carrier and its escort ships behind.
During this time, no one is allowed to go ashore. Arriving at the port of the second island, Yang Mingyun transferred to several transport ships ¡ª¡ª 6 ¡ª¡ª>. Yang Mingyun and his friends stopped here for four days before embarking on the final journey back to their hometown. During these four days, the officers and soldiers took turns to take vacations, and each officer could stay ashore for four hours to soak some soil in his boots.