On December 25, 1991, the huge Soviet Union formally disintegrated, thinking that the "steel torrent, gas swallowing Europe" back then, on this day it was "exhausted" . The disintegration of the Soviet Union changed the fate of many franchise countries, and also changed the fate of the "Varyag" aircraft carrier lying in the Z7z Black Sea Z8z shipyard. "Varyag" and Russia's " Kuznetsov " are sister ships and belong to the 1143 series of "aircraft cruisers". However, the Neva Design Bureau has made changes to the details of the "Varyag", such as adjusting the configuration of the shipboard system equipment, and optimizing the shipboard radar and ship island design. Unfortunately, these optimization solutions can only be used by . Stayed on the drawing . After several hopes of resuming construction of the Type 1143 "Aircraft Cruiser"
under construction were extinguished, on January 12, 1992, the director of the Black Sea Shipyard Makarov formally ordered the suspension of the "Varyag" , The construction progress of this huge ship that would have become the pride of the Soviet Union was also fixed at 68% by . Z5z Makarov, the former director of the Black Sea Shipyard, once wrote in his memoirs: When the two prime ministers asked me what the shipyard needed to complete the aircraft carrier, I replied: "The Soviet Union, the Party Central Committee, the State Planning Commission, the military industry Complex and 9 defense-related departments". Only a powerful country can complete it, and this powerful country no longer exists. Varyag (left) and Kuznetsov (right) Obviously, it is impossible to complete the subsequent construction of the "Varyag" aircraft carrier only by Ukraine , Ukraine didn’t even have the energy to "care" the aircraft carrier. Until the Ukrainian government announced the announcement of the aircraft carrier auction, the various instruments and equipment on the "Varyag" were often missing. September 24, 1997, this should be regarded as the day when the Ukrainian government "compromised" against this huge ship. On this day, the Ukrainian government issued a bid invitation to the world, and they have formally decided to shoot this aircraft carrier. Panoramic view of the Black Sea Shipyard, once the pride of the Soviet Union In fact, there have been buyers before this. It is reported that not long after Makarov announced the suspension of Varyag, China took the lead in showing its willingness to take over the carrier, but due to pressure from the United States, China and Ukraine did not reach an agreement on this matter. Z5z later had another purchase from Spain, but it was suppressed by the British because the British suspected that Spain would resell the aircraft carrier to Argentina. The British themselves wanted to buy this aircraft carrier. They wanted to turn it into a sea steel prison, but unfortunately, due to various reasons, this idea disappeared. On March 17, the following year when announced the auction of aircraft carriers in Ukraine, the Ukrainian side finally announced the auction results. The winning bidder was "Macao Chuanglu Tourism and Entertainment Company" , and the winning bid was US$20 million. Of course, from the current point of view, an aircraft carrier selling for 20 million is considered a conscience price, but you must know that what Macau Chuanglu Company bought was only an empty shell. If calculated at the metal price at the time, this The empty hull is worth less than $5 million. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Creative Law Group Co., Ltd.-Xu Zengping , because this company with a registered capital of only 125,000 US dollars, has spent such a huge sum of money to buy aircraft carriers, and the purchases are only used to build "water hotels and "Entertainment center", which has caused Western media to speculate that there may be "manipulators" behind it. Regardless of what the outside world may have, this aircraft carrier, which has been in a "near-death" state for many years, finally has its ownership. There is a precedent for the transfer of aircraft carrier to civilian facilities On the evening of June 13, 2000, the seriously ill former director of the Black Sea Shipyard, Makarov, stood at a distance of 15 from the Varyag shipyard. A kilometer away, watching the huge ship slowly being dragged out of the Black Sea Shipyard, this old man who has been with him for many years has also come to say goodbye to him. The next morning, "Varyag" zAfter 1z successfully passed the Nikolayev Sea Canal, it was towed by the ocean-going tugboat "Cape Sabul", and the "Varyag" officially "walked" towards its destination, China. The departure of the Z2z Varyag is a pity for Ukraine, but for the Varyag itself, it will usher in a "new life", and for the Chinese navy , it will also usher in a new one. starting point. The "Varyag" towed and sailed I don't know if there is pressure from "third-party countries" , or I just want to make things difficult, when "Varyag" When the ship came to near the Bosphorus Strait , Turkey, which had reached a preliminary consensus earlier, suddenly repented and strictly prohibited the shell carrier from passing through the Bosphorus . This is for the towing formation. It is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. The Bosphorus Strait is an important channel for maritime communication between the Black Sea coastal countries and the outside world. It is also an important transportation route connecting Asia and Europe. The strait is connected to the Dardanelles and Marmara Sea Together they constitute the huge Turkish Strait . If the Varyag aircraft carrier wants to come to China, the Bosphorus is undoubtedly the best navigation option. The Turkish Strait is also known as "the throat of the world" But at this time, Turkey chose to be a "blocker" and repeatedly emphasized that the Varyag should not pass through the strait. is definitely not a political issue, but a technical issue. Question . Turkey also pointed out a series of "technical risks" that the aircraft carrier may face through the strait, including: 1, the tugboat formation may lose control, causing the aircraft carrier to crash into residential areas or important facilities on both sides of the Bosphorus. 2. When a large ship such as an aircraft carrier passes through the Bosphorus, it may cause panic among the people on both sides of the strait, and who will have adverse effects. If 3 and Varyag break down during the towing process, the channel of the strait will be blocked. "Varyag" Turkey even gave the "solution" , the former Chinese ambassador to Turkey Yao Kuangyi recalled: Turkey said at the time that if you want to pass it, you can cut it into half, one Divided into two. Second, you can install the power system. The meaning of in Turkey is that we can disassemble Varyag first, and then transport it in sections, or add a power system that allows it to operate on its own. Obviously, these two methods are completely unrealistic. The "Varyag" in the Strait of For such "technical problems" and Turkey's "solutions", anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is not a problem or a solution at all. This is clearly making things difficult. However, the only thing that Chuanglu Company, including China, can do is "bearing"
was detained by on the Black Sea side of the Bosphorus, the Varyag was already all the possessions of the CEO of the Creative Company Xu Zengping , and he was not able to solve this problem from Turkey. Rogue nature block. The Chinese government also stated that: China is willing to send a high-horsepower tug to assist in the consignment of the Varyag, and at the same time, can pay for the safety insurance costs of the Varyag through the strait, and compensate for all possible losses.
"Varyag"
In May 2001, the State Council of China formally approved the expert group to go to Turkey, and studied and discussed the technical solution to the aircraft carrier through the strait. The domestic expert group also quickly came up with a complete plan. In the view of the expert group, when the strait wind is level 4 or below, and the visibility is 3 nautical miles or above in the external environment, the towing formation can pass through the strait smoothly.
forSuccessfully passed the inspection of the plan by the Turkish side, and the Chinese side has also formulated a complete set of operation manuals for the towing of the Varyag aircraft carrier through the entire Turkish Strait. And the planned call includes: 1 pilot boat, 1 cable boat, 1 tug tugboat , 1 brake tugboat, 4 auxiliary tugboats, 3 support tugboats, 2 guard boats, plus 2 firefighting boats The perfect towing formation composed of .
If such a plan is not released, the intention of detaining the aircraft carrier will also be nakedly exposed to the international community.
"Varyag" towing fleet
- wanted to charge sky-high "tolls"
Because China gave a perfect towing plan, on August 25, 2001, the Turkish side had to formally “approve” the plan. And announced the approval of the Varyag aircraft carrier towing formation through the strait resolution.
Do you think everything is going well?
Turkey also added 20 project conditions. These 20 conditions can be roughly divided into three parts:
One is weather and environmental conditions, which include if the towing formation encounters strong winds, sea fog, turbulent tides and visibility when passing through the strait. When waiting for circumstances, the formation must be suspended.
The second is the technical conditions, including that the aircraft carrier must be equipped with a wireless communication system, and a generator station must be installed on the aircraft carrier to ensure that the whole ship is brightly lit when passing through the strait. At the same time, a huge firefighting system is required on the shore. The team is prepared for emergencies, and all expenses are borne by the Chinese side. China must also install electronic equipment such as global positioning systems, small radar systems, and wireless compasses on the aircraft carrier.
The third is the issue of "insurance". Turkey requires the Chinese side to be directly presented by Bank of China and hand over a two-year irrevocable letter of guarantee with an insured amount of $1 billion , which will be directly delivered to the Turkish bank .
Bosphorus
It is worth noting that Turkey even has economic and trade requirements. The Turkish side requires China to open up tourism to Turkey, and try to achieve to have two million Chinese tourists every year. Go to Turkey for sightseeing . A series of conditions are not difficult to find that Turkey not only wants to blackmail a huge sum of 1 billion U.S. dollars, but also wants to "long the line and catch the big fish" to strive for long-term profit from China.
For these harsh conditions, China still chose the part to "endure" , Yao Kuangyi recalled: We can accept all the conditions contained in the first and second parts of
, but we can accept the "guarantee" of 1 billion US dollars. The only condition not accepted.
is not so much a "margin", but rather it is a sky-high "toll fee" that the Turkish side deliberately did not want to release and blackmailed. One billion is not a small sum even for China, which has made great economic progress at the time. It is important to know that China's GDP at that time was only 1.34 trillion US dollars.
- Greece came forward and finally "passed"
. Because China did not accept the "guarantee" clause proposed by Turkey, the passage of the Varyag aircraft carrier towed formation was once again blocked. But did we give or not give the $1 billion in "tolls"? The answer is that certainly did not give .
Seeing that the Varyag, the huge amount of money spent every day when the huge thing is stuck at sea, is a huge expenditure, and it is naturally not the way to keep it with Turkey.
Since then, through various channels, after the Chinese side negotiated with the neighboring country Greece, Greece finally agreed to come forward to protect the Chinese aircraft carrier smoothly "passing" , to provide China as a guarantee for in the same level of domain country , and The Greek side also agreed to be responsible for any compensation issues that may be involved, which will allow China to avoid a "guarantee" of up to 1 billion US dollars.
"Varyag"
left its birthplace nearly 17 months after the Varyag aircraft carrier , in order to avoid more Chinese and international pressure, finallyOn November 1st of the same year, the aircraft carrier towed formation was allowed to pass through the Bosphorus .
As for why Greece had to provide guarantees for China at the time, although there are various opinions on the Internet, some people say that it was because Greece had a conflict with Turkey itself at the time. At this time, it was to guarantee China in front of the international community. Get angry" Turkey. There are also voices that Greece was only willing to come forward after receiving high remuneration from China.
Of course, the series of voices against Greece are just speculation. And what we need to see today is that if it were not for the help of Greece back then, not to mention that Varyag would not be shipped to China in the end, at least the time it would arrive in China would be delayed. The
"Varyag" passed through the Bosphorus Strait
- , the storm blew up, and then the waves
finally agreed to the Turkish side on the third night after the aircraft carrier crossed the strait, towing formation in the international waters of Aegean Sea Encountered a sudden storm . According to the recall of relevant personnel after the incident, the wind on the sea reached level 11 at that time, and the huge waves set off even made the giant ship Varyag appear "unstable". Finally, under the raging storm, the cable connecting the tugboat and the Varyag finally could not be carried. For the in the 14 hours after the cable broke, the Varyag lost the towing of the tug, so it was always In a floating state. Fortunately, during this period, a Greek rescue helicopter withstood the impact of the storm and rescued the 7 stranded sailors from the aircraft carrier and successfully sent them to safety. The warship
in the storm
until the early morning of November 4, the condition of the Varyag aircraft carrier at that time was already in a very dangerous state, because it was less than 6 kilometers away from hitting the island. If rescue measures are not taken at this time, once Z1z makes Varyag hit the island, all the efforts made before the arrival of the Varyag to China will be in vain . Speaking further, this will also affect China's process of realizing its "aircraft carrier dream".
Fortunately, there was a Russian tugboat with 24,000 horsepower in the tugboat formation at that time. This large tugboat named "Nikola Zikor" stabilized the situation at the critical moment. Relying on its powerful horsepower and the cable connected to the Varyag at a critical moment, it firmly stabilized the Varyag not far from the island. But the storm has not passed, and there was a sad event in the following time. In order to better control the Varyag, the large tugboat “Nikola Zikor”
needed to transfer the towing line. A Greek sailor Iris Lima was in this process. Hit by a tow rope that was suddenly loosened, sacrificed on the spot. He was also the only person who gave his life for the Varyag's arrival in China, and he was also a foreigner, a foreigner that we Chinese should remember.
- arrived at the destination
The hull of the Varyag aircraft carrier itself had no power at all at that time, and the entire voyage must be completed with the cooperation of a tug. It was precisely because they had no motivation of their own, so at that time all countries rejected the request of the towed formation to temporarily stop at its own port for replenishment. In desperation, the daily supply of all the staff of the entire towing formation and the fuel supply of the tugboat must be completed by the supply ship.
Of course, these difficulties are not a big problem compared to the Chinese who have solved the "buy hand" and passed the "checkpoint" . As long as the aircraft carrier can successfully reach China, everything is worth it. of.
On February 12, 2002, the towing formation ushered in an important moment-finally arrived in the South China Sea, and China was about to welcome a "unfamiliar" and important "guest". On March 3, 2002, with the assistance of the tugboat, the hull of the Varyag finally arrived at the destination of its trip-Dalian, China. The
Varyag’s road to China can be described as bumpy. The road lasted nearly two years and the total mileage reached more than 15,000 nautical miles. During this period, it also consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, and even the lives of sailors.
- The true meaning of the aircraft carrier
September 25, 2012 , this is an extraordinary day for the Chinese navy and even China as a whole. The "Liaoning" transformed from the "Ge" was formally delivered to the Chinese Navy, and Colonel Zhang Zheng was appointed as my country's first aircraft carrier captain. This series of reports marked the realization of the Chinese "aircraft carrier dream". Z5z
's Liaoning ship's ship number, which completed the reconstruction and sea trial work, was designated as "16" . It changed the shabby and gloomy style when it came to China, but displayed it in front of the world with the brand new iconic paint of the Chinese Navy. Z5z
Liaoning ship entered service
November 25, 2012, another sunny day, on this day the Liaoning ship ushered in the first "partner" in its life. At 9 o'clock in the morning that day, a yellow F-15 with the paint number 552 still in the "test flight phase" landed steadily on the deck of the Liaoning ship, and then took off again. Until this day, this aircraft carrier, which was built as early as 1985, finally became an aircraft carrier in the true sense after 27 years. When talking about the feeling of landing on the ship, the special-class pilot
Deming League said: “It was a bit like hitting a cotton wall at the time, but in fact, when the tail hook of the plane was hooked on the steel cable, the cotton wall was more Softer, it should be like hitting a big balloon."
F-15 landed on the Liaoning ship
- for the first time, "dream" is not easy
The world only knows the brilliance of the Liaoning in service and the pleasure of "dreaming", but it is hard to know this. How difficult is the road to "realizing dreams".
It is mentioned above that the Varyag arrived at Dalian Port in March 2002. At that time, domestic military fans had been eagerly looking forward to seeing the Varyag aircraft carrier "resurrected" in the hands of the Chinese. . But the fact is that in the next three years, the Varyag was almost in place without any movement, not to mention the construction and reconstruction, and even the aircraft carrier did not take strict security measures. Ordinary people can still observe this closely. giant.
This is not difficult to understand. After all, when the startup law company bought this aircraft carrier, it was originally purchased in a civilian tone. If you really want to embark on the road of modification, then changing it to "water hotel and entertainment center" is actually "reasonable" .
"Varyag" stopped at Dalian Port, and the reconstruction of the "Varyag" has not yet started at this time. In fact, it was precisely during the three years from 2002 to 2005 that the country did not formally approve the continued construction of the "Varyag" , Our military personnel are more anxious than military fans. Compared with the previously bought "Melbourne", "Minsk" and "Kiev" , the "Varyag" is definitely the most suitable aircraft carrier platform for continued construction. The first three aircraft carriers of
either had too old hulls and were no longer eligible for continued service, or they were too backward in design and not suitable for the People’s Navy of the new era. Unlike the "Varyag", it has an almost complete hull structure, and its internal cabins are also well preserved. Even the core power plant installed by the Black Sea Shipyard is still in the ship. The
power system starts the
aircraft carrier platform in front of military personnel, how can they not seize the opportunity. In September 2003, the navy dispatched experts to cooperate with relevant experts from China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to conduct an inspection and inspection of the "Varyag". After that, the experts came to a gratifying conclusion that all aspects of the aircraft carrier's hull It is well preserved and the aircraft carrier steel is almost in a "new" state. If it is modified and rebuilt, it will be no problem even if it is used for another 50 years. Based on this survey, the expert team has verified that the reconstruction work of the Varyag aircraft carrier is "technically proven to be feasible" .
After a long period of time, the military and experts have been rushing to review and approve the reconstruction of the "Varyag" and also discussed the aircraft carrier reconstruction plan.
In October of the following year, the Central Military Commission and the State Council formally approved China’s plan and vision for the development of aircraft carriers. The development of aircraft carriers has become an important part of the construction of the new Chinese navy..
"Varyag" docked at Dalian Port
Until April 26, 2005, the "Varyag" ship that had been docked in Dalian Port for 3 years finally moved again. The "Varyag" was working on that day Under the operation of the personnel, they were "sent" into the 300,000-ton dry dock of the Dalian Shipyard by the tug, which marked the arrival of China's first aircraft carrier.
As the senior shipbuilder Sokolov sent by Black Sea Shipyard to Dalian Shipyard recalled:
"For Chinese experts, the biggest problem should be the construction and operation of the aviation technology complex system on the aircraft carrier. This includes key issues such as arresting cable devices, optical landing systems, flight command systems, elevators, etc. ”
China’s first aircraft carrier is far more difficult to rebuild than imagined. Fortunately, the power system does not need to be completely controlled at this time. For China to carry out re-development, it only needs to integrate the original 4 gear-driven steam turbine units plus 8 oil-fired boilers and turbo pumps , and then re-lay the cables. We can also find inspiration for the
avionics system from mature products that have already been assembled on other surface ships, and even part of it is directly applied. The "dual aircraft carrier" in the
shipyard
In addition, in addition to solving the software and hardware construction work of the aircraft carrier itself, it also needs to involve a whole new field, that is, the development of domestic carrier aircraft.
Now Chinese aircraft carrier includes "Liaoning ship" and "Shandong ship". The carrier-based fighters used are all J-15. J-15 is a twin-engine heavy-duty carrier-based fighter, which has been in service before the Liaoning ship. Completed the first flight. The
J-15 carrier-based aircraft was developed on a T-10K-3 prototype imported from Ukraine. The birth of the J-15 was also not easy. Fortunately, Chinese military personnel did not We did not disappoint the Chinese, and successfully completed the finalization of the Liaoning ship before it was put into service, and prevented our aircraft carrier from having the "ships but no planes" light deck situation of the British aircraft carrier.
J-15
Conclusion
"Thirty years of the army, 50 years of the air force, and 100 years of the navy" , the Chinese Navy only had its first aircraft carrier after more than 60 years of establishment, and the "Varyag" was bought by the Chinese It took nearly 15 years to get down to the official delivery to the People’s Navy. In the past 15 years, we have experienced being "intimidated" by the United States not to buy aircraft carriers, we have also experienced troubles and "tolls" being charged by Turkey, and finally we have overcome many difficulties and completed the reconstruction of "Varyag". . The 15 years of
seem to be long but short. The long is that it makes us understand the principle that "needs patience" to succeed . The short is that it has made China a leap forward and made the Chinese Navy have a fresh start. With the experience in the reconstruction of the Liaoning ship, my country's subsequent aircraft carrier construction work has also proceeded more smoothly. In the second year of service of the Z5z
Liaoning ship, at the end of 2013, my country’s first domestically-produced aircraft carrier officially started construction. It took more than three years to launch and the sea trial began in more than four years. By the end of its official service, my country’s first aircraft carrier "Shandong Ship", the entire construction period only took about 6 years.
Shandong ship
In the future, China’s aircraft carrier business will also usher in a period of vigorous development. The construction plan for domestic electromagnetic ejection aircraft carriers and even large nuclear-powered aircraft carriers should also be steadily advancing. "Don't steam the steamed buns, strive for the breath", we want to "steam the steamed buns" but also "strength". All the "endurance" and hardships of will eventually become the cornerstone of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
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