Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 244



Only Krnovel

Episode 244 – Borei-class

Hyein seemed reluctant to spend more time on the aircraft carrier.

“The Bastion is unlike any warship you’ve ever seen.”

“?”

“A beauty salon, spa shop, lounge, and theater were also built for female soldiers and military personnel… Sergeant Yumin will also move with Hyein.”

“From the spa to the theater?”

“It’s nearly three times the size of a Gerald Ford-class aircraft carrier. It’s more than enough to accommodate a theater. You’ll be amazed when you see it in person.”

“It doesn’t make sense when you say it like that.”

“It is over 600 meters long, and its height is equivalent to that of a 29-story apartment building. It is the same length as one bus stop.”

When I told her about the length of the Bastion, Hyein exclaimed in surprise and continued speaking.

“Oh my! So that means it’s a 29-story apartment building with an area of ​​600m2?”

“That’s what it is. Ah! Just stay still….”

“…”

“Do you know roughly where Sangam World Cup Stadium is in Seoul?”

“huh”

“It’s twice the size of the entire Sangam World Cup Stadium.”

Hyein seemed to imagine for a moment, then looked at me with wide eyes and answered as if shouting.

“Yeah, that’s floating on the sea?”

“It took 4 years just to make it with all kinds of effort ~ haha.”

“I followed my brother around and rode on a submarine and an aircraft carrier, but this is really···”

“So. I’m sure it was made well enough that Hyein wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Hehehe~”

Hyein smiled and bowed her head slightly.

“Oh, and Hye-in should be the godmother at the inauguration ceremony.”

“Yeah~ My heart is pounding a little. Hehe.”

While I was talking to Hyein, the plane arrived in Kiribati. When the first plane landed at OSS-LAND airfield.

A procession of vehicles came to pick him up and approached the aircraft, and the silhouette of Director Kim Wan-jun could be seen getting out of the vehicle.

As I came down from the No. 1 trap, I could see Director Kim Wan-jun and Director Lee Shin-young waving their hands.

– CEO!

– I’m the representative~

“Sister~”

Hyein has been calling Director Lee Shin-young “sister” for a long time.

Director Lee Shin-young ran over to me, made eye contact with me, then grabbed Hye-in’s hands and jumped up and down to show his joy.

Director Kim Wan-jun walked over to me slowly with a big smile on his face and firmly grabbed the hand I held out to him.

“Thank you for your hard work, sir.”

“Thank you for your hard work. It’s really nice to see your face, Director.”

“I’m also very happy that you’re here, sir. I have a lot to talk about and a lot to show you.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it too.”

So I went back to my accommodation and unpacked. When I returned to Kiribati, my impatience disappeared and I felt a sense of warmth.

next day.

We set off with our group to see the aircraft carrier Bastion. The shipyard was at the end of the main island.

As the vehicle approached the shipyard, parts of the aircraft carrier began to come into view.

Finally.

Those who saw the aircraft carrier Ethereal Bastion before its launch looked as if they were in a state of shock.

Everyone had something to say.

– Wow~

– Eww~

– Yaaaaah~

– Will this float on water?

– My neck hurts from looking up~

– It’s so big that I can’t see it all at once.

– Sir, how many people are riding here?

“If you add in the crew and airmen, and the Marines and all the other people on board, the maximum capacity will be just under 30,000.”

– Hey ~

As the people who encountered the Bastion expressed their surprise, my excitement at seeing my imagination become reality also grew.

– Wow, there’s a whole naval base floating around.

“That’s why I put a lot of effort into residential facilities like theaters, restaurants, and gyms. Haha.”

– That’s right. I think anything this size can fit.

– This isn’t a naval base, it’s just a small city floating in the sea.

– But, I don’t see any planes on the deck.

“Haha. It will take at least 6 months to a year from launch to commissioning for missions. As for the carrier-based aircraft, we plan to go to Korea after launch and receive the KF-21N first.”

– Is this the world’s largest?

“Yes, of course. In terms of displacement, it is nearly three times that of the Gerald Ford-class aircraft carrier, and in terms of length, it is about 150 meters longer than the longest ship, the Prelude. In every sense, it is the world’s largest ship.”

*Prelude FLNG: The world’s largest liquefied natural gas carrier. Length 488m.

– Wow, it’s surprising that there is a ship of similar size to this one.

“Tankers and other transport ships are usually large. However, those ships are large in size, but empty inside. This Bastion is different.”

As we returned to our quarters, leaving the Bastion behind in the dock, anticipating the launching ceremony to be held in three days, Admiral Son Il had arrived.

“Admiral! It’s been a while.”

“Your Majesty, you have suffered greatly in the Black Sea.”

“It is thanks to the Admiral that he has firmly protected the South China Sea.”

“I am just managing the path that the enemy has paved.”

“I was going to contact you anyway, and you arrived just in time.”

“Are you talking about the commissioning of the Bastion?”

“Yes. I know it will take time, but I am impatient. How long do you think it will take?”

“I don’t think there will be any major issues with the ship’s technical issues since CEO Han Gyu-dong is doing a good job. However, it will likely take at least a year for the Bastion to reach its full capacity.”

“Oh, I see.”

“However, I don’t think it would be difficult to perform the normal aircraft carrier missions in six months.”

“Does that mean I can be commissioned in half a year?”

“Yes. It seems reasonable to continue to fill in the gaps while carrying out the mission. It also seems wasteful to just tie up this huge ship.”

“That’s great. Then what is the scope of the general carrier mission you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes. I was talking about the mission of dispatching aircraft and controlling the sea area.”

“Ah, then once the escort group is formed, it won’t be difficult to move, right?”

“Yes. Your Majesty, the aircraft carrier will have a longer service life because you have added amphibious assault ship and Aegis ship functions to it.”

“I had a lot of demands for this and that.”

“So, it ended up taking on the role of a military support ship.”

“In the end, I put everything in. Hahaha. Even I can’t believe that I’m actually launching the Bastion.”

“Once the Bastion is commissioned, we will have a naval force comparable to the US Navy. Of course, it is smaller in number, but considering the capabilities of Marine Spectres and unmanned fighter jets, it is comparable to the world’s second-largest.”

“It really feels like a dream to me too.”

“Now that my dream has become reality, I must protect it.”

“yes ··· ?”

Admiral Son Il paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued speaking.

“Your Majesty! So, I have a suggestion to make.”

“Yes, go ahead, Admiral.”

“It is no exaggeration to say that our current OSS nuclear deterrence relies more on the Far Eastern Republic and North Korea than on the NDCA.”

* NDCA (Nuclear Defense and Cooperation Agreement): Nuclear Defense Treaty. An agreement between PATA, ESSO, and the United States to jointly respond to a nuclear crisis.

“Yes.”

“In other words, OSS has no direct means of nuclear launch.”

“hmm ···.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true.”

He was looking at me with cautious eyes.

“This is my personal opinion, but······.”

“Please speak comfortably. It’s just between us.”

“Let me get straight to the point.”

“yes yes.”

“I would like to have two SSBN nuclear submarines of the Far Eastern Republic assigned to our fleet and under our direct control.”

“Well… I understand what you mean. But, even though the Far Eastern Republic became independent with our help.”

“…”

“Strategic weapons… Bringing in a nuclear submarine would be a difficult task.”

“Yes, I know. But just maintaining nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons costs a tremendous amount of money.”

“…”

“In other words, the Far Eastern Republic cannot maintain its nuclear submarines without our support.”

“hmm ···.”

“And so far, it was our OSS that fought directly against China and Russia. In their shadow, North and South Korea, as well as the Far Eastern Republic, were able to enjoy peace.”

“Well….”

“Your Majesty!”

“Yes. I am listening. Please speak freely.”

“My honest opinion is that if we offer the Far Eastern Republic control of our SSBN nuclear submarines and they reject it, it will be a reason to be suspicious of them.”

“Even though ···.”

“And don’t the Far Eastern Republics have nuclear missiles that the old Russians had, even if they don’t have nuclear submarines?”

“That’s true.”

“What worries me is that if we don’t have a direct nuclear countermeasure, China or Russia might miscalculate.”

“Ah… I know what you’re saying is true, but I’m deeply troubled.”

“If China or Russia first launch a nuclear weapon at us and neutralize it, wouldn’t they be able to threaten North Korea or the Far East Republic in some other way? And looking at the way the United States is going these days, I don’t trust them.”

“…”

“I first discussed this issue with Chief Lee of the Information Department. Chief Lee said that if we can get the Marshal’s decision, we can resolve it smoothly.”

“But the manager didn’t say anything to me?”

“The chief knows the enemy’s personality well, and since it is a military matter, he said it would be better for me to make a suggestion rather than stepping in himself.”

“You two already have the answer and have brought it up.”

“I’m sorry. This is a very serious matter, so I couldn’t help but check the possibility.”

“But for it to be effective, it would have to be a public takeover…”

“The intelligence service says they can make such a scenario look quite cool.”

“?”

“It is said that the OSS will take on the burden of operating the Far Eastern Republic’s nuclear submarines, creating the appearance of strengthening mutual economic cooperation.”

“It was all planned out already…”

…

The Far Eastern Republic had two Borei-class II SSBNs, which were part of the former Russian Far Eastern Military District. One of the Borei-class IIs was equipped with 20 RSM-56 Bulava missiles.

The RSM-56 Bulava was a missile carrying about ten nuclear warheads with MIRV submunitions, each warhead having the destructive power of 150 kilotons of TNT, ten times that of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb Little Boy.

A single Bulava missile had the destructive power of 100 times that of the Hiroshima bomb.

…