NOVEL NEXT Chapter 312 Buying a Warship
"Hello, are you from the Thunder Fire Armored Kingdom? I am Darcy, the head of the department at General Dynamics Shipyard." A red-haired, wavy-haired beauty came over to introduce herself.
Allen Zhang casually pushed the scapegoat Sieg forward. Sieg also introduced himself and chatted with the other party.
"I am the person in charge of the Thunder Fire Armored Kingdom, Sieg Campri. Our people should have contacted you in advance. We would like to visit the Coastal Combat Ships and Spruance-class Destroyers you have for sale."
"Mr. Campri, hello. Currently, there are several arms companies and representatives from other Armed Nations scheduled to visit our shipyard. A Coastal Combat Ship has been sold already, but you can wait a bit. If you are interested, I can take you on a tour of our dockyard facilities," the person in charge said.
"Of course."
Sieg turned his head to consult with the General Sect Leader, and following his nod of approval, followed the shipyard head to the docks and into the factory.
As a shipyard dedicated to building warships and submarines, the area it covers is, of course, very large, practically lining the entire San Juan coastline with shipbuilding tools and constructed harbor areas.
The female head, Darcy, first took several people to visit the construction workshop, where a general-purpose civilian yacht, a small military ship was docked, and about a dozen workers were engaged in modifications, with machinery lifting two General Electric engines.
As they walked, she introduced the history and background of the General Dynamics Shipyard, then they visited the second-floor museum, where black and white portraits, the first warship's photo, and the first nuclear-powered submarine's photo were hung on the walls.
The attendees were somewhat familiar with General Electric. Under her introduction, the General Sect Leader deepened his impression.
General Dynamics Electric Boat, the company's main facilities are located in the dockyards in Groton, Connecticut, and the components and equipment factory in North Kingston, Rhode Island, including its subsidiaries located in San Francisco, California, and another dockyard close to the California coastline, each responsible for different shipbuilding projects and functions.
The primary business of General Dynamics Shipyard is also building nuclear submarines, with other naval ships being a secondary concern.
In January 1954, Electric Boat Company successfully built the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the US Navy's "Nautilus" (SSN-571).
In 1979, Electric Boat Company launched the new generation of strategic missile nuclear submarines, the "Ohio" (SSBN/GN726). The motto of the submarine is "Always First," and Electric Boat Company built 18 submarines of this class.
During World War I, General Electric Boat Company had produced 85 submarines and 722 military vessels for the US Army. After the war, until 1934, the US Navy did not place any more submarine orders, nearly bankrupting Electric Boat Company, which had to survive by producing private yachts and small cruise ships due to the economic downturn.
Surviving through great loyalty, but in the same time facing a lot of competitors during World War II, Electric Boat Company worked hard and produced 74 submarines, but the US Navy selectively purchased only the superior-performance submarines, and the others were either forced to be exported after the war or dismantled into parts and stored in warehouses gathering dust.
It wasn't until later that Electric Boat Company's loyalty and superiority were recognized by higher-ups, leading to further advancement and surge in purchases by the Navy.
Currently, 50% of the submarines hunted by the Navy come from General Dynamics Shipyard, making it one of the most influential nuclear submarine manufacturers in the world.
After touring the shipyard, the person in charge took the group to the observation tower, where they had a coffee in the rest area and admired the coastal scenery and the fleet in the harbor.
After a while, the female head, Darcy, received a message from other staff members and immediately stood up smiling, saying: "Mr. Jin, Mr. Campri, an arms company has decided to sign a contract. There is now a spot available on the ship for a visit, and we can board the warship for a closer inspection."
"Ok, then please lead the way for us," Allen Zhang nodded, promptly finishing his coffee, and followed her to the harbor area. They climbed aboard the Coastal Combat Ship with the guidance of other staff members.
"The Independence-class Coastal Combat Ship, jointly developed and built by General Electric Company and other companies, is a modernized warship with an overall high-performance tri-hull design made from aluminum alloy composites, with a length of 127.6 meters and a displacement of 2784 tons. Unlike traditional escort ships, which, under adverse sea conditions can travel about 1852 kilometers in 60 hours, the Independence-class benefits from a semi-submerged deep V-design, achieving 2590 kilometers in just 30 hours! This significantly improves the endurance issues of high-performance vessels."
"Additionally, due to the Independence-class's propulsion system consisting of four diesel-jet propulsion units, this has further enhanced its propulsion efficiency, achieving a top speed of over 50 knots!" Darcy enthusiastically marketed to the group while aboard the Coastal Combat Ship.
From the coast looking down, there wasn't much of an impression, it seemed just like a small, cheap combat ship, also known as a 'failed industry garbage' of the US Navy, easily subjected to prejudiced scrutiny, considered as trash.