Chapter 644 Truk (Second update, please subscribe)
The Caroline Islands!
In 1948, it was handed over to Nanyang as a trusteeship according to the United Nations resolution.
What is the biggest gain for Nanyang in acquiring this island and reef in the Pacific?
Not only did it add tens of millions of square kilometers of fishing grounds, but more importantly, it gained a naval base in the middle of the Pacific—Truk!
During the Pacific War, the place name Truk was as synonymous with "hell" to U.S. Navy aircraft carrier pilots as Germany's Schweinfurt and Regensburg were to Allied bomber pilots fighting in Europe. This is the most important overseas base of the Japanese Navy.
Truk Island is the largest island in the Truk Islands. It is triangular in shape, with each side more than 60 kilometers long. In the middle is a lagoon with a diameter of 30 to 40 nautical miles. It can be said to be a natural ship. Port of call. Truk is not only located at the core of the Caroline Islands, but also at the heart of Japan's "inner defense circle" in the South Pacific, strangling the US military's attack from the Central Pacific, allowing it to advance and attack, and retreat and defend.
The Japanese army built a large airport on the island with hundreds of Japanese aircraft. Its strategic position was extraordinary and it was known as the "unsinkable aircraft carrier" and the "Gibraltar of the Pacific."
Although this place seems to be very important, in the era of atomic bombs, this island had almost no value for guarding. Because of this, the U.S. Navy did not give up Truk at all. Just no comments.
After all, the U.S. Navy now has too many military bases around the world. What’s the big deal about a small Truk Island?
But for Nanyang, Truk Island allowed the navy to finally put its feet into the Pacific Ocean and have a foothold in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
After taking over the Truk Islands, the Navy renovated airports, ports and other facilities, but most of the time they were only used as anchorages. After all, it was far away from the mainland and lacked necessary ship maintenance facilities. . And this is also the fundamental reason why the US military abandoned this place - it is only suitable as an anchorage, not as a base.
After all, a well-equipped naval base requires a variety of hardware facilities, including shipyards, which Truk does not have. But for the Nanyang Navy, it is enough to have ports and airports.
However, limited by the size of the navy, there is only one naval detachment and one brigade of naval aviation stationed here all year round. Two British Flower-class frigates from the United Kingdom are the navy's standing maritime force in the Pacific.
In the early morning of this morning, the first ray of rays of light appeared on the distant horizon, and the eastern horizon also turned red. The sea breeze was no longer cold. The slowly blowing breeze dispersed the remaining clouds in the sky. The sky looked blue and high. Between the water and the sky, a destroyer was heading towards Truk at full speed. Soon a towering mountain appeared in the sight of the officers and soldiers.
"We're here."
Putting down the telescope, Cheng Pengjie said softly.
"Slow down and enter the lagoon."
After completing the previous ocean training, the destroyer "Lancer" sailed into the Truk anchorage as usual, and the officers and soldiers will Rest and recuperation were carried out here. When the warship sailed into the lagoon, the sailors on Plum Island sounded the whistle to welcome the arrival of their comrades.
On the calm lake of Truk Lagoon, there are two Navy Type 21 submarines parked. Their gray hulls float quietly on the sea. These German submarines are from the Taiping Shipyard. Built with German segmented parts, the sixteen Type 21 submarines have always been the main force of the navy. However, there are still a large number of submarine segments stored in the warehouse of Taiping Shipyard. The reason why they are placed in the warehouse is, to put it bluntly, because …The Navy doesn’t need that many submarines.
"It's boat No. 06 and boat No. 11 of the 12th detachment. Why are they here?"
In confusion, someone over there reported.
"Sir, a telegram from the headquarters."
After receiving the telegram, Cheng Pengjie's expression changed slightly,
The content of the telegram was very simple - requesting the "Lancer" Stationed at Truk base on site.
Although the order seemed sudden, it was not a big deal to the naval officers and soldiers. Moreover, not only were there thousands of officers and soldiers stationed on Truk Island, but there were also thousands of immigrants living there. It is prosperous, but as an island in the Pacific, it can be considered to have a large population.
At the same time as the "Lancer" destroyer entered Truk, another Navy transport plane landed on the island, and dozens of naval engineers came randomly. In the following days, more and more people More personnel are stationed in Truk. ...
"Kaping Amarangi Atoll..."
In the naval base in Dongning, base commander Zhao Yangwu pointed at the map and said,< br>
"This is our preliminary selected test site. The entire atoll consists of 33 islands, with a land area of 1.12 square kilometers, a lagoon area of 61.51 square kilometers, an altitude of 35 meters at the highest point, and a population of 107 people. They mainly live on the main island of Viru. Ah Island. If the engineers identify this place, we will move the residents on the island to other islands."
Listening to Zhao Yangwu's introduction, Li Yi'an looked at the Kaping Amarangi Atoll. location, thought for a moment, and asked.
“Are there people living on the atolls near this atoll?”
Although the residents on those atolls are not from the Tang Dynasty, people still have the desire to hide from others. .
He came to Dongning this time just to learn about the location of the test site. Although reports can also be seen in Chang'an, some things are better experienced by oneself. After all, Nanyang is not big, and there is no room for it. Any mistakes.
"There will always be some residents, but this is already the best option. There are more residents on other atolls, which is not suitable for experiments."
Zhao Yangwu then added.
“If necessary, we can move the people on the island to live on a nearby large island.”
“Since we are moving out, there is no need to move to nearby islands. Even if we move, there are still many islands in Nanyang. Besides, Dongning is so big, how can it accommodate hundreds or thousands of immigrants?”
The reason why Li Yian made this suggestion was because he knew the trusteeship area very well. What is the final result - independence? This is the final result of the United Nations mandate. Although this process takes almost thirty or forty years, many things must be prepared in advance. After all, no one wants to spit out the meat that comes into their mouth.
Immigration to the Caroline Islands Trust Area is an important means to change the local population structure. Relocating the residents on the atolls is also an option. This way, even if these trust areas need to be given up in the future, the security of these places can be guaranteed. The majority of the population is composed of Tang people. Therefore, after their independence, they will naturally maintain a very special relationship with Nanyang.
Looking at the aerial photos of Kaping Amarangi Atoll, Li Yian couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity..."
What he regrets is not the atoll, but that this place is too small. If a nuclear test is conducted, the collection of test data will be huge. restrictions, in fact, even the United States mainly conducts land tests, but... Nanyang is too small, and land tests are inconvenient!
In fact, in comparison, the big island of Palau is a very suitable place, covering hundreds of square kilometers...but there are a little more people on the island, and it has now become a fishing base. .
It's such a pity...
(End of this chapter)