072 : Shipping Patriotism
D-day, March 1st.
The day of the showdown had dawned.
I, Samboki, Deputy Minister Yeom Won-cheol, and Professor Yoon Sang-soo gathered at the missionary from around dawn.
“Can’t we put it off any longer?”
“Yes, even if you leave now, it is a tight schedule to get to the US mainland within March. That’s under the assumption that this ship listens well.”
Those were the words of Professor Yoon Sang-soo, who would serve as the captain.
These were the words of an expert who knew the sea route best.
To be honest, I wanted to check the condition of the engine more, but I couldn’t put it off any longer.
“Sambok, have you filled everything up?”
“Yes, I went through all the export procedures and filled them up. I only loaded 3% more as an extra, but since it’s a container, there won’t be much loss when unloading.”
“Did you add 3% more?”
I was surprised.
40 million dollars for gold skin, 10 million dollars for kabla, and 20 million dollars for wood and plywood, but even after filling such a large amount, they produced 3% more.
It was said that our staff handled an unimaginable amount of work.
“I packed all the things you said you needed, and enough food and drinking water for a month. Also, the large refrigerator is fully stocked with beverages such as beer and cola, so come and go without feeling hungry.”
“Jjasik, after all, my friend!”
“Haha, do you have beer?”
Next to him, Deputy Minister Yeom Won-cheol smiled satisfactorily.
He, of course, was thinking of going to the port of Portland, USA.
Thank you and it was reassuring.
It is a voyage in which life and death cannot be guaranteed.
“Assistant Secretary, has the business license and everything been taken care of?”
“Yes, no problem. Daesae Shipping has been approved as a corporation, has received a business license for operating North American routes, and has contacted the US government that the South Korean national flag ship Daesei No. 1 will enter the port of Portland in the western United States on March 31.”
Deputy Minister Yeom took care of all matters related to the shipping business.
When a high-ranking official came forward, it was a matter of course.
“The trend number 1? This ship is Daehan-ho.”
“It is a formal procedure to reveal that you belong to Daesae Shipping in obtaining approval for entry into Portland. You can call us Daehan Lake.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Professor Yoon seemed to value the name Daehanho. In fact, the name of the first ship to break through the North American route is more suitable than Daehan No. 1.
“Captain, more than that, are the steering gear and navigation gear all right?”
“Yes, I tested it several times and there is no problem. Rather, it will be a question of how long the engine will last.”
“I did my best, so I have no choice but to bump into them.”
“That… I see.”
Assistant Secretary Yeom’s voice trembled slightly.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared either.
After all, the engine was replaced, the missing parts were cut and replaced, and consumables were prepared, but there was no time to fully verify the durability.
To be honest, further inspection and test driving did not make it 100% perfect.
If you can repair a diesel engine for such a large ship, you can localize the engine.
There was no choice but to pack spare parts as much as possible and set out on a voyage.
“let’s go. The morning was bright.”
We left the bridge and made our way to the deck.
***
“Waaa!!!”
pop! pop! Bara bara barabang!!
Early in the morning, people flocked to us and gave us a welcome party.
We gathered here because everyone has been working on D-day.
Pooh. Woo woo.
When I imitated hitting the bell with my hand, instead of the sound of the bell, a boat horn rang out.
“Thank you all for your hard work!”
“Waaa!”
When I said thanks, the citizens of Busan and the technicians at the Jeonpo-dong ironworks all looked at me.
“Finally, we are leaving today!”
“Have a safe trip!!”
“Make a lot of money.”
“Waaa!”
People from all sides cheered me on with voices full of anticipation.
Everyone wished me safe and good luck.
“Come on up. I will set sail.”
When I waved, the students from Maritime University boarded the boat first.
Everyone packed their bags and lined up on the deck.
“Are you prepared to sail? Since this is the first departure, safety cannot be guaranteed.”
The students were already allowed to board, but final confirmation was required.
“Daehanho is our alma mater, classroom, and home. We must board this ship unconditionally.”
“you’re right!!! We will be with Daehan Ho unconditionally.”
I, who was trying to get a promise, was all embarrassed.
Students in uniform lined up on the deck and bowed in a moderate manner toward the front. It was very cool.
Professor Yoon Sang-soo and the captain were so moved to see such students that he was unable to speak for a while.
“Sailors to their respective positions!”
“To the location!”
“Prepare to depart!”
“Ready to set sail!”
At Captain Yoon’s words, the students turned into sailors and went to their positions, and the first thing they raised was the national flag.
“Wow! hurray!!”
When the national flag was raised on top of the boat, the people cheered even louder and hurrahed.
Taegeukgi in the 21st century and Taegeukgi in the 1960s had a different feel.
“Engineers, this is your last chance to get off. You must know that it is a dangerous voyage.”
College students climbed one after another, so I confirmed the final boarding.
The college students who contributed greatly to the engine installation were now worthy of being called engineers.
“Wherever the boss goes, there is always a lot to learn. Is there anything in the world that is not dangerous?”
Engineers calmly settled on deck.
Not a single one of those who had been permitted to board was left out.
“Oops, it’s a bit late.”
Craftsmen climbed last.
Some of them were the most relaxed because there were also Daese Construction Division employees who went to Vietnam together with me.
“You know this is an adventure, right?”
“Do you know? I also went to the battlefield. You will make a lot of money wherever you go this time. maniac! How can I miss an opportunity like this?”
“We will do our best to follow our seniors.”
“It’s nice to have guts. Get on.”
“thank you.”
In addition to the existing staff, there were a number of newly selected skilled workers.
He had a strong physique and was confident even in his expression, befitting a high-end craftsman.
Of those I allowed on board, not a single one was missing, so there were exactly one hundred people on board.
If there were 100 people on board a 10,000-ton cargo ship, it was an excessive number by the standards of the 21st century, but in the 1960s, it would be a reasonable number to some extent.
Woo woo.
“Let’s set sail!”
“Departure!!!”
Woo woo woo woo.
With the sound of a boat horn, the engine started to turn.
The gigantic engine spewed out a gurgling breath, and the gigantic screw began to turn vigorously.
“Waaa!!!”
“Chansu, have a good trip! Take care of yourself!”
“okay! Put the factory back like crazy. Because I will pick up orders like a mountain!”
“Are you kidding me, bastard!! ha ha ha.”
I leaned out from the deck railing and waved to Sambok. Sambok waved his hand vigorously, not being able to beat him.
The ship slowly left the port.
“President Woo, do well and come!!”
“Oh, old man Hwang!!!”
While the citizens of Busan were cheering, Hwang’s old man suddenly appeared behind Sambok.
When did you come?
If I had known you were coming, I would have greeted you separately…
Old Man Hwang took out a flag from somewhere and raised it.
It was such a huge flag that Sambok had to hold it together.
「Haeunboguk(海運報國)」
It was like the words written by old man Hwang himself.
It seems that he wanted to greet them with a flag instead of a greeting.
It is a phrase that I have never thought of before in my life, but it flew into my heart and stuck in my heart.
In fact, even when crossing the Korea Strait, he was kicked out by a Japanese boat, so he has enough qualifications to write such a phrase.
“I will make money! To expect!!!”
I clenched my fists and shouted loudly as if my voice could reach Old Man Hwang.
“Waaa!!!”
All the citizens of Busan seemed to welcome it.
No, are there so many unemployed families? So many people poured out and waved their hands.
“20 degrees to port!”
“20 degrees to port!”
“Speed up.”
“Increase engine speed.”
“Current main engine 80 rpm, raised to 110 rpm!”
“Proceed like this.”
The tugboat that had been guiding the ship to Captain Yoon’s command broke away with a hook, and the ship Daehan raised its speed with a loud whistle.
My hands and feet fit perfectly. It was a great start.
March 1 was the perfect date to leave to explore the North American route.
****
March 23,
Thanks to the sailors and technicians who did their best in their positions, and the Daehan, which endured the rough North Pacific Ocean, the ship continued its voyage peacefully.
Now that we have passed the Bering Sea and crossed the international date line, we will reach Portland in one week.
Kurrung, Kurrung,
It was fine even at lunchtime, but as soon as the sun went down, the sound of the engine changed to something terrible.
I was able to notice the abnormality right away because I checked the engine room 24 hours a day and night shift without being vigilant even during the long voyage.
Engineers and sailors, including me, all gathered in the engine room. It was no exaggeration to say that almost everyone had gathered except for the captain and the navigator.
The 8,000-horsepower MAN engine was emitting black exhaust.
Even explosion sparks were coming out near the scud (the lower part of the engine connected to the crank) through the exhaust gas.
In a word, it meant that the part of the engine cylinder that was supposed to be sealed was leaking.
“What happened? Director Kwon Tae-chun.”
Among the university students, the most skilled person was appointed as the head of the institution. He, who had been able to fix most of the breakdowns well, put on a puzzled expression this time.
“It looks like the piston ring teeth are out.”
To say that a tooth has come out means that part of it has been broken.
“A broken piston ring?”
“Yes, even though we took the engine apart and cleaned it as clean as possible, there must have been some sand left.”
“this…”
It was something I was concerned about.
It’s a huge diesel engine, so no matter how thoroughly you clean it, if there is sand left somewhere, it will get in when you intake it.
Sand gnaws the wall of the engine, but if it gets stuck between the piston ring and the engine wall, the piston ring can be destroyed as the engineer said.
This is why it is dangerous to use a watered-down engine, but we had no alternative.
“Do you have any spare parts? Let’s stop the engine for a while and just replace the piston rings.”
“Sorry, but I ran out of spare parts. There have been several similar failures in the past.”
“… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
Somehow, I thought the engine sound was unusual today.
I’ve been replacing the piston rings for a while now.
It seems that I was struggling in the engine room while I was struggling with the strategy with Wall Street after repaying foreign debt in the cabin.
“If you leave it like this, the engine will overheat. Boss Wu, how come there is no way?”
“Let’s lower the output a bit. If you get into Portland by March 31st, how much room do you have?”
“Two knots… no, maybe 1.5 knots lower than now.”
The assistant navigator answered.
“Then let’s lower it from 110 rpm to 80 rpm now.”
First of all, it was necessary to avoid completely destroying the piston ring. With only a few broken teeth, I somehow had to make it all the way to Portland.
We’re 2/3 of the way through now.
Only the remaining 1/3 goes.
A cracked head is always difficult.
“Chief Wu, even if you lower the output, the explosive gas will still be there. If this continues, the scud side may overheat and the engine may burst.”
Another engineer said urgently.
That was an accurate analysis.
“I need to cool it down…”
“Can’t we just pour water on it?”
Assistant Minister Yeom asked if he was frustrated.
“Incorrect spraying of coolant and water entering the cylinders can cause an irregular explosion. This may break not only the piston, but also the cylinder and connecting rod…”
“No, wait, wait.”
Deputy Minister Yeom’s words were not entirely wrong.
Wouldn’t it be better to use oil instead of water?
“Let’s apply cylinder oil from the outside. There should be enough cylinder oil. Yes?”
If Sambok had filled things up, he would have filled everything because he was a jerk.
“Yes, that’s enough. I never thought I would write it like this.”
It was like that. Cylinder oil is something you can easily find in Ulsan.
“If you say it’s right from the outside, how do you mean it’s right?”
“We can do it. You can make a long cotton ball and apply oil on it.”
Craftsmen came out at once.
“No, it’s too hot. Exhaust gas coming out of the scud is well over hundreds of degrees.”
“a! Is it okay for men to be hot? You can wet the mat with plenty of water and wear it inside out. Coheh!!”
The trustworthy artisans beat their chests, and finally brought a piece of cloth wrapped around an iron bar.
along with the cylinder oil bottle.
“Look after you, ladies.”
Craftsmen ate at the engineers and sailors and came out hot.
I boldly ran into the scud and began to apply cylinder oil.
The cylinder oil caught fire because of how hot it was, but the sound of the engine improved with a bang, probably because the cylinder oil blocked the gap where the exhaust gas was ejected.
“oh! It cools down. It really works.”
Even when cylinder oil was applied on the outer wall, the scud area, which had been reddened, returned to its own color.
“Aww, @##$$%^^ That’s fucking hot.”
The first craftsman jumped out like a cat.
He rolled on the floor, and steam rose from the mat he was wearing.
The fluff was black and burnt.
Normally, everyone would have laughed at that scene, but now no one laughed.
“okay! Kabla. Bring the kabla.”
My head flashed when I saw the yellow-colored mat.
“Yes? A kabla?”
“That is the fabric that will also be used in American firefighting uniforms. It’s a fabric that can withstand 500 degrees. I put it on top of the matting.”
It was an outrageous idea, even when I thought about it.
Someone ran like crazy and brought a box of Kavla. Since it was a rolled fabric, I wrapped it like a mummy on top of a mat.
“Wear this and go! Gogo!”
“Yes, boss.”
The technician who was waiting impatiently jumped into the scud of the engine with a hook.
“Hahahaha, it’s not hot. It’s not hot.”
“hurray!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
“It would be fine if each team took turns applying oil for an hour. I will do it first.”
“Me too. The one who hits first is better.”
Everyone wrapped a cloth around an iron bar and went out.
The engine quickly emitted a steady sound as the crowd of people wrapped in kavlars rushed at it during the mating season.
He wasn’t afraid of hot flames and hard work.
It was the strongest team that deserved to cross the Pacific Ocean.
Beep profit! Beep profit!
Suddenly a siren sounded.
“uh? What’s the back book?”
“Why are sirens ringing now? I fixed the engine.”
