Chapter 24: The Launch

Bopu Harbor, adorned with colorful flags.

On the temporarily erected viewing platform at the shipyard, the high-ranking officials of the transmigrator regime were all dressed in their finest. The committee members had changed into the more presentable clothes from their luggage. Although they still looked bizarre to the common folk, at least their attire was more colorful and the fabrics more refined than their usual clothes.

The issue of official attire for the transmigrators had been raised a few days ago on the internal BBS by some bored individuals. It was currently in the preliminary discussion stage. Based on Wen Desi’s experience, such discussions would not yield any results for two or three weeks.

“Hull 0” stood quietly in the dry dock. The scaffolding on all four sides had been removed, and the hull construction was complete, leaving only the deck fittings like the masts and sails to be installed. The dock’s steam engine was pumping water into the dock. As the ship’s chief designer, Wen Desi had mixed feelings about having successfully guided the construction of a real seagoing vessel: he was both proud and uneasy.

Fortunately, he had Zhang Jiqi, the shipwright. Wen Desi glanced at Zhang Jiqi, who was grinning from ear to ear. As the chief shipwright of the shipyard, he was sitting on the viewing platform next to the head of the Lin family, looking positively triumphant. The successful completion of Hull 0 meant his status in the eyes of the short-hairs had risen significantly, and he had also received a handsome bonus.

The transmigrator technical personnel, led by Wen Desi, had initially been quite unconfident about shipbuilding. Although they knew a lot, many of the practical engineering problems encountered during construction were actually solved by the shipwrights using traditional methods. The transmigrators’ contribution was mainly the overall concept and modern management methods, making it a grand integration of ancient and modern technology and ideas.

A few days before the launch, after the scaffolding was removed, the shipbuilders gave the hull a thorough cleaning, removing all the wood scraps and scattered tools and supplies to ensure there was nothing extra inside. Then, thick ropes were used to connect the dock walls and the hull to prevent the ship from swaying after being flooded.

To reduce the ship’s weight and make it easier to float with the rising tide, most of the fittings, including the masts, cannons, and all the ballast, had not been installed. These would be added after the launch.

As more and more water was pumped into the dock, many wood scraps and other debris began to float. The ship started to sway slightly from side to side, but since it was secured by ropes, the movement was not significant. The ship was now fully afloat. The transmigrators watching from around the dock burst into cheers—the transmigrator regime’s first self-built large ship had finally been launched. The native craftsmen, not knowing why the short-hairs were so happy, also started to laugh along.

“Release port-side rope number one!”

“Release starboard-side rope number two!”

…

“Release stern rope number ten!”

Following Li Di’s commands over the megaphone, nine of the ten ropes securing the ship were released one by one, leaving only the bow rope, number zero, which was tied to a bollard below the viewing platform, waiting to be cut for the final launch.

The dock gate was slowly opened, and the rising tide began to surge in. The ship rose further, reaching its designed draft.

With a deafening sound of drums and music, Meng De, the representative of the Department of Maritime Forces, came to the ceremonial platform with great excitement. He was wearing a borrowed, snow-white British Royal Navy summer uniform with a golden sash, and even a Victoria Cross (a high-quality replica) borrowed from a medal enthusiast.

With a trembling voice, Meng De began to read the ship’s naming certificate:

“Warship Zhenhai / Keel laid on February 1, 1629 / Now completed / Hereby named / April 9, 1629 / Chen Haiyang, People’s Commissar for Maritime Forces.”

The naming of this first self-built warship had sparked a small debate. Many people had hoped to name it after one of the four famous ships of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. However, the navy’s internal opinion was against it. The “Four Greats” had no victories to their name, only a shameful history of defeat, sinking, or surrender. If they were chosen simply for their “tragic grandeur,” the future transmigrator fleet would be too much of a tragicomedy.

Besides this debate, most people didn’t know that Li Huamei had specifically approached the Executive Committee, hoping to name the ship the “Women’s Cooperative.” In return, the cooperative would cover the food costs for the ship’s crew for three years. She had even further suggested that the naming of future ships could be done through a bidding process, allowing local merchants to bid for the naming rights for a year.

This proposal left the Executive Committee at a loss for words. Chen Haiyang joked:

“Wouldn’t the navy be in chaos then? Changing names every other year, who would be able to keep track?”

“No problem, as long as the hull number doesn’t change. Hull 111 will always be Hull 111. The government departments can use the hull number for registration. The name is just a cover, can be changed anytime.” Li Huamei’s idea was clearly not off-the-cuff; she had even thought through the details, a true veteran of the business world.

In the end, the Executive Committee chose Zhenhai, a very common and traditional name, mainly to correspond with “Fubo.” Although the two ships were one Chinese and one Western, and their structures were very different, their operational roles were similar: limited armament, with a dual role in transportation.

Next, a ceramic vase was thrown towards the bow of the ship. The person who threw the vase was Li Huamei. After her bid for the ship’s name was rejected, she had wheedled her way into getting the honor of smashing the bottle. Of course, she had made a contribution—the food for all the attendees at the ceremony was provided by “Half the Sky,” the most luxurious restaurant in East Gate Market, an asset under the Women’s Cooperative. The banners of the Women’s Cooperative and Half the Sky were almost unfurled on the viewing platform. Even Ms. Du Wen, who was usually a great admirer of all the Women’s Cooperative’s activities, couldn’t stand it—how could such a decadent capitalist commercial practice be used on such a solemn occasion?

As the vase shattered, Wen Desi gave the order to flood the dock. Under the command of the flooding director, Li Di, the workers immediately cut the last mooring rope. The Bopu coastal battery fired a salute, and then a motorboat, acting as a tug, carefully towed the ship out of the dry dock. The launching ceremony was complete.

The newly launched Zhenhai was still without ballast. It was carefully towed alongside a self-propelled flat-bottomed barge. This barge would serve as a floating pier for the ship’s outfitting. Its wide deck was piled with equipment and materials, and gin poles had been set up to lift heavy equipment like the masts and cannons.

Before the smoke from the ceremonial cannons had dispersed, the craftsmen had already swarmed onto the new ship to begin the outfitting work. The Executive Committee was pressing them hard; the exploration expedition urgently needed the ship. To save construction time, the original plan to sheathe the bottom of the hull with copper was also canceled. They had the copper sheets, but Wen Desi didn’t know how to attach them—this kind of craft, which required a lot of time to figure out, was abandoned.

“The outfitting can be completed within a week, and then it’s off to sea. Damn it, what’s this?” Wen Desi said, looking at the bustling scene, and picked a small, brittle piece of porcelain from his hat. “Too dangerous. Where is Li Huamei?”

“In the trading post. People from the Foreign Affairs Department, the Trading Company, and the General Security Directorate are talking to her,” Ran Yao reported.

“How are the sailors on her ship?”

“Ten in total. Besides taking turns to watch the ship, they spend their free time drinking, shopping, and whoring in East Gate Market. Nothing unusual.”

“Hmph, doesn’t she have any maids or anything? A single woman, floating on a ship with this group of men for months, hasn’t been—hasn’t been—”

“It seems this woman is very tough. She’s muscular and very agile. An ordinary sailor would probably be no match for her,” Ran Yao said, offering his speculation.

“Are those guys in the navy on some kind of love potion? I don’t think this girl is that great, but they’re all head over heels.”

“In my opinion, it’s because this woman fits their imagination. A female pirate, with the same name as Li Huamei from ‘Uncharted Waters.’ A bit of romanticism. Also, I think her appearance and behavior are very modern, which suits everyone’s taste.”

Wen Desi nodded. “You have a point. How was her tour of the Fengcheng yesterday?”

“She was clearly shocked, but—”

“But what?”

Ran Yao recalled the scene from yesterday when he accompanied Li Huamei on board. Considering that there would inevitably be many questions after she got on the ship, they had even made assumptions about the questions she might ask and unified the answers. The navy men who were closest to Li Huamei were called one by one to the office of the Political Security General Directorate for a separate talk and safety awareness education. They were told that even if they couldn’t remember the unified answers, saying “I don’t know” was always the right thing to do.

However, Li Huamei’s behavior after boarding the ship showed no signs of suspicion. She ran around the deck, touched the huge anchor chains, and asked what the constantly rotating thing at the top of the mast was. In the end, she even wanted to climb the mast to have a look, but after being persuaded by the accompanying personnel that it was dangerous, she didn’t insist. She was very interested in the two fully enclosed lifeboats tied to the ship and even went inside to take a look… Naturally, she also wanted to know why such a large iron ship could float on the water instead of sinking, and what propelled it.

Overall, Li Huamei’s behavior was consistent with that of an ordinary person from this era in such a situation: curious, shocked, envious, and happy. In Ran Yao’s eyes, Li Huamei’s performance was perfectly normal, so normal that he couldn’t find any fault.

“But she didn’t show any particular interest.”

“What do you mean?”

“Li Huamei was interested in the ship itself, not anything else. Many of the questions she asked were quite professional. She knows a lot about sailing.”

“Of course, she’s a captain. If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have been able to sail the ship here, right?”

“Is her purpose in coming to Bopu for trade?”

“Yes, the navy’s report specifically mentioned this. She is very interested in our products.”