Chapter 786 Nuclear Submarine (3)

Although the advanced submarines of later generations can "break the ice and float", these submarines are specially designed and have enhanced hull strength. For example, the Soviet nuclear submarines are designed with double hulls, using expensive titanium alloy to make the submarine shell, and the high hull command tower and the upper hull of the submarine are reinforced with whale-back material structures.

Even so, these nuclear submarines cannot break the ice and float anytime and anywhere, and must be carefully planned. There are two main options for nuclear submarines to break the ice: Option 1 and Option 2. Option 1 is to use big data analysis, combined with the country's own satellite and hydrological observation data in the Arctic, to choose to float in the ice melting area or ice lake where warm currents are frequent nearby. The ice layer in such places is usually very thin, or even a mixture of ice and water. If you are lucky, if you encounter these places, the nuclear submarine will float directly, which is almost the same as other sea areas, and there is no such thing as forced ice breaking.

If you are unlucky, you can only turn on the violent ice breaking mode. The first thing to do is to use sonar to detect the thickness of the ice layer, and choose an area with thinner ice and a flatter bottom to break the ice (there are cone-shaped ice at the bottom that can pierce the shell in minutes). If the thickness of the ice layer is less than one meter, the submarine will usually choose the impact mode, that is, it will start sprinting at a deeper depth under the ice layer, and use the kinetic energy of acceleration to directly break the ice layer.

If the thickness of the ice layer is more than one meter, then only the extrusion mode can be used. The submarine first slowly sticks the hull to the ice layer, and then discharges the ballast water little by little, gradually increasing the buoyancy. The force of the hull on the ice layer also slowly increases until the ice layer is squeezed and cracks appear, and then quickly drains the water to quickly increase the buoyancy, and finally uses the hull to launch the final blow to complete the icebreaking process.

However, they are now facing floating icebergs. The tragedy of the Titanic occurred less than 30 years ago. No ship dares to confront the iceberg head-on, even a nuclear submarine. Moreover, they have all received professional training and know what the core of their submarine power system is. It is simply Pandora's box. A little carelessness will cause a terrible disaster, so they can only retreat.

The news that the nuclear submarine successfully crossed the Arctic was reported back to the Berlin Palace.

"The submarine crossed the North Pole?" Little Elizabeth, who was having dinner, heard the news reported by Yannick's secretary and widened her eyes in astonishment. "How is it possible?!" She also knew that there was sea water under the Arctic glaciers, and theoretically the submarine could pass through, but the problem was the oxygen in the submarine. If the submarine could not surface for air in time, it might not last for two or three days and would be completely wiped out.

Yannick smiled easily. "Technology is developing rapidly, and nothing is impossible. Are you asking about the oxygen problem of the submarine? Then do you know what the power of the Nautilus in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is?"

Little Elizabeth nodded. "Electricity, powered by sodium/mercury batteries."

"Yes, our submarine uses the latest power system, which can provide almost endless electricity and decompose hydropower into oxygen, so there is no need for the submarine to surface for air."

Little Elizabeth nodded in sudden enlightenment. "Then, brother Yannick, have you occupied the North Pole?"

"It's not occupation, it's control at most." Antarctica is a continent and does not belong to any country. The North Pole is an ice cap and belongs to the high seas. But occupation and control seem to be similar. In the future, the North Pole will be the sphere of influence of the German Navy, and others who want to get close must obtain their consent.

The reason why Yannick attaches so much importance to the North Pole is that the North Pole is a "feng shui treasure land" for lurking submarines.

During the Cold War period of the original time and space, the Arctic was a military exercise for the Soviet Union and the United States.

The United States developed the world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, just when the Soviet Union had just sent a satellite into space. The United States lost a move in the sky, so it naturally had to find it back in the sea. So the United States sent the Nautilus nuclear submarine to successfully cross the North Pole in July 1958.

The Soviet Union, which was tit-for-tat with the United States, naturally would not let the Americans dominate this place, and quickly developed nuclear submarines to compete with them. At first, the nuclear submarines of the United States and the Soviet Union shuttled through the ice sea just to show their strength. However, in the subsequent competition, the Soviets discovered that the Arctic Ocean was a good place for their submarines to lurk.

With the emergence of strategic nuclear submarines, submarines have changed from playing a supporting role in naval battles to becoming a real "trump card". For nuclear submarines, the biggest natural enemy is the enemy's anti-submarine helicopters or aircraft. Once discovered by these enemies from the sky, there is no other countermeasure except to avoid.

At this time, the role of the Arctic ice cap comes out. Submarines have ice caps on the Arctic to cover their whereabouts. No matter how powerful the enemy's anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters are, they cannot penetrate the ice cap to attack submarines. Waiting under the iceberg, there is nothing to threaten itself except the enemy's tactical nuclear submarines, so the Soviet nuclear submarines can move freely here without being threatened by the air. As long as the strategic nuclear submarines hide well and show their heads when they need to launch strategic nuclear weapons, they will be safer with the Arctic icebergs covering their heads. At the same time, for ballistic missiles, the closest distance between the United States and the Soviet Union is the Arctic Ocean. Submarines launching strategic missiles here can reach each other's territory faster than crossing the Pacific Ocean, and can quickly strike each other's strategic targets, so both the United States and the Soviet Union have dense strategic weapons in this area.

In this way, the Arctic Ocean has completely become a duel field for nuclear submarines from the United States and the Soviet Union. Since then, the Arctic Ocean has been full of undercurrents, and the open and secret struggles during this period are naturally thrilling. It almost triggered a world war many times. The most famous of them was the collision between the K-19 submarine and the US Nautilus submarine. At that time, the two sides confronted each other with nuclear weapons and almost accidentally fired, and the world war was on the verge of breaking out.

Interestingly, Germany also secretly built two submarine bases in the Arctic during World War II, and even the Soviet Union did not find them.

It is said that on April 30, 1945, on the eve of the German army's surrender, 30 of Germany's most advanced submarines set sail from the port of the Baltic Sea. No one knew what was on these submarines, and no one knew where they went. There are only some unconfirmed rumors that these submarines are German officers and soldiers who still have hope for the war. They brought various weapons, technologies and supplies and chose to come to the Arctic base, with a total number of about 800 people. They are lurking here secretly, seemingly waiting for the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union to break down, and then looking for opportunities to rise.

Under the conditions at that time, life in the Arctic was very difficult, and they could only live a self-reliant life like hunters. Gradually, some people could not bear the suffering and chose to escape again and return to civilized countries. This also led to the final exposure of the German Arctic base. In 1948, the US military took action in the Arctic. The operation was called "Sturgeon". More than 2,000 US troops landed near the German base and completely destroyed the two bases.