America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 312 Purchase of Warships

"Hello, are you from the Thunderfire Armed Nation? I'm Darcy, a department head at General Dynamics Shipyard," the red-haired, wavy-haired beauty introduced herself as she approached.

Zhang Ailun casually pushed the scapegoat, Sig, forward. Sig then gave a brief introduction and chatted with the other party for a few minutes.

"I am Sig Comprey, the head of the Thunderfire Armed Nation. Our people should have already contacted you beforehand. We would like to inspect the littoral combat ships and Spruance-class destroyers you are selling."

"Hello Mr. Comprey, we currently have several clients from arms companies and armed nations who have booked visits to our shipyard. One littoral combat ship has already been sold, so please be patient while we wait. If you are interested, I will guide you through the interior of our dry dock," the manager said.

"sure."

Sieg turned to seek the opinion of the Grand Master, and after seeing him nod in agreement, he followed the shipyard manager to the dock and entered the factory.

As a shipyard specializing in the construction of warships and submarines, it naturally occupies a large area, with shipbuilding tools scattered throughout almost the entire coastline of San Juan, creating a harbor area for mooring ships.

The female manager, Darcy, first led a few people to visit the construction workshop. Inside the dock, there was a civilian general-purpose yacht and a small military ship. There were also more than a dozen workers carrying out construction and modification work, and the machinery was lifting two General Electric engines.

As they walked, the other party introduced the history and background of General Dynamics shipyard to the group. They also visited the second-floor collection hall, where black and white portraits, photos of the first warship, and photos of the first nuclear-powered submarine were displayed on the walls.

The people present had some knowledge of General Electric. The leader also gained a deeper understanding of it after the other party's introduction.

General Dynamics Electric Boat's main facilities are a dry dock in Groton, Connecticut, and a components and equipment plant in North Kingston, Rhode Island. Including its subsidiaries in San Francisco, California, and dry docks near the California coast, each division handles different business and shipbuilding projects.

General Dynamics' main business is building nuclear submarines; other naval vessels are just a side business.

In January 1954, Electric Boat successfully built the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the US Navy's USS Nautilus (SSN-571).

In 1979, Electric Boat launched a new generation of strategic missile nuclear submarines, the USS Ohio (SSBN/GN726). The submarine's motto was "Always First," and Electric Boat built a total of 18 of these nuclear submarines.

During World War I, General Electric Boat produced 85 submarines and 722 warships of various types for the U.S. Navy. After the war, until 1934, the U.S. Navy did not order a single submarine from them, and Electric Boat nearly went bankrupt as a result. Its economy declined, and it had to rely on producing private yachts and small cruise ships to make ends meet.

It belongs to the category of being loyal and devoted, but also to being discarded like a bow after the birds are all gone, or a dog after the rabbit is dead.

They barely made it to World War II, but at the same time, many competitors emerged. Electric Boat worked hard and produced a total of 74 submarines during this period, but the US Navy only selectively ordered submarines with superior performance. The others were either forced to cut exports after the war or dismantled into parts and left to gather dust in warehouses.

It wasn't until later, when the loyalty and superiority of the Electric Boat Company were finally recognized by the higher-ups, that it took another step forward, was purchased by the Navy in a frenzy, and flourished.

Currently, 50% of the submarines in service with the Navy come from General Dynamics, a world-renowned nuclear submarine manufacturer.

After touring the shipyard, the person in charge led a few people to the observation deck, where they had a cup of coffee in the rest area and enjoyed the scenery of the coastline and the fleet in the harbor.

A little while later, the beautiful manager, Darcy, received a notification from the other staff members. She immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Mr. Kim, Mr. Comprey, an arms company has decided to sign a contract. There are also empty seats on the ship available for tours, so we can board the warship for a closer look."

"Okay, then please lead the way for us." Zhang Ailun nodded, immediately finished his coffee, and followed the other party to the harbor area. Under the guidance of other staff members, the group boarded the littoral combat ship via a land ladder.

"The Independence-class littoral combat ship is a modern warship jointly developed and built by General Electric and other companies. It is a high-performance trimaran ship with an aluminum alloy composite structure, 127.6 meters long and with a displacement of 2784 tons. Unlike traditional frigates, which typically have a range of about 1852 kilometers in 60 hours under adverse sea conditions, the Independence-class, thanks to its semi-small waterline depth V-shaped design, can reach 2590 kilometers in 30 hours! This greatly improves the problem of insufficient endurance of high-performance ships."

"Furthermore, since the Independence-class's power system consists of four combined diesel and gas turbine waterjet propulsion units, its propulsion efficiency is further improved, and its maximum speed can reach over 50 knots!" The beautiful manager, Darcy, enthusiastically promoted the ship to the group aboard the littoral combat ship.

Looking down from the shore, it didn't seem like much. It was just a small, cheap warship, considered a failed product of the US Navy and an obsolete "industrial junk." It was easy for people to view it with prejudice and think it was just trash.

But in reality, when you actually board the warship, you will immediately feel a sense of awe and immersion.

With a length of over 100 meters, a sharp trimaran hull, and a huge helipad that can accommodate hundreds of people like a basketball court, it's simply a behemoth!

At first glance, it looks like a moving tank fortress on the sea surface, with sharp edges at the front and a flat rear like a bulldozer.

What is industrial waste, and what is obsolete?

Who said this combat ship is trash? This combat ship is amazing!

Take a look at this MK110 57mm stealth naval gun, equipped with the Dona gun fire control system manufactured by the Spanish shipyard Isar. It also features a non-targeting missile launcher at the bottom, capable of firing precision-guided missiles with a range of 22 nautical miles.

It was equipped with two 30mm naval guns and a RIM-116 RAM anti-ship missile defense system. Although it wasn't particularly useful.

The MK48 general-purpose vertical launch system can launch NATO-modified Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles and ASROC anti-submarine missiles.

此外，独立级还可以根据任务需求加装反舰飞弹。另外搭载2架MH-60R/S海鹰直升机或者1架海鹰直升机、3架MQ-8B火力侦察兵无人机，或者单独搭载1架CH-53海上种马直升机。

Alternatively, two Black Hawk helicopters, Kingfisher II armed drones, and unmanned surface/underwater vehicles.

Listening to the female manager's introduction, Zhang Ailun was also excited, but he still calmed down and asked, "How much would it cost to buy a decommissioned littoral combat ship like this, if it were really fully equipped with weapons and equipment as you described, without helicopters or drones?"

"Our littoral combat ship has all the standard features, including all the basic infrastructure. Weapons and missiles may need to be purchased separately from arms companies or through military-commissioned orders. Our sales price is set at around $800 million to $1200 million," Darcy said.

"The price is too high. Even fully equipped, a littoral combat ship like this is only worth $550 million, or at most $600 million, on the second-hand market. Even a brand-new littoral combat ship for export, which comes with a Seahawk helicopter and a Reconnaissance drone, would not cost $1000 million."

Qibatu abruptly interrupted her. From the moment he boarded the ship, he activated his super brain and laser eyes, meticulously dissecting and nitpicking every detail. Others only saw the warship's integrated architecture and advantages; they were only shown its superior performance, with its weaknesses rarely mentioned. But in his eyes, it was a different story!

Just like selling a used car, a dealer will never mention what parts they've replaced or what problems they've had. They'll only say it's original factory parts, has a certain acceleration time, airbags, all insurance documents are complete, and it's durable and reliable. But these little tricks are almost impossible for a professional body repairman to see through!

He only needs to touch the aluminum alloy sheet and take a closer look at the joints and seams to tell which parts are original and which have been replaced later.

"This littoral combat ship must have encountered problems during training, which led to the repainting of its carbon fiber composite radar-absorbing material, undoubtedly affecting its overall stealth performance. The stern hatch and a twin-boom crane can carry, launch, and recover small boats, underwater sensors, and various unmanned aerial vehicles, but it seems they haven't been under maintenance for a long time. We'll need to buy these and re-maintain them, which will require a significant investment."

Qibatu explained in great detail: "The engine is fine. If there is a problem that prevents the warship from starting or affects its speed, then it will be directly put on the list of scrapped ships."

Darcy, the person in charge, was somewhat surprised by how knowledgeable Darcy was about the littoral combat ship. He immediately said, "I didn't expect you to know so much about this combat ship, sir. You're right. The reason this combat ship was decommissioned wasn't just because its strategy didn't meet the Navy's requirements. There were also some reasons related to its own characteristics. This littoral combat ship certainly wasn't a 70% new warship, but when buying a decommissioned ship, you can't expect too much from it. We're selling it according to the market price for second-hand decommissioned ships."

"Retired ships do need maintenance, but buying one and having it professionally repaired won't cost too much. Has this gentleman previously served as a logistics and technical maintenance personnel in the Navy?"

"I'm just an ordinary ground crew member with a little knowledge of the military industry," Qibatu said modestly.

"Since you have a good understanding of this littoral combat ship and want to buy it, you probably don't care about its shortcomings. We can offer a reasonable price. The minimum purchase price for other arms companies is $5.5 million, which includes two fast attack craft and a small boat, as well as two spare rounds of artillery shells and missiles. We have already sold two standard package-level Independence-class combat ships."

"If it includes a Seahawk helicopter and reconnaissance drone, then it will cost an additional $200 million, or $750 million, for the value-added package," said Darcy, the person in charge.

"We don't need the Seahawk helicopter or other reconnaissance drones for now; we can provide one or two Black Hawk helicopters ourselves. Subsequent weapons procurement will be supplemented step by step according to needs. For now, we only need to purchase one standard model ship like this."

Radar, anti-submarine missile fire control system, and anti-ship gun fire control system are all basic configurations of this retired littoral combat ship.

Whether it will actually be usable is another matter.

Since they don't go on missions and only patrol the area around the island, it's not surprising that their magazines are often empty.

The trajectory of a single missile costs tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of US dollars. When it's not in use, it still needs maintenance. Warfare is really too expensive.

After careful consideration, Zhang Ailun decided to purchase one of these littoral combat ships.

The person in charge also had someone bring over the pre-prepared package contract for the head of the guild and the person in charge, Sig, to review. The basic package cost $550 million and included two four-seater speedboats and a multi-person small boat. The small boats could be equipped with firepower, such as machine guns or individual RPG rocket launchers, for real-time fire support and maritime rescue.

After the inspection was completed, Zhang Ailun had Sieg sign his name without hesitation. The transportation could be arranged by General Electric Boat to deliver the ship to the designated location, or they could arrange for their own personnel to move the combat ship. However, the delivery fee would be extra. After consideration, the leader of the guild decided to have his own people take the littoral combat ship away, prioritizing cost-effectiveness.

The funds were transferred to General Electric Boat's designated account through the Hamburg Foundation.

"Mr. Comprey, Mr. Kim, we have received your remittance. Are you interested in any other private cruise ships and yachts?" Darcy, the person in charge, said enthusiastically after a successful transaction.

"Besides purchasing combat ships, we mainly came here to learn about the Spruance-class destroyers," Zhang Ailun said.

"Then we can go and take a look at the destroyer now." Darcy smiled and immediately led them away from the battleship to the bay where the destroyer was docked. It was still a colossal steel monster.

The decommissioned destroyer, with a length of 171.6 meters, a beam of 16.8 meters, a full-load displacement of 7700 tons, and a maximum range of 6600 nautical miles, is much larger than the littoral combat ship; the two are simply not in the same league.

Previously, a combat ship could be easily piloted and navigated by twenty people, but this destroyer monster requires at least fifty people to even operate in normal shifts. Just looking at its mechanical parts makes you feel like scientific theories and technology are attacking your brain.

Darcy led a few people aboard the destroyer, toured the bridge and engine room, and gave a brief introduction. Looking at the electronic equipment and wiring, the captain was completely baffled, only recognizing the radar and nautical charts; everything else was utterly bewildering.

The ground staff, including Qibatu, who were already familiar with motor circuits, watched with great interest and even discussed with Haval where to start making changes.

They already knew a great deal about the destroyer, so there wasn't much else to say. After checking its performance and functionality, they could start discussing the price.

Darcy also provided their General Electric Boat company's asking price: $5500 million for a used, decommissioned destroyer. This price is significantly more favorable than that of combat ships, given that the resale prices of Spruance-class destroyers vary widely, generally ranging from $4000 million to $2 million.

The price of $5500 million is mainly because General Electric Boat only sells the destroyer itself and does not offer suitable weapons and equipment as options; it only includes ordinary ammunition and replaceable parts.

Otherwise, if you just randomly choose some high-quality Tomahawk cruise missiles or ASROC anti-submarine missiles, you simply won't be able to afford them at a price of fifty million US dollars, and your budget will instantly exceed one hundred million US dollars.

And even if you want to buy this thing, you have to see if anyone will sell it to you. It's a pure weapon of mass destruction!