sbdcsierra Chapter 1854 Unmanned Fishing Boat
Chapter 1854 Unmanned Fishing Boat
Chapter 1854 Unmanned Fishing Boat
Ye Yaodong decided to return in four days, and the next morning he first discussed the matter with the people in charge of the other ships.
No one objected; it was good to be able to go back and rest early. After all, he was the boss, so he had the final say.
Once it was confirmed, they notified the entire ship, and the workers' faces lit up with genuine smiles. They were finally able to return home to rest, and instantly they all had something to look forward to.
During the lull in the fishing, their boats took turns transferring cargo to the cargo-collecting boats. Once they were done, they would turn back and try to contact another cargo-collecting boat along the way.
Meanwhile, their boat continued fishing at sea, allowing a few more days in case another fishing boat came up empty-handed without receiving any news, which could cause panic.
Knowing they were going back, not only the workers, but he himself felt differently. Looking at the sea, he felt the sky was bluer, the water was clearer, and even the seabirds seemed more beautiful.
"Dongzi, are you going back to your hometown after you go back?"
“Yes, I should. I should go back to see my parents and pick up my child. You have no idea how clingy my daughter is. When she wrote to me a few days ago, she went on and on, asking me to come back and pick her up. She also said she wanted to take my mother to Shanghai for medical treatment. She’s so troublesome.”
He was saying things he disliked, but his face was full of smiles. He didn't mean it; he looked genuinely happy.
Ah Zheng pouted, "It's like nobody doesn't have a daughter."
"But my daughter wrote me a letter, a whole page of words saying she misses me."
"Okay, okay, I shouldn't have asked."
"You should spend more time with your children and call home more often when you have free time, so that your children will be closer to you."
“You said you were ‘free,’ but I’m not free at all. I still have to go to sea with you. If I were a big boss like you, I definitely wouldn’t go to sea anymore. I would stay at home with my wife and kids every day.”
"Then you should work hard to make money, and become a ship owner so that people can work for you."
"Isn't this what we're striving for? It's just that we're not as lucky as you, so we can't earn money as quickly; we have to earn it slowly."
The two men sat on the wheelhouse, legs crossed, chatting idly, while the fishing boats below were transferring cargo to the cargo ship.
After we finish setting everything up, we'll go offline in the afternoon, and then we'll hand over the task of setting up the internet at night to others.
He finally managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night, but he could still vaguely hear the sounds of machinery and waves. He was half asleep and half awake when he heard someone calling him, and it sounded very urgent.
"Boss, boss, please get up and take a look..."
Ye Yaodong, half asleep and half awake, sat up abruptly. "What is it?"
"We detected a ship approaching, but no matter how much we called out to it, it didn't respond at all, and none of its lights were on. The captain said that was the ship, but we couldn't see it; it was pitch black."
He immediately woke up, put on his rain boots, and went out to see what was going on.
"When did this happen, just now?"
"Yes, just a moment ago, we called out for a while, but there was no response. We couldn't see the ship on the sea, and we didn't even know which direction it was. The captain said it was to the northwest behind us. Now that ship is getting closer and closer, and the captain thinks it's quite troublesome, so he told me to come and call you right away."
"Ah."
In the darkness, apart from the ship, everywhere was pitch black, like a black hole. Just looking at it for a few moments could instill fear from the bottom of one's heart. Darkness, by its very nature, amplifies fear infinitely.
Everyone kept their heads down and focused on their work, not daring to look at the sea for long, just conscientiously doing what they were doing.
Ye Yaodong stood on the deck, looking at the few navigation lights that were on near and far. He counted them and found that they matched the number of his family's fishing boats.
He said the ships with their navigation lights on all belonged to his family, and there were no other ships to be seen.
He went to the bridge, where the captain was frowning and communicating with other captains on the intercom.
"...I'm sure that was a fishing boat..."
"The lights weren't even on. In the middle of the night, if it's a fishing boat, it can only be a ghost ship."
"Don't talk about anything so scary in the middle of the night, just say something like an unmanned boat..."
"Don't think like that. Think positively. What if the communication or lighting on that fishing boat is malfunctioning, and that's why it's getting closer to us, trying to call for help?"
"What a coincidence! The communications and lights are broken, but the generator is connected, so the boat can still move."
"How do you know the boat moved on its own? It just so happens that the current flows from that direction to this side..."
"Holy crap, it really is..."
"The boss is here!"
"Listen to what the boss has to say..."
What could Ye Yaodong say? He had just arrived and didn't know anything about the situation.
"You guys discuss first, I'll check the situation. Whether it's an unmanned fishing boat or not, if it's coming this way, there's nothing we can do but make arrangements to deal with it."
"You should bring in all the fishing nets first, no matter when they were put in. That way, if a fishing boat comes close, we can respond in time if anything happens."
"Also, take out all the weapons on the ship, wake up all the workers, and make sure everyone is alert at night. Turn on all the lights on the ship, instead of just the navigation lights."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the time on the table again. "It's only 1 a.m. now, and there are still about three hours until dawn. It's pitch black, and we don't know what the situation is like. We can only make these arrangements passively for now."
"Let's wait until dawn or until the fishing boat gets really close, then we can see it clearly before we make a decision."
"If we can pull the net in quickly, we can move further away from that ship together and wait until dawn to assess the situation. That would be safer. Right now, it's nighttime, and we're too passive to know the situation clearly."
When Ye Yaodong saw the images returned by the radar, he thought it should also be a ship, but there were no lights at all, which was very unusual.
There's an 80% chance it really is a ghost ship. It's the middle of the night, so they can only make arrangements from their own side. It would be best to stay as far away as possible and wait until dawn.
"Alright, then we'll do as the boss says. We'll close the net first, then tell the crew to get up and grab their weapons."
"We'll talk about the rest when it gets light. Once the fishing nets of whichever boat have been pulled in, we should stay away from that area for now."
"Those who are hauling in their nets should also change direction as much as possible and stay away from the fishing boats drifting over there."
After they agreed on their plans, they each made their own arrangements, maintained contact through the internal channel, and took turns broadcasting messages on the international security channel every few minutes.
After the workers were woken up, they all gathered on the deck, and the lights of all their ships were turned on, making the surrounding sea much clearer.
It's still summer, and the sea breeze at night isn't too cold. Dozens of people are discussing the ghost ship on the deck, and it looks quite lively.
The chefs also got up and steamed a big pot of seafood, which they brought to the deck as a late-night snack for everyone.
If there were no unexpected circumstances or fishing duties, everyone would be sitting on the boat, drinking beer, eating seafood, and enjoying the sea breeze—it would be incredibly pleasant.
Ah Zheng also brought a large bowl of seafood to the cockpit. "Come on, come on, the midnight snack is here~ Whether you're worried or happy, it's still a day. Even if the sky falls, you have to fill your stomach first."
Ye Yaodong: "We're a bit far away now, and the searchlights can't reach it. It's good to wait for that ship to drift slowly. By then it will be daylight, and we'll have hauled in all the nets."
A-Zheng: "If you ask me, it must be an unmanned ship. They've been broadcasting on the international security channel for ages, and someone on board would have responded long ago."
The captain said, "Once it's light tomorrow morning, we'll make sure we're clear on the water. If it really is an unmanned boat, we'll call the distress channel and see if we can get transferred to the nearest coastal radio station or maritime agency."
Ye Yaodong said, "It's difficult. The ship's VHF radio is mostly ineffective and we can't make contact. We need to switch to a medium-high frequency single-sideband radio. 2182 kHz is the medium-high frequency international radiotelephone distress frequency. The SSB communication range is much greater than VHF. After we see the situation clearly at dawn, we'll switch to this and won't need to try VHF."
"That's fine."
"It just so happens that the cargo collection boat can collect its cargo and return tomorrow. We can have the cargo collection boat keep contacting the shore control station during its return journey until we get in touch, and then report the situation."
"Ok."
Ah Zheng suddenly spoke up, "What if we can't make contact with the mid-to-high frequencies either?"
"Don't you dare jinx it. If you can't get in touch, contact the nearest merchant or government vessel and ask them to report it using more reliable equipment. These large merchant and government vessels have satellite communication capabilities."
The distress system uses 2182 kHz and is still the mainstream, while the new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) was initially introduced in 1992, but it was not enforced on Chinese ships until 1999.
So they don't have this equipment on their ship yet, and they still need to contact someone to provide voice instructions.
"Okay, I'm just curious. We definitely need to consider multiple options. It's never a bad thing to think about the worst-case scenario."
"Just eat yours."
“I’m also learning. In case of an emergency, I can use the same method. We’re all new to the high seas, so we need to learn more.”
"Then keep an eye on things after daybreak and see how I handle it."
The captain smiled and said, "Don't let the boss's youth fool you; he's very experienced and seasoned, and he reacts to unexpected situations faster than anyone else."
"Am I still young? I'm almost 40, I'm not young anymore."
"Are you almost 40? You don't look any different from a few years ago, still a young man."
"In two or three years, I'll be a grandfather."
Speaking of this, he was a little emotional. He had actually reached the age where he could be a grandfather again, and it felt like the past few years had passed by quite quickly.
Ah Zheng looked at him with complicated eyes, "It turns out that getting married early has this advantage. My son is still playing in the mud, but your son will be able to give you a grandson in two years."
"Who told you to get married late, and your son was born later than your daughter? It wasn't like my son got married while your son was still playing in the mud!"
"Comparing yourself to others is just infuriating."
……
They ate seafood on the ship's deck, enjoyed the sea breeze, and kept an eye on their surroundings.
The captain kept an eye on the radar detection in the cockpit.
The workers were hauling in the nets on the deck, preparing for daybreak.
Around 2 a.m., the searchlight of fishing boat No. 3 was already able to illuminate the unmanned fishing boat.
When the message reached them, it was already confirmed that it was indeed an unmanned fishing boat, what fishermen call a ghost boat.
It's definitely a bit unlucky, but since we've already encountered it, all we can do now is wait until all the fishing nets are put away and then try to avoid it.
It's better for the known to be getting closer than for the unknown to be getting closer; the unknown is what's most frightening.
Meanwhile, they also called single sideband (SSB) radio stations overnight, taking turns repeatedly calling on the 2182 kHz frequency.
It's not always possible to get a signal and make contact; you have to keep calling, and it's still the middle of the night.
They didn't have that much cargo in their nets, and they hadn't been fishing in the sea for very long. They expected to be able to hoist all the cargo up by dawn.
Other fishing boats also gradually hauled in their nets, but some had more fish than others, so the time it took to hoist them up varied.
Anyway, once we've finished collecting everything, we'll head towards ship number 1.
In summer, the sun rises early. On the high seas, the sky begins to turn bluish-gray a little after 3 a.m., and slowly the gray fades into white light.
Those fishing boats that are a little closer can be clearly seen with the naked eye, as can a large, unmanned fishing boat drifting on the sea. Those who are farther away can also see the luxury of the fishing boat with binoculars.
Ye Yaodong was certain that this was a large cargo ship, with a long string of English words on its hull.
After their fishing nets were hauled in, the boats converged together. Their maneuverability allowed them to maintain a safe distance from the ghost ship, keeping it neither too close nor too far away, so as not to fail to detect it.
The captain kept calling the BBS radio station, but no one answered. They had no choice but to keep trying.
Finally, around 6 o'clock, I got connected. I don't know if it was because there was no signal before or what.
The moment they finally made contact, the captain immediately called Ye Yaodong over to talk.
"Hello, we encountered a large unmanned fishing vessel in international waters. It's a large merchant ship with English letters engraved on it..."
After explaining the general situation, he clearly and repeatedly stated his exact location and that of the ghost ship, and then asked the maritime authorities to verify it.
He originally thought that after he finished reporting, he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. He could take his fleet to another sea area to continue fishing after the other fishing boats finished collecting their catch.
After all, there were still two or three days before the tentative return date, and they couldn't just go back like that. There was another cargo ship that might be on its way, and they couldn't let that ship go empty-handed and lose contact.
No one is sure if they can make contact on the way, or if everyone's sailing routes are the same; there will always be some deviations.
An hour later, the maritime authorities contacted them via a one-way radio (BBS) and issued them a task, requesting that they tow the cargo ship back!
Drag it back!!!
When Ye Yaodong heard it, he thought he had misheard, and he even asked the two people next to him to confirm.
The captain stated definitively, "They want us to tow it back..."
Ah Zheng: "When you reported earlier, you told them directly that we have an entire fleet here."
"Holy crap, you want me to drag it back?"
P.S.: The plot of the high seas is a bit mind-bending, I have to keep doing research, preferably with some factual evidence. I'll add another chapter tomorrow during the day.
(End of this chapter)