CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 6: COUNTERATTACK (PART 2)

Far away in Norfolk, Admiral Alvin also received the news. He symbolically furrowed his brow and then threw his restless energy into the devouring fire aboard the Ford aircraft carrier.

In the naval port, billowing smoke rose like a black curtain, spreading recklessly, obscuring the sky. The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning and a suffocating sense of oppression.

All the rescue teams present were extremely agitated. No one wanted to be involved in a struggle doomed to failure, even risking their lives.

Now, the US Navy was overwhelmed by this sudden, disastrous fire.

All of the Navy’s operational plans and strategic concepts are intricately dependent on those massive and expensive warships to execute.

Losing an aircraft carrier is an immeasurable blow to the Navy.

As the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Alvin has always had simple and crude methods for requesting funding from Congress, yet they have always been effective.

Every now and then, he would dispatch aircraft carriers to sensitive areas to provoke other countries, artificially creating tension, to emphasize the importance of the Navy.

Previously, when facing "Harden," Admiral Alvin repeatedly talked about responding to the rise of "Dongda" but he did not wish to truly go to war.

His solution was to send two or three aircraft carriers to roam around the first island chain in the Western Pacific, directly threatening the richest economic region of Dongda’s southeastern coast, creating a military presence.

Now, this repeatedly successful strategy has completely failed.

Admiral Alvin is not a foolish person. He is very aware of the serious damage the ongoing internal fire will cause to this advanced Ford.

His only hope now is to extinguish the out-of-control flames as soon as possible and then announce that the Ford requires a lengthy repair.

As for how many years of repairs will be needed and how much astronomical funding will be spent, those are issues for the next Chief of Naval Operations to worry about.

He figured that the longer it dragged on, naturally no one would pursue responsibility.

Just like the Miami nuclear submarine and the Good Man Richard amphibious assault ship, both of which also caught fire, in the end, weren’t they all scrapped?

However, this time, fate seems not to be on Admiral Alvin’s side.

After the fire had burned for a full twenty-four hours, his aide rushed into the command room, face pale, voice trembling with despair:

"General! We’re finished! All rescue personnel trying to enter the carrier from other decks were forced to retreat!"

The aide’s voice was choked with emotion: "They said they’ve done their utmost to try and save the engine room.

But the living quarters have been completely burned through, and the flames have spread into the ammunition storage area! The missiles inside the carrier are undergoing intense explosions!"

No further explanation was needed. Admiral Alvin in the command center not far from the dock could clearly hear the muffled thuds coming from inside the Ford.

Those were terrifying sounds of high-energy explosives being ignited by high temperatures.

The ammunition storage area has extremely tight isolation and safety measures, and typical explosion impacts don’t easily ignite it.

But the Navy’s main ammunition consists of various types of missiles. Not only do they contain high explosives, but they also have large quantities of solid or liquid propellants and other hazardous substances.

Once exposed to temperatures of thousands of degrees, these propellants burn and even explode violently without needing oxygen.

When he heard that flames had ignited missiles in the ammunition storage area, Admiral Alvin felt a chill overtake him.

He instantly realized that the Ford was completely unsalvageable, even losing the last bit of dignity.

Previously when the Miami submarine caught fire, the interior was thoroughly burned, but at least the exterior remained relatively intact.

The US Navy could still shamelessly claim that the fire was effectively controlled.

The Good Man Richard caught fire, and firefighters fought continuously for four days, burning large holes in the deck.

The ship’s steel lost its original structural strength due to the high temperatures, and the deck, superstructure, and mast collapsed horrifically.

But at least the hull remained, and the US Navy pretended to study it before announcing its abandonment.

Now, the fire occurring on the Ford is far more destructive than any previous incident!

Admiral Alvin could almost foresee that this supercarrier, which took over ten years and vast sums of effort and funding to build, was going to explode spectacularly under everyone’s watch!

"Cut open the flight deck, all the way to the fire area, then flood it," His Excellency the Admiral came up with a desperate measure, "If you can’t cut it, then blow it up."

The aide asked blankly, "Do you want to cut the combat command center and engine room as well? If we flood it forcibly, the Ford will surely be scrapped."

The Admiral made a ruthless decision, "It’s better than it exploding."

-----------------

The lieutenant colonel aide was urgently distressed, rushing to the command site, conveying Admiral Alvin’s latest orders with all his might,

Demanding that the exhausted rescue teams on-site spare no effort to forcibly break through the Ford’s sturdy deck,

Directly inject a large amount of firefighting foam into the carrier, attempting to halt the flames that devour everything.