Wu Jinlong was a skilled and dedicated Admiral, but he was also a realist. Speaking with Admiral Zheng Bau, Chief of Naval Operations South, he asked the one question that still rankled the Chinese naval command structure.
“Suppose I reach Singapore in strength. What then? What am I to do there? Sun Wei attempted to bombard the port of Salaha in Oman, and sat there for nearly three hours wearing out his deck guns. Yet he was only able to put serious damage on one of the naval docks there. Surely you do not want me to attempt to destroy Changi Harbor the same way.”
“Of course not,” said Zheng. “Your mission is to control the Singapore Strait. From that position, you also shut down the Sunda Strait. So you must drive off any naval forces the enemy still attempts to muster there. This time, it is the Americans and Siberians. Consider it a defensive operation. They are using those waters, and we will take that away from them. If we had done so earlier, they would not have a second carrier ready to enter the battle for the Arabian Sea.”
Both men knew that was the main concern now, for things had not been going well in the Indo-Arabian theater. “So then you wish me to drive off these forces, and then maintain a strong naval presence there?”
“Precisely…. But one thing more. Putting pressure here may compel the Americans to recall that second carrier here again, and that would aid our operations in the Arabian Sea. We must think of these two campaigns as one. Sun Wei is the right hand, you are the left, and our Kung Fu must be good. Stated simply. If Sun Wei can prevent the arrival of strong American forces in Oman, then we hold a strong bargaining chip in Saudi Arabia. The Iraqis can trade ground gained there for all of Kuwait, and we can insist on nothing less.”
“And what if the Americans see that theater as the decisive front?” said Wu Jinlong. “That is where they did send that second carrier, and they leave only one small surface action group here guarding Singapore. My mission would be different here if we actually posed a threat to that island. Yet with the largest standing army on earth, we do not have the means of seizing Singapore. It’s disgraceful. Why did we commit all our airborne and Marines to the Ryukyus?”
“That was necessary to secure the First Island Chain, and as a prerequisite to further action against the Japanese.”
“The Japanese? What action? Don’t tell me we are contemplating the invasion of Kyushu!”
“Nothing of the sort, but we must end their meddling once and for all in this war. They will hanker for their islands back, and we must crush their navy to show them how futile their designs are. From this day forward, the Ryukyus belong to China, and that includes Okinawa. We have eliminated those chokepoints at the edge of the Pacific.”
“And what business do we have there? We saw what happened when we attempted to overreach and take Iwo Jima.”
“That was unfortunate, and perhaps premature, but we will go one day, and beyond. In time we will push all the way out to the Second Island Chain. Then it will be the Americans complaining when we make these so called “freedom of navigation” patrols through the Marianas. They have few bases left to roost here in the Western Pacific. If we are to truly control this region, we must push them out, push them east, all the way back to Hawaii.”
“Very ambitious,” said Wu Jinlong. “Well, I will tell you that we will never do this with the carriers we have now. We were not yet ready for a major conflict like this. We should have waited five more years, and conducted these operations in 2030.”
“Yes,” said Zhang Bao, “with at least two more fleet carriers. That is in the past. The situation is before us now, and we must act accordingly. So, go and show the Americans we can drive them off—and the Siberians. Yes, we have a bone to pick with them. Pass like thunder and lightning. Move like the wind. Topple mountains, overturn seas! If the Gods block you, slay them. If Buddha stands in your way, kill him! You must prevail.”
Chapter 33
The last hours of December 2nd were slipping away as the Chinese fleet moved south towards Ranai on Riau. That airfield was still not in any shape to receive aircraft, but repairs were ongoing. A KJ-200 out of Tan Son Nhat airbase was loitering over the fleet, its radar eyes extending out 240 miles to the south.
Three task forces made up the fleet. First came the SAG Saigon, a mixed group of four Vietnamese destroyers and five older Chinese frigates. Forty miles to the north, Admiral Wu Jinlong now set his flag on China’s last real fleet carrier, Taifeng, and he was escorted by a strong surface group.
A new ship was about to make its debut in the war, the next evolution of the Type 055, designated the Type 057A guided missile cruiser. It was built on a modified Type 055 hull and superstructure, but instead of having only two 64 cell VLS bays forward, a third bay, with 32 cells was mounted on the island above the helicopter hangars. It was entirely dedicated to SSM ordnance, carrying 32 YJ-18’s. The main VLS bays were then primarily loaded for air defense with 96 HQ-9’s between them, with room left over for 8 Yu-7 ASROC missile torpedoes, 16 long range YJ-100’s and another eight YJ-18’s. A medium range SAM system, the HQ-16A, was also added in a separate small bay forward, with 16 missiles, and the ship had two laser turrets augmenting its three 30mm Gatling guns. It was the first of its kind, and a dangerous harbinger of things to come in the Chinese Navy, christened as CG Zanshi, the Warrior.
Two other Type 055’s escorted the carrier, Fengshen, the Wind God, and Daishen, the Lightning God, appropriately named ships to accompany a carrier named Taifeng. Both were strongly weighted for air defense, with each carrying 100 HQ-9’s. A single Type 052D destroyer was positioned for close escort, and there were four new Type 054B frigates, the latest evolution of that design.
On these newer ships, the Chinese had removed the traditional triple mount 324mm torpedoes. Experience had shown that they would almost never be used in actual combat, as they required the firing ship to be right on top of the enemy sub. In fact, they often became a liability when the ship was hit, easily damaged or even exploding when hit by shrapnel or any SSM ordnance. Instead, they were replaced by the YU-7 ASROC, which could fire from a VLS bay at an undersea target up to 30 miles away. On these new frigates, the two older Quad YJ-83 SSM mounts were also replaced by three triple YJ-12 mounts. The older missile could only range out 100 miles, and the newer one could reach 215 miles.
So the Chinese were evolving their navy to increase SSM range and air defense across the board. The appearance of Zanshi, the new Warrior class ship, was sobering. While not as powerful as either New Jersey or Kirov, it showed Chinese ambitions and interest in heavy surface combatants. At that time, no one knew that ship had sailed from Shanghai. It was actually thought to be a third Type 055 escorting the carrier, and no one knew how many more were in the shipyards.
It is clear that Beijing does not want this carrier harmed, thought Wu Jinlong. That said, I must be aggressive here, as Zhang Bao exhorted. Pass like thunder and lightning. Move like the wind. And there they are, a pair of Type 055’s, cruising off my bow named after lightning and wind. My enemy is strong, but we are stronger, and yes, we must prevail.