Port Said is a port on the Suez Canal on the Mediterranean side.
Since the opening of the Suez Canal, it has become one of the busiest ports in the world.
No, there is almost no one. This was the largest coal filling station in the world at the end of the 19th century.
Almost every day, millions of tons of various cargo ships and cruise ships pass through Port Said. Here, the ships will replenish supplies, and the sailors will go ashore to party, and then prepare to start a long and lonely journey.
To this end, Port Said has built a variety of comprehensive facilities, ranging from port facilities to various entertainment facilities.
When time entered the stage of world war, Port Said's status was infinitely elevated.
But at the same time, merchant ships traveling to and from Port Said also faced threats from German submarines.
Entering April, the German submarines had outstanding results. They sank 270,000 tons of merchant ships in the first week, of which 190,000 tons were in the Mediterranean Sea.
That's right, for the British and French, the Mediterranean Sea Route is far less important than the Atlantic Waterway, so the navy's escort cannot cover here for the time being. The merchant ships here can wait passively for the few destroyers of the British and French navies.
Only when we return here can we focus on continuing our journey.
Some ships can wait, and some ships cannot.
It depends on what they have on board.
David is a British captain. He is hired by a French shipping company to be responsible for a cargo ship with a carrying capacity of 5,000 tons traveling between Cairo and Marseille. There is no way around this route. If you go around the African continent, the distance
will increase tenfold.
David's ship had been loaded with cargo at the port of Cairo five days ago, and it had been parked in Port Said. David did not dare to go to sea until it received military protection. If David ordered to go to sea, he would
The crew would tie him up and throw him overboard before sailing back to Port Said.
There are many other captains like David, and they are all trapped in Port Said, waiting for the military to provide them with escort.
In the evening, as usual, David came to the Colt Bar, had a drink as usual, and then inquired about some news.
The Celtic Bar is a very British-style bar. Captains and sailors from the UK like it very much. After having a drink here, they can also have some fun nearby without even having to go out.
Special workers provide services.
The bartender's name is Mike. He and David are both British. In the past, David looked down on Mike's job, but now he is very envious of Mike's job. At least Mike doesn't have to take risks at sea.
Mike, bring me a glass of rum. David was filled with sadness and threw a one pound coin over.
There is no change here, the extra money will be treated as a reward for providing information. Of course, if you want to know more, you will continue to increase the price.
David sat on a high stool in front of the bar and looked around. Surprisingly, there were a few familiar faces missing.
You are late. If you could have come two hours earlier, maybe you, like Will and the others, have weighed anchor by now. Mike was in a happy mood, and with a flick of his hand while serving the wine, the coin disappeared.
What's going on? Did I miss something? David's eyes widened. The remaining drunkenness from last night disappeared.
Mike smiled and did not answer David's question.
David understood what Mike meant, and this time he sent a note with a face value of ten pounds.
Thank you. You are such a generous person. An umbrella company suddenly appeared today. They have two warships that can provide escort for merchant ships. Although the price is high, one of them has already sailed away in the afternoon. Now the umbrella company is here
Pier, if you run faster, you might be able to catch the midnight trip. David smiled.
Thank you very much, Mike, I'll buy you this drink. When the last word came, the Davidians had already rushed out of the Celtic Bar.
Mike smiled proudly, put the rum that David had not touched at all back on the counter, and continued to wait for the next customer.
Under the bar, where customers cannot see, there are several such wine glasses, containing beer, brandy, rum, vodka, and Erguotou.
The sun has set, the dock area is brightly lit and still bustling with people.
The bag bearers with turbans on their heads, the sailors wandering around shirtless, and the scantily clad special workers waiting for business to come to their door, all together support the prosperity of Port Said.
David didn't spend much effort to find the company called Umbrella. There was no way, the harbor was basically full of cargo ships, and the only destroyer was very conspicuous, and he could be seen from a distance.
David did not recognize the large square characters on the side of the destroyer, but this did not prevent David from believing in the combat effectiveness of the destroyer. From the perspective of an old crew member, this was a warship that had been out of the factory for at most three months.
Good, excellent performance, trustworthy.
In fact, David didn't have many choices. Let alone a serious destroyer, even if it was a submarine hunter converted from a tugboat, David had to choose to trust him.
There was a group of people surrounding the destroyer's berth, and they were having a heated debate. David hurried over and heard a familiar voice: Two dollars per ton is too expensive. You are just like pirates. Calculating it this way
, doesn’t my boat cost 30,000 US dollars? What’s the difference between this and robbery?
The speaker's name is Henry. David knows this man and is one of David's drinking buddies these days. Unlike David, Henry's ship is his own. Henry can make a trip to the Far East by paying for the ship.
Back nearly a quarter.
Perhaps he owed money to the bank when buying the boat. Henry valued money very much, and he valued safety even more. Obviously, Henry also got the information from Mike.
If it feels expensive, you can choose to continue waiting. I reiterate that in order to ensure the safety of the protected ships, there can only be a maximum of five ships in the fleet, and there are still three places. The voice he spoke was calm and calm, not at all
Moved by Henry's words.
There are at least eleven or twelve captains here, all of whom are stranded in Port Said. They don't dare, or are unwilling to take risks. Waiting for warship escort is the best option, so places in the fleet are scarce.
Count me in. I have eight thousand tons of cargo on my ship and sixteen thousand US dollars. I will transfer it to you right now. A rough voice.
David also knew this voice and was one of his drinking buddies, a Dane named Burgundy.
Me, including me, David didn't dare to wait. He was afraid that if he was a second late, someone else would seize the opportunity.
David's ship weighed 5,000 tons and had no advantage over those 10,000-ton ships, so he had no right to bargain.
Damn it, count me in. When there was only one spot left, Henry finally gave in.
Go away, you damn fat man, count me in. Someone is fighting for you.
Get out of here, this spot is mine, I have reserved it a long time ago. Someone started pushing and shoving.
They were all old men who were long-distance runners, and fights were commonplace, so a group fight broke out instantly.
beep
A whistle sounded in the distance. This was the British policeman maintaining law and order.
That's enough, gentlemen, all the places have been sold. If you want to accept the services of the umbrella company, please wait until two days later, when the second batch of convoys will come. The calm voice continued to announce.
