D-day, March 1st.
The day of the decisive battle had dawned.
I, Sam-bok, Deputy Secretary Yeom Won-chul, and Professor Yoon Sang-soo gathered on the bridge at the break of dawn.
"We can't delay any longer, can we?"
"Yes, even if we depart now, it will be tight to reach the mainland US within March. And that's assuming this ship cooperates."
Professor Yoon Sang-soo, who would be serving as our captain, spoke.
He was the expert most familiar with these waters here.
To be honest, I wanted to inspect the engine's condition further, but we couldn't delay any longer.
"Sam-bok, did you load all the cargo?"
"Yeah, we completed all the export procedures and loaded it up. Although we could only load 3% more as extra, since they're in containers, there won't be much loss during unloading."
"You loaded 3% more?"
I was surprised.
Goldskin worth 40 million dollars, Cabra worth 10 million dollars, and wood and plywood worth 20 million dollars – managing to load such a large quantity and still produce 3% more was remarkable.
Our employees had handled an unimaginable amount of work.
"I also packed all the miscellaneous items you asked for, and stocked up enough food and water for a month. Plus, I filled the large refrigerator with plenty of beer and cola, so you won't go hungry."
"That's my friend for you!"
"Ha ha, beer too?"
Deputy Secretary Yeom Won-chul laughed with satisfaction.
He was, of course, coming with us to the port of Portland, USA.
I was grateful and reassured.
It was a voyage where we couldn't guarantee our safety.
"Deputy Secretary, are all the business licenses and necessary documents in order?"
"Yes, there are no issues. Daese Shipping has been approved as a corporation, received the license for North American route operations, and we have notified the US government that the South Korean-flagged Daese No.1 will enter Portland port on March 31st."
Deputy Secretary Yeom took care of all the necessary procedures for the shipping business.
With a high-ranking official involved, everything went smoothly.
"Daese No.1? This ship is named Daehan."
"It's a formal procedure to declare it as belonging to Daese Shipping for obtaining entry approval for Portland. We can still call it Daehan."
"Ah, I see."
Professor Yoon seemed to value the name Daehan. Indeed, the name Daehan was more fitting for a ship pioneering the North American route than Daese No.1.
"Captain, how are the steering and navigation systems?"
"Yes, they are fine from multiple tests. The bigger concern is how long the engine will hold up."
"We've done our best, so we have no choice but to push forward."
"That's right."
Deputy Secretary Yeom's voice trembled slightly.
To say I wasn't scared would be a lie.
We had replaced and refitted the engine, made up for lost parts ourselves, and prepared spares, but there wasn't enough time to fully test the durability.
Honestly, even further inspections and test runs wouldn't make it 100% perfect.
If we could repair a large vessel diesel engine to that extent, it would mean we could domestically produce engines.
We had no choice but to pack as many spare parts as possible and embark on the voyage.
"Let's go. The morning has broken."
We left the bridge and headed to the deck.
***
"Wowww!"
Bang! Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!
People gathered early in the morning to hold a farewell celebration.
They had all gathered here to match the D-day.
Hoo. Hoo.
As I pretended to ring the bell with my hand, the ship's horn echoed instead.
"Thank you, everyone!"
"Wowww!"
When I expressed my gratitude, citizens of Busan and skilled workers from Jeonpo-dong ironworks all looked at me.
"You're finally setting sail today!"
"Have a safe journey!"
"Make a lot of money."
"Wowww!"
Voices full of anticipation cheered me on from all directions.
Everyone wished me safety and good fortune.
"Board now. We are setting sail."
At my signal, students from the Maritime University boarded first.
Each carrying their luggage, they lined up on the deck.
"Are you all prepared for the voyage? This being the maiden voyage, I can't guarantee safety."
I had already permitted them to board, but a final confirmation was necessary.
"The Daehan is our alma mater, classroom, and home. We must board this ship no matter what."
"That's right! We will absolutely stay with the Daehan."
I felt a bit embarrassed as I tried to elicit a pledge from them.
The students in uniform lined up on the deck and saluted forward with such precision, it was quite impressive.
Professor Yoon Sang-soo, who was also the captain, was moved by his students and was speechless for a while.
"Crew, to your positions!"
"To positions!"
"Prepare for departure!"
"Prepare for departure!"
At Captain Yoon's command, the students turned into crew members and went to their positions, raising the Taegeukgi flag first.
"Wowww! Hurray!"
The crowd cheered even louder and shouted hurray as the Taegeukgi was raised to the top of the ship.
The Taegeukgi of the 21st century felt different from that of the 60s.
"Engineers, this is your last chance to disembark. You must know this is a dangerous voyage."
As more students boarded, I made the final boarding confirmation.
The students who had contributed significantly to installing the engine were now worthy of being called engineers.
"Wherever you go, there's always something to learn. There's no work that's not dangerous."
The engineers calmly took their positions on the deck.
Not one of those permitted to board was missing.
"Oops, we are a bit late."
The last ones to board were the skilled workers.
Among them were employees from Daese Construction who had gone to Vietnam with me, exuding the most confidence.
"You know this is an adventure, right?"
"Of course! After coming back from a war zone, what's this? Besides, there's a lot of money to be made there. What man would miss such an opportunity?"
"We will work hard, following our seniors."
"Such guts. All right, board."
"Thank you."
There were plenty of newly selected skilled workers among the existing crew.
They were robust and confident, just like first-class skilled workers.
Not one of those I had permitted to board was missing, making the total number exactly one hundred.
For a 10,000-ton cargo ship, a crew of 100 was excessive by 21st-century standards, but it was reasonable for the 60s.
Hoo.
"Let's set sail!"
"Set sail!"
Vroom.
With the sound of the horn, the engine started.
The massive engine roared to life, and the giant screw began to turn vigorously.
"Wowww!"
"Chansu, come back safely! Take care!"
"Got it! Keep the factory running like crazy. I'll bring back a mountain of orders!"
"As if you wouldn't, you rascal! Ha ha ha."
I leaned over the deck railing and waved to Sam-bok. He waved back energetically.
The ship slowly left the port.
"Woo Sajang, do well!!"
"Oh, Mr. Hwang!"
As the citizens of Busan cheered, Mr. Hwang suddenly appeared behind Sam-bok.
When did he arrive?
If I had known, I would have greeted him properly...
Mr. Hwang pulled out a large flag from somewhere.
It was so huge that Sam-bok had to help hold it.
"Shipping for National Prosperity (해운보국)"
It looked like a phrase personally written by Mr. Hwang.
Instead of a farewell speech, he seemed to want to send us off with a flag.
Shipping for national prosperity, a phrase that had never crossed my mind, suddenly struck me deeply.
Indeed, even when crossing the Korea Strait, we had been chased away on a Japanese ship, so he had every right to write such a phrase.
"I'll make a lot of money! Look forward to it!!!"
I shouted loudly, clenching my fists, as if my voice could reach Mr. Hwang.
"Wowww!"
It seemed like the entire city of Busan was cheering for us.
No, there were so many people waving that it made me wonder if the entire Daese family had turned out.
"20 degrees to port!"
"20 degrees to port!"
"Increase speed."
"Increase speed."
"Current main engine at 80rpm, increase to 110rpm!"
"Maintain this course."
At Captain Yoon's command, the tugboat guiding the Daehan pulled away, and the Daehan sped up with a loud horn.
Everyone worked in perfect harmony. It was a splendid start.
March 1st was the perfect date to embark on the journey to pioneer the North American route.
****
March 23rd,
Thanks to the crew and skilled workers doing their best at their posts, and the Daehan enduring the rough North Pacific seas, we continued to sail relatively peacefully.
Having passed through the Bering Sea and crossed the International Date Line, we were just a week away from Portland.
Vroom, vroom,
It had been fine at lunchtime, but as soon as the sun set, the engine's sound changed ominously.
We had been monitoring the engine room around the clock without letting our guard down, so we noticed the problem immediately.
I, along with the engineers and crew, gathered in the engine room. Almost everyone except the captain and navigator had gathered.
The 8000-horsepower MAN engine was spewing black exhaust.
Amidst the
exhaust, there were even explosive sparks near the scud (the lower part of the engine connected to the crank).
In short, the engine cylinder area, which should have been sealed, was leaking.
"What's going on, Chief Engineer Kwon Tae-chun?"
I had appointed the most skilled student as the chief engineer. He had been fixing minor faults easily, but this time he looked troubled.
"It seems the teeth of the piston ring have broken."
Broken teeth meant some parts were shattered.
"The piston ring broke?"
"Yes, we cleaned the engine thoroughly, but there must have been some sand left."
"Damn..."
It was a feared issue.
For such a large diesel engine, no matter how cleanly it was washed, sand could still get in during intake.
Sand could grind down the engine walls, and if it got between the piston ring and engine walls, it could shatter the piston ring as the chief engineer said.
That's why using a waterlogged engine was risky, but we had no other choice.
"Don't we have any spare parts? Let's stop the engine temporarily and replace the piston ring."
"Sorry, but we've used all the spare parts. We've had similar faults a few times already."
"… Don't apologize. It's me who should be sorry."
No wonder the engine sounded unusual today.
They had been replacing piston rings.
While I was in the cabin pondering our strategic approach with Wall Street after repaying foreign debts, the engine room had been struggling.
"If we leave it as is, the engine will overheat too much. Woo Sajang, is there any way?"
"Let's reduce the output for now. If we reach Portland by March 31st, how much leeway do we have?"
"We could lower by 2 knots... no, 1.5 knots should be enough."
The assistant navigator answered.
"Then, let's reduce from 110rpm to 80rpm."
We had to prevent the piston ring from completely breaking. We needed to somehow make it to Portland with just some teeth broken.
We've come 2/3 of the way.
We just need to cover the remaining 1/3.
The final stretch is always the hardest.
"Woo Sajang, even if we reduce the output, the exhaust gas will remain the same. If this continues, the scud might overheat and the engine could burst."
Another engineer spoke urgently.
He was spot on.
"We need to cool it down somehow..."
"Can't we just pour water on it?"
Deputy Secretary Yeom asked out of frustration.
"Pouring water incorrectly could cause an irregular explosion inside the cylinder. It could break not only the piston but also the cylinder and connecting rod…"
"Wait, hold on."
Deputy Secretary Yeom's idea wasn't entirely wrong.
Instead of water, we could use oil.
"Let's apply cylinder oil externally. We have enough cylinder oil, right?"
If Sam-bok had stocked the supplies, he would have overstocked everything out of caution.
"Yes, we have enough. Who would have thought we'd use it like this."
As expected, we had plenty. Cylinder oil was easily available in Ulsan.
"How do you plan to apply it externally?"
"We can handle it. We just need to make long cotton swabs and apply the oil."
The skilled workers immediately stepped forward.
"No, it's too hot. The exhaust gases near the scud exceed hundreds of degrees."
"Hey! Heat is nothing for a man, right? We can soak ourselves in water-soaked rags and do it. Ha!"
The sturdy skilled workers pounded their chests and brought iron bars wrapped in cloth, along with a can of cylinder oil.
"Watch and learn, you scholars."
The skilled workers, with a slight grin, boldly approached the scud and began applying the cylinder oil generously.
The heat was so intense that the cylinder oil caught fire momentarily, but the sound of the engine improved significantly as the oil sealed the leaking gaps.
"Ah! It's cooling down. It's really working."
Even as they applied the cylinder oil to the exterior, the scud, which had been glowing red-hot, turned back to its normal black color.
"Ugh, it's incredibly hot."
The first worker to charge in came out like a cat on fire, rolling on the floor, with steam rising from the soaked rag he was wearing.
The cloth had turned black from burning.
Normally, everyone would have laughed at this sight, but no one did.
"Yes! Cabra. Bring Cabra here."
Seeing the yellowed rag, a brilliant idea struck me.
"What? Cabra?"
"That's the fabric that will be used for American firemen's uniforms. It can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees. Let's wrap it around the rags."
It was a genius idea, even if I say so myself.
Someone quickly brought a box of Cabra. The fabric was rolled up, and we wrapped it around the rags like a mummy.
"Try it now! Go, go!"
"Yes, sir."
The skilled worker who had been waiting anxiously charged toward the engine's scud.
"Ha ha ha, it's not hot. It's not hot at all."
"Yes!!! Ha ha ha!"
"We'll take turns in teams, applying oil every hour. I'll go first."
"I'll go with you. It's better to take the first hit."
Everyone wrapped cloth around the iron bars and stepped forward.
With people wrapped in rags covered in Cabra rushing in, the engine quickly stabilized.
They weren't afraid of hot flames or hard labor.
They were the strongest team fit to cross the Pacific.
Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, the siren blared.
"Huh? What's this sudden noise?"
"Why is the siren going off now? We've just fixed the engine."