The registration of the names of the "newcomers" began long ago throughout the ship, and the first ceremony began on the evening of two days before the arrival of the warship at the point of passage. In the officers' boardroom, the officers began a rally, led by Vice Captain Admiral Patterson, a veteran naval test pilot who began his naval career after World War I commanded a trawler to assist in clearing mines in the North Sea.

This officer's meeting room is located in the middle of the warship, on the second level below the flight deck, and contains twelve long tables, each of which seats twenty-two people. The house is almost square, with white ice walls on the walls, ceiling, and floor. The tables and chairs are made of dark wood. For dinner, the officers wore high-collared white canvas naval uniforms. If you don't wear a shirt or undershirt underneath, with an open collar and no collar buttons (this is allowed during meals), it's more relaxed and comfortable. They range in age from their early twenties to their fifties. Some were tanned, while others were pale from working below the flight deck. Skinny, fat, chunky, skinny, whatever.

During the meal, there was a lot of good-natured conversation, and as soon as the orderly put the snacks and coffee on the table, they were immediately eaten. The table in the middle of the right side of the officer's conference room became the courtroom's desk.

Everyone watched with excitement as the composition of the courtroom took place. They dragged chairs over and sat down, and more than 430 people lit cigarettes and pipes. Lieutenant Commander Volant, a burly man, assumes the divine role of President. He had a lively surname, long gray hair, and a face with the kind of white that is characteristic of old office sitters. His jury lined up on either side was a group of prejudiced "veterans" who specialized in convicting "newcomers."

The chief medical officer of the "Habakuk", Admiral Grant, is an assistant mouthyman. The quiet, laid-back, tall doctor always had a smoking pipe in his mouth, and there was a humor on his expressionless face. He's a dangerous guy who specializes in asking snarky questions (which is the job of a good mouthyman).

On the right is Lieutenant Commander Bill, a veteran aviation officer and flight group leader on board. He was a little ** meters tall, looked to be in his fifties, his long face was tanned, and his piercing eyes seemed to see through people, but he was an amiable man. Now he pursed his lips and looked like he was about to smile, which was a bad omen for those who were about to be tried before him. Bill was a Navy pilot for twenty years and is now the leader of all the squadrons on board. When the attack was carried out, he led a command group of four planes and personally dived and bombed. His style of leadership is the highest level of leadership. Therefore, the British naval authorities decided to appoint the "Habakuk" as the captain of a newly converted aircraft carrier after returning to port.

The rest of the jury was Lieutenant Commander Hamilton, the leader of the dive bomber squadron on the "Habakuk," the squadron leader of the reconnaissance bombers, Lieutenant Commander Jackson, and the steady, strong, power-strong Lieutenant Commander Fox, a giant mainframe under his control. These are all weather-beaten and have strong self-confidence and command skills. Of the three, Hamilton, with wavy black hair, was the most handsome. Jackson doesn't like to talk, he has the figure of a standard championship-winning athlete, and he has the temperament of a successful person if he doesn't succeed, and he is the embodiment of a typical naval pilot.

It was the senior officers' room, and it was almost impossible to find the target of attack from the dining table, so the young pilots and a dozen ensigns and lieutenants were called from the junior officers' room. The young pilots were all Americans, and they had just graduated from the Naval Aviation School in Pensacola, Florida, a few months after graduation, and a dozen or so other young officers had been transferred in whole groups. They have been trained in strict discipline, but they are self-righteous and showy, so they have become full targets of attack.

The court proceeded for several hours. Some "newcomers" were treated very badly, and their backs were immediately stepped on one foot, scolding them for being spineless, and being the most lowly and unproductive "newcomers". The truth soon became apparent. It turned out that the court and the jury had only one purpose, and that was to convict all those on trial. In such interrogations, there is no justice or rights at all, and the prisoners have no rights, no hope, and no chance of escape. However, it's all a joke.

At the end of the evening's event, the "veterans" identified a large group of "newcomers" to welcome the upcoming Romans program. The next night, still in the officers' boardroom, the courtroom made such a joke. This time there was no need for proof, everyone was brought to court and punished, and it was unusually barbaric. The victims' pockets were searched for no reason, and the "veterans" were sweating profusely and wanted to drink soft drinks and ice cream.

That night's courtroom was dissolved, and the new addiction was concentrated on the official ceremony the following day. Despite the chaos on board, the "Habakuk" was a warship that was heading for enemy waters. Half of the members were always on duty as normal, and their vigilance was not slackened in the slightest. Air patrols were dispatched as usual, the radio department was busy as usual, and the mechatronic and gunners were also on duty. But somehow, not a single "newcomer" was seen that morning, and everywhere on the ship. No one is allowed on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. The flight deck is particularly long, not to mention the other members of the ship, and there are a lot of ground crew members alone. Because the last scene of the ritual is a whipping from one end of the ship to the other, between two rows of young American men, each of whom takes a strip of canvas wrapped in wet paper and jerks it on your ass, which must be a good blow, especially when the distance of nearly 300 meters is completed, which adds up to more than 500 strokes. This is how the ritual of each "newcomer" ends.

However, before these ceremonies are solemnly concluded, everyone is brought before the royal court. Aquaman, queen, and prince (the prince is the fattest man on the ship) sit on the throne, and they attend all the ceremonies and "welcome" the newcomers from morning to night on behalf of the ruling king.

Each victim had to be stripped of his clothes at some point when he was brought to Aquaman. At this moment, the servants of the court came forward with brushes soaked with rare pigments (the brushes were stained with egg yolks, shellac, iodine, banana oil, lemon juice, and some other rarer mixtures. These paints are used to paint the bodies of the "newcomers" who are about to become "veterans" and paint bizarre patterns, coats of arms and symbols on their bodies. Finally, they get down on their knees and start running. Usually, they listen to the words of the "senior lawyers", they run without belts, and as a result, they stumble and fall into the crowd.

The captain of the "Shaba Cook", Rear Admiral Vian, stood on the signal platform eight meters above the flight deck and watched the excitement. From here you can see the back and waving arms of each "veteran", and hear the crackling and whistling of the runners. A short, stocky Marine made a beautiful backhand halfway and slammed it back, so that the man running behind him had to stay one step behind him and couldn't chase him. The angry runner rounded his arms, swung his forearms vigorously, shouted a trumpet to cheer himself on, and sped up with all his strength.

Admiral Thompson, the signal chief standing beside him, said: "When we are not at war, we play an old game on aircraft carriers, and even the bravest people can be frightened. This game involves using the main elevator that lifts the plane from the bottom of the ship to the flight deck. The 'veterans' installed a large canvas tank on top of the lift, and then lowered the lift to the bottom, more than 30 meters from the flight deck. Bring the 'newcomers' to the edge of the big hole, let them see the tank below, and then lead them open, and then it's time for an even more bizarre ritual. Blindfold them, lead them back to the lift, tell them the tank is underneath, and order them to jump in. ”

Even though they were all blindfolded, almost no one was willing to jump down. It's usually about pushing them down. Of course, when they were led away from the lift, the lift had risen to a distance of only a meter or two from the flight deck, but the victim did not know it. Everyone screamed as they fell, and they had to fill their stomachs with water, because they all fell into the water in an instant. ”

Listening to Captain Thompson's words, Major General Vian burst out laughing.

There is no time for such advanced games on board the "Habakuk" now, since the planes and elevators on the ship are always in combat condition.

Rear Admiral Vian looked at the entire task force from the bridge of the "Habakuk". Compared with the huge body of the "Habakuk", the surrounding frigates, including battleships, appear extremely small.

"Habakuk" was the mother ship of the destroyers and cruisers that sailed with it. It gives them fuel, food, clothing, haberdashery on board, and anything you can actually mention. The entire fleet can transfer things from one ship to another, such as tons and tons of fuel, without slowing down their cruising speed.

Rear Admiral Wei'an still remembers that a battleship approached the "Habakuk" when it was just dark, and threw two moorings from the bow and stern to the "Habakuk" and tied them to the starboard side of the iceberg aircraft carrier. The dignified and huge "Habakuk" and the slender and low battleship are now one. The flight deck of the "Habakuk" was several tens of meters above the water, which was higher than the bridge of the battleship. By the time the battleship approached and was tied to the side of the "Habakuk", it was already dark. Together, they galloped through the endless darkness. The crew of the battleship handed them a list of items needed by the ship's crew with a mail cable. It took about two hours to refuel the battleship, during which time everything else could be fully equipped and teleported to the battleship.

Before the battleship left, Vian and Rear Admiral Sherman, who was with him, strolled on the signal platform, looking down at the bridge and deck of the battleship. The moon rose over the water antenna on their port side, but the battleship sailing next to them was even darker, completely obscured by the dark shadow of the "Habakuk".

While the crews of both sides were standing there chatting, someone on the bridge of the battleship shouted to Rear Admiral Vian: "Is the moon out?" ”

Someone on the flight deck replied with a smile: "What do you ask, you can't see the moon when it comes out." ”

The sailors of the "Habakuk" were telling the truth, the moonlight was completely blocked by the huge iceberg aircraft carrier, and the people on the battleship could not see anything.

After a while, after the replenishment was completed, the two warships changed course slightly and separated, continuing to move forward, and the moonlight crossed the bridge of the "Habakuk" and illuminated a corner of the battleship's bridge. Major General Vian heard a signalman leaning on the railing, his hands clasped into a cylinder, and he sang loudly: "When the moon rises on the top of the mountain......

This was the lightest moment of the war that Major General Vian had ever felt.

In their fleet, other warships often applied to the "Habakuk" for all sorts of things. In fact, they wanted the supply department of the Habakuk to carry everything they could buy on shore. Vian often heard people talk, "This cruiser next to us tonight asked us for an ounce of rosin and stuff. ”

"Did you get it?"

"Oh, got it. We have. There was a person on the destroyer who had to use a violin bow to use. ”

If anyone else is here, it must be surprising to hear this. The "Habakuk" was so large, well-equipped and supplied that anything to find could be immediately taken out of storage, except, of course, the blonde who was 1.6 meters tall (a cruiser had made such a request), and spirits, because the US Navy still did not appreciate the open-door policy. Rum, known to the British as "Nelson's blood," was not available in the U.S. Navy, which was served every day by the British.

The "Habakuk" could not replenish supplies or ammunition anywhere, but could also stay at sea for several months to fight, where skilled bakers worked in shifts twenty-four hours a day to prepare a variety of breads and snacks. Look at the exquisite cakes, cakes, cookies and snacks that the crew eats at sea, and you will no longer wonder why their bodies can be so rugged and strong.

The bakery itself of the "Habakuk" is very modern. The huge dough machine and cake maker are electric. The temperature regulation of the electric oven for baking bread is only half a degree. It was spotlessly clean and full of stainless steel panels, boxes, bread racks, plates, pots and a variety of bread molds. The meat processing room and bakery are on the same deck, with shiny white tiles on the floor, cutting boards, knives, hooks, meat grinders and other equipment, as well as a high-class slaughterhouse on the shore. Every morning the butchers take out the meat from the huge cold storage for the 24 hours. They are all patches of cattle, sheep, and pork. It was first hung up on slow ice, then cut into various pieces, and finally sent to several quarters on the ship. The quarters are divided according to military ranks. For example, there is a small stove for the general and his staff officers, another stove for the captain and department chief, and a stove for hundreds of officers. The fourth was a junior officer stove consisting of more than a hundred ensigns. The fifth is the sergeant stove (they are the "slippery ghosts" in the navy, and they are known throughout the army for their delicious recipes). Finally, there are seven soldier stoves.

The Navy introduced the café to the kingdom of the sea. In the past, it was the big room that made the things first, and about every 20 people ate together, with large plates on top of the table. This hard time has passed. Now, each person carries a stainless steel tray to the counter of his unit, and the food can be picked up from the service desk of the steam table, exactly like any high-end café on the shore. Major General Vian and the officers had access to coffee and silver cutlery, and they could sit at any empty table. Three meals a day, each meal lasts for two hours. During these two hours, you can eat anytime, and you can eat openly and choose whatever you like. There is a wide variety of foods, and every meal is different.

The food of the crew is very important in the navy, and a special system has been established to ensure that the crew gets the right amount of food and high-quality food, and requires meticulous work and thoughtful service. The ship's recipe is drawn up by the quartermaster a week in advance, and is handed over to the ship's medical officer to check whether it has the right amount of vitamins and calories, and after the medical officer approves it, he will give it to the captain to see if the food is complete. If the captain agrees, he signs the recipe list, so that the recipe becomes an order and cannot be changed.

Each department on the ship has a coffee pot that is always rolling open, and anyone can pour themselves a large cup of coffee at any time. In addition to the regular meals scheduled, food was also served at the ship's commissary. Ice cream, soft drinks, malt cream, soda mineral water, sweets, snacks, as well as a variety of clothes, cosmetics, gifts for lovers and homes, radios for personal use, and a wide variety of haberdashery products can be bought here. In fact, the commissary sells well, especially in the tobacco sector.

Tucked away in the nooks of warships, the library can be found with everything from technical books to detective adventures. Managing books is a fetish of Lieutenant Commander Scott, the ship's chaplain. He told Vian that he wanted to collect the latest and greatest books – bestsellers and good technical books. He said that since the beginning of the war, there has been a great deal of interest in books on travel and expeditions, such as books on the customs and customs of the following countries: Zoben, China, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and the islands of Melanesia and Polynesia. It wasn't until there were so many people borrowing them that he realized how much of a demand for such books was. He sent long-term orders for new books to China, and gradually filled some gaps.

(To be continued)