Chapter 511 Checkpoints in the Strait of Hormuz

1980 was a turbulent year. Although the Olympic Games held in Moscow in the north symbolized the unity and enterprising spirit of human civilization, the terrorist attacks at the Olympics showed that the world was not peaceful and there were always people who wanted to cause trouble.

What was even more worrying was that after the Olympics, the powerful Soviet Union found a reason to invade Iran to the south! At this time, Iran, which was already strong on the outside but weak on the inside, could not resist the Soviet invasion at all. In a short period of time, the Soviet Union achieved the goal set during the reign of Peter the Great and gained access to the Indian Ocean!

These alone are enough to give the Western world a headache, but the Russian bear's steps obviously do not stop there. The Iran-Iraq War was stopped under the mediation of the Soviet Union. Iran divided the Khuzestan Province to Iraq, and the new Iranian government completely became a puppet of the Soviet Union!

And now, the countries along the entire Persian Gulf have felt a deep crisis.

It is already November, and Moscow in the north is covered in snow and ice, while the Persian Gulf is still hot.

The shaking of sea water will not affect the oil tankers. The oil tankers sailing out of the Middle East are all big. At this time, the largest aircraft carrier in the world has a displacement of only 100,000 tons, while the tonnage of an oil tanker is often 200,000 tons. This is to facilitate passing through the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal. If it were not for passing through these narrow exits, the tonnage of the oil tanker would be even higher. Among supertankers, oil tankers of 800,000 tons are not uncommon.

However, if you think that an oil tanker can be converted into an aircraft carrier, you are totally wrong. This type of merchant ship can simply sail, and its structural strength is simply unable to accommodate the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft. Moreover, although the ship has a large tonnage, the performance of the engine is not that amazing. Many of them are just low-speed marine diesel engines or steam turbines. The maximum speed of this type of oil tanker is only a dozen knots, and twenty knots is already an incredible speed.

Now, the Kuwaiti-registered tanker sailing in the Persian Gulf is the "Umm Qabashi" with a displacement of 160,000 tons. This tanker has been sailing on the sea for five or six years since its construction, making it a veteran.

Now, the Strait of Hormuz is in front of us. Although the water here is wide, there are many reefs underwater, so we must be careful.

The navigator stood in the cockpit, constantly directing the course. The weather was good today and the visibility was quite good. At this rate, they should be able to leave the Strait of Hormuz in half a day.

However, Captain Hilton was absent-minded. He was looking at the sea ahead, thinking about something in his mind.

Just this morning, half an hour ago, the Soviet Union issued a statement that in the process of clearing out the rebel forces in Iran, it was discovered that some war criminals had escaped, some of whom escaped by sea. Therefore, the Soviet Navy decided to conduct a search at sea to check all ships leaving the Persian Gulf to see if there were any Iranian criminals hiding.

Such a statement naturally aroused opposition from countless countries, especially those along the Persian Gulf, which were quite disgusted. But now, the Soviet navy was a powerful presence here, so what could they do?

I hope this time it goes smoothly! Hilton thought to himself, and at the same time, he began to pray for the help of the true God.

"Listen, tanker in front, turn immediately and head to the preset checkpoint on Qeshm Island for inspection!" At this moment, a loud speaker suddenly came from the front, and this shout resounded throughout the sea.

"Oh no, the route ahead is blocked!" the navigator shouted.

From here, you can vaguely see that right in the middle of the channel ahead, a warship is lying across it, completely blocking the channel. Although there is still width on both sides, there are reefs underwater on both sides, and it will be troublesome if it runs aground.

Just like a traffic police car blocking the road sideways, this warship was lying sideways and had dropped anchor, completely blocking the route here.

"Stop the main engine." Hilton ordered immediately. Although the speed was not high, it was not easy to stop this tanker weighing more than 100,000 tons. It would take several kilometers of sea to stop completely.

"This is the Kuwaiti oil tanker Umm Qabashi. We are not carrying any Iranians. Please allow us to pass." Hilton shouted through a loudspeaker, suppressing his anger.

"I repeat, please turn immediately and go to the checkpoint on Qeshm Island for inspection, otherwise we will think that you are carrying criminals and will attack you!"

As if in response to this sentence, the warship on the opposite side turned its gun around and aimed its black muzzle here.

At the same time, a helicopter also flew towards this side. It seemed that if our side did not change its course, the special forces on this helicopter would definitely descend.

It seems that there is no other choice but to go to Qeshm Island for inspection! Hilton knew that this kind of civilian ship looked majestic, but in fact, it had no advantage at all, and it was impossible to even collide with it, because the other side was a warship!

The tanker slowly moved towards Qeshm Island. The waterways here were more complicated and the movement was slow. However, the Soviets seemed to have made preparations. There were buoys on the entire surface of the water to indicate the route, as if the route was set for the ships under inspection.

Finally, we arrived at the checkpoint on Qeshm Island. When we arrived here, Captain Hilton's face suddenly changed.

There are five or six oil tankers parked ahead. It seems that there are people who have arrived earlier than me. I hope the inspection can be completed as soon as possible!

At the same time, he used a satellite phone to contact the country. This situation could be extended to a diplomatic incident, and the country could come forward and lodge a serious protest to the Soviet Union!

Gradually, cargo ships and oil tankers joined in, and soon a long queue formed.

Hilton's face became more and more ugly. As time went by, he could not see any movement of the ship in front! How long will these Soviets check? If they were allowed to board the ship for inspection, they would have already lost their sovereignty, and now the Soviets were still dithering!

When night fell, Hilton knew that he was in big trouble. He didn't know how long he would have to stay here before he could get out! The Soviets, this was definitely intentional and had a purpose!

The small Qeshm Island checkpoint couldn't accommodate so many ships. The ships slowly lined up outside, and the waterway was full of ships! It was like a traffic jam on the highway!