The witness recalled the whole story of 1946 when the National Government recovered Nansha Islands.

The witness recalled the whole process of 1946 when the National Government recovered Nansha Islands.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, I participated in the recovery of Nansha Islands in the winter of 1946, and I was a historical witness of the recovery of Nansha Islands. This happened 42 years ago, and Li Yang recited ancient poems crazily. The following is my understanding of Nansha Islands and my personal experience of 1946 participating in the recovery of Nansha Islands.

The southernmost island in the South China Sea of China.

Nansha Islands, formerly known as Tuansha Islands, have been the territory of China since ancient times. It is bordered by Xisha Islands in the north, Borneo in the south, the Philippines in the east and zhina Peninsula in the west. Among them, Taiping Island is 550 nautical miles north of Yulin Port, 487 nautical miles east of Manila, 830 nautical miles southwest of Singapore and 486 nautical miles west of Saigon. Nansha Islands is the key point of the South China Sea route, and it is the southernmost, most widely distributed, largest and most numerous island in the South China Sea to which China belongs.

There are abundant aquatic products in the aquarium.

Nansha Islands is rich in aquatic products, including fish, shrimp, sea cucumber, soft-shelled turtle, shellfish and seaweed. There are many varieties and large output. According to the introduction of old fishermen in Yulin Port, fishermen from China, Guangdong and Guangxi will go fishing in Nansha Islands for three months during the fishing season from February to April every year, which can cover their living expenses for one year. There are also many turtles there, which are easy to catch, especially on the night when the lunar calendar is close to the sun. Many turtles swim to the seaside and are easier to catch. As long as you turn over and stand firm, you won't leave again, waiting to be cleaned up. 1946 I dug up a lot of turtle eggs in the sand on the beach of Taiping Island. In the anchorage, the sea is clear, and the white sand and coral on the seabed are the foil. You can see all kinds of fish, algae and corals at a depth of 30 meters. Just like visiting an aquarium, it's beautiful. There are also many fish in the area between Nansha Islands and Xisha Islands.

An inexhaustible natural fertilizer of bird droppings.

There are countless seagulls in Nansha Islands, and the whole island of Taiping Island is covered with a layer with a thickness of 0. 5 1。 0 meters. Guano is an excellent fertilizer. During World War II, a Japanese bird droppings company laid a light rail connecting the cement pier on Taiping Island, and often sent boats to transport bird droppings. Yes, this area is only 0. 43 square kilometers of small Taiping Island, they are willing to make such a scale of investment, you can imagine the economic value of bird droppings there. Zhongye Island is also rich in bird droppings.

Containing submarine oil

It is said that the Nansha Islands region is also rich in seabed mineral resources. The Philippines cooperates with the United States to explore oil in the northeast of Nansha Islands in China. Although the results have not been announced, the news shows that the reserves are considerable, preparing for further exploration and development. In recent years, Vietnam also has activities in Nansha area, which may be related to oil plunder except for territorial expansion. To this end, our government issued a statement. According to a series of foreign data and experts' estimates, the oil reserves in Nansha Islands are very considerable.

The South China Sea is the gateway to shipping between the two oceans.

Nansha Islands is located in the eastern part of the South China Sea in China, at the crossroads of shipping traffic between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, the Asian continent and the Australian continent. Many routes pass through the sea passage between Indochina Peninsula and Nansha Islands. For example, setting up powerful radio stations and radar monitoring stations on Taiping Island or Zhongye Island can control the activities of ships. Nansha Islands, the outpost of China's defense against the South China Sea, occupied a particularly important strategic position in the war.

Important meteorological observation station

It is the southernmost island in the South China Sea of China, about 550 nautical miles from Yulin Port. Island reefs are all over the southern South China Sea. The meteorological changes in the eastern and southern South China Sea are very complicated, especially in summer. Every year, 2030 typhoons are generated in the Philippines and continue to move to the northwest, posing a huge threat.

A large number of historical facts, countless evidences and numerous data records at home and abroad show that our people are the earliest discoverers and pioneers of the South China Sea Islands. On the charts drawn in the Song Dynasty, it was called Li Qian Changsha and Li Qian Shitang. The map of provinces in Huang Qing was drawn in the twenty years of Qing Qianlong; The Map of the Qing Dynasty Unifying the World was painted in the 22nd year of Jiaqing, and it is all about the islands in the South China Sea.

After 1930s, the South China Sea Islands were successively occupied by British, French and Japanese imperialists. According to Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, Taiwan Province Province and South China Sea Islands were all returned to China after the enemy surrendered on August 1945.

The course of recovering Nansha Islands

Accept the task and make a navigation plan.

1July, 946, eight ships, Taikang, Taiping, Yongding, Yongsheng, Yongshun, Yongtai, Yongning and Yongxing, set sail from the United States for minor repairs. The China government organized the recovery of the Nansha and Xisha Islands fleets, taking Taiping Ship, which was regarded as the latest equipment at that time, as the flagship, and led ships such as Nakano and Yongxing to carry out the recovery mission. Navy Colonel Lin Zun was appointed as the commander of the fleet. Captain Mai assigned me to work out a navigation plan with Dai Xiyu's navigator and staff officer Lin, and ordered me to complete the receiving task before the end of February.

At that time, I was a major and vice captain of the Taiping ship. Since 1934, I have worked in customs navigation vessels and survey vessels for many years. I have a good understanding of coastal navigation AIDS and navigation channels, and I also have some experience in transporting people and materials to Shanghai Island in heavy storms. However, the navigation data and navigation laws of Nansha Islands are not elaborated in both Chinese and foreign route guides, only that it is a dangerous zone. So, when I took over the responsibility of this pilot from the commander and the captain, my mind was full of ideas. So I searched for information and found an old chart of Nansha Islands published by 19 10 in France from the Marine Department of Shanghai Customs. However, the chart scale is very small and the water depth is sparse, so it is not suitable for navigation. From this picture, we know that most of the islands, reefs and beaches in Nansha Islands are composed of coral reefs, and most of them are underwater atolls around lagoons. There is no lighthouse or any navigation mark in the whole area. Taiping Island is the largest island, with an area of less than 0. 5 square kilometers, the height is only 3. Three meters. When visibility is good, you can only see islands within 78 nautical miles. Searching in the vast South China Sea connected with Tianshui is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Taiping Island is surrounded by coral reefs. To climb this island, you must cross the coral surface and explore the deep-water channel. Whether you can find this channel or not, I still lack relevant information. But at that time, I held a firm belief: man can conquer nature. If the French and Japanese can land on Taiping Island, of course we will, not to mention our ancestors have been there! I will overcome all difficulties and complete the glorious task of recovering the territory of the motherland.

I have carefully studied the situation of Nansha Islands and the surrounding water depth, as well as the climate, wind direction, current and waves in the South China Sea, and analyzed the reasons why most shipwrecks were in the northeast of Nansha Islands in the past. According to the northeast wind season at that time, the South China Sea current mainly flows to the southwest, and it is considered that approaching Taiping Island from west to east is beneficial to control the speed of searching Taiping Island and find the passage between coral reefs. So I decided to start from Yulin Port, go south first, outside Cape Varela on the coast of Vietnam, and then drive east to Taiping Island. Although it will sail more miles, it is safe to find the island.

On the other hand, the meteorology, tidal current, navigation marks and minefields in the sea area between Shanghai and Yulin Port should be further studied. Shortly after the end of World War II, most of the lighthouses and buoys along the coast of China had not been restored. Some minefields have not been thoroughly investigated and cleaned, and floating mines often appear at sea. At the same time, maritime security is also very chaotic, and

1946101On October 29th, four ships, including Taiping, set out from Wusongkou, Shanghai. Command and communicate with each other through signal lights, banners or wireless phones along the way. Turn on the radar, strengthen the lookout, make use of shore markers and sometimes celestial bodies, often survey the ship's position, make a good chart, search for sea surface markers at the same time, pay attention to the dynamics of ships coming and going, and be ready for battle at any time. Average speed 10 knots. 165438+1arrived in Humen on October 2, and the reception Commissioner and staff boarded the ship. 165438+/kloc-0 set sail from Humen on October 6, and/kloc-0 arrived at Yulin Port on October 8, where it was replenished and discussed with the navies of Yulin and Sanya about the radio communication scheme.

It is reported that during the occupation of Sanya and Yulin, Japan set up coastal radio stations, and set up an airport, a submarine base and a huge long-range radio station in Sanya Port to command the Japanese navy and air force in the South China Sea and the South Pacific. However, after Japan surrendered, instead of making good use of or properly keeping the spoils, the Kuomintang receiver dismantled most of the equipment, machinery and instruments, and sold the surplus to enrich himself. I saw with my own eyes that many large radio vacuum tubes were put in the Sanya market and sold as goldfish bowls. Received a large number of valuable military facilities, communication equipment and means of transportation, all of which became waste except a few for the personal use of officials. There is only a small naval radio station in Yulin Port, which can barely contact our fleet.

During our stay in Yulin Port, we also learned about Nansha and Xisha Islands from local old fishermen. It is understood that the fishing season of these two islands is in April. In spring, the wind force is generally below 4.5; There are many strong winds in winter, and the strong winds in the northeast can reach 7. After May, there are many typhoons in summer and autumn rainy season. The anchorage of Xisha Islands is not very bad, but there is no shelter anchorage in Nansha Islands. The bottom material is either gravel, sand or coral, so it is easy to decompose. Due to the bad weather in winter in this sea area, it is actually inappropriate to choose 165438+ 10 and 65438+February to receive Nansha Islands. What's more, the weather station in Nanhai, which was damaged in the war at that time, has not been restored so far, the weather forecast is inaccurate, it is difficult to grasp the weather at sea, and there is no shelter in the middle. The hardships can be imagined. However, the decisions and orders of the Kuomintang government cannot be changed, and the recovery of the Nansha Islands is related to the country's prestige in the world. We must try our best to overcome difficulties and strive to finish the task within the time limit.

Four ships, including Taiping, sailed out of Yulin Port twice in the middle and late years of1/kloc-0. About three hours later, they encountered a big storm, and two large landing ships, MCC and China Construction, rolled to 30 degrees. Their windward area is particularly large and there is a danger of capsizing. Four ships of the whole fleet were forced to return to Yulin Port to take shelter from the wind.

A bright spot on the screen reaches Taiping Island.

1946 65438+February 9, sunny weather, northeast wind level 3. At 8 o'clock in the morning, I set sail from Yulin Port for the third time. Set true course 179 outside the port and sail to the east coast of Vietnam. According to the current wind direction, wind power, estimated flow direction and current speed, the navigation heading of camel compass is 177, and the ship position is determined by radar. After leaving Hong Kong, Yongxing Ship and Zhong Jian Ship set sail separately to recover the Xisha Islands. Taiping and Nakano continued to sail southward at an average speed of 10 knots. 65438+February 10, the exact position of the ship was determined by the landmark outside Cape Varela, Vietnam, and then pointed directly at Taiping Island in Nansha Islands. Because the estimated wind pressure is more accurate, the position of the ship has basically remained on the course. In the morning of 65438+February 65438+February, the sea turned dark green, and Zhijian had entered the shallow water area of about 1000 meters, not far from the coral area. So the sailors were sent to the masthead to strengthen observation, search for lighter water color, slow down, start the echo sounder, record the water depth readings continuously, and pay attention to its changes.

10 or so, a short black line appeared on the horizon directly ahead, and then gradually saw the shape of the shore. A light spot is displayed on the radar screen, which is verified by astronomical observation of latitude and longitude, water depth and ocean icon drawing. Decide that this is Taiping Island. Half an hour later, after passing a coral platform about 40 meters deep, the sea water suddenly turned pale green. Then the speed of the ship is extremely slow, the position of the ship is changed to the position of the island coastline, the distance of 600 meters and the water depth of 30 meters are measured by radar, and the ship immediately reverses and anchors off the southwest coast of Taiping Island at 1 1. This anchorage is made of gravel and sand, and the sea water is very clear. After the anchor chain is thrown out of the seabed, you can see it clearly. When the anchor broke down, the horn sounded and attracted the attention of people on the island. Then put down the motorboat and lifeboat and start landing.

Climb Nansha Islands

Sailors and marines and I landed by motorboat and lifeboat respectively, and pushed about 50 meters offshore. The water was too shallow, so we waded off the boat and went ashore. First, we searched the fort on the shore, but we didn't find anyone, so we raised the national flag at the top. Looking north for two cement houses, I found only a few helmets, tattered military uniforms and leather shoes left by the Japanese army. And knocked down the stone tablet erected by the Japanese army. Searching along the southwest coast, it is found that there is a broken pier on the west side of the south bank, and the light rail is laid eastward from here. This railway and wharf were used by the Japanese guano company to plunder guano. There is an artificial small passage in the south wharf shoal, which is about 300 meters long, 5 meters wide and 35 meters deep. In order to facilitate people to land in the future, a flag was hung on the dock as a sign of the landing point. There is also a radio station on the island, and there is a power plant and several houses at the west end, all of which are concrete. There is also a small fortress at the eastern end.

In the future, building materials, machinery, instruments and construction personnel will be shipped ashore by MCC ships. On that day, the company commander, captain Mai, squadron leader, vice captain, Dai Xiyu, Lin and I held a recovery ceremony on the island, and erected a cement steel tablet about one meter high, engraved with three Chinese characters of Taiping Island. Guangdong Provincial Government Commissioner Mai presided over the restoration ceremony. The Nansha Islands, which were successively occupied by French and Japanese imperialism, have since returned to the embrace of the motherland.

Island observation

During the construction period, I made many detailed investigations on the whole island, and found that the east-west length is about 1km, the north-south width is about 0.5 km, and the area is about 0. 5 square kilometers, about 10 feet high, and tropical plants are about 34 meters high. Surrounded by coral reefs, the outer reef in the southwest corner is the narrowest, about150m wide. The island is covered with white bird droppings. A story is about 0. 5 meters, there are countless seagull eggs hidden in bird droppings, and there are also many turtle eggs on the beach. All buildings are cement structures, which are estimated to be designed to prevent typhoon and storm surge. The windows are so small that most of them are broken. There are 1 well and 4 water storage tanks. There are some incomplete breakwaters on the eastern and southern coasts. There is a line about 0 high on it. Surrounded by a 6-meter cement cofferdam. After testing, the water quality of the well is still drinkable. Install the hand pump immediately. Such as other power plants, radio stations, weather stations, dormitories, etc. It should be repaired or replaced according to its priority. There was a platoon of marines, meteorologists, radio operators, repairmen, medical workers and so on. * * * About 60 people. A batch of weapons and ammunition, medical instruments and medicines, daily necessities and sufficient fuel, consumable materials, grain, non-staple food, canned food, etc. Half a year. Also stayed.

return to the base

As the Nanjing Navy General Command ordered Taiping Ship to go to Yulin, Sanya, Xiuying and other ports to perform other tasks, it left Taiping Island on 65438+February 15 and sailed into the anchorage of White Swan Pond in Guangzhou Port on 65438+February 25. This time, after sailing about 3000 nautical miles from Shanghai, it successfully completed all tasks safely.

Comrade He Bingcai, the author of this article, is one of the historical witnesses of the recovery of Nansha Islands. At that time, he was the deputy captain of the destroyer Taiping. This article describes what he knows and sees about Nansha Islands and his personal experience in those years.