Incredibly, China once spent $20 million to buy an aircraft carrier, but on the way back to China, it was blackmailed by a small country, and the amount of extortion was as high as $1 billion, which is simply jaw-dropping.
We wonder if the Varyag aircraft carrier has safely returned to the Motherland, so who is behind it? How will China respond to such unreasonable demands?
Let's review together the return journey of the Varyag aircraft carrier. The construction of the Varyag aircraft carrier Varyag began in 1985 at the Black Sea Shipyard in Nikolaev, Ukraine, the second aircraft carrier to be built on the shipyard, the first being the Kuznetsov.
The Varyag aircraft carrier did not receive this name at the beginning of its construction, when it was called "Order 106". In July 1990, the Varyag armored ship was officially named the Varyag in honor of the heroic sacrifice in the Russo-Japanese War.
The aircraft carrier is equipped with advanced on-board electronics, has a displacement of 55,000 tons, a total length of 302 meters, and a width of 354 meters. The flight deck on the ship is about 70 meters long, the draft is about 10 meters, and it is equipped with four steam turbines.
By November 1991, 68 percent of the construction of the Varyag had been completed, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the construction of the Varyag and one other aircraft carrier was forced to stop.
After the independence of Ukraine, the Varyag became the property of Ukraine, but remained in the Russian combat formation. If Ukraine wants to continue building the Varyag, it needs at least $200 million, which is quite a huge investment for Ukraine.
Due to limited economic strength, the Varyag was abandoned on the shore of the city of Nikolaev. Russia hopes to take over the Varyag and continue to complete its construction. They tried to negotiate with Ukraine, but Ukraine believes that the value of the Varyag goes far beyond the economic dimension, and that it represents the potential of a country's future defense capabilities.
At **, Ukraine reported an unacceptable report**, which made Russia realize that they were not negotiating in good faith, so the negotiations broke down.
It turned out that Ukraine had considered dismantling the Varyag and selling scrap iron, but this was obviously a loss-making deal, because the dismantling cost required 2$500 million, while steel can only be sold for $5 million.
Thus, Ukraine returned to normal** towards Russia, and the initiative returned to Russia. However, the negotiations still broke down, and the Varyag was again abandoned on the shore, a useless pile of steel.
In 1995, Ukraine gave itself the aircraft carrier Varyag in the name of debt repayment, marking the official withdrawal of the Varyag from the formation of the Russian army.
The twists and turns of the Varyag's return from Ukraine to China The Varyag's voyage from Ukraine to China was full of difficulties and challenges, however, this did not stop China from pursuing it. Once the Varyag joins the Chinese Navy, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance China's military strength.
However, it is clear that the United States will not sit idly by and watch this situation arise, and they may use all means to prevent China from acquiring this powerful aircraft carrier.
Ukraine is in a dilemma in this matter. If it doesn't sell, it won't be able to make any profit from it and will continue to sit idle. However, if **, it will undoubtedly offend the United States, and this will leave it with a difficult future.
The United States, seeing Ukraine's plight, decided to help it. They told Ukraine that if the Varyag was to be made, it would have to dismantle all the carriers first. Ukraine has no choice but to do so.
There is a dispute over whether China should buy the Varyag aircraft carrier, with some arguing that the funds should be used for domestic development, while others believe that national defense capabilities should not be ignored. After comprehensive consideration, China finally decided to buy the aircraft carrier, but it will take more time and effort to rebuild it.
After all considerations, the acquisition was not directly carried out by China, but through a Macau tourism company on the grounds of building a maritime integrated tourism facility. Details of the acquisition have been agreed with Ukraine, and China has also preset a return route through the Black Sea, the Bosphorus, the Mediterranean Sea and the Dardanelles, and finally to China.
While the ideal is good, the reality is often not satisfactory. Shortly after the departure of the aircraft carrier Varyag from Ukraine, problems arose between the Black Sea and the Bosphorus.
Turkey intercepted the Varyag on the grounds that the hull was too large and could affect the navigation of other ships. However, a large number of large cruise ships pass through the Bosphorus every day, and Turkey has never stopped them because of the size of the hull.
This is clearly unfair treatment of China. As a small country, it does not have enough influence internationally and can only rely on the decisions of the great powers, while Turkey must obey the will of the United States.
If they let China through easily, the United States will definitely be disgruntled and wait for an opportunity to retaliate. In order to protect themselves, they will try to create problems for China. After being intercepted, China actively looked for a solution and repeatedly asked Turkey for help.
The Turkish side agreed to release it, but proposed 20 security measures, including a $1 billion risk bond, which was an unsatisfactory clause. Although Turkey has said it will return the deposit, the chances of getting it back are slim once such an unequal treaty is signed.
China is willing to cooperate and adopt 20 security measures, but the deposit of $1 billion is not possible and can be replaced with a state guarantee. The Varyag was eventually renamed the Liaoning and became the predecessor of China's first aircraft carrier.
After more than a year of difficult negotiations, Turkey did not make progress on the issue of the margin and finally chose to compromise and abandon the margin requirement.
When it comes to security measures, China has shown such rigor and meticulousness that Turkey can no longer find fault. However, nature has put them to the test. On November 3, 2001, the Varyag sailed into the Aegean Sea region, and storms followed, and the Varyag was volatile on the sea.
In desperation, the crew was rescued from the ship. There are fears that the Varyag will run aground during the storm, and if it does, it will have unpredictable consequences.
In the face of difficulties, Greece has shown courage and responsibility. With the skillful rope fastening of the sea***, the Varyag managed to avoid the disaster. Although the crossing of the Suez Canal was blocked by the sheer size of the ship, this time it was really for practical reasons.
The Varyag had the option of taking a detour. After many trials, the Varyag finally arrived safely in China on March 3, 2002, a journey that cost nearly $30 million.
Although the Varyag was not used as a tourist facility upon its arrival in China, but was docked ashore for more than two years, the shell aircraft carrier presented many challenges for China.
At that time, China tried to cooperate with Russia in the transformation of the Varyag, but Russia refused. Therefore, China decided to accomplish this task on its own.
In 2005, the crew painted the Varyag in gray, marking its official entry into the renovation phase. However, during the renovation, the empty-hulled Varyag encountered a number of storms, which led to severe damage all over the body, not even power plants and thrusters.
Despite the difficulties, China is determined to carry out this challenging project.
Despite the fact that the USSR had previously paid great attention to the Varyag, it was not an easy task to complete its transformation. After a great deal of effort, manpower, time, and money, China finally succeeded in transforming it on September 28, 2012, and joined China's North Sea Fleet.
The renovated Varyag was renamed the Liaoning aircraft carrier, which can carry 24 J-15 carrier-based aircraft and 12 aircraft of various types
In 2018, after six years of service, the Liaoning underwent a comprehensive transformation and upgrade in accordance with the annual plan. This renovation not only updated the ground markings on the take-off deck and landing area, but also upgraded the blocking materials in the landing area, further extending the service life.
At the same time, a blocking net bracket was added to improve the anti-interference ability of the radar, and the power system and power system were optimized and improved. This series of improvements and optimizations have made the strength of the Liaoning more powerful, and China's strength in national defense has also been greatly improved.
The road back to China of the Liaoning ship can be described as difficult and dangerous, with many trials and rains, and some people are trying to stop it. It is nothing more than because the United States is worried that China will pose a threat to it if it has such a powerful **, especially since China poses a more significant threat to the United States than other countries.
However, China was not deterred by these difficulties, and the Liaoning eventually returned to the motherland smoothly and became an important part of China's defense forces. All this is inseparable from China's full support, over the years, China's investment in the transformation of the Liaoning has reached 3 billion US dollars, plus the cost of labor and time, it can be said that it is countless.
But it's this dedication and dedication that makes it all worth it.