On May 2nd, the Fast Ocean Freight Liner under the banner of Forward Shipping Company set sail. The cargo hold, capable of carrying up to 4000 tons of goods, was occupied mostly by handmade textiles, pottery, coffee beans, cattle, sheep, fruits, vegetables, premium barley, barrelled butter, diesel, gasoline, and over ten other types of goods, all with official permits and customs documents from the Ottoman Empire government. In the ship's registration records, the port of departure was Istanbul, while the destination port was listed as New York. There were 40 registered crew members and 8 passengers on board, although at the time of departure, including the captain, crew, and the so-called passengers, there were only 32 people, four of whom were children under 10 years old.
After much consideration, Alsaran decided to accompany Zhang Hainuo and the others to the Americas. Zhang Hainuo prepaid him six months' worth of salary to send back to Antalya for his grandfather's immediate use.
In addition to the Elga family, Alsaran, and the crew brought by Zhang Hainuo, there were 8 "newcomers" aboard the Fast Ocean Freight Liner for the long voyage: Thomas, who was experienced in surface ship propulsion system maintenance, and five stokers and two mechanical engineers introduced by him. These individuals were handpicked by Zhang Hainuo from nearly 20 German shipbuilders and sailors who had come to apply, based mainly on his individual conversations with them, assessing their enthusiasm and loyalty to the homeland, as well as their willingness to wander far from Europe.
Zhang Hainuo and Otto were both satisfied with the final selection of these eight individuals. While the crew could temporarily act as crew members of the Fast Ocean Freight Liner, hiring experienced sailors was still essential for long-distance ocean voyages. However, the main reason for hiring these individuals was the concern that too many crew members might request to leave—otherwise, there might not be enough crew members available on U148 to support the Fast Ocean Freight Liner!
That night, when the Fast Ocean Freight Liner sailed about 30 nautical miles southwest of Limnos Island, which was under Greek jurisdiction, Zhang Hainuo ordered the ship to stop. He instructed Gisel to send a signal towards Limnos Island every minute using the ship's signal lamp, and had Simon monitor the new 8 crew members closely, ensuring they remained in the bottom power compartment of the Fast Ocean Freight Liner throughout the rendezvous with U148.
With Limnos Island as a prominent reference point for the rendezvous, Zhang Hainuo and his team quickly spotted the signals sent by U148. Forty minutes later, Hessen's figure appeared on the deck of this ocean freighter.
"Hainuo, if you hadn't arrived, we would have gone to Istanbul to find you!"
As soon as they met, Hessen couldn't wait to vent his grievances. If Simon and Elga hadn't transported some meat, grain, and fresh water using the old Fast Ocean Freight Liner two weeks ago, U148 would have run out of supplies a week earlier!
"There's no way around it. This ocean freighter isn't like a small boat. Without proper documentation, it can't enter or leave ports at will! Now that everything is settled, we'll use this freighter as a supply ship to lead U148 to the Americas!" Zhang Hainuo smiled, glancing at the sailors who followed Hessen up the gangway, whispering, "How's the situation?"
"It's not good, but it's not too bad either!" Hessen replied ambiguously, then explained, "You already know about Proll's situation. He has young and old family members at home. He prefers to sacrifice some of his share of the treasure and return to Germany as soon as possible! He privately swore to me that he would keep silent about U21 and U148 when he returned!"
"How many people in total? Officers and ordinary crew members!"
Zhang Hainuo was very concerned about this number. If only a small number wanted to leave, it wouldn't have much impact on the submarine's operation and the morale of the remaining crew. If many wanted to leave, he would have to do something to reverse the situation.
"I've talked to every person on board in the past few weeks. My subordinates Proll, Zitz, your gunnery officer Gilbert Junk, and medical officer Kais Schmidt want to return to Germany. There are 11 ordinary crew members who don't want to accompany us to the Americas. There are still a dozen or so with less decisive attitudes!"
"I'll talk to Gilbert Junk and Kais Schmidt again. By the way, I hired 8 German sailors in Istanbul. They came to Turkey before the war for various reasons. I asked them, and they're all single men, willing to join us in developing in the Americas. However, they don't know our true identity yet!"
"German sailors?" Hessen was somewhat surprised. "Are you sure they are reliable?"
"They are all born and raised Germans. As long as I explain to them that preserving the submarine is for the sake of the country and the navy and promise them generous treatment, as well as the possibility of applying for medals in the future, I think they won't refuse!"
Before Hessen could respond, Zhang Hainuo added, "But whether to keep them on board depends on how many crew members we ultimately lose! If the number of departures doesn't exceed 10, we can keep them in the bottom compartment without discovering the secret of U148 and then disband them in a Spanish port!"
After a moment of thought, Hessen expressed cautious agreement, "That's a good plan, but we still need to be careful!"
"Yeah! I'll be careful! Now, let the boarding sailors go to the restaurant for a meal. Mrs. Elga has prepared barbecue and Turkish dishes! I'll go find Junk and Schmidt and try to persuade them to stay first!"
"Alright!" Hessen turned around. By now, nearly 20 sailors had boarded the Fast Ocean Freight Liner. He called out loudly, "Everyone, go to the ship's restaurant. Mrs. Elga has prepared a meal!"
On Hessen Island, Mrs. Elga's cooking was famous, and her Turkish dishes were loved by the German sailors who had long been accustomed to canned food and bread as their main diet. So when they heard Hessen's words, the sailors couldn't wait to enjoy the delicious food.
Zhang Hainuo happened to spot Junk among the group of sailors. He called out his name and then walked over.
"Captain, it's great to see you again!" Junk's face bore a smile tinged with apology.
"Can we talk privately?" Zhang Hainuo got straight to the point. After getting his consent, he walked towards the bow, with Junk following behind nonchalantly.
"Are you still determined to return to Germany now?" Zhang Hainuo spoke calmly. "The situation at home is much worse than you can imagine. The country is in chaos, with the military suppressing workers' armed uprisings everywhere, and small-scale battles are happening everywhere!"
Junk paused for a few seconds, then lowered his eyelids. "Exactly because of this, Captain, I must hurry back to take care of my family! As you know, I have three children of my own, and I've been looking after the widows and children left behind by my two brothers who died in battle! My wife was only a temporary typist in a company before the war ended. It's an unstable job. If something..."
Zhang Hainuo reassured him, "Junk, I've written to my steward to send living expenses to your wife on time, so you don't have to worry too much! This time going to the Americas, if all goes well, we'll select a group of people to return to Germany to handle affairs within three months. I'll make sure you're a priority!"
"Sorry, Captain! I'm just too worried. With the chaotic situation, and three women taking care of about ten children, I can't sleep at night just thinking about it. Even if I fall asleep, I dream of my two deceased brothers. If anything happens to their widows and children, I'll never have peace!"
Junk, who usually gave off an impression of toughness, now spoke in a tone of melancholy and helplessness.
How could Zhang Hainuo not understand the helplessness in all of this? He knew that even if his steward, Hastin, received his letters, he might not be able to deliver the living expenses to these sailors' homes in time—As he knew, Germany was almost in a state of civil war between November 1918 and April of the following year, with the military entering cities to suppress worker uprisings, and armed factions often clashed.
"Junk, when you return to Germany, can you do me a favor?"
Hearing this, Junk's face showed an indescribable expression—a mixture of relief and gratitude. He said, "Captain, as long as I've settled my family, not just one favor, but ten!"
"I'll give you all the addresses of the sailors' families and some money. If possible, I'd like you to personally deliver this money to everyone's families and let them know they're safe!"
Junk almost didn't hesitate and agreed in one breath, "Their families are my family. I'll definitely do it!"
Next, Zhang Hainuo found medical officer Kais Schmidt. This young man also had a brother who died in the war, and he was more worried about his paralyzed mother at home. Despite this, Zhang Hainuo found a clever way to open up his emotional barriers. After a long conversation, Schmidt finally decided to follow the majority and stay with the main fleet. One important reason was that his family lived in Hanover, just like Junk's family—so as long as Junk could return safely to Germany, his family would also be taken care of. At the same time, Zhang Hainuo also told him that they needed a full-time military doctor for this voyage to the Americas, and both he and Kais on U21 were the only two individuals in this team with rich medical knowledge and experience.