Spring of soldiers 'counting wind, measuring rain, measuring water'

First time telling story

To better understand the meteorological observations that perform extra-terrestrial tasksDK1/7 platform, I would like to meet Lieutenant Colonel Le Xuan Nam - former Commander of DK1/7 Platform, DK1 Battalion, Naval Region 2 to hear him talk about the daily work of hydrometeorological observers at the forefront.

DK1/7 platform stands firm in the middle of the Fatherland's seas. Photo: Mai Thang

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nam, if a Radar operator is called a "ship sonographer", meaning he knows where the ship is going and where it is, then a weather observer is called a "weather doctor".

“Their work, which is arduous and arduous day and night, is no less glorious and proud. To have accurate weather forecast data sent to the mainland, the observers must take turns to be on duty day and night, regardless of sunshine or rain, calm seas or storms. All for the peace of the works on the front line of the Fatherland,” Lieutenant Colonel Nam shared.

When the storm hits, the rig remains steadfast in the face of immense wind and waves. Photo: Van Bay

During the time of "eating the waves and talking about the wind", "living with the sea, sharing joys and sorrows with the sea" outside the DK1/7 Platform, Lieutenant Colonel Nam always considered "counting the wind, measuring the rain, measuring the water" of the meteorological surveyors as a "specialized" task. To have accurate weather forecasts for the sea, islands, and continental shelf in the South of the Fatherland broadcast nationwide every day, he and the meteorological observation team "counted the wind, measured the rain, measured the water" day and night from the field of the platform.

A day and night has 24 hours, so the observers have to “measure” the water level 24 times, “count” the wind 24 times. The synthesized data is encrypted with a cipher and sent to the Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. This is also the first basis for producing accurate weather forecasts every day.

It is a job that requires meticulousness and high precision. In any weather conditions, rain or shine, night or day, wind or storm or lightning, the surveyors come to the site at the right time to measure and count. This is also considered our number 1 combat mission.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Xuan Nam - Former Commander of DK1/7 Platform, DK1 Battalion, Naval Region 2

The “sea level measurement and wind counting” system is a meticulous and careful work. In the current system of 15 DK1 platforms, DK1/7 is the only platform that has a hydrometeorological system installed and is managed by meteorological surveyors.

The bases of the platforms are all marked with “water level, depth”. The tide rises to a certain level, corresponding to that “step of data”. The “step of data” is also the “measurement” of the sea level. Based on this measurement, the specialized agencies will analyze, synthesize and forecast whether the sea will be rough or not in the coming days.

During the day, measuring the water level is easier. Just look at the pillars at the base of the platform, and measure as the water rises. But at night, the surveyors have to hold a "flashlight" and go down to the docking floor, "shining" on the bases to measure. When the sea is calm, measuring the water level is easy, but at night, when the waves are big and the wind is strong, measuring the sea level is very difficult and dangerous. Although the light of the "specialized flashlight" shines far, it is not always favorable. Not to mention the danger of slipping and falling into the sea in the dark if not careful.

Installing a meteorological monitoring system between the sea and sky. Photo: Provided by DK1 platform

“Although we have a lot of experience measuring seawater at night, every time we encounter big waves and strong winds, we always wear life jackets on the docking floor and have a rescue plan to avoid unfortunate accidents. The "wind counting" is more leisurely but is still done once an hour. On the roof of the platform, a fan system is installed. The number of revolutions of the fan is obtained from the wind speed per second, which is the necessary data to signal whether there will be storms or strong winds in the coming days in the island sea area. We work regardless of day or night, and when it is our shift, we go to combat position,” said Meteorologist, soldier Ha Quoc Khanh from DK1/7 Platform.

Everyone chooses the easy job, who will do the hard work?

The Year of the Cat has come to every village road and street corner. In the farthest part of the Fatherland's sea and islands, meteorological observers outside the DK1/7 Platform also welcomed a peaceful Spring in the common joy of the people of the whole country.

Celebrating Tet at sea for the 9th time, although he misses the mainland and misses his parents back home who have worked hard all year, meteorological officer Tran Thanh Cong is still mentally secure and always determined to excellently complete the assigned tasks.

Sharing his concerns about celebrating Tet away from home in the sea and sky of the Fatherland, Cong confided: “On Tet, everyone misses the mainland, their family and loved ones. But because of the mission assigned by the unit, we must be determined to complete the task excellently. If everyone celebrates Tet on the mainland, whoever is in the sea, everyone will choose the easy work, leaving the arduous work for others. To have accurate weather forecasts, for the peace of ships and constructions on the islands, no matter how arduous, silently contributing and sacrificing one's youth is also a pride. As a soldier on the oil rig, the choice is to protect the sea and islands of the Fatherland, that is a sacred mission.”

“There were times when the storm was very close, thunder and lightning were happening around, waves were level 9, 10, gusts of wind level 12, we held flashlights and climbed up to the roof of the rig in the rain to record the data that the measuring devices had just recorded in order to promptly process the data. Measuring the water level in the middle of the night during the storm season with big waves was also extremely difficult.

DK1/7 is the only platform that has an international standard meteorological and oceanographic station (level I station, broadcasting 4 obs/day). The number of personnel is often lacking, so the brothers take turns working at the platform every 8 months before returning to the mainland once. Some people celebrate 2 Tet holidays at sea, then come back for a month's leave and then return to the platform to work again. The task is difficult, arduous and hard, but when thinking about the peace of the marine works, the hardship disappears, the joy multiplies and fills up," Mr. Cong confided.

New Year flag salute at DK1 platform. Photo: Mai Thang

Since 2009, the DK1 platform system has been upgraded and repaired from one hull to two modern hulls. The lives of officers and soldiers have also been greatly improved. In the meals in the middle of the sunny and windy sea, there is not only braised fish with the salty taste of the sea, but also boiled water spinach and cabbage soup. Fresh water is also more "generous" than before. Viettel telephone network is the "O Thuc bridge" connecting the distance between the sea and the shore. On normal days, the longing for the mainland is always in the heart, when Spring comes, Tet comes, although the mind is at ease, the longing for family and relatives on the mainland is even more intense./.