Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength

On April 30, 1975, the country was filled with joy of reunification, North and South reunited as one family. As soon as the gunfire stopped, the country immediately entered the stage of "reconstruction" and "rebuilding" from the ashes. On the southern bank of the Hau River, after the armed forces of Military Region 9 took over the "Logistics Support" base of the old regime, a small factory was born with the simple name "Binh Thuy Factory" - the predecessor of Factory X55. On September 15, 1975, according to the Directive of the General Staff, Regiment 962 handed over to the representative of the framework of Region 5 for management. On October 26, 1975, the Ministry of National Defense officially signed the decision to establish 5 coastal regions, which was also the founding date of the affiliated units, and Binh Thuy Factory became a affiliated unit of Naval Region 5. A year later, the workshop changed its name to "Workshop X55", beginning the steadfast journey of a resilient group in the windy and sunny Southwest region.

Having been involved since he was a young worker, Colonel Ho Duc Hoa, former Deputy Technical Director of Factory X55, still remembers clearly those arduous years: “The factory was rudimentary, the roof was old, the equipment was poor, only motorbikes and small guns could be repaired, meeting a very small technical requirement for Naval Region 5. But in the hardship, the workers' will was tempered. We worked and learned at the same time, exploring each machine detail and each weld to accumulate experience. It was not until 1995, after investing in machinery and tugboats, that Factory X55 was able to build its first ship, thus opening a period of development,” Colonel Hoa emotionally recalled.

Panoramic view of the floating dock system and thousand-ton ship lift of Factory X55, serving the launching of large-tonnage ships and boats.

In his memories, Colonel Ho Duc Hoa smiled as he recounted the days when he and his colleagues built the first oil ship for an economic enterprise. On the launching day, everyone silently watched it plow through the waves on the Hau River, carrying only 300 tons, but that was the sweet fruit of a long process of persistent learning. Colonel Ho Duc Hoa emotionally said: “When building that ship, we took the spirit and will of the workers as motivation, and the accumulated experience as a foundation. It was from those years that many of our brothers grew up, became skilled workers, and continued to pass on the passion for the profession to the younger generation.”

Change to reach out to the ocean

After half a century, Factory X55 now has a new, modern and professional appearance. In the workshop space of nearly 6,000m2 , workers and engineers use 10-ton cranes to connect the large pieces of the ST294 patrol boat - the third aluminum-hulled boat built by the factory in the form of upside-down construction. As someone who has been attached to the boat since receiving the drawings, Mr. Hoang Van Huan, Head of Ship Hull Team 1 shared: "To build the ST294 patrol boat requires high skills of workers, because the structure of the ship's hull is aluminum alloy, so the shape and structure are softer than steel, just a small deviation will affect the entire shape. Therefore, every weld, every detail, workers like us must process meticulously".

The image of a 250-ton cargo ship stretching out and cutting through the waves on the Hau River is a vivid demonstration of the increasingly strong shipbuilding capacity of Factory X55. In addition, the unit also repairs and builds many economic ships such as: Superdong Phu Quy, Can Tho yacht, Victoria MeKong...; modern defense ships such as: 80 - 520-ton transport ships, fishing control ships, patrol ships, and permanent militia fleet ships. In recent years, Factory X55 has also promoted digitalization in the construction process. From equipping CNC Plasma cutting systems, pipe bending machines, CNC lathes to professional software such as AutoCAD for 2D design, Rhino for 3D simulation and Tekla Structures to increase accuracy, save time and human resources.

The pieces of Patrol Boat ST294 are being recognized for connection by a 10-ton crane at the nearly 6,000m² workshop of Naval Factory X55.

Entering the new era, Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Quoc, Deputy Director of Factory X55, said that the unit has built a long-term development roadmap, focusing on modernizing infrastructure, equipment, investing in floating dock systems and 1,600-ton ship lifts to meet large-scale production requirements. In particular, the factory focuses on training human resources, considered the "backbone" of the unit. Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Quoc shared: "We will send officers, engineers, and skilled workers to participate in specialized training courses, learn from the experiences of other units, thereby improving the quality and reputation of X55 in the defense shipbuilding industry."

In the Mekong Delta, Factory X55 is like a "rebirth" and "initiation" point for ships in the Southwest, and even an extended arm that contributes to protecting offshore platforms. On the journey to master modern shipbuilding technology, each person of Factory X55 still strives every day, putting into it all the passion and pride of a Navy soldier. To continue the aspiration to reach out to the ocean, to protect the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland with their own hands and hearts./.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/nha-may-x55-50-nam-truong-thanh-va-hien-thuc-hoa-khat-vong-vuon-ra-bien-lon-890343