He looked at them one at a time, as if trying to see their individual fates in the days and weeks ahead.
“Admiral Sun Wei is in a most difficult situation at Karachi. We have seen that the bases we use to support our operations are also subject to interdiction by the enemy, just as we tried to do the same to the American bases. So Sun Wei is coming home, and it is very likely that this fleet will be the welcoming committee. I know each of you will do your utmost, even if I must depart this very night to fly to Hainan. Captain Yang Chen will therefore assume tactical control of the fleet until a senior officer is sent from the homeland. Now… Let us eat.”
He gestured to the great round table in the center of the room, laden with freshly cooked dishes that had been rushed up from the galley. They would eat, and toast one another, but mostly the Admiral, and it was good to spend those last few hours with them. He did not know it at that hour, for one never knows these things, even if they can sense something in the moment, just beneath the strained smiles and restrained tears, but he would never see any of them again….
Chapter 21
Wu Jinlong’s fleet had reached Zamboanga by 18:00 on the 19th of January, when he learned that the Americans were now striking the newly provisioned airbase at Davao with their infernal Tomahawk missiles. All that he had labored to build was now under threat of destruction. Yet he could not wallow in this any longer. He packed away a few personal effects, then boarded a two seater J-15 and rose into the darkening skies with an escort of three J-31’s. He would be flown 540 miles to Subi Reef, landing there to meet briefly with Admiral Zheng Bao, his nominal superior for South Seas Operations, and now the man assuming overall tactical command of the fleet.
“Bad fortune,” said Zheng Bao. “The plight of the bombers at Beiying was most disturbing.”
“I cannot answer for that, as the Air Force is responsible for defending the Philippines. But the loss of Zhendong was my responsibility, and I fully accept that burden. I must tell you that we will most likely lose DDG’s Xining, and Yueshen as well.”
“The Moon God? I heard it was damaged, but not sunk.”
“Those two ships are still in the Celebes Sea, probably about 100 miles from Zamboanga now. The Moon God is still trying to control her flooding, and can only make 2 knots while that effort is underway. I fear the submarine that first attacked the fleet there will surely finish the job.”
Zheng Bao nodded grimly. “How did it happen?”
“We were ambushed from two sides. The torpedoes were first spotted off our aft port quarter, so the fleet turned and ran the other way. I believe Taifeng was the initial target, but I was able to maneuver the carrier to safety, and the torpedoes selected other ships. Then, we were suddenly attacked from the starboard side, by a wide spread of four torpedoes. There we were, running right at them….” The Admiral shrugged, taking a deep breath.
“Zhen Bao, we must find a way to strike at the bases they will use. The bombers made two big attacks, but the Americans were able to defend those islands with their naval and air assets. Their ships all carry land attack cruise missiles, and we have little that can be used in that role unless the Air Force brings it. That is what really broke the back of my operation, the American Tomahawks… and the Siberians.”
Zheng Bao placed a hand on Admiral Wu’s shoulder.
“Rest, Admiral,” he said. “You went there seeking no fame or glory, and now you return and shirk no blame. That is honorable. Now there will be much for you to do on Hainan. I have reserved my own office for you there. The Strategic Rocket Corps will be delivering DF-21’s, and I will be calling on you to use them, rest assured. You must now plan the defense of the South China Sea, provisioning all the reef island bases there. We must get more YJ-12 batteries and SAM sites established, and then you will also command the deployment of all naval assets there. Submarines must be moved to access sea lanes, patrols established, and expect a visitor. Carrier Guandong is moving into your zone from the East China Sea. Laoning will relieve that ship.”
“Laoning? I thought it was still designated a training ship.”
“It was. We have just graduated another class of carrier trained pilots. There are plenty now, and so the decision was made to make Laoning combat ready. It will help guard our position in the Ryukyus.”
“Am I to go to sea when Guandong arrives?”
That was the uncomfortable question Zheng Bao hoped he would not be asked, but he gave his friend and longtime associate a straight answer.
“For the moment, the General Staff wishes to avail itself of your organizational skills on Hainan.”
“I see…. Very well, Admiral. I will do all I can. And Admiral… Please accept my humble apology. I promised you a victory and instead—”
“Say nothing more, my friend,” said Zheng.
Admiral Wu would board another plane for the last 500 miles to Hainan Island three hours later, and Zheng Bao would fly to Zamboanga to see the long flight deck of Taifeng below in the Basilan Strait. He could see eight ships making that transit, and there were five more docked at the harbor. By the time he landed on Taifeng to assume command, his work was well cut out for him. Successive waves of cruise missiles were striking the airfield and port at Davao. SAM’s were depleted there, and only brave FFG Jinzhou was left on defense at the harbor, quickly exhausting its 32 HQ 16 SAM’s.
The Tomahawks quickly found the ship where it was docked at the pier, and destroyed it. the diesel fuel tanks were flaming, and Sasa Wharf destroyed. For all intents and purposes, the garrison troops there were now guarding nothing. The Flying Leopards were caught on the ground at the airport and savaged half way through their rearming cycle. All the strike assets that the Air Force had delivered to Wu Jinlong were now mostly destroyed or marooned on the damage airfields. Only the fighters were able to redeploy to other bases. Zheng Bao ordered any thirsty ship to quickly replenish at Zamboanga, and then continued on through the strait into the South China Sea.
As Wu Jinlong had feared and warned, the USS Franklin crept up on the foundering Moon God, and ended its misery with another torpedo at 17:48. No long after that, the last straggler, Type 052D destroyer Xining would suffer a similar fate. A Chinese Fuchi Class supply ship was in the area, but it would be spared to allow it to come to the aid of the stricken ships.
The defeat was complete now. Clark and Davao had been wrecked, killing bombers and all but six of the Flying Leopards sent to support the operation. Eight ships and one sub had been sunk, including a carrier and two irreplaceable Type 055 destroyers. None of the American bases was put out of operation for more than a few hours, but both Shenandoah and Chancellorsville had gone down in close fighting with the enemy fleet during the action. Those were two significant losses, but the USN had cut its pound of flesh in reprisal.
As the evening wore away, Admiral Cook took stock of his situation in the bottleneck of the Makassar Strait. He was looking at his carrier magazines, and aside from what was already mounted on strike planes, he had the following ordnance left: 12 x Slammers, 87 AAMRAM’s, just 25 of the newer AIM-260’s, and 8x HAWC’s. All the LRASM’s were gone, along with all his GBU-53’s, but he still had JSOW glide bombs and plenty of anti-radiation missiles. What he had mounted on the planes now would probably constitute his last effective strike. After that, he would have to undergo replenishment.