“So some days we may not get the report?”
“Yeah. They’ll repeat the broadcast every few hours and on several different frequencies, and hopefully they’ll hit a combination of frequency and ionospheric conditions that gets the message to us.”
“So what put you onto Harris?”
“I’m a good judge of character.”
“So I guess we’re committed,” ventured the XO.
“Absolutely!” responded the captain.
Chapter 17
Following a first successful sixty-day patrol, Captain Adams and the Gold Crew of the USS Louisiana returned to Kings Bay, Georgia for a stand-down period followed by several months of preparations for another patrol. During the first patrol, the captain, XO, and the chaplain conducted extensive but discrete interviews with the crew. During a boomer patrol, everyone on board gets to know everyone else as if they were family. The time on the patrol allowed the team members to strike up conversations with each crewmember to determine whether a second more intensive interview would be wise. If the member conducting the interview was convinced of the mindset and reliability of the crewmember, the name was passed to the captain, who made the final decision. By the end of the first patrol, they had identified and recruited fifty crewmembers to participate in George’s plan.
The Louisiana was scheduled to deploy out of Kings Bay the morning of August 20 for a second sixty-day patrol. A ship’s party was scheduled at the Kings Bay Chief Petty Officers’ Club on the night of August 17 for the entire crew and their spouses, except for a volunteer watch section, which remained onboard. As the party was just getting underway that evening, the captain took the opportunity to thank the spouses for their valuable support.
“This is going to be a particularly difficult patrol, not only for our crewmembers, but for you as well. Even though we’ll be home in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving, we’ll miss the last few weeks of the kids’ summer vacation and the beginning of the new school year. Labor Day will find the Louisiana submerged somewhere far from home, and the call of duty will separate the Louisiana family once again. You can rest assured those of us onboard the Louisiana will do our utmost to return to you safe and sound as soon as possible. Please remember that while on patrol, as before, we cannot communicate with you. If you have any problems at all while we are gone, do not hesitate to contact the office of the Subron 16 Ombudsman. Those of you who contacted the office during the last cruise can vouch for the fact that the ombudsmen understand the kinds of problems that can arise during patrols, and their helpful staff is there for you. Their sole purpose in life is to serve you, the Louisiana family members, so don’t hesitate to give them a call.”
After answering a few questions, Captain Adams concluded, “We have a great dinner buffet tonight of jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, shrimp creole, seafood gumbo, and red beans and rice! Please stay this evening as long as you want and have a good time. Then I want everyone to go home and enjoy your family time. In just a few days, the Louisiana will embark on an important mission — one that remains important to our country today. All of us, both those onboard and those who remain behind, can take pride that our sacrifices make our country and the world a safer place to live.”
Around 2100 hours, as dinner ended and the party was really getting started, the XO, the reactor officer, and a few crewmembers from M-Division (those who ran the Louisiana’s nuclear reactor and engine room) slipped out early with the excuse they had some duties to attend to back on the submarine. Half an hour later, the captain and the ops officer left as well and made their way back to the refit wharf where the Louisiana was moored. They were met there by Petty Officer MacKenzie and Seaman O’Connor. Captain Adams liked these men from the first day he met them. They were good, no-nonsense sailors — ones who could be trusted.
“Good evening, Captain,” greeted MacKenzie.
“Hello, Mac. How are our marine friends doing?”
“Well, sir, they’re fine, but we’ve had a slight change of plans.”
“In what way?”
“Well, I offered them the special tea like we planned, hoping they would nod off to dreamland, but I couldn’t get them to drink it. They kept asking questions and talking about their tour in Iraq. All they wanted to do was talk about the Battle of Fallujah. They were in the first wave—”
“Get to the point, Mac,” the captain interrupted in a strained but calm voice.
“Long story short, sir, we have two new recruits — Sergeant Ramirez and Corporal Williams.”
“Mac, what in hell did you—”
“I know, I know, sir. We were supposed to keep this to ourselves, but they wouldn’t drink the tea. Time was getting away, and I wasn’t in a position to take them down. Once they found out we were taking the Louisiana out, they begged to come along. They wanted to get back to the action!”
George glared at MacKenzie and O’Connor for at least fifteen seconds without a word. “Okay. Who knows? We may need some more help, and it’s always good to have the marines on our side. I want to talk to Sergeant Ramirez and Corporal Williams first thing after we get underway. If I’m not satisfied with them, they’re both going in the brig, got it?”
Both MacKenzie and O’Connor started breathing again. “Yes, sir!” they said in unison.
Pappy was on the bridge at the top of the submarine’s sail, approximately fifteen feet above the deck. The captain called up to him, “How are we coming along, XO?”
“Excellent, Captain. The reactor’s on line and we’re ready to make turns. Navigation is manned and GPS and the SVS-1200 navigational display are up and operational. Best of all, these night-vision goggles are outstanding! It’s like midday up here, even though it’s a moonless, overcast night! This should make navigating the channel a breeze.”
“Very well.”
Normally, the Louisiana would have been moored pointing northwest, with her port side moored to the wharf, after being brought up from the explosive handling wharves where the D-5 ballistic missiles were loaded. From that position, tugs would be required to pull the Louisiana away from the wharf and turn her around 180 degrees to face down the Kings Bay entrance channel. However, two days earlier, Captain Adams had convinced Subron 16 to turn around the Louisiana. Several new pieces of navigational equipment had been installed, and Captain Adams had insisted the submarine be physically maneuvered to test the new equipment in order to prevent any last minute delays on their scheduled deployment day. The navy brass was extremely sensitive about keeping boomer departures on schedule. Captain Adams played on this sensitivity to get the Louisiana turned around in advance. Now they had a straight shot down the Kings Bay entrance channel.
Captain Adams and the ops officer crossed the gangplank and stepped onto the Louisiana’s deck. As the ops officer went below, the captain turned to Petty Officer MacKenzie.
“Cast off all lines, Mac.”
“Uh, sir?”
“What is it now?”
“We… uh, we have another small problem.”
“How small?” The captain was becoming extremely edgy with the unexpected events tonight.
“Well, as you know, since our deployment date is still three days away, supply hasn’t loaded the fresh stores yet. So we sent Seamen Teague and Becker as scheduled to make a supply run to SamCost. They were supposed to be back twenty minutes ago, but we haven’t heard from them.”