“Mac, we’ll just have to eat canned and frozen stuff and drink powdered milk! We can’t wait any longer. It’s 2200 hours. It’s going to take at least two hours to get out of this channel and into the Atlantic. Then it will be a couple more hours before we can safely submerge. The watch commander will be checking in with the guard shack at 2330 in preparation for the watch change. If they discover we’re missing too early, the entire mission will be compromised!”
George was screwed no matter what. If he left without Teague and Becker, he would be short-handed two able-bodied seamen, and if somebody found them with all the food, they would never be able to explain it. They would be questioned extensively, and they knew too much. Their capture would jeopardize the entire mission. On the other hand, the chance he would have to abort the mission escalated dramatically with each passing minute.
“Petty Officer MacKenzie, remind me to have you tied to the mizzen mast tomorrow and flogged.”
“Aye-aye, sir,” MacKenzie cautiously answered.
Just then, a panel truck careened past the guard shack, roared down the wharf, and screeched to a halt next to the Louisiana. Teague and Becker jumped out and ran to the back of the truck.
“Sorry we’re late, Captain. Don’t go without us!” Becker pleaded as he pulled a stuffed duffel bag out of the back and tossed it onto the wharf. Teague pulled out another and announced, “There’s a lot more where those came from, sir!”
The captain called up to the conning tower, “XO, let’s get some bodies up here to form a supply line and get these stores below!”
“Aye-aye, Captain.”
Within five minutes the truck was empty, and the stores had been taken below.
The captain turned to Teague and Becker. “Well done, men. Now get yourselves below.”
“Aye-aye, sir!” they shouted in unison.
“Mac, once again, cast off all lines,” the captain ordered. “And no more surprises!”
“Aye-aye, sir. What about the gangplank, sir? We usually have a crane to remove it.”
“Just unhook it on our end. When we move away from the wharf, it will fall into the water.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
MacKenzie made his way to the stern while O’Connor went to the bow. They released the heavy hawsers securing the Louisiana to the wharf, pounded the cleats into the deck, and then disconnected the gangplank.
MacKenzie and O’Connor disappeared below through the crew’s deck hatch, leaving the captain alone on the deck. George turned and looked back down the wharf to the empty guard shack and the darkened parking lot beyond. A few lights flickered through the trees at its far end. In the distance, he heard the comforting sound of a train whistle, its lonely wail carried to his ears by the clear night air. Then he turned and looked forward past the bow of the Louisiana and down the Kings Bay entrance channel where his gaze met total darkness. There was nothing but uncertainty in that direction. A burst of wind blew a light mist in from the water bringing a chill with it that caused a shiver to run down his spine even on this summer evening. The ramifications of what he was doing were immense. He was risking all their lives on this mission. Even if they survived, their careers would be ruined; their lives shattered. If caught, they would surely be shot for treason! This was his last chance to change his mind, to save his career and the careers of his crew, and to possibly save their lives.
He was tempted to yell up to the XO, “Forget it, Pappy — this is crazy!” But in his heart, he knew it had to be done. There was no other way to save humanity from itself. The actions he was about to take would completely change his own life and the lives of his crew. They would also set up the most important confrontation in the history of mankind.
Captain Adams placed one foot through the deck hatch and onto the first rung of the ladder below. As he did so, he unlatched the mechanism holding the cover open and looked up at the XO in the conning tower. Their eyes met momentarily. Despite months of planning and preparing for this moment, the enormity of what they were doing hit them like a broadside blast. With a flourish, the captain started down the ladder, swinging the hatch over his head and shouting, “You have the conn, XO. Take her out!”
Chapter 18
Navigating out of Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base was a tricky maneuver even in broad daylight with an experienced harbor pilot on board. The thirteen-mile channel was a twisting, turning obstacle course, which only the most experienced ship-handler could navigate smoothly. Running the channel required ten precise turns with several legs being barely longer than the length of the submarine itself. Therefore, as soon as one turn was completed, another turn had to be started. All the while, the submarine had to maintain at least eight knots of headway to provide adequate steering authority to the rudder, only half of which was in the water while running on the surface. If they slowed to less than eight knots, they ran the risk of having the currents wash them aground on the muddy sides of the channel. If that happened, the show would be over before it ever got started.
Once onboard, Captain Adams made sure the navigation team in the control room was prepared to plot their course as the Louisiana proceeded out the channel. With the aid of GPS, they could tell whether they were on the centerline of the channel within a few feet. Satisfied that the plot looked good, George climbed the ladder to the bridge at the top of the sail.
“Captain on the bridge!” shouted one of the two lookouts as he recognized Captain Adams climbing through the hatch.
“As you were,” the captain ordered. “XO, what’s your situation?”
“Good evening, Captain. All’s well. We are currently heading one-four-zero degrees on the centerline of the Kings Bay entrance channel. Speed eight knots. Next waypoint is eight hundred yards — a right turn to one-seven-one degrees.”
“Very well.” They had acquired two pairs of night-vision goggles, and the XO and Seaman Hayes, the forward-looking lookout, each wore a pair. Seaman Olson, the aft-looking lookout, had to do it the old-fashioned way.
“XO, I have the conn. I want you to go below and supervise the navigation team and the helmsman. Double-check every heading and waypoint. Stay in constant contact. We can’t have any screwups now.”
“Aye-aye, sir.” The XO announced to the lookouts, “The captain has the conn.” The lookouts repeated the order to ensure there was no misunderstanding as to who would now give the steering commands.
The XO then repeated into his sound-powered phone set, “The captain has the conn” for the benefit of those in the control room below. Once the XO heard the control room repeat the order, he handed the sound-powered phone set and his night-vision goggles to the captain.
“Request permission to leave the bridge, sir.”
“Permission granted.”
Initially, the Louisiana proceeded southeast down the Kings Bay entrance channel. Then, several turns were made to the right to enter the southerly flowing Cumberland Sound. The Sound proceeded along Drum Point Island and Cumberland Island on the east before merging into St. Marys Entrance and turning toward the east. An eight-mile stretch then ran eastward to the Atlantic, flanked by Cumberland Island on the north and Amelia Island on the south. Finally, if all went well, after an hour and a half or two hours, the Louisiana would reach the open ocean. Another two hours on the surface would ensure sufficient depth for them to submerge. Only then would the Louisiana be relatively safe from any pursuers.