“All compartments report ready for combat, Captain.”
Plecas acknowledged his Watch Officer, then announced, “This is the Captain, I have the Conn and Captain Lieutenant Urnovitz retains the Watch. The target of interest is Hydroacoustic two-one, classified as American fast attack submarine. Track Hydroacoustic two-one.”
Fedorov, stationed as the Tracking Party Leader, stopped behind each man to check on the performance of his duties. As Fedorov made his rounds, Plecas surveyed the Command Post watchstanders. His men were tense, but their communications remained disciplined, his crew speaking in subdued tones using the succinct orders and reports they had been trained to use.
Plecas announced, “Attention in the Command Post.” When all eyes were on him, he continued. “The American submarine is following closely and will have little time to evade, so we will fire a single torpedo. Since we are being trailed in our starboard quarter, we will shoot from a port tube so the hull will partially mask the torpedo tube door opening. Any questions?”
There were none, and Plecas ordered, “Prepare to Fire, Hydroacoustic two-one, single weapon from tube Six, tube Eight as backup.”
His crew executed the order swiftly, and in less than a minute, Fedorov tapped one of the fire controlmen on the shoulder. “Send solution to Weapon Control.”
It had been easy to determine an accurate solution; the American submarine was trailing Kazan, matching its course and speed.
Fedorov announced, “I have a firing solution.”
Kazan’s Watch Officer followed, reporting they were ready for counterfire from the American submarine. “Torpedo countermeasures are armed.”
The Weapons Officer reported, “Ready to Fire, tubes Six and Eight, with the exception of opening muzzle doors and satisfying torpedo circular interlock.”
Kazan’s crew was ready to fire except for opening the torpedo tube muzzle doors and satisfying a crucial torpedo safety interlock: anti-circular run logic.
Self-guided torpedoes were artificially intelligent weapons with a sonar array in their nose and sophisticated algorithms able to disregard decoys and maneuver the torpedo around jammers. But the one thing they couldn’t do is differentiate between a friendly and enemy submarine. Torpedoes occasionally had steering failures, resulting in the torpedo turning around after launch, ending up facing the firing submarine.
There was also the possibility the enemy submarine would evade by turning toward the firing submarine, and the torpedo, if locked on, would follow, potentially shifting its targeting onto the firing submarine instead. For those reasons, if a torpedo ended up traveling back toward the firing submarine, the torpedo’s anti-circular interlock would shut it down.
The trailing American submarine was within the anti-circular-run constraints, and Plecas needed to maneuver Kazan before firing. He decided to turn slowly, pretending to simply change course rather than attempt another evasion, so as to not unduly alert the American crew.
“Steersman, right ten degrees rudder, steady course three-three-zero.”
Kazan swung slowly to starboard.
Partway into the turn, the Weapons Officer announced, “Circular interlock cleared.”
Plecas ordered, “Open muzzle doors, tubes Six and Eight.”
Moments earlier, Sonar had noticed the Russian submarine’s maneuver.
“Possible contact zig, Master one, due to upshift in frequency.”
Lieutenant Commander Schwartz listened to Sonar’s report over the sound-powered phones, then examined the nearest time-frequency plot. Kazan’s tonals were increasing.
He checked the contact’s bearing drift — the bearings were drifting to the right of those projected by combat control, indicating a maneuver to starboard.
Schwartz announced, “Confirm target zig. Contact has turned to starboard. Set anchor range at two thousand yards.”
Buglione stopped beside his Executive Officer, examining the displays. Kazan had turned to starboard, but the Russian submarine could still be on an opening course or it could have turned farther, back toward Pittsburgh. He needed to maneuver to maintain trail and avoid collision, but needed to know Kazan’s new course.
“I need a solution fast, XO.”
Schwartz studied the combat control consoles as Sonar announced, “Ten-knot upshift in frequency. No indication of speed change.”
That was the information they needed. Kazan had turned ninety degrees, showing Pittsburgh a beam aspect. Lieutenant Martin and the two fire control technicians converged on a common solution.
Schwartz reported, “Master One has turned to course three-three-zero, speed ten.”
Now that there was no chance of collision, Buglione relaxed. Pittsburgh would remain steady on course until it was behind Kazan again, then turn ninety degrees to starboard, returning to the desired trailing position.
In the Sonar Room, the broadband operator, wearing headphones to monitor the sounds picked up by the spherical array sonar, pressed his hands against his headphones, concentrating on the unusual sound.
“Sonar Sup, broadband,” he reported. “Picking up mechanical transients from Master one. I can’t tell what it is, though.”
The Sonar Supervisor, Chief Bob Bush, donned the headphones. The sound had faded, so he rewound the recording to a moment before. The transient was muffled and difficult to identify.
Bush reported, “Fire Control Coordinator, Sonar Sup. Picking up mechanical transients from Master one. Source unknown.”
“Torpedo muzzle doors, tubes Six and Eight, are open,” the Weapons Officer reported. “Ready to Fire, tube Six, tube Eight as backup.”
Plecas stopped beside his First Officer, evaluating the solution to Hydroacoustic two-one. The American crew was following protocol, driving astern of Kazan to maintain trail.
He retreated to the aft section of the Command Post, where he had a clear view of all stations, and examined the displays one final time.
Satisfied that all parameters were optimal, he ordered, “Fire tube Six.”
“Torpedo launch transient, bearing two-nine-three!”
Buglione listened to Sonar’s report over the Control Room speakers in disbelief. Sonar must have interpreted the transient incorrectly. There was no way the Russian submarine had fired at them. That was an act of war, and could certainly start one.
Another report from Sonar blared from the speakers.
“Torpedo in the water! Bearing two-nine-three!”
A red bearing line appeared on the combat control displays, signaling the detection of an incoming torpedo.
“Man Battle Stations!” Buglione shouted.
“Helm, ahead flank! Left full rudder, steady course two-zero-zero! Launch countermeasures!”
Pittsburgh’s propeller churned the water as it strained to accelerate the submarine to maximum speed. As the Chief of the Watch ordered the crew to Battle Stations over the shipwide announcing circuit, an acoustic decoy was ejected to maintain the incoming torpedo focused on where Pittsburgh had been, instead of where it was going.
“Quick Reaction Firing,” Buglione ordered, “Master one, tube One! Flood down and open all torpedo tube outer doors, tube One first!”
He had skipped their normal torpedo firing process, choosing a more urgent version that forced his Executive Officer to send his best solution to the torpedo immediately, whether or not he considered it good enough for the torpedo to lock on to the target. However, they had a decent track on Kazan and it should be good enough, although the Russian captain would also be maneuvering his submarine.