Wilson turned to the northeast, placing the torpedoes on North Carolina’s port quarter and going deeper, where the submarine’s propulsor worked more efficiently and produced less noise.
“Launch countermeasures!”
After the torpedo decoy and jammer were launched, and as North Carolina steadied on its new course and depth, Wilson examined the geographic plot. North Carolina’s torpedo was traveling west, while Kazan was evading to the north.
“Firing Point Procedures, Master one, tube Four.”
Finally confident about Kazan’s estimated course, speed, and range, Commander Maske directed one of the fire control technicians to promote his solution to master.
Wilson received the required reports, then ordered, “Shoot tube Four!”
The torpedo was launched without incident, and Sonar monitored the torpedo as it turned onto the ordered course.
“Insert steer, tube Four, right twenty,” Wilson ordered, followed by, “Pre-enable tube Four.”
Maske and Lieutenant Johnston shot curious glances toward Wilson. They had finally nailed down Kazan’s solution, yet Wilson had ordered them to send the torpedo on a tangent, twenty degrees to the right. Additionally, Wilson had ordered them to make the torpedo dumb and blind.
Wilson offered no explanation, so the Weapons Officer sent the commands to the torpedo, steering it to the right and turning off its sonar and search algorithms.
Now that Wilson’s plan was in motion, he focused again on the incoming torpedoes. The timing was apropos, because the Sonar Supervisor reported, “Up doppler on torpedo!”
The Russian crew had steered the torpedo below the layer toward North Carolina again, and based on the signal strength of its pings, it was close. The torpedo above the layer was likely paralleling its deeper mate.
Wilson decided to use the thermocline again. But for the evasion to be successful, he needed to get both torpedoes onto the same side of the layer first. That being the case, Wilson maintained course.
As the torpedo chasing them gained on North Carolina, several watchstanders in Control cast furtive glances in Wilson’s direction. Wilson did nothing, standing beside the navigation table until the report he’d been waiting for arrived.
“Sonar, Conn. Torpedo is homing!”
Wilson reacted immediately. “Pilot, make your depth one-five-zero feet. Use ten up.”
He ordered a low angle to make sure the torpedo could follow them through the layer, which it did, joining the other torpedo on the same side of the thermocline.
“One thousand yards!” the Sonar Supervisor reported.
Both torpedoes were dangerously close, but Wilson still had a half-mile to work with.
“Officer of the Deck. Launch decoy.”
Once the countermeasure was ejected, which would hopefully garner the torpedoes’ interest for a while, Wilson gave the evasion orders.
“Pilot, make your depth four hundred feet. Use thirty down. Hard left rudder, steady course two-four-zero!”
It had worked the first time, and if North Carolina could reverse course before the torpedoes followed it through the layer, it should work again.
It was a gamble. If one of the torpedoes went below layer before North Carolina reversed course beneath it, dropping down in front of the submarine, they’d have only a few seconds to react; insufficient time to do anything besides pray.
As North Carolina steadied on its new course and depth, Wilson examined the geographic display, showing his submarine heading toward the torpedoes, separated by the thermocline.
“Coordinator, calculate intercept time.”
Commander Maske had one of the fire control technicians calculate the time the two torpedoes would be directly above.
“Fifteen seconds!”
It was only a quarter of a minute, but time seemed to slow as the seconds counted down.
“Ten seconds!”
Wilson examined the sonar displays. There was still no indication of either torpedo.
“Five seconds!”
When the time reached zero, Wilson waited a bit longer, then let out a deep breath. Seconds later, both torpedoes descended through the layer, but they were too late.
With the torpedoes behind North Carolina and heading away at over fifty knots, plus North Carolina at ahead flank in the opposite direction, it wasn’t long before both torpedoes were beyond detection range. Kazan’s crew could steer them again once they determined North Carolina’s new course and speed, but both torpedoes had been running fast for a while, and were likely low on fuel.
Plus, Wilson didn’t intend to let Kazan’s crew steer the torpedoes anyway.
He studied the geographic plot, which presented a favorable picture. Kazan was still evading to the north while North Carolina’s first-fired torpedo was heading west. The second-fired torpedo, which Wilson had ordered pre-enabled, was approaching Kazan with an offset to starboard.
Exactly as planned.
“Weapons, steer tube Two right ninety degrees.”
Lieutenant Johnston complied and the first torpedo turned sharply right.
Now came the critical part. Wilson’s plan would work only if the Russian crew still held the first MK 48 torpedo on its sensors.
A moment later, the answer became apparent.
“Possible target zig, Master one,” Commander Maske called out. “Target has turned to starboard.”
Wilson’s eyes went to his second torpedo, traveling to the right of Kazan’s original course. The Russian submarine had turned directly into the torpedo’s path, only two thousand yards in front.
“Command enable tube Four!” Wilson ordered.
The command went out and the torpedo went active, its search algorithms turning on again.
“Detect!”
Lieutenant Johnston announced the data being sent back to North Carolina over the torpedo’s guidance wire. The torpedo had detected an object that warranted further investigation, and would ping several more times to verify the object’s size and other required characteristics.
“Acquired!”
The torpedo had determined the object met attack criteria, and would now home to detonation.
“Torpedo in the water! Bearing one-five-zero!”
Plecas spun toward the hydroacoustic display. A bright white trace was burning in on their starboard beam. Based on the intensity of the trace, the torpedo was close.
“Steersman, left full rudder, steady course two-five-zero. Launch decoy!”
Kazan swung around quickly and a decoy was launched, which gave Plecas hope until Hydroacoustic’s next report.
“Torpedo is increasing speed. Torpedo is homing!”
“Launch jammer!”
An acoustic jammer was ejected, but neither the decoy nor the jammer had an effect. The torpedo was locked on to Kazan and ignored the small device pretending to be a submarine. The jammer likewise proved ineffective; it had been ejected with the torpedo too close to Kazan, and the MK 48 sped past the noise field, locking back on to their submarine.
Plecas concluded that additional decoys and jammers would be ineffective. Their last chance was to try to lose the torpedo as Kazan passed through the thermocline.
“Compensation Officer, make your depth fifty meters. Use thirty degrees up!”