Murdock was thinking. “Say they had something like an old Corvette. Give you some speed, enough space, and a few weapons for self-defense. Damn, they could go into any port in the world and make a sale right under the authorities’ noses.”
“Thought you’d like that one. Here’s Seaforth. We have ten minutes before sailing time. The cheeseburgers are on me as soon as the cook fires up the grill.”
Murdock scowled. “Damn, Stroh, you sure this is you talking? Sounds like I’m about to get blindsided.”
“Enjoy,” Stroh said. “Just think about that floating nuclear weapon sales room.”
Murdock did. From now on, he wouldn’t be able to forget such a threat. He felt his blood pressure rise. He hoped they had enough data on that ghost ship to make it their next mission. He’d keep hoping.
The fishing report at the end of the trip:
Stroh: two barracuda, three sand bass, one Pacific mackerel.
Murdock: three barracuda, six sand bass, four calico bass.
“Stroh, you promised me some ten-pound yellowtail.”
“Didn’t promise, just said the boat caught some yellows this morning.”
“That’s as good as a promise.”
“All right. Next trip I promise you three twelve-pound yellowtail.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
SEAL TALK:
MILITARY GLOSSARY
Aalvin: Small U.S. two-man submarine.
Admin: Short for administration.
Aegis: Advanced Naval air defense radar system.
AH-1W Super Cobra: Has M179 under-nose turret with 20mm Gatling gun.
AK-47: 7.62 round Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifle. Most widely used assault rifle in the world.
AK-74: New, improved version of the Kalashnikov. Fires the 5 .45mm round. Has 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute. Many slight variations made for many different nations.
AN/PRC-117D: Radio, also called SATCOM. Works with Milstar satellite in 22,300-mile equatorial orbit for instant worldwide radio, voice, or video communications. Size: 15 inches high, 3 inches wide, 3 inches deep. Weighs 15 pounds. Microphone and voice output. Has encrypter, capable of burst transmissions of less than a second.
AN/PUS-7: Night vision goggles. Weight 1.5 pounds.
ANVIS-6: Night vision goggles on air crewmen’s helmets.
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.
ASROC: Nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes launched by Navy ships.
Assault Vest: Combat vest with full loadouts of ammo, gear.
ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare.
Attack Board: Molded plastic with two hand grips with bubble compass on it. Also depth gauge and Cyalume chemical lights with twist knob to regulate amount of light. Used for underwater guidance on long swims.
Aurora: Air Force recon plane. Can circle at 90,000 feet. Can’t be seen or heard from ground. Used for thermal imaging.
AWACS: Airborne Warning And Control System. Radar units in high-flying aircraft to scan for planes at any altitude out 200 miles. Controls air-to-air engagements with enemy forces. Planes have a mass of communication and electronic equipment.
Balaclavas: Headgear worn by some SEALs.
Bent Spear: Less serious nuclear violation of safety.
BKA: Bundeskriminalamt: German’s federal investigation unit.
Black Talon: Lethal hollow-point ammunition made by Winchester. Outlawed some places.
Blivet: A collapsible fuel container. SEALs sometimes use it.
BLU-43B: Antipersonnel mine used by SEALs.
BLU-96: A fuel-air explosive bomb. It disperses a fuel oil into the air, then explodes the cloud. Many times more powerful than conventional bombs because it doesn’t carry its own chemical oxidizers.
BMP-1: Soviet armored fighting vehicle (AFV), low, boxy, crew of 3 and 8 combat troops. Has tracks and a 73mm cannon. Also an AT-3 Sagger antitank missile and coaxial machine gun.
Body Armor: Far too heavy for SEAL use in the water.
Bogey: Pilots’ word for an unidentified aircraft.
Boghammer Boat: Long, narrow, low, dragger boat; high-speed patrol craft. Swedish make. Iran had 40 of them in 1993.
Boomer: A nuclear-powered missile submarine.
Bought It: A man has been killed. Also “bought the farm.”
Bow Cat: The bow catapult on a carrier to launch jets.
Broken Arrow: Any accident with nuclear weapons or nuclear material lost, shot down, crashed, stolen, hijacked.
Browning 9mm High Power: A Belgian 9mm pistol, 13 rounds in magazine. First made 1935.
Buddy Line: Six feet long, ties 2 SEALs together in the water for control and help, if needed.
BUDS/S: Nickname for SEAL training facility for six-month course in Coronado, California.
Bull Pup. Still in testing; new soldier’s rifle. SEALs have a dozen of them for regular use. Army gets them in 2005. Has a 5.56 kinetic round, 30-shot clip. Also 20mm high-explosive round and 5-shot magazine. Twenties can be fuzed for proximity airbursts with use of video camera, laser range finder, and laser targeting. Fuzes by number of turns the round needs to reach laser spot. Max range: 1,200 yards. Twenty-round can also detonate on contact and has delay fuze. Weighs 14 pounds. SEALs love it. Can, in effect, shoot around corners with the airburst feature.
BUPERS: BUreau of PERSonnel.
C-2A Greyhound: Two-engine turboprop cargo plane that lands on carriers. Also called COD (Carrier On-board Delivery). Two pilots and engineer. Rear fuselage loading ramp. Cruise speed 300 mph, range 1,000 miles. Will hold 39 combat troops. Lands on CVN carriers at sea.
C-4: Plastic explosive. A claylike explosive that can be molded and shaped. It will burn. Fairly stable.
C-6 Plastique: Plastic explosive. Developed from C-4 and C-5. Is often used in bombs with radio detonator or digital timer.
C-9 Nightingale: Douglas DC-9 fitted as a medical evacuation transport plane.
C-130 Hercules: Air Force transporter for long haul. Four engines.
C-141 Starlifter: Airlift transport for cargo, paratroops, evac for long distances. Top speed, 566 mph. Range with payload, 2,935 miles. Ceiling 41,600 feet.
Caltrops: Small, four-pointed spikes used to flatten tires. Used in the Crusades to disable horses.
CamelBack: Used with drinking tube for 70 ounces of water attached to vest.
Cammies: Working camouflaged wear for SEALs. Two different patterns and colors: jungle and desert.
Cannon Fodder: Old term for soldiers in line of fire destined to die in the grand scheme of warfare.
Capped: Killed, shot, or otherwise snuffed.
CAR-15: The Colt M-4Al. Sliding-stock carbine with grenade launcher under barrel. Knight sound suppressor. Can have AN/PAQ-4 laser aiming light under the carrying handle. .223 round. Twenty- or 30-round magazine. Rate of fire: 700 to 1,000 rounds per minute.
Cascade Radiation: U-235 triggers secondary radiation in other dense materials.
Cast Off: Leave a dock, port, land. Get lost. Navy: long, then short signal of horn, whistle, or light.
Castle Keep: The main tower in any castle.