Hours earlier, Wilson had slowed from ahead flank as they approached the Barents Shelf, where the bottom rose rapidly from a depth of fourteen thousand feet to less than seven hundred. Michigan was now at all stop, hovering at three hundred feet a thousand yards away from North Dakota, well within range of the WQC in the quiet waters beneath the polar ice cap. This was Wilson’s second transmission over the WQC, and this time there was a response.
“Michigan, this is North Dakota actual. Read you Lima Charlie, over.”
Wilson’s transmission had been heard Lima Charlie—Loud and Clear, and the actual commanding officer of North Dakota was speaking. Joining Wilson in Control was Commander John McNeil, commanding officer of Michigan’s SEAL detachment. Michigan had been tabbed as “Plan B” in case the topside submarine rescue mission failed, and that plan would involve McNeil’s unit. In the meantime, Michigan’s SEALs could inspect North Dakota to see if there was an easy fix for her propulsion problem. Wilson relayed his thoughts to North Dakota’s commanding officer, who concurred with the plan. As their conversation wound to a close, another voice broke into the conversation.
“Michigan, this is Ice Station Nautilus. Welcome to the Arctic.”
Whoever was on the other end had been listening to the conversation, because Wilson was given further instructions. If North Dakota’s inspection revealed anything useful, he was directed to find a lead or polynya where Michigan could surface and transmit photographs of the issue. After the conversation wrapped up, Wilson turned to McNeil.
“How long before you’re ready to deploy?”
“Any time now. I already ordered a team to suit up.”
Lieutenant Jake Harrison stepped through the circular hatch in the side of Missile Tube One, joined by a second SEAL, Special Warfare Operator First Class Tim Oliver. The two men stood on a metal grate in the second level of the missile tube, containing a steel ladder leading up two levels to another hatch. Harrison climbed the ladder, passing through the hatch into the relative darkness of the Dry Deck Shelter, bathed in diffuse red light.
The Dry Deck Shelter was a conglomeration of three chambers: a spherical hyperbaric chamber at the forward end, a spherical transfer trunk in the middle, which he had just entered, and a cylindrical hangar containing the SEAL Delivery Vehicle, a black mini-sub twenty-two feet long by six feet wide. The hangar was divided into two sections by a Plexiglas shield dropping halfway down, with the SDV on one side and hangar controls on the other.
There were five Navy divers inside the hangar; one on the forward side of the Plexiglas shield to operate the controls, and four divers in scuba gear on the other side. Oliver followed Harrison as he ducked under the Plexiglas shield, stopping beside the SDV, which was loaded nose first into the Dry Deck Shelter. The SDV had two seating areas, one in front of the other, each capable of carrying two persons.
Oliver, who was a sniper and the SEAL team’s unofficial photographer, placed his waterproof camera and a wide-angle dive light into the SDV. Harrison lifted a rebreather from a rack and helped Oliver into it, then Oliver returned the favor. The two men climbed into the front seat of the SDV and Harrison manipulated the controls. The displays energized and Harrison entered North Dakota’s location into the navigation console. The two men put their face masks on, then Harrison rendered a thumbs-up to the diver on the other side of the Plexiglas shield.
Water surged into the hangar from vents beneath them, and the chamber was soon flooded. The door behind them opened with a faint rumbling sound, and the two divers on each side of the SDV glided out with a kick of their fins. The divers pulled rails out from the hangar onto the submarine’s Missile Deck, and the SDV moved backward out of the Dry Deck Shelter. Harrison manipulated the controls, and the SDV lifted off its rails and moved forward, passing along the side of Michigan’s sail, then over the submarine’s bow into the dark water ahead.
At this depth beneath the polar ice cap, it was pitch dark. Harrison turned the SDV toward North Dakota’s position, while Oliver activated the dive light, illuminating the water ahead. A few minutes later, a large object materialized, slowly taking the shape of a submarine. They were approaching the bow, and Harrison angled the SDV for a pass down the port side. The beam of Oliver’s dive light scanned back and forth across the side of the submarine, and there was no detectable damage. When they reached the stern, however, it was clear North Dakota had collided with something.
The bottom of the propulsor shroud was mangled, with the leading edge bent backward.
Harrison slowed the SDV, allowing for a more thorough inspection, and Oliver began taking pictures. The welds attaching the bottom of the propulsor to North Dakota’s hull had broken and the entire propulsor tilted upward a few degrees.
Oliver gave Harrison a thumbs-up and Harrison maneuvered the SDV for a look at the other side of the submarine. There was no damage, and Harrison made a pass beneath North Dakota, starting from the bow. There was a ten-foot-wide gash running along the keel. The Outboard fairing was mangled and jammed into the adjacent section.
Between the bent propulsor and damaged Outboard fairing, there was no quick fix for North Dakota’s propulsion problem; repairs in a drydock would be required. Harrison turned the SDV around and headed toward Michigan.
Harrison lined up for an approach from astern, gliding over the submarine’s Missile Deck. The SDV coasted to a hover behind the Dry Deck Shelter, slowly sinking until it came to rest with a gentle bump on the rails. Two divers on each side latched the SDV to the rails, and Harrison and Oliver exited the mini-sub. The SDV was retracted inside, and once the divers joined Harrison and Oliver in the shelter, the large chamber door shut with a faint thud. Red lights flicked on and an air pocket appeared at the top of the chamber, the water level gradually lowering.
When the water level fell below their necks, the two SEALs removed their face masks and rebreathers and Harrison led the way into the transfer trunk and down into the missile tube, exiting into Missile Compartment Second Level. Wilson and McNeil were waiting for them in the Battle Management Center behind the Control Room, where Oliver extracted the memory card from his camera and inserted it into one of the SEAL laptops.
Wilson and McNeil reviewed the images, agreeing with Harrison’s assessment; North Dakota’s propulsion was down hard. Wilson entered Control and picked up the underwater telephone microphone, relaying what he had learned to North Dakota and Ice Station Nautilus.
52
“Underwater communications, bearing zero-zero-five, designated Hydroacoustic two-four.”