The Lieutenant ejected the torpedo decoy as Michigan tilted sharply upward and twisted to starboard. Wilson followed up with another order to DeCrispino. “Secure the under-ice sonar.”
As Michigan rose toward the ice, Wilson gambled there were no additional ice keels; that they were under a smooth ice floe, giving them a few feet of clearance to the top of the sail.
The Weapons Officer called out, “Loss of wire continuity, tube One.” They had lost the wire guide to their torpedo, cut by the ice keel, but that was the least of their worries. They had no updated information to send it.
Michigan leveled off as it reached ordered depth on a course paralleling the ice keel. This was the best he could do.
It was up to the Russian torpedo now.
75
Harrison did a quick recon of the submarine rescue equipment, then deployed the ambulatory SEALs in his squad, leaving the injured Hay sitting beside Christine. Harrison took station at the forward corner of the LARS, and Chief Stone anchored the far end near the air flasks, with three other SEALs taking position in gaps between the rescue equipment. The last SEAL, sniper Tim Oliver, climbed the A-frame that launched and retrieved the PRM.
Stone and the other three SEALs worked their way to the port side of the equipment so they would have a clear view of the avenue running between the last row of huts and the rescue equipment, while Harrison remained on the back edge of the LARS, due to lack of cover if he moved to the forward corner. Harrison told Brackman and Tarbottom they’d be put to use if the situation warranted it.
The sound of approaching helicopters had faded a few minutes ago, but there was no sign of Spetsnaz until Harrison’s hand went to his headset, then he took aim with his MP7. Harrison began firing, his weapon barely making a whisper. Neither the MP7 nor Russian AK-9 made much sound when they fired, but in the still Arctic air, Christine heard bullets pinging off metal rescue components and thudding into plywood huts.
Christine felt a tremor in the ice, and her’s and Brackman’s eyes locked for a moment. A torpedo had exploded beneath the ice cap. The Akula and Michigan must have engaged, which explained why the rest of the SEALs had not arrived.
76
“Command Post, Hydroacoustic. Explosion in the water, bearing zero-nine-zero. Loss of wire guide, second-fired torpedo.”
Baczewski didn’t need Hydroacoustic’s report to know one of their torpedoes had exploded. The sound was audible through the steel hull as the shock wave rumbled by.
Hydroacoustic followed up, “Loss of Hydroacoustic two-five. Breaking up noises, bearing zero-nine-zero.”
The tension in the Command Post dissipated, and his First Officer congratulated the two men operating the fire control consoles, slapping them on the shoulders.
Hydroacoustic called out suddenly, “Torpedo in the water, bearing zero-three-zero!”
“Steersman, ahead flank,” Baczewski ordered.
Their adversary must have counterfired while evading, and the torpedo had just gone active. However, it was not likely an accurate shot. He monitored the bright white trace on the sonar display, concluding the torpedo was headed southwest. Not a bad shot, Baczewski conceded. But not good enough.
“Steersman, right full rudder, steady course three-zero-zero.”
The Steersman complied and Vepr reversed course. Baczewski monitored the torpedo bearings, which drifted rapidly to starboard. The torpedo hadn’t detected Vepr.
Baczewski kept his submarine headed northwest until the torpedo passed astern, then ordered a new course. “Steersman, right full rudder, steady course zero-nine-zero.”
Vepr turned toward the bearing of the torpedo explosion. Baczewski wasn’t convinced they had sunk the American submarine. His Hydroacoustic Party had reported a submarine breaking up, but it could have been an ice keel breaking apart instead.
He needed to be certain.
Vepr surged toward the spot their torpedo had detonated.
77
As Wilson hoped, the torpedo had slammed into the ice keel and detonated, triggered by the contact sensor in its exploder mechanism, and he wondered if their adversary had been fooled. Michigan was still barreling along at ahead flank, paralleling the ice keel, and he maintained course and speed until they were two thousand yards from the explosion.
Wilson ordered, “Helm, back full. Left full rudder, steady course north.”
The Helm ordered the backing bell and twisted his rudder, and Michigan did a 180-degree turn while it slowed. As Michigan steadied on the reverse course, it coasted to a halt.
“Helm, all stop. Dive, commence hovering. Set keel depth to one hundred feet.”
The Helm and Dive complied, and Michigan maintained position where she was, with the ice keel on her port side, shielding her from the Akula hunting them. Wilson gave no further orders, and Lieutenant Commander Sparks approached him on the Conn.
“What’s your plan?” Sparks asked.
“I’m hoping the Akula Captain won’t want to report he might have sunk us. He knows that if we survived, he might regain contact if he gets here fast enough. When he arrives,” Wilson added, “we’ll be waiting for him.”
Sparks nodded his understanding as Wilson called out, “Attention in Control.” He explained his plan, and after concluding his brief, adjusted his weapon load.
“Weapons Officer. Reload tube One.”
78
Sitting against the LARS between Brackman and Tarbottom, Christine listened to Harrison’s communications with the other SEALs. As best she could tell from the one-sided conversation, they were seriously outnumbered. Another platoon of Spetsnaz had arrived and were interspersed along the last row of huts across from the rescue equipment.
Harrison and the five other SEALs were keeping the Spetsnaz at bay, but not without cost. The SEAL on the left side of the decompression chamber had been hit, and a moment later, the SEAL in the habitrail section stopped responding. Harrison turned to Brackman and Tarbottom.
“I need your help. Take an AK-9”—he pointed to the assault rifles lying by the dead Spetsnaz—“and take position on either side of the decompression chamber. Take the headsets off Kratovil and Hay so we can communicate.”
Brackman and Tarbottom put the Spetsnaz pistols in their parka pockets and retrieved the Russian AK-9 rifles, then Brackman pulled a headset from the dead SEAL while Tarbottom removed one from Hay. The injured SEAL had his eyes closed and was either dead or unconscious. After Brackman and Tarbottom conferred, Brackman headed to the far side of the decompression chambers while Tarbottom took station on the near side. The two men hustled down the side of the LARS, disappearing into the shadows.
Harrison returned his attention to the opposing Spetsnaz as the firefight continued. Several minutes later, it became clear the situation was deteriorating when Harrison called Tarbottom and another man’s name several times with no apparent response, and things took a turn for the worse when a man’s body thudded onto the snow a few feet from Christine. Tim Oliver, their sniper, lay motionless in the snow, his eyes frozen open, as his MP7 ricocheted off LARS support beams as it fell.