Nathan raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t think they’d be here so quick.”
“They worked at it around the clock. Didn’t want to miss the big one.”
“Stanley, any word from the Pacific Fleet?”
“Yes, Ivan sent two boats out from Petropavlovsk. USS Key West and USS Oklahoma City are playing doctors and nurses with them.”
Nathan laughed. “We’ll hang out quietly here until we hear them. That way we can speak on Gertrude when we hear them.”
“Ok, Nathan, will do. Minnesota ends.”
He also thought it would be a good idea to have a planning session with Nikki when she awoke. He looked at the time. If she wasn’t up by 17.00, he’d give her a shake.
“Benson?”
“I know, sir, you want to know if Ivan’s taking a morning dump.”
Three big ears hung 850 feet down in the blackness. They looked like bow sonars, listening, waiting. Waiting for the Russian Northern Fleet. They’d be here, that was for sure. When they did arrive, they’d be up against demons of the deep and it’d be bad, very bad.
13
An hour later, in USS Stonewall Jackson’s control room, the Virginia Visionary reported.
“Sir, I have definite contacts: two or three Akulas and one Yasen. They’re up among the ice ridges. The signal’s strengthening and then fading. Bearing 32 degrees.”
And so it begins, thought Nathan.
The battles of Salamis, Trafalgar and Midway were fought in sight of each other; the wind, cloud cover and tides played a part.
Here, unseen in the darkness, tomb black and cold, this is where the Arctic battle would be decided.
“Give me your best positions, Koss. Where are they?”
The Navigation Officer pointed to the chart display. “Around here, sir. It looks like route one from Murmansk. They got here as fast as they could.”
Nikki walked into the control room.
“You look like you need a coffee, XO.”
“I’m ok, sir. I’ll get one later.”
“No, now. Follow me.”
They walked into the galley, got two coffees and sat.
“We have at least three enemy boats coming our way from the cap edge; no doubt there’ll be more. Minnesota and Tucson are close by. Apparently USS Santa Fe, Connecticut and 73 Easting are less than ten hours away.”
She yawned. “How far are we from the icecap edge?”
“About 130 miles.” He grinned at her cute, sleepy-head expression. “Tactics? I’d like to know what Miss Georgia would do?”
She smiled. “Then you better ask her, but don’t let me see you near her. If you ask me…” She thought about it looking into her coffee. “What is it about coffee in the morning? It’s the smell.”
“Yeah,” he replied, “that and Napalm.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “Use our strength, we’re quiet.” She smiled. “He won’t know we’re there. Might also be a good time to let the dogs off the leash.”
Nathan nodded.
“Have you decided what to do with Minnesota and Tucson?”
“Not yet. I’d like to wait on the other two nukes, but we haven’t time.”
“How about using them in flanking attacks, Nathan?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Putting us up close to the Russian boats will help as we’ll be close to the edge of the ice; we’ll need power at some point. And it fits into what I have in mind for 73 Easting.” Nathan outlined his plan.
She smirked. “Ok, good, that could work.”
They returned to the control room.
“Lemineux, get Minnesota on Gertrude.”
The Communications Officer set up the link, and Nathan picked up the handset.
“Captain Stanley, USN.”
“Hi, Blake here. I’m going to advance up towards them. I’d like the pair of you to carry out a flanking attack. I’d like to wait for the other two, but we’ve not enough time. I need you to stream the wire and relay something to 73 Easting.”
“Ok, we’ll outflank them. What’s your message?”
Nathan explained his plan.
“We’ll transmit that on our way to meet Ivan. Minnesota end transmission.”
Nathan looked around his control room. The crew were all staring into screens concentrating. They were a good, competent crew; one of the best in the Navy. It was his job to take them into battle and lead them safely home. He felt the weight of that awesome responsibility; that and a little fear. Could he do it?
Admiral Kamov, the CNO himself, had placed him in command of operation Ninety Degrees North.
He remembered his time on USS NYC; what would Captain Franks do?
Franks would consider the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and play to one, and avoid, if possible, the other.
He was in command of a submarine fleet. Did Kamov realise what he’d done?
As Fleet Commander, his big negative was communication. Modern communications were totally out of the window; even radio like the Second World War was fantasy. The ships of the line, like the ones at Trafalgar or the Battle of the Nile, had signal flags they could raise and lower to transmit quite complex orders.
Here, there was no line of sight; there were pulsed sonar codes, but they would give away their position. There was passive sonar: you’d have some idea of where your allies and enemies were and what they were doing, but that was it. You have superb hearing and that’s all you have.
Submarine warfare down there was like fighting in the old Greek Triremes. The Greeks had no highly developed signal flags like those used at Trafalgar. They could see what their own and enemy vessels were up to, and that was it. Here, if you switched sight for sound, you had a similar system.
An attack submarine is one of the world’s most sophisticated warships, but wanders about half blind. They were blind, but armed to the teeth in a darkened room with other blind enemies, equally well armed. Nathan knew it was a battle for idiots or submariners only.
“Planesman, come to bearing 32 degrees, trim for slow ascent, up bubble ten, speed eight knots, make your depth 400 feet.”
“Thirty two degrees, 400 feet at eight knots. Aye, sir.”
USS Stonewall Jackson slowly climbed up towards the foe.
“Four hundred feet, sir.”
“Make speed six knots.”
The boat slowly inched forward.
“Benson, give me a sitrep on our targets.”
Benson looked over with a faint smile. “Sir, forward of us are two hanging ridges; we have an Akula in each. I have a good return on the left-side one, but no current return on the right side. The channels are separated by approximately half a mile. They’re both there, but the channels twist and turn, so we see them and then they’re hidden. Range on left-most contact is three point seven miles; the other’s about a half mile behind.”
“Weaps, designate left contact as Tango 1, right contact as Tango 2. Calculate a firing solution on each. Flood tubes one and two.”
The Weapons Officer went to work. “Sir, Tango 1 and 2 are targeted. Unreliable solution on two, as the channel is hiding him intermittently.”
Maybe we can put temptation in his path, thought Nathan.
“Weaps, flood five, open outer doors, launch Deputy Dawg when ready. Bring him to the right and advance towards Tango 2.”
“Sir.”
The Pointer made its way through the darkness. Above were the hanging ice ridges. Slowly it headed to where Tango 2 advanced down the twisting valley.
“Sitrep, Benson?”
“Sir, Tango 1 is now fully visible most of the time; it’s nearing the end of the valley. Tango 2 makes an occasional appearance as it advances. Deputy Dawg is around a mile away from him and 600 feet deeper.”