Stannard stared at him ‘Oh, my Christ!’
Lindsay turned away, ‘Bring her round on to your new course. Maximum revs again, and I’ll want the hands to exercise action stations in thirty minutes before the light goes!’
He gestured to a bosun’s mate. ‘Get the first lieutenant and gunnery officer.’ As the man ran to his telephone he looked at Dancy. ‘And you, ‘Sub, pray for a snowstorm, anything, if you’ve nothing else to do.’
Below in his small office Aikman sat on the edge of his chair, the knuckle of one finger gripped tightly between his teeth to keep himself from sobbing aloud. The mistake which he had anticipated and then ignored had at last found him out. He still did not understand exactly what had happened up there on the bridge, but knew it was far more terrible than even he imagined.
Overhead a tannoy speaker blared, ‘Hands will exercise action in thirty minutes. Damage control parties will muster on A deck.’
Aikman stared at the speaker, his eyes smarting from the strain. What the hell was happening? There was no real danger now, surely? Two ships had been found, and probably the, other one too by now.
Tears ran unheeded down his cheeks. That fool Stanhard and his stupid, crawling yeoman were responsible.’ The signal could have been filed and forgotten like so many others. And now, whatever happened, his small world was broken and lost to him forever.
9
The trap
L indsay made himself sit very still in his chair as the deck lifted, hesitated and then swayed through another steep roll. Apart from the shaded compass lights the bridge was in total darkness, and because the sea had moderated during the afternoon and evening the shipboard noises seemed all the louder. Steel creaked and groaned as if in pain, and above the bridge the long necklaces of iced spray on stays and rails rattled — and tinkled in tuneless chorus.
The Benbecula had turned in a great arc, so that she was now heading once again towards the southern extremity of Greenland. All afternoon they had listened to the crackle of morse from the W/T office and watched the mounting clips of signals. The third German ship, a cruiser, had at last been sighted entering the Skagerrak like her consorts, so whatever doubt had remained in Lindsay’s mind had almost gone. This was no slapdash operation for morale or propaganda purposes. The German navy was showing what it could do when it came to co-operation between all arms of the service.
But for the twenty-eight hours delay things might have been very different. He could have taken Benbecula at full speed to the northern span of her patrol area, where there was the best chance of contacting any ship which might come through the Denmark Strait. If only the neutral freighter had reported seeing the fourth ship earlier, but/the unknown vessel had made good use of time and the carefully planned ruse to draw. off the Home Fleet’s reserves, and by now could be almost anywhere.
Th ‘Admiralty was suspicious, too. Benbecula had received more signals giving details of the convoy’s course and approximate position. The best Lindsay could do was to keep on a slowly converging track, putting his ship between the convoy and whatever was likely to come down from the north-east.
The ten ships and their escort were now in a position on Benbecula’s port bow. It was impossible to fix the exact distance. It could be thirty or one hundred miles away.
He watched the spray lift over the stem and drift lazily towards the revolving screens, saw the quick pinpoint of light from one of the guns as a quarters officer made some frantic inspection in the freezing air. The sea was very much calmer, moving towards them in a great humped swell with only an occasional whitecap to betray its anger. There were several reports of ice, and Lindsay knew the smoother surface was evidence enough that there was some quite near. He half listened to the engines’ muted beat and imagined Fraser on his footplate, watching the dials set to the present reduced speed and waiting to throw open the throttles at a second’s warning.
He thought too of the girl out there in the blackness. It seemed incredible that it could be so. She was probably fully dressed- and in her lifejacket, talking quietly and listening to the unfamiliar orders and sounds around her. One good thing was that the convoy consisted of fast ships. It was not much but…
He turned on his chair and rapped, ‘Time?’
A signalman said, ‘Twenty-one ‘undred, sir.’
Feet thumped overhead where Maxwell and his fire control team had been sitting and shivering for several hours.
He darted a quick glance around the bridge. Dancy and Petty Officer Ritchie. Stannard just by the rear door, and the signalmen and messengers arranged at telephones and voicepipes like so many statues. The coxswain was leaning slightly over the wheel, his heavy face set in a frown of. concentration. as he watched the ticking gyro repeater. The tension was almost a physical thing.
Watertight doors were closed, and apart from the bridge shutters every hatch and scuttle was tightly sealed.
Lindsay-felt his stomach contract painfully and realised he had not eaten since breakfast.
The buzz of a telephone was so loud that a seaman gave a yelp of alarm.
Stannard snatched it and then said quickly, ‘Signal from convoy escort to Admiralty, Sir.’ He paused, listening to the voice from behind the W/T office’s protective steel plate. ‘Am under attack by German raider. One escort in sinking condition. Am engaging.’ He swallowed hard. ‘Require immediate repeat immediate assistance.’
Lindsay did not turn. ‘Full ahead both engines.’
Stannard shouted above the jangle of telegraphs. ‘Admiralty to Benbecula, sir. Act as situation demands. No assistance is available for minimum of twelve hours.’
Dancy whispered, ‘God!’
Another telephone buzzed and Lindsay heard Dancy say, ‘Masthead. Yes. Right.’ Then he said, ‘Gunflashes at Red two-oh.’
The bridge was beginning to vibrate savagely as the revolutions mounted.
Then Stannard again. ‘Admiralty have ordered convoy to divide, sir.’
Dancy called, ‘Masthead reports that he can see more flashes, sir.’
‘Very well.’
Lindsay forced his spine back into the chair, willing his mind to stay clear. The flashes were a guide, but with the low cloud and possibility of ice about it was impossible to. gauge the range.
The control speaker intoned, ‘‘We can see the flashes too, sir. No range as yet.’
With the freezing spray splattering over the bridge it was hardly surprising. Maxwell’s spotters probably had their work cut out to keep even the largest lens free of ice.
‘Any more news from the escort?’
‘‘No, sir.’ Stannard had the handset against his ear.
Lindsay pounded the screen slowly with his gloved fingers. Come on, old girl. Come on. He recalled the words from the Admiralty. Act as situation demands. Would they have said it if they had known Benbecula was so close?
Dancy asked quietly, ‘D’you think it’s the same one that sank Loch Glendhu, sir?’ He sounded hoarse.
‘Yes. That last effort was just a rehearsal. Maybe this is, too.’
Someone gasped as a bright orange light glowed suddenly in the blackness ahead. It seemed to hang like a tall, brilliant feather of flame, until with equal swiftness it vanished completely.
Stannard said, ‘That’s one poor bastard done for.’
Maxwell’s voice made him look round at the speaker, ‘Approximate range is three-double-oh, sir. Bearing Red one-five.’