Captain Bowie snapped his fingers and pointed to the TAO. “Tell them! Do it quick!”
The TAO keyed up Navy Red. “Ingraham, this is SAU Commander. Gremlin Zero One evaluated as a mobile decoy. Return to formation immediately, over!”
“Ingraham, aye!”
On the CDRT, the Ingraham’s NTDS symbol began to swing back toward the hole it had left in the formation. She was almost back in position when the net crackled with an incoming message from the Sensor Operator aboard Firewalker Two-Six. “USWE — SENSO, buoys five and six are hot. We hold narrowband tonals consistent with Type 212 diesel submarines. Initial classification: POSS-SUB, confidence level high!”
Immediately afterward, a call from the pilot came over the HAWK-Link. “SAU Commander, this is Firewalker Two-Six. Request permission to break hot-pump.”
The TAO keyed his mike. “Firewalker Two-Six, this is SAU Commander. Break hot-pump. Stand by for green deck.”
He turned to the captain. “Request permission to launch the helo, sir.”
The captain nodded. “Do it.”
The TAO keyed up again. “Firewalker Two-Six, this is SAU Commander. Your contact designated Gremlin Zero Two. You have green deck. Launch when ready.”
Less than a minute later, the helo keyed the HAWK-Link again. “SAU Commander, this is Firewalker Two-Six. I am up for Towers control. My fuel state is three hours plus four zero minutes. Three souls aboard. My load-out is one Mark-54 torpedo and a mixed rack of sonobuoys, over.”
“Roger, Firewalker,” the TAO said. “Break. Ingraham, this is SAU Commander. Alert status of your aircraft, Gunslinger Four-One upgraded to Ready Five, over.”
Ingraham acknowledged.
Captain Bowie said, “Tell Firewalker to clear to the east until we get our VLAs off. Then prep us a couple of ASROCs, and let’s take this show to town.”
“TAO, aye.”
“USWE, aye.”
“Keep an eye out,” the captain said. “There are two more subs out there.”
As if in answer to his words, the speaker rumbled again. “SAU Commander, this is Firewalker Two-Six. New contact! Buoys nine and ten are hot. I hold narrowband tonals consistent with Type 212 diesel submarine. Initial classification: POSS-SUB, confidence level high! Looks like another one is trying to run the barrier, sir.”
The TAO answered immediately. “Firewalker Two-Six, this is SAU Commander. Your new contact designated Gremlin Zero Three, over.”
The chief keyed the net. “TAO — USWE. Recommend we target both Gremlins with ASROC, and assign Benfold to target both subs as a backup.”
The TAO looked at the captain. “Sounds like a good call to me, sir.”
The captain nodded.
“USWE — TAO. Good call. Target both Gremlins with VLAs and inform me as soon as you have a firing solution.”
“USWE, aye.”
Chief McPherson scanned the unfolding tactical picture on the CDRT.
Towers, Benfold, Ingraham, and Firewalker Two-Six were shown in blue.
The contacts designated Gremlins Zero Two and Zero Three appeared as red V-shaped hostile-submarine symbols. To the northwest, behind the formation, was the symbol for the motorboat that might or might not have launched the acoustic decoy. It was shown in white, for neutral. The boat appeared to be loitering harmlessly, but they couldn’t count on that. The chief clicked on the motorboat symbol and upgraded its status from neutral to potentially hostile. Its color changed to a lighter shade of red than the submarines. That done, she spoke into her mike. “UB — USWE. I need the status of your firing solutions on contacts Gremlin Zero Two and Gremlin Zero Three. ”
“USWE — UB. Just a second, Chief. My processors are updating now.” There was a brief pause, and then, “USWE — UB. I hold an excellent firing solution on Gremlin Zero Two. I am just starting to get tracking data on the second submarine.”
Per the chief ’s recommendations and the captain’s orders, the TAO got on Navy Red and directed Benfold to target both submarines with ASROCs.
“USWE — UB. I hold excellent firing solutions on both contacts.”
“UB — USWE. Stand by. Break. TAO — USWE. Request batteries released.”
The TAO looked at the captain, who nodded. “USWE — TAO. You have batteries released.”
“USWE, aye. Break. UB — USWE. Kill Gremlin Zero Two and Gremlin Zero Three with Vertical Launch Anvils.”
“UB, aye. Going to launch standby on weapon one. Launch ordered.
Weapon away — now, now, NOW!” On the third now, the entire ship shuddered as the first ASROC missile blasted its way out of the forward vertical launch system. “Anvil one is away, no apparent casualties. Going to launch standby on weapon two. Launch ordered. Weapon away — now, now, NOW!” The ship shuddered again as another ASROC missile rocketed out of its cell. “Anvil two is away, no apparent casualties.”
The second ASROC hadn’t even pitched over into its ballistic arc when the Officer of the Deck’s voice came over the net. “TAO — Bridge. Lookouts are reporting two bright flashes, bearing three-four-four. We’re getting confirmed infrared signatures from the mast-mounted sight cameras. Flight profiles consistent with small missiles.”
“TAO, aye.”
“TAO — Surface. Three-four-four is the bearing to that motorboat. Recommend we re-designate that contact as hostile.”
“TAO, aye. Break. All Stations — TAO, we have in-bound Vipers! I say again, we have missiles in-bound! Weapons Control, shift to Aegis ready-auto. Set CIWS to auto-engage. Break. EW, give me your best course for minimized radar cross-section. Stand by to launch chaff!”
The Electronics Warfare Technician responded a half-second later.
“TAO — EW, standing by to launch chaff, but I don’t think it’ll do any good, sir. I’m showing negative active missile seekers at this time. These Vipers are possible heat seekers, or maybe they’re laser-guided.”
“EW — TAO. Understood. Stand by to launch torch rounds, just in case they’re heat seekers.”
“EW, aye.”
The TAO keyed the net again. “Air — TAO. Where are these missiles heading?”
The two missiles streaking through the night were beam-riders, German-built Scorpion II laser-guided anti-tank missiles. Both were targeted on Benfold, and they closed their target at just under three-quarters the speed of sound. They had been fired from well inside the minimum range of Benfold’s SM-2s, so the luckless destroyer would not have the option of launching her own missiles to intercept.
The target began launching chaff. A half-dozen blunt projectiles rocketed away from the ship. Four of them exploded at predetermined distances, spraying clouds of aluminum dust and metallic confetti into the air to create clusters of false radar targets. The remaining two projectiles were torch rounds: self-igniting magnesium flares designed to seduce heat-seeking infrared guided missiles.