The bombers' task was to penetrate the Nimitz's outer fleet protection immediately after the GL-25 cruise missile attack, when the fleet would be at its weakest, and attack the Nimitz itself with its high-explosive antiship missiles. Using their advanced jammers and flying only a few meters off the water, the Fencers would be hard if not impossible to spot after the havoc of the cruise-missile strike. On, withdrawal the fighters had the weapons to pick off any targets of opportunity.
In the opening activity after the Mississippi sounded the alarm, the Fencer launches from the Kiev and Novorossiysk went almost unnoticed.
The missile-frigate FFG-48 USS Vandergrift was the first naval vessel to feel the impact of a Soviet GL-25 missile. She was the northernmost antisubmarine ship protecting the Nimitz, and because she was primarily an antisubmarine vessel her anti-air capabilities were limited: she carried only one Mark 13 antiaircraft missile launcher on her forward deck. Although the Nimitz rebroadcast the Mississippi's warning for all her escorts it was impossible for the Vandergrift to defend itself against the attack. Once the oncoming missile had acquired and locked onto the frigate with its homing radar, it accelerated to nearly mach two for the last thirty miles of its flight and hit the Vandergrift square in the center of her helicopter hangar before she could fire a shot. The frigate was nearly sawed in half…
Some escorts fared better, but one by one a path was being cleared by the GL-25s that led straight to the Nimitz herself. The Aegis-class cruisers were set to confront the Arkhangel carrier group to the west and were not positioned for such a massive assault from the north. Though the newer, faster Standard-ER and the new NATO Valkyrie vertical-launch missiles did a credible job against the oncoming swarm, the older Standard missiles could barely keep up.
The GL-25s were winning. Although only one ship was killed for every three GL-25s, the northern escorts were giving way to the Soviet attackers.
"Get as many Tomcats airborne as you can, Captain," Admiral Clancy said over the phone to Air Ops. "I want two air patrols to counter the Arkhangel to the east. The rest head north with the Hawkeye radar planes and find those damned cruise missiles. Keep four Tomcats and two Hornets on alert… Yes, that's right, only four. If we don't chase down those cruise missiles it won't matter how many we keep in reserve."
"Aye…"
The sound of staccato thunder penetrated the noise of the flight deck below Nimitz's bridge. Edgewater and Clancy hurried over to the port observation deck, and saw one of the northern escort vessels lighting up the night with a spectacular rocket display, rapid-firing missiles. "Bridge, CIC. Shiloh engaging hostile targets. " Shiloh was one of four Aegis-class antiaircraft vessels operating with the Nintitz assigned to protect the carrier's northern flank.
As the message was transmitted to the bridge an explosion lit the horizon, silhouetting the entire five-hundred-thirty-two-foot cruiser. There was no fire, no magazine explosion, and the sudden glare subsided. "Got 'em," Edgewater said. "Shiloh must've tagged the cruise missile—"
Edgewater was cut off by a boom that erupted just across the flight deck from their observation position. At the same time a loudspeaker blared, "Collision warning, all hands, collision warning…
The direct phone to CIC rang, but Clancy had no chance to answer it before a blinding flash and a wall of fire washed over the flight deck of the Nimitz, thick clouds of oily smoke obscuring everything, even the enclosed bridge. "Damage report, all decks," Edgewater shouted but from behind the heavy steel wall of the bridge. "All decks—"
Another explosion, this time on the flight deck itself. One of the F-14s ready to launch had caught on fire, the loudspeaker was calling for fire crews and crash crews on deck…
The phone rang again. This time Clancy snatched it up. "Bridge."
"Bridge, this is Crash One. We had a cruise missile explode right off the port side. One elevator, one catapult, one CIWS and one Sea Sparrow launcher out. One F-14 caught by collateral damage, two casualties. No casualty reports from below decks yet."
"Get me word soon as you do." Clancy phoned to CIC as Edgewater picked himself off the deck. "CIC, what's the story down there?"
"Soviet missiles all round us, Admiral," Commander Jacobs, senior CIC officer, told him. "Our close-in weapons system got that last one just before it hit. Shiloh was blind after the missile that almost got them… No way they could knock it down… Stand by, sir." And a moment later: "Message from the Bronstein."
The Bronstein was a thirty-year-old antisubmarine frigate positioned as the innermost antisubmarine warfare vessel astern of the Nimitz and carrying only a three-inch gun and a close-in Gatling gun for self-defense. "She's still under way but listing badly and calling for help."
"Better dispatch three HH-65 Dolphin helicopters with engineers and rescue gear to help," Clancy said, glancing at the surface radar to assess the position of the rest of his escorts. "We'll use all the Dolphins for rescue if necessary; if there are subs around, we're really in a world of hurt."
"Aye, sir. "
"That was too close," Edgewater said. "With Shiloh out of commission we're going to be playing tag with more of those missiles pretty damn soon. Should we place Hue City up to the north to replace Shiloh?" The USS Hue City, the first U.S. vessel to be named after a battle from the Vietnam War, was Nimitz's westernmost Aegis-class ship.
"We've got no choice," Clancy said. "A blind Aegis cruiser is no help to us—"
"Admiral, message from CIC. Our Tomcats are reporting enemy aircraft one hundred fifty miles east of the Ticonderoga." Ticonderoga, the most heavily armed vessel in the support group, was cruising the "point" between the Nimitz and Arkhangel. "No report yet from Ticonderoga. The Tomcats are—"
"Collision warning. All hands, collision warning."
Saint-Michael had just given the order for Ann to hit the switch that would send power from the backup batteries to the Skybolt ignition circuits when a huge explosion hit like a wrecking ball against the outer hull of the command module. Smoke billowed from a half-dozen spots in the debris-clogged module, quickly becoming so thick that the general could no longer see.
As Ann called out to him, trying to find out if he was okay, he half-floated, half-crawled to the jury-rigged control panel and activated a switch that depressurized the command module into the connecting tunnel. Almost immediately the smoke was gone as the last bit of air left on the station rushed into space. "I'm okay," he said, moving back to the SBR control console. "I had to depressurize the—"
Ann heard a barely audible intake of breath. "Jason?"
"My… head… He reached down to his chest-mounted spacesuit control panel and checked to be sure the pressurization switch was still on EMER.
"Jason… I'm coming across."
"N-no." The pain was a knife, but he thought he could fight it off without feeling as if he would lose consciousness. "Stay there… He refocused his eyes on the planter-box power junction. "It looks like the STIR dropped off line. It's not tracking. I'll try to reset the auto-track circuit… Marty, what do you see out there?"
"One of the batteries on the keel exploded," Schultz replied. "Blew right off and hit the command module."
Saint-Michael wedged a small flashlight against his helmet to steady its beam into the planter box. He fought to concentrate against the surge of pain. "Damage?"