The SSN held its depth as it crept forward at five knots across the Stor Bank. The deeper point, an average two kilometres deep under the Norwegian Sea, had been left far behind them, the shelf shallowing as it got closer to the shelf edge of the Barents Sea. Once it had left the safety of the deep, the submarine had tracked the Barents Trough, covering 400 kilometres before moving north across Stor Bank. Their target, a Soviet fleet, had left the vicinity of Murmansk where it had formed up ready for what NATO expected would be an assault on northern Norway. Commander Walcott and his accompanying submarines, a second Trafalgar class, HMS Trafalgar, and two older SSNs from the Swiftsure class, HMS Spartan and HMS Sovereign, intended to ensure the Soviet fleet didn’t make it.
It had taken the submarine pack over three days to transit to their current position. They had left the North Sea, passing through the Greenland-Iceland United Kingdom Gap, known as the GIUK Gap, and into the Norwegian Sea, keeping Bear Island to their north. Now, they were in the Barents Sea, Svalbard to their northwest and the eastern tip of Norway to the south. Murmansk was less than 1,000 kilometres south southeast. British or US submarines tended not to work in packs, generally working in isolation. But, with a major Soviet Fleet on the move to launch an attack somewhere along the Norwegian or Swedish coast, perhaps in support of a second assault against Northern Germany or Denmark, a larger force was needed. Five hundred kilometres south, a second US submarine pack was making its way stealthily towards the approaching Soviet fleet. Behind them, protecting the GIUK Gap, a US Carrier Group, supported by a British anti-submarine fleet consisting of destroyers and frigates, was already doing battle against the enemy. Soviet SSNs were hunting the hunters, and both sides had lost ships and submarines. Two major assaults by the Soviet air force had sunk two US destroyers and crippled the British Aircraft Carrier HMS Invincible. The second of the British Invincible-class light aircraft carriers in the fleet, HMS Ark Royal, had its final stage of fitting-out accelerated and was rushed into service when the war against the Warsaw Pact seemed inevitable. It had assumed responsibility as the flagship for the British flotilla. Their sister ship, HMS Invincible, was helping defend the resupply route between the British Isles and the European Continent.
The GIUK Gap force had four key missions: help protect the airfield on Iceland, interdict Soviet SSNs attempting to go south to threaten NATO reinforcement and supply routes, and act as a blocking force for any major Soviet surface incursion into the Norwegian Sea. The last mission, jus as important, was tracking down and destroying Soviet SSBN ballistic missile carriers. It was likely that many of their Deltas and Typhoons were already attempting to secure their positions in preparation for a nuclear launch, should it be required. US and British SSN nuclear hunter-killer submarines would be tailing those that they were able, ready to destroy this element of the Soviet strategic nuclear arm should the threat worsen.
The Soviet Northern Fleet, the Red Banner Fleet was effectively responsible for the defence of north-western Russia, and was based at Severomorsk and in Kola Bay. The fleet was significantly larger than the entire British Royal Navy, with over 200 submarines at its disposal. The range started from the coastal diesel-electric (SS) attack submarines to the more powerful nuclear-attack submarines (SSN), along with the deadly strategic ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN). The armada that had assembled north of Murmansk was extremely powerful and a major threat to NATO’s northern flank. The aircraft-carrier/cruiser Kiev carried vertical take-off and landing fighters as well as helicopters, and sported a sizeable array of weapons. It was supported by the nuclear-powered missile-cruisers Kirov and Frunze. Two Slava class guided-missile cruisers, the Slava and Marshal Ustinov, along with at least four Kresta-II class cruisers, backed up this powerful core of the fleet. Of particular interest to the British SSNs was an Anti-Submarine Division, consisting of a mix of Udaloy I and II class destroyers, whose primary mission was to provide an anti-submarine barrier and picket patrol. An element of this Soviet flotilla that was of particular interest to NATO high command was the 175th Independent Naval Brigade. This large military force could be used to threaten a number of NATO locations anywhere from the northern part of Norway to Iceland. A diversion had already been initiated on Zealand in Denmark, but the Danish forces had repulsed the attempted airborne assault and the snap landing by another Soviet Brigade.
Commander Walcott sipped at his coffee; his hand holding the mug seemed to tremble slightly. He swapped hands, holding the drink in his left, and straightened his right hand, flexing his fingers then clenching them into a fist. The fingers relaxed as he opened his hand again, and on further examination he could see it was perfectly still. He looked up and saw his XO watching and nodded, returning his coffee to the appropriate hand and finished his drink. It wasn’t nerves or fear, he knew that. Just tiredness, bordering on fatigue. Operating in these conditions for an extended period of time would put a strain on the strongest man. His 130 crewmen had been in ‘silent mode’ for the last twenty-four hours. The standing order: if you don’t have to move, don’t. He would need to keep a close eye on his crew, perhaps a word with his XO later, although they appeared to be holding up well.
He slipped off his seat and went to check the plotter. The sub was on target. It wasn’t the first time he, his crew and HMS Turbulent had entered these waters. During operations to acquire ‘The Take’, intelligence gathering that would enhance their knowledge of Soviet naval operations, he and his men had slipped past Soviet ships to spy on their exercises, fleet manoeuvres, being conducted by the perceived enemy. Now, though, they were a true enemy. But they must be close to the fringes of the enemy fleet by now. The outer anti-submarine defences would be the first of the barriers they needed to cross. Although, initially, they were part of a submarine pack, they would in fact operate independently as each submarine now had no idea where the other SSNs were since separating on leaving the Norwegian Sea. They would be aware of their respective allocated sectors of operation but beyond that, nothing.
“Sonar, contact bearing 124.”
Walcott moved across the control room and into the sonar space where the operator was bent over his sonar stack, the first stack green, the bottom two white. The operator put his hand to the white cloth-covered headphones, a tattoo showing on his bicep under the rolle- up sleeve of his blue uniform shirt.
“What have you got, Roberts?”
“Still increasing in intensity, sir. Bearing now 125.”
The chess game has started, thought Walcott.
“Any thoughts?”
“Small, sir, but I can’t be certain.”
“Distance?”
The sonar operator checked his stack. “Eleven thousand yards, sir.”
The XO joined him.
“Udaloy?”
“Possibly.”
“Ten thousand yards, bearing 125.”
Walcott turned to the XO. “We’ll maintain course, keep him to our starboard.”
“New contact, bearing 086, 16,000 yards… a destroyer, I think, sir.”
“Well done, Roberts. Keep on them.”
“Their outer screen. What do you plan then, sir?”
The captain picked up the handset. “Left rudder, ten degrees.”
“Ten degrees, left rudder, aye, sir,” came the response from the helm.
“Need more of the picture, XO.”
They both moved across to the board. Two pieces of the jigsaw were in place, but not enough to provide the bigger picture.
“We need to get a picture of his battle space, and two destroyers won’t give us that,” the captain continued.