“Sir, have you been able to assess whether my newspaper articles have had any impact?” asked Jack.
“Impact, my dear Lieutenant, does not accurately describe what your articles have accomplished.”
Wells walked across the room and retrieved a bundle of newspapers from all over the South. He plopped them down on the table in front of Jack.
“Just look at a few of these headlines.”
“USS New Jersey is the Latest Gray Ship to Attack Southern Shipping” The Macon Telegraph
“USS Pennsylvania Seen Cruising Near Wilmington, North Carolina” The Weekly Raleigh Register
“USS Oregon — The Latest Gray Ship to Join the Northern Fleet” The Southern Illustrated News
“USS Maryland Fires Guns at British Supply Ship” The Daily Richmond Examiner
“Read some of the details, gentlemen,” Wells said. Jack read, in some cases word for word, what he had written for Northern newspapers. It seemed that he had become a one-man wire service for newspapers all over the South. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or angry that they’re stealing my words,” said Jack with a laugh.
“Be neither flattered nor angry, Lieutenant. Be proud that your work is having an enormous impact on our war effort.”
“I noticed one upsetting article from the Macon Telegraph,” said Campbell. “It says here that we fired on a civilian picnic, killing dozens of people. That is simply not true. We’ve never fired on the shore. We haven’t even fired directly at a ship.”
“Commander, truth and war make strange bedfellows.”
“Sir,” said Campbell, “we weren’t’ expecting to meet with you today. If we were, I’m sure Captain Patterson would have come along.”
“Not a problem at all, Commander. I realize that I surprised you. I just wanted to hear the information myself first hand. Please convey to the Captain that the California should cruise off Norfolk, Virginia for the next two weeks. It’s less than 200 miles from here, so it will be easy to return if need be.”
“Before you leave we should discuss one more thing,” said Wells. “Let me ask you a blunt question, Commander. Do you expect hostile fire?”
“Yes sir, I do. Captain Patterson has discussed this with all Department Heads as well. It’s inevitable that some overly enthusiastic ship captain, we would call him ‘trigger happy,’ will open fire on us. Whenever we engage a vessel, we are at battle stations, and all gun and missile batteries are ready to respond.”
“When I toured the California, “said Wells, “you told me about your Harpoon Anti Ship missiles.”
This guy’s got a great memory. Campbell thought.
“Yes Sir. Our Harpoon batteries are ready to fire on command.”
“Don’t hesitate to use them, Commander.”
Chapter 52
When they returned aboard the California, Campbell and Thurber briefed the Captain on their meeting with Wells.
“I hope he wasn’t insulted that I didn’t join you,” Ashley said.
“Not at all, Captain. His meeting with us was a surprise.”
“Our Rules of Engagement have been changed,” Campbell said. “Secretary Wells remembered our weapons from his tour. He said that if we’re fired upon that we shouldn’t hesitate to use our Harpoon anti-ship missiles.”
The California steamed off Norfolk on June 3, disguised for that day as the USS Colorado. At 1100 hours the Officer of the Deck reported to Captain Patterson that a large combatant vessel was three miles off the California’s starboard side and closing on the California’s position. Through his high powered binoculars the OOD could see that the ship carried eight large guns on each side. He estimated the ship’s length to be 200 feet. She was under sail, but he could see that she was designed for steam as well as sail. Also, four merchant vessels were within sight.
The OOD contacted the Captain, who ordered him to sound General Quarters, sending the crew to their battle stations.
Ashley put on her helmet and flak jacket and went to the bridge, her battle station.
As the Confederate ship came within 500 yards of the California, it fired a volley of eight cannon shells. The shells hit the water 100 feet off the California’s port bow.
Each of the California’s missile and gun batteries had a number. Battery five was the Harpoon anti-ship missile battery.
Ashley pressed the talk button on her headset.
“This is Captain Patterson. Battery Five fire one.” The Harpoon missile is 15 feet in length, weighs 1,140 pounds and carries a 490-pound warhead of penetrating explosives. It is guided to its target by active radar signal.
The missile struck the Confederate warship in the middle of her hull and exploded inside the ship, sending a fist of smoke and fire 100 feet into the air. The ship visibly cracked in half as the blast lifted it out of the water. The aft section sank immediately. The bow section bobbed at the surface for 15 seconds before it sank.
Captain Patterson ordered the California/Colorado to close on the ship’s final position to look for survivors. They found two sailors clinging to wreckage. The Captain eased the ship next to them and lowered a ladder. Neither man was seriously hurt because they were fortunate enough to be standing behind an iron bulkhead when the Harpoon hit. When asked, they said that their ship was the CSS Chattanooga. They were brought to sick bay for a medical exam and given clean fatigues to wear. They were then escorted to the Captain’s office.
Both men were still visibly frightened. They were also amazed that the Captain of the ship was not only a woman but a colored woman. Ashley ordered coffee and sandwiches and told them to have a seat.
“Do either of you have any idea why your captain chose to open fire on this ship?” Ashley asked. One of the men, Jubal Johnston, answered. “Captain, Ma’am, our Captain, Randolph Brown, has been looking for a fight with the Gray Ship ever since he first heard of it. It’s like he couldn’t get it out of his mind. The rest of us thought that we were picking a fight that we couldn’t win. I guess we were right.”
“You’re on the USS…” Ashley had to think for a moment, “Colorado. How many other Gray Ships have you personally seen?” One man said he had seen five, the other ten.
After a few questions, Ashley realized that these men had no significant intelligence to give her. She then gave them a verbal tour of the California’s (Colorado’s) weapons, exaggerating their number and strength. The men had seen what a Harpoon missile can do first-hand, so they didn’t doubt what she was telling them.
“Our orders are plain, sailors,” said Ashley. “If any Gray Ship is fired upon, the attacking vessel will be sunk immediately.”
The men assumed that they were prisoners of war, and, judging from the food, they weren’t unhappy with the prospect. They were shocked when the Captain told them they would be put ashore under cover of darkness.
The Captain’s final words to them, as they were boarding a Zodiac for their trip to land, was meant to be spread. “Whoever will listen to you, tell them to do all they can to end this war. You cannot win it.”
The Zodiac shoved off with one man steering and a Marine guarding the two sailors.