Coast Guard Sector Commander Eric Buehler had reconciled himself to receiving telephone calls every few minutes from the White House, the Office of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, and various Senators and Congressmen who had a California crewmember from their state or district. He gave the job of handling the press to his public relations staff.
The disappearance of the California dominated news programs and online news updates the world over. It also was the major topic in the wild world of unedited blogs, Twitter and Facebook posts, even though it was still early morning. A Google search of USS California showed more hits than any other searches combined.
Fox News veteran anchor Sheppard Smith was fast asleep. His phone rang at 3:30 a.m. After five rings, he awoke and looked at the alarm clock. His producer told him about the California and said to get to the studio as soon as possible.
Smith arrived on the set at 4:25 a.m. After a quick huddle with his producer they focused on three angles to the story. News outlets always look for an angle, otherwise news can just mean cold facts. The first angle would be possible terrorism, as it always is for a sudden event, especially one involving the military. The second angle would involve the sea rescue operation. They would need an expert on sonar. Smith’s editor looked at his database and called a guy from Florida they had used before. The third angle was a sensitive one, the possibility of human error. Smith’s editor got a retired Navy Captain on the phone.
The broadcast began. “We have received a report that the nuclear missile cruiser USS California is missing. Terrorism (angle one) can’t be ruled out, of course, but the timing of this event, if someone caused it and wanted publicity from it, is very strange. The California went missing at 3:09 a.m. Eastern Time, hardly a busy part of a news cycle. We’ll be tracking the possibility of terrorism throughout the morning. Sonar arrays are being dragged near the California’s last known position by the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, and so far they haven’t detected a metal object beneath the surface of the water. We have on the phone Fox News contributor Peter Welch, an engineer who is an expert in sonar technology.” (angle two).
“Good morning Mr. Welch,” said Smith, “and thank you for getting up so early to talk to us. Please give us your take on what’s happening.”
“Frankly, I’m surprised,” said the sonar expert, “that there has been no audible return at all so far. I understand the sonar has been active for over a half hour and that they are near the last known location of the ship.” The guy then went into technical jargon until Smith cut him off. “Mr. Welch,” said Smith, “we have to take a break. We will be contacting you later for an update. I thank you again, Sir.”
After the commercial break, Smith spoke to retired US Navy cruiser Captain Fred Notter. (angle three).
“In your experience, Sir, how could something like this happen?” asked Smith.
“At this point, Sheppard, I have to say I’m baffled,” said Notter. “If a ship simply disappears off both the satellite and radar grids, it’s usually an indication that the vessel has sunk. But from what I’ve been told, the water depth in her last known location was less than 300 feet, yet sonar shows nothing. I hate to say it but the loved ones of the California’s crew will have to wait until this mystery is solved.”
“Thank you, Captain Notter,” said Smith as he turned to the camera. “It goes without saying that we’ll be tracking this story throughout the day and will bring you the latest news as soon as it breaks.”
At the headquarters of Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, news editor Mohammed Al-Qudz was typing an article that speculated whether American stealth technology could be at play in the California incident. “If they can hide an airplane from radar, can they also hide a ship?” Al-Qudz wrote.
The USS California had now been missing for an hour and a half.
Chapter 69
Lt. Conroy called a meeting of SEAL squad Bravo in the ship’s video theater.
The squad consists of Petty Officers Timothy Blake, Walter Cummings, Edward Jones, Stephen Jordan, Franco Lopez, John Tarback, and Joseph Tucker. The squad would be led by Conroy.
“This mission will have two parts.”
“First,” said Conroy, “we’ve been ordered to capture Phillip Bradley, a man formerly known as Commander Bradley. He is a traitor and a murderer. He killed four of our guys. But this mission is not about ‘payback.’ Our prime objective is to capture Bradley and bring him back to justice. He’s a self-serving prick, and I don’t expect him to choose death. I have a hunch that when he’s confronted, he’ll put his hands up and surrender.”
“And what if he doesn’t surrender, Lieutenant?” asked Tim Blake.
“Then we kill the bastard,” said Conroy.
“Second, we’re going to observe and report enemy troop strength, and call in aerial surveillance and strikes if appropriate. Any strikes, whether by drone or a missile from the ship, will be approved by the captain.”
He then explained that they would land in a Zodiac near the weapons camp that was destroyed. “I figure that they won’t be expecting any visits from the California there. From the camp we’ll proceed about three miles to the Beauregard headquarters. We can expect it to be heavily defended, so we will infiltrate at night. All weapons will have silencers for us to take out guards. Once we break into the clothing bunker, we quickly pick out a uniform for each of us. The horses are trained Army animals and shouldn’t be too spooky. Petty Officer Tarback here has a way with horses, so he’ll head up that part of the operation.”
“Today is July 3. We will move out in three days on July 6, a Saturday, at 2200 hours, after dark. We’ll arrive on Sunday morning. I’ve picked a Sunday because things always get a bit relaxed on the day of Sabbath. Remember Pear Harbor? It will also give us two days to study maps and make detailed plans. I expect to arrive on site at 0100 hours, which will give us plenty of darkness to do our job.”
“It’s a distance of about 90 miles from where we’ll be to Richmond. We’ll take a break every 30 miles, mainly to give the horses a rest.”
“Any questions?”
He handed out a phonetic word pronunciation chart that Father Rick had prepared. Speaking with a Southern accent wasn’t difficult. It just required adhering to a few principles. Drop the “g” sound, the sheet suggested, substituting “mornin” for “morning.” Most of the squad had seen service in Afghanistan, so this looked a lot easier than trying to speak conversational Arabic.
“Okay,” said Conroy, “grab a map and start studying.”
Chapter 70
At 2200 hours on July 6 the SEALs boarded the Zodiac for the trip to the weapons camp. The weather was oppressively hot and humid, even at night, the kind of weather SEALs train for. They arrived at the old weapons camp, as it has become known, at 0115 in the morning. They deflated the Zodiac, folded it over its engine and hid it under brush for future retrieval.
They began the hike to Beauregard’s headquarters, a distance of about three miles. Each man was carrying 30 pounds of gear so they walked slowly both to conserve energy and to keep their ears open for hoof beats. They arrived at the headquarters at 0215 hours, and walked to a large shed, which they identified from drone surveillance as the probable supply depot. Cummings easily picked through the lock and they were inside. Tarback stayed outside as guard. Uniforms were stacked four feet high on a long bench. Using flashlights, they each picked out a uniform and tried it on. Because of the SEALs’ obsession with preparation, they had drilled this maneuver on the ship for hours, reaching for clothing with their eyes closed, then shining a flashlight on the size, and then quickly putting the uniform on.