“Sir, Lieutenant Ilya Trepishchev, Commandant of the Undersea Ordnance Section.”
Yevgeni waved the Lieutenant back to his seat.
“Lieutenant Trepishchev, the fuses of the depth charges are watertight. I am considering the possibility of fitting such a fuse to an aerial bomb. If the fuse cannot withstand the high pressure at the seabed, maybe it can be protected by a steel cone, like a hat, that we can weld to the nose of the bomb in a way that will also preserve the bomb’s aerodynamic quality. We will only extend it by several centimeters. It seems simple to me because these bombs are made of iron.”
Lieutenant Trepishchev looked at Yevgeni, requesting permission to reply.
“Speak up, Lieutenant. I’m listening.”
“In principle, it is possible, but it depends on the diameter of the screw thread of the nose bearing shell. If the thread of the aerial bomb’s fuse is larger, I can very easily make an adapter that will allow the bomb charge’s fuse to fit into the aerial bomb. It’s simple to make such an adapter”, the Major said.
“Please tell me, Lieutenant, what happens if it’s the other way around, meaning the fuse of the charge is thicker and fatter than the screw thread in the aerial bomb? What do you do then?”
The lieutenant seemed to choose his words carefully and then, with a slight smile, he said: “Then, Colonel, we would have a real problem. I think we may have to find that junior officer who used laundry clips in bombs.”
The Lieutenant immediately regretted using a type of language that was unacceptable in such military forums. To his great surprise and relief, he noticed that Yevgeni was smiling.
This fellow is either rude or he is very brave, thought Yevgeni, and he is exactly the type of person that can make a difference when necessary.
It was way past midnight when Yevgeni returned to his first team, the operations researchers. When Dr. Irena Pashutin noticed him, she stopped working on the paperwork laid out before her.
“Well, have you reached a solution?” asked Yevgeni. “Yes, Sir Colonel”, Pashutin replied.
Yevgeni called over his four teammates and all of them waited patiently for Dr. Pashutin’s explanation.
“We have completed all the calculations and validated the data several times”, said Dr. Pashutin. “In order to produce the R effect that will optimally simulate a nuclear blast, which will allegedly occur at a distance of six thousand nautical miles, we need to detonate approximately 500 kilograms of standard issue Red Army explosives at a distance of 47 kilometers from Alpha Point.”
“What is the Alpha Point?” Colonel Nazarbayev asked.
Yevgeni motioned swiftly to Dr. Pashutin to disregard the question, saying to his mate Nazarbayev, “I’ll explain to you later”; then he turned back to Dr. Pashutin.
“Lieutenant Commander Doctor, what is the most effective location to execute the blast? Is it over water? At the water surface level, on the seabed, or somewhere in between? Have you reached a decision on this?”
“Yes, Sir”, replied Dr. Pashutin. “I am sorry I did not say this before, but the most effective blast, compatible with the data you provided, Colonel, should be conducted on the seabed.”
Lieutenant Alexey, the young submarine officer, entered the room. He saluted Yevgeni and informed him that a meal was ready for them in the next room. Yevgeni saluted him back and thanked him, and the younger officer quickly left the room. Yevgeni announced a half-hour break, but requested that his four colleagues remain with him for an inter-team coordination session.
“The fog is starting to clear”, said Yevgeni. “In my opinion, within 24 hours, we can go out to sea for a full wet run. Colonel Nazarbayev, excuse me for not keeping you up-to-date. The Alpha Point is where the American submarine will be cruising at the time of the blast. General Okhramenko, I understand that tomorrow, installations and fittings on the trawler will be completed. Am I right?”
“Right, Colonel”, the General replied curtly.
“Colonel Nazarbayev”, Yevgeni said. “We now understand that we need to deliver 500 kilos of explosive to the bottom of the sea. With these numbers, our situation is not so bad, because a standard 1-ton aerial bomb contains about 500 kilos of explosive, while the other 500 kilos are its metal components. I ask that you immediately activate whoever needs to be activated in order to fly two one-thousand- kilogram bombs from the nearest Air Force base. Actually, not two but three. The bombs must be here by morning. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Colonel Yevgeni”, Colonel Nazarbayev answered.
“By the way”, Yevgeni continued, “I don’t want any fighter jet to drop a bomb for me in the sea. I have two good reasons for that. One, I don’t want the Americans to detect any aerial activity in the perimeter of our operation. Two, I’m afraid that when the bomb hits the water with force, its non-standard, improvised fuse will be damaged, if not activated. Therefore, we will do it differently. We will do it like a couple of hedgehogs making love — very, very carefully.”
The team members, including the dour General, broke into relieved laughter, all of them feeling that they had indeed made substantial ground that evening. When they resumed their serious expressions, Yevgeni continued.
“We will drop the bomb from the trawler using a crane. The bomb is very heavy, but with its elegant aerodynamic figure, it will sink quickly to the seabed. What do you say, my friend, Colonel Nazarbayev?”
“What I am saying”, Nazarbayev said with amusement, “is that I am starting to get tired of agreeing with you all the time. But it sounds logical to me.”
“Excellent, and now you, Brigadier General Dimitri. It seems to me that by tomorrow, we can complete all the preparations, and the day after tomorrow, we can go out to sea for the test. I’m reminding you that we are almost ready, in theory, and we have only one missing detail, which seems marginal but is not. We have no target. We have no American vessel on which to execute all this giant operation. We still don’t have a training and navigation schedule for the American submarines.”
Dimitri glanced at his watch and calculated for a minute before turning to Yevgeni.
“Look, it is already one past midnight, but I am going to find and wake Admiral Leonov. Only he would have a secure telephone that can connect us to our people in Washington. They promised us results within a day or two, but I want to put pressure on them.”
Brigadier General Dimitri stood up and walked towards the door.
“One more thing, Dimitri”, Yevgeni called to him. “Tell your friend that we will meet him tomorrow at 0800 hours for an important conference. Tell him that we want the naval captain of the trawler and also the captain of the nuclear submarine with him at the meeting, as they will also join us in the experiment. We are nearing the end of our work tonight. Let’s eat something and meet up at the residence.”
Colonel Nazarbayev rose to his feet and walked towards the door. Yevgeni’s eyes followed him.
“Where are you going?”
“I am not one hundred percent certain of everything. I want to go with the local team to their section and check a few things for myself. I will join you later. Good night, dear colleagues, or should I say, good morning to you.”
Chapter 8
Rear admiral Illya Leonov invited his guests to sit with him around the desk in his office. He poured steaming hot tea from a glass teapot for himself, and urged his guests to do the same.
“Did my people come up with the goods last night?” he asked, expecting only one answer.
Colonel Yevgeni placed his cup of tea on the table.
“I have nothing but compliments for you and your people. They truly are first-class professionals.”