Lemineux flashed out a code. Soon the Vietnam Navy Auxiliary ship Trunong Sa-01 came alongside. The stern pole flew the Vietnam People’s naval ensign; a red flag with a yellow star in the middle. As the ship lined up alongside, Johansson turned to Lemineux. “Odd isn’t it sir?”
“What’s odd?”
“Working with these guys. My Pa was in Nam during the Tet sir. He said it was a bitch.”
“Yeah, well, time moves on I guess.”
“Hey bud, you ready?” came the shout. It was an American.
“Yeah, lift em over.” Johansson spoke into his Walky Talky.
“Open forward VPM door.” A large circular hatch swung open and a tube like object swung over the submarine’s deck from a crane on the Auxiliary.
“Forward. Aft a bit,” said Johansson, “back. Forward, that’s it, down a bit, a bit more.” The rating and Johansson helped with the lineup. “Down slow. That’s it. Ok, that’s it. Next.” After a hard fifteen minutes, all six Tomahawks were stowed in their launch tubes.
“All six done and stowed thanks. How do you like it on board that thing?”
“It’s ok, the food’s good, the slopes are ok. I’ve seen more Bombay runners than I ever have before.” Johansson laughed.
“Don’t laugh bud. I’m off for a beer, see ya.”
“It’s a hard life you lucky bastard.” The ship slowly pulled away. A Bombay runner was a ship’s cockroach.
Johansson spoke into the Walky Talky.
“Close VPM door.” The hatch closed and the two men climbed the sail. Soon USS Stonewall Jackson was back below the waves and heading east away from the coast.
THE BOAT APPROACHED the Paracels, she’d circle up from the south as her targets were in the central and northern part of the islands.
“Benson, sitrep on the Chinese squadron?”
“They’re to the north west, five miles sir. No signs that they’ve detected us. We’re opening up the distance slowly.”
“I don’t want to be detected. I’d rather be late than tangle with that lot.” The boat sailed slowly east at 130 feet depth.
Weaps returned to his console.
“I’ve been into the Redwoods room with Johansson. All the birds are checked out and connected sir. I’m going to set up the targeting allocations and attack vectors now.”
“Ok.” Nathan decided to make an entry in the log. A metallic screeching came from back aft. “What the…”
He ran aft to see what was going on and he found the Chief Engineer writhing away with a spanner.
“It’s the buoyancy bleed pump, aft port. It’s been running a bit warm but has been within limits. We have a spare, sir.”
“How lon…”
“I canna defy the laws of physics sir. I’ll get her back to ye when I can.” Nathan tried not to smile at the Scotty parody.
“Ok, Scotty, do what you can.”
“Fifteen minutes, sir. The noise will be off soon.” As if on cue, the sound ended.
What a bastard, that was a hell of a screeching. He made his way back to the control room.
“Buoyancy bleed pump, Larry. We’ll be down fifteen minutes. But we can still sail. As long as we don’t try quick up or down manoeuvres.”
Keep going; keep quiet. They had to get well into the islands to reach the optimum release point.
“Sonar. Aspect change on the two PLAN boats. They’re coming east.”
Shit, Nathan knew it had to happen; they’d picked up the noise the pump had made. They didn’t know what they were doing there or where they were going.
“XO. They’re in the dark about us. They’ll assume we’re a USN boat who knows she’s been detected. What would we do?”
“Run for it.”
“Yeah, but we could try to lose ourselves in the Archipelago, run in and try to shake them off. It’s not a bad move.” It was one against three, he knew he had to out think them.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Assuming they think we’ve gone into the Archipelago, we sit and wait for the Destroyer. Then we under hull her and let her carry us in there. The two Yuan class boats are leading. We get a free ride in there and then we get rough on them.”
“Sounds like a plan. Assuming they hold formation, sir. They could let the Destroyer leapfrog them and play the stalking horse.”
“They could. It’s likely that the squadron Commander will have his flag on the Luyang class Destroyer. They’re similar to our navy, submariners are looked down on to an extent. If so, I can’t see him acting as a stalking horse for two underlings. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Now it was time to get in position for an under hulling.
“All stop. Flood one. Make your depth 1,300 feet. Open and trim vents fore and aft. Make for depth.” The boat started to sink into the black void.
Nikki walked over to him. “Sir.” She stood close, too close. Nathan could smell her hair. He looked into those blue pools that he wanted to swim in. “Remember, he’ll think he’s the Queen Bee. What does the Queen Bee make sure of?”
She slinked back to her console. Even in here, she was a temptress. He shook himself.
“Let me know when the Destroyer’s getting to directly north of us, Benson.”
The minutes went by. “He’s getting in position sir, bearing three four five, range four point three miles.”
“Come to 30 degrees, speed 15 knots.”
“Sonar. Target now due 25 degrees. Speed 12 knots.”
Time to close in.
“Make your depth 70. Match his speed.”
“Aye sir, twelve at seven zero,” called the Planesman.
“Sonar. Range to target, one point one miles.”
“Speed 12 knots.”
“Speed 16 knots,” called Nathan. Stonewall Jackson moved slowly closer to her quarry.
“Sonar. One of the Yuan class is slowing, it’s coming to idle speed.”
What the hell? Then Nathan knew what was afoot. The Yuan class boat was falling back behind the Destroyer. It was going to cover its six. It was covering its leader up top.
Bastard. Under hulling wasn’t going to be possible now. Now what?
“XO, I’m not playing with these guys now. Weaps, designate our contacts, no firing solutions as yet.”
“Sir. Surface contact designated Tango one. Forward Yuan is Tango two. Slowing Yuan is Tango three.”
“Come to four knots.” Nathan waited until the rear Yuan trailed behind the Destroyer.
“Flood one, down bubble ten. Open and trim vents fore and aft. Make your depth 120.” The Chinese boat took up its position astern the Destroyer.
“Speed 15 knots.” Nathan would edge closer to the trailing Yuan and get in his baffles.
“Sonar. Sitrep Tango three.”
“Range two point two miles, depth 80. We have three knots on him.”
“Rig trim to ascend fore and aft one two thirds, get in his baffles.”
The boat levelled out behind the foe and edged closer.
“Tango three. Range, one point three miles.”
“Get a firing solution on him Weaps.”
The weapons officer’s hands set switches and dials over the console. The touchscreen firing computer turned red.
“Mk 48 CBASS ready in tube two. Firing solution laid in; designated target Tango three, Sir.”
“Flood tube two.”
“Aye sir. Tube two flooded. Fish is ready in all respects.”
“Where are we, Kaminski?”
“South of Discovery Reef, coming up to the south is Passu Keah Reef.”
“Open outer doors.”
“Doors open sir.”
“On my mark. Launch tube two.”
This was it; Nathan knew there was no going back now.
It was three against one.
Tango three had to be taken out.
The three he faced were some of the best vessels in the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Some of the best assets in one of the world’s top navies.