“Prepare to fire, Hydroacoustic two-five through two-nine, horizontal salvo, tubes One through Five. Tube One fired first.”
In preparation for today’s task, Novikov had loaded torpedoes in all ten of Krasnoyarsk’s tubes. If the tactical situation allowed, he’d send another five-torpedo salvo after the first one.
Captain Third Rank Anton Topolski, Novikov’s First Officer, stopped behind the two men seated at their fire control consoles. He tapped one michman on the shoulder. “Send solutions to Weapon Control.”
The michman complied, and Topolski announced, “Captain, all contacts remain steady on course. I have a firing solution.”
Krasnoyarsk’s Weapons Officer reported, “Ready to Fire, tubes One through Five.”
The Watch Officer followed. “Countermeasures are armed.”
Novikov gave the order. “Fire tubes One though Five!”
As each torpedo was impulsed from the submarine, Novikov felt the tremor in the deck, then his ears popped as all five tubes were vented, releasing the pressurized air that had shot the torpedoes from their tubes.
“Raising aft periscope,” he announced.
The attack periscope rose swiftly from its well, and Novikov pressed his right eye against the optics, searching for any sign that the torpedo launch had been detected. In the distance, the five surface ships remained on course. But that was not a surprise. It would take a moment for the American helicopters to detect the incoming torpedoes and inform the strike group’s Anti-Submarine Warfare commander, who would relay the information to each ship.
Novikov scanned the water’s surface, spotting the five faint torpedo trails. Soon, the helicopter crews would also see the trails and speed toward their source.
“Command Post, Hydroacoustic. Upshift in frequency, Hydroacoustic two-five through two-nine. All contacts are increasing speed and maneuvering.”
In the distance, Novikov spotted the American ships turning away from the torpedoes.
“All contacts are maneuvering, turning to starboard,” he said.
Novikov waited until the surface ships steadied on their new course, then did the mental calculation. “Weapons Officer. Send torpedo steer, sixty degrees right, to all torpedoes.”
The Weapons Officer sent the course correction, turning the torpedoes back onto an intercept course with the evading targets. Each torpedo had a built-in sonar, so the task was to simply steer the torpedo close enough to detect the target, and then its internal software would take over, guiding the weapon until it reached its target and detonated, or the torpedo ran out of fuel. Novikov had factored in a twenty-five-percent fuel reserve to allow the torpedoes to chase down their targets while receiving new steering commands, which Novikov would send as long as Krasnoyarsk could remain at periscope depth and the American surface ships remained within visual range.
Novikov shifted back to an air search, spotting three small specks growing quickly larger. The American anti-submarine warfare helicopters were streaking toward Krasnoyarsk, either due to spotting the torpedo trails or detecting its periscope.
At this point, Novikov would normally have gone deep and attempted to evade the helicopters and their air-dropped torpedoes. But he wanted to remain at periscope depth, sending additional steer commands to his torpedoes as the American warships maneuvered.
“Raise radar mast and radiate,” he ordered.
The Watch Officer complied and the mast popped above the water’s surface, then began searching for contacts.
Krasnoyarsk’s presence and location were now being blatantly broadcast, lighting up radar detectors on the American surface ships and helicopters. But that was okay. The Americans knew an enemy submarine was nearby, and the helicopters were heading straight for it. However, Krasnoyarsk was safe for the moment, inside the minimum attack range of the U.S. Navy’s Vertical-Launch ASROC — a torpedo atop a rocket — and the torpedoes carried by the helicopters were simply dropped, which meant the American helicopters would have to approach to within a few hundred yards of their target.
Perfect.
Krasnoyarsk was an improved Yasen-class guided missile submarine, and in addition to sixteen anti-surface missiles, it also carried twenty-four anti-air missiles on this deployment.
Novikov glanced at the radar display, then announced, “Set radar contact zero-one, zero-two, and zero-three as the targets of interest. Prepare to Fire, three missiles.”
The Missile Officer acknowledged and prepared to launch three of Krasnoyarsk’s Pantsir-M short-range anti-air missiles.
“All three missiles are energized,” reported a watchstander seated at one of the fire control consoles. He soon followed up with, “Anti-air missiles starboard One-one, One-two, and One-three have accepted targeting.”
Novikov initiated the next step. “Open starboard missile hatch One.”
“Missile hatch One is open,” the Missile Officer reported. “Ready to Fire.”
Novikov surveyed the approaching helicopters — they were almost within range of their air-dropped torpedoes — then gave the order, launching three of the four missiles housed in vertical launch tube One.
“Fire.”
The three missiles were launched from the submarine, streaking upward and then veering toward their targets. The helicopter crews realized their peril and began evasive maneuvers, launching chaff and infrared flares, but the missiles were only seconds away from their targets when launched and only the farthest of the three helicopters was able to evade the incoming weapon. The other two missiles ignored the flares and plowed through the chaff, detonating after slamming into the helicopters. Two fireballs of twisted metal plummeted into the ocean.
The third missile missed, but the Pantsir-M radar system guided it back toward its target. The missile veered into a sharp turn, lining back onto an intercept path with the helicopter. Seconds later, a third fireball fell from the sky.
With Krasnoyarsk no longer threatened, Novikov refocused on the surface warships. They were shrinking into the distance, and Novikov figured he’d be able to send one more steer command to his torpedoes before the ships were beyond visual range.
After surveying the trajectory of the fleeing ships, Novikov ordered, “Weapons Officer. Insert steer, thirty degrees right, all torpedoes.”
The Weapons Officer sent the commands as Novikov lowered the periscope.
“Diving Officer, make your depth fifty meters. Steersman, right full rudder, steady course zero-four-zero. Ahead flank.”
The American warships were on the run. But they would not get away.
48
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Seated in the Captain’s chair on the Bridge, Captain Ryan Noss’s first indication that Theodore Roosevelt was in jeopardy had been when the MH-60Rs on the port side of the ship had begun streaking outbound. Seconds later, a report from the strike group’s ASW commander emanated from the Bridge speakers, delivering the unwelcome news — incoming torpedoes.
Noss’s eyes were drawn to several thin streaks of light green water traveling toward the carrier strike group, one torpedo angling toward each ship. The situation coalesced quickly in Noss’s mind. The MH-60Rs had detected an enemy submarine and were en route to sink it. But the submarine had already fired several heavyweight torpedoes at the strike group.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Officer of the Deck, Lieutenant Commander Michael Beresford, assumed the Conn from the more junior Conning Officer and bellowed out, “Ahead flank! Right full rudder!”