Regarding the current attack by the four Russian submarines, what was happening in the adjacent water to the south was unclear. Novikov’s best assessment was that at least one Akula had been sunk — the one Krasnoyarsk had replaced. The Akula in the operating area to the south was still alive; Hydroacoustic held the sonar signature of the Russian submarine and the American submarine it was prosecuting. Whether the third Akula, the farthest one south, was still in play, Novikov couldn’t determine.
What was far more important was whether there was another American submarine between Krasnoyarsk and the aircraft carrier. That the U.S. Navy overall held a significant numerical advantage over the Russian Navy was obvious, but how many American submarines had surged into the Persian Gulf was unknown. It was prudent, Novikov had decided, to assume that at least one more U.S. submarine stood between Krasnoyarsk and its goal; sinking the aircraft carrier would not be so easy. The next report over the Command Post speakers confirmed his assessment.
“Command Post, Hydroacoustic. Hold a new contact, designated Hydroacoustic two-one, bearing one-zero-zero. Analyzing frequency tonals.”
As Novikov wondered which class of submarine he was facing, Hydroacoustic followed up. “Command Post, Hydroacoustic. Contact two-one’s tonals correlate to Ohio-class submarine.”
Novikov pondered the unusual report. He had expected to face another fast attack, not a guided missile submarine. Carrying 154 Tomahawk missiles and a specialized SEAL detachment, the American guided missile submarines were valuable assets and would not be employed in standard submarine warfare unless there was no other option.
This was relatively good news. All four of America’s guided missile submarines had their keels laid in the 1970s, and although their tactical systems had been modernized, their hull-mounted acoustic sensors had been fabricated in the 1970s as well. The submarine’s crew would have to rely more on its modern towed array rather than the somewhat antiquated bow array.
However, the American SSGNs had a notable advantage their fast attack counterparts lacked. SSGN commanding officers were Captains on their second submarine command tour, having previously commanded another submarine, and only the most successful officers were selected to lead SSGN crews. Novikov and his crew were facing a submarine hampered by its aging technology, but aided by an experienced, handpicked Captain.
Novikov nodded subtly to himself, then announced, “All stations, track Hydroacoustic two-one.”
His crew settled into the task, and after determining the contact’s bearing rate, Novikov decided to maneuver for the next leg of analysis.
“Steersman, left full rudder, steady course zero-one-zero.”
Lieutenant Commander Tom Montgomery monitored the target solutions being generated on the combat control system consoles while listening over his headset to reports from Sonar and the other Control Room watchstanders.
After responding to another report over his headset, he announced, “Possible contact zig, Master one, due to downshift in frequency.”
Wilson glanced at the nearest time-frequency plot. Either the Russian submarine crew had detected Michigan and was beginning the prosecution phase, or the maneuver was part of its random course changes as it advanced toward Theodore Roosevelt.
He waited while the Fire Control Party sorted out what Krasnoyarsk had done. Montgomery eventually announced, “Confirm target zig. Contact has turned to port.”
Wilson examined the time-frequency plot in more detail, attempting to determine the magnitude of the Russian submarine’s turn. Based on the frequency shift, there had been a fifteen-knot downshift in speed. Assuming Krasnoyarsk had been traveling toward Michigan at ahead standard, that meant the Russian submarine had turned broadside to Michigan, attempting to maximize the change in bearing rate for its fire control algorithms.
Michigan had been detected, and Krasnoyarsk’s crew was beginning to refine its solution.
Wilson approached his Executive Officer. “We need a firing solution, soon.”
After ordering several more maneuvers, Gavriil Novikov waited impatiently while Captain Anton Topolski, his First Officer, shifted between the fire control consoles, analyzing the data from Hydroacoustic.
Krasnoyarsk had just detected the American submarine on its bow sonar array. With the American submarine now held on two different sensors, the target solution came into focus. Once their adversary’s course was refined to within ten degrees and its speed to within a few knots, they would be ready.
Topolski, who was hunched over the shoulders of the two men at the fire control consoles, tapped one michman on the shoulder. “Set as Primary.” The michman complied, and Topolski announced, “Captain, I have a firing solution.”
Novikov ordered, “Prepare to Fire, Hydroacoustic two-one, tube Two.”
The Central Command Post watchstanders began executing their launch checklists, and as Novikov prepared to retreat to the back of the Command Post to supervise preparations, he hesitated. Typically, submarines fired torpedoes on a corrected-intercept solution, with the torpedo fired at a lead angle that took into account the target submarine’s course, speed, and range, so that the torpedo and target eventually ran into each other.
But if the target submarine detected the torpedo when it was launched instead of when it went active a short distance away, it would immediately maneuver to a new course, invalidating the corrected-intercept course loaded into the torpedo, and the torpedo would be dependent on a course steer sent over its guidance wire. If the American submarine was close enough to track Krasnoyarsk, which Novikov suspected it might be, a corrected-intercept shot wasn’t the best tactic.
He decided to determine which scenario he was dealing with. To his First Officer, he ordered, “Close, then open tube Two outer door.”
Topolski looked up. “Sir?”
In preparation for battle, Novikov had opened the outer doors for every torpedo tube. Cycling a door would emit an unnecessary acoustic transient.
“Cycle tube Two outer door. I want to know if our opponent has us on its sensors.”
Topolski passed the order to the Torpedo Room, and the outer door for tube Two was closed, then opened again.
Murray Wilson studied the sonar display, watching Master one on Michigan’s port beam, drifting aft. Montgomery signaled that he had gathered enough information on Michigan’s current course and was ready for a maneuver when a report from Sonar came across the Control Room speakers.
“Conn, Sonar. Receiving metallic transients from Master one. Possible torpedo door mechanisms.”
Wilson acknowledged Sonar’s report, then called out, “Firing Point Procedures, Master one, tube One.” Montgomery didn’t yet have a firing solution, but whatever solution he had would have to do.
As the personnel in Control executed their checklists, Wilson changed course. “Helm, right full rudder, steady course one-two-zero.” If Krasnoyarsk’s crew was preparing to fire, it was best to maneuver, placing Michigan on an optimal evasion course for a corrected-intercept shot.