Most people think the United States and Russia are on different sides of the world but most people are wrong.
Russia and the United States are actually less than two and one half miles apart! That’s right, we may be worlds’ apart in culture and language but geographically, it’s less than three miles. When I tell this to people, who don’t know their geography, they laugh at me but a smart Russian or Alaskan will know about the Diomede Islands.
Little Diomede is part of Alaska and Big Diomede is in Russia.
And even though they’re only three miles apart Big Diomede is 21 hours ahead in time.
During some cold winters you can actually walk across the ice bridge that forms here.
Satellite images have shown that the Russians have been moving some of their mobile nukes to as close as possible to Alaska. This obviously is a very serious concern to us, especially when you see the Russians test a weapon like their new Satan-2, which is capable of destroying everything in an area the size of France!
Meanwhile on my sub, Tad Murphy, Seaman and Sonar Technician extraordinaire, was my “responsibility.” The reason primarily being: No one else wanted to work with or be anywhere near the guy. Usually sonar guys hang around together with other sonar guys.
Not Tad.
Even though three sonar technicians were required to be in the sonar room on each shift, people didn’t hang around with Tad even while on duty.
Tad was thought of by me and just about everyone else on board as:
The dumbest man on the ship.
Tad wanted to, someday, command his own ship.
This guy couldn’t command a rubber ducky in a bathtub!
“Anything out there? I asked.
“Nothin’ but a whale!”
Thinking he’s joking I say, “Whale?”
“Ya, it’s the same one I hear every so often,” Tad confidently says.
“On passive?”
“Ya, but I’d really like to go active and ping this big guy and see what he does!” says Tad enthusiastically.
There is so much wrong with that last statement I don’t know where to start. First, as a sub you must listen with your passive sonar so that enemy sonar can’t see you. Active sonar is that famous ping sound you’ve heard when you watch any submarine movie.
It’s actually a lot more complicated than that but that’s the basic idea.
Then I said, “Big guy? How big is this thing you’re seeing?”
“I dunno,” says Dumbo.
“You do realize there’s nothing but ice around us for hundreds and hundreds of miles, right?”
“Ya, so?”
“So a whale’s a mammal and needs to breathe.”
“So?”
So where can a whale come up for air? The ice up there is no less than five to ten feet thick in every direction!”
“I thought they could breathe under water.”
So then I stare at Tad wondering: Maybe aliens took his brain?
“Where’d you study submarine warfare?”
Tad didn’t answer. We all studied at the same naval school in Groton (AKA: “Rotten”) Connecticut. In submarine 101 you knew whales don’t travel very far under ice as their own sonar tells them there is no place to come up for air. The photos you see of whales breathing surrounded by ice clearly isn’t anywhere near here.
Tad then says, “The AOA didn’t recognize the signature so I discarded it.”
Idiot!
I thought that but didn’t say it. I should’ve said it out loud but I didn’t.
Every sound under water has a unique signature identifying itself. Several computer systems onboard then analyze and attempt to identify the object.
The “proper” acronym for one of our computer systems is: AOAIA. That stands for: Advanced Oceanography and Acoustic Intelligence Analysis. It’s capable of identifying almost anything from underwater mountains down to a particular fish.
“I wanna see it. Pull backup,” I say impatiently.
“James says there’s something wrong with our backup system and he’s been tryin’ ta fix it.”
“Where is James and where is Bob?” asks Tom.
Again, there are supposed to be three STs (Sonar Technicians) here on any one shift.
“I dunno. I was tellin’ them a story and they left.”
I’m not surprised.
I know where they are.
I head down two flights to the galley.
Sure enough! I find James and Bob laughing it up with several other guys while decorating our ship’s “Christmas tree.” This crazy thing was decorated with every piece of junk found on the ship. First, the tree was a faded green cheap piece of plastic Chinese crap. If there ever was a fire on board I wouldn’t be surprised if it started right here.
As soon as I’m seen, everyone stops talking, as James and Bob know they are supposed to be on duty and in the sonar room.
“What’s going on with Tad’s whales?”
Everyone laughs. Bob who is the senior ST enlisted man says,
“You heard the story too? We didn’t want to tell Tad.”
Now I’m angry, “You know protocol. Why didn’t you tell me?”
No answer from any of them.
“Was the processed signal flagged and sent to ASWOC?”
ASWOC is the Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Center in San Diego, California.
No answer. Finally, Bob feels confident, “They see the same things we see. I’m sure…”
He wasn’t able to finish when I interrupt,
“I want to see the fucking whale!”
Both of them look at me because I don’t think in my entire time on this sub they’ve ever hear me cuss before.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly say.
Bob hesitant, “Problem was in the AOAIA software. We don’t have it anymore but I’m sure ASWOC has it. I wouldn’t worry about…”
I’m a by the book kinda guy especially when it came to my “on the job” duties (Off the job? Please don’t go there!).
“Did you tell the commander?” I interrupt.
“It’s in our reports to him, ya.” Says Bob.
“You know he doesn’t read those things. Did you tell him?”
James and Bob just look at each other with blank stares.
So I, ignore these guys, and start to leave the galley.
On my way out I say, “Break time is over, fellas. Get back to work.”
I head back to the sonar room and sit at a station.
I fervently type an encrypted message to ASWOC.
Tad is, sitting nearby, still looking stupid.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve seen this over and over ever since we got here. I think it’s just an anomaly.”
I ignore him.
USS ALASKA 0922 HOURS
ASWOC URGENT:
ANOMALIES AT OUR LOCATION
REPEATED ANOMALIES
AT OUR LOCATION
PLEASE CHECK AOAIA
OUR SOFTWARE BACKUP
NOT WORKING
PLEASE ADVISE
T. WATSON
I hit send and look at Tad who is, only now, looking a tiny bit concerned.
National Security Agency (NSA)
Fort Meade, Maryland (MD)
One year ago
For twenty years the U.S. government didn’t even acknowledge that the NSA existed. In fact, its nickname was:
No Such Agency.
Scores of satellites were put up in space, from all sorts of sister agencies:
Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS),
Defense Support Program (DSP),
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO),
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and,