He looked grim, but determined. “We won’t stop looking while there is any hope of finding Toledo, whatever its current status,” Chang declared firmly. “She experienced some sort of trouble, and we owe it not just to the families of the crew, but the entire submarine force, to find out what happened to her.
“After Thresher was lost in 1963, the Navy went to a lot of trouble to explore the wreck and figure out that the accident was caused by a combination of hardware problems and incorrect operating procedures. As a result, the Navy created a program called ‘Subsafe’ that made changes to submarine designs and training, so that failure would never happen again.”
Laird picked up a sheet of paper. “I’d like to read part of a letter from Congressman Mark Rikell, head of the House Armed Services Committee, to the secretary of the Navy, that was sent two days after news of Toledo’s disappearance first broke.” She asked, “Have you seen this?”
Chang seemed to be having trouble not frowning. “I’ve read it, along with the rest of the Public Affairs Office.”
“The entire letter is available at our website under the heading ‘Toledo’ but I’ll just read the third paragraph.
“Congressman Rikell writes, ‘I am unhappy with the information provided by the Navy to this committee. We find it impossible to exercise our proper oversight function when so much information regarding the search is being withheld from the members, even when meeting in classified session. Questions the Navy refused to answer included the duration of the search, the exact area where Toledo could possibly be located, and whether anything related to her mission could have caused her loss. We are very concerned that the Navy will not say how close the submarine was to Russian waters, or whether Russian assistance was requested.’”
Laird said. “Thanks to your explanations, I believe I can understand why the Navy hasn’t disclosed the location information, but certainly the Russians know whether we’ve asked them for help. Is there any reason why the American people shouldn’t know? So, I’ll ask you here: Have you asked the Russian Federation for assistance in searching for Toledo?”
Chang smiled. “Congressman Rikell could have given the Navy a little more time to respond. Since the question involved a foreign country, the secretary of defense had to consult with secretary of state before answering, and the answer is ‘No, we haven’t,’ and do not plan to.”
“And can we deduce from your answer that you are not searching near Russian territorial waters?”
“You may draw any conclusion you like, Ms. Laird. I cannot tell you whether it is correct or not.”
The quick-look report, the first information on what Jimmy Carter had found, transmitted within a day of the discovery, was just two pages. It was also classified at the Top Secret level, at least for the foreseeable future. Jimmy Carter’s UUVs had found Toledo rather quickly, which in one sense was great news. The crew’s loved ones wouldn’t have to wonder what had happened.
The second report was sent as Carter left the area. It wasn’t much longer, but it confirmed everyone’s worst fears. Toledo lay on the bottom, about 150 fathoms down, on her side with a hole in her hull that could not have come from any type of internal accident. The wreck was just a mile outside Russian territorial waters.
All sorts of emotions fought each other in Jerry. He felt pride for Weiss’s work. It had taken considerable skill, as well as a little luck, for Lou’s boat to locate Toledo so fast. Acoustic and bottom conditions were terrible in that part of the ocean, and having the Russians close enough to throw rocks at them had constrained his movements significantly. Jerry knew he’d be writing up another Meritorious Unit Commendation for this boat.
But conclusive word of Toledo’s fate also brought the dreaded sadness — delayed, deferred, and denied until hard proof tore away all his defenses. As much as Lenny’s death saddened him, Jerry’s thoughts went to Berg’s family. They hadn’t been informed yet, and wouldn’t be until the higher-ups reviewed Carter’s full report and decided how much they could be told.
Weiss’s boat wasn’t due to return to Groton for another thirty-six hours, and that was with her making her best transit speed. It wasn’t flank, but they weren’t stopping at the gift shop on the way back, either. Until then, the “official” search would continue, while the Navy tried to absorb and understand what Toledo’s loss implied.
The few photos that were included with the transmitted report had been made by the UUV from a close distance. Thankfully the water was clear, but the UUV’s lights still didn’t reach very far. The image showed a ragged but roughly circular hole in a smooth surface. There was no hint of the hull’s curve in the image, which confirmed the photos were taken from very close range. There was no sense of scale, and no details could be seen inside. The edges of the hole were pushed in, consistent with a weapon impact.
Weiss’s report said that the hole was about two feet in diameter, located amidships, probably near the boundary between the forward and reactor compartments. Two feet was more than big enough to sink the boat. The Improved Los Angeles—class submarines only had three compartments, with the watertight bulkheads surrounding the reactor. On either side, there was nothing to stop the water from filling that part of the ship.
A hit in the forward compartment would quickly flood the front half of the sub, as well as knock out the control systems the crew would need to recover. If the weapon hit the engine room, aft of the reactor compartment, it would have been just as fatal. The boat would have lost all propulsion and electrical power. Even a hole this large in the reactor compartment would have overwhelmed the emergency blow system. U.S. submarine design emphasized stealth, not battle-damage resistance — at least not from a torpedo hit.
Naturally, the next question would be what made the hole, but Carter’s UUVs had actually answered that question before it had a chance to become a mystery. Toledo’s area of uncertainty had extended into Russian waters, but going across the border, at least during the initial search, had been ruled out. However, the two UUVs, dubbed “Walter” and “José,” after the Jeff Dunham characters, had searched right up to the edge of Russian territorial waters. And they found something.
A long line of moored propelled warhead mines loosely followed the twelve-mile limit between October Revolution and Bolshevik Islands, blocking the approaches to Shokal’skogo Strait. A minefield? Jerry’s surprise was understandable. Not only was it completely unexpected, but he could think of no reason to lay a minefield there — no reason that anyone knew of.
After Jimmy Carter’s UUVs had found the minefield, Weiss had shifted the search plan to check area near the Russian border first. That had been a good decision, although there was no joy in the outcome.
The mines were not relics from the Great Patriotic War. The UUVs’ high-frequency sonars were good enough to get images from more than one angle, and Weiss’s report identified the devices as very modern Russian PMK-2 mines. They were antisubmarine weapons, moored well below the surface. Each mine had its own sonar that would listen for an approaching submarine. The mine was smart enough to filter out noises that were not from subs. When it heard the right sounds, the mine would go active to determine the target’s exact location and then release a torpedo that would home in and attack the sub.