‘Depends on how much power we might need, sir. A couple of severe storms or a detour to avoid enemy patrols and we certainly wouldn’t. If Scotty can plot the shortest course’ to Aussie and we make use of the motors on the surface whenever we can, we might just make it. If you want my personal opinion, sir, I’d say it was touch and go.’ Hamilton smiled. ‘In that case, gentlemen, it’s go!’
COMMODORE HASLITT GOT up from his chair, walked across to the window looking out across Fort Hill and Boom Jetty, and flung it open. His office was without air-conditioning and after twenty-two days at sea with only one change of clothing and minimal washing facilities Hamilton did not exactly smell like a fresh spring rose. But with three week’s growth of beard and eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion Hamilton was past caring about personal appearance. The luxury of a hot bath, clean clothes, and a good night’s sleep could come later. His first duty was to report his arrival to the Darwin SNO.
The Commodore returned to his desk and sat down. The sea breeze wafting through the opened window was having the required effect and he sniffed the clean salt air appreciatively, like a medieval judge smelling his nosegay as he passed through the City streets on his way to the Law Courts.
‘You realize, of course, Lieutenant, that the C-in-C (Far East) had been searching the length and breadth of the Pacific for you for the past five weeks.’
‘I’m sorry, sir, but our transmitter was on the blink and I wanted to save the batteries in case we ran out of fuel and had to finish the trip on our motors.”
‘So you said earlier, Lieutenant,’ Haslitt commented drily. ‘But you still haven’t explained why you did not report to Singapore as ordered. The Admiralty will undoubtedly require your explanation.’
‘The situation was very confused, sir.’ Hamilton could not help wondering if the Commodore would be quite so pedantically calm if he’d experienced the first shock of Japan’s blitzkrieg into South-East Asia. In the circumstances he decided that he would be excusable. ‘We were picking up radio reports, sir. I was under the impression that Singapore had fallen. In view of that, I decided to make for Australia.’
Haslitt did not seem very convinced by the explanation but he accepted it without comment. At that precise moment, his greatest desire was to get Hamilton out of his office and into a hot bath and clean clothes. The post mortem could come later.
‘I must admit I am disappointed with your lack of success. It will all have to appear in your written Report of Proceedings, of course, and no doubt the Admiralty will have a few observations to make. But what you’ve been doing with yourself for the last six weeks or so is a mystery to me. You were the only British submarine in the entire area and yet all you succeeded in sinking was one bloody little destroyer!’
Hamilton said nothing. Staring at the blank wall behind the Commodore’s desk, he recalled the night battle in the narrow straits between Kowloon and Hong Kong, the destruction of Firefly, the fate of the refueling junk, and those last terrible hours on Charlotte Island. It was something Haslitt would never understand in a thousand years.
‘And another thing, Lieutenant,’ the Commodore continued. ‘The Foreign Office is after your blood for infringing Portuguese neutrality. Your private arrangements with that damned Macao oil merchant could have international repercussions.’
A picture of Chai Chen’s naked body splayed out and roped to the side of the deckhouse flashed into Hamilton’s mind. He wondered what she would have thought about Portuguese neutrality and International Law. Or, for that matter, Sub-Lieutenant Mihoro. Not that his own actions had been above reproach, and he was curious to know how he was going to explain the Korean’s execution and Aritsu’s suicide. Suddenly he realized he didn’t care any more.
‘I’ll let you have a full written report in the morning, sir. May I have permission to return to my ship?’
‘Permission granted, Lieutenant.’
Hamilton saluted, turned, and walked wearily towards the door. He could not help wondering what the future held for him now. Perhaps he should resign his commission. Or volunteer for service with the Commandos. Anything that would enable him to fight the enemy without the hampering restrictions of rules, regulations and laws. And yet not even total annihilating victory could ever repay the debt owed to people like Chai Chen and Harry Ottershaw, or to Captain Snark and Chen Yu. A sudden shout from the Commodore made him pause in the doorway.
‘By the way Hamilton, you can ship your half-stripe. The New Year promotion list came through a couple of weeks ago. You’ve been made up to Lieutenant Commander. Congratulations.’
But the door was already shut and Hamilton was making his way down the stairs towards the harbour. Haslitt shrugged. Rum sort of a bloke, he concluded. But that was the trouble with some of these upper-yardmen. They might be officers, but one could hardly call them gentlemen….
A Look At: No Survivors, The U-boat Series
Mutiny or murder. These were the stark choices that confronted Kapitan-Leutnant Konrad Bergman. To go against the discipline and training that had been instilled in him from youth and disobey an order. Or to carry out the Fuehrer’s command and destroy his own comrades in an act of cold-blooded premeditated murder.
As commander of a U-boat, Bergman had always greedily accepted his orders, lusting after each of his kills with the relentless energies of a primitive predator. Now the harsh realities of war were proving to be somewhat different from the romantic dreams of his youth. But it was too late to change his destiny now.
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About the Author
AUTHOR EDWYN GRAY specialized in naval writing, and has occasionally written short stories.
Born in London, Gray pursued his education at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. After reading economics at the University of London, he went on to join the British civil service.
Gray began his career as an author in 1953, writing for magazines. His first novel was published in 1969, and he became a full-time writer in 1980.