'Lay the table, dear,' she called without turning round. ' I'm dishing up.' They'd have their Sunday lunch together before tackling the icy roads.
15
Captain Trevellion, having spent Monday afternoon with the staff of C-in-C, Plymouth, was shifting into his sea-going uniform. It was 1725 when Jewkes tapped on his cabin door:
'Lower deck cleared, sir. All hands on board, except for Able Seaman Foulgis. I'll report him absent on sailing. We've been sent seamen reliefs for our Marines — it seems we won't have 10 put up with the scrum for too long.'
'Thanks, Number One, I'll follow you down. I expect they have ideas for our Royals — and the ship could do without Foulgis.'
The hangar doors were shut and they had switched on the heating, but the draught cut to the marrow: there was barely space for them all, even though the engine room watchkeepers, who had flashed up an hour earlier, were absent. He returned the salutes of his officers (he had not had time to see them ail yet) then went straight to the point:
'Considering the pier-head jump we've all suffered,' he began, ' I'd like to tell you how good it is to have a ship's company that does not let you down. There's only one man adrift.' He glanced round his ship's company, squashed into the hangar and peering through the doors, eager to learn what was happening. The Master-at-Arms stood at the front with the chiefs and petty officers; the leading hands (Osgood amongst them, he noticed) in a group together.
'There are better ways of spending Christmas Eve,' he went on, ' but the sooner we show the Russians that we mean business, the sooner we'll get back to our homes.' He glanced down at his notes:
'First, you all know that our American friends have called on NATO to show its resolve. A Period of Tension has been officially declared. We are ordered to Alert State Two and to rejoin STANAVFORLANT, taking up station on the edge of the Arctic Circle just about now.
'You've been working flat out since rejoining on Sunday night. We're now ammunitioned, fuelled and stored — again, I'd like to thank you for getting down to it. We've been ordered to be as discreet as possible about our recall and the fact that the Fleet's putting to sea, but the dockyard are bound to know about it by tomorrow.' He paused, looked around him: ' I want to put you fully in the picture.
'The Soviet Union have replied this afternoon to the American's firm stand in Iceland. The Soviets have said to the United States and to NATO: "Okay, so you are acting aggressively in Iceland to safeguard your defence. We are entitled to do the same. You have secret installations in northern Norway which are threatening our security and our territory, particularly our Northern Fleet's base at Murmansk. We have friends in Finn-mark who don't like this aggressive posture, comrades who wish us to free them from the oppressive Norwegian government imposing its will on the Finnmark people. We are disturbed by these warlike threats on the part of Norway, one of NATO'S allies, so we reserve the right to take what defensive steps we believe necessary to protect ourselves against attack".'
Pascoe could feel the tension in the hangar; he did not have to raise his voice now. ' So,' he went on, ' the Soviets declared this morning that they will start their winter manoeuvres immediately in the Kola and Murmansk areas — they are already moving, according to our satellite intelligence. They've two divisions there, complete with massive tactical air support — and a dedicated amphibious force to lift 1,700 men of their Naval Infantry Regiment. That's a total of about 35,000 men…' He paused to allow the reality to sink in. ' They'll be ready to attack across the border within four days.' He faced them, watching the reactions of the older, married men who would bear the brunt of it if the going got tough. The only sound was the whistling of the draught through the doors.
'NATO is reacting with a flexible response to this Soviet threat. First, we are showing the Soviets that we shall resist any Russian attack upon one of our NATO allies — we are immediately landing 45 and 42 Royal Marine Commandos in northern Norway — they've been exercising with the Norwegian Army and their Home Guard for years. Glorious is at the moment embarking 45 Commando here in Devonport and she'll be sailing on tomorrow's tide. Furious is being brought forward in Portsmouth as rapidly as possible, to embark 42 Commando which is now fully trained for arctic fighting. If we had enough amphibious ships, we could land the whole lot together. We're asking the Merchant Navy for help in landing our troops in Norway. Fearless is bound for the Faeroes with troops. When Intrepid is ready, she'll be taking a force of Ulstermen to Jan Mayen Island. The Norwegians are taking care of Spitzbergen but the Russians may attack there, on the pretext of defending their miners.
'The job of the troops is to bring up the Russians with a round turn. If the Soviet Union attacks Norway, the Royal Marines'll hold the line until reinforcements arrive. The ACE (Allied Command Europe) Mobile Force is assembling at the moment for air and sea lift into Norway.'
He glanced again at his notes: ' We are sailing now to join Gloucester, as the second Area Defence ship for STANAVFOR-LANT whose job it is to stop any Soviet Amphibious Force from landing from seaward upon the Norwegian coast — probably in the Troms area. We reckon they don't want to go further south because, if they take Tromso, they will have achieved their objective: they will have chucked us out of the North Cape Area from where we monitor the movements of their Northern Fleet.
'I've nearly finished…' and he glanced round at them all before going on: ' NATO is also showing its resolution in its Anti-Submarine role. We shall sink every Soviet submarine we can find, if they attack Norway. As you know from our experience in Clear Lane, the Soviet submarines are on their way out to their war stations — where to and for what purpose, we don't know. If they decide to go hot, we'll sink 'em. If they play it cool, we'll tail them.
'The Yanks are taking care of the Greenland-Iceland gap; America and NATO — the Iceland-Faeroes gap; NATO and ourselves, Faeroes-Shetland; and the Royal Navy on its own, the Shetland-Orkneys gap and the Pentland Firth.' He looked up: ' I need hardly add that our task is also to sink any ship or aircraft threatening our platforms in the Brent and other oilfields.' He glanced about him, then asked: ' Where's Corporal Burns?'
'Here, sir.' Then he spotted the solid figure of the Royal Marine, his green beret conspicuous in the crowd, his ' booties' grouped around him.
'Corporaclass="underline" reliefs have been embarked for your ship's duties. Be prepared for anything. Get yourselves ready for landing. Captain Stoddart told me that most of you are arctic trained. You've loaded your arctic gear?'
'Yes, sir — all of us, sir, except two: Gregg and Allan. Can we pick theirs up in Norway?'
'I expect so, Corporal. I'll signal Captain Stoddart in Gloucester when we get there. You'll remain in charge of the contingent until he joins you. I don't know how he'll join yet.' Burns gave him a half-hearted grin.
'Before I dismiss you,' he said, ' I want to ask all officers to make certain that their departments are on a war footing: all gear properly stowed — no inflammables about the place. Our rules of engagement have been upgraded, and, as always, we have the privilege of being allowed to open fire on any ship after she has opened fire on us. At action stations wear your life jackets and keep them inflated.' He grinned, glad of the light relief…