“It doesn’t have to be that way now sir,” said Fukada. “The whole war hangs in the balance. Carrier losses to both sides have been very high, but we know how quickly the Americans will gain the upper hand with their production. With this task force, we could literally knock them right out of the war here.”
“Are you so sure?” said Kita. “If we sunk what they have afloat now, then what about all the ships they are still building?”
“That would be months, even a year or more trying to get back where they are now. We’d command the seas, and they could not supply their troops in the South Pacific. They would simply have to withdraw. But to do that, we have to settle accounts with the Russians first. Face it, Admiral. If this were 2021, and you knew Kirov was out there to go after Japanese shipping, what would you do? They’re at war with us no matter what we decide, and they brought that war here, and with a far grander agenda than we may realize. This Karpov in command of Kirov wants to reshape the entire post-war world here.”
“Karpov? Yes, he was in command when they sortied with the Red Banner Fleet. What happened to the rest of it? There were other ships in his task force?”
“They aren’t here, sir,” said Harada. “As far as we’ve been able to discern, Kirov is the only ship that was displaced.”
“Yes… Kirov is a problem if it really is here, and out to do what you say.”
“It has to be stopped, sir,” said Fukada. “Takami couldn’t do it alone, but now we can. We can put that ship at the bottom of the sea where it belongs.”
“Alright, the first thing to do now is get the rest of the Task Force up to speed. I’d better start with all the senior officers from each ship. We’ll convene a meeting here aboard Kaga, and it’s likely to be a little chaotic. I’ll want the two of you here for that as well. There’s a good deal to sort out here—a real nightmare. I don’t think I can make the decision on my own and impose it on these men and women. We’ll either stand together as one mind on this, or not. You can make your best case, Commander Fukada, but understand that this may come down to a vote.”
“And if they decide not to intervene? What then?”
“Good question. I’ll have to ask everyone to think on that, and if there is a no vote, it will have to come with some plausible course of action.”That meeting would become a five hour marathon, and the decision would take a day. A determination was made that it would have to be put to the crews as well, and not just rest with the senior officers. So that very hour, the blind men all gathered round the Elephant, and struggled to determine just what the damn thing was.
Chapter 23
The decision took another full day, and the shock of what had happened had not even really gone deeper than the skin on most of the crew. The one thing that caught their attention was the account of the attack on Truk that Fukada read to them, chapter and verse as he had it from Yamamoto. While the issue of whether they could intervene on behalf of Japan against the United States was not really decided, the vote to find, engage, and sink Kirov was unanimous. It was soon to set up what promised to be a most heated action at sea, a slice of the third world war grafted onto the hide of the second.
The force that Admiral Kita would now command was well up to the task. Where Takami had only those eight Type-12 SSMs to throw at Kirov, now it would be fully replenished by the fleet tender and oiler, Omi. Takami’s sister ship, Atago, would double down that capability, and the two other DDGs, Kongo and Kirishima, each had 8 Extended Range Block II Harpoons. That brought the SSM count to 32 missiles, and then the escort destroyer Takao could throw in a pair of Type 90 SSMs, for a total of 34 SSMs in the launchers, with reloads aboard Omi.
Fukada thought they now had Kirov beat in the SSM category, but he was wrong. The Russian ship still had 22 Moskit IIs left, nine more MOS-III Zircons, and five more P-900 cruise missiles, a total of 36 SSMs, or more than all five Japanese destroyers combined. And Kazan was out there as well, albeit unknown to the Japanese. Gromyko’s sub also had 16 Zircons, 16 more Kalibr 3M-54-K missiles, and another 8 of the longer range variant, the 3M-14-K. So the Russians could throw a total of 76 SSMs, clearly dominant in that category.
Where it came to SAMs, however, the Japanese now enjoyed an advantage. They had 328 missiles in all their combined silos and launchers. Kirov still had 123 Klinok medium range missiles, 32 of the longer range S-400s, and 64 short range missiles on the Kashtan system, or a total of 219 missiles. That three to two advantage meant that the Japanese might be able to neutralize the Russian SSM advantage. They would be able to allocate more than four SAMs to every SSM the Russians could throw at them.
But it would not merely be a question of surface ships firing missiles at one another. The new Kaga and Akagi were the real pair of jokers in this very long hand, and together they had eighteen F-35 strike fighters. They could carry the American AGM-154C JSOW, a standoff cruise weapon that could range out 70 kilometers. The range of the Lightning F-35’s could be added to that, over 2200 kilometers on internal fuel. Traditionally used in SEAD roles to suppress enemy air defense radars and missile sites, it could also be used against ships at sea, delivering a big 450kg warhead.
The carriers were a real game changer now, but there were still three cards in Karpov’s hand that could trump anything the Japanese had, the special warheads. Those, and the inherent stealth of Kazan, were all factors that would weigh heavily on the Russian side. Yet it now remained to be seen whether Karpov could even convince Volsky and Gromyko to see his point of view on what they must do here, and that was another marathon discussion that was soon to be arranged.
“So you are up to the same old game here, yes Captain? That is what I will call you, for I do not recall ever promoting you to Admiral. Do you?” Volsky was clearly not happy. He eyed Karpov with that same serious face that he had always worn when dressing down an officer. His eyes were hard under those full grey brows, a man who was used to wielding authority and not shy about doing so when the circumstances required it. But Karpov did not even flinch. There was little more than a thin smile on the other man’s lips.
They had all agreed to a truce by secure radio transmission, each side swearing on the Rodina that they would keep the peace until they had a chance to meet face to face and discuss their situation. Fedorov had been the peacemaker, convincing Volsky that they must at least meet to try and reach an understanding together. While Gromyko was not happy about revealing his position, a plan was worked out that would allow him to remain under cover.
Fedorov chose a tiny atoll well east of Truk called Pingelap. It was 175 miles south southeast of Ponape and just under a thousand miles from Truk to the northwest. Uninhabited, it would serve as a quiet place to meet. Kazan could get in close, and then put Volsky and Gromyko ashore by boat. Karpov then agreed to keep Kirov well south, ceding control of the ship to Rodenko while he traveled with Fedorov aboard a KA-40 to the island. Thus neither Kirov or Kazan were anywhere near one another. The two vessels were separated by over 100 nautical miles of ocean.