The ASW teams of the three ships began analyzing the signals.
The zigzag sonobuoy field would reveal the course and speed of the submarine as it passed through the maze of sonobuoys. Like sinister miniature receivers, they silently collected the noise of the submarine as it tried to quietly evade the American ASW attack through the shadows of the undersea. The noise strength from the submarine, increasing in intensity as it approached the next sonobuoy, left a pattern of decreasing sound behind it. The Hayler’*, captain wanted the attack to be perfect. He only had two torpedoes on board the helicopters. The SH-60s had the best chance of getting the sub.
Realizing he was clenching and unclenching his hands, he wiped them on his khaki trousers to consciously stop the involuntary action. He also knew the submarine still had teeth. At any moment torpedoes could be coming out of the dark at them. As he wailed for the developing information to refine the attack, he made decisions to himself on what evasive actions to take if the enemy submarine decided to fight.
He held back on the order to drop the active sonobuoy. He’d order it dropped just prior to the helicopter attacks. The active pinging of the sonobuoy would refine the targeting data, but it would also tell the submarine that it had been located. The submarine would attack then, if it was going to fight. If not, the submarine would run, executing a heavy series of evasive maneuvers to escape the sonar, including launching decoys. No, when he dropped the active sonar, the torpedo had to follow in seconds and he had to be ready for whatever happened next.
“Sealances are a miss, Captain,” reported the ASWOC. “Too far away from the target.”
Within one minute, the USS Hayler ASW team began entering the locating data from the eight sonobuoys into the NTDS. Other ships in the battle group watched the action on their consoles. Small pulsating red dots reflected the sonobuoy pattern on the holograph plot.
Thirty seconds later Petty Officer Calhoun pressed the button on his sound-powered phone. “Combat, this is ASW; I show submarine steadying on a course of one nine zero, speed twelve knots, depth estimated at one hundred twenty feet.”
The submarine displayed on the holograph plot shifted as the system corrected for the new locating data. On the ocean top of the holograph plot, a tiny helicopter, representing Devil Six, flew five hundred yards to the south of the enemy submarine.
“Devil Six, come right to course one one zero.”
“Report when in position for launch,” the skipper said to the ATE.
“Aye, Captain,” she replied.
“Sugarloaf Eight, do you have visual on Devil Six?”
“That’s an affirmative. Still maintaining visual.”
“Devil Six, I’m going to vector you ahead of the enemy,” she said, trying to find the right word for the target. Enemy, probable submarine, definite submarine, possible submarine, adversary. So many to choose from. She chose “enemy” because of a scene from an old World War II movie on the mess deck the other night.
“Devil Six, turn right course one niner five. Sugarloaf Eight, come right course one niner five. Your separation is now one thousand yards from each other. Devil Six, descend to fifty feet altitude. Sugarloaf Eight, maintain one hundred feet.”
The holograph plot reflected Devil Six ahead of the submarine.
Sugarloaf Eight was abeam of Devil Six and to the left of the submarine.
“Devil Six, torp ready?”
“Torp armed and ready.”
“Captain, we’re ready to launch, sir.”
The captain picked up the secure telephone in front of him. “OTC, all units, this is Hayler. We are commencing attack. I repeat, we are commencing attack at this time.”
“Good hunting, Hayler,” Ellison replied.
The captain hung the phone up.
“Okay, drop the active sonobuoy,” he ordered.
“Aye, sir. Devil Six, drop active sonobuoy and be prepared for immediate torpedo attack.”
“Roger, active sonobuoy away. Now, now. now!”
The lone sonobuoy hit the water, descended to fifty feet as its sensor device deployed beneath it. The capsule bobbed to the top and the antenna deployed. On board the ships the signals from the active sonobuoy began to arrive.
“Devil Six, turn right one hundred yards and launch.”
“Roger, Mother; coming right.” Several seconds passed. “At one hundred yards. Launching attack. Now, now, now! Torpedo away!”
Devil Six cried.
In the starlight the crews of the two SH-60Bs watched the luminescence splatter as the Mark Forty-six torpedo entered the water. The Mark Forty-six possessed an active homing system backed up with nearly one hundred pounds of high explosives. A direct hit could sink a submarine.
“Depth selling?” asked the captain.
“No depth. Set to enable immediately and commence circular search pattern as il descends.”
“Good,” the captain of the Hayler mumbled to himself.
The torpedo launched by Devil Six activated as it hit the water, a series of active sonar beeps, searching for a target, emanating through the undersea environment. The torpedo continued five-hundred-yard circles on a downward spiral until one of its beeps returned an echo.
The torpedo left its search pattern and began to follow the return toward the target.
“Combat, ASW!” shouted Calhoun. “We have lock-on! It’s heading toward the target!”
The holograph showed the torpedo data point leaving its search pattern and heading toward the stern of the submarine. The silence in Combat was broken only by the ASWOC operator as she vectored Sugarloaf Eight into attack position directly over the enemy submarine. She sent Devil Six forward to lay another pattern.
“Time to impact twenty seconds!” Calhoun announced.
“Sugarloaf Eight, launch when in position.”
“Roger, am launching now. Torpedo away.” “The target is turning port!” Calhoun shouted into the mouthpiece. “I think he’s deployed a decoy.”
The holograph display shifted to reflect the submarine’s attempt to avoid the active seeking torpedo. A small data point in the holograph gave a virtual picture of the torpedo in search pattern. A blinking red blip represented a deployed decoy.
The echo returns were coming faster to Devil Six’s torpedo when its logic head told it that the target was only yards away. Conning from the north, Sugarloaf Eight’s torpedo arrived at the same time. The two torpedoes collided, exploding twenty yards from the propellers of the Kilo submarine.
“Underwater explosion!” shouted Calhoun. “Houston, we have contact!” “Must promote,” Boyce said aloud, thinking of the chiefs’ rankings.
Then he put his hand over his mouth as he realized what he had said.
“Thanks, Chief,” Calhoun replied, proud Boyce thought this deserved a promotion. Maybe he would stay in the Navy if they promoted him to first class petty officer.
A cheer went up in Combat, with everyone patting each other on the shoulders and sharing congratulations.
“Devil Six, this is Hayler. Turn left to course one six zero and climb to one hundred fifty feet.”
“Sugarloaf Eight, I am vectoring you to home plate.”
“Roger, Mother. We have a problem.”
“Say again, Sugarloaf Eight.”
“We have a problem. Engine temperature is rising and we are losing hydraulic pressure. Don’t think we’ll make it. Am steering toward you.”
“Roger, Sugarloaf Eight. Turn right. Permission granted to land immediately on Hayler.”
A screeching noise from the speaker caused several to cover their ears with their hands.
“Mother, can’t make it. Props have locked. We’re going in. I repeat, we’re going in!”
“Roger, Sugarloaf Eight. Break. Devil Six, come to course zero six five. Descend to twenty-five and prepare to rescue Sugarloaf Eight crew.”