Captain's Bridge, INS Hood, South China Sea
“God, they're big!”
Even at this distance. Ladone was awed by the size of the Japanese battleships. Hood had been the biggest battleship of her day but these two dwarfed her. “Kanali, when we open fire, take your two destroyers and go in for a torpedo attack. Make sure your engineer gives you every pound of steam you can get. You've got good fish and your magnetic exploders work, if you can get hits you can really hurt those two. You must hit the battleships.”
“Roger. Wilco. Good Luck Hood.”
“Signalman make to Japanese battleship. 'Military operations in progress. Exclusion zone applies as advised in notices to mariners. Request you change course and allow us searoom to complete our operations.' And may God have mercy on our souls.”
Flag Bridge, HIJMS Musashi, South China Sea
Soriva was furious. How dare the Indians tell him where he could take his ships. “Signalman, Make to Hood. 'You are instructed to clear our path. Remaining in your present position will be considered a hostile act and dealt with accordingly.' Order gun crews to close up for surface action. The Indians will attempt a torpedo attack with their destroyers when the firing starts. Tone will take Akitsuki, Terutzuki, Hazuki and Ootzuki, intercept the attack and eliminate the destroyers.”
“Sir, high flying formation of unidentified aircraft to port. Raid count is 16 aircraft, estimated altitude, 20,000 meters. Sir, two aircraft diving at very high speed.” Soriva's scowl deepened. What the devil was going on?
Captain's Bridge, INS Hood, South China Sea
Number One was the first to spot them Their air search radar had spotted the unidentified formation while it was still over a hundred miles out but it was closing fast. Now two aircraft had detached and were diving. “Dark blue sir, delta wings. My God they're moving, estimated speed over 1400 miles per hour. Must be Americans. Nobody else has aircraft like that.”
PB5Y Hustlers thought Ladone, He'd never seen them but he'd heard of them. The latest long-range maritime attack bomber in the US Navy. And it had a long-range nuclear-tipped anti-ship missile. It looked like the cavalry were arriving at the traditional last minute. The only thing that worried him now was whether he was going to be clear of the blast.
There they were, they were arcing downwards, less than a dozen miles away and closing very, very fast. “Almost 800 knots” came an awed whisper from the air warfare station. The two blue bombers were less than 200 feet over the sea surface now, carving across the space between the two groups of ships. Behind them, the concussion wave from their passage was throwing up a giant wall of spray, reaching over the two aircraft themselves. As they passed Hood there was a deep booming crash and the scream of the bomber's jets. Even as Ladone heard it, the bombers were already pulling up, climbing for the safety of the stratosphere. Behind them, the wall of spray collapsed, leaving nothing but a long, thick white line painted on the sea surface.
“Bloody Yanks showing off again.” said Ladone in deepest gratitude.
Flag Bridge, HIJMS Musashi, South China Sea
For a moment Soriva thought the noise was his own guns opening fire but it was the sonic boom of the two American bombers. They'd been so fast, he hadn't even had a chance to see them properly but he'd heard them all right. And he'd seen a wall of spray, made iridescent by the sun, forming in front of him then collapsing to form a long white line on the sea surface. It was spreading and fading now but there was no doubt what it meant. If there had been any doubt, the electronic room ended it. “Sir, we're being painted by multiple missile guidance radars, They're locked onto us. No launches yet, but very strong tracking signals, if there was tempura out there it would be deep-fried already.”
“Signal Admiral Idzumo, tell him to send air cover to drive off those bombers NOW. Helmsmen swing to oh-one-oh, parallel with that white line.” It was theatrical and very American. Draw a line in the sea and send a message. Cross it and we shoot. “Get those fighters here!”
On Board USS Skipjack SSN-585, Periscope depth, South China Sea
“Showtime folks. Up radar, illuminate the nearest destroyer with radar, full power, as many blasts as it takes to wake them up.” Runken looked at the map, if anybody had his plot they'd see that his radar emissions were on a direct bearing from his target to the Japanese transport group.
Flag Bridge, HIJMS Shokaku, South China Sea
“Sir, enemy radar transmissions bearing two-seven-zero. No visible source, sir this is a submarine attack.”
“Ready helicopters on Yahagi and Sakawa to take off and localize contact. Engage if hostile. Agano and Noshiro to detach to contact and pursue. Keep it pinned down until we're clear.”
On Board USS Skipjack SSN-585, Periscope depth, South China Sea
“Flank speed, full emergency power, maximum emergency turn to port, take her down maximum rate.”
The violent high speed turn and dive would leave an unmissable knuckle in the water but, just to make sure, they'd pop a noisemaker right into the middle of it. By the time the Chipanese helicopters got to it, Skipjack would be 3,500 yards away, under the inversion layer and moving underneath the two approaching destroyers, perpendicular to their course. This needed careful timing. Runken closed his eyes, visualizing the tactical picture above him. The helicopters, one, possibly two, would be closing on his decoy target now - yes, there were the sounds of the first pair of depth charges. They weren't trying to kill or they would have used torpedoes. That would come later. But he should be the other side of the destroyers about now... OK. Time for act two.
“Bring her up, periscope depth.”
As soon as he was there Runken surfaced the scope, high speed and too much exposure causing a spray of water that could be seen for hundreds of yards. The Japanese had seen it all right, they might be outclassed but they weren't dumb.
“Take her down, 400 feet, then round to course oh-oh oh.” Time to give the carrier commanders a nervous breakdown.
Flag Bridge, HIJMS Shokaku, South China Sea
“Noshiro reports periscope sighting sir. Off to their port.” Idzumo looked at the chart, damn, it was a second submarine, it had to be, more than 4000 meters away from the first sighting and the helicopters still had that one pinned down..
“Order Noshiro to divert and engage the new contact. What's out there?”
Admiral Idzumo paced his deck then something clicked in his mind. He took a horrified look at the chart and “Belay that order to Noshiro.”
It was too late Bridge, HIJMS Noshiro, South China Sea
The Captain assumed that Agano had received the same order and started his turn to port to engage the new submarine contact. By the time he realized his mistake, he was across Agano's bows. The other destroyer didn't have a chance, she was half way through her evasive turn when her bows ploughed into Noshiro's side just aft of the boiler room. The captain saw the side buckle and heard the scream of tortured metal, then the gout of black smoke. Locked together, the two stricken destroyers suddenly had more to worry about than their submarine contacts.