This part of the gulf was a wind-convergence zone, where, in the late spring, the northeasters out of the central Chinese desert, which prevail all winter, gave way to the southwesters from Africa. This year they were early. And strong gusty breezes can catch the massive hull of a VLCC and cause a significant leeway.
The Galveston Star was thus sliding infinitessimally east as she stood fair down the strait, plowing through the short surface waves, having completed her long gentle turn toward the south.
In fact, she missed the first of Admiral Zhang’s mines by at least 150 yards to starboard. But the good news on Line One was almost certainly going to put her bows awfully close to the PLT-3 moored on Line Two.
On she ran for another 600 yards, still drifting very slightly east, closing the gap between her own course and the murderous one-ton, steel-encased hunk of TNT that bobbed on its wire mooring 12 feet below the surface.
The massive bows of the Galveston Star actually missed it completely, and the wash of the widening hull pushed the mine away on its wire. However, it swung back inward, hard and fast, crashing into the port side of the hull, 300 feet from the point of the bow.
At four minutes past 8 P.M. it detonated with awesome force, blowing the plates apart, right through both layers of the hull, blasting a massive hole in Cargo Tank Four. And Buddy Holly was still singing as the onrushing crude oil blew up in a raging fireball above the ocean.
“Stars appear and shadows a-falling…you can hear my heart a-calling…Oh boy!”
Tex Packard could not believe his eyes. And the 420,000-tonner shuddered in its death throes as her colossal weight began to tear the entire hull apart. It was the biggest shipwreck in history, and it was only four miles from the Greek tanker that had been pouring out oil since Saturday. The Galveston Star was wallowing bang on Jimmy Ramshawe’s Straight Line, 12 miles off the coast of Iran.
Captain Packard knew a career-blowing decision when he saw one. And he’d just made it.
“What are you going to do, sir?” asked Jeb Duross, anxiety written all over his face.
“Probably buy a cattle ranch,” replied Big Tex, thoughtfully.
“Actually, I meant right now.”
“Send out a MAYDAY! Radio Oman and Dubai, see if we can salvage any of the cargo, which I doubt. At least not yet, till we can get a couple of big ships out here to start pumping. Meanwhile we just gotta watch the fires. Crude sometimes doesn’t burn, but ours is doing just that, and once it gets started, it’s likely to go on for a long time.”
“Looks like the fire’s inside the ship, and that might be real dangerous,” said Jeb.
“Sure might. She gets much hotter, we’ll have to abandon. Sure hate to leave her, but this stuff can really burn gets hot enough. I’m not planning to be the hero, least not the dead hero…. Have the lifeboats ready, Jeb, and have someone turn off the music, willya?…Just don’t want Buddy singing in a death ship. ’Sides I wanna get mah CDs home to Texas…Buddy wouldn’t wanna be singing to no towelheads.”
All mah life I been a-waiting…tonight there’ll be no hesitatin’…Oh boy!
Lieutenant Ramshawe had his small office television turned on several minutes early for CNN’s 12 o’clock bulletin, and when he heard the lead item there was no longer any doubt in his or anyone else’s mind.
“We are receiving reports that one of the biggest oil tankers in the world, the four-hundred-twenty-thousand-ton Galveston Star out of the Texas Gulf port of Houston, is currently on fire and breaking up in the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
“The cause of the accident is at present unknown, but the Captain and his crew are believed to be preparing to abandon her. Fires are reported raging over one hundred feet into the skies.
“This is the third major shipping accident in the strait in the past four days, following the inferno of the liquid-gas carrier Global Bronco of Houston, on Friday, and the explosion in the Greek crude carrier Olympus 2004 on Saturday.”
The newscaster ended the report by stating the U.S. Navy would be issuing a statement later in the afternoon, but as yet there was no suggestion that any nation had elected to place sea mines in the strait to endanger world oil-shipping routes.
Right at that moment Jimmy’s phone rang, and he heard the gruff and distinct tones of Admiral Morgan. “Okay, Jimmy, I guess that does it. Go keep your boss up to speed, but keep me personally alerted to any information you get off the overheads.”
The phone went down before Lt. Ramshawe could even answer. And before he could gather his wits, his other phone went, and Jane was on the line, telling him how clever he was, and would he be able to have dinner tonight with her, and her parents, at the embassy.
“You seen the television?” he asked her.
“Darned right I did. I was watching it with my dad. He said immediately the Iranians had mined the area, just as they’d been threatening to do.
“I told him that was my considered opinion, too. Told him I’d suspected something like that since the Bronco went up last Friday…. He gave me a real old-fashioned look.”
“I should think he did. But he doesn’t know about the phone call, does he — the one from his private line?”
“No. At least he hasn’t said anything. Anyway, are you coming tonight? He’s got some Aussie sailors coming, yachtsmen, America’s Cup guys. Might be fun.”
“Yup. I’ll be there. ’Bout seven.”
Admiral Morgan recounted the events in the gulf swiftly and with no elaboration.
The President sat impassively, and asked curtly, “Your recommendations?”
“Sir, I have already ordered the Constellation CVBG south from the Iraqi coast, and the John C. Stennis Group is closing the strait immediately from the Arabian Sea. Our third Group in the area, the Harry S Truman’s, should clear Diego Garcia by tomorrow morning and head north. I’ve arranged for the Indian Navy to begin a hunt-and-sweep operation with their Pondicherrys as soon as they can get there. Right now they’re on their way from Bombay, probably be in Hormuz waters by tomorrow morning our time…. I had them leave on Sunday.”
“Do you think there could be full-scale hostilities, Admiral? I don’t want to get drawn into an unpopular war with Iran. Dead American sailors don’t play well politically.”
“Sir, this is probably the height of our national interest. Do you have any idea what might happen if the gulf had to be closed off for a month?”
“I cannot say I have given it deep thought, Admiral. But I am much more concerned about sitting in this chair being universally blamed for death, destruction and burned Americans. Because that’s what happens when you start flexing the muscles of big warships.”
“If we don’t start flexing them, sir, the entire world oil supply could go right up the chute. And if the lights went out in the USA, you’d get yourself a very special place in history. Especially if you had refused to act in the Persian Gulf in the face of hostility and threats from Iran and their buddies in Beijing.”
“As usual, Admiral, you have my best interests at heart.” There was an edge of sarcasm in the President’s voice.
“Perhaps not, sir. But I always have the best interests of this nation at heart.”