“Bloody hell.”
“I’m waiting on confirmation from Pear Harbour and Big Bird passes to confirm this. If it’s true, it will have probably a Shang class and maybe a Song class escorting it out. I’m going to periscope depth to wait the confirmation. I’ll head towards twelve miles off Qingdao. If it’s rubbish, I’ll come back down and explain. If you see me dive to below four hundred and set off for Qingdao, then it’s on. I’d like you to wipe away the escort’s, so we can go after the Jin.”
“Nathan. You know you can count on the Billy Ruffian.”
“Thanks Frank, Jackson out.”
Nathan smiled the escorts would be lucky to see the surface again.
“Planesman, trim for periscope depth. Heading… Nikki?”
“Two nine three, sir.”
“OK, you heard the lady.”
“Aye, aye sir.”
“Chief wants to run the diesels and charge sir,” said Larry.
“Go ahead.”
Nathan went to his cabin to try to sleep. Another three hours went by, there was a knock at the door.
‘On my way.” He walked back into the control room.
“Message from Pearl sir.”
“Send it to my workstation.”
PRIORITY RED
R 231347Z MAR 9Y ZY10
COMSUBPAC PEARL HARBOR HAWAII//N1//
TO STONEWALL JACKSON
PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//
NAVAL OPS/02
MSGID/PACOPS 6722/COMSUBPAC ACTUAL//
MSG BEGINS://
BIG BIRD PASS AT 09.18 LOCAL SHOWS JIN IN PIER 3 WEST HEADLAND.
USAF SUGGESTED U2 PASS FROM S KOREA, QUICKER.
17.12 LOCAL. JIN HAD LEFT IT’S MOORING. ANOTHER TWO BOATS (SSN AND DIESEL ELECTRIC) PRESENT IN THE 09.18 PASS, LEFT PRIOR TO THIS.
MSG END://
“Nikki, Larry. We have our confirmation. Jin and escorts left between 09.30 and 17.18.
Planesman trim for descent, make your depth five hundred feet, 15 knots, maintain course.”
The boat tilted down to the bow, she slid deeper into The Yellow Sea followed by the Bellerophon.
“Weaps warload?”
“Sir, tubes one to four MK 48, five Harpoon, six Stimpy.”
“Load Ren in tube five.”
“Sir.” He looked over Nikki’s shoulder at the chart, she’d marked up the chart with a pencil.
“You do like these old charts, don’t you?”
“Keeps me in contact with the sea sir.” He looked at the enemies’ possible route. The obvious one is south of Kagoshima. But they may try around Jeju South Korea and up the Sea of Japan. Worse for the long ocean transit and out through a choke point north of Japan.
They wouldn’t be expecting any opposition, so he’d plumb for Kagoshima, That’s a south east heading, right towards them, well almost.
“I’m looking at a south east track for the enemy. We’re a way off yet, but stream Lucy. Enjoy your favourite toy Benson.” He walked over to Lemineux and handed over a paper slip.
“Lieutenant Commander, use these contact details, put the communication through to my cabin.”
“You going deep sir?” Larry smirked.
“Not yet, let’s stay out here streaming Lucy, see what we can hear. I think Frank will go in closer. Drop the revs, nine knots XO.” He retired to his cabin.
Not long after the intercom buzzed. “Call for you sir,” it was Lemineux.
“Thanks.”
The accented voice came into his cabin. “Admiral Nakata.”
“Thanks for taking my call sir. I’m in the Yellow Sea hunting a Jin from Qingdao, he’s on his way to nuke the US.”
“I see.” There was a pause. “You are certain of this? PRC will not do this lightly.”
“I can’t be certain, but it looks a very strong possibility. Let me explain Admiral.” Nathan explained about 7/12 group and other things.
“I see, very complicated, I was aware of some of what you said. Commander Blake. Monitor JSDF channel 8BR, you will be Dark Fish, your contact will be Shadow Diamond. Good hunting Commander, Nakata out.”
“Thank you, sir.” The connection cut. He walked back into the control room. “Lemineux. Monitor this encrypted channel, call signs are on there.”
“Yes sir.”
It was now time to wait and listen. He looked to Benson, his screen a mess of dripping colours, his head filled with the symphony of the deeps. He was in his world, the place he knew best.
After an hour or so Benson sat up. “Sir, two issues good and bad.” Nathan rolled his eyes.
“Go on Benson give me both barrels.”
“The good news is that I’m pretty sure I have the Jin. Faint and long way back but I’ve been tracking it several minutes and I think we have it.”
“Great.”
“The bad one sir is that I’m detecting sonobuoys dropping in advance of the boat, a zig zag pattern clearing the Jin’s way.”
“Bastard.” An ASW aircraft, it must be. It’d carry lightweight torpedoes to drop on a contact, it’d be over their area before the Jin got anywhere near.
“Commander aren’t you forgetting something,” smiled Larry.
“No. I suppose we can go deep before the Jin gets here.”
The XO stood closer, “Vulture’s Stare.” Nathan grinned.
“You’re right, damn it. Benson where are the sonobuoys going in?”
“About seven eight miles west of us sir.”
“Make heading west ten knots.” After five minutes.
“Planesman trim for ascent, periscope depth.” The boat rose to the bow, then levelled. He set up a 180 scan high to the west. The picture appeared on Conn monitor, he carefully scanned back and forward. Larry, look.” He zoomed in.
“Weaps come over here, what do you make of this.
Weaps asked for another view as the aircraft turned. “It’s a four-engine turboprop, high wing sir. Let me look at the idiots guide.” He walked back to his station.
“Yes sir, that it. A Shaanxi Y-8 ASW bird. It probably carries the Yu-11 lightweight torpedo.”
“Let’s do him. Weaps raise the mast most feared and zoom in.” Weaps did so and piped the display to Nathan’s Conn monitor, Larry stood by watching.
“Range 6.3 miles, I’m focusing on the wing roots, should be a fuel storage area. The area around the wing roots grew very bright, the stabiliser kept the beam on target despite the sea swell. Seconds went by and Nathan caught glimpses of threads of grey smoke and what looked like shredded paper streaming away from the aircraft. Then it started to turn in their direction.
“He seen us he’s coming down the line turning to get a bomb on us.” He was getting closer and ever closer, he’d soon have to call emergency dive. Then the bomb bay opened. Just after this a fireball erupted around the wing roots, then another. a wing tore off and the ASW aircraft fell to the sea.
“Lower mast. Trim for descent, depth 400 feet, seven knots.”
“Four hundred, seven knots aye sir.” The boat commenced her dive.
“Awesome thing sir,” said the XO.
“Yeah, Vulture’s Stare, you don’t want that thing after you. Benson, no more sonoboys, get those ears twitching.”
“SIR, I HAVE CONTACTS to the north nine miles. Multiple boats Confirm one Jin, a Shang, the others a diesel electric boat not sure of type.”
Pike sat at his Conn. “Well done Mercer, additional info?”
“Yes, depth spread between 300 and 500 feet, 14 knots, heading south west.”
“Let’s see if we can get some attention.” He took down the intercom. “Chief, I want to send you a party to the engine room. Give any who need it a stick, spanner or a bar to give whatever big chunk of machinery you decide a good banging. I want you to put on a spurt of full revs, about 15 seconds long, get them to hammer something to buggery. Then repeat twice more. Then we’re back to normal operations. Ok with that?”