“First torpedo, direct hit,” Stephanos reported. He paused. “Second torpedo, also a direct hit. Sounds of flooding and air escaping.” Everyone waited in silence as the deadly drama played out. “Ghost sub is sinking, Sir. Screw sounds have stopped; all systems have shut down. Only sounds of escaping air now, Sir.” Three minutes later Stephanos said, “Hull is collapsing, Sir, crush depth exceeded.”
“Helm, bring us up to 1000 feet.” Jacobs ordered.
“Making depth 1000 feet, aye-aye, Sir.”
“We need to take a look around and find out where that Chinese Frigate is. Then maybe we can report back in to COMSUBPAC. They need to know about the earthquake that’s coming,” Jacobs said.
As the Massachusetts rose above the thermocline, at 1,000 feet the sonar room called in: “Con, sonar, multiple surface contacts, two Chinese Frigates, one bearing 340, range 28,000 yards, and the other bearing 260, range 8,000 yards.”
“Shit,” Jacobs said. “Helm, take us back down to 1,500 feet, make your course 060 degrees, speed sixteen knots.”
Before the helm could answer, the sonar room cut in, “Con, sonar, active pinging from the closest Frigate. They may have us, Sir, focused pings in our direction. Torpedo in the water, high speed screws, sounds like a TU-8, Sir.”
“Fire Control, make the closest Chinese Frigate target one for tubes one and two, silent approach until 200 yards from the target, then full speed and active pinging. Let me know as soon as you have a firing solution,” Jacobs ordered.
“Con, sonar, second torpedo in the water, high speed screws, third torpedo now in the water, they’re on to us, Sir.”
“Deploy noisemakers,” Jacobs ordered.
“Noisemakers deployed.”
“Helm, come to course 180, maintain silent running.”
“Captain, firing solution complete for tubes one and two.”
“Fire tubes one and two,” Jacobs ordered.
“Con, sonar, fourth torpedo in the water, Sir, high speed screws, all heading toward us.”
“Fire Control, set all four MOSS decoy torpedoes toward the Frigate, standard spread and let me know as soon as you are ready.” Let’s see what their torpedoes do when it sounds like our sub is coming right at them from four different places.
“MOSS decoy torpedoes ready, Sir.”
“Fire tubes 5 through 8.”
“Tubes 5 through 8 fired, Sir, standard spread pattern.”
“Torpedo room, con, start loading 4 more MOSS decoy torpedoes in tubes 5 through 8. Let me know as soon as that is complete.”
“Aye-aye, Sir,” Lieutenant Grimes replied.
“Con, sonar, incoming torpedoes are not going for the noisemakers, Sir, MOSS decoys now going active,”
Jacobs turned to Silverton, “Torpedo run time on one and two?”
Silverton checked the electronic display, “Less than ten minutes, Sir, should we have gone straight to high speed?”
“That would have given them too much time for countermeasures,” Jacobs said. “The Chinese have recently demonstrated an anti-torpedo torpedo. We can’t take the risk of losing both of our torpedoes.”
“Con, sonar, looks like the Chinese torpedoes are going for the decoys.”
Jacobs checked the electronic tactical display. It showed the Chinese Frigate designated as Target One was now at bearing 270, range 7,000 yards. “Helm, make your course 250 degrees.”
“We’re heading toward the Frigate?” Silverton asked.
“If you were commanding the frigate and were going after an enemy sub, would you expect it to run away?”
“Absolutely,” Silverton answered.
“So, let’s not,” Jacobs replied. “The thermocline will give us some cover from the active pinging. Besides, they have to figure out if they actually hit us with any of their four torpedoes before they do anything else. By that time our torpedoes will be right on them.”
Four explosions rocked the Massachusetts as the incoming torpedoes collided with the MOSS decoys.
“Con, sonar, torpedoes one and two both in active pinging, high speed screws, three seconds to impact — two, one.” The two shockwaves hit the Massachusetts a second apart before the sound could get there. “Torpedoes one and two, direct hit, Sir, secondary explosions inside the frigate, Sir.” Everyone waited in silence for the next report. “More explosions, Sir, she’s breaking up, sinking fast.”
As the Massachusetts passed to the south of the sinking frigate the only sounds were the creaking and crunching of the ship’s metal hull as it sank deeper into the Pacific Ocean. Jacobs turned to Silverton. “The second Chinese Frigate?”
“Headed straight for us at flank speed,” Silverton said.
Jacobs shook his head. “Helm, come to course 340.”
“Heading 340 degrees, aye-aye, Sir.”
“Fire Control, give me a firing solution for the second Chinese frigate, designate as Target Two for tubes three and four, silent approach to 200 yards then active pinging and high speed screws, torpedoes to run a parallel path, 500 yards apart. Notify me when you have a solution.”
Thirty seconds later Fire Control answered, “Firing solution complete, Sir.”
“Fire tubes three and four,” he ordered.
“Tubes three and four fired, Sir, torpedoes on their way.”
“Helm, bring us to 500 feet.”
“Making depth 500 feet, Sir,” the helmsman answered.
Tiffany’s crew was scrambling, loading the MOSS decoy torpedoes. Though the decoys were smaller and lighter in weight than the Mark 48’s she still had to be careful. One mistake and the Massachusetts would lose its combat capability. Now intimately engaged in the loading process, she handed members tools, took tools from them to keep their hands from any wasted motions, helping her team become a seamless efficient mechanism.
She watched the clock as critical seconds swept away. The first MOSS was loaded. A seaman flooded the tube as the rest of her crew shifted to the second torpedo. Clamps were removed, and the lifting mechanism was assembled in place. Her team drove the torpedo forward and into position for the loading tray. Eight minutes and twelve seconds load time on the first MOSS.
As the Massachusetts rose above the 1,000 feet thermocline, Jacobs asked Stephanos, “Contacts?”
“Only contact is the Chinese frigate, designated as Target Two, range 20,000 yards and closing fast, Sir.”
Jacobs turned to Silverton. “Run time on torpedoes three and four?”
“Fifteen minutes, Sir,” Silverton answered.
“Okay,” Jacobs replied, “We’ll wait at 500 feet, once Target Two goes down; we’ll go to periscope depth and report in to COMSUBPAC.”
“Aye-aye, Sir,” Silverton answered.
“Torpedo room, con, status?”
“Loading third MOSS decoy torpedo into tube 7, Sir,” Lieutenant Grimes replied. “Almost in, Sir.”
“Stop at third MOSS in tube 7. Start loading Mark 48, Mod 7’s in tubes one through four.”
“Aye-aye, Sir,” she replied.
Tiffany’s crew shifted to work on a Mark 48 as the seaman flooded the tube with the third MOSS inside. She watched closely as the second hand swept around the clock. The last torpedo had gone in in under eight minutes. Adrenalin pounded in her veins as she was sure it pounded in her crew’s veins. She glanced again at the clock as the lifting mechanism rolled forward and the Mark 48 was transferred to the loading tray.
Jacobs watched the electronic tactical display as the two torpedoes closed in on the second Chinese Frigate. The run time that ticked away in the upper right corner of the display counted down with less than thirty seconds to go.