Satugawa regarded the thickset, aggressive figure of his Captain with admiring eyes. That is splendid news, sir. But one point you have not mentioned. Our sentries? Presumably we embark them shortly before leaving?’
Yashimoto’s expression was impassive. That would involve an unacceptable loss of time. We will not be able to recall them until after the warning signal from the headland lookout. To do so earlier would rob us of our eyes and ears at the most critical time. They will not be re-embarked, Chief. We shall have to manage without them.’
The Engineer Officer shrugged, his expression strained. ‘I suppose so,’ he said heavily.
Yashimoto’s mouth tightened. ‘It is war, Chief. No time for sentiment.’ He drew on the cheroot, exhaled whorls of blue smoke. Tell me. Do you believe that those flooding and pressure tests are absolutely essential? His dark eyes narrowed, bore into the Engineer Officer’s like twin gimlets.
Satugawa knew what the Captain wanted to hear. Loyally, he said it. ‘Not absolutely essential, Captain — but highly desirable. If we do not make deep dives — ’ he hesitated. There should not be problems?’
Yashimoto smiled. Thank you, Chief. That is what I hoped you’d say.’
Twenty-eight
At 1830 Restless's broadcast system crackled into life. The shrill whistle of the Boatswain’s call was followed by the Coxswain’s, ‘D’ye hear there — d’ye hear there?’ Next came Barratt’s voice: ‘This is your Captain speaking. I want to tell you about tonight’s operation. As you know the Japanese submarine which massacred the Fort Nebraska survivors is inside the creek where they’ve been repairing shell damage. We’re keeping the entrance covered by radar. The water outside is too shallow for a dive for about the first mile so the Jap will have to come out on the surface. Well trimmed down, no doubt, but still a radar target.’ Barratt coughed, cleared his throat. ‘I think we’ve got our nasty friends pretty well bottled up. We know they have sentries at the mouth of the creek — and probably on the headland since the Catalina’s visit this afternoon. But that doesn’t matter now. We want them to see us hanging around their front door. They’ll be on the alert tonight, probably expecting something to happen. And they’ll not be disappointed.’ Barratt paused. ‘But it won’t come from where they expect it. No straight left to the chin. No Marquis of Queensberry rules. What they’re going to get is a bloody great kick up the arse. And we’re going to give it to them. So we’ll be landing a shore party in much the same way as we did last night. Only this one will be a lot bigger, and its job a lot tougher.’ Barratt’s voice was hoarse. He stopped, again cleared his throat. ‘I won’t go into the where and how of the operation now, because I’ll soon be giving a detailed briefing to the shore party and others concerned. They’ll pass on the story in their messes after the briefing. So you’ll get it all very shortly. There’s one thing I want to stress — the shore party is, for obvious reasons, small in numbers. Each man has been chosen for his special skills, and each is a volunteer. But I want to emphasize that the attack is being carried out by Restless — it’s her battle — and every one of you has an important role to play. And that’s why I know the attack is going to succeed. Because this is a first-rate ship with a first-rate ship’s company. We are going to destroy that — ’ he hesitated, searching for words, — that submarine and as many of its bloody awful crew as we possibly can. Zero hour is 0200, two hours after midnight. That is all. Good luck and God bless you.’
The rumble of cheers from the messdecks reached many parts of the ship.
It was a hot night, made more sultry by low cloud which shut out the sky, and though the wind had freshened it was blowing down from the Equator bringing with it a front of warm air.
After the Captain’s broadcast, Brad Corrigan left the stuffiness of the seamen’s mess for the comparative comfort of the upper deck where he leant against the ladder to the searchlight platform. There, with folded arms, he looked out into the wall of darkness surrounding the ship, seeing nothing but hearing the rhythmic hum of the turbines, louder than usual because he was near the engineroom skylights, and the splash of the sea along the side as Restless moved through the water. At regular intervals the ship would heel over as she reversed course at the extremities of her patrol line.
Corrigan’s thoughts were mixed: excited at the prospect of action, worried at the thought of danger, reassured by his own strength and skill, and proud in a diffident way about what the Captain had said that afternoon.
He’d begun by saying that the Japanese submarine was to be attacked that night, and hinted at how it would be done. ‘I’m not pretending it won’t be dangerous, Corrigan. It will be. But I want you with me because you’re a long way the best man for the job. We’ll have plenty of back-up, but you and I — just the two of us — will be on the sharp end. There are two reasons why I reckon we’re the best pair for the job. One is that we both have a lot more reason than anybody else in this ship to loathe those bastards. The other is that you’re a strong swimmer, you know how to look after yourself in the water. I’m pretty good there, too. Not in your class, but above average. Now I’m not taking anybody ashore who isn’t a volunteer. If you volunteer for the job I’ll be delighted. But if you don’t — and I know you’d have good reasons for that — I won’t think any the less of you, nor ask for your reasons.’
There hadn’t been any hesitation on Corrigan’s part. ‘No way will I miss that chance, Captain. I’ll be right there with you. And glad of it.’ And he’d said it thinking of what the goddam Japs had done to Smitty Fredericks and all his other mates.
He looked at his watch — 1850. Another ten minutes and I’ll have to go along to the wardroom, he thought. See who the other guys are and get the low-down on what’s gonna happen. The Captain put me wise on what he called the Sharp End. But there’s a helluva lot he hasn’t told me. He said I’d get it all at the briefing. Then he shakes hands like we were buddies and I see from his eyes that he’s all het up. Looking for a fight, I guess. He’s not a big guy but he’s tough all right. And he knows what he’s doing. I’m glad it’s him and not some kinda ordinary officer I’m going with.
A distant sheet of lightning lit the horizon and he could see the coastline of Africa, a low-lying, undulating strip of land. Don’t need no goddam lightning, he told himself. Better it stays plenty dark. Looking up into the black, starless sky, he muttered, ‘Hey, Mister God, keep it real dark will you.’ His thoughts moved on to Sandport, Massachusetts. How’s it there? he wondered, pictures of his parents sliding through his mind. After the briefing I better write a note to the folks, just in case. Tell them we got a fight coming in a few hours. Say I feel great. Think about them a lot. That’s what they like to hear. Guess I’ll ask them to pass my love to Mary Lou. Yeah. I’ll do that. Just a few lines’ll be enough.
But for guest nights, Restless's wardroom was rarely called upon to accommodate so many people. Close on thirty officers and men, some sitting, some standing, had crowded in, the ventilation system struggling valiantly with tropical night and the heat of many human bodies in a confined space. Barratt sat at the far end of the wardroom table facing his audience, briefing notes in front of him. He was flanked by the First Lieutenant and the Engineer Officer.
‘The object of Operation Maji Mark Two', he said by way of opening the proceedings, ‘is to destroy the Japanese submarine I-357.’ With a sombre look he added, ‘The more Japanese we kill in accomplishing that object the better.’ He went on to say that those present included the members of the shore party and the key personnel responsible for fighting the ship. ‘The operation involves a two-handed attack on the enemy. Restless will do a lot more than landing and recovering the shore party. She will deal with any attempt by the submarine to leave the creek, and she will create a vital diversion. Without it the operation is unlikely to succeed.