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  “Momma, this is Devil Six. We are airborne port side awaiting instructions.”

  “Devil Six, this is Momma; come to course three zero zero. Target is six thousand seven hundred yards. Depth unknown. Weapons load out

  “Momma, Devil Six; one Mark Forty-Six and sixteen sonobuoys. Course three zero zero. Six thousand seven hundred yards in the computer.”

  “Papa Oscar, this is Sugarloaf Eight; ready to switch control,” called the SH-60 helicopter from the Yorktown.

  “Sugarloaf Eight, I have you on radar. My position is to your port, bearing one two zero at a range of ten nautical miles. Devil Six is to your port also, eleven o’clock at six nautical miles. Descend to altitude two five zero for approach. Your engagement altitude will be seven live feet. Maintain fifty feet altitude separation from Devil Six. Ensure all navigation lights are on.”

  “Roger, navigational lights on. I have visual on Devil Six.

  Altitude is seven hundred fifty feel, descending to two live zero.

  Request vector to attack area.”

  “Devil Six. take altitude one hundred “

  “Sugarloaf Eight, come to course two seven zero.”

  On the holograph plot the torpedoes showed twenty seconds to impact.

  “OTC. this is King, making hard turn to starboard at flank speed.

  Trailing NIXIE. Decoys deployed in the water port side.”

  Two torpedoes on the holograph veered lo the port decoyed by USS King’s acoustic NIXIE countermcasures system. One exploded, while the other passed through the decoy pattern and began an active search. The third torpedo plowed directly into the NIXIE system, blowing it to pieces in the wake of the arsenal ship. The explosion one hundred feet astern shook the warship, but did no damage.

  “King, this is Hayler. We show misses. I repeat, we show all misses.”

  “King, this is OTC.” Commodore Ellison’s voice interrupted over the secure speakers. “At flank speed come to course zero five five.

  Yorktown, take defensive position between King, Nassau, and Trenton.

  Nashville, remain east of Nassau.”

  “Sealances in the water. Captain!”

  The Sealances, fired prior to the TMA solution, entered the choppy seas nearly two miles from the actual enemy submarine location. The Hayler captain knew they were misses and that they’d alert the enemy submarine it was under attack. Maybe the knowledge would cause the submarine to make a mistake. A mistake that would bring the wrath of ASW weapons raining down upon it.

  “Captain, ASW here. We have the submarine again. The target is in a sharp port turn! Bearing two six five.” “Bingo!” said the captain softly.

  The holograph plot showed the enemy submarine turning left, away from the main body of the battle group, which was now heading at max speed away from the battle scene. Be Iween the main body of the American battle group and the fleeing submarine, the holograph reflected the USS Hayler with two SH-60 helicopters heading toward the datum.

  The gas turbine engines of the USS Spruance sent spray over the bow of the oldest destroyer on active duty as it hurried to its assigned position abreast of the USS Hayler. Arriving, the two warships settled into an aligned formation at eight knots with a five-nautical-mile separation.

  “Spruance, this is Hayler; report status of your 60.”

  “Hayler, 60 is down hard, awaiting engine parts. Request instructions.”

  “Roger, stand by.”

  “Sugarloaf Eight, request weapons load out

  “Roger, Mother; Sugarloaf Eight with one Mark Forty-six and full sonobuoy complement.”

  “Sugarloaf Eight and Devil Six, this is Mother. Continue present heading. Devil Six, prepare for sonobuoy launches on my command.

  Sugarloaf Eight, prepare to launch torpedo at my command.”

  Two “rogers” blared from the ASW circuit.

  “Hayler, this is Yorktown. Am in position astern of you fifteen thousand yards,” the secure speaker announced.

  “Roger, Yorktown. My intentions are to have Devil Six drop a zigzag row of sonobuoys to firm up target location, course, and speed. When target fixed, will have Devil Six drop its Mark Forty-six and then vector him ahead of target course for second sonobuoy pattern.

  Sugarloaf Eight will conduct a follow-on attack immediately after Devil Six.”

  “Roger, Yorktown standing by.”

  “Spruance standing by.”

  “Roger, Spruance; request you be prepared to launch subsequent attacks along threat course in the event helicopter at tacks are unsuccessful.

  What I would like to do is have both of us launch Sealances and over-the-sides in a mass attack. You take the first hundred feet depth. Hayler will take from one hundred to four hundred feet depth.

  Report when ready.”

  “Roger, out.”

  “Hayler, Spruance; this is the OTC,” Commodore Ellison broke in. “Be advised that with both of you traveling away from the main body, there is no, I repeat, no ASW protection with the exception of Yorktown.

  Request rejoin battle group soonest. How copy, over?”

  “Roger, Commodore, this is Charlie Oscar Hayler. We expect resolution within ten minutes. Did you copy my intentions with Spruancet

  “That’s affirmative, Hayler. You have the cog of the ASW group. You have twenty minutes and then we’ll revisit the situation. Good hunting.” Ellison said, and then in a hoarse voice that was probably not intended for transmission. “I hope they sink the bastard.” “Now. now. now!” shouted Devil Six as he commenced dropping an eight-sonobuoy /.igzag pattern. Within a minute the saltwater-activated sonobuoys began transmitting passive noise data.

  The ASW teams of the three ships began analyzing the signals.

  The zigzag sonobuoy field would reveal the course and speed of the submarine as it passed through the maze of sonobuoys. Like sinister miniature receivers, they silently collected the noise of the submarine as it tried to quietly evade the American ASW attack through the shadows of the undersea. The noise strength from the submarine, increasing in intensity as it approached the next sonobuoy, left a pattern of decreasing sound behind it. The Hayler’*, captain wanted the attack to be perfect. He only had two torpedoes on board the helicopters. The SH-60s had the best chance of getting the sub.

  Realizing he was clenching and unclenching his hands, he wiped them on his khaki trousers to consciously stop the involuntary action. He also knew the submarine still had teeth. At any moment torpedoes could be coming out of the dark at them. As he wailed for the developing information to refine the attack, he made decisions to himself on what evasive actions to take if the enemy submarine decided to fight.

  He held back on the order to drop the active sonobuoy. He’d order it dropped just prior to the helicopter attacks. The active pinging of the sonobuoy would refine the targeting data, but it would also tell the submarine that it had been located. The submarine would attack then, if it was going to fight. If not, the submarine would run, executing a heavy series of evasive maneuvers to escape the sonar, including launching decoys. No, when he dropped the active sonar, the torpedo had to follow in seconds and he had to be ready for whatever happened next.

  “Sealances are a miss, Captain,” reported the ASWOC. “Too far away from the target.”

  Within one minute, the USS Hayler ASW team began entering the locating data from the eight sonobuoys into the NTDS. Other ships in the battle group watched the action on their consoles. Small pulsating red dots reflected the sonobuoy pattern on the holograph plot.

  Thirty seconds later Petty Officer Calhoun pressed the button on his sound-powered phone. “Combat, this is ASW; I show submarine steadying on a course of one nine zero, speed twelve knots, depth estimated at one hundred twenty feet.”

  The submarine displayed on the holograph plot shifted as the system corrected for the new locating data. On the ocean top of the holograph plot, a tiny helicopter, representing Devil Six, flew five hundred yards to the south of the enemy submarine.<
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  “Devil Six, come right to course one one zero.”

  “Report when in position for launch,” the skipper said to the ATE.

  “Aye, Captain,” she replied.

  “Sugarloaf Eight, do you have visual on Devil Six?”

  “That’s an affirmative. Still maintaining visual.”

  “Devil Six, I’m going to vector you ahead of the enemy,” she said, trying to find the right word for the target. Enemy, probable submarine, definite submarine, possible submarine, adversary. So many to choose from. She chose “enemy” because of a scene from an old World War II movie on the mess deck the other night.

  “Devil Six, turn right course one niner five. Sugarloaf Eight, come right course one niner five. Your separation is now one thousand yards from each other. Devil Six, descend to fifty feet altitude. Sugarloaf Eight, maintain one hundred feet.”

  The holograph plot reflected Devil Six ahead of the submarine.

  Sugarloaf Eight was abeam of Devil Six and to the left of the submarine.

  “Devil Six, torp ready?”

  “Torp armed and ready.”

  “Captain, we’re ready to launch, sir.”

  The captain picked up the secure telephone in front of him. “OTC, all units, this is Hayler. We are commencing attack. I repeat, we are commencing attack at this time.”

  “Good hunting, Hayler,” Ellison replied.

  The captain hung the phone up.

  “Okay, drop the active sonobuoy,” he ordered.

  “Aye, sir. Devil Six, drop active sonobuoy and be prepared for immediate torpedo attack.”

  “Roger, active sonobuoy away. Now, now. now!”

  The lone sonobuoy hit the water, descended to fifty feet as its sensor device deployed beneath it. The capsule bobbed to the top and the antenna deployed. On board the ships the signals from the active sonobuoy began to arrive.

  “Devil Six, turn right one hundred yards and launch.”

  “Roger, Mother; coming right.” Several seconds passed. “At one hundred yards. Launching attack. Now, now, now! Torpedo away!”

  Devil Six cried.

  In the starlight the crews of the two SH-60Bs watched the luminescence splatter as the Mark Forty-six torpedo entered the water. The Mark Forty-six possessed an active homing system backed up with nearly one hundred pounds of high explosives. A direct hit could sink a submarine.

  “Depth selling?” asked the captain.

  “No depth. Set to enable immediately and commence circular search pattern as il descends.”

  “Good,” the captain of the Hayler mumbled to himself.

  The torpedo launched by Devil Six activated as it hit the water, a series of active sonar beeps, searching for a target, emanating through the undersea environment. The torpedo continued five-hundred-yard circles on a downward spiral until one of its beeps returned an echo.

  The torpedo left its search pattern and began to follow the return toward the target.

  “Combat, ASW!” shouted Calhoun. “We have lock-on! It’s heading toward the target!”

  The holograph showed the torpedo data point leaving its search pattern and heading toward the stern of the submarine. The silence in Combat was broken only by the ASWOC operator as she vectored Sugarloaf Eight into attack position directly over the enemy submarine. She sent Devil Six forward to lay another pattern.

  “Time to impact twenty seconds!” Calhoun announced.

  “Sugarloaf Eight, launch when in position.”

  “Roger, am launching now. Torpedo away.” “The target is turning port!” Calhoun shouted into the mouthpiece. “I think he’s deployed a decoy.”

  The holograph display shifted to reflect the submarine’s attempt to avoid the active seeking torpedo. A small data point in the holograph gave a virtual picture of the torpedo in search pattern. A blinking red blip represented a deployed decoy.

  The echo returns were coming faster to Devil Six’s torpedo when its logic head told it that the target was only yards away. Conning from the north, Sugarloaf Eight’s torpedo arrived at the same time. The two torpedoes collided, exploding twenty yards from the propellers of the Kilo submarine.

  “Underwater explosion!” shouted Calhoun. “Houston, we have contact!” “Must promote,” Boyce said aloud, thinking of the chiefs’ rankings.

  Then he put his hand over his mouth as he realized what he had said.

  “Thanks, Chief,” Calhoun replied, proud Boyce thought this deserved a promotion. Maybe he would stay in the Navy if they promoted him to first class petty officer.

  A cheer went up in Combat, with everyone patting each other on the shoulders and sharing congratulations.

  “Devil Six, this is Hayler. Turn left to course one six zero and climb to one hundred fifty feet.”

  “Sugarloaf Eight, I am vectoring you to home plate.”

  “Roger, Mother. We have a problem.”

  “Say again, Sugarloaf Eight.”

  “We have a problem. Engine temperature is rising and we are losing hydraulic pressure. Don’t think we’ll make it. Am steering toward you.”

  “Roger, Sugarloaf Eight. Turn right. Permission granted to land immediately on Hayler.”

  A screeching noise from the speaker caused several to cover their ears with their hands.

  “Mother, can’t make it. Props have locked. We’re going in. I repeat, we’re going in!”

  “Roger, Sugarloaf Eight. Break. Devil Six, come to course zero six five. Descend to twenty-five and prepare to rescue Sugarloaf Eight crew.”

  “Roger, Mother, we have visual on Sugarloaf Eight. She has impacted water. Wait one.” Several seconds later, the speaker roared to life once again. “I count three lights in the water. Confirm souls on board?”

  The ATE continued her vectoring and direction to the rescue effort as the remainder of Combat followed the ASW wrap-up.

  Spruance, this is Hayler. Let’s go active and sweep the area.”

  Both destroyers activated their sonars and began active pinging of the area. Dangerous techniques because they also revealed the location of the destroyers to the enemy submarine making them vulnerable to a counterattack.

  On the holograph plot a flashing “Man Overboard” symbol overlaid the Sugarloaf Eight symbol identifying the location where the helicopter had crashed. The NTDS operator entered the “Man Overboard” symbol on his system, transmitting the information to the other members of the battle group.

  The underwater explosion appeared on the waterfall of the SQR system.

  The submarine was reflected as splitting in half on the holograph plot.

  “Undersea explosion confirmed. I repeat, undersea explosion confirmed by SQR.”

  The captain grabbed the handset. “OTC, this is Hayler; we have sunk sub at location.” And then he broadcast the geographic coordinates to the battle group.

  On the NTDS system the enemy sub symbol blinked as the operator took course and speed to zero. The symbol would re main there for some time — a computerized monument to their success.

  “ASW, this is the captain. You still have that little blip that gave away the submarine?”

  Calhoun looked at the waterfall as it resumed its normal, boring run of the undersea noise environment. “No, sir, Captain, it’s gone.”

  “Roger.”

  “OTC, this is Hayler. My intentions are to rescue Sugarloaf Eight and then rejoin battle group. We will lay additional sonobuoy patterns after rescue operations completed. For the time being, will continue at General Quarters.”

  “Roger, Hayler,” Ellison replied. “Attack results?”

  “Commodore, I would like to report detected sub; sank same.” He knew the commodore had heard the earlier report, but suspected the man just wanted to hear it again. He grinned.

  “Roger, Hayler. Well done to everyone. Yorktown, request you close battle group. Spruance, take point position and conduct sanitation evolution on your way.”

  “I’m going to the bridge,” the captain of the Hayler an
nounced. “Call me if anything appears that suggests he may have gotten away.”

  “Aye, Captain. Will do, sir,” the TAO answered as the captain scrambled up the ladder to the bridge. “Captain out of Combat,” the TAO said as the door shut behind the Old Man.

  Probably, if Sugarloaf Eight had not crashed, the ASW formation would have done a more thorough scrub of the area to ensure the submarine was sunk. Everything pointed to the enemy sub being hit and sunk. No contact, no noise, no counterattack. Already the boatswain mates on the Hayler were cutting silhouettes to paint a submarine on the bridge wing.

  * * *

  Two hundred meters down the Algerian Kilo drifted helplessly, its props bent and rudder gone. Several leaks were quickly stopped. The explosion had caused complete loss of steerage, and with the props bent, there was no way to move the ship. Thirty minutes later the Al Nasser’s targeting module showed the two American warships departing the area. Ibn Al Jamal would keep the Al Nasser drifting here, beneath the sound layer, until he was sure the Americans were gone. Then, he’d blow ballast, surface, and radio Algiers for help. He had completed his mission even if he had failed to sink anything. The Americans were pulling away from the Algerian coastline.

  The emergency lights went out as the generator came back on-line. He grinned. It seemed to release the tension in the cramped compartment.

  Everyone started laughing.

  They were alive.

  Ten miles away, an undetected submarine slowly turned to a southwesterly course away from the scene of action. Its crew relaxed as the distance between the A/ Nasser and the American battle group grew, but the skipper of the unidentified submarine remained at battle stations. His mission required avoidance, not confrontation. His mission waited ahead. The submarine steadied on a course toward the Algerian coast. He would surface later, when it was safer, for an update on the location of the signal guiding his mission. He only hoped the resupply ship would be at the rendezvous point when he started back.

  CHAPTER 8

  “The USS Roosevelt enters the Red Sea today. The Egyptian government has approved her northbound transit through the Suez Canal for tomorrow. She should enter the Mediterranean from the east about the same time the USS Stennis enters it from the west,” Roger Maddock said to President Crawford. “That’ll put two aircraft carriers in the Med.”