The Iranian Blockade

by Stephen Makk

  Admiral Kamov held up the note he’d been handed.

  “I’ve just received notice that our most stealthy, kick ass boat has now been repaired and she’s ready for patrol. USS Stonewall Jackson is mean, lean and hungry for ass. She can shadow these ships and await our orders. Guess where she is? Off Eastern Japan, right where we want her.”

  “It’s too good an opportunity to miss,” said General Cooper, “people?”

  The Chiefs of staff agreed, there were nodding heads.

  “Admiral. What’s the Captain called on this submarine?” asked Commandant Bruce Nanut.

  “Commander Nathan Blake.”

  “Go get em Blake, go get em,” smiled Nanut.

  “I’ll get the order out,” said the Admiral, “These two ships now have a shark after them, it’s mean, it’s angry and it want’s some ass.”

  OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN.

  “SIR,” SAID LIEUTENANT Commander Lemineux we have a communication.”

  “Thanks, send it to my workstation.” Nathan read the communication.

  PRIORITY RED

  R 281655Z JUL 88 ZY10

  DOD-OPS// ID D22953G22F//

  TO STONEWALL JACKSON

  PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//

  NAVAL INTEL OPS/07

  MSGID/DOD 447/7E62//

  MSG BEGINS://

  PROCEED SOUTH AND FOLLOW TWO TRANSPORT VESSELS. APROX POSITION 38.59N 130.74E. SPEED 15KTS. HEADING 180. SEE THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION. GOOD HUNTING, CNO N KAMOV USN.

  MSG END//

  After reading the background document he frowned.

  “Flood forward one half. Open and trim vents fore and aft. Dive, dive, dive. Planesman, make your depth two hundred feet. Ahead two thirds.”

  “Two thirds at two hundred Aye Sir.” The deck tilted down to the bow. A short while later the Planesman pulled his yoke back and the boat levelled out.

  “Right rudder, steady on course two fifteen.”

  “Ahead two thirds, steady on two fifteen Aye Sir.” Nathan stood.

  “XO, Kaminski, Wardroom now. War committee.” The USS Stonewall Jackson was very definitely back in the groove.

  THE THREE OF THEM ENTERED the Wardroom and sat, Nathan transferred the document he’d received from the DOD over to their accounts. They accessed and read it on their Tablets. It took them several minutes. Nathan left for the galley and brought back coffees.

  “Initial comments?” he asked.

  “First we’ve got to find them, it’s a big sea out there,” said XO Sayers. Kaminski accessed the chart on her tablet and laid it on the table.

  “We know they’re coming south. This channel between South Korea and Japan is a choke point.”

  “It’s a big choke point,” said Nathan.

  “Yes,” she said, “but with a simple lining up of his course, as I think he’ll do. His plot would be a line that takes him east of Tsushima Island and then onward to the east of Taiwan.”

  “Sounds good,” said Nathan, “intercept position?”

  She zoomed the picture in.

  “There’s a channel just north of Kyushu Island, but I don’t think it’s worth it. We’ll have to surface to get through, and he may make better progress south than we think. I’d lie in wait southwest of this Island to the west of Kyushu. He’ll probably come within fifteen miles.”

  “XO, what do you think?”

  “It sounds ok to me. The thing that troubles me is there’s little mention of any escort. The North Korean’s are unlikely to provide surface cover with their warships. They can’t stay with the cargo ships that long, and it would attract attention. The North Korean navy’s Sang-O boats have well over a thousand miles range. They could in theory operate to the south of Taiwan, but will they?” Nathan sipped his coffee and considered it.

  “The Iranians can’t provide cover until they’re well into the Indian Ocean, so they’ll be without escort for a long leg through and either side of the Straits of Malacca.”

  “That’s Pirate city,” said the XO.

  “Yeah, but they’re bound to have a fair number of well armed troops onboard,” said Nathan.

  “Our job is to follow for now, so we’ll lie in wait where Nikki said and pick them up.”

  “Will we have to sink them?” asked the XO.

  Nikki sat up and took back her tablet. “Not yet. They haven’t decided, otherwise they’d have told us to sink them in the East China Sea. They must be chewing it over politically. Maybe they’ll capture the two ships and publicise the contents of their cargo to the world’s press. We’re to be the pistol at their head. If the word comes, we pull the trigger.”

  “I agree,” frowned Nathan, “there’s a lot we don’t know. But if the Iranian’s have nukes and the means to deliver them, I don’t see us not being given the word. At some point we’ll need to drop em.” He looked down at the table.

  “The Iranians and the North Koreans, they must have a plan B. Something they can pull off, if they look like losing the ships.” He looked up at the XO and Nikki.

  “It seems easy. Just sink two civilian cargo ships. Why do I just know it won’t be that easy?”

  BANDAR ABBAS. IRAN.

  ANUPA WAS LOSING HER concentration. She was being fed and watered but questioned by Omar. She called him that as he looked vaguely like a younger Omar Sharif. He’d leave and then the Turkish wrestler would come into the room and prepare the torture hardware. It was the classic good cop, bad cop routine. Uninventive, but she had to admit it was working. She fought it, she knew it was bullshit, but it was hard to resist. The wrestler said nothing, tied her up, blindfolded her and banged nails into the table next to her, he placed them on her arms and banged the table hard. It was to frighten her she knew; it said, one day it will be your turn. They constantly woke her, she needed more sleep. Omar came into the room and questioned her. He got nowhere and left. She fell asleep, after how long? She didn’t know, the Turkish wrestler came in and blindfolded her. Then he unfastened her bindings, stood her up and started to remove her clothes. This was new. He was rough, she was soon naked. She was led out of the room and down two corridors. A metal slide was pulled aside, and she was pushed forward, she slowly walked along the floor. She had an image of falling, he could be leading her to an edge, how many more steps could she take? Then she heard them, the calls of men from either side. It echoed, the calls were jeering, random. Then she realised this may be a hospital ward. A key unlocked a door. A hospital? She was pushed forward, and the blindfold was removed. It was a cell, sat on two benches were three men staring at her. The Turkish wrestler locked the door and walked off.

  Anupa stood there naked in front of the three prisoners. Three unkempt rough shaven men. Their lustful stares bored into her, she’d never felt more exposed, more vulnerable in her life. They wanted her, she could see, but they held back wary. The man to the left started to masturbate. One of them finally stood and ran his hands over her breasts. The other one now stood and rubbed her bottom and her groin. Both men were erect. Was this it? She was to be raped by the prisoners? She tried pushing them away, but it made them all the worse. They both pushed her up against the bars and fought each other for her groin, they rubbed her repeatedly. The man on the bench just watched and masturbated. It reached the stage where she knew this was it.

  It would happen soon. Oh God, no, no.

  The Turkish wrestler returned, he shouted something, and the men backed away, their eyes full of lust and greed. And something else, fear. The fear was strongest, it kept them at bay.

  Anupa’s breathing slowly returned to normal. He placed the blindfold on her and led her away and back into the room that she was kept in. He took off the blindfold, then turned and left the room. She dressed then sat and shook. They’d just told her, we can have you raped. We can do as we please. Tell us what we want. She shuddered and then finally at length, she slept.

  USS STONEWALL JACKSON. Off southwest Japan.

  BENSON LISTENED WITH big ears. Hughe
s/Oki bow and flank sonars in passive mode searched the seas. The boat slowly trailed east and west towing, the lure. The towed array sonar, the lure is towed kilometres behind the boat. The wizards of underwater deception, L-3 Chesapeake Sciences Corp have produced a secret device not even the Captain or Chief Engineer are allowed to know how it works. Supply it with power, connect it to the CRAY sensor computer like this, then take what it gives you.

  It will listen, jam, lure enemy torpedoes. The sonar community said if you ask Lucy lure nicely she will make you breakfast and tell you who’s going to win the Kentucky Derby.

  Benson could barely believe his ears when he first used her, now she was taken for granted.

  “Sir, it’s happening. Lucy’s starting to whisper to me. It’s far off the north but it sounds like two slow shit shifters coming our way.”

  “Good, let me know when you’re near sure.”

  Long minutes passed by Benson sat with his head in his hands, he lived out there in the sea.

  He frowned.

  “Sir, I’m near sure. There’s two of them, if you come south they pass us by then you can follow them. They’re doing fourteen kts, four miles west of our position.”

  “Good work Benson. Left rudder, ahead two thirds, make one eight degrees.”

  “Two thirds at one eight zero Sir” The boat heeled to the left and came to her new heading.

  “That’s it Sir. They’re alongside now four miles west.”

  “Right rudder.”

  “Two hundred degrees, two three hundred.”

  “Hold steady at two four hundred.”

  “Two four hundred Aye Sir.”

  “Benson? Range to his tack?”

  “One point eight miles.” The boat moved closer to the quarry’s tack.”

  “Point five miles Sir?”

  “Prepare to come to periscope depth.”

  “Coming to six eight feet.” Nathan waited. He sat by his Conn monitor and raised the photonic mast set a sweep from two seven zero to one eighty degrees. The periscope raised above the surface did it sweep and retracted. One the monitor he saw the two merchant roll on roll off ships. He zoomed into the stern on both ships in turn.

  The Luzon star and the Pacific sealift.

  “That’s it. Stream the comms buoy. Make this report.”

  The buoy made satellite contact and reported. Target acquired, following into East China Sea.

  “Make your depth two hundred feet. Steady one eight six degrees. Follow those ships.”

  “Are you happy tracking six miles behind, Benson?”

  “No problem Sir.” The boat fell behind.

  Nathan walked up to Kaminski’s station.

  “I want you to work with the Planesman and Benson. Follow the ships, keep an eye on their track and keep me informed.”

  “Sir.” Her pony tail bobbed in that way he liked, but said nothing.

  He turned to the XO. “A long sail to Iran now Sayers.”

  “Yeah, this is the boring bit.” Nathan smiled, then give the XO a sly look.

  “Boring? The worst bits always are.” He walked aft to see the Engineers. He shook his head; the boring bits always seem to bite your ass.

  VAUXHALL CROSS SIS building. London.

  THEY SAT AT THE TABLE in Rudolph’s office. River traffic sailed by.

  “You know I have to go,” said Silk Purse.

  Rudolph looked at the river he needed to weigh up the implications.

  “Rudolph, we know the man’s Mossad, he’s been in contact with Crutch. She’s been off the grid for far too long. I’m being quizzed by the department, they know some shit’s gone down. Tosser’s been on to me nearly every day. We can’t hang people out to dry.”

  “I know but...”

  Silk purse sat back and waited, she wouldn’t push it. If all else failed she’d bring up the Odessa debacle, she knew Rudolph still sweated over it. Could he have done something different?

  She waited, let him say something, let it fester in his lap. It was basic sales technique, give them enough space and they’ll often talk themselves into a sale. She’d learned that a lifetime ago at the perfume counter in Debenhams.

  He sighed.

  “The UAE?” She nodded.

  “Ok, do it, but be careful. Watch your pockets. Find out what he wants.”

  “Thanks Sir.” She got up and headed for the door before he changed his mind.

  “Silk Purse.” She turned.

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Get our girl out.” She smiled.

  “Count on it.”

  She walked back into the Middle East section and up to a desk where a blond girl sat and worked. She looked up at her boss.

  “Hi.”

  “You free the next few days?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Get packed for the warm weather. We’re going to the United Arab Emirates.”

  “We are?” she asked, puzzled.

  “We’re on Crutch’s trail.” Tosser beamed and punched the air.

  “Right on. At last.”

  Chapter 11

  “So Weaps give me the run down,” said Nathan. They stood in the torpedo room, the six hatch doors filled the forward bulkhead.

  “Sir, our warload is six Mk48 CBASS in tubes one to six. In the three VPM tubes we have twenty one Tomahawk, three of which are factor 100 warheads.”

  USS Stonewall Jackson’s armaments included six conventional Torpedo tubes that could be loaded with Harpoon, sea skimming anti-ship missiles. Aft of the sail were three vertical VPM launch tubes with seven Tomahawk BGM-109 cruise missiles in each. The factor 100 warheads were nuclear weapons, it was USN black humour. Where factor 100 means you’d need to be wearing sun block with an SPF of 100.

  “Ok Weaps, load tubes five and six with Harpoon, we may or may not need them.” Nathan leaned against one of the MK48 fish.

  “How many Pointers do we have?”

  “We’ve four Sir.” Nathan nodded.

  The Pointer is a Torpedo tube launched, retrievable self-propelled underwater drone. It can be wire guided or free swimming. Named after the hunting Dog, it can act as a passive or active sonar detector. A Pointer has the ability to appear to an enemy as a submarine and can deploy counter measures. Unarmed, but a great remote sensor or a tool to spread confusion among any opponents.

  “Any other issues?”

  “Not really Sir we have some electrical problems but the Engineer....”

  “Captain to the Conn,” sounded out the intercom.

  “Excuse me.” He bounded up into the control room.

  “Sir,” said Benson, “we have a subsurface contact. Range fifteen miles heading our way from the west.”

  “Type?”

  “I’m still refining, Sir.”

  “Ok.” Benson returned to his undersea world with it’s gloops, bubbles, groans and clicks.

  Five minutes later Benson looked up. “I’ve got him Sir. It’s a PLAN Shang class, probably a type 093G. I ran it through the library and it said, Shang 92% 093G 75%.

  There are entries from the USS Chosin Reservoir on patrol in the South China Sea, she tracked one three months ago.”

  “Good old Maccy Slade,” smiled Nathan, “good to see one of our sister ships doing her thing.”

  The USS Stonewall Jackson’s reputation as a fighting boat had prompted her sister ships to be named after battles. USS Chosin Reservoir, in the Korean War and USS 73 Easting, in the first Gulf war.

  Benson listened to the Chinese SSN for further minutes.

  “Sir, we’ve had an aspect change, it’s turned to the southeast. Permission to express my opinion?”

  “Yes, always, go ahead.”

  “Sir, I think he’s running in after the cargo ships. That Mother is going to trail them, just like we are.” Nathan considered the comments. It didn’t seem likely.

  After some twenty minutes.

  “I said so Sir, he’s taken up station two miles ahead, just to our starboard. He’s following them
.”

  “All stop. Give them some room.” He let them separate, so as not to be too close. The People’s Liberation Army Navy SSN was now in between the Jackson and the cargo vessels.

  “XO, Kaminski, War committee, now.”

  The three of them sat around the Wardroom table.

  “So, we have company. That PLAN SSN isn’t there by coincidence. What do you think?”

  “How the hell do the Chinese know about the North Korean nukes on board?” said the XO.

  “How the hell do we know?” said Nikki, “they probably know the same way we know, intel, spies. The Chinese must have spies in the DPRK.”

  “They may be closer than that,” said Nathan, “they may have supplied parts or expertise. We know they’re hand in glove with the North Koreans in that area.”

  “It’ll complicate matters if they’re still around and we have to sink the two of them,” said Larry.

  “I know why they’re there,” said Nikki with a smirk.

  “Go on.”

  “They’re the escort.” She looked at the two of them. “The DPRK hasn’t anything that can reach Iran without refuelling. The Shang can. If we’re ordered to sink the ships, we’ll have an SSN to deal with.” Larry groaned and put his head in the palm of his hand.

  “Why the fucking PLAN? They always make it complicated.”

  “I agree with the both of you,” said Nathan, “it does get complicated, why are they riding shotgun? It suggests that they’re more than interested. They do have ties with Iran too. Also, they’ve more than one Shang boat, we could see others showing up. We can speculate as to why, but the thing we must do is let COMSUBPAC and DOD know what’s happened, let them worry about it.” Nathan returned to the control room.

  “Get ready to stream the comms buoy.

  Come to seven zero feet. Speed five knots.”

  “Five at seven zero feet Aye.”

  “Lieutenant Commander Lemineux send this message.”