To Hunt and Protect
Page 27
“Yes, sir.” The word passes.
Cumberland walks to his XO, “What do you see?”
“Sir, about a year ago, we went out to play with the Nevada. It was a hole in the water. The thing is, we realized a lack of information is information.”
“Can you get to your point?”
“We’ve heard nothing. If it was moving, we would have heard it. Therefore, it isn’t moving.”
“You think they bottomed the boat? That shit only happens in the movies.”
“I know, sir.”
“Your boat. Let me know what you figure out.” Cumberland leaves.
I-68
“Sir, I hear something odd. It is a whooshing sound like a muffled pump.”
“Where?”
“To the east, close aboard.”
“How close?”
“Less than a mile.”
“Any ideas?”
“No, sir, except, well, sir, if it was on the surface it would sound different, I think. We would surely hear screws.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Morrison whispers, “We’re almost on top of it. Left standard. Make our course 165.”
“Yes, sir.” The orders are quietly passed and slowly the big submarine turns south
Morrison, “Henry, what’s this contact?”
Thoreau walks to the table, “That one? A fishing boat that dropped anchor.”
“Henry, the water is 300 feet deep there. It couldn’t anchor there…Oh.” He picks up a phone, “Captain, could you come to control?”
Cumberland walks in and straight to the table.
Morrison, “Sir, this is what we’ve figured out from our sonar information. They exited the area yesterday to charge batteries. Before they submerged, they let out a few fathoms of chain from one of their anchors. That was this transient up here. Then they drifted down with the current and settled on the bottom using the anchor to hold them in place.”
Cumberland nods his head, “Do we have enough information for a firing solution?”
Morrison, “No, sir.”
Cumberland, “I want to kill this clever son of a bitch. How do we do it?”
Morrison, “Those old boats had their anchor forward. By dropping one, they’ll weathervane with their tubes facing the fleet as they exit.”
Godoy, “Sir, flush the game.”
Morrison, “You’re right.”
Cumberland, “Good. Get us some distance and set up the shot.”
CHAPTER 22
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-68
1843, 24 February, 1942
“Sir, the sound is gone. I think it turned south. I couldn’t hear people. I couldn’t hear a screw. It was really quiet.”
Tanabe, “Thank you.” He raises his eyebrow and looks at Okamoto.
“Should we have engaged it, sir.”
“Okamoto, our target is the carrier. Also, the carrier is on the surface, thus it will be a far easier target. We wait.”
“You think they leave soon?”
“They sent out this submarine to eliminate the threat we pose. This would not be done unless it is in preparation to leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
ST2 Gil Gordon, “Conn, Sonar. Before we lost it in the baffles, I could hear people talking in Japanese.”
Morrison walks in and listens, “I can’t catch it all. They knew we were near, and were discussing whether to attempt to engage us or the carrier.” He nods, “Right, that’s positive confirmation of the sub’s location.”
“Yes, sir.”
Morrison, “Left standard rudder. New course 050.”
Thoreau, “Sir, sorry about thinking it was a fishing boat.”
“Henry, it’s an easy mistake to make. Unload tube 4.”
“Why, sir?”
“So, we can fire a water slug to flush the game.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cumberland comes back in and walks to the chart table.
Morrison, “Helm, left standard rudder. Come to new course 010.” The helm repeats and the boat tilts in the turn. “Sir, as we were departing the area, Gordon picked up some spoken Japanese. They know we are out here somewhere.”
“How?”
Morrison, “I let us get too close. It could be they heard the coolant pumps.”
“Yet, they made no attempt to engage?”
“Sir, their target is the carrier.”
“Tube 4 is unloaded.”
Morrison, “Very well. Stand by to flood tubes 1 and 4.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
TM3 Evan Trindle, “Chief, what the fuck? Why would we fire a water slug?”
Kennedy, “Because they told us to.” The sub heels to port.
Over the box, “Torpedo, Conn. At the same time, flood tubes 1 and 4.”
Kennedy, “Evan, Guiles, at the same time, open the flood valves. Okay, crack open the vent valves.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-68
“Captain, they flood tubes.”
Tanabe, “Let us turn our rudder full right. Stand by on engines. Stand by to blow ballast. Flood tubes 1 through 4. Sonar, can you give a bearing?”
“053, sir.”
“Set depth to sixty feet with a one degree spread.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
“Conn, Sonar. They’re flooding tubes.”
Cumberland pushes the button for torpedo, “Get those doors open.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-68
“Conn, Torpedo. Tubes are flooded, opening doors.”
Tanabe, “Blow ballast. Ahead full. New course 053.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
“Conn, Sonar. They are blowing ballast and opening doors.”
“Conn, Torpedo. Doors are open.”
“Conn, Fire Control. Bearings matched and cross-checked.”
Cumberland, “Fire 1.” Thud, whoosh.
“Conn, Torpedo. Tube 1 fired electrically.”
“Conn, Sonar. Torpedo running hot, straight, and normal.”
Morrison, “Cut the wire and the shut the doors. Ahead flank. Power limiting. Left full rudder.”
Cumberland looks at Morrison, “Morrison, we’ll broach. Why?” The sub shakes.
“Conn, Sonar. Sierra 3 has fired torpedoes. Two, three, no four torpedoes. Bearing is 307 constant.”
Backes, “Captain, we’ve broached.”
Cumberland, “Very well.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-68
They feel the sub shudder as it discharges the four torpedoes. The torpedoes have gyros to keep them on their set course regardless of where the nose of the submarine is pointing. The men can hear the high-pitched pings of the incoming torpedo.
Sonar, “Captain, all four torpedoes are traveling straight and on course. The enemy submarine is making noise. They are speeding up. They are turning south.”
The pings get closer and louder.
Tanabe, “If we take them with us, it is an honorable death.”
The torpedo explodes under the center of the surfacing submarine, breaking it in half.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
“Conn, Sonar. Our torpedo detonated. Sir, it’s a hit.”
Cumberland pushes the button, “Their torpedoes, where are they?”
“Conn, Sonar. They’re close, sir. I think they’ll pass astern.”
“How close?”
“Less than a hundred feet.”
Cumberland takes in a deep breath and lets it out, “Thank you, XO. I’ll be in my stateroom.”
Morrison finally exhales, and only then realizes he’s been holding his breath. He rubs his face, “Ahead 1/3. New course,” he looks at the chart. “New course 080. When those torpedoes run out, Greg, take us south east into deeper water. We continue boxing, looking for more.”
“Yes, sir. Are you alright?”
“He said, thank you.”
“I know. High praise.”
“I need to wash my face. As I said, we keep boxing.”
HMS BALLARAT
> The Ballarat is still in position at the site where the first two Japanese submarines were sunk. Roberts sees a third Japanese sub surface, then explode. “Bloody hell.”
The San Francisco broaches, its screw thrashing the water when the bow comes down, then it slips back under the sea.
Roberts, “Put the boat out. The Yank shark has killed another sub.”
His XO asks, “Sir, is that the boat we fired on?”
“Yeah, I think so. No pictures. It’s top secret.”
“I can see why.”
Roberts, “Yeah, me too.”
“Sir, did you report to Halsey?”
Roberts, “The squadron commander did. They didn’t respond with a light as was required.”
“Maybe they don’t have signal light. I mean, where would you put it?”
“True.” They see the shadow of the submarine pass down their port side a few miles away.
USS SAN FRANCISCO, 20 MILES EAST OF SYDNEY
0830, 25 February, 1942
Cumberland walks in. Backes, “The Fife and Jarrett are outside the harbor. The Hobart and three Aussie destroyers are on their way out.”
“Very well. Any submerged contacts?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. Make our course 170.”
BATTLESHIP TIRPITZ, 150 MILES NORTH OF THE FAROE ISLANDS
2345, 24 February, 1942
Kapitan zur See Karl Topp paces his bridge. Out there somewhere is a British convoy that was spotted by a reconnaissance aircraft the day before. They don’t dare turn on their radar. It may help them see, but it is a beacon for an aerial attack. “Lieutenant, what does our mast head watch see?”
“He has only gotten there, sir.”
Topp continues to pace. “Bridge, mast head. Masts of three vessels to our north. One looks like an aircraft carrier.”
Topp picks up the phone, “Petty Officer, what is their course?”
“Sir, they are three, five, and nine points off the port bow. Bearing is constant, drifting west. Range no more than ten miles.”
“Battle stations. Gunnerey action to port. Right standard rudder. New course 070. Turn on our gunnery and navigation radar.”
HMS VICTORIOUS, 11 MILES NORTH OF TIRPITZ
Captain L. D. Mackintosh sits in his chair listening to his watch team. To their starboard steams the heavy cruiser Berwick. To their port is the battleship King George V. Station keeping in the fog is a real challenge. He hears, “Captain, radar warning.”
“Battle stations, gentlemen.” He rises and heads for combat. From the corner of his eye, he sees orange-yellow flashes to the south. He looks to starboard. The King George V is still there. He picks up a radio microphone, thinking the fire must be from the convoy escorts. “We’re a British unit. Cease fire. Cease fire.”
Three of the four 14-inch shells in the first salvo miss. One hits the Berwick in the bow, exploding with a tremendous report.
“My word.” He goes below to combat.
PORT AFT MISSILE LAUNCHER, TIRPITZ
Through the view port, Schmitt watches the battle. The rumbling roar of salvo after salvo being fired hit him like hammer blows. All four turrets fire in the second salvo. He watches as the shells hit and a ship explodes. The shock wave moves the fog, and for a moment, he can see clearly. The ship is a heavy cruiser. Beyond the cruiser is an aircraft carrier and a battleship.
“What is happening, sir?”
“Three ships. We just sank a heavy cruiser.”
The men cheer. Kapitan Topp maneuvers the Tirpitz to the side of the sinking cruiser as his ship fires another salvo. Three shells hit the carrier.
HMS VICTORIOUS
Aircraft Handler, Petty Officer Malcolm scrambles back to his feet on the flight deck and runs to man a hose. The debris of shattered aircraft block his way. He climbs around and gets to the cat walk and grabs a hose. Two more rounds hit the stern. This time, he keeps his feet. He hears the King George V open fire ahead of them. He can barely hear the sound of the guns. He fakes out the hose and charges it. Back up on the deck, he advances against the fire.
TIRPITZ
Kapitan zur See Karl Topp is on the phone, “I understand, Admiral.” He hangs up, “Right full rudder. Ahead flank. It is time to withdraw.” The Tirpitz disappears into the mist from where it came.
HMS VICTORIOUS
Petty Officer Malcolm stands at the edge of a gaping hole in the flight deck spraying water on the fires below. The sprinkler system helps put out the flames. The spilled aviation fuel, the primary fuel for the fire, has been mostly sprayed down scuppers and over the side. He hears a voice at his side, “How are you doing, Petty Officer?”
He looks over and sees Captain Mackintosh standing beside him, “I think we got it, sir.”
“I think you do. I’m told you were the first to man a hose. I do believe your timely action contributed significantly to saving the ship.”
“Sir, we all do our bit.”
“We do, indeed.”
USS FIFE, 8 MILES NORTH OF DEAL ISLAND IN BASS STRAIGHT
0625, 25, February, 1942
CDR Wakefield, “Ahead 1/3.”
“Ahead 1/3rd, ordered and answered.” The ship slows down from their two-hour high-speed run.
“Very well. Mark depth.”
“Ninety fathoms by chart.”
“Set maneuvering.”
“Set maneuvering, aye.”
She walks into combat, “Lieutenant Calvert, let’s win some whiskey. Yankee search.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO, 200 FEET AND 8 MILES WEST IN THE BASS STRAIGHT
Miller and his watch team or relaxed, but attentive. Then they hear the boo waa sound of active sonar. “Shit! Sonar, where is it?”
“It’s the Fife, sir. They’re about ten miles at 082.”
Cumberland bulls his way into control in his underwear, “Fucking, lose them!”
Miller, “Yes, sir. Left full rudder.”
Morrison walk in straight to the table. Cumberland joins him. Morrison points at the chart, “We’ve only 300 feet under our keel and it’s getting shallower. No thermocline.”
Cumberland, “Fuck! Ahead flank. Right rudder. Get us back on course.”
Morrison, “Sir, it gets shallow. Can we come to 100 feet?”
Cumberland, “Two degrees up bubble. Come to 100 feet. Shit, this gets shallow.”
“Yes, sir. It’s what she counted on.”
Cumberland, “Ahead 2/3rds. I ain’t going to lose the boat on a bet.”
Cumberland and Morrison study the channel and the water depth. They’re fairly trapped.
USS FIFE
Calvert transferred from the Long Beach when he was commissioned. “Captain, they’re slowing and staying in the channel.”
“So, he won’t risk his boat to beat us. Good.”
Flanagan, “Twenty more minutes.”
Calvert, “Captain, we have another submerged contact at 265 and 40 miles.”
Wakefield, “Switch to targeting sonar for three pings. Directed in on the new contact.”
After three pings, she says, “Stop search and targeting sonar. Bridge, left full rudder, take us about and return to station.”
Flanagan, “You’re not going to prosecute it?”
“We’ve humiliated them enough.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland, “It’s less than an hour. What’s she doing?”
Morrison, “The last few were targeting sonar. There’s something out there.”
“Conn, Sonar. New contact, bearing 260. Designate Sierra 4. Twin three bladed screws.”
Morrison, “Sonar, what is the Fife doing?”
ST1 Brown, “Sir, they’re coming about. I think they’re leaving.”