by M L Maki
Oberleutnant zur See Ziegler, the XO, “Sir, several cargo ships are in range.”
Kroning, “We want in the middle, as before.”
“Yes, sir.”
U-352, 300 FEET SE OF HX-2
Rathke leans over his sonarman. “Is it Heydemann at 275?”
“I do not think so, sir. I hear none of the normal noises.”
“Then what? You are certain of the location of the other three?”
“Yes, Herr Captain.”
“Open doors for tubes 1 through 4. Take us to periscope depth. Something is out there. I want to get shots off while we can.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland, “Match bearings. I want tube 1 set for Sierra 8 and tube 2 for Sierra 9. As soon as they fire, we cycle through to fire tubes 3 and 4. Tube 3 will be set for Sierra 10, and tube 4 is to be set for Sierra 11. Repeat back.”
The fire control team repeats back.
Cumberland, “XO, no submarine has ever fired four fish at four different targets and hit them all.”
Morrison, “Hopefully, we will. We’ll have to leave the doors open, so we can control them. We are firing toward the convoy.”
Cumberland, “I plan to. This is a great many weapons in the water at once.”
Morrison, “An idea, sir. If we dog leg the first two torpedoes fired, we can make all four hits at about the same time. So, the detonation of one doesn’t mess up one of the others.”
Cumberland nods his head, “Yeah, okay. It has merit.” He turns to the fire control team and orders them to changes the course of each fish. This requires some math, to get the timing correct.
U-128, WEST OF U-352
Steinert, “Flood tubes 1 through 4. Left rudder. New course 286.”
His XO, “Sir, aren’t we supposed to fire from inside?”
“There is something out there. Aircraft? An American sub? I don’t know yet. We will fire as soon as the angle is favorable. I want to hit the lead destroyer. It is likely the one coordinating with the other unit.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-575
Sonar, “Sir, I think I hear a gurgling noise to the west, like a flooding tube.”
Heydemann, “Can you hear anything else on that bearing?”
“The convoy, sir. I can also hear our other four subs. U-128 has a bearing going.”
“Understood. Keep listening. We need to find that phantom sub killer.” The crew chuckles. Unlike the other four subs in this wolf pack, this boat has been stripped of its guns and had its conning tower smoothed.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland, “Thoreau, you’re doing well.” Everyone looks at Cumberland, eyes wide. “Yes, you’re doing well, but this time, I think I will fire.”
Thoreau, “Yes, sir.”
Cumberland pushes the buttons, “Fire 1. Fire 2.”
“Conn, Torpedo. Tubes 1 and 2 fired electrically.”
“Conn, Sonar. Fish 1 and 2, running hot, straight, and normal.”
Cumberland, “Come on. Refill the slug tank.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-656
Kroning studies the chart table. “We are well placed. The convoy comes on not knowing we are about to rape them, like the plump English women they are.”
His XO, Fischer, “Sir, what do you make of this super weapon?”
“Gunther, we are the superweapon. I know war is distasteful, but we fight for the Fatherland. We are the superior of any allied…”
“Captain, two torpedoes fired. Bearing is 268.”
Kroning, “Too soon. What are they doing?”
Fischer, “Sir, we do not have a submarine at 268.”
“Ahead flank. Two degrees down on the planes. Take us down. We must get below the torpedo.”
USS LIVERMORE
“Bridge, Sonar. Activity everywhere. Torpedoes in the water. Submarines north and south.”
Morrison, “Bring us to general quarters.” He pushes a button, “Calm down, sonar. Give us a bearing.”
“320, bridge.”
Morrison, “Come to 320.”
Commander Huber walks in and grabs a helmet. “What do you have XO?”
“Torpedoes in the water. Multiple contacts. We’re sorting it out.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-128
Steinert, “What are they doing? Those torpedoes are fired too far away to hit anyone. Steady on.”
Sonar, “Captain, the torpedoes seem to be missing to the port and starboard.”
“Very well. Patience is the key to success. We must be patient.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
“Conn, Torpedo. Tubes 3 and 4 are ready, doors open.”
Cumberland, “Thank you, torpedo. Are bearings matched?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Fire tubes 3 and 4.”
“Conn, Torpedo. Tubes 3 and 4 fired electrically.”
“Conn, Sonar. Fish 3 and 4 are hot, straight, and normal.”
Cumberland, “Oh yeah! Um, very well.”
Thoreau counts down.
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-352
Rathke shouts, “Hard right rudder. Ahead flank. Up five degrees. Blow ballast.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-573
Heinsohn, “We go deep. 2/3rds bell. Full down on the planes.”
Sonar, “Captain, one of the torpedoes has changed course. Bearing is constant.”
The helmsman, “F…F…Full d…down.”
“Relax, Wenzel. Torpedoes do not dive. They do not chase their prey like hounds.”
They can hear the high-pitched pings of the closing torpedo. Wenzel, “Sir, what is that?”
Sonar, “The torpedo is close aboard.”
At 235 feet, the torpedo detonates on contact with the hull, creating a bubble of heat and pressure that collapses the sub’s hull inward. There are no survivors.
USS LIVERMORE
They hear the thunder like multiple depth charges exploding. When they look east, they see a German sub surface. Huber, “Get Mount 1 on the sub.” Then, a towering column of water rises from the center of the sub. The sub lifts up, then drops, breaking in two. “My God!”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-352
Rathke struggles to his feet. A wave pounds the sub, pushing him against the periscope. He grabs the hatch and spins it open, pushing a rating up. When he can see no more living crew, he too climbs up the ladder that is slowly rolling horizontal. In the sail, men are clinging to the rails. Several are hanging above the churning sea as the bow turns up to the sky. He sees the stern of his vessel slip below the water. The bow trembles. Air escapes through the hatch and Rathke shuts it, still clinging to a rail.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland dances around control, pumping his fists, “Yes! Yes!”
Morrison, “Sir?”
Cumberland, “XO, you got it. I’ll be in my stateroom.” He dances out of control.
U-575, 15 MILES EAST OF USS SAN FRANCISCO
Sonar, “Captain, all four are gone. All are hit at the same time.”
“I understand. It falls to us. It seems we were wrong to mock the American superweapon.” Haydemann sits, heavily.
CHAPTER 28
USS SAN FRANCISCO
2221, 19 March, 1942
Morrison walks into sonar, “Gordon, how are you doing?”
“Well, Commander, I just listened to a couple hundred people die. About how you would think, sir.”
“I know it’s difficult. It’s damn difficult, but we have it to do.”
“Oh, I know, sir.”
“Can you stay on the bubble?”
“Oh, Commander, I never lose the bubble.”
Morrison turns to the junior sonarman on watch, “How are you, Pritchel?”
“I try not to think about it.”
“Guys, the time comes when you have to deal with death. The killing we do, each of will have our own way of dealing with it.”
In his stateroom, Cumberland gets up from his rack and tosses a sock into the laundry hamper. He goes to the sink to wash up and look
s into the mirror. His happy smile reflects back to him, “Four at once. Does it ever get this good?”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-575
Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann walks into the radio room and hands the radioman a message:
TO: 7UBFLOT
FRM: 575
REG: US Superweapon
Kptlt. Sohler, the American weapon is a U-boat with guided torpedoes. It is very quiet. 575 only survivor of WP-14.
Heydemann
“Once you type it up on the code machine, let me know, so we can go to periscope depth to send it.” He exits radio and shuts the door. He leans against the bulkhead trying to catch his breath. He feels as if he’s been running.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Trindle sits on the floor, knees drawn up tightly against his body, fists balled and head down. TMC Mel Kennedy, “You okay, Evan?”
“No. Fuck, this is hard.” He makes eye contact with his chief, “How many people have we killed?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“I guess…I guess, I don’t. It’s a fucked-up world we live in. The skipper’s probably rubbing one out because he killed four boats at once.”
TM1 Haataja, “Nah, he’s done already. Think about this, Trindle, at least you don’t have to clean his stateroom.”
Trindle, “God, yes. After four boats, it’s probably a fire hose.”
Haataja, “Yep, his room is now painted a milky white.”
Kennedy, “Guys, enough.”
Trindle stands, “Roger that, Chief.”
The phone talker, “Chief, they want us to reload all four tubes.”
USS LIVERMORE
LCDR Henry Morrison, “Ahead 1/3rd. Right standard rudder. New course 012.” He dials a phone, “Captain, could you please come to the bridge?”
CDR Vernon Huber walks in. “Captain on the bridge.”
Huber looks out the windscreen, “My God.” The bow of a submarine sticks straight up out of the water. Survivors still clinging to it. “Call the boat detail to muster on the port boat deck. Muster the security detail on the fan tail.” He looks over at Morrison, “You think this is your grandson’s handiwork?”
“Could it be anyone else?”
The BMOW, “Captain, starboard lookout reports an oil slick and debris off the starboard bow.”
“Very well. You know, Henry, that oil slick could be your boy.”
“Yes, sir, or it could be their next kill. Sonar heard multiple explosions at nearly the same time.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-575
“Sir, we are ready to transmit.”
Haydemann, “Very well. Bring us up to periscope depth.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
“Conn, Sonar. Hull popping noises. It’s Sierra 7. Bearing 026 and moving aft.”
Morrison pushes the button, “What is it doing?”
“They just accelerated to the surface, or to periscope depth. Two screws with three blades.”
“Understood. Flood tube 1 and open doors. Ahead 1/3rd, half bell.” He pushes the button, “Captain, we still need to deal with Sierra 7.”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-575
The submarine settles at periscope depth. Haydemann, “Raise the antenna.”
USS LIVERMORE
“Bridge, Combat. Contact on radar. Bearing 052. Range 18 miles.” Morrison puts his binoculars to his eyes.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland goes straight to the table, “5 degrees up angle. Left standard rudder.”
“Conn, Torpedo. Tube 1 is flooded. Opening door.”
Thoreau, “Very well.”
Cumberland, “Let’s wait until we can see it.”
Morrison, “Sir, they may be transmitting a message. It’s almost certain they are.”
Cumberland pushes the button, “Firing tube 1. Thoreau, count us down.” He looks at Morrison like the XO took his favorite lollipop.
“Conn, Torpedo. Tube 1 fired electrically.”
Conn, Sonar. Fish is running hot, straight, and normal.”
“Very well.”
USS LIVERMORE
Morrison finally spots it. The feather from the periscope is difficult to pick out in the wind-swept sea. “Radar contact is a periscope. Any idea whose?”
GERMAN SUBMARINE U-575
The radioman is typing out the encoded message.
“Captain, torpedo in the water. Bearing 195. Range, close.” They hear the pings.
Haydemann, “Blow ballast and continue to blow. Maybe the bubbles will confuse it.”
They flip the chicken switches and air rushes into the ballast tanks, raising the sub out of the water. The maneuver does not confuse the Mark 48 torpedo. It detonates under the auxiliary machinery space, lifting the middle of the sub and breaking it in two.
USS LIVERMORE
Henry Morrison sees the German sub surface. “Another one!” A tower of water rises up from the exploding torpedo. The sub breaks like a twig. “My God, sir, look!”
A few miles from the sinking German sub, they see the sleek shape of the San Francisco surface, only visible as a shadow against the windswept waves. It settles for a moment, then sinks back out of sight. CDR Huber, “Morrison, is that your grandson’s submarine?”
“It must be, sir.”
“Well, I’m delighted they are looking out for us.”
“As I am, sir.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Cumberland, “Why the hell did we just broach?”
Thoreau, “Sir, you ordered 5 degrees and never changed it.”
“I did? Well, get us back down to 400 feet and get us back on course.” He walks out and forward.
Thoreau, “XO, did I just screw up?”
“We all did, Thoreau. He was hyper-focused on the kill and I allowed myself to become distracted.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Me too. Chalk it up as a lesson and move along.”
PORT ORCHARD STRAIGHT, EAST OF NAVAL UNDERSEA WARFARE CENTER, KEYPORT, WASHINGTON
0915, 20 March, 1942
Kichiro, with headphones on, is on the bridge of a submarine tied to the pier.
“Bridge, Torpedo. Tube 1 is loaded.”
Kichiro, “Very well. Stand by.” He shouts to the captain on the pier, “Final confirmation, sir. Is the range clear?”
Captain Guiles, the new command CO, says, “It is. Proceed.”
“Yes, sir. The first is a Mark-14 as it was pulled off the shelf.” On the phone, “Fire tube 1.” They see the burst of bubbles at the bow, then the train of bubbles the torpedo leaves in its wake. It heads straight to the target, a barge with a steel plate hanging over the side and down twenty feet. It gets to the target, then goes under it, and onward, with no detonation. The engineers look at each other, and one says, “Oh shit.”
Kichiro repeats the test three more times with off the shelf torpedoes. Everyone misses or fails to detonate.
“Now, sir, this next shot is a Mark-14B. This torpedo has a new level control system and a new contact pistol. Is it clear?”
Guiles, “Proceed.”
The torpedo is fired. The bubbles lead straight to the barge. They hear the bang of the torpedo hitting the steel plate, then the green dye marker rises up, staining the water.
Divers recover the inert torpedo. They let the green dye disperse before they do another test. Kichiro, “Next is the same torpedo with a new sonar-based proximity detonator.”
“Proceed.”
The torpedo is fired. This time, the torpedo passes under the barge, but the green dye rises again, indicating the proximity trigger fired. Kichiro, “Sir, we still have a few reliability issues to sort out, but we’re nearing a production model.”
Guile, “You did nothing to tamper with the first four?”