Under Water Secret

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  That 'sooner' happened the next morning before the sun came up, when a caller informed the local police that he could hear a large motor sound coming from near Short Beach Island. The caller was located close to Point Lookout.

  In twenty minutes a message was relayed to the USS Oregon who was at that time patrolling just off Brooklyn, New York City. A companion sub, the USS Everglades was in the area also. In addition two destroyers had been moved into the area from the night before as per the new Secretary of the Navy's orders.

  All private craft had been ordered to clear the area a long time ago. Nothing was on the surface but the destroyers. Slowly but surely the Navy closed the gap. A helicopter radioed that his sonar picked up an underwater signal. The two subs closed to the sighting area. The USS Oregon was the first to make contact. The XO hollered out, "Captain, we have contact."

  "Ready one and two torpedoes," said the Captain. "Fire when course is confirmed."

  "Torpedoes one and two are away Captain," said the XO. "Contact in 40 seconds."

  Aboard the Romeo, the sonar man screamed, "Torpedoes on their way Captain."

  "Full ahead and send out chaff and flares," the Captain ordered. But the Captain realized his time was running out on this earth. He gave a short prayer to Allah and bade his family in Iran good bye.

  The two torpedoes struck the Romeo sub sending a plume of spray up out of the surface. The sailors on the destroyers gave yell of happiness and down underneath the bay, the USS Oregon's Captain Alex Relm's bp went back to normal. One down four to go.

  The President was notified just as he was getting out of bed. What he didn't know and no one would ever know, until divers discovered an oil skinned pouch the carried the orders in the sub's wreckage, that the sub was to sink the QM2 as it sailed for England the very next day.

  Secretary Pratt was ordered to the White House. He was asked, in the Situation Room what his thoughts were as to other subs on the east coast.

  Secretary Pratt said, "It's my thinking and others too that attacks will not move to the south. For example, the Charleston area and maybe Georgia. I'm going to leave the destroyers in New York and have the Tridents move south along the coast. We got lucky with the guy calling in and we need more folks patrolling by foot."

  "And the west coast Mr. Secretary?"

  Secretary Pratt went on to explain his tactics and the President nodded his head. Then he said, "So far so good. Now we need to stop the rest of them. The price of oil is erupting like a volcano. I'm going to have to release some of our reserves and that's not a good thing to do."

  Back on the west coast, Brad and company were happy to hear they'd nailed a sub. Now the pressure was on the other foot. Brad went upstairs and went outside. He saw the Master sitting on the cliff starring out to sea. He walked up slowly with Rocky. Both he and Rocky sat down. The Master said, "My son, very soon they will be here. We must sleep well tonight as the next night will be very busy."

  "Master, I want to capture the submarine and its Captain alive. I'd guess we have about 30 minutes while the terrorist exit the sub for shore. Do you think that is enough time to quietly capture the submarine?"

  "My son. You take care of the terrorist and I'll capture the submarine. I'll wait for you to come aboard after you have taken care of the invaders."

  All of the conversation was done in Mandarin. Brad never asked how he was going to do it; he just had faith in his adopted father.

  Brad used the big tent for a meeting room. He'd called everyone to join the meeting. There wasn't any chit chat as these professionals were beyond that. They sat down, took off their hats and focused on the speaker.

  Brad said, after all were seated, "I can't tell you how I know but tomorrow night we will be attacked. High tide is around 11pm. When the rubber boats hit the beach, I'll turn on the flood lights. Expect the unexpected. Attacks could come from any of three directions. I think we're safe from the east. However, I'm placing Billy and Rocky on the front porch to stop all comers." The tent roared in laughter. Even Brad broke a big smile. Billy looked embarrassed.

  "I need not tell you guys what to do; you already know. I just hope we don't lose anyone. We'll that's all guys."

  Mike walked up and said, "How does the Master know?"

  "I'd tell you if I knew Mike. I'm beginning to have feelings that I can't explain. I felt we were going to be attacked by terrorist, but I had no idea where the feeling came from. Mike, I want you ready with a rubber boat and motor that can be stashed in Devils Kitchen. If all goes well, we can take the boat out to the sub."

  "Brad, don't tell me anymore. I can guess the rest. Our six man raft will be fueled and ready to go. I'll take care of it personally."

  Up north at the entrance to Puget Sound at Port Angeles one Romeo sub was approaching the mouth of the harbor. It badly needed to recharge its batteries. Surface ships had been encountered a hundred miles off shore. That made it impossible to surface and recharge.

  The Captain thought if he could get into the harbor, stay to the south side he could surface and recharge. Just to the east of Sekiu and just pass the Slip Point Lighthouse, an unpopulated stretch would be a safe place to surface.

  The captain of the Romeo was not the only one who figured that scenario out. While Wade and General Pratt were in Bangor at the Trident base, the location was one of many where lookouts were posted. The Lighthouse nowadays is a shared location for the Clallam Bay Sheriff's office and the Coast Guard. As darkness descended night goggles were used by the lookouts.

  One Coast Guard lookout said, "Man this is boring. I'd rather be home watching TV or shooting pool down at the tavern."

  His partner said, "Rick, get real. We're on a war footing here. Dereliction of duty is to be shot. So stay focused."

  At about midnight, the captain ordered the sub to surface quietly. While the sub surfaced the lighthouse guards were preparing to go off shift. Rick was still peering into the dark night. As the tide was high the wind died off. It had rained the day before and now all was quiet. He started to take off his night goggles when he thought he heard something like motor starting up. Rick's father was a machine operation for a large timber company. He recognized the sound of a diesel engine.

  Rick called his friend over where they both stood side by side. Rick said, "Hey, can you hear that. It sounds like a diesel engine with exhaust gurgling in the water. Jesus, do you think it's an enemy sub?"

  "I don't know but I'm not taking any chances. I'm calling the next in line of command."

  When the word reached the USS Florida, which was not far away when Captain Ed Lockner received the message. He quietly gave orders to set a course for the lighthouse and at flank speed. He said, "Come to a stop at 5000 yards. Sonar will then see if they can identify a submarine and its sound."

  The XO acknowledged and passed the orders on. It wasn't long before sonar reported the sub image and sound. The Captain ordered two torpedoes with a spread of 40 feet. Fire when course is set and ready. The XO said, "Torpedoes away Captain. About one minute to target.

  Aboard the Romeo the Captain was catching some fresh salt air while the batteries were being charged. He was smoking a Turkish cigarette. Suddenly a scream from below was heard yelling that torpedoes were heard running towards them. The captain realized he had no time to react. He sucked hard on his tobacco and sent an urgent prayer to Allah. Lucky for him his wife would receive the payment to keep the kids in a private school near Karachi. The last thing he saw was a flash and then his lights went out.

  Aboard the USS Florida high fives and congratulations were ringing throughout the sub. An urgent message was sent to Bangor. A message came back saying job well done but still be aware of anymore enemy subs to come.

  Chapter twelve

  On the east coast, just off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, an enemy sub was waiting for darkness. It was located next to Hunting Island and near or at Saint Helena Shoal. They would surface and recharge the batteries for tomorrow's attack. At 10 pm
the sub surfaced and started up its diesel engine. The captain went up with the lookouts to have a breath of fresh air and a smoke. His Number One or Exec. Officer joined him for a smoke as well. Number One said, "Captain, I've a good feeling about this target tomorrow. Allah is with us as always."

  "Yes, Number One. We have the only God on our side. The infidels will take notice of our work and our future work. Our sister sub is down the coast preparing for a strike tomorrow as we are."

  "Number One, have the men come up five at a time for a fresh air smoke break."

  Down the coast in Savannah, Georgia the second of two subs found a place of hiding to charge her batteries. Just off Long Island a deserted area served its purpose to charge up the batteries. Like the other sub the captain went topside around 11 pm. He too, smoked Turkish tobacco with an extremely strong smell. The crew came up in shifts to breathe the fresh air or take a smoke break. The captain mused to the lookout that tomorrow would be a day to remember.

  He knew the risks and accepted the odds. His Swiss account had enough zeros to suit him. He'd already moved his family from Tehran to Caracas, Venezuela If he could escape from this attack, his next target was the Panama Canal. He was ordered to wait until a supertanker came through and blow it up while in the last lock before the sea.

  At Kings Naval Base near Kingsland and St. Mary's Georgia, Secretary of the Navy Philip Pratt was in a meeting with Vice Admiral Richard Long. Nancy was with him. He said to the Admiral, "Admiral Long, we have two, at least two, enemy subs sitting off the east coast only God knows where. We have an idea at least one of them might hit Charleston. I want you to concentrate on Charleston and Savannah areas. Clear out the private crafts and put a seal on the deep water ports that house the oil terminals."

  Nancy was watching the expression on the Vice Admiral's face. He had a smirk attached to his paper thin lips. It was obvious he didn't like the new Secretary of the Navy. Nancy wanted to stand up and slap the man's face. However, the next voice she heard, after Philips hand slapped the table, was a voice of authority saying, "Let me make it clear Admiral, you fail to stop those two subs, you can kiss your pension good bye. We will not coddle to your good old boy attitude these days. You might pass it down the line that everyone's job is at risk here. I thought you got the hint when the base commander at Bangor was fired."

  Now Nancy noticed that Admiral Long's face had lost its color. He said, "Mr. Secretary, if you'll excuse me I have work to do."

  Nancy and her temporary boss left for the hotel. A contingent of Marries escorted them to the hotel.

  The next morning Charleston was blockaded by the Navy. The Romeo sub, at periscope depth looked frustratingly at the gloomy picture of ships and helicopters. Also the captain knew that enemy subs were prowling around waiting to pounce on the helpless Romeo submarine. The captain lowered the scope and said to his Number One, "We're not going to make this target Number One. This place is full of surface ships. We need to find another target. Set a course for Kings Head Navy Base. Let's hit where it hurts. It's a suicide mission, but Allah will take care of us."

  The sister Romeo sub was contemplating the target in Savannah. The captain didn't like what he viewed out of his periscope. He could see the only route was up the middle. When the torpedoes exploded the exit would be cut off. His orders were clear: make the infidels suffer.

  The captain order all ahead slow and silent running. They would hug the bottom and sneak up the river to the Nustar Asphalt Refinery. His plan was to position the sub between the refinery and the port. The idea was to use the aft tubes for the port; the bow tubes for the refinery. The exit would be next to impossible. From that point it was time to meet the Maker.

  The captain blessed the map makers for a detailed river map; including current and tidal action. The navigator had no trouble crawling their way upstream. Every crew member expected an explosion at any time. Not a person aboard was free of sweat. The fresh air from last night was history as the rank sweat of bodies permeated the stale air.

  It took two hours to reach their target. A tanker was sitting in front of the refinery and a juicy super container ship sat waiting for the sub's torpedoes. The captain went around the sub shaking hands with each crew member. All said their last prayers to Allah. Then the order was given to lose torpedoes: two astern and six off the bow.

  The explosion was felt beneath the river as the tanker exploded. The captain was looking at the wreckage of the tanker through the periscope. Then he gave orders to fire aft torpedoes at the container ship. A much quieter explosion occurred, but a smile crossed the captain's face anyway. He gave orders to head downstream at flank speed. He also told his crew to reload the tubes. They might get lucky and sink a few surface ships.

  The captain took one last look at the burning tanker and the subsequent fire burning from the doc to the tanks. It wouldn't be long another explosion would be heard as a storage tank blew up.

  At the mouth of the river, where it empties into the sea, a ring of three destroyers, two Trident subs and a sky full of helicopters waited for the enemy sub to attempt to exit. The skippers of the destroyers saw and heard the explosions and went to battle stations. The two Tridents lurked beneath the water. Helping out was the HS-14 Chargers from the carrier USS George Washington. They are specially designed helicopters to seek out submarines and destroy.

  Combined the Romeo never stood a chance against such a formidable force. However, Secretary Pratt personally grilled each captain of the destroyers and Tridents trying to determine how the Romeo got through the blockade in the first place. Nevertheless, not much was left of the Romeo sub after taking multiple hits from above and below water level.

  The President was informed in less than 20 minutes. He was told that in this case only the refinery was burning and no residential or freeways were threatened. The container ship was taking on water astern, but it was less damage than thought. Regardless, the President wanted to hear from his new Secretary of the Navy.

  Nancy handed the phone to Pratt. The President said, "Secretary, I think we got a little lucky with this one. If memory serves me correctly, that leaves one enemy sub left on the east coast. Once you eliminate that one, devise a defense system for the future safety of our ports. Now, where do you expect the remaining sub to strike?"

  "Other than sinking a cruise ship, Mr. President, they're running out of targets. Yes, indeed the remaining sub could move into the Gulf area, especially Texas, but they would risk a thousand miles of coast line. I'm looking out a little further and have in mind the Panama Canal. An oil tanker coming through would present a hell of a target. We need to remember that an Aframax ship can pass through the canal. One of those tankers can carry up to 750,000 barrel of crude."

  "Let me say this Mr. Secretary, I hope you're right and furthermore, hope you can prevent this atrocity from happening. You've got your, you know what, hanging out a mile," he chuckled and hung up.

  "Nancy we need to do two things, one is to make sure our defense is impenetrable at Kings Base. Number two is making sure our Gulf Coast is protected especially in the Texas region. I guess there are three things Nancy. The last one is the protection of both ends of the Panama Canal."

  The remaining Romeo sub didn't like the looks of the entrance to Kings Base. The more he thought about it the more he didn't think it was possible. The next option was the Panama Canal. However, the sub was running low on fuel. To receive fuel, they had a deal with Cuba. The captain decided to set a course for Cuba.

  For the time being, the east coast of North America would be able to recover. It pointed out that the USA had many vulnerable target that would take a might increase in a defense budget to confidently defend our many thousands of miles of coast line.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Waiting was something Brad didn't do very well at. He preferred action over biding time. The day had passed slowly with a lot of pacing up and down the beach and sand dunes. The SEAL contingent was patient and prepared.

  S
ujin and Brian were in the tunnels. Park was with her as an added guard. Billy was sitting on a stool at the front door with his AK-47 leaning against the wall. Instead of bring extra ammunition; he brought a few extra packs of Marlboros. He thought that once the fighting started he would have to do without his smokes. Consequently, he had been chain smoking since late afternoon. Billy looked up at the sky. For May it was a nice spring day. Flowers or weeds were popping up making a yellow dotted landscape where grass would fight to hold onto what little soil was there.

  The sun was a bright red ball just starting to slip down under the horizon. The tide was coming in and if you looked hard enough at Fish Rock you would see a withered old Chinese man sitting Indian style of the top of the sea stack.

  High tide was at eleven pm. Brad thought they would be inbound with the tide and out bound later. If that was the case, then the rubber rafts of the terrorist would come ashore around 10:30 pm.

  Brad went to find Mike. He found Mike and Blaze taking a nap in Devils Kitchen. Brad just shook his head at the sight of two SEALs sleeping before battle in a few hours. Brad left them alone. As dark was upon him, he went back to the house.

  He came up the side trail and saw Billy puffing away. Brad said, "You okay Billy?"

  "Yeah boss I'm fine. I've got my trusty AK- 47 and two full packs of Marlboros. I'm good to go. If for some reason you can't find me, look for a smoke signal over there in the pine trees."

  Brad cracked up and shook his head. He went inside and down to the tunnels. He found Sujin and Brian in the infirmary. Sujin was preparing for casualties. Her sister was helping her. Between the two of them all would be taken care. Sujin had even ordered some extra supplies of blood.