“Do either of you have any idea why your captain chose to open fire on this ship?” Ashley asked. One of the men, Jubal Johnston, answered. “Captain, ma’am, our Captain, Randolph Brown, has been looking for a fight with the Gray Ship ever since he first heard of it. It’s like he couldn’t get it out of his mind. The rest of us thought that we were picking a fight that we couldn’t win. I guess we were right.”
“You’re on the USS...” Ashley had to think for a moment, “Colorado. How many other Gray Ships have you personally seen?” One man said he had seen five, the other ten.
After a few questions, Ashley realized that these men had no significant intelligence to give her. She then gave them a verbal tour of the California’s (Colorado’s) weapons, exaggerating their number and strength. The men had seen what a Harpoon missile can do first-hand, so they didn’t doubt what she was telling them.
“Our orders are plain, sailors,” said Ashley. “If any Gray Ship is fired upon, the attacking vessel will be sunk immediately.”
The men assumed that they were prisoners of war, and, judging from the food, they weren’t unhappy with the prospect. They were shocked when the Captain told them they would be put ashore under cover of darkness.
The Captain’s final words to them, as they were boarding a Zodiac for their trip to land, was meant to be spread. “Whoever will listen to you, tell them to do all they can to end this war. You cannot win it.”
The Zodiac shoved off with one man steering and a Marine guarding the two sailors.
The sinking of the Confederate ship was the first combat the California had encountered. Ashley hoped that the two released survivors would spread the word. Fighting a Gray Ship means death.
Chapter 53
Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America since its inception. Elected to a term of six years in 1861, he would serve through the entire Civil War. Davis wasn’t well known for his ability to work with others, and he insisted on answers from subordinates even when there were no answers to be had.
On June 5, 1861, he met with Stephen Mallory, Secretary of Confederate Navy. Mallory was a former United States Senator and had long held the position of Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs for the United States. Mallory knew the United States Navy as well as any man alive. Jefferson Davis wanted to know everything Mallory knew about the Gray Ships.
“Have a seat, Mr. Secretary. We have a lot to talk about. If there is one subject that I hear about every day it is the Gray Ships. Just this morning I received a report that the Chattanooga was sunk two days ago with just one shot from the USS Colorado, one of the Gray Ships. Please tell me what you know, Mr. Secretary.”
“Mr. President, I served as Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs for over 10 years, and I knew everything there was to know about the ships of the United States Navy. I was kept informed about any new ship building projects. A log in my office had details on every vessel in the Navy. I never heard anything about any Gray Ships, an obvious secret that nobody wished to share with the Senate.”
“You never heard any mention about any secret shipbuilding project?” asked Davis.
“No sir. If it was a secret I would be the first to know. Congress provided the funding for all naval matters.”
“But here is what I now know about these strange ships,” said Mallory. “There have been hundreds of sightings by hundreds of people, most of whom are of unimpeachable integrity. My office has put together all of the reports and organized the information. Twenty different ships have been sighted. Each ship is between 600 and 1,000 feet in length, although size estimates vary. All of the ships are extremely fast, over 30 knots. They are also highly maneuverable.”
“They all bear a resemblance to the USS California, the first Gray Ship sighted, but there are many different variations. Some of the ships boast gigantic guns on their forward turrets. Some of the ships have round white objects about ten to twelve feet in diameter along the rails of the ship. There are six on each side. We have no idea what these objects are for. Many of the armaments aren’t recognizable. Some of the weapons are not guns as we know them. In the incident where the Chattanooga was sunk two days ago, The Gray Ship only fired one shot. Witnesses described the shell as a long object, between 10 and 15 feet. It entered the Chattanooga’s hull and exploded. When it hit the Chattanooga, the ship was blown up into two pieces and sunk in less than a half minute. Witnesses from nearby ships told of a tower of fire and smoke over 100 feet in the air.”
“We have interviewed the only two surviving sailors who had been taken prisoner,” Mallory continued. “They described sights that are hard to believe. They told of weapons so powerful, that the shell that sank the Chattanooga was only a small part of their arsenal. We don’t know why the men were put ashore and not kept as prisoners of war. Neither do the men themselves. They described being treated fairly and even in a friendly manner. The most amazing thing that they reported was that the captain of the ship is a colored woman.”
Davis stood up. If Mallory had told him that the Gray Ship was made out of cheese, he couldn’t have been more shocked. “Are these men reliable?” asked Davis. “They went through a terrifying ordeal, and it may have affected their thinking.”
“I met them myself, and I’m convinced of their truthfulness. They talked about meeting with the captain in her office and being given coffee and food. They each described her physical appearance so exactly I find it impossible to believe that they created the story.”
“Mr. Secretary, you held the office of Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs until five months ago. Besides not knowing about the Gray Ships, you were also kept ignorant of a colored woman serving as a captain of a Union ship. How can that possibly be, sir?”
Mallory shook his head as if to clear it. “Mr. President, I was in regular communication with Isaac Toucey, Secretary of the Union Navy until he was replaced by Gideon Wells. Toucey and I had become friends, and we met at least once a month. He kept me informed about personnel matters as well as the fleet. I find it unbelievable that he would have kept from me the fact that a negro woman was the commanding officer of a Navy ship.”
“Secrecy,” Davis said, “appears to be deeply imbedded in the Union government. I was in the United States Senate, and I served as Secretary of War under President Pierce. I never heard of these matters and neither did you. I wonder how much other information was kept from us.”
“Mr. Secretary, keep me informed by cable dispatch whenever you hear of anything new involving the Gray Ships or the mysterious captain.”
“I fear that there will be many more surprises for us in the future,” said Davis.
Chapter 54
The California steamed up and down the Southern coast for three weeks. Captain Patterson followed the procedure of firing across the bow of merchant ships and blockade runners, then executing The Gray Ship Moon to make sure the men on the Confederate vessel got a good look at her name.
On June 26, 1861, under the name USS Massachusetts, the California was cruising slowly to update her nautical charts. The officer of the deck received a sonar report that an underwater object was bearing down on the ship at a slow rate of speed. Based on research from Father Rick’s Civil War library, the OOD identified the object as the CSS Hunley, a Confederate submarine. According to the history books, the Hunley was 40 feet long and travelled at a speed of four knots, propelled by a hand cranked shaft. The Hunley carried a crew of eight. It was armed with an explosive torpedo at the end of a long spar. Whoever commanded the vessel was unaware of sonar, and believed that he could sneak up on the California.
The OOD contacted Captain Patterson who immediately went to the bridge. The Hunley was 200 yards from the California and closing. “Whoever is driving this thing is crazier than the skipper of the Chattanooga,” Ashley said to the OOD.
“Order all ahead two-thirds and steer course 090 Lieutenant.” A course that would take the California away from the submarine.<
br />
“Aye Aye, Captain.”
That thing can’t possibly do us any harm, thought Ashley. Yes, it’s an enemy vessel, and yes, it’s aiming for us, and yes, we can blow it out of the water easily, she thought. But the idea of killing eight people who didn’t stand a chance bothered her.
“Screw it,” Ashley said to Bellamy. “We’ll just leave the area and let them get their exercise with their hand-driven propeller. Do not engage.”
“Aye Aye, Captain.”
Chapter 55
The California headed north to prepare for the Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Ashley knew that Bull Run was the second prong of the California’s role in the war effort, the first being the blockade duty and Operation Gray Ships. Bull Run had to be a success.
In her previous communications with Lincoln’s war staff, she suggested that a Union colonel or general come aboard the California to help plan for the battle. The Union high command could count on naval support from its existing Navy, but, because of her weapons, the California would bring an entirely new dimension to battle planning. Also, for the first time, the Union Army would have combat air support. Lincoln ordered Brigadier General Irwin McDowell, the Commander of the Army of Northeastern Virginia, to report aboard the California. McDowell would bring his aide, Colonel James Burns.
On June 27, the California dropped anchor near the mouth of the Potomac. It was 0800 hours, and the motor launch was lowered over the side. It was a hot humid day with a temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, even though it was early morning. When boat captain Donizzio saw Gen. McDowell and Col. Burns waiting on the pier, he couldn’t believe that they were wearing blue wool uniforms. They’re going to love the air conditioning on the California, he thought. Donizzio saluted his new guests and helped them aboard.
As McDowell stepped onto the ladder platform of the California, the boatswain’s pipe alerted the ship, “Army of Northeastern Virginia, arriving.”
The plan called for McDowell and Burns to stay aboard the California for three days of battle planning. After they were shown to their staterooms, they were escorted into Captain Patterson’s office at 0915. Because the subject of the meeting would be ground operations, Ashley invited SEAL Lieutenant Conroy and Marine Colonel Matthew Bingham to the meeting. Bingham would conduct the meeting. Blow-up photocopies of maps of the area around Manassas, Virginia were spread out on the table, as well as history books.
“Gentlemen,” said Colonel Bingham, “I’m sure that you have never been involved in a battle plan that included history books. But the simple fact is that we know what happened at Bull Run, and the books will help us to change the outcome.”
Both McDowell and Burns had been thoroughly briefed on the California’s technical abilities, so Col. Bingham got right down to details.
“The California’s role in the battle will have three components,” Bingham said. “We’ll provide air surveillance and ground combat support by our attack helicopter and drone helicopters. There will also be heavy weapons support from the ship itself. We will also make available small arms, rocket propelled grenades, regular hand grenades, and, perhaps most important of all, two-way radios.”
“Now I will show you our aerial capabilities, and to do that we’ll go to our Combat Information Center.”
The meeting moved to the CIC. Bingham introduced Lieutenants Andrew Cinque and Bob Nathan, the drone pilots. To save time, Nathan had already launched his drone and it flew over Bull Run Creek as they spoke. McDowell and Burns were amazed to see the real time video of what would soon be a battlefield.
“You can see, gentlemen,” said Bingham, “what this can mean for your troop movements. You will see the enemy’s moves as he makes them. The drone videos will remove the element of surprise from the battle, at least from the Union point of view. If the enemy begins a flanking maneuver, for example, we will see it, and the California can send in a missile to prevent it. We also have our Apache Attack Helicopter to provide gun and missile support.”
The meeting went on for another hour. Both Gen. McDowell and Col. Burns peppered Bingham with questions. McDowell especially wanted to know the quantity of weapons that would be taken ashore. Bingham replied, “There will be 50 automatic rifles; 100 rocket propelled grenades, 25 Colt 45 pistols. We also have a total of 2,000 rounds of ammunition for the rifles, and 750 rounds for the 45s.”
“It isn’t a lot in terms of quantity,” Conroy said, “but these weapons are deadly, especially the rocket propelled grenades.”
“We will move the weapons ashore in five days to give us time to train your troops in their use,” Bingham said. Neither Bingham nor Conroy were comfortable with sending such a large cache of weapons and ammunition into enemy territory, but it did make logistical sense.
“The major impact,” said Captain Patterson, “will come from the missiles that we fire from the ship. We have aboard twelve Tomahawk cruise missiles with over 1,000 pounds of explosives in their warheads. Our Harpoon missiles are used primarily against ships, but they can also be fired at land targets. You may recall that we sank the Confederate warship Chattanooga with one Harpoon missile.”
McDowell and Burns exchanged glances, both feeling like medieval warriors suddenly transported to the future.
Chapter 56
The worldwide newswires crackled with reports of the missing California. Daytime TV news shows covered little else. A news anchor earns his or her money with a story like this. How many ways are there to say, “They haven’t found the California yet.”? Most of the reports were background stories about other ships that went missing.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates was on the phone with President Obama.
“I recommend that you hold a press conference, Mr. President. TV anchors are running out of things to say, and they’re starting to speculate.”
“Bob, can you tell me anything, anything at all beyond what you’ve already said?”
“No, sir.” said Gates.
“Bob, I want you to hit the airwaves in one hour,” said the President. “That will give us a little more time to find something out.”
The California had been missing for 38 minutes.
Chapter 57
It was July 2, 1861, the date scheduled to move the large cache of weapons and ammunition ashore. Bradley was in charge of the operation. Four SEALs were assigned to the task, led by Petty Officer Giordano, as well as eight sailors who Bradley had personally picked for the job. All were dressed in the civilian clothes that the SEALs had obtained from Morton’s Dry Goods Store in Charleston.
Two Zodiacs and two inflatable life rafts were lowered into the water. The day was clear, the temperature in the low 80s, and, most important, there was no wind and the seas were calm. The objective was to motor up the Potomac River to the Occoquan River, a tributary that linked up with Bull Run Creek near Manassas. Bradley calculated that the trip would take four hours to the point of unloading.
The time was 2300 hours, 11 p.m. They left in darkness to avoid possible detection by Confederate forces.
Because they had no GPS availability they navigated by shore landmarks, using updated charts they'd been giving by the Navy Department.
When they arrived at the unloading location at 0400, Giordano went ashore first to see if there was adequate cover. The spot was perfect, surrounded by trees and brush. Giordano looked for openings where they could string wire for perimeter security. They began to unload the weapons.
Two of the SEALs used their knives to chop down vegetation to use as camouflage cover. By 0500 they were done. Two of the SEALs stood watch while the others grabbed some sleep.
At 0900, after a few hours of sleep and breakfast consisting of MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat, Bradley announced that he was going to look around. Bradley had done his research in the ship’s library. He had discovered that General Beauregard’s camp headquarters was three miles from their location, which was exactly why he chose the spot. Before he left the camp, Bradley called Captain Patterson on
his two-way radio. He told her that the mission had gone off without incident and that he would report back later. He then turned his radio off.
***
Giordano had just finished washing his face over a basin. He reached for his towel to wipe himself dry. When he took the towel from his face he was looking at Seaman John Locklear pointing a 45 at his forehead. It was the last thing Giordano ever saw. Tony (Geo) Giordano, the SEAL hero of his Brooklyn neighborhood, was dead.
Bradley arrived at General Beauregard’s headquarters within 45 minutes. Before approaching the house, he called Petty Officer Spencer, one of his handpicked sailors. Spencer said, “Apple blossom,” a prearranged code that meant that the SEALs had been murdered.
Two guards stopped Bradley 200 feet from the General’s house. Bradley simply said, “Please tell the General that my name is Commander Philip Bradley, and I’m a representative of the Gray Ship. One of the men remained to guard Bradley while the other entered the house to inform the General. The man came running out of the house and immediately escorted Bradley inside.
General Beauregard remained seated at his desk and asked Bradley to more fully identify himself. Bradley told him that he was the Executive Officer of the USS California, better known as one of the Gray Ships. He explained that he wore civilian clothing because he was on a secret mission.
“Commander,” said Beauregard, “how can you be on a secret mission and stand here telling your enemy about it?”
“Because, sir, I am not your enemy.”
Chapter 58
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