by M. L. Maki
“Famous for what?”
“With the Achilles, they sank the battle cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.”
“Wow. We have a cool escort.”
“Yeah, the Brits are doing their part to help us help them. I’m wondering what Britain will be like.”
“The Germans are going to be hard to beat. You know they will be good.”
“Yeah,” He looks his RIO in the eye, ‘We have to be better.”
CAPTAIN’S CONFERENCE ROOM, USS CARL VINSON
1800, 3 MARCH, 1942
Sam, in her dress blue uniform, is ushered into the Captain Johnson’s conference room. At the table are Captain Johnson, Captain Tucker, Commander Forrester, and Commander David Wetter, the First Lieutenant. They shake hands and Johnson smiles, “Be seated, Commander.”
Wetter begins, “You just pulled into Sydney, so I presume you are familiar with the layout. You have been tasked with mooring Carl Vinson starboard side too, as before, but this time we are in sea state 8 with winds from the south east at 75 knots sustained and 100 knot gusts. No more senior officer is available. Bring us in.”
Sam says, “Given the sea state, we would be better off assuming a course of 100, rig for rough seas, and ride out the storm.”
“You must pull in.”
“If there is no more senior officer available, I must see to the safety of the ship. If we run aground, we can lose the entire ship. That must out way any other consideration.”
“Good. Explain why the passage would be so dangerous.”
Thus, begins dozens of questions from each of the officers, except Johnson. Tucker asks her to take a drop of sea water and explain every step needed to get it into the reactor. Forrester asks convoluted JP-5 system valve line ups and details of how the catapults and arresting engines work. She is even asked what types of ordinance is stored in each of the magazines.
Finally, Johnson speaks, “You are the command duty officer in port, Boston, Massachusetts. Both plants are down with shore power brought on. The XO and I are in DC for a meeting and the ship is in three section duty. You receive a message reporting solid intel that Boston will be attacked by air in the next two to six hours. No idea what type of warhead. What do you do?”
“Do we have the air wing on board?”
“Yes.”
“How long have the plants been down?”
“Two days.”
Sam pauses and orders her thoughts, “The two highest priorities are getting the crew aboard and getting the propulsion plants up. The plants are limiting. First, I would call the reactor duty officer and tell him we need to emergency sortie. I would authorize setting condition two watches and making both plants ready to answer bells as soon as possible. I would authorize the emergency heat-up rates. As one of my instructors down there said about the reactor control rods: latch ‘em, snatch ‘em, and pull for Jesus.
“Then I would have the Pappa flag hoisted and secure liberty for all hands. I would have an OOD contact the Boston Police Department and explain that we need all the sailors back on the ship. Next, would be a meeting of all duty department heads. Reactor division would be excused. I would tell the department heads I needed a plan to man all underway watches and fight the ship. As they get to work, I would contact shore services to start removing unneeded connections, such as bilge pumping and fresh water.
“As that moves forward, I would contact the port authority for tugs. Once all that is arranged, I would try to contact you and the XO. If I can, I would inform you of my actions and intentions.”
“You can’t reach us.”
“Yes, sir. As sailors show up, if they should bring any civilians, I would authorize them on board and to the aft mess decks pending a solution. I would also accept sailors from any ship in port. We can sort it all out later. As the plants get closer to operating, I would order a muster to establish who is missing. I would contact the other Navy ships in port to determine who is the senior officer afloat. I would ask the Fife and Jarret, who can get underway much faster, to sweep the channel. Regardless of the reactor status, I would use tugs to get us underway as soon as I could. It is a dangerous, but necessary move. Once the engines are on line, we will switch to them. Once clear of land, I would identify the sea room for air operations and launch fighters to defend Boston. Once everything else is managed, I would send a helo to pick up you and the XO.”
Johnson smiles, “Well, I’m glad you wouldn’t forget us. You are right, the ship and the mission come first.” To the board, “Gentlemen, questions?”
Wetter says, “No, sir,” and the rest just shake their heads.
Johnson says, “Commander, would you excuse us?”
“Yes, sir,” and leaves.
HAVANA, CUBA
2200 LOCAL TIME, 4 MARCH, 1942
Ernest Hemingway is drinking with his boat crew in the Floridita bar. Gregorio Fuentes, his skipper, says, “Pappa, they are playing the latest Bogart movie downtown. Let’s go.”
“Nah, not interested.”
“Please, Pappa, it’s the Maltese Falcon. It’s finally in town.”
Hemingway sighs, “Okay, we’ll go. But, you owe me,” and throws down a handful of pesos.
The night is cool and Hemingway takes in a deep breath. They walk to the theatre, its marquee lit up with ‘The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Mary Astor’. He looks up at the sign, “Hey, Fuentes, maybe it will be good,” and they go in.
They settle down as the Movietone News begins. It opens with footage of a huge aircraft on the deck of a carrier, its engines roaring with fire from the back and no propeller in front. Suddenly, the aircraft is launched into the air, and the narration begins. “The USS Carl Vinson, the most modern military vessel of her time, has traveled back from the year 1990 to our present conflict in order to give us the edge against the forces of Imperial Japan.” They see gun footage of bombs dropping onto Japanese Navy ships and aircraft shooting down Japanese fighters.
“Their first attack was in the Philippines, giving General MacArthur the edge against the Japanese invasion fleet. In total, over 300 aircraft, one aircraft carrier, one battleship, six cruisers, nineteen destroys, and other craft are destroyed at the cost of only a few aircraft lost.
“Next, they report to Admiral Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the US Navy in the Pacific, CiNCPAC.” The footage shows Nimitz and his staff leaving a helicopter and passing through rainbow side boys and Nimitz returning the salute of a navy admiral. “Admiral Ren, in command of the battlegroup from the future, meets Nimitz off the coast of Hawaii, in what has to be an amazing moment. They put on an airshow to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of these aircraft from the future.” Flying down the side of the Vinson are two F-14s on the deck, moving through the speed of sound, vapor flashing on the leading edges of the wings. Then, it shows the dogfight between the F-14’s and the F-18’s. “The aircraft are F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets. The Tomcats win this time and quickly land aboard,” as the fighters trap and park their planes.
“Soon the battle group gets its marching orders from Admiral Nimitz and they are joined by other Pacific fleet ships. The orders are attack mainland Japan! The commander of this joint task force is Admiral ‘Bull’ Halsey, the scourge of the Japanese Navy.” Shown is Halsey climbing out of Spike’s plane. The camera rotates to show the flags on the left side of the plane. “This pilot has 22 kills over the Philippines. And he can also brag about giving the task force commander a ride.
“And so, off to Japan. When they near the Japanese coast, they are spotted by a Japanese picket boat. It’s quickly dispatched, but not before a radio warning is sent to Tojo.” The image is one of the heavy cruisers shelling and sinking the boat. “The aircraft launch immediately.” Hunt is shown from the back, running to her plane and carrying her helmet and gear. The camera zooms in as Puck helps her with her G-suit and helmet, and they climb into their plane.
Hemingway says to himself softly, “It’s a girl. Number 9971211.” It’s
the bureau number of Spike’s F-14.
Andres asks, “What!”
“Nothing.”
HUNT FARM, STONE MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE
1012, 5 MARCH, 1942
Margaret Hunt hums to herself as she walks into the kitchen with the mail. She pours a cup of coffee and sits down. The letter in front of her is from Lt. Commander Samantha Hunt.
Dear Mrs. Hunt,
This is difficult. You are my grandmother, yes, but I am older than my own father. There are days I have a hard time wrapping my head around what has happened, and I’m sure you have the same difficulty.
So, I am an officer in the United States Navy, and I am a fighter pilot. I fly the F-14 Tomcat, the best air superiority fighter in the world. Yes, I’m pretty proud of my bird. I have been in a few conflicts so far, but I can’t really talk about that. I am alright.
I am also the commanding officer of the Black Knights, VF154. My squadron is stationed on the aircraft carrier that came back in time. Back in time, that wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s been tough for my people. In some ways, I’m doing better than most with the concept, but then, I read a lot of science fiction.
I really don’t know where I’ll be for the foreseeable future, and even if I did know, I couldn’t say. I’m hoping to come visit when they let me. It would be nice to see the farm. It was awhile even in my own time. One thing you need to know, it was tough for you when I joined the Navy. Grandpa and Dad and John supported me. But you and Mom., it was hard for you.
I understand that. It will probably be hard on you now. And I get that. But, this is something I have to do. I’m in the position of being able to make a difference for all the men fighting out here. I’m good at my job. And yes, I have quite a few Japanese kills. It is a barbaric practice, but as you say, it is what we’ve come too.
I miss you all. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Grandpa again. I’m hoping to meet Dad out here, even though I’m about ten years older than he. It may be a little awkward. Yes, that’s an understatement. Sorry.
I am alright. I have a good command and good friends, and I hope you get to meet them someday. Please, take care of each other. I’ll see you when I can.
Love, Samantha
HANGAR DECK, USS CARL VINSON, OFF THE AZORES
1300, 7 MARCH, 1942
Admiral Halsey, Captain Johnson, and Captain Holtz walk toward the Black Knights squadron standing in formation. The air wing yeoman walks behind with a stack of awards. Senior Chief Bond is at the microphone, and LCDR Hunt is in front of her squadron. They are lined up and organized in the order the awards will be handed out.
As they walk out, Halsey says to Johnson, “We’re handing out awards for the whole ship. It would be quicker to do just one ceremony for the whole crew and get it over with.”
Johnson replies, “Yes, sir, but it would mean standing the crew at attention for about three hours. After an hour no one cares, and by the end, we’d have the opposite effect. If you want, sir, I can do this.”
“No, William, they fought for me. I need to do this.”
As they approach, AOCS Bond calls, “Ten shun!” and the squadron snaps to attention.
Lt. Commander Hunt salutes, “Black Knight squadron assembled, sir.”
Halsey approaches the microphone, “At ease,” and the airman relax. When he realizes the mike isn’t doing feedback or blowing out anybody’s ears, he continues, “You’ve had a busy few weeks. I’m proud of all of you. We took the fight to the enemy, and you, each of you, fought well.
“Air warfare is strange. In the Army, officers send their men out to fight. With aircraft, the men send their leaders out to do battle. It’s similar to armored knights, each knight had squires who cared for their equipment and especially their horse. A knight is nothing without his horse.
“The pilots who lead you, are nothing without their aircraft that you maintain and repair. In a sense, the knight faces the enemy as part of a team. We do the same. We win or lose as a team. We are here to recognize the exceptional performance of some of you, but your success is due to all of you. Hard fought victory is always bitter sweet, because it comes at the cost of friends lost. All of you have done well. I said I was proud of you, and I am.
“Word of your efforts has not stayed hidden. President Roosevelt has issued the Presidential Unit Citation to USS Carl Vinson Air Wing Nine.”
There is a stunned silence, they look at each other, then the squadron starts cheering. He lets it wind down, then, “Now to the awards. Senior Chief?”
Bond starts reading, “The following individuals earned an Admiral’s Letter of Achievement: Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd class, Joseph Cervella, for superior attention to detail in executing repairs to VF-154 aircraft damaged in battle.” Cervella walks up, salutes Admiral Halsey, and accepts the letter in its folder, shaking Halsey’s hand. Then he salutes and shakes the hands of Captain Johnson, Captain Holtz, and Lt. Commander Hunt, and returns to his place in formation. Each officer talks briefly to the awardees as the pass. Twenty-four Letters of Achievement are handed out.
Senior Chief takes a drink of water. “The following persons earned an Admiral’s Letter of Commendation: Aviation Machinist Mate 1st class Argyll McCrimmon for leading the air frame and power plant division in the repair of eleven F-14 aircraft following the strike on Japan. He expeditiously supervised repairs, including significant battle damage to all aircraft, maintaining six available at all times for sortie, and completed repairs with zero re-work. His conduct sets the example for his subordinates and is in the highest tradition of the United States Navy.”
When McCrimmon comes to Hunt, “You earned this, LPO.”
Five letters of commendation are awarded, including one to Senior Chief Bond.
He continues, “The following personnel have earned the Silver Life Saving Medal; Airman Greg Newburg and Machinist Mate 1st class Oscar Hammond for exceptional conduct during the sinking of the USS Stoddert by enemy action. MM1 Hammond refused to leave number 2 engine room until all watch standers were accounted for and safely out of the space. Consequently, he received burns to much of his body. Petty Officer Hammond received the Purple Heart during this action.
“Airman Newburg evacuated the five men of his watch team to the weather decks, where he provided aid and stayed with them on the fan tail of the sinking vessel. As the rest of the crew abandoned ship, Airman Newburg stayed with his injured shipmates, attempting to attract a helicopter for rescue. Once aid arrived, he refused to leave the vessel, then in its final moments, until all five were aboard the rescue helicopter. Airman Newburg was also awarded the Purple Heart during this action.”
After the applause dies down, Senior Chief continues, “All the pilots and radar intercept officers of the Black Knights have earned the Air Medal,” and reads off all 22 names alphabetically, ending with Lt. JG Truman ‘Johnny’ Walker. As their names are called, each officer comes forward and receives the medal from Halsey and Hunt pins it on. Holtz pins hers on. As she pins Thud, he says, “Don’t poke me with that,” and grins at her.
Bond continues, “Machinist Mate 1st class Oscar Hammond has earned the Bronze Star for quickly responding to the missile attack on USS Carl Vinson despite injuries he received during the sinking of the USS Benjamin Stoddert. He single-handedly put out fires located directly above the number 2 oxygen generation station. Had the fires breached the oxygen area, the resultant explosion would have been catastrophic and could easily have resulted in the loss of the vessel. Petty Officer Hammond’s selfless determination saved untold lives. He also received the Purple Heart for this action.”
Hammond blushes deeply during the applause and cheering, then, “The following personnel have earned the Gold Life Saving Medal: Lt. JG Gloria Hoolihan and Lt. Commander Samantha Hunt at great risk of life volunteered to act as search and rescue swimmers during the sinking of the USS Benjamin Stoddert. Under the temporary command of Helicopter Squadron Eight, they entered the water multiple times, at night, in shar
k infested waters, to rescue sailors off the stricken vessel. Their efforts directly accounted for the rescue and recovery of forty-two sailors. Their quick action, determination, and fearless devotion to duty are in the highest traditions of the United States Navy, signed, Admiral Russell R. Waesche, Commander of the United States Coast Guard.”
At first there is silence, then the applause and cheering are deafening as Hunt and Hoolihan receive their medals. Then Bond continues, “The following personnel have earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for achieving ten or more aerial victories: Lt. JG Hoolihan and Lt. JG Standley, twelve kills; Lt. Harden and Ensign Nelson, fourteen kills; Lt. Boxter, seventeen kills; Lt. Swedenborg and Lt. Jacobs, twenty-three kills; Lt. JG Jackson and Lt. JG Gonzalez, thirty-one kills; Lt. Commander Hunt and Lt. JG Hawke, thirty-five kills.” The hangar bay is once again filled with cheers and applause.
Senior Chief continues, “And, finally, Lt. Commander Samantha Hunt has earned the Surface Warfare Officers pin.”
Captain Johnson pins her and says, “You killed the board, Commander. It has been a pleasure to serve with you.”
“Thank you, sir. For me as well, to serve with you.”
The stunned squadron is quiet, then they cheer their skipper.
CHAPTER 17
HANGER BAY 1, USS CARL VINSON
1000, 8 March, 1942
Puck bench presses 150 lbs. ten times as Sam spots him. “Doing good, Puck. Now, done.” He puts the bar on the rack and sits up, takes a breath and gives the bench to Sam. She finishes taking off the two twenty-five lb. weights and racks them. Taking a deep breath, she lays on the bench and lifts the bar from its rack.
Ten reps later, its Gloria’s turn with G.Q. Sam is breathing hard holding 20 lb. weights at her side while doing squats, then she transitions to lunges. Slowly, to compensate for the movement of the ship. She grins at Puck, “Next planks. I’m glad we’re almost done with this session. I’ve got a ton of paper work on my desk, as usual. Damn it.”