Blackledge paused, then looked away from Smith’s watchful stare and cleared his throat. He went on, stiffly, ‘Of course, it won’t be as easy as it might sound’—Smith thought, By God, it won’t!—‘but we believe it can be done. It must be done.’ That was said with finality.
Smith ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. He said, ‘The ship came into the dockyard a week ago. Ross tells me they’ve ripped the torpedo tubes and bomb-throwers out of her. Was that done with this job in mind?’
Blackledge nodded, ‘You won’t need them and it will lighten her, maybe save you just that inch or two of draught that could be vital. You won’t be taking the bomb-throwers’ crews, either.’
Smith thought, Lucky men. Not so the torpedo gunner and his staff who would stay aboard because they were also responsible for the ship’s electrics.
Blackledge said, ‘We knew of the possibility of this plot early in March but we hoped for positive assurances from the Bolshevik government that they would not allow their Fleet to be taken by the Germans. Those assurances did not come but now we have information that German troops and ships are gathering at Riga and Danzig. That may well mean an attempt is to be made to seize the Fleet by force. We dare wait no longer. While we waited, we made what preparations we could, chose the man and the ship. You and Audacity. You still have her three guns and you are carrying scuttling charges. There are six of them in the magazines.’
Smith broke in, protesting: ‘Scuttling charges?’
Blackledge replied grimly, ‘This ship must not be taken. If an enemy patrol tries to stop and board you, then you will fight long enough to be able to jettison the bullion.
Divers can go down to sunken ships and that gold must not fall into enemy hands so you’ll ensure it’s scattered along the sea-bed. Its intrinsic value apart, if they found it they could well make a shrewd guess what it was intended for and such a suggestion could be very embarrassing, diplomatically.’
He waited. Smith sat looking at the fat envelope containing his orders. He could hear outside the cabin the bustle of the ship making ready for sea, men’s voices with that of Ross carrying above the rest, the tramp of booted feet. Smith asked, ‘May I state my objection, sir?’
Blackledge answered coldly, ‘You may.’
‘I don’t like the scheme, sir—’
Blackledge burst out, exasperated, ‘You aren’t supposed to like it! We don’t like it! But it seems you’re full of objections, Smith! You objected to going back to the Fleet and said you wanted an independent command so you were given Audacity. Then you immediately complained about her role as Q-ship! We told you to shut up because we knew what we planned for this ship, but now you don’t like that either! Well?’
Smith picked up his orders and tapped the envelope on the table. ‘If this scheme succeeds, sir, and the Russian Fleet is sunk or immobilised, then our involvement could change Russia from being just an unfriendly neutral into a belligerent on the enemy side. If it fails and is uncovered the same applies. And then they might well send their Fleet to fight alongside Germany.’
Blackledge said deliberately, ‘Those risks are known and the decision was taken in the light of them, albeit reluctantly.’ He stood up and asked, ‘Any other questions?’
Smith followed suit, sliding the envelope into his pocket. ‘When does the bullion come aboard?’
‘It was embarked tonight, before I told Ross you were sailing.’ Blackledge spoke quickly now, glancing at his watch as if eager to be away. ‘The Russian officers will be ready for the night of the fifteenth/sixteenth or soon after. They daren’t risk waiting in Kirkko or thereabouts so you must be there by then. Theoretically you should have time in hand, but the weather this early in the year, the minefields, navigational problems, German patrols, are not theoretical. All or any of them could delay you, but you must be at Kirkko on the fifteenth.’
Audacity sailed within the hour.
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First Command Page 14