Attack Of The Seawolf

by Michael Dimercurio

  Donchez dropped his cigar.

  “What are you doing about it?”

  “Trying to raise it on UHF. So far no reply. But she’s giving off radar that’s classified as a BPS-14.”

  “What radar did the Seawolf have?”

  “BPS-14, sir.”

  The VHF radio monitor blared out into the room the unmistakable voice of Michael Pacino.

  “USS REAGAN, USS REAGAN, THIS IS U.S.

  NAVY SUBMARINE SEAWOLF, I SAY AGAIN,

  THIS IS U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE SEAWOLF, OVER.”

  Donchez grabbed the VHF microphone, not quite believing it.

  “Goddamnit, Mikey, where the hell you been?”

  “WE WERE LOST, BUT NOW WE’RE

  FOUND.”

  Donchez smiled and handed the microphone back to the OOD. He walked out to the bridge wing and stared back out to sea, the wind howling in his face.

  Down below, a school of dolphins began to jump in the waves of the ship, as the carrier plowed through the bay, heading south toward the waters of the Yellow Sea, and from there to the Pacific.

  EPILOGUE

  MONDAY, 20 MAY

  yokosuka naval station pier 4 USS seawolf

  “I’m glad you could make it, Sean, but you sure you’re okay to sit through all this?” Pacino asked, holding onto Murphy’s arm as he walked slowly to the seat in the front row.

  “I’m fine, Patch, better than I’ve ever been, thanks to you and your crew … and those SEALs.”

  “Well, take it easy, and if you don’t feel good get out of here.”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything, old buddy.”

  “Hey, I’m just giving the ship back to Captain Duckett. That’s not such a big deal.” Especially since privately he hated separating himself from the Seawolf. But that was the deal from the first.

  Pacino moved back down the aisle of chairs to the south wall of the pier and looked out over the spread.

  On the north wall of the pier the Seawolf was tied up, her sail ruined, smashed almost in two on the front edge. The jagged metal at the top of the sail begged for a shipyard crew to come and torch it off. Almost

  all the anechoic tiles were blown off her deck, revealing bare metal beneath—not even the paint remained after she had been depth-charged. She looked like hell, but she was his beauty. Or had been … Big white letters had been hung on the ruined sail that read SSN-21 SEAWOLF. Along the pier and draped over the ship were red, white and blue banners.

  American flags whipped in the wind of the sunny day. All over the pier sailors and officers stood in their dress whites.

  Pacino’s own whites were starched so hard they felt like cardboard, the high choker collar coming almost to his chin. Over his left pocket the gold of his submarine pin gleamed in the sunshine. Around his neck he wore the Navy Cross—Donchez insisted he wear it.

  On his left hip he wore a ceremonial officer’s sword and on his head he wore a new white senior officer’s cap, the gold scrambled eggs shining on the brim. His captain’s shoulder boards were brand new, the four broad stripes laying perpendicular to the line of his shoulders.

  On the sub’s deck a carpenter’s crew had made a platform and handrails, and on the platform was a podium with a microphone and the emblem of the Seawolf, its head facing out at the crowd.

  Admiral Donchez came up to him.

  “How do you feel, Mikey?”

  Pacino let out a breath. How did he feel to be returning command of the Seawolf to Captain Duckett?

  Over the last ten days he had become a part of the submarine, and it of him.

  “I’m gonna miss this girl, Admiral. I admit it. Well, I guess I’d better get up there, we’re already late.”

  Donchez reached into his pocket and handed Pacino an envelope.

  “Here are your orders, Mikey. Now get up there and carry on.”

  As Pacino moved down the aisle and up the gangway to Seawolf’s deck he heard the Circuit One PA.

  system blast out one last time: “SEAWOLF … ARRIVING!”

  He proceeded up to the platform that extended most of the length of the hull aft of the sail,

  the seats near the sail for senior officers like Donchez and for him and Duckett. Pacino nodded at Captain Henry Duckett, the permanent commander of the submarine.

  Donchez went to the podium, spoke a few words, led the crowd through the national anthem and a prayer. Pacino then stood, pulled his orders out of his pocket, and walked up to the podium.

  The sun was in his eyes as he looked out over the crowd but he could identify the men from Tampa who had been well enough to leave their beds for the ceremony.

  There in the front row were Sean Murphy, Kurt Lennox and their engineer, Vaughn. To their right, filling the rest of the front row and nearly all of the second, were the contingent of SEAL Team Seven, Jack Morris actually smiling up at him. For a moment Pacino stared as he saw his wife in the second row and next to her their son, Tony. The crowd quieted down as Pacino opened the envelope and laid the orders out on the podium, telling himself to get on with it, give Duckett back his ship and get on with his life.

  But he held back, folded the orders for a moment and stepped up to the microphone.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, before I turn over this lady to Captain Duckett, I’d like to say a few words. Less than two weeks ago … it seems like a lot longer … I took temporary command of this submarine for a particular operation that went pretty well, thanks to the SEALs of Team Seven and to the men of the USS Tampa and the Seawolf’s crew. To all of you, I want to say thank you. Thank you.”

  The crowd was silent as Pacino unfolded his orders and squinted through the sun at them as he read:

  “From NAVPERS, Washington, D.C.” to Captain Michael A. Pacino, U.S. Navy. You are hereby ordered to take permanent command of the USS Seawolf and—” Pacino stopped, stared into the crowd that burst into applause. It went on so long it was embarrassing. He felt his good eye blurring with water as if it were as sore as his injured eye.

  Pacino was relieved when Donchez, next to him on the podium, pushed up next to the microphone.

  “That’s right, people. This isn’t a change-of command ceremony, it’s a take-permanent-command ceremony. A reward for a job well done, Captain Pacino.

  Besides,” Donchez grinned, “Captain Duckett says the boat is too much of a wreck to take back, so Captain Pacino, it’s now your job to get this boat put back together.”

  Donchez saluted him, he returned the salute, and then the crew broke ranks and crowded around him, half-carrying him down to the pier.

  The speaker system rang out “SEAWOLF … DEPARTING!”

  and all Pacino could remember of the ceremony from that point on was that he was hugging his wife and son, shaking hands with the crew, and especially with Sean Murphy.

  After the crowd had left, only his family remained on the pier as the sun began to set. Then they too left for their hotel and Pacino sat in a chair in the front row and stared at his submarine, still not quite believing it was really his.

  There was no one else except the deck sentry as he got up and walked to the gangway, intending to go below to his stateroom and change out of his dress whites, when the Circuit One system blared out over the pier the two words that were the most beautiful Pacino had ever heard:

  “SEAWOLF … ARRIVING!”

  GLOSSARY

  ACR (Anti-Circular Run)—A torpedo interlock that prevents the weapon from acquiring on the firing ship. When the torpedo turns more than 160 degrees from the approach course to the target, the onboard gyro sends a signal to the central processor to shut down the unit. It then sinks.

  Active Sonar—The determination of a contact’s bearing and range by pinging a sound pulse into the ocean and listening for the reflection of the ping from the target. The time interval between transmission and reception gives target range using the speed of sound in water. The direction of the return pulse indicates the target bearing. Generally not used by submari
nes since it gives away the ship’s position.

  Anechoic Coating—A thick foam coating attached to the outside of the hulls of some submarines. It absorbs incoming active sonar pulses without reflecting them back, while damping out internal noises before they can get outside the ship. Analogous to stealth radar absorptive material on a stealth aircraft.

  Angle On The Bow—The angle between an observer’s line-of-sight to a target ship and the target’s heading.

  A ship coming dead on has an angle on the bow of zero degrees. If the contact is going on a course at a right angle to his bearing from the

  oh server, the angle on the bow is port (or starboard) 90 degrees.

  ASH (Anti-Self Homing)—A torpedo interlock that measures the distance from the firing ship. If the torpedo comes back toward the firing ship, at 80% of the return trip, the ASH interlock will shut down the unit, and it floods and sinks.

  ASW—(1) Antisubmarine warfare. (2) Auxiliary seawater system.

  ASWSOW—Antisubmarine warfare standoff weapon.

  A supersonic solid rocket fueled missile launched from a submarine at either a surfaced or submerged target. Also called “Ow-sow.”

  Baffles—A “cone of silence” astern of most submarines where sonar reception is hindered by engines, turbines, screws, and other mechanical equipment located in the aft end of a submarine.

  Ballast Tank—Tank that is used solely to hold seawater ballast, weight that allows a ship to sink, or, when blown, allows a ship to be light enough to surface.

  Battleshort—A condition in which the nuclear reactor’s safety interlocks are removed. Used only in a severe emergency or in battle, when an accidental reactor shutdown is more dangerous to the ship due to loss of propulsion than the potential risk of a reactor meltdown. Only the captain can order Battleshort.

  Bearing—Direction to a contact, expressed in degrees.

  A contact to the north is at a bearing of 000. A contact to the east is at 090, etc.

  Bigmouth Antenna—Slang name for the AN BRA-34 multi frequency antenna. A radio antenna suitable for transmission or reception of several frequencies including HF, VHF, and UHF. Shaped like a telephone pole, it protrudes from the sail about 25 feet.

  Bridge—Small space at the top of a submarine’s sail used for the Officer of the Deck to control the movement of the ship when on the surface. The height allows a better view of the surroundings of the ship.

  Bridge Access Trunk—Tunnel from the interior of the submarine to the bridge.

  Broadband—Noise containing all frequencies; white noise, such as heard in radio static, rainfall, or a waterfall. Broadband detection range is high for surface ships, which are noisy. Broadband detection range is low for submarines, usually less than five miles, due to quiet submarine designs.

  Bubblehead—Derogatory slang for submariner, used by aviators (Airdales) and surface sailors (skimmers).

  Check Fire—Order to abort a pending weapon launch.

  CINCPAC—Commander-in-Chief Pacific. Admiral in command, U.S. Pacific Forces.

  Clamshells—The steel or fiberglass hinged plates that cover the top of the bridge cockpit when rigged for dive and are opened when rigged for surface. When shut, the top of the sail is completely smooth.

  Clear Datum—Tactical euphemism meaning run away.

  C.O. (Commanding Officer)—Official title of the captain of a ship.

  COMMSAT—Communications satellite in a geosynchronous orbit that sends and relays Navy radio traffic.

  Contact—Another ship, detected by visual means, sonar, or radar. A contact can be hostile or friendly.

  Course—The direction a ship is going measured in true compass degrees. North is 000. East is 090.

  South is 180, etc.

  Critical—The point that a nuclear reactor’s fission rate is constant without an external source of neutrons.

  The chain reaction keeps fissions continuing using neutrons from fissions.

  Deck—(1) Floor of the submarine. Each compartment is either two or three decks high. (2) Responsibility for the physical operation of the ship. The officer who has the Deck makes decisions about equipment lineups, how to run and operate ship systems, etc.” while the conning officer concerns himself with ship navigation, course, speed, and relationship to the target. Usually the OOD has both the Deck and the Conn.

  Depth Control—Ability to control a ship’s depth within a narrow control band. Done either manually, with a computer, or with the hovering system (when stopped). Particularly vital at periscope depth because failure to maintain depth control can cause the sail to become exposed (broach), giving away the ship’s position.

  Dogs—Banana-shaped pieces of metal that act as clasps to keep a hatch shut.

  Dolphins—Pin worn above left pocket of submariner’s uniform, indicating the person is qualified in submarines.

  Qualification typically takes one gruelling year. Enlisted men wear silver dolphins; officers wear gold. Dolphins, when not worn on the pocket, are a general symbol of the Submarine Force.

  Doppler Effect—Effect responsible for train whistles sounding shrill when the train approaches and low pitched when the train is past. When a moving platform emits sound waves, the waves are compressed ahead and rarefacted (spread apart) behind the source. The compression of the waves raises their frequency, making a higher note.

  EMBT Blow—Emergency main ballast tank blow.

  Emergency Blow—Blowing the water out of the main ballast tanks using ultra-high-pressure air. Empties ballast tanks in seconds, lightening the ship, allowing the ship to get to the surface in an emergency such as flooding.

  Emergency Propulsion Motor (EPM)—A large DC motor aft in the engine room capable of turning the shaft to achieve 3 knots using battery power alone.

  An electricity hog.

  EO (Electrical Operator)—Enlisted nuclear-qualified watch stander who mans the Electric Plant Control Panel and reports to the EOOW.

  EOOW (Engineering Officer of the Watch)—Nuclearqualified officer who runs the nuclear power plant.

  Responsible to the OOD for propulsion and propulsion plant damage control.

  Escape Trunk—A spherical airlock used on American nuclear submarines. The device can be used to make emergency exits from a sub sunk in shallow water. Principally used for divers to lock in or lock out.

  ESGN—Ship’s inertial navigation system using a small metal ball that spins at about 10,000 RPM to gyroscopically maintain a constant reference (north).

  ESM (Electronics Surveillance Measures)—The gathering of intelligence through the analysis of enemy signals, including radars and radio transmitters.

  EWS (Engineering Watch Supervisor)—A Chief who is a roving supervisory watch stander in the engineering spaces. Reports to the EOOW.

  Fathom—Unit of depth equal to six feet.

  Fathometer—Bottom sounding sonar that directs an active sonar pulse down to the ocean bottom and measures the time for the pulse to reflect back and hence the distance to the bottom. New units transmit a secure pulse, using a short duration random high frequency pulse.

  Final Bearing and Shoot—Order of the captain to shoot a torpedo after he takes one last periscope observation of a surface target.

  Firecontrol Solution—A contact’s range, course, and speed. A great mystery when using passive sonar.

  Determining the solution requires maneuvering one’s own ship and doing calculations on the target’s bearing rate. Can be obtained manually or with the firecontrol computer.

  Firecontrol System—A computer system that accepts input from the periscope, sonar, and radar (when on the surface) to determine the firecontrol solution.

  The system also programs, fires, steers, and monitors torpedoes. If a ship is cruise missile equipped, the system will program and fire the missile.

  Firecontrol Team—A collection of people whose task is to put a weapon on a target. Includes the sonar operators, OOD, JOOD, Captain, XO, firecontrol operators on Pos One, Pos Two, Pos
Three, the firing panel, and the manual plotters (geographic, time-bearing, time-range, and time-frequency).

  Firing Panel—A console section between Pos Two and Pos Three. The vertical section is a tube weapon status panel. The horizontal section has the trigger, a lever used to fire a torpedo or cruise missile.

  Firing Point Procedures—An order by the captain to the firecontrol team to tell them to prepare to fire the weapon, done during a deliberate approach when the solution is refined, as opposed to a Snapshot.

  The solution is locked into the weapon and the ship is put into a firing attitude.

  Fix—A ship’s position. Determined by visual triangulation or radar when close to land on the surface, or by NAV SAT or BE sonar when at sea.

  Flag Plot—A chart room used by flag officers (admirals) to plot strategy or determine the distribution of forces.

  Flank Speed—Maximum speed of a U.S. submarine.

  Requires fast speed reactor main coolant pumps and running at 100% reactor power.

  FLASH—The highest priority of a radio message. Receipt required within minutes or seconds.

  Forced Circulation—Forced flow of water coolant through a reactor using pumps, as opposed to natural circulation.

  G—A measure of acceleration. The acceleration due to gravity is one g. Two g’s is twice, etc.

  Geographic Plot—(1) A manual plot saved from World War II submarine days using the plot table to deduce a firecontrol solution. Works well on unsuspecting targets. Target zigs cause confusion on this plot. Useless in a melee situation. (2) A mode of display of the Mark I firecontrol system showing a God’s eye view of the sea with own ship at the center and the other contacts and their solutions surrounding it.

  GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)—A worldwide time standard using the time at longitude zero at Greenwich, England. Also called Zulu time.

  GPS (Global Positioning System)—A series of satellites and shipborne receivers enabling extremely precise navigation fixes. Also called the