The Vigilant Spy

by Jeffrey Layton

  The SWCS was tiny compared to the minisub that transported Yuri and the Spetsnaz team to the Yulin Naval Base earlier in the year. The Russian mini, the P-815, also had vastly superior capabilities compared to the U.S. Navy’s submersible. Yuri’s chief concerns were the snail’s pace of the SWCS’s electric drive propulsion system, its limited battery life and the need for the passengers and crew to wear full diving gear during the mini’s excursions.

  The perpetual knot in Yuri’s belly tightened a notch. He sensed disaster ahead.

  They’re pushing too hard and too fast. This mission is all wrong.

  Chapter 42

  Nick Orlov had the code room to himself. It was midafternoon at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong. Nick’s boss, SVR Director Borya Smirnov, was on the other end of the encrypted satellite telephone circuit. It was late morning in Moscow.

  After requesting a briefing on Nick’s activities at the consulate, spymaster Smirnov broached the real purpose of his call—Yuri Kirov. “Our people in Seattle have not been able to locate him for the past week,” Smirnov said.

  “I’m not surprised. The company he works for has a lot of work in Alaska…that’s probably where he is.”

  “We think the CIA has him someplace, conducting a debriefing.”

  “I suppose that’s possible but my bet is that he’s busy working out of the state.”

  “He knows too much, Orlov.”

  I knew it, Nick thought. “Well, sir, all he wants is to stay in America with his lover. Apparently, requesting political asylum was the only way he could make that work.”

  “He’s a potential traitor.”

  Before responding Nick sucked in a deep calming breath. He slowly exhaled. “Director, as I said, all Kirov wants is to be left alone—by us and by the Americans. In my mind, he’s earned it. By his efforts, we avoided war with the Americans earlier in the year and he saved the Neva’s crew before that. That’s got to count for a lot of goodwill toward Russia on his part.”

  Smirnov ignored Nick’s plea. “I want you to contact his woman—the software executive—to find out where Kirov is.”

  “I’ll try, sir, but I don’t think Laura Newman is going to be cooperative.”

  “Push her hard. Threaten her if you have too.”

  “Threaten her with what?”

  “They’ll never have peace until we get what we need from Kirov.”

  What the hell is going on? “Can you provide some detail? It might help when I talk with her.”

  Smirnov said, “On his last mission for the Navy he arranged for highly classified data to be transmitted to fleet headquarters in Vladivostok. The Navy received the data but it’s encrypted. Kirov changed the passcode. They have not been successful in their attempts to decrypt the data files.”

  Everything clicked for Nick. He knew that Yuri was in China, spying on naval facilities. Yuri held back the decrypt key for insurance. That must be Yuri’s secret!

  “Thanks, that helps. I’ll get right on this.”

  After signing off, Nick tipped his chair back. Teetering, he thought of his friend.

  Yuri, what are you really up to?

  * * * *

  “How’d it go?” asked Commander Jenae Mauk. She stood in the threshold to Commander Tom Bowman’s stateroom. The captain and XO’s cabins were located side by side at the aft end of the control room.

  “Come on in,” Bowman said from his desk chair.

  After closing the door, executive officer Mauk leaned against a cabinet. The cabin was barely large enough for one occupant. Colorado’s commanding officer had just returned after his shoreside meeting at the Yokosuka Naval Base’s submarine operations center. The video conference with COMSUBPAC staff in Pearl Harbor took nearly an hour.

  “We’re good to go for tonight. Depart at twenty-three thirty. That’ll give us plenty of time to exit the harbor and submerge before the next spy bird shows up.”

  “Very good, I’ll begin implementing the departure plan.”

  “Were the charges delivered?” asked Bowman.

  “They were. A dozen units are stowed in the torpedo room.”

  “Good.”

  The special cargo arrived while Bowman was ashore. The compact explosives were taken aboard through the weapons loading hatch.

  Mauk crossed her ankles. “Did COMSUBPAC specify a deployment schedule for the charges?”

  “It’s still fluid but probably after the SEALs complete their mission.”

  “I’ll start working on the mechanics of deployment with Weps.”

  Bowman nodded.

  “Any new developments in the mission area?” Mauk asked.

  “No. NSA and CIA both report minimal vessel activity. I did, however, get feedback about one of our contacts from the last patrol…the Heilong’s at sea again.”

  “What’s it up to this time?”

  Colorado had tracked the People’s Liberation Army-Navy nuclear attack sub from the South China Sea to within several hundred miles of Hawaii before forcing it to return to China.

  “IUSS picked it up earlier today. Probably departed Jianggezhuang late last night.” The U.S. Navy’s Integrated Undersea Surveillance System was responsible for detecting and tracking submarines. A vast network of underwater hydrophones scattered across the Pacific (and other oceans) monitored subsea sounds around the clock.

  “Returning to the South China Sea?” Mauk asked.

  “Not sure yet. It’s heading southeast in the shipping lanes across the East China Sea, possibly toward the Ryukyus.” The Ryukyu chain of islands extend from Japan’s southern island of Kyushu to Taiwan. Commercial vessels laden with Chinese exports for North American markets cross through the Ryukyu Islands to enter the Pacific Ocean.

  “You don’t suppose it’s going to try Pearl again?”

  “COMSUBPAC isn’t taking any chances. If Heilong pokes her nose into the Pacific, she’ll have company.”

  “Which boat?”

  “Mississippi.” Bowman referred to the USS Mississippi, a sister sub to Colorado.

  “I like it.” Mauk fingered her hair. “You know, skipper, I wonder if it’s headed back to Petro.” Colorado first detected the Heilong when it spied on the Russian submarine base located on the Kamchatka peninsula.

  “Could be.” Bowman stretched out his arms. “IUSS did detect an anomaly with the Heilong’s signature, an increase in hull turbulence since we tracked her. IUSS thinks that it might have an external package.” Colorado’s sonar unit had provided IUSS selected recordings of the Chinese submarine’s acoustic signature under a variety of operating conditions.

  Mauk said, “You mean like what we’ve got—a dry dock shelter?”

  “They don’t know. I suppose the PLAN has something like that in their inventory. Anyway, I thought you might find that tidbit interesting.”

  “Thanks.”

  After exiting Bowman’s stateroom, Commander Mauk made her way aft to check on a maintenance operation underway in the engine room. Her discussion with the captain about the Heilong lingered.

  That Chinese boat is up to no good. I just know it!

  * * * *

  “Status report,” Captain Petrovich said, addressing the Novosibirsk’s sonar technician. Petrovich just entered the submarine’s sonar compartment.

  The chief petty officer turned away from his console and slipped off his headphones. “Captain, the container ship is now twenty four hundred meters to the east, proceeding north at fourteen knots. The cluster of southbound fishing vessels to the southeast are moving between five and seven knots. The nearest is twelve kilometers away.”

  “Nets?”

  “No. They’re all longline operations.” He referred to a commercial fishing system that used a long line with baited hooks on branch lines uniformly spaced along the main line’s length.

&n
bsp; “I want to know immediately if we have the potential for any type of fishing vessels overhead.” A submarine that Petrovich was assigned to as a junior officer had an encounter with a bottom trawl net. It was an experience he never wanted to repeat.

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Very well.”

  Petrovich exited sonar to continue his roving patrol. It was part of his routine, circulating between key compartments aboard the nuclear-powered attack submarine. While his XO took charge of the central command post, aka attack center, he toured the boat twice a day. It allowed him to assess the overall condition of his command as well as make personal contact with the crew. Next stop was the ship’s mess. He planned to have a cup of tea with off duty sailors that were having a meal.

  So far, so good, he thought.

  The Novosibirsk ran southward at a depth of 450 meters—1,476 feet. Underway for a full day, it paralleled the eastern shoreline of the Korean Peninsula. Aware of IUSS hydrophones in the Sea of Japan, Captain Petrovich took extreme care to avoid detection by the Americans. The Novosibirsk’s acoustic signature was minimal, thanks to advances in hull and machinery sound proofing. It was quieter than the newest Chinese nuclear subs and comparable to U.S. Navy Los Angeles class boats.

  To ensure maximum stealth, Petrovich had throttled back Novosibirsk to just ten knots and dove deep into the Sea of Japan. Although well hidden, Petrovich had concerns for what lay ahead for his ship

  Compared to the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea was a bathtub. The shallow waters multiplied the chances of detection.

  * * * *

  While the Novosibirsk cruised southward toward the East China Sea, the Heilong was nearly halfway across the East Sea, hugging the shallow bottom. After departing from the subterranean sub base at Jianggezhuang, the People’s Liberation Army-Navy attack submarine crossed the Yellow Sea into the East China Sea. It traversed the progressively deepening sea on a southeasterly heading running at fifteen knots. It followed in the wake of a massive box ship that had departed from Qingdao. The China COSCO Shipping vessel was bound for Los Angeles. The sound energy radiating into the water column from the 1,200-foot-long ship’s hull and its twenty-seven foot diameter propeller helped mask the Heilong’s acoustic signature.

  Once the container ship navigated through the Ryukyu Island chain, the Heilong would commence its northward track in the North Pacific Ocean. It would follow the Japanese coastline and the Kuril Island chain to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

  To evade Japanese, U.S. and Russian subsea listening posts in the Pacific, the Chinese warship would dive to a depth of 300 meters and run at no more than sixteen knots. Such procedures were prudent but ineffective. Thanks to tracking data supplied by the USS Colorado from its previous mission, the American Navy would monitor the Heilong during its entire 2,700 nautical mile, seven plus day voyage.

  Hydrophones installed on the seabed offshore of South Korea recorded the underwater racket produced by the COSCO behemoth as the ship charged through the Yellow and East Seas. Cutting edge software developed by the U.S. Navy filtered out the extraneous noise, unmasking the Heilong’s unique sound print. Bottom sensors in the Pacific would continue to track the submarine once it turned left and sailed up coast to the Kamchatka peninsula. Because COMSUBPAC was ever more suspicious of China’s intent, tracking data from IUSS sensors was supplemented.

  The USS Mississippi was already on station. Once the Heilong sailed into the Pacific, the Mississippi would stalk the PLAN warship with diligent and dogged care, ready to send it to the bottom if ordered.

  Chapter 43

  Day 29—Wednesday

  The Colorado departed from Yokosuka on time. Underway for an hour, the submarine was three hundred feet below the surface running at ten knots. It was 12:33 A.M.

  Yuri and Jeff Chang observed from the aft end of the control room as the crew executed their duties with practiced efficiency.

  “Amazing place,” Jeff whispered.

  “Absolutely,” Yuri replied.

  All consoles and work stations were crewed. Lighting inside the compartment was subdued for nighttime running conditions. Control panels, computer stations and flat panel displays populated the space. The officer of the deck issued crisp commands; the recipients acknowledged with businesslike responses.

  It was a familiar routine for Yuri. Russian submarines, as well as most other navies, had similar operating protocols to the U.S. Navy. What was not comparable, however, was the sophistication of the Colorado’s nerve center. Yuri was truly dazzled by the electronics. The sonar unit was integrated into the control room along the portside of the hull, allowing the captain instant access. Yuri was aware that older U.S. subs housed the sonar team in a separate room.

  Equally impressive as the sonar were the photonics and navigation systems, located adjacent to sonar. The ship’s control station, manned by the pilot and copilot, was located at the forward end of the control room. A simple joystick controlled the direction and depth of the submarine.

  The ship’s command center console was located just aft of the pilots. Behind the command center was the horizontal large screen display (HLSD). The flat-panel screen built into the waist high table provided easy access to electronic navigation charts and other digital media.

  The combat control center was located on the starboard side of the control room next to the command console. Torpedoes and cruise missiles were controlled from this unit.

  The radio room and the electronic surveillance measures room were situated along the starboard section of the hull opposite the combat center.

  Commander Bowman hovered over the HLSD. He looked up and made eye contact with his guests. He gestured for them to come forward.

  As Yuri and Chang joined Colorado’s CO, Bowman said, “I thought you gentlemen would like to see our planned route.”

  “Great,” Jeff Chang said.

  Yuri studied the screen, which displayed a digital chart of the Uraga Channel. Superimposed on the chart was a blue submarine icon, which represented the Colorado’s current position. The warship was about to exit the channel and enter the ocean.

  Bowman manipulated the display’s touch screen. The chart disappeared, replaced with a color worldwide image of the western Pacific Ocean. Overlaid on the image was a solid red line that extended from Yokosuka to Hainan Island.

  Bowman pointed to the screen. “We’ll parallel Japan’s southern coastline and head southward along the Ryukyu Islands. Once we’re opposite Taiwan’s southern tip, we’ll cross the Luzon Strait, enter the South China Sea and proceed westward to Hainan.”

  “How far is it?” asked Chang.

  “About two thousand nautical miles.”

  “Still planning on five days?”

  “Correct.”

  Yuri made eye contact. “Captain, what do you know about China’s bottom sensors in the South China Sea?”

  Commander Bowman grinned. “Quite a lot.” He again manipulated the HLSD and a new overlay snapped into focus. “Gentlemen, behold China’s Great Underwater Wall.” A spider web of icons and lines crisscrossed an enlarged view of the South China Sea. Bowman pointed at the screen. “The red triangles represent hydrophones on the bottom. Red lines are submarine comm cables from the hydrophones that connect to a deepwater buoy system. The yellow circles are so called Chinese tsunami warning and weather station buoys but they also serve as relay stations for transmitting hydrophone data to PLA satellites.” Bowman fingered the southern end of Hainan Island near Sanya. “This entire network is controlled from here—the PLAN’s South Sea Sound Surveillance System. Also known as S5.”

  “What are these for?” Yuri asked. The crimson skull and crossbones icons were scattered across the South China Sea.

  “Those are the problem, gentlemen. They represent the seabed locations of China’s new ASW system.”

  “The snake thing?” Chang asked
.

  “That’s right.”

  Yuri said, “Can we avoid them?”

  “Yes, we’ll tread lightly around them but it’s likely more will be in place by the time we reach Hainan. The PLAN is busy installing the damn things.”

  “They’re getting ready for a confrontation,” Yuri suggested.

  “COMSUBPAC thinks they’re preparing to evict us from their home waters. I’m afraid it’s going to be dicey for all of us soon.”

  * * * *

  As the USS Colorado commenced its voyage, the Novosibirsk crept toward the Korea Strait. The one hundred nautical mile wide passage separated the Korean peninsula from Japan. Captain Petrovich elected to use the western channel of the strait, which extended from South Korea’s southern shore to Japan’s Tsushima Island. The island was located near the center of the Korea Strait.

  To avoid detection, the submarine’s power plant was throttled back to maintain an average over the bottom speed of seven knots. Accounting for the ebb and flow of the tide, Petrovich estimated it would take three days to navigate through the Korea Strait, the East China Sea and the Ryukyu Island chain before it finally reached the Pacific. The Colorado and its sister sub, the Mississippi, along with the Heilong would all be long gone before the Novosibirsk sailed into the ocean.

  It was a prudent plan. Unlike the Heilong, the Novosibirsk would not be detected by American, South Korean and Japanese underwater listening posts during its voyage through the shallow and confined waters of the Korea Strait and the East China Sea. Ditto for Chinese hydrophones.

  Once the Novosibirsk reached the deep blue ocean waters, it would commence a southbound speed run, following a similar course taken by the Colorado.

  * * * *

  Yuri and Jeff Chang were in the officer’s wardroom. Although it was 2:05 A.M. neither was ready for sleep. It was time for a break. Both had been on the go all day preparing for the mission. The SEALs were already bedded down in the special operations compartment located aft of the maneuvering room near the Colorado’s stern.