The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

silence ' – possible aspect change on Sierra-5, possible turn. Conn, we have a
definite aspect change. Sierra-5 is now beam-on, definite beam-aspect on
target.'
'Captain,' the XO said, 'that maximizes the effectiveness of his towed array.'
'Right. Sonar, conn. I want a self-noise check.'
'Sonar aye, stand by, sir.' Another few seconds. 'Conn, we're making some sort
of noise . . . not sure what, rattle, like, maybe something in the aft ballast
tanks. Didn't show before, sir. Definitely aft . . . definitely metallic.'
'Conn, maneuvering room, we got something screwy back here. I can hear something
from aft, maybe in the ballast tanks.'
'Captain,' Shaw said next. 'Sierra- 5 is now on a reciprocal heading. Target
course is now southeasterly, roughly one-three-zero.'
'Maybe he can hear us,' Ricks growled. 'I'm taking us up through the layer. Make
your depth one hundred feet.'
'One hundred feet, aye,' the diving officer responded immediately. 'Helm, five
degrees up on the fairwater planes.'
'Five degrees up on the fairwater planes, aye. Sir, the fairwater planes are up
five degrees, coming to one hundred feet.'
'Conn, maneuvering, the rattle has stopped. It stopped when we took the slight
up-angle.'
The XO grunted next to the captain. 'What the hell does that mean . . . ?'
'It probably means that some dumbass dockyard worker left his toolbox in the
ballast tank. That happened to a friend of mine once.' Ricks was truly angry
now, but if you had to have such incidents, here was the place for them. 'When
we get above the layer, I want to go north and clear datum.'
'Sir, I'd wait. We know where the CZ is. Let him slide out of it, then we can
maneuver clear while he can't hear us. Let him think he's got us scoped before
we start playing tricks. He probably thinks we don't have him. By maneuvering
radically, we're tipping our hand.'
Ricks considered that. 'No, we've cancelled the noise aft, we've probably
dropped off his scopes already, and when we get above the layer, we can get lost
in the surface noise and maneuver clear. His sonar isn't all that good. He
doesn't even know what we are yet. He's just sniffing for something. This way we
can put more distance between us.'
'Aye aye,' the XO responded neutrally.
Maine leveled off at one hundred feet, well above the thermocline layer, the
boundary between relatively warm surface water and the cold deep water. It
changed acoustical conditions drastically and, Ricks judged, should eliminate
any chance that the Akula had him.
'Conn, sonar, contact lost in Sierra-5.'
'Very well. I have the conn,' Ricks announced.
'Captain has the conn,' the officer of the deck acknowledged.
'Left ten degrees rudder, come to new course three-five-zero.'
'Left ten degrees rudder, aye, coming to new course three-five-zero. Sir, my
rudder is left ten degrees.'
'Very well. Engine room, conn, make turns for ten knots.'
'Engine room, aye, turns for ten knots. Building up slowly.'