Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

194 JEFF EDWARDS
The chief took a breath. “Captain, that theory doesn’t apply to the
Type 212 diesel submarine. The 212s are equipped with an airindependent
propulsion system. Basically, they’re a modified version of
the hydrogen fuel cells used on the space shuttle. They can produce about
300 kilowatts of power for … well, never mind that. The point is, sir, the
212Bs can do nineteen or twenty knots submerged for days at a time.” She
directed the laser pointer back toward the screen and drew a huge curve,
far outside the captain’s neat black arc. “If we recalculate the farthest-on
circle for a continuous speed of twenty knots, it will fall way out here
somewhere.” She flicked the laser pointer off and handed it to the captain.
“Sir, those submarines are already outside of your containment area. If we
go looking where doctrine tells us to, we’re going to be searching where
those subs have already been. We can’t follow doctrine, Captain. If we
try, we’ve already lost the battle.”
Captain Whiley stood without speaking, and for nearly a minute the
room was silent. Then Whiley’s eyes focused on Chief McPherson, and he
nodded. “Thank you for pointing out the error in my calculations, Chief.
We will, naturally, recompute the farthest-on circles using speeds
appropriate for the 212 diesel submarine.”
Commander Bowie said, “Captain, with regard to the rest of the
standing doctrine …”
“With regard to the rest of standing doctrine, there will be no change.”
“But sir …”
“But nothing, Commander. A single miscalculation is hardly sufficient
cause to dump the entire body of our Navy’s accumulated knowledge of
Undersea Warfare.”
“Sir,” Commander Culkins said, “the Germans will be able to predict
our every move.”
“So what?” Whiley snapped. “Every baseball team in America plays
by the same set of rules, from the same book. No secret strategies. No
tricky little surprises. But somebody loses and somebody wins, every
single time. Same rules. Same bases. Same ball. Because one team is
faster, and better trained, and better coached, and—most important—they
want it more.” He glared at everyone in the room. “That is how we will
win this fight. We will follow proven doctrine, and we will be smarter,
faster, and deadlier than those goddamned submarines. Those are my
orders, and they are not subject to negotiation.” He slammed the laser
pointer down on the tabletop. “Any questions?”
He obviously didn’t expect any questions, but Commander Culkins
raised his hand. “What kind of backup can we expect on this mission,
sir?”