Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

SEA OF SHADOWS 253
Out on the forecastle, the Mark-13 missile launcher rotated up to the
zero position and an SM-1 surface-to-air missile rode up the vertically
aligned rail to lock into place on the launcher’s single arm. Nicknamed the
one-armed bandit, the Mark-13 system was an unwieldy-looking
contraption, but it was fast. Although it could handle only one missile at a
time, it could load and launch fast enough to keep up with most twinarmed
launchers.
The one-armed bandit slewed around and pointed the nose of its missile
in the direction of the enemy Vipers. With a brilliant flash of light and an
unholy roar, the SM-1 leapt off the rail on a trail of fiery smoke. The
launcher swung back around to the zero position, and another missile slid
up the rail.
USS Towers:
“Torpedo impact in approximately ten seconds,” Chief McPherson said
over the net. “Nine … Eight …”
“Bridge—Captain. Hard to starboard!”
“Bridge, aye!”
The ship heeled over sharply, and the bow swung to the right as the
rudder shot around to the hard-over position. A fraction of a second later,
the ship began to shudder as the blades on the starboard propeller rotated
from full ahead to full astern, reversing the direction of thrust on the
starboard side of the ship. The bow came around even faster, and the ship
heeled over even farther as it reefed into the turn.
Chief McPherson shouted into her mike, “Three … Two … One …
Impact!”
DMA37 Torpedo:
The acoustic signal strength from the transducers was close to optimal.
The torpedo dove toward twelve meters and slid under the target’s hull,
exactly according to the targeting algorithm in its computer. But the
calculations were off somehow. The target signal strength peaked before it
should have and was falling off rapidly by the time the torpedo reached
twelve meters.