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SEA OF SHADOWS 273
The XO nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He paused for a second and briefly
consulted some notes that he’d made on a yellow legal pad. “The torpedo
hit that we took on the port side did a number on us. We have a hole in the
hull, to the port side of the keel. We’ve estimated its size at about twenty
feet by fifteen feet, but we don’t know the actual dimensions of the hole,
because the compartments that it opens onto are all flooded to the
overheads. If we had time, we could ask for a team of divers to conduct an
underwater survey of the damage, but time is the one thing we haven’t got.
However large the hole is, we know that it’s added four inches to our draft
in the aft end of the ship, and it’s given us a five-degree permanent list to
port. We considered counter-flooding some compartments on the
starboard side, to balance out the list and improve our stability, but we’re
already hauling around enough flooding water to slow us down.
“To make matters worse, the hydraulic oil power module for the port
shaft has at least a dozen leaks from shrapnel damage. We can’t control
the pitch of the port screw, and right now it’s set pretty close to zero. We
can spin the port shaft, but, without pitch control, it’ll just thrash the water
and make a lot of noise; it won’t actually give us any headway.
“Between the weight of the flooding water and the loss of the port
screw, our top speed is reduced to about eighteen and a half knots. Our
engineers are working their asses off to restore pitch control to the port
screw, but we can’t count on it being ready in time to be of use.”
He glanced at his legal pad again. “Personnel casualties, thank God,
have been surprisingly light. Three dead, three reasonably serious injury
cases—none of them life-threatening—and a couple of dozen minor
injuries … sprained ankles, broken noses, and superficial lacerations, that
sort of thing.”
The captain touched the bandage over his left eye and gave a grim
smile. “Easy for you to say, XO. They’re only superficial when it’s not
your head.”
The XO reddened. “Of course, sir. The point is, we have a few
personnel shortages, but we’re not cut so short that we can’t steam or
fight.” He checked his legal pad one last time. “That’s about it for now,
sir. We’ve taken some lumps, but we’re not out of the fight.”
The captain nodded. “Thanks, XO. Commander Vargas, could you
give us a quick rundown on your own status?”
“Of course, Captain,” Commander Vargas said. “I didn’t bring my
notes, but I think I can wing it.” She thought for a few seconds. “I’m
afraid that our personnel casualties were a bit heavier than yours. The
rocket attack killed all six members of my bridge crew. The Helmsman
was still alive when our stretcher team got to him, but he died on the way