Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

324 JEFF EDWARDS
Chief McPherson keyed her mike. “USWE, aye.” She released the
mike button. This was the tricky part. When a torpedo killed a submarine,
there was usually a string of secondary explosions following the initial
detonation of the warhead. Fuel tanks, battery cells, and the submarine’s
torpedoes, all going off in explosions of their own. The lack of
secondaries wasn’t conclusive proof that the submarine hadn’t been
destroyed. It was possible for the submarine’s hull to crack and fill with
water without setting off a string of secondary explosions. But it was rare,
and—when it did happen—it turned battle damage assessment into a
guessing game.
Had Firewalker’s torpedo killed the sub? Or had it destroyed a decoy?
Was their mission complete now? Or was the sub still lurking out there,
waiting for a chance to kill them?
The answer was not long in coming.
“USWE—Sonar. Contact designated Bravo has increased speed and
turned toward the minefield. We’re detecting shaft and blade signatures
consistent with a Type 212 series submarine.”
The chief banged her fist on the CDRT. “Damn! He tricked us again!”
She keyed her mike. “Sonar—USWE. Copy all. Your contact Bravo is
now re-designated as Gremlin Zero Four. Break. UB—USWE. Contact
Bravo is now re-designated as Gremlin Zero Four.”
“USWE—UB, copy all. Be advised that Gremlin Zero Four is at the
very edge of our torpedo engagement envelope. I hold a firm fire control
solution. If we’re going to shoot this guy, we need to do it soon.”
Chief McPherson looked at Gremlin Zero Four’s track history on the
CDRT’s display screen. The submarine was heading straight for the
minefield.
“USWE, aye. Break. TAO—USWE. Sonar holds a solid track on
Gremlin Zero Four, and UB has a firm fire control solution. Request
batteries released.”
The TAO’s voice came back at once. “USWE—TAO. You have
batteries released. Kill contact Gremlin Zero Four.”
“TAO—USWE, Batteries released, kill contact Gremlin Zero Four,
aye. Break. UB—USWE. Kill contact Gremlin Zero Four with over-theside
torpedo.”
“UB, aye. Going to Standby. Going to Launch. Torpedo away—now,
now, NOW!”
The Sonar Supervisor’s report followed a second later. “USWE—
Sonar, we have weapon start-up.”