Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

SEA OF SHADOWS 333
The gunfire increased in intensity as the rest of the ship’s guns joined
the 5inch. The barrage was unholy.
“Captain—Weapons Control. We’re pumping everything we’ve got
into the water, sir. You may maneuver when ready.”
The captain keyed his mike. “Bridge—Captain. Let’s go! Left
standard rudder! Get us out of here!”
“Bridge, aye!”
As the ship heeled over into its turn, the XO leaned near the captain’s
ear. “Do you think this’ll work?”
The captain shrugged. “Frankly, I have no idea. I just know that it’s
better than sitting back there waiting to die!”
A thundering boom rattled the ship.
“TAO—Bridge. Close-aboard explosion off the port bow.”
Another explosion followed immediately.
“TAO—Bridge. Close aboard explosion dead off the bow.”
All around CIC, watchstanders began exchanging glances. Maybe this
really was going to work …
On the Aegis display screen, the speed vector for Towers’ NTDS
symbol was pointed back out of the minefield. They were turned around
now and headed for safety. The ship’s symbol inched toward the bright
red line that represented the border of the minefield.
“TAO—Air. Splash one more Viper. We still have one inbound, and
it’s too close for another missile shot.”
“TAO, aye. We’ll have to let the aft CIWS mount handle it.”
Another explosion rocked the ship, this one much closer than the others
had been. The shock wave rolled the ship hard to starboard, and circuit
breakers began to trip, cutting off electrical power to parts of the ship.
“TAO—Weapons Control. Aegis is down! Primary computer is off
line! I’m taking control of the backup computer and reloading in alternate
configuration.”
“Weapons Control—TAO. What’s the status of the aft CIWS mount?”
“Just a second, sir,” the Weapons Control Officer said. “It’s … uh …
It’s … I can’t tell, sir! I lost my data feed from CIWS! I can’t tell if
CIWS is up or down!”
HY-1 Silkworm (mid-flight) :
The missile was an ugly thing. It bore little resemblance to the sleek,
dart like airframes of the German and American missiles. Its blunt nose,
fat cigar shape, and stubby wings gave it the same general lines and