Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

38 JEFF EDWARDS
The president’s eyebrows furrowed. “So the German military never
intended to buy all this new hardware they’re building?”
“Not as far as we can tell, Mr. President.”
“What’s ONI’s best guess on this?” the president asked. “How much
hardware, and when does it get delivered?”
The national security advisor tugged at his collar. “Uh … again, I
remind you that these are rough figures, sir. But right now, we’re looking
at something like four Type 212B diesel submarines, to be followed by at
least three Type 214s when those start rolling off the block.”
The president frowned. “Obviously we don’t want any new military
hardware going into Siraj at all, but why are we getting so bent out of
shape over diesel submarines? Nuclear subs I could understand …”
“With all due respect, Mr. President,” Brenthoven said, “your
information is about a half a century out of date.”
The president whistled through his teeth. “I’ve been accused of being
behind the times before, but never a half century.”
Brenthoven smiled. “Sir, when I say diesel sub, you’re picturing
something out of an old black-and-white war movie—back when diesel
subs had no real speed or endurance, and they were easy prey for surface
ships. But those days are ancient history.
“Over the past three decades, there have been about a hundred quantum
leaps in diesel submarine design and engineering. The new boats are
equipped with air-independent propulsion systems and hydrogen fuel-cell
technology straight out of the aerospace industry. They can run
submerged for weeks without having to snorkel or come up for air. Their
hull metallurgy is incredibly advanced, giving them operating depths
comparable to our nuclear subs.
And the new Austenitic steels are non-magnetic, making the most
advanced diesel subs difficult or impossible to detect with magnetic
sensors. To top it all off, nearly all of the new diesel subs are capable of
firing Exocet anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as highly advanced acoustic
homing torpedoes.”
The national security advisor looked at the president. “Sir, I could go
on for an hour.”
“You make them sound better than our nuclear attack subs,” the
president said.
Brenthoven shook his head. “Not better, sir. Nuclear subs can still stay
down longer. But when you’re chasing a diesel boat that can stay
submerged for a month at a time, the difference starts to seem academic.
And in a reasonably confined body of water, like the Persian Gulf, an