tc.redstormrising-第91章

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st　the　varsity。　Did　you　have　him　outside？〃
Morris　shook　his　head。　〃We　were　late　picking　him　up；　just　ing　off　a　sprint；　and　acoustical　conditions　weren't　all　that　great；　but　we　detected　him；　he　couldn't　have　been　more　than　five　miles　out。　We　had　the　helo　after　him；　just　about　had　him　localized；　then　he　broke　contact　neat　as　you　please　and　got　inside　on　us。〃
〃Yeah；　the　Victor's　good　at　that。　Pump…fake；　I　call　it。　He　starts　going　one　way；　then　turns　hard　the　other；　leaves　a　knuckle　in　the　water；　and　probably　a　noisemaker；　too；　right　in　the　middle　of　it。　Then　he　dives　down　under　the　layer　and　makes　a　quick　sprint　in。　They've　been　refining　that　tactic　for　the　past　few　years；　and　we've　had　trouble　programming　a　reliable　counter　for　it。　You　need　a　sharp　crew　in　the　helo；　and　you　need　good　teamwork　with　these　guys　here。〃
〃Unless　you　read　my　report；　my　friend；　you　must　be　a　mind　reader。〃
〃Right；　Captain。　But　all　the　minds　I　read　think　in　Russian。　The　pump…fake's　what　the　Victor　is　best　at；　and　you　have　to　pay　attention；　what　with　his　ability　to　accelerate　and　turn　so　quick。　What　I've　been　trying　to　teach　people　is　when　he　shows　turn　to　port；　you　start　thinkin'　he's　really　going　to　starboard；　and　you　slide　over　maybe　two　thousand　yards　and　wait　a　minute　or　two；　then　you　hammer　the　bastard　hard　and　pickle　off　the　fish　before　he　can　react。〃
〃And　if　you're　wrong？〃
〃Then　you're　wrong；　skipper。　Mostly；　though；　Ivan's　predictableif　you　think　like　a　submariner　and　you　look　at　his　tactical　situation　instead　of　your　own。　You　can't　keep　him　from　running　away；　but　his　mission　is　to　close　on　the　target；　and　you　can　make　life　real　hard　for　him　if　he　does。〃
Morris　looked　O'Malley　hard　in　the　eyes。　He　didn't　like　having　the　loss　of　his　first　mand　analyzed　so　glibly。　But　there　was　no　time　for　these　thoughts。　O'Malley　was　a　pro；　and　if　there　was　a　man　to　handle　another　Victor；　this　might　be　the　one。　〃You　all　ready？〃
〃The　bird　is　at　the　air　station。　We'll　join　up　after　you　clear　the　capes。　I　wanted　to　talk　things　over　with　the　ASW　team　while　we　had　the　time。　We're　gonna　play　outside　ASW　picket？〃
〃Probably。　With　a　towed…array；　it　doesn't　figure　that　we're　going　to　be　in　close。　And　we　might　be　teamed　with　a　Brit　for　the　convoy　mission。〃
〃Fair　enough。　If　you　want　my　opinion；　we　have　a　pretty　solid　ASW　team　here。　We　might　just　give　the　bad　guys　a　hard　time。　Weren't　you　on　Rodgers　a　few　years　back？〃
〃When　you　were　working　with　the　Moose　We　worked　together　twice；　but　never　met。　I　was　'X…Ray　Mike'　when　we　exercised　against　Skate〃
〃I　thought　I　remembered　you。〃　O'Malley　came　closer　and　dropped　his　voice。　〃How　bad　is　it　out　there？〃
〃Bad　enough。　We　lost　the　G…I…UK　line。　We're　getting　some　pretty　good　SURTASS　info；　but　you　can　bet　Ivan's　going　to　be　gunning　for　those　tuna　boats　pretty　soon。　Between　the　air　threat　and　the　sub　threat…I　don't　know。〃　His　face　showed　more　than　his　voice　did。　Close　friends　dead　or　missing。　His　own　first　mand　blown　in　half。　Morris　was　tired　in　a　way　that　sleep　alone　would　not　cure。
O'Malley　nodded。　〃Skipper；　we　got　us　a　shiny　new　frigate；　a　great　new　helo；　and　a　tail。　We　can　hold　our　end　up。〃
〃Well；　we'll　have　a　shot　soon　enough。　We　sail　for　New　York　in　two　hours　and　take　a　convoy　out　on　Wednesday。〃
〃Alone？〃　O'Malley　asked。
〃No；　we'll　have　Brit　pany　for　the　New　York　run；　HMS　Battleaxe。　The　orders　haven't　been　confirmed　yet；　but　it　looks　like　we'll　be　working　together　all　the　way　across。〃
〃That'll　be　useful；〃　Ernst　agreed。　〃e　on　aft；　skipper；　I'll　show　you　what　we're　up　to。〃　The　sonar　room　was　aft　of　CIC；　closed　off　by　a　curtain。　Here　real　lighting　was　on；　as　opposed　to　the　darkened；　red…light　world　of　bat。
〃Jeez；　nobody　ever　tells　me　anything！〃　growled　a　young　lieutenant　mander。　〃Good　morning；　Captain。　I'm　Lenner；　bat　systems　officer。〃
〃How　e　you're　not　at　your　scope？〃
〃We　froze　the　game；　skipper；　and　I　wanted　to　check　out　the　display　on　playback。〃
〃I　brought　the　game　tape　myself；〃　O'Malley　explained。　〃This　is　the　track　of　a　Victor…III　that　faked　out　one　of　our　carriers　in　the　eastern　Med　last　year。　See　here？　That's　the　pump…fake。　You'll　notice　that　the　contact　fades　out；　then　brightens　up。　That's　the　noisemaker　inside　the　knuckle。　At　this　point　he　ducked　under　the　layer　and　sprinted　inside　the　screen。　Would've　hit　the　carrier；　too；　because　they　didn't　get　him　for　another　ten　minutes。　That〃…he　jammed　his　finger　at　the　display…〃is　what　you　look　for。　This　tells　you　you're　up　against　a　driver　who　knows　his　stuff；　and　he's　out　for　your　ass。〃　Morris　examined　the　screen　closely　enough　to　recognize　the　pattern。　He'd　seen　it　once　before。
〃What　if　they　use　the　maneuver　to　break　clear？〃　Lenner　asked。
〃Because　if　they　can　break　contact；　why　not　break　contact　towards　the　target？〃　Morris　asked　quietly；　noting　that　he　had　a　very　young　bat　systems　officer。
〃That's　right；　skipper。〃　O'Malley　nodded　ruefully。　〃Like　I　said；　this　is　a　standard　tactic　for　them；　and　it　rewards　a　sharp　driver。　The　aggressive　ones　will　always　bore　in。　The　ones　who　break　off…that's　effectively　a　kill。　We　have　to　reacquire；　but　so　do　they。　With　a　twenty…knot　speed　of　advance；　once　we　get　past　them；　they　have　to　play　catch…up。　That　means　making　noise。　The　guy　who　runs　away　probably　won't　run　the　risk；　or　if　he　does；　he'll　do　it　badly　and　we'll　get　him。　No；　this　tactic　is　for　the　guy　who　really　wants　to　get　in　close。　Question　is；　how　many　of　their　skippers　are　that　aggressive？〃
〃Enough。〃　Morris　looked　away　for　a　moment。　〃How's　the　helicopter　plement？〃
〃Only　one　flight　crew　for　the　bird。　My　copilot's　pretty　green；　but　our　onboard　systems　operator's　a　first…class　petty　officer　who's　been　around　the　block　a　few　times。　The　maintenance　guys　are　a　pickup　bunch；　mostly　from　the　readiness　group　at　Jax。　I've　talked　to　them；　they　should　do　just　fine。〃
〃We　got　berths　for　them　all？〃　Morris　asked。
Ernst　shook　his　head。　〃Not　hardly。　We're　packed　pretty　tight。〃
〃O'Malley；　is　your　copilot　deck…qualified？〃
〃Not　on　a　frigate。　I　am…hell；　I　did　some　of　the　first　systems　trials　back　in　'78。　We'll　have　to　do　workups　on　the　way　to　New　York；　both　day　and　night　to　get　my　ensign　in　the　groove。　Scratch　team；　skipper。　The　bird　doesn't　even　belong　to　an　operational　squadron。〃
〃You　sounded　confident　a　minute　ago；〃　Morris　objected。
〃I　am　fairly　confident；〃　O'Malley　said。　〃My　people　know　how　to　use　the　tools　they　got。　They're　sharp　kids。　They'll　learn　fast。　And　we　even　get　to　make　up　our　own　call　signs。〃　A　wide　grin。　Certain　things　are　important　to　aviators。　There　was　one　other　unspoken　message：　when　O'Malley　referred　to　the　aviation　department　as　〃my　people；〃　he　meant　that　he　didn't　want　any　interference　in　how　he　ran　his　shop。　Morris　ignored　it。　He　didn't　want　an　argument；　not　now。
〃Okay；　XO；　let's　look　around。　O'Malley；　I　expect　we'll　rendezvous　off　the　capes。〃
〃The　helo's　ready　to　launch　right　now；　Captain。　We'll　be　there　when　you　want　us。〃
Morris　nodded　and　went　forward。　The　captain's　personal　ladder　to　the　bridge　was　a　bare　three　feet　from　the　CIC　door；　and　his　own。　He　trotted　up…or　tried　to；　his　legs　rubbery　with　exhaustion。
〃Captain　on　the　bridge！〃　a　petty　officer　announced。
Morris　was　not　impressed。　He　was　appalled　to　see　that　the　ship's　〃wheel〃　was　only　a　brass　dial　about　the　size　of　a　telephone's。　The　helmsman　actually　had　a　seat；　offset　from　the　centerline；　and　to　his　right　was　a　clear　plastic　box　containing　the　direct…control　throttle　to　the　ship's　jet…turbine　engines。　A　metal　rod　suspended　from　the　overhead　ran　pletely　from　one　side　of　the　pilothouse　to　the　other　at　a　height　that　allowed　it　to　be　grabbed　easily　in　heavy　seas；　and　eloquent　ment　on　this　ship's　stability。
〃Have　you　served　on　a　'fig'　before；　sir？〃　the　XO　asked。
〃Never　been　aboard　one；〃　Morris　answered。　The　heads　of　the　four　men　on　bridge　watch　each　turned　a　hair　at　that。　〃I　know　the　weapons　systems；　I　was　part　of　the　design　team　at　NAVSEA　back　a　few　years　ago；　and　I　know　more　or　less　how　she　handles。〃
〃She　handles；　sir。　Like　a　sports　car；〃　Ernst　assured　him。　〃You'll　especially　like　the　way　we　can　turn　the　engines　off；　drift　as　quiet　as　a　log；　then　be　up　to　thirty　knots　in　two　minutes　flat。〃
〃How　quickly　can　we　get　under　way？〃
〃Ten　minutes　from　your　say…so；　Captain。　The　engine　lube　oil　is　already　warmed　up。　There's　a　harbor　tug　standing　by　to　assist　us　away　from　the　dock。〃
〃NAVSURFLANT；　arriving；〃　boomed　the　announcing　system。　Two　minutes　later；　the　Admiral　appeared　in　the　pilothouse。
〃I　have　a　man　bringing　your　gear　up。　What　do　you　think？〃
〃XO；　will　you　see　to　the　provisioning？〃　Morris　said　to　Ernst；　then；　〃Shall　we　discover　my　stateroom　together；　Admiral？〃
A　steward　was　waiting　for　them　below　with　a　tray　of　coffee　and　sandwiches。　Morris　poured　himself　a　cup；　another　for　the　Admiral；　and　ignored　the　food。
〃Sir；　I've　never　handled　one　of　these　before。　I　don't　know　the　engines…〃
〃You've　got　a　great　chief　engineer　and　she's　a　dream　to　handle。　Besides；　you　have　your　conning　officers。　You're　a　weapons　and　tactics　man；　Ed。　All　your　work　is　done　in　CIC。　We　need　you　out　there。〃
〃Fair　enough；　sir。〃
〃XO；　take　her　out；〃　Morris　ordered　two　hours　later。　He　watched　Ernst's　every　move；　embarrassed　that　he　had　to　depend　on　another　to　do　it。
But　it　was　amazingly　easy。　The　wind　was　off　the　pier；　and　the　frigate　had　a　huge　sail　area　that　invited　help。　As　the　mooring　lines　were　slackened　off；　the　wind　and　the　auxiliary　power　units　located　on　the　hull　directly　under　the　bridge　pushed　James's　bow　into　the　clear；　then　the　gas　turbine　engines　moved　her　forward　into　the　channel。　Ernst　took　his　time；　though　he　was　clearly　capable　of　doing　it　faster。　Morris　took　careful　note　of　this；　too。　The　man　didn't　want　to　make　his　captain　look　bad。
From　there　on　it　was　easy；　and　Ed　Morris　watched　his　new　crew　at　work。　He'd　heard　stories　about　the　California　Navy…like；　okay；　man…but　the　quartermasters　at　the　chart　table　updated　the　position　with　crisp　assurance；　despite　the　unfamiliar　harbor。　They　glided　noiselessly　past　the　piers　of　the　navy　yard。　He　saw　empty　berths　that　would　not　soon　be　filled；　and　not　a　few　ships　whose　sleek　gray　hulls　were　marred　with　scorched　holes　and　twisted　steel。　Kidd　was　there；　her　forward　superstructure　wrecked　by　a　Russian　missile　that　had　gotten　past　her　multilayered　defenses。　One　of　his　sailors　was　looking　that　way；　too；　a　boy　still　in　his　teens；　puffing　on　a　cigarette　which　he　flicked　over　the　side。　Morris　wanted　to　ask　what　he　was　thinking；　but　could　scarcely　describe　his　own　thoughts。
It　went　quickly　after　that。　They　turned　east　at　the　empty　carrier　berthings；　over　the　Hampton　bridge…tunnel；　then　past　the　crowded　amphibious　basin　at　Little　Creek。　Now　the　sea　beckoned　them；　forbiddingly　gray　under　the　cloudy　sky。
HMS　Battleaxe　was　already　out　there；　three　miles　ahead；　a　subtly　different　shade　on　her　hull；　and　the　White　Ensign　fluttering　at　her　mast。　A　signal　light　started　blinking　at　them。
WHAT　THE　DEVIL　IS　A　REUBEN　JAMES；　Battleaxe　wanted　to　know。
〃How　do　you　want　to　answer　that；　sir？〃　a　signalman　asked。
Morris　laughed；　the　ominous　spell　broken。　〃Signal；　'At　least　we　don't　name　warships　for　our　mother…in…law。'〃
〃All　right！〃　The　petty　officer　loved　it。

STORNOWAY；　SCOTLAND
〃The　Blinder　isn't　supposed　to　be　able　to　carry　missiles；〃　Toland　said；　but　what　he　saw　gave　the　lie　to　that　intelligence　assessme