Attack of the Seawolf

Only when the Hind settled on its northern course did Tien begin to realize what had happened … The Americans had launched some kind of air-to-air missile attack on the helicopters. He blamed Fleet Commander Chu for losing the carrier that would have made impossible Americans flying over Chinese territory and launching their missiles.

Tien’s thought was disrupted as the Mockingbird heatseeking missile flew into the Hind’s port engine exhaust duct and exploded. Tien’s body was blown apart, the blood from his dismembered body boiling into vapor as the fireball grew. And within seconds there was no trace left of the Hind except pieces of fuselage floating in the bay water below.

* * *

“We’re out of air targets,” Bugsy Forbes called on the intercom as the last of the fireballs flamed out into the bay.

“What about surface ships?” Mugsy Collins responded.

“Whole lot of folks to the south, another task force to the southwest.”

“I’ll call up the F-18s to take on the southwest force.

Our guys will go see the south fleet,” Collins said, clicking his radio to call the other F-14s. Moments later Collins put the stick over and turned the jet to the south while Forbes armed the Mohawk air-to surface missiles … Twenty minutes later the two dozen F-14s of VF-69 streaked in formation over the burning, sinking ships of the southeast task force of the Chinese Northern Fleet, the sonic booms of the jets a farewell as they climbed and turned back to the northeast and vanished over the horizon.

KOREA BAY

SURFACE ACTION GROUP 57

USS RONALD REAGAN

Admiral Richard Donchez lit his cigar as the F-14s of VF-69 landed on the deck of the Reagan. As the carrier recovered the F-14s, she launched the squadron of S-3 Vikings, the twin-jet ASW aircraft detailed to search the bay for the Seawolf.

“Any sign of seawolf?” Donchez asked, unable to wait any longer.

Captain Fred Rummel shook his head.

“The jets took out all the helicopters but the Seawolf never surfaced.

The Vikings will be able to see if she’s still there, but so far, nothing.”

“What about the LAMPS helos?”

“They’re already on the way, sir. We’ll have active and passive sonar and MAD detectors scouring the strait in another few minutes.”

“I want to know the instant we know anything.”

“Yes sir,” Rummel said, wondering how long it would be before it became obvious that Seawolf was lost.

2315 BEIJING TIME

“Any word?” Donchez asked.

“Maybe you’d better come up to flight ops,” Rummel told him.

They climbed the steps and walked into the stuffy air of the flight-operations center, where the air operations boss, the ship’s captain and the SAG hovered over the radar screens listening to the distorted voices of the pilots on the UHF tactical frequency.

Donchez stood in the back, listening as the pilots reported that there was no submarine contact at the location that the helicopters had been hovering. It took time for the news to sink in, but finally Donchez began to feel the heavy weight of the inevitable.

Seawolf was gone, and with her. Captain Michael Pacino.

“I’m going to the bridge,” Donchez told Rummel.

“I’ll hang around here, sir. I’ll let you know if …”

Donchez was already gone and entering the blacked out bridge, with its expanse of windows overlooking the flight deck and the sea. Off to port the Officer of the Deck was scanning the horizon with his binoculars.

Donchez immediately demanded: “What’s the word on the Tampa?” “She’ll be intercepting the group in another five minutes, sir. We’re standing by with a helicopter and a diver when she comes up. Her ballast tanks vents are jammed open so she can only stay on the surface when she’s steaming ahead. Our chopper will be dropping a diver to her deck. He’s going to be bolting some gasketed covers over the vents. Once that’s done she can blow the ballast tanks and stay on the surface.

She’ll be pulling up alongside the Port Royal, one of our Aegis cruisers. We’re going to off load her crew and replace them with a transit crew. Once the transit team is aboard they’ll be sailing to Yokosuka for refit, and the original crew will be airlifted to the hospital ship Mercy.”

“Off’sa’deck, combat reports a surfacing submarine bearing two nine one, range five thousand yards,” the junior officer of the deck reported.

“Very well. Status of the chopper?”

“Lifting off now.”

“We’ll have her alongside the Port Royal within the hour. Admiral.”

Donchez nodded, then returned to Flag Plot. Rummel was waiting for him. Donchez could tell by his face that the news was bad.

“Nothing on the Seawolf, sir. The search continues, we’ve got till dawn before the President’s authorization expires, but the ASW guys aren’t hopeful …”

“I’m going down to get some rack,” Donchez said, knowing he wouldn’t sleep but wanting to be alone.

“Yes sir. And, Admiral, there’s this …”

“What’s that, Fred?”

“At least we got the Tampa back.”

Donchez nodded, but his thoughts were that the price was too damned high.

USS TAMPA

ALLONGSIDE CRUISER USS PORT ROYAL

2345 BEIJING TIME