The Bin Laden Plot

Submarines typically used passive sonar only, which meant they knew only the bearing to the contact, with no easy way of determining whether the contact was a few hundred yards away or several miles. Determining a contact’s course, speed, and range took time, during which a contact could approach dangerously close. It was not uncommon for submarines, particularly during the Cold War, to collide as one trailed the other in a high-tech game of cat and mouse, guessing wrong at what new course and speed the lead submarine had maneuvered to before the crew sorted it out.

As a result, waterspace assignments were controlled so that if two submarines needed to pass nearby or operate together, one would be restricted shallow and the other deep, with the deep submarine provided with stovepipes — circular areas — where it could come up to periscope depth for communications. That Michigan and Jimmy Carter had been assigned the same waterspace without these safeguards meant the Pearl Harbor operations center had no idea that Michigan had been sent into Jimmy Carter’s operating area. Someone high up had circumvented the normal operating procedures.

“Why don’t I go shallow and you go deep?” Gallagher proposed. “I’ll need to operate shallow to retrieve and launch the UUVs.”

Wilson agreed, and the two men worked out a construct for Michigan’s stovepipes, which Jimmy Carter would stay out of, so Wilson could come up to periscope depth and communicate at the required intervals.

The Communicator returned shortly thereafter with the message to the CIA, which Gallagher approved for transmission.

“This ought to get their attention,” he said.

30 LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

It was almost quitting time on the seventh floor of the Original Headquarters Building at Langley when Deputy Director for Support Becky Rock, holding a folder in one hand, knocked on the open door to the director’s office. Christine looked up from the computer display on her desk and motioned for Becky to enter.

“We received an unusual message a few minutes ago,” Becky said, “from the submarine Jimmy Carter. The Commanding Officer is requesting an immediate secure VTC with you, with no one else present.”

“Why would the Commanding Officer of Jimmy Carter contact the CIA, and me specifically?”

Becky explained the role the submarine played in the communication intercepts by a fleet of UUVs operating in the Persian Gulf, with the data eventually fed to the CIA.

“Do we receive this type of communication request from Jimmy Carter often?”

“This is the first time.”

“Do you have the message?”

Becky pulled a single sheet of paper from the folder and handed it to Christine, who read the transmission. It was short and direct, with no indication of the subject to be discussed. The last line of the message, however, caught Christine’s attention.

CAPT Wilson, aboard USS Jimmy Carter, sends.

“Do you know why Captain Wilson is aboard Jimmy Carter?”

Becky shook her head. “I assumed he was the Commanding Officer.”

“He’s not,” Christine said. “He’s the Captain of Michigan BLUE, or at least he was a few months ago.”

Christine read the message again, searching for clues to why Wilson was aboard Jimmy Carter or why he had requested an urgent videoconference. She found nothing, then told Becky, “Set up a secure VTC immediately. I’ll be right down.”

* * *

Christine entered one of the secure VTC rooms in the communications center, taking a seat in the front row. A moment later, a technician’s voice came over the intercom, informing Christine that a connection had been established with Jimmy Carter.

The wide-screen display flickered to life, revealing two naval officers seated in a submarine stateroom: Captain Murray Wilson and a commander Christine didn’t recognize. Pleasantries were exchanged — Captain Wilson thanked Christine for the quick response and also introduced Commander Dennis Gallagher, Commanding Officer of USS Jimmy Carter.

“What’s this about, Murray?” Christine asked.

Wilson started at the beginning, explaining how the secretary of the Navy had personally briefed him in Bahrain on a sensitive mission: to destroy the UUV that had gone rogue and sunk USS Stethem.

“I’m aware of the issue,” Christine said. “I was at the White House when the plan was discussed. How is the mission proceeding?”

“Not as planned,” Wilson replied.

He went on to explain how the UUV had docked with a full-size submarine before he could destroy it and that Secretary Verbeck had explained that the submarine was an artificially intelligent, unmanned mother ship herding the UUVs in the Persian Gulf. Verbeck had instructed him to sink the mother ship in addition to the UUV, since it had likely been infected with whatever had caused the UUV to go rogue.