His uncle had been a submarine captain during World War II. Yet it wasn’t until Mathew arrived at his Florida home that he learned Bill’s ship had been responsible for sinking over a dozen Japanese surface vessels.
Anxious to learn more about his uncle’s wartime experiences. Matt eagerly accepted an invitation to join him for a day of sailing on Sarasota Bay. This was the youngster’s first excursion on a body of water larger than the Arkansas lake he grew up on, and he was thrilled beyond belief.
The day started off splendidly. The sky was clear, the air warm, with a moderate breeze blowing in from the west. His uncle was an expert mariner, who handled his thirty-five-foot sloop with the ease of a veteran sailor. He was quick to teach his inquisitive nephew the basics of seamanship, and in no time at all, Matt was at the helm, guiding them through the channel markers.
Invigorated by the warm sun, cool ocean spray, and the ease with which the boat handled. Matt found himself entranced by his uncle’s war stories. He was particularly fascinated by the type of vessel Bill had commanded. He found that the very word submarine had an exotic ring to it. Able to utilize the black ocean depths to sneak up on the enemy and then deliver a fatal blow, the submarine was an effective killer.
In the course of his stories. Bill made certain to explain the submarine’s shortcomings as well. Dependent upon limited battery power when submerged, and air-guzzling diesels when topside, the submarine was a far from a perfect weapon. Yet Bill explained that new technology would change all this.
Matt had a basic understanding of nuclear power from school, yet he’d never dreamed it could be adapted to propel a submarine, thus freeing the craft from having to ascend to the surface at all. The first nuclear-powered submarine was called Nautilus, and was already on sea trials. His uncle was a great advocate of such a warship, and promised to keep Matt informed on its future deployment.
While Matt was visualizing a vessel that could travel around the world submerged, without refueling, a distant rumble of thunder sounded. Quick to point out the rapidly advancing storm. Bill replaced Matt at the helm and turned the sloop back toward port.
Matt could just make out the marina when the first violent gust of wind hit them. Moments later, a torrent of rain soaked them to the bone. Ordered down into the enclosed cabin, he prepared himself to ride out the storm. Confident in his uncle’s ability to see them out of harm’s way, he looked at this experience as a great adventure. Yet as the boat continued to rock to and fro, any such pleasant ponderings on his part were soon replaced by sheer misery for a wave of nausea overcame him.
Never had he been so miserable in his short lifetime!
Even after he’d deposited the remains of his breakfast and lunch on the deck, the nausea would not leave him. Dizzy and flushed, he emptied his stomach completely before succumbing to a disorienting wave of dizziness. As it turned out, his uncle got them safely ashore and Matt returned home with a new respect for the sea. He also found himself with an exciting new goal in life. For he had decided to be a nuclear submariner.
Inwardly grinning at this long-forgotten recollection, Captain Mathew Colter peered out into the black void of his cabin. Over thirty years had passed since that fated day on Sarasota Bay. In that time he had grown to manhood and subsequently followed his childhood dream to the very end. Proud of this fact and never sorry for the difficult career he had chosen, he nonetheless regretted that his Uncle Bill had not lived long enough to see him get his dolphins.
Stricken with cancer. Bill had passed away on the same day that Matt was accepted into the Naval Academy.
Though he wasn’t able to be with his uncle at the end, Matt dedicated his stay at Annapolis to him, and he graduated in the top ten percent of his class. Submarine school followed, and after a decade of hard work, he finally got a command of his own.
The Defiance was the type of vessel that his uncle had dreamed about. Powered by a single water-cooled nuclear reactor that could go years between refueling, Matt’s present command was a first line man-of-war.
Should the Defiance ever be called upon to do so, she could hit the enemy with an awesome amount of firepower that included a mix of Mk48 dual-purpose torpedoes, nuclear-tipped SUBROC antisubmarine missiles. Harpoon antiship rockets, and even a newly fitted complement of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. To make certain that these weapons hit their mark, a sophisticated fire-control system had been incorporated into the Defiance’ hull, and she was outfitted with the latest in sonar and communication equipment.