tc.redstormrising-第58部分

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〃Raise　the　ESM。〃
An　electronics　technician　pressed　the　button　to　raise　the　mast　for　his　broad…band　receiver。　The　board　lit　up　instantly。
〃Numerous　electronic　sources；　sir。　Three　J…band　search　sets；　lots　of　other　stuff。　Lots　of　VHF　and　UHF　chatter。　The　recorders　are　going。〃
That　figures；　McCafferty　thought。　The　odds　against　having　anyone　here　after　us　are　pretty　low；　though。　〃Up　scope。〃
The　captain　angled　the　search…scope　lens　upward　to　scan　the　sky　for　a　nearby　aircraft　and　made　a　quick　turn　around　the　horizon。　He　noticed　something　odd；　and　had　to　angle　down　the　lens　to　see　what　it　was。
There　was　a　green　smoke　marker　not　two　hundred　yards　away。　McCafferty　cringed　and　spun　the　instrument　back　around。　A　multiengine　aircraft　was　ing　out　of　the　haze…directly　in　at　them。
The　captain　reached　up　and　spun　the　periscope　wheel；　lowering　the　instrument。　〃Take　her　down！　All　ahead　flank！　Make　your　depth　eight　hundred　feet！〃　Where　the　hell　did　he　e　from？
The　submarine's　engines　fairly　exploded　into　action。　A　flurry　of　orders　had　the　helmsmen　push　their　controls　to　the　stops。
〃Torpedo　in　the　water；　starboard　side！''　a　sonarman　screamed。
McCafferty　reacted　at　once。　〃Left　full　rudder！〃
〃Left　full　rudder；　aye！〃　The　speed　log　was　at　ten　knots　and　rising　quickly。　They　passed　below　one　hundred　feet。
〃Torpedo　bearing　one…seven…five　relative。　It's　pinging。　Doesn't　have　us　yet。〃
〃Fire　off　a　noisemaker。〃
Seventy　feet　aft　of　the　control　room；　a　five…inch　canister　was　ejected　from　a　launcher。　It　immediately　started　making　all　kinds　of　noise　for　the　torpedo　to　home　in　on。
〃Noisemaker　away！〃
〃Right　fifteen　degrees　rudder。〃　McCafferty　was　calmer　now。　He'd　played　this　game　before。　〃e　to　new　course　one…one…zero。　Sonar；　I　want　true　bearings　on　that　torpedo。〃
〃Aye。　Torpedo　bearing　two…zero…six；　ing　port…to…starboard。〃
Chicago　passed　through　two　hundred　feet。　The　boat　had　a　twenty…degree　down　angle。　The　planesmen　and　most　of　the　technicians　had　seatbelts　to　hold　them　in　place。　The　officers　and　a　few　others　who　had　to　circulate　around　grasped　at　rails　and　stanchions　to　keep　from　falling。
〃Conn；　Sonar。　The　torpedo　seems　to　be　following　a　circular　path。　Now　traveling　starboard…to…port；　bearing　one…seven…five。　Still　pinging；　but　I　don't　think　it　has　us。〃
〃Very　well。　Keep　those　reports　ing。〃　McCafferty　climbed　aft　to　the　plot。　〃Looks　like　he　made　a　bad　drop。〃
〃Could　be；〃　the　navigator　agreed。　〃But　how　in　hell…〃
〃Had　to　be　a　MAD　pass。　The　magnetic　anomaly　detector。　Was　the　tape　running？　I　didn't　have　him　long　enough　for　an　ID。〃　He　checked　the　plot。　They　were　now　a　mile　and　a　half　from　where　they'd　been　when　the　torpedo　was　dropped。　〃Sonar；　tell　me　about　the　fish。〃
〃Bearing　one…nine…zero；　dead　aft。　Still　circling；　seems　to　be　going　down　a　little。　I　think　maybe　the　noisemaker　drew　him　in　and　he's　trying　to　hit　it。〃
〃All　ahead　two…thirds。〃　Time　to　slow　down；　McCafferty　thought。　They'd　cleared　the　initial　datum　point；　and　the　aircraft's　crew　would　need　a　few　minutes　to　evaluate　their　attack　before　beginning　a　new　search。　In　that　time　they'd　be　two　or　three　miles　away；　below　the　layer；　and　making　little　noise。
〃All　ahead　two…thirds；　aye。　Leveling　off　at　eight　hundred　feet。〃
〃We　can　start　breathing　again；　people；〃　McCafferty　said。　His　own　voice　was　not　as　even　as　he　would　have　preferred。　For　the　first　time；　he　noted　a　few　shaky　hands。　Just　like　a　car　wreck；　he　thought。　You　only　shake　after　you're　safe。　〃Left　fifteen　degrees　rudder。　e　left　to　two…eight…zero。〃　If　the　aircraft　dropped　again；　no　sense　in　traveling　in　a　straight　path。　But　they　should　be　fairly　safe　now。　The　whole　episode；　he　noted；　had　lasted　less　than　ten　minutes。
The　captain　walked　to　the　forward　bulkhead　and　rewound　the　videotape；　then　set　it　up　to　run。　It　showed　the　periscope　breaking　the　surface；　the　first　quick　search　。　。　。　then　the　smoke　marker。　Next　came　the　aircraft。　McCafferty　froze　the　frame。
The　plane　looked　like　a　Lockheed　P…3　Orion。
〃That's　one　of　ours！〃　the　duty　electrician　noted。　The　captain　stepped　forward　into　sonar。
〃The　fish　is　fading　aft；　Cap'n。　Probably　still　trying　to　kill　the　noisemaker。　I　think　when　it　hit　the　water　it　circled　in　the　wrong　direction；　away　from　us；　I　mean。〃
〃What's　it　sound　like？〃
〃A　lot　like　one　of　our　Mark…46s〃…the　leading　sonarman　shuddered…it　really　did　sound　like　a　forty…six！〃　He　rewound　his　own　tape　and　set　it　on　speaker。　The　screeeing　sound　of　the　twin…screw　fish　was　enough　to　raise　the　hairs　on　your　neck。　McCafferty　nodded　and　went　back　aft。
〃Okay；　that　might　have　been　a　Norwegian　P…3。　Then　again　it　might　have　been　a　Russian　May。　They　look　pretty　much　alike；　and　they　have　exactly　the　same　job。　Well　done；　people。　We're　going　to　clear　the　area。〃　The　captain　congratulated　himself　on　his　performance。　He'd　just　evaded　his　first　war　shot…dropped　by　a　friendly　aircraft！　But　he　had　evaded　it。　Not　all　the　luck　was　with　the　other　side。　Or　was　it？

USS　PHARRIS
Morris　was　catnapping　in　his　bridge　chair；　wondering　what　was　missing　from　his　life。　It　took　a　few　seconds　to　realize　that　he　wasn't　doing　any　paperwork；　his　normal　afternoon　pastime。　He　had　to　transmit　position　reports　every　four　hours；　contact　reports　when　he　had　any…he　hadn't　yet　…but　the　routine　paper…shuffling　that　ate　up　so　much　of　his　time　was　a　thing　of　the　past。　A　pity；　he　thought；　that　it　took　a　war　to　relieve　one　of　that！　He　could　almost　imagine　himself　starting　to　enjoy　it。
The　convoy　was　still　twenty　miles　to　his　southeast。　Pharris　was　the　outlying　sonar　picket。　Her　mission　was　to　detect；　localize；　and　engage　any　submarine　trying　to　close　the　convoy。　To　do　that；　the　frigate　was　alternately　dashing…〃sprinting〃…forward　at　maximum　speed；　then　drifting　briefly　at　slower　speed　to　allow　her　sonar　to　work　with　maximum　efficiency。　Had　the　convoy　proceeded　at　twenty　knots　on　a　straight　course；　it　would　have　been　nearly　impossible。　The　three　columns　of　merchantmen　were　zigzagging；　however；　making　life　a　little　easier　on　all　concerned。　Except　on　the　merchant　sailors；　for　whom　station…keeping　was　as　foreign　as　marching。
Morris　sipped　at　a　Coke。　It　was　a　warm　afternoon　and　he　preferred　his　caffeine　cold。
〃Signal　ing　in　from　Talbot；　sir；〃　the　junior　officer　of　the　deck　reported。
Morris　rose　and　walked　to　the　starboard　bridge　wing　with　his　binoculars。　He　prided　himself　on　being　able　to　read　Morse　almost　as　quickly　as　his　signalmen：　REPORT　ICELAND　ATTACKED　AND　NEUTRALIZED　BY　SOVIET　FORCES　X　EXPECT　MORE　SERIOUS　AIR　AND　SUB　THREAT　X。
〃More　good　news；　skipper；〃　the　OOD　mented。
〃Yeah。〃

USS　NIMITZ

〃How　did　they　do　it？〃　Chip　wondered　aloud。
〃How　don't　matter　a　damn；〃　Toland　replied。　〃We　gotta　get　this　to　the　boss。〃　He　made　a　quick　phone　call　and　left　for　flag　country。
He　almost　got　lost。　Nimitz　had　over　two　thousand　partments。　The　Admiral　lived　in　only　one　of　them；　and　Toland　had　only　been　there　once。　He　found　a　Marine　sentry　at　the　door。　The　carrier's　mander；　Captain　Svenson；　was　already　there。
〃Sir；　we　have　a　Flash　message　that　the　Soviets　have　attacked　and　neutralized　Iceland。　They　may　have　troops　there。〃
〃Do　they　have　aircraft　there？〃　Svenson　asked　at　once。
〃We　don't　know。　They're　trying　to　get　a　recon　bird　to　take　a　look；　probably　the　Brits；　but　we　won't　have　any　hard　information　for　at　least　six　hours。　The　last　friendly　satellite　pass　was　two　hours　ago；　and　we　won't　have　another　one　of　those　for　nine　hours。〃
〃Okay；　tell　me　what　you　have；〃　the　Admiral　ordered。
Toland　went　over　the　sketchy　data　that　had　e　in　the　dispatch　from　Norfolk。　〃From　what　we　know；　it　was　a　pretty　off…the…wall　plan；　but　it　seems　to　have　worked。〃
〃Nobody　ever　said　Ivan　was　dumb；〃　Svenson　mented　sourly。　〃What　about　our　orders？〃
〃Nothing　yet。〃
〃How　many　troops　on　Iceland？〃　the　Admiral　asked。
〃No　word　on　that；　sir。　The　P…3　crew　watched　two　relays　of　four　hovercraft。　At　a　hundred　men　per　load；　that's　eight　hundred　men；　at　least　a　battalion。　probably　more　like　a　regiment。　The　ship　is　large　enough　to　carry　the　equipment　load　for　a　full　brigade　and　then　some。　It's　in　one　of　Gorshkov's　books　that　this　sort　of　ship　is　uniquely　useful　for　landing　operations。〃
〃That's　too　much　for　a　MAU　to　take　on；　sir；〃　Svenson　said。　A　Marine　Amphibious　Unit　consisted　of　a　reinforced　battalion　of　troops。
〃With　three　carriers　b