tc.redstormrising-第143节

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About　the　only　bad　news　was　the　storm　on　the　surface。　For　some　reason　a　series　of　squalls　was　parading　around　the　top　of　the　world；　and　this　one　was　a　real　growler。　The　sonar　crew　estimated　fifteen…foot　waves　and　forty…knot　winds；　unusual　for　the　arctic　summer。　It　knocked　10　to　20　percent　off　their　sonar　performance；　but　would　make　for　ideal　conditions　as　they　approached　the　icepack。　The　sea　conditions　would　be　grinding　acre…sized　ice　floes　into　ice　chips；　and　that　much　noise　would　make　the　American　subs　very　hard　to　detect　in　the　ice。　Sixteen　hours；　McCafferty　told　himself。　Sixteen　hours　and　we're　out　of　here。
〃Conn；　sonar；　we　have　a　contact　bearing　three…four…zero。　Not　enough　data　to　classify　at　this　time。〃
McCafferty　went　forward　to　sonar。
〃Show　me。〃
〃Right　here；　skipper。〃　The　chief　tapped　the　display。　〃I　can't　give　you　a　bladecount　yet；　too　sketchy　for　anything；　Well；　it　smells　like　a　nuclear　boat；〃　the　chief　allowed。
〃Put　up　your　model。〃
The　chief　pushed　a　button　and　a　secondary　screen　displayed　the　predicted　sonar　range；　generated　by　puter　from　known　local　water　conditions。　Their　direct…path　sonar　range　was　just　over　thirty　thousand　yards。　The　water　was　not　deep　enough　yet　for　convergence　zones；　and　they　were　beginning　to　get　low…frequency　background　noise　from　the　icepack。　It　would　impede　their　ability　to　discriminate　sonar　contacts　in　the　same　way　bright　sunlight　lessens　the　apparent　intensity　of　an　electric　light。
〃Getting　a　slow　bearing　change　here。　Going　left…to…right；　bearing　to　target　is　now　three…four…two　。　。　。　fading　out　a　little　bit。　What's　this？〃　The　chief　looked　at　a　new　fuzzy　line　on　the　bottom　of　the　display。　〃Possible　new　contact　bearing　zero…zero…four。〃　The　line　faded　out　and　stayed　out　for　two　minutes；　then　came　back　on　bearing　zero…zero…six。
McCafferty　debated　whether　to　go　to　battle　stations。　On　one　hand　he　might　need　to　engage　a　target　very　soon　。　。　。　but　probably　not。　Wouldn't　it　be　better　to　give　his　crew　a　few　more　minutes'　rest？　He　decided　to　wait。
〃Firming　up。　We　now　have　two　possible　submarine　contacts；　bearing　three…four…zero　and　zero…zero…four。〃
McCafferty　went　back　to　control　and　ordered　a　turn　east；　which　would　track　his　towed　array　on　the　new　targets；　plus　give　a　cross　bearing　on　each　from　which　to　pute　range。　It　gave　him　more　than　he　bargained　for。
〃Boston　is　maneuvering　west；　sir。　I　can't　detect　anything　out　that　way；　but　she's　definitely　heading　west。〃
〃Sound　general　quarters；〃　McCafferty　ordered。
It　was　no　way　to　wake　up　from　needed　sleep；　the　captain　knew。　In　berthing　spaces　all　over　the　boat；　men　snapped　instantly　awake　and　rolled　out　of　their　bunks；　some　dropping　to　the　deck；　other　climbing　upright　in　the　crowded　spaces。　They　ran　to　stations；　relieving　the　routine　watch…standers　to　head　for　their　own　battle　stations。
〃All　stations　report　manned　and　ready；　sir。〃
Back　to　work。　The　captain　stood　over　the　plotting　table　and　considered　the　tactical　situation。　Two　possible　enemy　submarines　were　astride　his　course　to　the　ice。　If　Boston　was　moving；　Simms　probably　had　something　also；　maybe　to　the　west；　maybe　aft。　In　twenty　short　minutes；　McCafferty　had　gone　from　coolly　confident　to　paranoid　again。　What　were　they　doing？　Why　were　two　subs　almost　directly　in　his　path？
〃Take　her　up　to　periscope　depth。〃　Chicago　rose　slowly　from　her　cruising　depth　of　seven　hundred　feet。　It　took　five　minutes。　〃Raise　the　ESM。〃
The　slender　mast　went　up　on　hydraulic　power；　feeding　information　to　the　electronic…warfare　technician。
〃Skipper；　I　got　three　J…band　aircraft　search　sets。〃　He　read　off　the　bearings。　Bears　or　Mays；　McCafferty　thought。
〃Look　around。　Up　scope。〃　He　had　to　let　the　periscope　go　all　the　way　up　to　see　over　the　wave　tops。　〃Okay；　I　got　a　May　bearing　one…seven…one；　low　on　the　horizon；　heading　westshe's　dropping　buoys！　Down　scope。　Sonar；　you　have　anything　to　the　south？〃
〃Nothing　but　the　two　friendly　contacts。　Boston　is　fading　out　on　us；　sir。〃
〃Take　her　back　down　to　six　hundred。〃　The　Russians　are　supposed　to　depend　almost　exclusively　on　active　sonobuoys；　dammit。　He　ordered　a　turn　back　to　the　north　once　they　reached　the　ordered　depth；　and　slowed　to　five　knots。　So　they're　trying　to　track　us　passively　now。　They　must　have　gotten　a　twitch　somewhere　。　。　。　or　maybe　nowhere。　Passive　sonar　tracking　was　technically　very　demanding；　and　even　the　sophisticated　signal…processing　equipment　in　Western　navies　made　for　many　false　contacts　。　。　。　On　the　other　hand；　we've　pretty　well　telegraphed　our　course。　They　could　flood　the　area　Why　didn't　we　try　something　different？　But　what？　The　only　other　passage　north　was　even　narrower　than　this。　The　western　route　between　Bear　Island　and　the　North　Cape　of　Norway　was　wider；　but　half　of　the　Soviet　Northern　Fleet　had　a　barrier　there。　He　wondered　if　Pittsburgh　and　the　rest　had　escaped　safely。　Probably。　They　should　have　been　able　to　run　faster　than　Ivan　was　able　to　hunt。　As　opposed　to　us。
This　is　how　we　hunt　the　Russians；　McCafferty　thought。　They　can't　hear　our　passive　buoys；　and　they　never　know　when　they're　being　tracked　or　not。　The　captain　leaned　against　the　rail　surrounding　the　periscope　pedestal。　The　good　news；　he　told　himself；　is　that　we're　damned　hard　to　hear。　Maybe　Ivan　got　a　twitch；　maybe　not。　Probably　not。　If　they　heard　us　for　sure；　we'd　have　a　torpedo　in　the　water　after　us　right　now。　But　we　don't；　so　they　don't。
〃Bearings　are　firming　up　on　both　forward　contacts。〃
In　open　ocean　water；　they'd　have　a　layer　to　fool　with；　but　there　was　none　here。　The　bination　of　fairly　shallow　water　and　the　overhead　storm　eliminated　any　chance　of　that。　Good　news　and　bad　news；　McCafferty　thought。
〃Conn；　sonar；　new　contact；　bearing　two…eight…six；　probable　submarine。　Trying　to　get　a　blade　count　now。〃
〃e　left　to　three…four…eight。　Belay　that！〃　McCafferty　changed　his　mind。　Better　to　be　cautious　than　bold　here。　〃e　right　to　zero…one…five。〃　Then　he　ordered　Chicago　down　to　one　thousand　feet。　The　farther　he　got　from　the　surface；　the　better　the　sonar　conditions　he　would　have。　If　the　Russians　were　near　the　surface　to　municate　with　their　aircraft；　their　sonar　performance　would　suffer　accordingly。　He'd　play　every　card　he　had　before　mitting　to　battle。　But　what　if…
He　faced　the　possibility　that　one　or　more　of　the　contacts　were　friendly。　What　if　Sceptre　and　Superb　had　received　new　orders　because　of　the　damage　to　Providence？　The　new　contact　at　two…eight…six　could　be　friendly；　too；　for　that　matter。
Damn！　No　provision　had　been　made　for　that。　The　Brits　said　they'd　leave　as　soon　as　the　boats　reached　the　pack；　that　they　had　other　things　to　do…but　how　often　had　his　orders　been　changed　since　May？　McCafferty　asked　himself。
e　on；　Danny！　You're　the　captain；　you're　supposed　to　know　what　to　do　。　。　。　even　when　you　don't。
The　only　thing　he　could　do　was　try　to　establish　the　range　to　and　identity　of　his　three　contacts。　It　took　another　ten　minutes　for　sonar　to　work　on　the　contacts。
〃They're　all　three　single…screw　boats；〃　the　chief　said　finally。
McCafferty　grimaced。　That　told　him　more　about　what　they　weren't　than　what　they　were。　The　British　submarines　were　all　of　a　single…propeller　design。　So　were　the　Russian　Victor　and　Alfa　classes。
〃Machinery　signatures？〃
〃They're　all　running　at　very　low　power　settings；　skipper。　Not　enough　for　a　classification。　I　got　steam　noises　on　all　three；　that　makes　'em　nucs；　but　if　you　look　here　you　can　see　that　we're　just　not　getting　enough　signal　for　anything　else。　Sorry；　sir；　that's　the　best　I　got。〃
The　farther　we　go　east；　McCafferty　knew；　the　less　signal　his　sonar　would　have　to　work　on。　He　ordered　a　turn　to　reverse　course；　ing　to　a　southwesterly　heading。
At　least　he　had　range。　The　northerly　targets　were　eleven　and　thirteen　miles　away　respectively。　The　western　one　was　nine　miles　off。　All　were　within　range　of　his　torpedoes。
〃Conn；　sonar；　we　have　an　explosion　bearing　one…nine…eight　。　。　。　something　else；　a　possible　torpedo　at　two…zero…five；　very　faint；　es　in　and　out。　Nothing　else　in　that　area；　sir。　Maybe　some　breaking…up　noises　at　one…nine…eight。　Sorry；　sir；　these　signals　are　very　weak。　Only　thing　I'm　really　sure　of　is　the　explosion。〃　The　captain　was　back　in　sonar　yet　again。
〃Okay；　Chief。　If　it　was　easy；　I　wouldn't　need　you。〃　McCafferty　watched　the　screen。　The　torpedo　was　still　running；　with　a　slowly　changing　bearing。　It　was　no　danger　to　Chicago。　〃Concentrate　on　the　three　submarine　contacts。〃
〃Aye；　Cap'n。〃
You'd　think　with　all　the　practice　I've　had　that　I　would　have　learned　patience　by　now。
Chicago　continued　southwest。　McCafferty　was　stalking　his　western　target　now。　He　thought　it　the　least　likely　to　be　friendly。　The　range　closed　to　eight　miles；　then　seven。。
〃Captain；　classify　the　target　at　two…eight…zero　as　an　Alfa…class！〃
〃You　sure？〃
〃Yes；　sir。　That　is　an　Alfa…type　engine　plant。　I　have　it　clearly　now。〃
〃Set　it　up！　We'll　run　one　fish　in　deep；　dogleg　it　at　low　speed；　then　pop　it　up　right　underneath　him。〃
His　fire…control　crew　was　getting　better　by　the　day。　It　almost　seemed　that　they　were　working　faster　than　the　puter　support。
〃Skipper；　if　we　shoot　from　this　deep；　it'll　take　a　lot　of　our　reserve　highpressure　air；〃　the　exec　warned。
〃You're　right。　Take　her　to　one　hundred　feet。〃　McCafferty　winced。　How　the　hell　did　you　let　yourself　forget　that？
〃Fifteen…degree　rise　on　the　planes！〃
〃S