tc.redstormrising-第91节

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anything。
〃Battle　stations！〃　ordered　the　XO。　The　alarm　gong　went　off　a　second　later　and　weary　men　ran　again　to　their　posts。　Morris　looped　his　binoculars　around　his　neck　and　ran　down　the　ladder　to　his　battle　station　in　CIC。
The　sonar　loosed　a　dozen　ranging　pings　to　port　as　Morris　took　his　position　in　CIC。　Nothing。　The　helo　lifted　off　as　the　frigate　maneuvered　north；　allowing　her　towed…array　sonar　to　track　on　the　possible　contact。
〃Passive　sonar　contact；　evaluate　as　possible　submarine　bearing　zero…one…three；〃　announced　the　towed…array　operator。　〃Steam　noises；　sounds　like　a　possible　nuke。〃
〃I　got　nothing　there；〃　said　the　active…sonar　operator。
Morris　and　his　ASW　officer　examined　the　water…conditions　board。　There　was　a　layer　at　two　hundred　feet。　The　passive　sonar　was　below　it；　and　could　well　be　hearing　a　submarine　that　the　active　pings　could　not　reach。　The　lookout　might　have　seen　anything　from　a　spouting　whale　this　was　the　mating　season　for　humpbacks…to　a　streak　of　foam　。　。　。　or　the　feathery　wake　left　by　a　periscope。　If　it　was　a　submarine；　he　had　plenty　of　time　to　duck　under　the　layer。　The　target　was　too　close　to　be　bottom　bounced　and　too　far　for　the　sonar　to　blast　directly　through　the　layer。
〃Less　than　five　miles；〃　ASW　said。　〃More　than　two。　If　this　is　a　sub；　we're　up　against　a　good　one。〃
〃Great。　Get　the　helo　on　him　right　now！〃　Morris　examined　the　plot。　The　submarine　could　have　heard　his　frigate　as　it　sprinted　at　twenty…five　knots。　Now；　at　reduced　speed；　and　with　Prairie/Masker　operating；　Pharris　would　be　very　hard　to　detect　。　。　。　so　the　sub's　fire…control　solution　had　probably　just　gone　out　the　window。　But　Morris　didn't　have　one　either；　and　the　submarine　was　perilously　close。　An　urgent　contact　report　was　radioed　to　the　screen　mander　twenty　miles　away。
The　Sea　Sprite　dropped　a　pattern　of　sonobuoys。　Minutes　passed。
〃I　got　a　weak　signal　on　number　six　and　a　medium　on　number　four；〃　the　sonobuoy　petty　officer　said。　Morris　watched　the　plot。　That　made　the　contact　less　than　three　miles　off。
〃Drop　some　pingers；〃　he　ordered。　Behind　him　the　ship's　weapons　officer　ordered　the　arming　of　the　ASROC　and　torpedo　launchers。　Three　miles　off；　the　helicopter　turned　and　swept　across　the　target　area；　dropping　three　CASS　buoys　this　time；　which　sent　out　active；　nondirectional　pings。
〃Contact；　a　strong　contact　on　buoy　nine。　Classify　as　possible　submarine〃
〃I　got　him；　bearing　zero…one…five…this　one's　a　sub；　classify　as　positive　submarine　contact；〃　said　the　towed…array　man。　〃He　just　increased　power。　Some　cavitation　sounds。　Single…screw　submarine；　maybe　a　Victor…class；　bearing　changing　rapidly　left…to…right。〃
The　active　sonar　still　didn't　have　him　despite　continuous　maximum　power　pings　down　the　correct　line　of　bearing。　The　submarine　was　definitely　under　the　layer。
Morris　wanted　to　maneuver　but　decided　against　it。　A　radical　turn　would　cause　his　towed…array　sonar　to　curve；　rendering　it　useless　for　several　minutes。　Then　he　would　have　to　depend　on　sonobuoys　alone；　and　Morris　trusted　his　towed　sonar　more　than　the　buoys。
〃Bearing　to　contact　is　now　zero…one…five　and　steady　。　。　。　noise　level　is　down　somewhat。〃　The　operator　pointed　at　his　screen。　Morris　was　surprised。　The　contact　bearing　had　been　changing　rapidly　and　was　now　steadied　down？
The　helicopter　made　yet　another　pass。　A　new　sonobuoy　registered　the　contact；　but　the　MAD　gear　didn't　confirm　the　presence　of　a　submarine　and　the　contact　was　fading。　The　noise　level　continued　to　drop。　Morris　watched　the　relative　position　of　the　contact　pass　aft。　What　the　hell　was　this　character　doing？
〃Periscope；　starboard　bow！〃　the　talker　reported。
〃Wrong　place；　sir　。　。　。unless　we're　looking　at　a　noisemaker；〃　the　operator　said。
The　ASW　officer　had　the　active　sonar　change　bearing　and　the　results　were　immediate。
〃Contact　bearing　three…four…five；　range　fifteen　hundred　yards！〃　A　bright　pip　glowed　on　the　sonar　scope。
〃All　ahead　flank！〃　Morris　yelled。　Somehow　the　submarine　had　evaded　the　towed　sonar；　then　popped　up　atop　the　layer　and　run　up　his　periscope　That　could　only　mean　one　thing。　〃Right　full　rudder。〃
〃Hydrophone　effects…torpedoes　inbound；　bearing　three…five…one！〃
Instantly　the　weapons　officer　ordered　the　launch　of　an　antisubmarine　torpedo　down　the　same　bearing　in　the　hope　that　it　would　disturb　the　attacking　submarine。　If　the　Russian's　torpedoes　were　wire…guided；　he'd　have　to　cut　the　wires　free　to　maneuver　the　sub　clear　of　the　American　return　shot。
Morris　raced　up　the　ladder　to　the　bridge。　Somehow　the　submarine　had　broken　contact　and　maneuvered　into　firing　position。　The　frigate　changed　course　and　speed　in　an　attempt　to　ruin　the　submarine's　fire…control　solution。
〃I　see　one！〃　the　XO　said；　pointing　over　the　bow。　The　Soviet　torpedo　left　a　visible　white　trail　on　the　surface。　Morris　noted　it；　something　he　had　not　expected。　The　frigate　turned　rapidly。
〃Bridge；　I　show　two　torpedoes；　bearing　constant　three…five…zero　and　decreasing　range；〃　the　tactical　action　officer　said　rapidly。　〃Both　are　pinging　at　us。　The　Nixie　is　operating。〃
Morris　lifted　a　phone。　〃Report　the　situation　to　the　escort　mander。〃
〃Done；　skipper。　Two　more　helos　are　heading　this　way。〃
Pharris　was　now　doing　twenty　knots　and　accelerating；　turning　her　stem　to　the　torpedoes。　Her　helicopter　was　now　aft　of　the　beam；　frantically　making　runs　with　its　magnetic　anomaly　detector；　trying　to　locate　the　Soviet　sub。
The　torpedo's　wake　crossed　past　the　frigate's　bow　as　Morris's　ship　kept　her　helm　over。　There　was　an　explosion　aft。　White　water　leaped　a　hundred　feet　into　the　air　as　the　first　Russian　〃fish〃　collided　with　the　nixie　torpedo　decoy。　But　they　had　only　one　nixie　deployed。　There　was　another　torpedo　out　there。
〃Left　full　rudder！''　Morris　told　the　quartermaster。　〃bat；　what　about　the　contact？〃　The　frigate　was　now　doing　twenty…five　knots。
〃Not　sure；　sir。　The　sonobuoys　have　our　torp　but　nothing　else。〃
〃We're　gonna　take　a　hit；〃　the　XO　said。　He　pointed　to　a　white　trail　on　the　water；　less　than　two　hundred　yards　away。　It　must　have　missed　the　frigate　on　its　first　try；　then　turned　for　another。　Homing　torpedoes　kept　looking　until　they　ran　out　of　fuel。
There　was　nothing　Morris　could　do。　The　torpedo　was　approaching　on　his　port　bow。　If　he　turned　right；　it　would　only　give　the　fish　a　larger　target。　Below　him　the　ASROC　launcher　swung　left　toward　the　probable　location　of　the　submarine；　but　without　an　order　to　fire；　all　the　operator　could　do　was　train　it　out。　The　white　wake　kept　getting　closer。　Morris　leaned　over　the　rail；　staring　at　it　with　mute　rage　as　it　extended　like　a　finger　toward　his　bow。　It　couldn't　possibly　miss　now。
〃That's　not　real　smart；　Cap'n。〃　Bosun　Clarke's　hand　grabbed　Morris's　shoulder　and　yanked　him　down　to　the　deck。　He　was　just　grabbing　for　the　executive　officer　when　it　hit。
The　impact　lifted　Morris　a　foot　off　the　steel　deck。　He　didn't　hear　the　explosion；　but　an　instant　after　he　had　bounced　off　the　steel　a　second　time；　he　was　deluged　with　a　sheet　of　white　water　that　washed　him　against　a　stanchion。　His　first　thought　was　that　he'd　been　thrown　overboard。　He　rose　to　see　his　executive　officer…headless；　slumped　against　the　pilothouse　door。　The　bridge　wing　was　torn　apart；　the　stout　metal　shielding　ripped　by　fragments。　The　pilothouse　windows　were　gone。　What　he　saw　next　was　worse。
The　torpedo　had　struck　the　frigate　just　aft　of　the　bow…mounted　sonar。　Already　the　bow　had　collapsed；　the　keel　sundered　by　the　explosion。　The　foc's'l　was　awash；　and　the　horrible　groaning　of　metal　told　him　that　the　bow　was　being　ripped　off　his　ship。　Morris　staggered　into　the　bridge　and　yanked　the　annunciator　handle　to　All　Stop；　failing　to　notice　that　the　engineers　had　already　stopped　engines。　The　ship's　momentum　pushed　her　forward。　As　Morris　watched；　the　bow　twisted　to　starboard；　ten　degrees　off　true；　and　the　forward　gunmount　became　awash；　its　crew　trying　to　head　aft。　Below　the　mount　were　other　men。　Morris　knew　that　they　were　dead；　hoped　that　they　had　died　instantly；　and　were　not　drowning；　trapped　in　a　sinking　steel　cage。　His　men。　How　many　had　their　battle　stations　forward　of　the　ASROC　launcher？
Then　the　bow　tore　away。　A　hundred　feet　of　the　ship　left　the　remainder　to　the　acpaniment　of　screeching　metal。　It　turned　as　he　watched；　colliding　with　the　afterpart　of　the　ship　as　it　rotated　in　the　water　like　a　small　berg。　There　was　movement　at　an　exposed　watertight　door。　He　saw　a　man　try　to　get　free；　and　succeed；　the　figure　jumping　into　the　water　and　swimming　away　from　the　wallowing　bow。
The　bridge　crew　was　alive；　all　cut　by　flying　glass　but　at　their　posts。　Chief　Clarke　took　a　quick　look　at　the　pilothouse；　then　ran　below　to　assist　with　damage　control。　The　damage…control　parties　were　already　racing　forward　with　fire　hoses　and　welding　gear；　and　at　damage…control　central　the　men　examined　the　trouble　board　to　see　how　severe　the　flooding　was。　Morris　lifted　a　sound…powered　phone　and　twisted　the　dial　to　this　partment。
〃Damage…control　report！〃
〃Flooding　aft　to　frame　thirty…six；　but　I　think　she'll　float…for　a　little　while　anyway。　No　fires。　Waiting　for　reports　now。〃
Morris　switched　settings　on　the　phone。　〃bat；　radio　the　screen　mander　that　we've　taken　a　hit　and　need　assistance。〃
〃Done；　sir。　Gallery's　heading　out　this　way。　Looks　like　the　sub　got　away。　They're　still　searching　for　her。　We　have　some　shock　damage　here