alistairmaclean.seawitch-第10节

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　had　to　take。　Limpet　mines；　as　the　Italian　divers　had　proved　at　Alexandria　in　World　War　…and　this　to　the　great　distress　of　the　Royal　Navy…　could　be　devastating^　effective　against　moored　vessels。　But　what　might　happen　to　high…buoyancy　limpets　when　a　ship　got　under　way　and　worked　up　to　maximum　speed　was　impossible　to　forecast；　as　there　was　no　known　case　of　a　vessel　under　way　having　been　destroyed　by　limpet　mines。　It　was　at　least　possible　that　water　pressure　on　a　ship　under　way　might　well　overe　the　tenuous　magnetic　hold　of　the　limpets　and　tear　them　free。
　The　second　temptation　was　to　board　the　helicopter　on　the　Tiburorfs　after　helipad…many　such　vessels　carried　helicopters　for　the　purpose　of　having　them　drop　patterned　explosives　on　the　seabed　to　register　on　the　seismological　puter…and　have　a　close　look　at　what　would　be　the　ensuing　havoc；　a　temptation　he　immediately　regarded　as　pure　self…indulgence。
　
　He　put　both　thoughts　from　his　mind。　Eight　miles　out　from　Galveston　he　unscrewed　the　covered　switch　and　leaned　firmly　on　the　button　beneath。　The　immediate　results　were　wholly　unspectacular；　and　Cronkite　feared　that　they　might　be　out　of　radio　range。　But　in　the　port　area　in　Galveston　the　results　were　highly　spectacular。　Six　shattering　explosions　occurred　almost　simultaneously；　and　within　twenty　seconds　the　Crusader；　her　stern　section　torn　in　half；　developed　a　marked　list　to　starboard　as　thousands　of　tons　of　water　poured　through　the　ruptured　side。　Another　twenty　seconds　later　the　distant　rumble　of　the　explosions　reached　the　ears　of　listeners　on　the　Tiburon。　Cronkite　and　Mulhooney；　alone　on　the　bridge…the　ship　was　on　automatic　pilot…　looked　at　each　other　with　grim　satisfaction。　Mulhooney；　an　Irishman　with　a　true　Irishman's　sense　of　occasion；　produced　an　opened　bottle　of　champagne　and　poured　two　brimming　glassfuls。　Cronkite；　who　normally　detested　the　stuff；　consumed　his　drink　with　considerable　relish　and　set　his　glass　down。　It　was　then　that　the　Crusader　caught　fire。
　Its　gasoline　tanks；　true；　were　empty；　but　its　engine　diesel　fuel　tanks　were　almost　pletely　topped　up。　In　normal　circumstances　ignited　diesel　does　not　explode　but　burns　with　a　ferocious　intensity。　Within　seconds　the　smoke…veined　flames　had　risen　to　a　height　of　two　hundred　feet；　the　height　increasing　with　each　moment　until　the　whole　city　was　bathed　in　a　crimson　glow；　a　phenomenon　which　the　citizens　of　Galveston　had　never　seen　before　and　would　almost　certainly　never　see　again。　Even　aboard　the　Tiburon　the　spectacle　had　an　awe…inspiring　and　unearthly　quality　about　it。　Then；　as　suddenly　as　it　had　begun；　the　fire　stopped　as　the　Crusader　turned　pletely　over　on　its　side；　the　harbor　waters　quenching　the　flames　into　hissing　extinction。　Some　patches　of　floating　oil　still　flickered　feebly　across　the　harbor；　but　that　was　all　that　there　was　to　it。
　Clearly　Lord　Worth　was　going　to　require　a　new　tanker；　a　requirement　that　presented　quite　a　problem。　In　this　area　of　a　gross　oversupply　of　tankers；　any　one　of　scores　of　laid…up　supertankers　could　be　had　just　through　exercising　enough　strength　to　lift　a　telephone。　But　50；000…ton　tankers；　though　not　a　dying　breed；　were　a　dwindling　breed；　principally　because　the　main　shipyards　throughout　the　world　had　stopped　producing　them。　〃Had〃　is　the　operative　word。　Keels　of　that　size　and　even　smaller　were　now　being　hastily　laid　down；　but　would　not　be　in　full　operation　for　a　year　or　two　to　e。　The　reason　was　perfectly　simple。　Supertankers　on　the　Arabian　Gulf…Europe　run　had　to　make　the　long　and　prohibitively　expensive　circuit　around　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope　because　the　newly　reopened　Suez　Canal　could　not　acmodate　their　immense　draft；　a　problem　that　presented　no　difficulties　to　smaller　tankers。　It　was　said；　and　probably　with　more　than　a　grain　of　truth；　that　the　notoriously　wily　Greek　shipowners　had　established　a　corner　on　this　particular　market。　The　dawn　was　in　the　sky。
　At　that　precise　moment　there　were　scenes　of　considerable　activity　around　and　aboard　the　Seawitch。　The　Panamanian…registered　tanker　Torbetto　was　just　finishing　off…loading　the　contents　of　the　SeawitcWs　massive　floating　conical　oil　tank。　As　they　were　doing　so；　two　helicopters　appeared　over　the　northeastern　horizon。　Both　were　very　large　Sikorsky　machines　which　had　been　bought　by　the　thrifty　Lord　Worth　for　the　traditional　song；　not　because　they　were　obsolete　but　because　they　were　two　of　the　scores　that　had　bee　redundant　since　the　end　of　the　Vietnam　War；　and　the　armed　forces　had　been　only　too　anxious　to　get　rid　of　them：　civilian　demand　for　ex…gunships　is　not　high。
　The　first　of　those　to　land　on　the　helipad　debarked　twenty…two　men；　led　by　Lord　Worth　and　Giuseppe　Palermo。　The　other　twenty；　who　from　their　appearance　were　not　much　given　to　caring　for　widows　and　orphans；　all　carried　with　them　the　impeccable　credentials　of　oil　experts　of　one　type　or　another。　That　they　were　experts　was　beyond　question；　what　was　equally　beyond　question　was　that　none　of　them　would　have　recognized　a　barrel　of　oil　if　he　had　fallen　into　it。　They　were　experts　in　diving；　underwater　demolition；　the　handling　of　high　explosives；　and　the　accurate　firing　of　a　variety　of　unpleasant　weapons。
　The　second　helicopter　arrived　immediately　after　the　first　had　taken　off。　Except　for　the　pilot　and　copilot；　it　carried　no　other　human　cargo。　What　it　did　carry　was　the　immense　and　varied　quantity　of　highly　offensive　weapons　from　the　Florida　arsenal；　the　loss　of　which　had　not　yet　been　reported　in　the　newspapers。
　The　oil…rig　crew　watched　the　arrival　of　gunmen　and　weapons　with　an　oddly　dispassionate　curiosity。　They　were　men　to　whom　the　unusual　was　familiar；　the　odd；　the　incongruous；　the　inexplicable；　part　and　parcel　of　their　daily　lives。　Oil…rig　crews　are　a　race　apart；　and　Lord　Worth's　men　formed　a　very　special　subdivision　of　that　race。
　Lord　Worth　called　them　all　together；　told　of　the　threat　to　the　Seawitch　and　the　defensive　measures　he　was　undertaking；　measures　which　were　thoroughly　approved　of　by　the　crew；　who　had　as　much　regard　for　their　own　skins　as　had　the　rest　of　mankind。　Lord　Worth　finished　by　saying　that　he　knew　he　had　no　need　to　swear　them　to　secrecy。
　In　this　the　noble　Lord　was　perfectly　correct。　Though　they　were　all　experienced；　hardly　a　man　aboard　had　not　at　one　time　or　another　had　a　close　and　painful　acquaintanceship　with　the　law。　There　were　ex…convicts　among　them。　There　were　escaped　convicts　among　them。　There　were　those　whom　the　law　was　very　anxious　to　interview。　And　there　were　parolees　who　had　broken　their　parole。　There　could　be　no　safer　hideouts　for　those　men　than　the　Seawitch　and　Lord　Worth's　privately　owned　motel　where　they　put　up　during　then*　off…duty　spells。　No　law　officer　in　his　sane　mind　was　going　to　question　the　towering　respectability　and　integrity　of　one　of　the　most　powerful　oil　barons　in　the　world；　and　by　inevitable　implication　this　attitude　of　mind　extended　to　those　in　his　employ。
　In　other　words；　Lord　Worth；　through　the　invaluable　intermediacy　of　mander　Larsen；　picked　his　men　with　extreme　care。
　Acmodation　for　the　newly　arrived　men　and　storage　for　the　weaponry　presented　no　problem。　Like　many　jack…ups；　drill　ships　and　sub…mersibles；　the　Seawitch　had　two　plete　sets　of　acmodation　and　messes…one　for　Westerners；　the　other　for　Orientals：　there　were　at　that　time　no　Orientals　aboard。
　Lord　Worth；　mander　Larsen　and　Palermo　held　their　own　private　council　of　war　in　the　luxuriously　equipped　sitting　room　which　Lord　Worth　kept　permanently　reserved　for　himself。　They　agreed　on　everything。　They　agreed　that　Cronkite's　campaign　against　them　would　be　distinguished　by　a　noticeable　lack　of　subtlety：　outright　violence　was　the　only　course　open　to　him。　Once　the　oil　was　off…loaded　ashore；　there　was　nothing　Cronkite　could　do　about　it。　He　would　not　attempt　to　attack　and　sink　a　loaded　tanker；　just　as　he　would　not　attempt　to　destroy　their　huge　floating　storage　tank。　Either　method　would　cause　a　massive　oil　slick；　parable　to　or　probably　exceeding　the　great　oil　slick　caused　by　the　Torrey　Canyon　disaster　off　the　southwest　coast　of　England　some　years　previously。　The　ensuing　international　uproar　would　be　bound　to　uncover　something；　and　if　Cronkite　were　implicated　he　would　undoubtedly　implicate　the　major　oil　panies…who　wouldn't　like　that　at　all。　And　that　there　would　be　a　massive　investigation　was　inevitable：　ecology　and　pollution　were　still　the　watchwords　of　the　day。
　Cronkite　could　attack　the　flexible　oil　pipe　that　connected　the　rig　with　the　tank；　but　the　three　men　agreed　that　this　could　be　taken　care　of。　After　Conde　and　the　Roamer　arrived　and　its　cargo　had　been　hoisted　aboard；　the　Roamer　would　maintain　a　constant　day…and…night　patrol　between　the　rig　and　the　tank。　The　Seawitch　was　well…equipped　with　sensory　devices；　apart　from　those　which　controlled　the　tensioning　anchor　cables。　A　radar　scanner　was　in　constant　operation　atop　the　derrick；　and　sonar　devices　were　attached　to　each　of　the　three　giant　legs　some　twenty　feet　under　water。　The　radar　could　detect　any　hostile　approach　from　air　or　sea；　and　the　dual…purpose　antiaircraft　guns；　aboard　and　installed；　could　take　care　of　those。　In　the　highly　unlikely　event　of　an　underwater　attack；　sonar　would　locate　the　source；　and　a　suitably　placed　depth　charge　from　the　Roamer　would　attend　to　that。
　Lord　Worth；　of　c