and reports another large British fleet at sea off Lagos, Portugal, and moving south at about twenty-five knots.”
“I would like to think that is just another convoy heading for Gibraltar,” said Volsky, “but not at that speed.”
“True, sir.” Fedorov was looking at his shoes, clearly bothered.
“Then this is a battle fleet?”
“We spotted four capital ships in a long battle line, a carrier, at least four cruisers and a handful of destroyers. It can only be Home Fleet, sir. How they could have learned of us and moved south so quickly is amazing.”
“But they did,” said Volsky, his eyes dark with concern. “So now it is our turn to be astounded by the sudden appearance of an unexpected enemy at sea. Lagos… How far away are they?”
“Some 200 miles, sir. If they keep to their present course and speed they would arrive at the western approaches to the straits in another eight hours, right around 16:00.”
“We are ninety miles from Gibraltar now. Yes? Then let me do some mathematics. If we give Byko two hours, and can then run again at thirty knots for three more, it will take us five hours to reach the eastern approaches to these straits. That is a slim margin to slip through. I imagine we may have minefields to contend with?”
“Very likely, sir.”
“We used the UDAV-2 missile system to blast our way through at Bonifacio,” Karpov put in quickly.
“Yes, and that was very clever, Captain, but how long did it take you to transit the strait?”
“Two hours,” said Fedorov.
“Two, plus three, plus two makes seven. If this British Fleet hurries they can probably trim another hour’s sailing time from their run as well. Gentlemen, the numbers do not add up very favorably.” The admiral was not happy.
“Our choices are clear,” said Karpov. “We must now decide whether to forego these repairs Byko wishes to make, and run for the straits at once, or to wait and risk another major battle if we are late.”
“You say four capital ships, Fedorov?”
“Yes, sir. Probably all four
“Yes, I have been listening to them launch all night. I lost count. How many are left?”
“Nine, sir.”
“And another nine Mos-IIIs, with eight more P-900 cruise missiles,” said Karpov. “It is enough, sir. I can get us through.”
“Who is commanding this British fleet?” The Admiral looked to Fedorov now.
“We cannot know for certain, sir, but my best estimate would be the fleet commander himself, Admiral John Tovey.”
“What kind of man is he?”
“Experienced, highly disciplined, an excellent military planner, well respected by his peers and all who serve under him. He can be a single minded and determined foe, sir. His pursuit of the
“This is the same man we encountered earlier?”
“Yes, sir. After the Captain struck him at range, he fell off, linked up with additional forces, called for the support of Force H, and then continued his pursuit.”
“You fought this man, Mister Karpov. What is your military opinion?”
“He was determined, that much is clear. But outmatched, sir.
“Oh? Then why did you have to resort to tactical nuclear weapons?”
Karpov was silent. “I have answered this, Admiral. In my mind I saw no reason why the ship should not use the full measure of our real power.”
“Yet I have spoken with the other officers on the bridge that day, and they tell me the tactical situation was not favorable. We were confronted by four separate task forces, and to engage them all would have most likely depleted our entire missile inventory.”
“Which is why I elected to let one missile do the work of many.”
“Yes, we noticed,” said Zolkin.
“I am well aware of your opinion in the matter, Doctor,” Karpov said sharply.
“There is no need to go over all that again,” said Volsky. “What was done, was done. Karpov knows what he did, and why. He has asked to serve and redeem himself, and he has done that.”
Karpov raised his chin, sniffing. “Thank you, Admiral. While I believe I can win the battle with our conventional weapons, it is also my duty to state that we still have our nuclear option should it become necessary.”
“I am well aware of that, Mister Karpov, but this consideration is a cold logic. It asks me to trade the ammunition we save for the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands of men. Believe me, I do not relish that thought. What I wish to know now is how this Admiral Tovey will fight us if it comes to that?”
“He will be a tenacious and dangerous opponent in battle sir. If you want my opinion he will not like his tactical situation at dusk this evening , and may wish to wait and fight his battle tomorrow. We will be arriving near sunset, and his ships will all be starkly silhouetted by the sun.”
“That makes no difference,” said Volsky. “We can see them as easily at midnight.”
“Yes, sir, but he does not know that. Remember that he will think tactically like a man of his era. If our striking power was as limited in range as his own, I do not think he would hesitate to close and engage. As it is, however, I believe he will have learned from his experience in the North Atlantic. He will think we fight more like an aircraft carrier than a battleship. He knows we are capable of scouting his forces out and striking at very long ranges, and this is, in fact, our great advantage. The key to battling a strong enemy carrier has always been air power, but our tremendous SAM defense has neutralized this option. Every time they throw an air strike at us it gets cut to pieces. If he uses his planes again, it will simply be to harass us, or distract us.”
“You agree, Karpov?”
“I do, sir. Their air power is not a concern for the moment. At least not in this engagement. We have enough missiles to keep it at bay and neutralize it.”
“Then how do you attack a strong carrier, Captain. One that can neutralize your air power?”
“Sir? You saturate it with missiles, a minimum eight, and preferably sixteen or more if you have them.”
“How could the British replicate such a tactic against us?”
“They would have to come at us with more targets than we can neutralize.” Karpov did not like the direction this was heading.
“Do they have enough planes to do this, Fedorov?”
“Probably forty to fifty at Gibraltar, perhaps twenty four on the carrier they have with them. We hurt the air squadrons in Force Z badly, but they could throw in another twenty or thirty aircraft as well, mostly fighters, but they can still carry bombs.”
“Mostly fighters….We have seen what just one of those did when it got in close. I have not forgotten why I have spent the last three days with Doctor Zolkin. That is enough planes to seriously deplete our remaining SAM inventory. I am not liking what I am hearing, gentlemen. Now, what about his surface ships? How will he fight?”
Fedorov spoke again. “After what happened to the Americans Admiral Tovey will also be wary of concentrating his force in any one central task force. For this reason I believe he will not enter the Straits of Gibraltar tonight, even if he does get there first. No, sir. He will wait for us in the western approaches, and he will disperse whatever force he has in a web there, which we will have to penetrate. Then, once we commit ourselves to a breakout heading, he will make one mad dash and engage us with everything he has—all his ships and every plane they can put into the air. His dilemma is how to close the range on us as quickly as possible so the fourteen inch guns on his battleships can have a chance at getting some hits. And it would only take one hit from a shell of that caliber to decisively shift the battle in his favor. Yet, there have been engagements where as many as a
