“One and the same with a few alterations,” answered Sandecker. “Lower a launch and come aboard. I’ll be waiting in the captain’s office. Bring Ms. Faraday.”
“We’ll be aboard shortly.”
Originally proposed by Deputy Director of Defense David Packard, formerly of Hewlett-Packard, a major electronics corporation, and based on an earlier deep ocean research ship designed by Willard Bascom and called the Alcoa Seaprobe, the Glomar Explorer became a joint venture of the CIA, Global Marine Inc. and Howard Hughes, through his tool company that eventually became the Summa Corporation.
Construction was commenced by the Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company at their shipyard facilities in Chester, Pennsylvania, and the huge vessel was immediately wrapped in secrecy, with the aid of misleading information. She was launched forty-one months later in the late fall of 1972, a remarkable achievement in technology for a vessel completely innovative in concept.
She then became famous for her raising of a Russian Golf-class submarine from a depth of five kilometers in the middle of the Pacific. Despite news stories to the contrary, the entire sub was raised in pieces and examined, a colossal feat of intelligence that paid great dividends in knowledge about Soviet submarine technology and operation.
After her brief moment of fame, no one quite knew what to do with the Explorer, so she eventually wound up in the hands of the United States government and was included in the Navy’s mothball program. Until recently, she had languished for over two decades in the backwash of Suisun Bay, northeast of San Francisco.
When Gunn and Molly stepped onto the deck of the immense vessel, they felt as though they were standing in the center of an electric generating plant. Seen close up, the scope of the machinery was staggering. None of the tight security that surrounded the vessel during her first voyage was visible. They were met at the top of the boarding ramp by the ship’s second officer and no one else.
“No security guards?” asked Molly.
The officer smiled as he showed them up a stairway leading to a deck below the wheelhouse. “Since this is a commercial operation and we’re not on a secret mission to steal foreign naval vessels from the seafloor, no security measures are necessary.”
“I thought the Explorer was in mothballs,” said Gunn.
“Until five months ago,” replied the officer. “Then she was leased to Deep Abyss Engineering to mine copper and manganese from the deep ocean two hundred kilometers south of the Hawaiian Islands.”
“Have you begun operations?” asked Molly.
“Not yet. Much of the ship’s equipment is ancient by today’s standards and we’ve had to make some major changes, especially to the electronics. At the moment, the main engines are acting up. Soon as they’re repaired, we’ll be on our way.”
Gunn and Molly exchanged questioning looks without voicing their concern. As if tuned to the same wavelength, they wondered how a ship that was dead in the water could get them where they had to be in time to deflect the acoustic plague.
The ship’s officer opened the door to a spacious, elegant stateroom. “These quarters were reserved for Howard Hughes in the event he ever visited the ship, an event that is not known to have taken place.”
Sandecker stepped forward and greeted them. “An extraordinary piece of work. I compliment you both. I take it the dismantling turned out to be a tougher job than we estimated.”
“Corrosion was the enemy,” Gunn admitted. “The grid connections fought us every step of the way.”
“I never heard so much cursing,” said Molly with a smile. “The engineers turned the air blue, believe you me.”
“Will the antenna serve our purpose?” asked Sandecker.
“If the sea doesn’t get too nasty and tear it apart at the seams,” replied Gunn, “it should get the job done.”
Sandecker turned and introduced a short plump man a few years over forty. “Captain James Quick, my aides Molly Faraday and Commander Rudi Gunn.”
“Welcome aboard,” said Quick, shaking hands. “How many of your people are coming with you?”
“Counting Ms. Faraday and me, I have a team of thirty-one men and five women,” Gunn answered. “I hope our numbers don’t cause a problem.”
Quick leisurely waved a hand. “No bother. We have more empty quarters than we know what do with and enough food to last two months.”
“Your second officer said you had engine problems.”
“A stacked deck,” said Sandecker. “The captain tells me a sailing time is indefinite.”
“So it was a case of hurry up and wait,” muttered Gunn.
“A totally unforeseen obstacle, Rudi, I’m sorry.”
Quick set his cap on his head and started for the door. “I’ll gather up my crane operators and order them to begin transferring the antenna from your ship.”
Gunn followed him. “I’ll come along and manage the operation from the Lanikai.”
As soon as they were alone, Molly gazed at Sandecker with canny regard. “How on earth did you ever convince the government to loan you the Glomar Explorer?”
“I bypassed official Washington and made Deep Abyss Engineering an offer they couldn’t refuse.”
Molly stared at him. “You purchased the Glomar Explorer?”
“I chartered her,” he corrected her. “Cost me an arm and half a leg.”
“Is there room in NUMA’s budget?”
“Circumstances demanded a quick deal. I wasn’t about to haggle with so many lives in the balance. If we’re proven right about the deadly acoustic convergence, I’ll shame Congress out of the funds. And to be on the safe side, I hammered out a performance clause.”
“Finding the Explorer nearby after the Navy refused the Roosevelt was like stumbling on a gold mine.”
“What luck giveth, luck taketh away.” Sandecker shook his head slowly. “The Explorer is in Molokai because of propeller shaft bearing failure during the voyage from California. Whether she can get under way and put us on site before it’s too late is open to question.”
The big starboard cranes used to lift machinery were soon extended outward over the open cargo deck of Lanikai. Hooks attached to the boom cables were lowered and coupled to the antenna sections before hoisting and swinging them on board the Glomar Explorer, where they were stacked on an open area of the deck in numbered sequence for reassembly.
Within two hours, the transfer was completed and the antenna sections tied down on board the Explorer. The little cargo ship pulled up her anchors, gave a farewell blast of her air horn and began moving out of the harbor, her part of the project finished. Gunn and Molly waved as the Lanikai slowly pushed aside the green waters of the bay and headed out into the open sea.
The NUMA team members were assigned quarters and enjoyed a well-deserved meal from the Explorer’s expansive galley before bedding down in staterooms that had gone unused since the ship wrestled the Soviet sub from the deep waters of the Pacific. Molly had taken over the role of housemother and circulated among the team to make sure none had come down sick or had injured themselves during the antenna breakdown.
Gunn returned to the former VIP quarters once reserved for the eccentric Howard Hughes. Sandecker, Captain Quick and another man, who was introduced as Jason Toft, the ship’s chief engineer, were seated around a small game table.
“Care for a brandy?” asked Quick.
“Yes, thank you.”
Sandecker sat wreathed in cigar smoke and idly sipped the golden liquid in his glass. He did not look like a happy camper. “Mr. Toft has just informed me that he can’t get the ship under way until critical parts are delivered from the mainland.”
Gunn knew the admiral was churning inside, but he looked as cool as a bucket of ice on the exterior. He looked at Toft. “When do you expect the parts, Chief?”
“They’re in flight from Los Angeles now,” answered Toft, a man with a huge stomach and short legs. “Due to land in four hours. Our ship’s helicopter is waiting on the ground at the Hilo airport on the big island of Hawaii to
