23 Jun 2000, 0940LT (0140Z)
“Observation, number two scope, on the frigate,” Fagan announced, squatting by the scope base.
The scope slid silently upward with Fagan dropping the handles and swinging it to the correct bearing.
“Bearing mark,” he said as he pushed the small red button on the right handle that sent the bearing to the fire control system.
“Range mark! Down scope.”
The scope slid silently down. The whole evolution had taken just ten seconds. Now all the data that he had absorbed in that three-second mental picture had to be related to the assembled party so that they could use it in prosecuting the attack.
“Point five divisions in high power,” Fagan announced. The frigate had taken up half the distance between two of the small horizontal marks on the scope optics.
Knowing the height of the frigate from the waterline to the top of the mast, Petty Officer Buell whirled the little circular slide rule that hung around his neck to compute the range. “Range one-two thousand yards,” he said.
“Range checks,” replied LTJG Baker, sitting in front of one of the fire control computers analyzing the incoming data to compute the fire control solution.
“Angle on the bow, port four-three,” Fagan said. This indicated that the frigate's bow was pointed forty-three degrees to the left of the submarine or that the submarine was forty-three degrees to the right of dead ahead of the frigate.
“Indicates port three-one,” said LTJG Baker. The solution in the fire control system said that the angle was narrower than the XO had estimated.
“Set port four-three,” Fagan ordered decisively.
Fagan was confident of his estimate and needed the fire control party to share his confidence. A submarine periscope approach, probably more than any other situation in combat, depended on the vision and perceptions of just one man, the Approach Officer. The rest of the party had to rely on him and they had to have complete confidence in his abilities. Indecisiveness was not an option for an Approach Officer.
“He had a white bird on the rail,” Fagan continued, relating what he had seen.
White birds were warshot surface-to-air missiles. They were loaded on the launcher rails only seconds before a launch. The rest of their life was spent protected in the environmentally controlled missile magazine deep in the bowels of the surface ship. The frigate was preparing to shoot at the incoming F-14s. SAN FRANCISCO needed to press the attack. The F-14s might be able to out maneuver the missiles, but the inbound OSPREYs would be sitting ducks.
The periscope observation sequence was repeated to check the solution just prior to shooting. Even though the ADCAP torpedo would sweep out a large section of the ocean in searching for its target, it would take almost seven minutes for the torpedo to reach the target. In that time, the frigate would cover over three miles. Correctly calculating the geometry of the attack was vital to achieve a hit. A minor adjustment to the range and the solution was ready.
It was time to shoot. One final check to make sure that everything was ready.
“Firing point procedures!” Fagan ordered.
“Solution ready,” Sam Stuart replied. The solution about to be sent to the torpedo was the best that they had.
“Ship ready,” Warran Jacobs reported. The ship was ready to launch the weapon.
“Weapon ready,” Jeff Miller reported. The weapons system and the ADCAP torpedo were ready to launch.
“Shoot on generated bearing!” Fagan ordered.
“Set,” LTJG Baker reported. He punched a button to send the best solution and bearing to the target to the torpedo.
“Standby,” Weps reported as he took the large brass firing switch to the STANDBY position. Interlocks on the torpedo tube aligned to start the firing sequence.
“Shoot,” the Weps continued, throwing the firing switch to the FIRE position. The resounding double thump of the tube firing was heard and felt throughout the ship. The ADCAP torpedo was on its way, racing toward the surface ship.
It was time to make sure that nothing had changed and the solution was still tracking.
“Observation, number two scope on the frigate,” the XO ordered.
As the scope broke the surface he saw a brilliant streak of white light rise from the foredeck of the frigate. He watched as the missile arced high into the sky. “Shit, the son of a bitch has a bird in the air! He’s shooting at the F-14s,” Fagan announced.
The missile unerringly tracked until it intercepted one of the Tomcats. There was a dirty puff of smoke as the flaming remains of the Tomcat headed for the water below. Fagan could see only one parachute deploy from the doomed two seat aircraft. The downed airman would land several miles from the sub.
Fagan lowered the periscope. “Plot this point,” he directed. "Bearing zero-two-seven, range two-zero thousand yards. Label it as estimated position of downed pilot. What is the status of the torpedo?”
“Estimate one minute to acquisition, solution still tracking,” LTJG Baker reported.
The next minute was an excruciatingly long wait. They couldn’t run to the downed airman’s aid until the attack was finished. Unless the frigate was put out of the fight, the rest of the plan and the people on Nusa Funata were doomed.
Finally, Jeff Miller yelled out, “Weapon acquisition!” The ADCAP had detected the frigate and was in final attack.
“Conn, sonar. Our weapon is in high speed. It is in attack.”
“Observation, number two scope on the frigate,” Fagan announced.
The scope slid smoothly up as the XO looked down the bearing toward the frigate. “Bearing mark, range mark, down scope.”
Everything was just as he expected it. The frigate didn’t yet know that it was under attack and now it was too late for it to evade. He lowered the
