“Coming left to new course three one zero, aye, sir,” repeated the helmsman.
“Sonar, stand by to go active on main and mine-hunting arrays. Fire control, flood tubes one through four. Stand by for rapid salvo.”
“Gray Fox, Cormorant launch in three minutes. Please stand by to take con…” Guthrie stopped talking in midsentence. Jerry could hear the WLY-1 acoustic intercept receiver beeping away in the background. What he heard next sent chills up his spine.
“Conn, Sonar, Shark Teeth and Mouse Squeak transmissions bearing one three zero! Contact is close.
Jerry heard Guthrie spitting out orders, then abruptly signed off with, “I’m sorry, Jerry, you’re on your own!”
23
WHALE HUNT
“Where, Woody?” yelled Guthrie. He didn’t have time for the intercom and just shouted down the passageway.
“Conn, Sonar, first torpedo bears one two two. The second bears one three seven.”
Guthrie motioned to Simmons, the battle stations OOD, to acknowledge the report. He glanced at the fire control display that Ensign Sandy Wagner had manned, and there was nothing there on their assailant. He has to be in our baffles, behind us, Guthrie thought. This guy was dangerous.
“Weps, launch an ADC Mark 4 countermeasure from the starboard launchers. Helm, right fifteen degrees rudder, steady course north, all ahead flank!” Guthrie’s immediate concern was the two torpedoes, but he couldn’t ignore the shooter. He knew they had to get him out of their baffles and into view so they could start tracking him, but they had to jam his sonar as well.
Guthrie looked over at the intercept receiver. The WLY-1 warned them about enemy sonar transmissions, and it had lit off the same time as Buckley’s warning of incoming torpedoes. It showed two Russian-made sonars, the MGK-400 Rubikon and MG-519 Arfa. Those were fitted on Iran’s Kilo-class subs. The countermeasure should have some effect.
The captain dodged as other members of the fire control party took their positions. Lieutenants (jg) Sean Porter and Daniel Hogan had set up the geoplot and were starting to plot the bearings to the torpedoes.
“Sean, Daniel, just plot raw bearings. We don’t have time to fair them. I need to know if I have to turn, ASAP.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” replied Porter as he drew out a bearing line on the paper.
“Conn, Sonar, first torpedo bears one one seven, drawing slowly to the right. The second torpedo is in our baffles, but was last seen drawing left. Neither weapon is active,” reported Buckley more calmly.
“Very well. Find that Kilo, Woody!” shouted Guthrie as he shuffled over to the geoplot. Lieutenant Erik Nelson showed the bearing spread on the two torpedoes. “Captain, this one on the left looks like it will miss us, but just barely. The one on the right will be a problem if we remain on our present course.”
Guthrie nodded. The torpedoes had been placed exceptionally well. There was no way they could get out of the acquisition cones of both of them.
“Dmitry, deploy an ADC Mark 5 torpedo countermeasure and prepare the ATT launchers.”
The weapons officer reached up, lifted a protective cover on the countermeasure panel, and punched the button. On the aft starboard side of
“ADC away, and the antitorpedo system is online,” reported Zelinski.
Before Guthrie could acknowledge the weapons officer’s report, the WLY-1 acoustic intercept receiver screeched out another warning.
“Conn, Sonar, torpedoes have enabled!”
“Captain!” shouted the sonar operator excitedly. “A sonar jammer has been deployed.”
Mehr looked up at the MGK-400 sonar display and saw that it was now filled with numerous spikes in the direction of the
“Captain,” interrupted Lieutenant Kashani, the fire control officer, “the torpedoes are nearing their activation point.”
“Very well,” Mehr said. The enemy would know soon enough that he had done more than just harass them with a sonar lashing. It was time to change their position.
“Helmsman, left full rudder. Steady course two two zero, speed eight knots. First officer, stand by to deploy another MG-24 countermeasure.” As he watched his crew carry out their orders, he marveled at how well the attack was proceeding. The shot was picture-perfect. At least one of the torpedoes he fired would acquire the target. Evasion would be difficult as the American was almost dead in the water. He was a sitting duck.
“Captain, torpedoes are active,” reported the fire control officer. “Torpedo on the left is clear, no contacts. The torpedo on the right has acquired a target… No, wait! It’s being jammed!”
Mehr smiled. The torpedo from tube two had found his quarry. But more important, that torpedo was the one with the guidance wire. “Offset the torpedo’s course one point to starboard,” he ordered.
“Aye, sir. Change course one point to starboard,” replied the fire control operator. He rotated the wire guidance selector switch to “Transmit,” flipped the direction toggle to “Right,” and punched the course change button twice, ordering the torpedo to turn right by eleven and a quarter degrees, one point of the compass. “Course change completed, sir.”
“Very well, Lieutenant. If the torpedo’s course starts to drift to the left, just reset it to the right. Once it is past the decoy, we’ll turn it back to the left. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” responded Kashani.
“Torpedo number one has changed course to the right,” Zelinski said nervously. “It looks like it’s being steered past the countermeasure.”
“Just my luck,” complained Guthrie cynically. “I always evade in the direction of the torpedo that is wire- guided.” It was a poor attempt at humor, but he had to keep his own fear in check. His crew had to see him as the Rock of Gibraltar, even when things looked really, really bad.
“Weps, launch a salvo of two ATTs at torpedo number one and pop off another ADC Mark 5,” Guthrie ordered. He then glanced at the speed indicator; they were only making ten knots. If this didn’t work, it would all be over in less than a minute.
Zelinski targeted the incoming weapon with two antitorpedo torpedoes and hit the launch button. Another set of external tubes in the submarine’s after superstructure ejected their contents, and the minitorpedoes sped off down the bearing to their target. The ATTs were small compared to one of
Development of the ATTs had been troublesome, vexed with numerous technical difficulties, and caused the
