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tc.redstormrising-第52部分

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〃All ahead two…thirds; aye。 Leveling off at eight hundred feet。〃
〃We can start breathing again; people;〃 McCafferty said。 His own voice was not as even as he would have preferred。 For the first time; he noted a few shaky hands。 Just like a car wreck; he thought。 You only shake after you're safe。 〃Left fifteen degrees rudder。 e left to two…eight…zero。〃 If the aircraft dropped again; no sense in traveling in a straight path。 But they should be fairly safe now。 The whole episode; he noted; had lasted less than ten minutes。
The captain walked to the forward bulkhead and rewound the videotape; then set it up to run。 It showed the periscope breaking the surface; the first quick search 。 。 。 then the smoke marker。 Next came the aircraft。 McCafferty froze the frame。
The plane looked like a Lockheed P…3 Orion。
〃That's one of ours!〃 the duty electrician noted。 The captain stepped forward into sonar。
〃The fish is fading aft; Cap'n。 Probably still trying to kill the noisemaker。 I think when it hit the water it circled in the wrong direction; away from us; I mean。〃
〃What's it sound like?〃
〃A lot like one of our Mark…46s〃…the leading sonarman shuddered…it really did sound like a forty…six!〃 He rewound his own tape and set it on speaker。 The screeeing sound of the twin…screw fish was enough to raise the hairs on your neck。 McCafferty nodded and went back aft。
〃Okay; that might have been a Norwegian P…3。 Then again it might have been a Russian May。 They look pretty much alike; and they have exactly the same job。 Well done; people。 We're going to clear the area。〃 The captain congratulated himself on his performance。 He'd just evaded his first war shot…dropped by a friendly aircraft! But he had evaded it。 Not all the luck was with the other side。 Or was it?

USS PHARRIS
Morris was catnapping in his bridge chair; wondering what was missing from his life。 It took a few seconds to realize that he wasn't doing any paperwork; his normal afternoon pastime。 He had to transmit position reports every four hours; contact reports when he had any…he hadn't yet …but the routine paper…shuffling that ate up so much of his time was a thing of the past。 A pity; he thought; that it took a war to relieve one of that! He could almost imagine himself starting to enjoy it。
The convoy was still twenty miles to his southeast。 Pharris was the outlying sonar picket。 Her mission was to detect; localize; and engage any submarine trying to close the convoy。 To do that; the frigate was alternately dashing…〃sprinting〃…forward at maximum speed; then drifting briefly at slower speed to allow her sonar to work with maximum efficiency。 Had the convoy proceeded at twenty knots on a straight course; it would have been nearly impossible。 The three columns of merchantmen were zigzagging; however; making life a little easier on all concerned。 Except on the merchant sailors; for whom station…keeping was as foreign as marching。
Morris sipped at a Coke。 It was a warm afternoon and he preferred his caffeine cold。
〃Signal ing in from Talbot; sir;〃 the junior officer of the deck reported。
Morris rose and walked to the starboard bridge wing with his binoculars。 He prided himself on being able to read Morse almost as quickly as his signalmen: REPORT ICELAND ATTACKED AND NEUTRALIZED BY SOVIET FORCES X EXPECT MORE SERIOUS AIR AND SUB THREAT X。
〃More good news; skipper;〃 the OOD mented。
〃Yeah。〃

USS NIMITZ

〃How did they do it?〃 Chip wondered aloud。
〃How don't matter a damn;〃 Toland replied。 〃We gotta get this to the boss。〃 He made a quick phone call and left for flag country。
He almost got lost。 Nimitz had over two thousand partments。 The Admiral lived in only one of them; and Toland had only been there once。 He found a Marine sentry at the door。 The carrier's mander; Captain Svenson; was already there。
〃Sir; we have a Flash message that the Soviets have attacked and neutralized Iceland。 They may have troops there。〃
〃Do they have aircraft there?〃 Svenson asked at once。
〃We don't know。 They're trying to get a recon bird to take a look; probably the Brits; but we won't have any hard information for at least six hours。 The last friendly satellite pass was two hours ago; and we won't have another one of those for nine hours。〃
〃Okay; tell me what you have;〃 the Admiral ordered。
Toland went over the sketchy data that had e in the dispatch from Norfolk。 〃From what we know; it was a pretty off…the…wall plan; but it seems to have worked。〃
〃Nobody ever said Ivan was dumb;〃 Svenson mented sourly。 〃What about our orders?〃
〃Nothing yet。〃
〃How many troops on Iceland?〃 the Admiral asked。
〃No word on that; sir。 The P…3 crew watched two relays of four hovercraft。 At a hundred men per load; that's eight hundred men; at least a battalion。 probably more like a regiment。 The ship is large enough to carry the equipment load for a full brigade and then some。 It's in one of Gorshkov's books that this sort of ship is uniquely useful for landing operations。〃
〃That's too much for a MAU to take on; sir;〃 Svenson said。 A Marine Amphibious Unit consisted of a reinforced battalion of troops。
〃With three carriers backing them up?〃 Admiral Baker snorted; then adopted a more thoughtful pose。 〃You could be right at that。 What does this do to the air threat to us?〃
〃Iceland had a squadron of F…15s and a couple AWACS birds。 That's a lot of protection for us…gone。 We've lost raid warning; attrition; and raid…tracking capabilities。〃 Svenson didn't like this at all。 〃We should be able to handle their Backfires ourselves; but it would have been a lot easier with those Eagles running interference。〃
Baker sipped at his coffee。 〃Our orders haven't changed。〃
〃What else is going on in the world?〃 Svenson asked。
〃Norway is being hit hard; but no details yet。 Same story in Germany。 The Air Force is supposed to have gotten a heavy hit in on the Soviets; again no details。 It's still too early for any substantive intel assessments of what's happening。〃
〃If Ivan was able to suppress the Norwegians and fully neutralize Iceland; the air threat against this battle group has at least doubled;〃 Svenson said。 〃I have to get talking with my air group。〃
The captain left。 Admiral Baker was silent for several minutes。 Toland had to stay put。 He hadn't been dismissed yet。 〃They just hit Keflavik?〃
〃Yes; sir。〃
〃Find out what else is there and get back to me。〃
〃Yes; sir。〃 As Toland walked back to the intelligence shack; he pondered what he'd told his wife: The carrier is the best…protected ship in the fleet。 But the captain was worried。

HILL 152; ICELAND
They were almost thinking of it as home。 The position was at least easily defensible。 No one could approach Hill 152 without being seen; and that meant crossing a lava field; then climbing up a steep; bare slope。 Garcia found a small lake a kilometer away; evidently filled with water from the winter snows that had only lately melted。 Sergeant Smith observed that it would have made a good mixer for bourbon; if they had any bourbon。
They were hungry; but all had four days of rations along; and they feasted on such delicacies as canned lima beans and ham。 Edwards learned a new and indelicate name for this item。
〃Anybody here know how to cook a sheep?〃 Rodgers asked。 Several miles south of them was a large herd of the animals。
〃Cook with what?〃 Edwards asked。
〃Oh。〃 Rodgers looked around。 There wasn't a tree in sight。 〃How e there ain't no trees?〃
〃Rodgers only been here a month;〃 Smith explained。 〃Prive; you ain't never seen a windy day till you been here in the winter。 The only way a tree can grow here is if you set her in concrete。 I seen wind strong enough to blow a deuce…and…a…half right off the road。〃
〃Airplanes。〃 Garcia had the binoculars。 He pointed northeast。 〃Lots。〃
Edwards took the field glasses。 They were just dots; but they grew rapidly into shapes。 〃I count six; big ones; look like C…141s 。 。 。 that makes them IL…76s; I think。 Maybe some fighters; too。 Sergeant; get a pad and a pencil…we have to do a count。〃
It lasted for hours。 The fighters landed first; rolling off to the refueling area at once; then taxiing to one of the shorter runways。 One aircraft came in every three minutes; and Edwards couldn't help be impressed。 The IL…76; code…named the Candid by the NATO countries; was an awkward; ungainly design; like its American counterpart。 The pilots landed; stopped; and rolled their aircraft onto the taxiway off the main north…south runway as though they had practiced for months…as Edwards rather suspected they had。 They unloaded at the airport terminal building; then rolled to the refueling area and took off; coordinating neatly with the landing aircraft。 Those lifting off came very close to their hill; close enough that Edwards was able to copy down a few fail numbers。 When the count reached fifty; he set up his radio。
〃This is Edwards transmitting from Hill 152。 Do you copy; over。〃
〃Roger; copy;〃 the voice came back at once。 〃From now on; your code name is Beagle。 We are Doghouse。 Continue your report。〃
〃Roger; Doghouse。 We have a Soviet airlift in progress。 We have counted fifty…five…zero…Soviet transport aircraft; India…Lima…Seven…Six type。 They are ing into Reykjavik; unloading; and rolling back out to the northeast。〃
〃Beagle; are you sure; repea
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