The Treasure Hunt of the S-18
Page 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The _S-18_
The next morning found Tim in New York, actively engaged in plans forthe trip into the Caribbean. While Ford completed negotiations for thepurchase of the _S-18_, the government submarine which the navy wasforced to scrap by treaty limitations, Tim called at the office of theNew York Journal.
The managing editor was enthusiastic over the chance for exclusivestories on the expedition in return for relaying the radio stories onto the _News_. At his request, Tim sat down and wrote a two-columnstory on the plans for the treasure hunt. Ford had lifted restrictionson publicity for he realized that nothing said in print would deterJack Sladek from his attempt to find the treasure first.
Tim met Ford at their hotel at noon and the leader of the expeditionwas jubilant.
"I've completed the purchase and the _S-18_ is being towed from theBrooklyn navy yard right now down to a yard where it will be fitted outfor the trip."
"What about a crew?" asked Tim.
"That's not going to be as difficult as it seems. There are a lot ofold navy men drifting around New York who are always itching for anadventure. A trip like this will appeal to them and I'll be able toround up enough submarine experts to fill out the crew we need. I'minserting an ad in the morning papers."
"Isn't there a chance Sladek may try and ring in a few of his men inyour crew?"
"I'll have to guard against that," admitted Ford, "but it's a chanceI'll have to take." After lunch they departed for Brooklyn and theLaidlaw private shipyard where the _S-18_ was to be outfitted for thecruise.
It was Tim's first glimpse of a real submarine and he stood for severalminutes gazing at the smooth, glistening grey hull in the water besidethe dock.
The _S-18_ had been started in 1920 and completed two years later. Thesub was 240 feet long and ahead of the conning tower was the turretwhich housed the four-inch gun. The craft was a picture of sinisterpower and Tim felt just a little shivery as he stepped down the gangwaywhich led from the dock onto the narrow deck.
"What do you think of it?" asked Ford.
"I'd a whole lot rather make the trip in an airplane," admitted Tim,"but I guess I'll get used to it."
They climbed through the main hatch and descended into the controlroom. A mass of gauges and polished brass wheels greeted Tim's eyes.The rounded hull was painted a flat white and the air was a triflestuffy. It was all a Chinese puzzle to him.
Ford, talking rapidly, pointed to depth gauge, periscope controls,ballast tank valves and a score of other devices that had littlemeaning for Tim.
"This is the heart of the submarine," explained Ford. "From this pointevery movement and action is directed."
Somewhere aft was a steady clanging and they made their way toward it,ducking their heads under the low doors which separated the variouscompartments.
Directly back of the control room were the huge Diesel engines whichpropelled the _S-18_ when it was running on the surface. Bank afterbank of cylinders were ranged on each side of the steel runway. Eachengine was capable of generating 900 horsepower and the two of themcould force the submarine along at fourteen knots an hour on thesurface.
Behind the engine room were the electric motors which propelled thecraft when it was submerged. There were two of these, developingbetween them 1,500 horsepower. The underwater speed of the _S-18_ wasrated at eleven knots an hour. In this room was located the masterswitchboard for the complicated electrical devices on which the life ofthe submarine depended so much of the time when it was underwater.
They continued their tour of inspection, drawing nearer the sound ofthe steady hammering. In the next compartment they discovered the causeof the noise. A red-haired youth a little older than Tim was bangingaway industriously with a hammer at the bent end of a bunk which he hadlowered from its place on the wall.
"What's the matter, Pat?" asked Ford.
The red-haired young man looked up quickly.
"Hello, Mr. Ford. I've picked out my bunk and I'm doing what I can toget the dents out of this end."
"I'm glad it's nothing more serious. For a while I thought someone wastrying to take my submarine apart."
The young man with the hammer straightened up and looked Tim over withcool, impudent eyes.
"You two might as well get acquainted right now," said Ford, "foryou're going to see a whole lot of each other in the coming weeks. Tim,I want you to know Pat Reynolds, who next to me will be in actualcharge of the operation of the submarine. I consider Pat one of thefinest submarine men in the world. He was with Sir Francis Habernichton his submarine trip under the Arctic ice and it was due solely toPat's cool-headedness that they came through alive."
Tim stuck out his hand and Pat grasped it firmly. There was an instantbond of liking between them.
Ford went on to explain Tim's presence.
"If it hadn't been for Murphy I might not be here right now," he said."Tim and his flying companion kept Jack Sladek from getting me in theCedar river valley. Tim's going to be a mighty valuable member of theexpedition for I've decided to take along a small seaplane and he's todo the flying."
"I didn't know you were going to take a plane," said Pat.
"Neither did I until this morning. Word came to me that Sladek is backin New York and is busy now outfitting a tramp steamer. He's taking aplane and I don't want to feel that he has any advantage which I cannot overcome."
"But where can we carry an airplane on a submarine?" asked Tim.
"We'll have to have special rigging placed on the deck ahead of the gunturret. We'll be running above water all of the way to the island andwhen we arrive we can unload the plane and after that keep it moored onthe beach."
"This expedition commences to look like a humdinger," grinned Pat. "Iwouldn't miss it for anything."
"There will be plenty of excitement if Sladek can do anything aboutit," conceded Ford, "I've got a great many things to do in New Yorkthis afternoon. Pat, you finish the tour of the submarine with Murphy."
The commander of the treasure hunting expedition departed and left Timin the tail of the sub with Pat Reynolds.
"This is the last compartment," explained Pat, pointing to the bunkswhich ranged along the walls. "We'll be carrying a small crew so thisis where we'll be living for the next couple of months. There's anothercompartment for crew's quarters up ahead but we'll probably use that tostore diving apparatus and to pack it full of stores and otherequipment we'll be needing."
Tim was looking at the rear bulkhead and Pat followed with his eyes.
"That's the aft torpedo tube," he said, pointing to the heavy steelbreech through which the tube was loaded. "The torpedo rack is just tothe right but I don't imagine we'll be carrying any torpedoes with usthis trip."
"I thought it was impossible to get them for private use."
"It's supposed to be, but Ford has ways of getting things he wants. Hewas one of the navy's ace undersea commanders during the World War andthe department hasn't forgotten his fine work. There's such a thing asloaning a torpedo for experimental work. Of course it is just possiblethat the torpedo might be lost during the experiments." Pat grinnedbroadly.
"Is that the same reason this sub has been left so completely equipped,even to the four-inch gun?"
Pat nodded.
"That's one of them. Another is an unhealthy dislike of Uncle Sam forour friend Sladek. Federal officers have been after him for months butso far they haven't been able to get anything on him that would warranta trial. None of them would be sorry if Sladek just didn't return fromthe Caribbean."