by M L Maki
Hartt, “Is it our guns that make us obsolete?”
Grey, “The lack of missiles is the problem. If you find yourself in the yards for repairs, with any choice as to your new configuration, opt to receive missile systems for self-defense and area-defense. In 1990 the primary function of cruisers is battlegroup anti-air. Destroyers can function in an anti-air environment, but are optimized for anti-submarine. Our frigate is basically, a smaller, less redundant destroyer with the same mission.”
Zacharias asks Cumberland, “How good are the destroyers and frigates at finding submarines?”
Cumberland, “Against World War II diesel electric boats, they should be fairly effective. No one was focusing on making them quiet. Against my boat, and boats like mine, they’re no threat. In exercises, we’ve had to assign sailors to pound on the hull with a hammer so they have a chance of hearing us.”
Young, “You’re that good?”
“I am.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Morrison, “Bring us up to 150. I want to spin a 180 to look for traffic. Come to periscope depth behind and to their starboard side.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Load and make ready a Mark-48 in tube 3.”
“Yes, sir.”
Backes, “Are we rotating tubes to make sure they all work?”
“Yes, exactly. It’s what the captain started to do.”
Backes issues the orders and Morrison watches, silent. In an hour, they are coming alongside the still surfaced boat on its rear starboard quarter. Morrison, “Take it, Greg.”
Backes, “Up scope.” Backes spins a quick 360 and settles on his target. “Sir, the sail has a symbol and the number 9. It also has the meatball flag painted on its side.”
Morrison, looking at the image on the screen, says, “Take us down.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-9
Lieutenant Watanabe studies the sky for aircraft. He looks down and sees the feather of a periscope off the starboard rear. “Clear the sail!” He calls down to his skipper, “Captain, submarine abaft our starboard beam!” He pulls the phone jack and slides down the ladder to shut the first hatch. He continues down and closes the last hatch, “Last man down, hatch sealed, bridge rigged for dive.” The boat is already angling down and turning to port.
His CO, Lieutenant Commander Sasaki says, “Descend to 250 feet. Lieutenant, did you see more then the periscope?”
“Only that. It was fast, sir. We are traveling at 10 knots. No submarine is that fast submerged.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Backes, “Do we turn with them?”
Morrison, “Ahead 2/3rds, right standard rudder. New course 165. We need space to set up a torpedo shot.”
His orders are repeated back.
Morrison, Make our depth 500 feet.” To Backes, “It’s unlikely they have guided torpedoes. Even if they do, they probably can’t work as deep as we can.”
“Conn, Sonar. I’m losing Sierra 6 in our baffles.”
Morrison, “Understood, Brown. We need some space for a torpedo.”
“Steady on course 165, leveling off at 500 feet.”
Morrison studies the chart table, “Very well. Left standard rudder. Make our course 348. Open the torpedo door.”
The watch repeats back and the submarine leans in the turn.
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-9
Sasaki, “Sonar, commence active pinging. Can you give me bearing, range, and depth?”
The helm, “Captain, passing 010.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
They hear the ping against the hull. “Conn, Sonar. Active pinging.”
Morrison, “Very well.” To Backes, “We could fire now, but I would rather our nose was pointing at him.”
“Yes, sir.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-9
Sasaki studies a paper chart that is being updated. “Control, Sonar. Target is bearing 167, range 6 miles. Approximate depth, 150 meters.”
Sasaki looks at his XO, “How?”
USS FIFE
LTJG Laura Wakefield is standing OOD. She is the only JG with her Surface Warfare Officer qualification, and the only one allowed to stand OOD. On the squawk box she hears, “Bridge, Combat, we’re picking up active sonar at 285.”
She pushes the button, “Understood, Combat. Do we need to maneuver?” The sound powered phone growls, and she picks it up, “Bridge, OOD.”
Her engineer, LCDR Peter Gregory says, “It seems distant and I don’t think it’s American. I’m passing it to the Vinson and directing Easy Rider 31 to the area.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
The helm reports, “Steady on course.”
Morrison, “Fire tube 3.”
On the box they hear Kichiro, “Conn, Torpedo. Tube 3 fired electrically.”
“Conn, Sonar. Fish is running hot, straight, and normal.”
“Very well.”
JAPANESE SUBMARINE I-9
“Control, Sonar. Torpedo in the water!”
“Calm please,” LCDR Sasaki admonishes, “What is the bearing?”
“345, sir.”
Sasaki, “Set all six torpedoes to the reciprocal course, 165. Full depth setting.”
They can hear the pinging of the incoming torpedo. “Set, Captain.”
“Fire one through six.” The sub shudders as the torpedoes leave their tubes.
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Morrison is quiet as their torpedo closes its target. “Conn, Sonar. Sierra 6 is firing multiple torpedoes. Constant bearing.”
Morrison, “Ahead flank, cavitate. Full rise on the planes. Right full rudder.”
The watch standers repeat back the order and the sub starts to turn and climb. “Twenty seconds to impact. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…” The San Francisco shudders from the nearby explosion that destroys the I-9.
“Four hundred. Passing 020.”
“Rudder amidships. Steady as she goes.”
“Three hundred. We’re going to broach.”
Morrison, “Ahead 1/3rd. Helm slowly center the bubble.”
“Two hundred.”
Morrison, “If we broach, we broach.”
It takes time to slow the engines back down from ahead flank. The dive planes can’t be quickly changed either. The inertia of the submarine is too much. A rapid control change, against the mass of the water, could damage the controls.
EASY RIDER 31, NEAR THE USS SAN FRANCISCO
LTJG Buddy ‘Babe’ Ruth, pilot of Easy Rider 31 has ordered the dipping sonar rigged out. They have a Mark 56 torpedo mounted on the left side of the fuselage. He and his co-pilot, ENS Sara ‘Bubbles’ McNeal, watch as a couple of miles away frothing bubbles come to the surface. At first it is white, but it quickly turns black. Ruth turns his bird, “Turn on the camera Bubbles.”
She flips the switch and calls on the radio, “Fife, Easy Rider 31. We are seeing a black froth of oil bubbling up.” She gives the map coordinates.
Ruth sees movement out of the corner of his eye and turns the helo hard around, “What’s this?” They have a perfect view of the San Francisco broaching. The bow comes out of the water and splashes back down.
Bubbles, “Fife, Easy Rider. Our sub just broached in front of us.”
“Roger, Easy Rider. Make contact and see if they need assistance.”
Bubbles, “San Francisco, Easy Rider 31.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
The submarine settles down and sinks back into the water. The broaching maneuver looks dramatic, but inside the boat, it isn’t. The deck just slowly tilts back to level. Morrison, “Take us to periscope depth. Up scope.” He spins the periscope and spots the helo, “Turn on the VHF.”
“…Francisco, Easy Rider 31.”
He keys the mic, “Go traffic for San Francisco.”
“San Francisco, we can confirm a good kill. Debris and oil in the water. Do you need assistance?”
“Negative, Easy Rider. We were dodging counter fire from our target.”
“Und
erstood. Good hunting.”
“And to you.”
“Commander, your boat. I need to write a report.”
USS CARL VINSON
Commander Cumberland is lead into Admiral Halsey’s conference room by Captain Van Zandt, who leaves and shuts the door. Only Vice Admiral Halsey is in the room and he does not stand, or offer a hand. “Sit.”
Cumberland sits at attention.
“I’ve read Captain Van Zandt’s and Admiral Klindt’s reports on you. I want to be absolutely clear. Your primary job is to train every officer and bluejacket under you. I will not tolerate a tyrant. Absolutely not. Do not think for a minute you are irreplaceable. I don’t need a new commander. I need a new seaman recruit. He bumps everyone else up, and then, I’ll have a new commander. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Okay. We have two San Francisco’s. On the radio, you will be Sierra November, while both boats are in the same group. Now, get a cup of coffee and tell me about your submarine.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Morrison comes back into control and hands his report to the radioman, “Tell me when it’s sent and confirmed.”
“Yes, sir.”
USS CARL VINSON
There is a knock on the door and a messenger enters and hands Admiral Halsey a message in a folder. He reads it, writes a reply, and hands it to the messenger. Then, he slides the message over to Cumberland.
FRM: SSN-711
TO: COMCARGRU-2
REG: AFTER ACTION REPORT
On 2010 GMT, 6 January, 1942, San Francisco engaged a Japanese submarine 40 miles northwest of the carrier group. Markings indicated a hull number of 9. Fired one Mark-48 torpedo. Said sub sunk.
V/R
LCDR Morrison
For
CDR Cumberland
Cumberland stares at the message as his face reddens, then tightens. How dare Morrison get a kill. He struggles for control, then, calmly, “Thank you, Admiral. This is great news.”
Halsey tilts his head, “You obviously have a good crew and an effective XO. Carry on, Commander.”
Cumberland gets up, “Yes, sir.” He walks out into the outer office where Van Zandt hands him a folder, “These are the current addresses for the grandparents of your crew. Not all the information is completely vetted for accuracy, but Admiral Nimitz wants your crew to write home.”
Cumberland stares at him for a moment, uncomprehending. He takes a deep breath, “Yes, sir. I’ll hand them out, but my crew is quite busy.”
“Nimitz did not send it out as a request. The Navy department is contacting every person on this list. Your crew are required to write home, and so are you. Thank God, we have your crew’s service records on board, because you guys don’t have the room.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Good day, Commander. Don’t forget to recognize your XO for the great job he did protecting the fleet.”
“Yes, sir.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
Morrison climbs down from the bridge, “Chief of the Watch, last man down, hatches closed, bridge is rigged to dive.” They start the process of submerging the boat.
Cumberland finishes removing his exposure suit and hands it off to a petty officer. “I’ll be in my stateroom. Get us back on station.”
Morrison, “Any word from the meeting?”
“No changes in our mission.” Cumberland abruptly walk away.
Miller, now on watch, asks Morrison, “What got up his ass? No congratulations for killing a sub. He looked, well, more angry than normal.”
Morrison shakes his head, “Let it go.” Louder, “Make our depth 300 feet. Come to course 287. Ahead standard.”
The orders are repeated and the sub sinks deeper into its domain.
Mallory and Wankowski feel the sub tilt down. Mallory, “You know, it was damn nice fighting the boat with Morrison in charge.”
Wankowski, “Yes, but we best not revel in it. Commander Cum-while-killing is back on board.”
Mallory, “You think he’s happy that we killed a boat?”
“No. Probably pissed off because the credit goes to Morrison.”
Mallory, “It’s his boat. He gets the credit.”
“Yeah, but he’s a ball hog. He has to make every shot.”
They hear over the 1MC, “This is your Captain speaking. Uh, good job with the kill. Um. We are steaming to the approaches of Tokyo Bay, so there will be more. Um. Keep sharp. That is all.”
The two men look at each other. Mallory, “A genuine compliment. Where did our captain go?”
Wankowski, “You don’t suppose someone on top has figured out old Cum-while-killing?”
Mallory, “God. Maybe. Who is our Admiral?”
“I don’t fucking know. Next time we’re in control, we can ask.”
They hear, “Secure from cleaning stations.”
CHAPTER 6
USS SAN FRANCISCO
2023, 5 January, 1942
Morrison walks in from the communal shower wearing boxers, a shower robe, and flipflops. He hangs his ditty bag up and sits down to tidy up his desk. He sees new mail and picks it up. He opens a letter from Captain Van Zandt.
LCDR,
I have had a few discussions with Admiral Halsey regarding CDR Cumberland. As I am writing this Cumberland has not yet landed on the Vinson. Halsey plans to discuss his expectations with the CDR after our CO’s meeting. Based primarily on your recommendations, it is not our intent to relieve CDR Cumberland at this time. If opportunity presents, I will speak to him as well.
Also, Cumberland will be delivering a list of addresses so that most of your crew can write home. Nimitz has made it mandatory that they do so. As I am certain that you agree, it is important to reconnect each of us time travelers with our families. There are a few exceptions. You have a small number of crew members, such as TM2 Kichiro, who’s family live on occupied Guam. Some live on the contested Philippines. We have provided names to General MacArthur and requested he evacuate the Godoy’s and the other Philippine servicemember’s families out of PI. It is a tall order, so there are no guarantees.
Admiral Klindt has left the Carl Vinson, as you may know. He put on two stars and is being assigned to DC. He and I discussed your situation. He will send you a letter as soon as he is settled, so he may continue your correspondence. Meanwhile, I am and will remain here for you.
Best Regards,
C.B. Van Zandt
Morrison says to himself, “It’s a wonder Cumberland didn’t chew my ass as soon as he got back. That also explains the ‘good job.’ He opens the next letter, which is from Klindt.
Dear John,
I will be promoted to rear admiral in a few minutes, and then I am flying to Hawaii on my way to Washington, DC. I will be standing up the nuclear power program, and, likely assuming control of the Manhattan Project. I will keep you informed of my wanderings.
Know that I expect ORSE inspections and such will continue once I have my team stood up. We absolutely must retain our discipline as operators. Our units are far too important to let quality lapse.
I have informed Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Halsey of the issues your unit is facing. Captain Van Zandt will also keep me posted.
Please do all you can to keep morale and effectiveness up in your unit. The San Francisco is irreplaceable. Know also, it is the intent for the Navy to keep your subs name, even though there is a heavy cruiser for the same name. Have the crew drop the letters SSN from their correspondence and admit nothing of the details of your unit. We are calling it an anti-submarine vessel. A descriptive, non-descriptive term.
John, you are my friend. There are a group of us who, upon our trip back in time, have the opportunity to make our world a better place. All the people of my brain trust are in the group. I would like to include you. With that in mind, start thinking of ways we can improve our country’s future.
Your Friend,
