The Gray Ship

by Russell Moran

  Chapter 66

  The memorial service was held on the forward deck to accommodate a large crowd. Everyone on the ship, except for those on watch, attended the service. People stood on top of gun turrets, torpedo batteries and lined up along the entire rail. It wasn't an Episcopal mass but a short inter-denominational ceremony. After Father Rick read the formal parts of the service, he asked Captain Patterson to approach the microphone.

  "Yesterday was a day that no one expected nor could have expected," Ashley said. "It was a day that saw treason, violence, murder, and amazing courage. It was a day that broke our hearts and made us proud. Chaplain Sampson has asked us to pray for our fallen brothers as well as for the misguided souls who turned their backs on us and our country. Like you, I bowed my head in prayer. Let us also pray for our wounded shipmate, Petty Officer Simon Planck, whose heroism and quick thinking saved countless lives." Ashley said, nodding in Planck's direction. Planck was sitting in a wheelchair off to the starboard side. The crew gave him a thunderous round of applause and cheers, a sound that Planck never expected to hear. He raised his good arm in thanks.

  "Our mission continues. May God grant us the strength to carry on...so we can soon go home."

  Another round of loud applause and cheers. Not the normal sounds of a memorial service, thought Father Rick, but then what is normal for a ship from 2013 stuck in 1861?

  ***

  After the memorial service, Ashley called Navy Secretary Wells on the radio. She had to consider radio security now because Bradley presumably had a radio and could monitor any messages to or from the California. There was a secure channel, but she was sure Bradley knew what it was.

  She told Wells she would be there within the hour. When Wells asked why they couldn't just talk on the radio, Ashley told him that she would explain when she saw him.

  At 0915 Ashley stepped onto the platform at the bottom of the ladder to board the motor launch. The boatswain's pipe sounded, followed by "California, departing." Frank Conroy accompanied her.

  As they motored up the Potomac, Ashley said to Conroy, "The last time I was in Washington, we all discussed theoretical military possibilities. Here we are after one day of hellish combat. Our war has begun."

  "Yes, it has, Captain," said Conroy," and I've already lost 25 percent of my men."

  "If I may, Captain, what about Bradley?"

  "Do you mean to ask if we're going to try to capture him?"

  "Yes, Ma'am, that's exactly what I mean."

  "The answer is yes, and we'll discuss the details later today. But for now Lieutenant, I want you to plant one thing in your brain. The mission to find Bradley will not be 'payback.' The mission will be to find and capture a traitor and murderer."

  ***

  They arrived at the Navy Department at 1030 hours. Ashley told Wells about the events of July 2, and asked Conroy to give his observations. Wells was surprised but not shocked. In the strange situation of the California, it was inevitable that there may be some defections, he thought. Ashley also told him about the security precautions she had taken.

  "The only change in plans, Mr. Secretary, will be our ability to train Union troops and supply small arms support. Over 50 percent of our small arms have been destroyed, including the rocket propelled grenades. My objective now is to make sure that we can provide support from our major weapons systems."

  Wells asked about the impact of Bradley telling General Beauregard about the plans.

  "That is a major concern, Sir. But Lt. Thurber has convinced me that Bradley may withhold his knowledge of Operation Gray Ships, as well as his knowledge of the history of Bull Run, simply to enhance his credibility with the South. My thinking is that maybe he wants the South to believe that the Gray Ships really are a fleet.”

  "And there is another fact that we know for certain, one that gives us an insight into Bradley's plans."

  "Please go on, Captain. Facts are always superior to speculation."

  "The Chief Petty Officer that was killed, Bradley's accomplice, was found with an object in his hand that we call a printed circuit board. It controls the firing procedures of all of our missiles and big guns. There is one circuit board with each weapon platform. The obvious objective was to disable the California's ability to fire weapons."

  "Thank God the man was intercepted," said Wells.

  "Yes, but Bradley doesn't know that. He thinks that the Battle of Bull Run will start without the California's firepower. He wants Bull Run to happen, so he can be the hero who saved the day."

  Chapter 67

  On July 3 at 1300 hours, Ashley met with Lt. Conroy in her office, along with her new Executive Officer, Ivan Campbell and Jack Thurber.

  "I've invited Lt. Thurber here because of his long career in investigative journalism. He's the closest we have to a detective on board." And frankly, I just like to be near him.

  "We're about to start a manhunt almost as serious as the search for Osama Bin Laden. In a way it's more serious, because Bradley can still do us a lot of harm. Lt. Thurber is of the opinion that Bradley may not divulge the Gray Ships secret or even the upcoming Battle of Bull Run. But we can't assume the best. We have to be prepared that Bradley will try to undermine the Union efforts."

  "The big question, of course, is where to find him. The South is a gigantic area, and Bradley could be anywhere. Any thoughts?"

  "He's between here and Richmond, Captain, and closer to Richmond than here," said Conroy.

  Ashley, Campbell and Thurber stared at Conroy.

  "How can you possibly know that, Frank?"

  Conroy explained that the new two-way radios have powerful homing devices in them, and very few people know this. The device is a simple homing beacon, nothing as sophisticated as a GPS receiver in a cell phone, but it is a beacon. Conroy told them that he stood on deck and tried it. He received a very faint signal from a location in a direct line between them and Richmond. "The closer you get to the radio, the stronger will be the sound. It will make the difference between finding a needle in a hay stack and finding a needle on a pool table. By the way, no signal came from the weapons camp that we destroyed, so the only radio that's in the wrong hands is Bradley's."

  Ashley looked at a map. She pointed out that Richmond is about 90 miles by land from their current location. “It's quite a hike," she said.

  "The plan, Captain, will look like this. We steal some rebel uniforms and horses and head to Richmond."

  "Where will you get the uniforms, and who will teach your guys to ride horses?"

  Conroy explained that clothing supply depots are usually located at an army's command headquarters, such as Beauregard's, near the destroyed weapons camp. "All of my guys ride horses, Captain. We were trained on them for Afghanistan."

  "So we sneak in, steal some uniforms, steal some horses, and be on our merry way. Piece of cake," said Conroy. "If you're a SEAL, that is."

  Chapter 68

  The Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin was dragging a sonar array, trying to get an audible return from the presumably sunken California. At one point during the search, the Gallatin came within 25 yards of the wormhole through which the California slipped into 1861.

  Coast Guard Sector Commander Eric Buehler had reconciled himself to receiving telephone calls every few minutes from the White House, the Office of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, and various Senators and Congressmen who had a California crewmember from their state or district. He gave the job of handling the press to his public relations staff.

  The disappearance of the California dominated news programs and online news updates the world over. It also was the major topic in the wild world of unedited blogs, Twitter and Facebook posts, even though it was still early morning. A Google search of USS California showed more hits than any other searches combined.

  Fox News veteran anchor Sheppard Smith was fast asleep. His phone rang at 3:30 a.m. After five rings, he awoke and looked at the alarm clock. His producer told him about the California and said to get to
the studio as soon as possible.

  Smith arrived on the set at 4:25 a.m. After a quick huddle with his producer they focused on three angles to the story. News outlets always look for an angle, otherwise news can just mean cold facts. The first angle would be possible terrorism, as it always is for a sudden event, especially one involving the military. The second angle would involve the sea rescue operation. They would need an expert on sonar. Smith's editor looked at his database and called a guy from Florida they had used before. The third angle was a sensitive one, the possibility of human error. Smith's editor got a retired Navy Captain on the phone.

  The broadcast began. "We have received a report that the nuclear missile cruiser USS California is missing. Terrorism (angle one) can't be ruled out, of course, but the timing of this event, if someone caused it and wanted publicity from it, is very strange. The California went missing at 3:09 a.m. Eastern Time, hardly a busy part of a news cycle. We'll be tracking the possibility of terrorism throughout the morning. Sonar arrays are being dragged near the California's last known position by the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, and so far they haven't detected a metal object beneath the surface of the water. We have on the phone Fox News contributor Peter Welch, an engineer who is an expert in sonar technology." (angle two).

  "Good morning Mr. Welch," said Smith, "and thank you for getting up so early to talk to us. Please give us your take on what's happening."

  "Frankly, I'm surprised," said the sonar expert, "that there has been no audible return at all so far. I understand the sonar has been active for over a half hour and that they are near the last known location of the ship." The guy then went into technical jargon until Smith cut him off. "Mr. Welch," said Smith, "we have to take a break. We will be contacting you later for an update. I thank you again, Sir."

  After the commercial break, Smith spoke to retired US Navy cruiser Captain Fred Notter. (angle three).

  "In your experience, Sir, how could something like this happen?" asked Smith.

  "At this point, Sheppard, I have to say I'm baffled," said Notter. "If a ship simply disappears off both the satellite and radar grids, it's usually an indication that the vessel has sunk. But from what I've been told, the water depth in her last known location was less than 300 feet, yet sonar shows nothing. I hate to say it but the loved ones of the California's crew will have to wait until this mystery is solved."

  "Thank you, Captain Notter," said Smith as he turned to the camera. "It goes without saying that we'll be tracking this story throughout the day and will bring you the latest news as soon as it breaks."

  At the headquarters of Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, news editor Mohammed Al-Qudz was typing an article that speculated whether American stealth technology could be at play in the California incident. "If they can hide an airplane from radar, can they also hide a ship?" Al-Qudz wrote.

  The USS California had now been missing for an hour and a half.

  Chapter 69

  Lt. Conroy called a meeting of SEAL squad Bravo in the ship's video theater.

  The squad consists of Petty Officers Timothy Blake, Walter Cummings, Edward Jones, Stephen Jordan, Franco Lopez, John Tarback, and Joseph Tucker. The squad would be led by Conroy.

  "This mission will have two parts."

  "First," said Conroy, "we've been ordered to capture Phillip Bradley, a man formerly known as Commander Bradley. He is a traitor and a murderer. He killed four of our guys. But this mission is not about 'payback.' Our prime objective is to capture Bradley and bring him back to justice. He's a self-serving prick, and I don't expect him to choose death. I have a hunch that when he's confronted, he'll put his hands up and surrender."

  "And what if he doesn't surrender, Lieutenant?" asked Tim Blake.

  "Then we kill the bastard," said Conroy.

  "Second, we're going to observe and report enemy troop strength, and call in aerial surveillance and strikes if appropriate. Any strikes, whether by drone or a missile from the ship, will be approved by the captain."

  He then explained that they would land in a Zodiac near the weapons camp that was destroyed. "I figure that they won't be expecting any visits from the California there. From the camp we'll proceed about three miles to the Beauregard headquarters. We can expect it to be heavily defended, so we will infiltrate at night. All weapons will have silencers for us to take out guards. Once we break into the clothing bunker, we quickly pick out a uniform for each of us. The horses are trained Army animals and shouldn't be too spooky. Petty Officer Tarback here has a way with horses, so he'll head up that part of the operation.”

  "Today is July 3. We will move out in three days on July 6, a Saturday, at 2200 hours, after dark. We'll arrive on Sunday morning. I've picked a Sunday because things always get a bit relaxed on the day of Sabbath. Remember Pear Harbor? It will also give us two days to study maps and make detailed plans. I expect to arrive on site at 0100 hours, which will give us plenty of darkness to do our job."

  "It's a distance of about 90 miles from where we'll be to Richmond. We'll take a break every 30 miles, mainly to give the horses a rest."

  "Any questions?"

  He handed out a phonetic word pronunciation chart that Father Rick had prepared. Speaking with a Southern accent wasn't difficult. It just required adhering to a few principles. Drop the "g" sound, the sheet suggested, substituting "mornin" for "morning." Most of the squad had seen service in Afghanistan, so this looked a lot easier than trying to speak conversational Arabic.

  "Okay," said Conroy, "grab a map and start studying."

  Chapter 70

  At 2200 hours on July 6 the SEALs boarded the Zodiac for the trip to the weapons camp. The weather was oppressively hot and humid, even at night, the kind of weather SEALs train for. They arrived at the old weapons camp, as it has become known, at 0115 in the morning. They deflated the Zodiac, folded it over its engine and hid it under brush for future retrieval.

  They began the hike to Beauregard's headquarters, a distance of about three miles. Each man was carrying 30 pounds of gear so they walked slowly both to conserve energy and to keep their ears open for hoof beats. They arrived at the headquarters at 0215 hours, and walked to a large shed, which they identified from drone surveillance as the probable supply depot. Cummings easily picked through the lock and they were inside. Tarback stayed outside as guard. Uniforms were stacked four feet high on a long bench. Using flashlights, they each picked out a uniform and tried it on. Because of the SEALs' obsession with preparation, they had drilled this maneuver on the ship for hours, reaching for clothing with their eyes closed, then shining a flashlight on the size, and then quickly putting the uniform on.

  John Tarback had a reputation from his SEAL training as a "horse whisperer." He grew up on a ranch in Oklahoma and loved working with horses, as horses loved working with him.

  Three horse corrals were located near headquarters, each guarded by two soldiers. Conroy picked the corral farthest from the building. It contained 15 horses. Petty Officers Jordan and Lopez were tasked to handle the guards. They each fired their silenced weapons at the guards, killing them instantly. Tarback entered the enclosure and gently coaxed eight horses to the opening, one horse at a time. Cummings and Tucker brought the saddles from the small barn nearby. The saddles they used in SEAL training camp were different from the ones they found, and it took a bit of figuring to strap them correctly on the horses. The darkness didn't help.

  After saddling up, Conroy led the group in the opposite direction from the road they took to the camp. According to his map, there was another road about a half mile from their position. Petty Officer Tim Blake rode the point position in front of the group. He kept his automatic rifle at the ready as did the rest of the SEALs in case they encountered a rebel patrol.

  Each of the men gave his new horse a name. Donnelly named his horse Brooklyn, in honor of his slain friend Tony Giordano.

  Conroy looked at his watch. It was 0245 hours. Their uniform and horse acquisition job took only a half hour. Th
ey were 90 miles from Richmond, and they would ride for five hours before taking a break. Conroy didn't want to risk a horse injury, so they moved along the road at a moderate pace. He estimated they would be half way to Richmond by 0730 hours. They would rest for an hour and move out at 0900 after a breakfast of MREs and a brief nap.

  "We'll take one more break between here and Richmond," said Conroy, "and then we'll remain on the outskirts of the city until darkness. Then we'll tie the horses up and proceed on foot. The signal from Bradley's radio is getting stronger, so I know we're on the right track."

  "Okay, move out," said Conroy.

  Chapter 71

  According to the plan, a drone would fly over an area north of Richmond on the afternoon of July 7. The California would be too far away from Richmond for effective radio speech transmissions. The drone radio frequency, on the other hand, enables an effective flying range of over 125 miles. The drone would locate the SEALs by a laser transmitter.

  SEAL Squad Bravo continued along the road to Richmond. It was a warm day, but not oppressive, with temperatures in the low 80s.

  At 1030 hours they came upon a small cavalry unit of about 25 mounted soldiers. Conroy gave a hand signal indicating to his men to enter a wooded area. Although they were wearing Confederate uniforms, Conroy wanted to avoid contact. Apparently they had not been seen, and the cavalry unit passed by without incident. Peering through the trees, Conroy took note of the pennant the lead rider carried. It was the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Army of Robert E. Lee. He would transmit that information by code to the drone when it flew overhead.

  A half hour later, the squad came upon a group of women walking along the road. As they passed, each of the SEALs doffed his hat and said "Mornin, Ma'am." One of the women yelled, "When is Ole' Bobby Lee going to march on Washington?"

  "Soon enough, Ma'am," said Conroy. "Ya'll seen our camp have ye? We're trying to locate the General's headquarters, and we seem to have gotten lost."