SSN - Tom Clancy [26]
"Conn, sonar, the TB-23 just picked up a helicopter overhead," the sonar supervisor announced. "Probably flying from the Chinese destroyer."
"Take her down fast, to five hundred feet!" Mack ordered the OOD. This was another helo "Sierra" addition to his patrol report.
Throughout Cheyenne, sailors grabbed for whatever they could as the submarine headed down at standard speed with a twenty-degree down angle. The diving officer, helmsman, and planesman had all buckled their seat belts as soon as they heard "take her down fast."
Above them, the Chinese Z-9A helo hovered and began to tower its powerful French HS-12 dipping sonar via the hydraulic winch. The winch was touted to be "high speed," but it didn't seem fast enough for the helo pilot as it slowly lowered the HS-12 toward the water.
"Conn, sonar, we just received a sonar pulse from the helicopter's dipping sonar. It's a French type, HS-12- the same kind they sold to China. The transmission came from the opposite direction of the Romeo. I don't think they could have detected us, sir. Signal level of the pulse was low." Which probably meant the helo was quite a ways off or else it hadn't dipped its sonar beneath the layer.
Mack acknowledged for the OOD. "Very well, sonar, we have it out here on the WLR-9 as well," he said. "Were we able to pick up any other information from the transmission?"
"Sonar, conn, negative," the sonar supervisor answered. "It wasn't a very strong pulse. Let's hope she ran out of batteries."
Mack smiled at the joke. Unlike the communicator's earlier gaffe, this comment was well timed, and helped to ease the tension slightly.
One hour and fifteen minutes later Cheyenne had closed to within 20,000 yards of her targets, Masters 25 and 26. Mack ordered battle stations manned.
A few minutes later the helo was active again. The WLR-9's acoustic intercept receiver at the conn picked that one up also, even though it was near the baffles.
"Conn, sonar, that was a loud one, sir," the sonar supervisor said.
Mack smiled. "She must have recharged, ne saia, in a deadpan voice. "Designate the helo Master 27."
"Conn, sonar, she got us on that one, sir-but that's not all she painted! Captain, we've got another submarine out there, a Kilo class, one six-bladed screw, making turns for ten knots. It's bearing 025, near the same bearing as the Romeo. It's been hiding from us all this time."
All humor was gone from the conn. Considering their situation, Mack was pleased with how well his officers and crew were handling the sudden tension. Not aware they had regained old Master 24, the Kilo was designated Master 28.
Cheyenne had just been pinged on by a directly overhead Chinese ASW helicopter, which had undoubtedly received an exact fix on their present location five hundred feet below the surface. The helo would now probably be making an MAD (magnetic anomaly detection) pass to confirm Cheyenne^ position. Mack was concerned that they would follow that up by dropping a torpedo directly on top of Cheyenne.
"Conn, sonar, the Kilo, Master 28, just picked up speed. It's heading directly at us, making turns for seventeen knots. It must suspect that the helo gave their position away."
"What's the range to the Kilo?" Mack asked the fire-control coordinator.
"Twenty-four thousand yards. Captain. We're within ADCAP range for the Kilo-it's making lots of noise at seventeen knots. Recommend making tubes one and two ready."
Mack nodded and initiated Firing Point Procedures on Master 28. "Torpedo room, fire control, make tubes one and two ready in all respects. Open the outer doors."
The order was acknowledged. One minute later it was confirmed. "Tubes one and two are ready in all respects, sir. Outer doors have been opened." "Sonar, conn,