object, range zero six five, bearing
two nine nine…classify as anchored sea mine…conn sonar, stationary object range
zero nine nine…bearing three one five, classify as anchored sea mine…conn,
sonar…stationary object…”
“Both engines back slow together…!”
Already barely making headway the Dai lost
way almost instantly and backed off from danger. Behind her the Bao did
likewise as its hydrophones tracked the Juliett and heard the brief flurry, knowing
what it must mean.
…all stop, helmsmen hold this position.”
He and the Exec studied the chart with Jie Huaiqing
close by.
“Well we knew they probably had one and indeed they
have, off our starboard quarter…” Li carefully marked the mines discovered by
the Mouse Roar sonar. Li suspected that going active with their main search
sonar would reveal a dense minefield and possibly one that also contained
magnetic proximity mines.
“Bring us slowly up to sixty feet…raise ECM.”
They remained there for ten minutes with the ECM
sensors listening to localised radio and microwave transmissions as well as
feeling for radar energy.
The ECM board warrant officer swivelled in his seat.
“Captain, four brief bursts of microwave
transmissions, all from landward and all digitally encrypted, otherwise the
board is clear, no radar energy seaward or landward at this time.”
Jie looked at the chronometer above the chart table;
it was set to Beijing time. He did a quick mental sum and smiled to himself.
“Exactly 7pm local time, five digitally encrypted
transmissions…” he muttered and then raised his voice enough to address the ECM
operator.
“Range and bearings?...I’ll bet the first and fifth
transmissions were from the same point inland and the other three are spread
out along the shore, back in the undergrowth somewhere?”
The two naval officers were watching him quizzically.
“Encrypted microwave transmissions of short duration,
that’ll be from man-portable battlefield radio sets.” He enlightened them. “Radio
checks on the hour to observation posts or patrols watching the beach.”
“Major?” responded ECM. “Approximate ranges only,
based on signal strength…” he rattled off four sets of ranges and bearings
which the captain marked on the chart.
“I think you were right Captain.” said the Exec. “If
he’d gone to my school I’d definitely have bullied the smug, swatty bastard.”
Jie grinned, and noted the approximated locations
whilst the captain stepped over to the periscopes.
“Raise ‘Search’.” It slid smoothly up and he grasped
the handles before pressing his face against the eye shield, switching to
lo-lite TV and swinging the device around through 360°, ‘Dancing with the Grey
lady’ as it is known, his hand cranking the prism elevation upwards as he
looked for aircraft as well as surface craft. After several revolutions he was
satisfied they were in no immediate danger and turned to study the land.
During their journey north along the Atlantic coast of
South America Li had noted the twinkling lights on the shores of the neutral
countries, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. In towns, cities and ports the lights blazed away, illuminating shipping to
landward of the Dai , silhouetting them against that carefree absence of
blackout regulations. It had been enough to make a grown predator weep, all
that tonnage there for the sinking but being unable to do so without
compromising the mission.
Here though, French Guiana was in total darkness, a
sinister dark mass on the horizon.
He took a step backwards.
“Down ‘scope, lower the ECM, come left to two zero zero …port motor back slow, starboard motor ahead slow…now
slow ahead together, helm amidships.”
Again they inched forward and Li stared hard at the
chart as if trying to divine whether the French had also mined the deep water
to seaward of the ancient volcano that Ile Diable and her two sisters sat atop
of.
“I assume we know that there isn’t
two nine nine…classify as anchored sea mine…conn sonar, stationary object range
zero nine nine…bearing three one five, classify as anchored sea mine…conn,
sonar…stationary object…”
“Both engines back slow together…!”
Already barely making headway the Dai lost
way almost instantly and backed off from danger. Behind her the Bao did
likewise as its hydrophones tracked the Juliett and heard the brief flurry, knowing
what it must mean.
…all stop, helmsmen hold this position.”
He and the Exec studied the chart with Jie Huaiqing
close by.
“Well we knew they probably had one and indeed they
have, off our starboard quarter…” Li carefully marked the mines discovered by
the Mouse Roar sonar. Li suspected that going active with their main search
sonar would reveal a dense minefield and possibly one that also contained
magnetic proximity mines.
“Bring us slowly up to sixty feet…raise ECM.”
They remained there for ten minutes with the ECM
sensors listening to localised radio and microwave transmissions as well as
feeling for radar energy.
The ECM board warrant officer swivelled in his seat.
“Captain, four brief bursts of microwave
transmissions, all from landward and all digitally encrypted, otherwise the
board is clear, no radar energy seaward or landward at this time.”
Jie looked at the chronometer above the chart table;
it was set to Beijing time. He did a quick mental sum and smiled to himself.
“Exactly 7pm local time, five digitally encrypted
transmissions…” he muttered and then raised his voice enough to address the ECM
operator.
“Range and bearings?...I’ll bet the first and fifth
transmissions were from the same point inland and the other three are spread
out along the shore, back in the undergrowth somewhere?”
The two naval officers were watching him quizzically.
“Encrypted microwave transmissions of short duration,
that’ll be from man-portable battlefield radio sets.” He enlightened them. “Radio
checks on the hour to observation posts or patrols watching the beach.”
“Major?” responded ECM. “Approximate ranges only,
based on signal strength…” he rattled off four sets of ranges and bearings
which the captain marked on the chart.
“I think you were right Captain.” said the Exec. “If
he’d gone to my school I’d definitely have bullied the smug, swatty bastard.”
Jie grinned, and noted the approximated locations
whilst the captain stepped over to the periscopes.
“Raise ‘Search’.” It slid smoothly up and he grasped
the handles before pressing his face against the eye shield, switching to
lo-lite TV and swinging the device around through 360°, ‘Dancing with the Grey
lady’ as it is known, his hand cranking the prism elevation upwards as he
looked for aircraft as well as surface craft. After several revolutions he was
satisfied they were in no immediate danger and turned to study the land.
During their journey north along the Atlantic coast of
South America Li had noted the twinkling lights on the shores of the neutral
countries, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. In towns, cities and ports the lights blazed away, illuminating shipping to
landward of the Dai , silhouetting them against that carefree absence of
blackout regulations. It had been enough to make a grown predator weep, all
that tonnage there for the sinking but being unable to do so without
compromising the mission.
Here though, French Guiana was in total darkness, a
sinister dark mass on the horizon.
He took a step backwards.
“Down ‘scope, lower the ECM, come left to two zero zero …port motor back slow, starboard motor ahead slow…now
slow ahead together, helm amidships.”
Again they inched forward and Li stared hard at the
chart as if trying to divine whether the French had also mined the deep water
to seaward of the ancient volcano that Ile Diable and her two sisters sat atop
of.
“I assume we know that there isn’t
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