Ice Station Nautilus by Rick Campbell Page B

the Dive called out the submarine’s depth in ten-foot increments, and Lake gradually rotated her left wrist forward, tilting the scope optics down toward the horizon. As the Dive called out eight-zero feet, the scope broke the surface of the water and Lake circled with the periscope, searching for nearby contacts. After several revolutions, she announced, “No close contacts.”
    Conversation in Control resumed, and Radio reported over the 27-MC, “Conn, Radio. Download in progress.” The Quartermaster followed with, “GPS fix received.”
    Lake acknowledged the reports, and a moment later, Radio reported Michigan had received the latest round of Naval messages. “Conn, Radio. Download complete.”
    With both objectives completed, Lake called out, “All stations, Conn. Going deep. Helm, ahead two-thirds. Dive, make your depth two hundred feet.”
    Each station acknowledged and Michigan tilted downward, leaving periscope depth behind. “Scope’s under,” Lake announced, then turned the periscope until it looked forward. She snapped the handles back to their folded positions, then reached up and rotated the periscope ring counterclockwise, lowering the scope into its well.
    As Michigan leveled off at two hundred feet, a radioman entered Control, delivering the message clipboard. Wilson reviewed the messages, studying one in particular. They had received new orders.
    He was surprised Michigan had been selected. But after reviewing the locations of the other three SSGNs—USS Florida was in the Persian Gulf, and Ohio and Georgia were in standard maintenance periods—he realized they were the closest submarine with SEALs and Navy divers. He would need to brief the crew on Michigan ’s new task, and have the Navigator prepare the charts and plot a course through the Bering Strait.
    Wilson turned to Lieutenant Lake. “Come down to five hundred feet, course north. Increase speed to ahead flank.”

 
    21
    MOSCOW
    With the morning sun streaming through tall Palladian windows behind him, President Yuri Kalinin looked across his desk at his minister of defense, Boris Chernov.
    “Mr. President,” Chernov began, “an American submarine has sunk in the Barents Sea, somewhere beneath the polar ice cap.”
    “Have they requested our assistance?” Kalinin asked.
    “No, Mr. President. The United States is mobilizing their rescue assets.”
    “Is there some way we can assist?”
    “We do not believe so. The Americans have a robust rescue system, which can be quickly transported where they need it.”
    “If we have not been asked for assistance and cannot provide any, then why the urgent meeting?”
    “There is a … wrinkle in the situation,” Chernov replied. “ Yury Dolgoruky departed on patrol five days ago. American submarines deploy to the Barents to trail ours, and there is no target more desirable than Dolgoruky . It is not unreasonable to assume the Americans were trailing her, and if that is the case, there is the possibility the two submarines collided.”
    “Do we have any indications they collided?”
    “No, Mr. President, but unless Dolgoruky reports in, we cannot be sure. That is why I am here, to request permission to order Dolgoruky to break radio silence.”
    Before Kalinin could respond, his phone rang. His executive assistant would not interrupt a meeting with his defense minister unless it was important.
    “What is it?” Kalinin said as he answered the phone.
    “The American president is on another line. He wishes to speak to you.”
    Kalinin glanced at Chernov as he raised an eyebrow. “Put him through.”
    The American president offered a perfunctory greeting, then got straight to the point. An American submarine had gone down under the polar ice cap. He offered what little he knew, then addressed the sensitive issue.
    “We believe our submarine trailed Yury Dolgoruky under the ice, and the two submarines may have collided.”
    Kalinin eyed his defense minister as he replied, “I am