Blackmail

24 USS MICHIGAN

Lieutenant Chris Shroyer kept his eye pressed to the periscope as Israel’s coast slid by to starboard, searching for surface ships on the horizon or for approaching air contacts. Shroyer, as well as Murray Wilson, who was seated in the Captain’s chair on the Conn, listened intently to the speaker connected to the sensor atop the periscope as it emitted a constant buzz of activity, the beeps and chirps reporting a plethora of radar transmissions. Fortunately, none had threat parameters; all were navigation radars from merchant ships transiting the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Yesterday afternoon, Michigan completed an uneventful journey through the Suez Canal and headed toward the northeast corner of the Mediterranean, submerging as soon as the water was deep enough. Before submerging, the last intelligence message they’d received reported that several Russian surface combatants and diesel submarines had pulled into Latakia, Syria, to replenish food and fuel, while the battle cruiser Pyotr Velikiy and the Northern Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarines remained at sea with their aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. The Russian carrier and battle cruiser were to the west of Michigan’s assigned waterspace, although there was no telling where the Russian submarines were.

A satellite navigation position for Michigan’s inertial navigators had already been received, and the radioman’s report indicated their objectives at periscope depth had been achieved.

“Conn, Radio. Download complete.”

Lieutenant Shroyer acknowledged and after the requisite orders, Michigan tilted downward. As the submarine leveled off at two hundred feet, a radioman delivered the message board to the submarine’s Captain. Wilson flipped through the messages, reading the latest intel report on the Russian Northern Fleet, followed by a new operational order for Michigan. As he read through the OPORD, he noted the unusual nature of the mission, as well as the target: Marshal Ustinov, the newest cruiser in the Russian Northern Fleet.

Wilson called the Messenger. “Have Commander McNeil and the XO report to Control.”

The Messenger departed and a moment later, Michigan’s Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Dave Beasley, arrived. Wilson handed Beasley the message board, with the OPORD on top. After he read the message, Beasley looked up. “Marshal Ustinov? In port?”

Wilson nodded and was about to expound when Commander John McNeil, head of the SEAL detachment aboard, arrived. Beasley handed him the message, which McNeil quickly read.

“When can you be in position?” McNeil asked. “We’ll need to be in range of our SDV.”

Wilson evaluated the time required to transit within range of the SEALs’ mini-sub. “We’ll arrive shortly after midnight. When will you be ready to brief?”

McNeil replied, “It’s a pretty standard mission. Give me two hours to have the plan tweaked for this scenario and personnel selected for the mission.”

“Let’s brief at zero-nine-hundred,” Wilson said, “in the Battle Management Center.”

Turning to his XO, he directed, “Have one of the officers prepare a pro report on Marshal Ustinov.”