Blackmail

25 USS MICHIGAN

Two hours later, Wilson entered Michigan’s Battle Management Center, located aft of the Control Room. The former Navigation Center had been transformed during Michigan’s conversion from ballistic to guided missile submarine, and was now crammed with twenty-five consoles, each with two color displays, one atop the other. Thirteen consoles were on the port side of the ship, running fore to aft with an aisle between them, while the other twelve consoles were on the starboard side, arranged in four rows facing aft. Mounted on the aft bulkhead were two sixty-inch plasma screens, with a third sixty-inch display on the forward bulkhead.

Six Michigan crew members and five SEALs were already present, occupying consoles on the starboard side: Michigan’s Executive Officer, four department heads, and Lieutenant Jayne Stucker, along with Commander McNeil and four other SEALs. At the front of the Battle Management Center, Lieutenant Jake Harrison stood beside one of the sixty-inch plasma displays hanging on the bulkhead. Wilson settled into the lone vacant console, beside McNeil, and the senior SEAL nodded in Harrison’s direction.

Lieutenant Harrison kicked off the mission brief, beginning with a summary of the information provided in Michigan’s message.

“As you’re aware, Michigan has been tasked with sinking the Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov, which is docked in Latakia. The Navigator will brief the submarine’s transit to within range of our SDV, Lieutenant Stucker will brief us on the target, and I’ll add the pertinent mission details.”

First up was the submarine’s Navigator, Lieutenant Charlie Eaton, with Lieutenant Stucker controlling the bulkhead display from her console. A nautical chart of the Eastern Mediterranean appeared, zooming in on Latakia. Lieutenant Eaton’s brief was short and uneventful: Latakia jutted slightly into the Mediterranean Sea, with no geographic issues posing a problem during the submarine’s transit to within launch range of the SDV. Eaton shifted to a satellite image of Latakia, showing the arrangement of the piers and wharves at the seaport, as well as the location of Marshal Ustinov.

Next up was Lieutenant Jayne Stucker, who had been assigned the pro report on Marshal Ustinov. A schematic of the Russian ship appeared on the bulkhead display beside her.

“The target is Marshal Ustinov, a Slava class cruiser. Three have been completed, with one assigned to each Russian fleet except the Baltic. She’s heavily armed, carrying sixteen surface-to-surface and one hundred four surface-to-air missiles, along with six close-in weapon systems like our Navy’s Phalanx Gatling gun. The cruiser also has significant anti-submarine warfare capabilities, with one hundred ninety-two depth charges, an anti-submarine helicopter, and ten torpedo tubes capable of launching Type 53 torpedoes.

“Marshal Ustinov should be easy to distinguish underwater. She’s six hundred eleven feet long at the waterline, with a twin shaft/single rudder design, and the bulbous sonar dome on the bow will easily distinguish it as a combatant as opposed to a merchant ship. Additionally, she’ll have her hull number painted on the side.

“Any questions, sir?” Stucker aimed her question at Captain Wilson and Commander McNeil. None were forthcoming, and Stucker took her seat while Lieutenant Harrison continued the brief.

“Michigan is configured differently for this deployment, carrying only one SDV. However, one SDV is sufficient for this mission. Once within launch range, Petty Officer Maydwell and I will transport a limpet mine in the back seat of the SDV, then attach it to the hull of Marshal Ustinov behind the sonar array. The explosion should damage the sonar dome and flood the forward compartments.”

After a few questions and a short discussion, the mission brief concluded.

McNeil asked, “When will Michigan be in position?”

Wilson turned to the Nav, who replied, “We’ll be in launch range by zero-two-hundred.”