Blackmail

75 ARABIAN SEA

The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter slowed to a hover and lowered its dipping sonar into the ocean again. Minutes earlier, the Sensor Operator in the cabin had detected two explosions in Alpha-eight, one of the submarine operating areas to the north, and Lieutenant Leo Falardeau, seated beside his Tactical Mission Officer, had repositioned his helicopter to the center of Bravo-eight. Unlike the Alpha operating areas, which were patrolled by submarines, the Bravo areas were monitored by MH-60R anti-submarine warfare helicopters. The MH-60Rs were the newest and most capable ASW helicopters in the American arsenal, equipped with an advanced sensor suite and three lightweight torpedoes. In Falardeau’s case, three new MK 54s.

Lieutenant Falardeau was joined by another MH-60R, also patrolling Bravo-eight, dropping its dipping sonar into the ocean. As the sensor descended through the water, it approached the thermocline, a layer of water where the temperature changed rapidly and reacted with sound, like light reflecting off a window. Depending on the frequency and angle of the sound wave, some tonals couldn’t make it through, bending back toward the bottom or up toward the surface. Ideally, the sensor would be placed on whatever side of the thermocline the enemy submarine was operating in. Falardeau’s Sensor Operator let his dipping sonar pass through the thermocline, while the MH-60R beside them kept its sensor above.

Falardeau’s dipping sonar was brought back on-line, and not long thereafter, the Sensor Operator reported a third explosion in the direction of Alpha-eight. Whether it was an American or Russian submarine being hit, he didn’t know. However, with only one American submarine in the area and three explosions, he knew at least two Russian subs had gone to the bottom.

The MH-60R hovered sixty feet above the water as Falardeau’s Sensor Operator searched Bravo-eight. As long as there were no detections in the Bravo areas, life was good. The American submarines were constrained to the Alpha areas and wouldn’t venture into the Bravos, since the MH-60Rs were Weapons Free. Anything detected in the Bravo areas would be attacked.

The voice of Falardeau’s Sensor Operator crackled in his headset. “Gained a new contact, designated Sierra one, bearing three-three-five.”

They held only a bearing and no range, and as Falardeau hoped it was just a strong tonal from the American submarine in Alpha-eight, his Sensor Operator reported, “Sierra one is classified Akula II.”

This was bad news, at least for the crew of the American submarine in Alpha-eight. The third explosion had sent it to the bottom, and now a Russian submarine had leaked into Bravo-eight. Where there was one, there would undoubtedly be more, but first things first.

The Sensor Operator retrieved the dipping sonar, and Falardeau repositioned his MH-60R so they could calculate the Russian submarine’s position, course, and speed. It wasn’t long before the sonar dipped beneath the thermocline again and the Sensor Operator reported, “I have a firing solution.”

Falardeau ordered his Tactical Mission Officer to engage Sierra one. The TMO selected the proper presets on his panel: depth, search pattern, and other attributes, although almost any would do. All they had to do was place the lightweight torpedo reasonably close to the Russian submarine and the MK 54 would do the rest.

After retrieving the dipping sonar again, Falardeau repositioned his MH-60R just ahead of the Russian submarine, while his TMO sent presets to the middle MK 54 strapped beneath the helicopter. Satisfied that the torpedo was properly preset and they were close enough to the target, the TMO released the lightweight torpedo. As it fell toward the ocean, the torpedo’s small parachute deployed, which slowed the weapon slightly and adjusted its angle as it fell, so that it slipped nose first into the water, where it disappeared from sight.

Unlike heavyweight torpedoes, lightweight torpedoes had no guidance wire attached, so the initial presets would have to do. The Sensor Operator monitored the engine tonals and the active transmissions from the sonar in the MK 54’s nose. The engine lit off and the torpedo went active immediately, beginning its search. They had dropped the MK 54 almost directly on top of the Russian submarine, so it wasn’t a surprise when the Sensor Operator reported the torpedo was homing less than twenty seconds after it hit the water. Engine speed increased, while the interval between pings decreased. With only a few hundred feet to travel, the torpedo exploded shortly thereafter.

Falardeau waited for the Sensor Operator to report breakup noises, verifying the submarine was headed to the bottom, although that likely wasn’t the case. Most Russian submarines, unlike American ones, were double-hulled, with the outer hull several meters from the inner pressure hull. Lightweight torpedoes had a difficult time punching through both hulls, and while one hit would likely result in a mission kill, one could never be certain.

The other MH-60R dropped a MK 54 into the water while Falardeau’s Tactical Mission Officer readied another one from their helicopter. Both torpedoes slipped into the water and two more explosions followed. After the third explosion, Falardeau’s Sensor Operator reported breakup noises. They’d punctured the pressure hull in at least two compartments, and the submarine was descending past Crush Depth.