Vengeance

47 K-571 KRASNOYARSK

In the Persian Gulf, the Yasen-class submarine lurked just beneath the water’s surface as Captain Second Rank Gavriil Novikov’s crew manned Combat Stations. Hydroacoustic had detected the American carrier strike group shortly after it entered the Persian Gulf, and it was passing by to starboard now, just within range of Krasnoyarsk’s torpedoes. Novikov knew that the strike group had deployed an anti-submarine warfare helicopter screen; the rhythmic beat of the helicopter rotors on the water’s surface had been detected by Hydroacoustic. What Novikov didn’t yet know was — how far away were the torpedo-carrying helicopters?

Thus far, there had been no indication Krasnoyarsk had been detected. The strike group maneuvered at random intervals, a wise tactic in the vicinity of enemy submarines, but was still maintaining a northwesterly course. More indicative of whether Krasnoyarsk had been detected was the lack of attack by the helicopters. Instead, they continued their leapfrog searches, the aircraft in the rear retrieving its dipping sonar, then flying to the front and dropping its hydrophone back into the water. Once an initial search had been conducted, the next helicopter at the rear performed the same maneuver, leapfrogging over the other aircraft to the front of the line as the helicopters kept pace with the carrier strike group.

“Captain, Combat Stations are manned,” the submarine’s Watch Officer, Captain Lieutenant Petr Dolinski, reported, “with the exception of the Conning Officer.”

Novikov acknowledged Dolinski’s report, then announced, “This is the Captain. I have the Conn. Captain Lieutenant Dolinski retains the Watch. All stations, make preparations to proceed to periscope depth.”

After every station acknowledged, Novikov ordered, “Diving Officer, make your depth twenty meters.”

The Diving Officer acknowledged, and Krasnoyarsk tilted upward, rising toward periscope depth. Novikov had his face pressed to the attack periscope, the aft of the submarine’s two scopes. Despite the crowded Central Command Post, now at full manning, it was quiet while the submarine rose from the deep.

Shortly before the Diving Officer reported that the submarine had reached the ordered depth, Novikov announced, “Scope clear,” as the periscope pierced the water’s surface.

He started turning the scope swiftly, completing several sweeps in search of nearby ships. “No close contacts!”

Normally, conversation would have resumed in the Central Command Post once the hazardous ascent to periscope depth had been safely conducted, but they were in the vicinity of an American carrier strike group with its anti-submarine screen deployed. Plus, the strike group was likely accompanied by one or possibly two submarines.

Now that Novikov had confirmed that there was no threat of imminent collision or attack, he completed a more detailed visual scan, searching for the American ships and aircraft. To starboard, he spotted five gray specks on the horizon. Although Hydroacoustic could hear the anti-submarine helicopters, they were too small and distant to be seen, even with the periscope on high power.

Reaching up, he pressed the periscope Down button, retracting the scope back into its well. The American surface ships, and potentially the anti-submarine helicopters, were outfitted with periscope detection radars. Expose too much of the periscope or leave it up too long, and the radar algorithms would detect the static object protruding above the relatively calm surface of the Persian Gulf.

Now that Novikov had verified the American anti-submarine helicopters weren’t close enough to attack Krasnoyarsk, he examined the contact fusion plot. The five American surface ships were traveling close together, with the aircraft carrier in the middle and two escorts on each side. There were six anti-submarine helicopters aloft, three on each side of the carrier, but no aircraft ahead or behind. That meant that the carrier strike group indeed had a submarine escort, one in front and another trailing; the MH-60Rs would not be allowed into areas where friendly submarines were operating.

The tactical picture was clear. The question now was — attack with torpedoes or missiles?

Several years earlier, an American aircraft carrier — ironically, USS Theodore Roosevelt — had been attacked by a Russian submarine, which had launched its entire complement of twenty-four anti-ship missiles. The carrier had been seriously damaged and knocked out of service. But temporary repairs had been quickly made, returning the ship to action in time for the climactic battle in the Arabian Sea.

Novikov would not make that same mistake. He had only sixteen anti-ship missiles loaded, plus Theodore Roosevelt’s escorts would not be taken unaware, like they had before, with a surprise attack. Although Krasnoyarsk carried fewer missiles than the previous Russian assailant, it was loaded with forty wire-guided heavyweight torpedoes, and a single torpedo would send any surface combatant, aside from an aircraft carrier, to the bottom. A ship the size of their primary target, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, would be more difficult to sink, requiring two or more torpedoes to break its keel.

Complicating the attack was the engagement range. To avoid detection by the carrier strike group’s helicopters, Novikov had kept Krasnoyarsk at the very limit of the submarine’s Futlyar torpedoes. At this distance and against a closely packed group of ships, the Futlyar torpedoes could not be guided past the escorts to hit the aircraft carrier instead with certainty. Plus, Krasnoyarsk’s torpedoes, as they sped toward their targets, would be detected by the anti-submarine helicopters, and the surface ships would likely begin maneuvering before the torpedoes reached them. As a result, there was no guarantee that each torpedo would hit its designated target.

That, however, was a complication Novikov was happy to deal with. To get to the aircraft carrier, he’d likely have to sink its escort ships.

“Prepare to fire, Hydroacoustic two-five through two-nine, horizontal salvo, tubes One through Five. Tube One fired first.”

In preparation for today’s task, Novikov had loaded torpedoes in all ten of Krasnoyarsk’s tubes. If the tactical situation allowed, he’d send another five-torpedo salvo after the first one.

Captain Third Rank Anton Topolski, Novikov’s First Officer, stopped behind the two men seated at their fire control consoles. He tapped one michman on the shoulder. “Send solutions to Weapon Control.”

The michman complied, and Topolski announced, “Captain, all contacts remain steady on course. I have a firing solution.”

Krasnoyarsk’s Weapons Officer reported, “Ready to Fire, tubes One through Five.”

The Watch Officer followed. “Countermeasures are armed.”

Novikov gave the order. “Fire tubes One though Five!”

As each torpedo was impulsed from the submarine, Novikov felt the tremor in the deck, then his ears popped as all five tubes were vented, releasing the pressurized air that had shot the torpedoes from their tubes.

“Raising aft periscope,” he announced.

The attack periscope rose swiftly from its well, and Novikov pressed his right eye against the optics, searching for any sign that the torpedo launch had been detected. In the distance, the five surface ships remained on course. But that was not a surprise. It would take a moment for the American helicopters to detect the incoming torpedoes and inform the strike group’s Anti-Submarine Warfare commander, who would relay the information to each ship.

Novikov scanned the water’s surface, spotting the five faint torpedo trails. Soon, the helicopter crews would also see the trails and speed toward their source.

“Command Post, Hydroacoustic. Upshift in frequency, Hydroacoustic two-five through two-nine. All contacts are increasing speed and maneuvering.”

In the distance, Novikov spotted the American ships turning away from the torpedoes.

“All contacts are maneuvering, turning to starboard,” he said.

Novikov waited until the surface ships steadied on their new course, then did the mental calculation. “Weapons Officer. Send torpedo steer, sixty degrees right, to all torpedoes.”

The Weapons Officer sent the course correction, turning the torpedoes back onto an intercept course with the evading targets. Each torpedo had a built-in sonar, so the task was to simply steer the torpedo close enough to detect the target, and then its internal software would take over, guiding the weapon until it reached its target and detonated, or the torpedo ran out of fuel. Novikov had factored in a twenty-five-percent fuel reserve to allow the torpedoes to chase down their targets while receiving new steering commands, which Novikov would send as long as Krasnoyarsk could remain at periscope depth and the American surface ships remained within visual range.

Novikov shifted back to an air search, spotting three small specks growing quickly larger. The American anti-submarine warfare helicopters were streaking toward Krasnoyarsk, either due to spotting the torpedo trails or detecting its periscope.

At this point, Novikov would normally have gone deep and attempted to evade the helicopters and their air-dropped torpedoes. But he wanted to remain at periscope depth, sending additional steer commands to his torpedoes as the American warships maneuvered.

“Raise radar mast and radiate,” he ordered.

The Watch Officer complied and the mast popped above the water’s surface, then began searching for contacts.

Krasnoyarsk’s presence and location were now being blatantly broadcast, lighting up radar detectors on the American surface ships and helicopters. But that was okay. The Americans knew an enemy submarine was nearby, and the helicopters were heading straight for it. However, Krasnoyarsk was safe for the moment, inside the minimum attack range of the U.S. Navy’s Vertical-Launch ASROC — a torpedo atop a rocket — and the torpedoes carried by the helicopters were simply dropped, which meant the American helicopters would have to approach to within a few hundred yards of their target.

Perfect.

Krasnoyarsk was an improved Yasen-class guided missile submarine, and in addition to sixteen anti-surface missiles, it also carried twenty-four anti-air missiles on this deployment.

Novikov glanced at the radar display, then announced, “Set radar contact zero-one, zero-two, and zero-three as the targets of interest. Prepare to Fire, three missiles.”

The Missile Officer acknowledged and prepared to launch three of Krasnoyarsk’s Pantsir-M short-range anti-air missiles.

“All three missiles are energized,” reported a watchstander seated at one of the fire control consoles. He soon followed up with, “Anti-air missiles starboard One-one, One-two, and One-three have accepted targeting.”

Novikov initiated the next step. “Open starboard missile hatch One.”

“Missile hatch One is open,” the Missile Officer reported. “Ready to Fire.”

Novikov surveyed the approaching helicopters — they were almost within range of their air-dropped torpedoes — then gave the order, launching three of the four missiles housed in vertical launch tube One.

“Fire.”

The three missiles were launched from the submarine, streaking upward and then veering toward their targets. The helicopter crews realized their peril and began evasive maneuvers, launching chaff and infrared flares, but the missiles were only seconds away from their targets when launched and only the farthest of the three helicopters was able to evade the incoming weapon. The other two missiles ignored the flares and plowed through the chaff, detonating after slamming into the helicopters. Two fireballs of twisted metal plummeted into the ocean.

The third missile missed, but the Pantsir-M radar system guided it back toward its target. The missile veered into a sharp turn, lining back onto an intercept path with the helicopter. Seconds later, a third fireball fell from the sky.

With Krasnoyarsk no longer threatened, Novikov refocused on the surface warships. They were shrinking into the distance, and Novikov figured he’d be able to send one more steer command to his torpedoes before the ships were beyond visual range.

After surveying the trajectory of the fleeing ships, Novikov ordered, “Weapons Officer. Insert steer, thirty degrees right, all torpedoes.”

The Weapons Officer sent the commands as Novikov lowered the periscope.

“Diving Officer, make your depth fifty meters. Steersman, right full rudder, steady course zero-four-zero. Ahead flank.”

The American warships were on the run. But they would not get away.