Vengeance

54 USS MICHIGAN

In the submarine’s quiet Control Room, Captain Murray Wilson stood on the Conn between the two lowered periscopes, his eyes surveying the various sonar and combat control displays as Michigan headed toward the Strait of Hormuz. Following the Russian attack on the Theodore Roosevelt strike group, Michigan had received two new orders. The first had directed Michigan to protect the strike group’s northern side as they sprinted away from danger. However, that order had been short-lived, since the former ballistic missile submarine couldn’t match the speed of the evading aircraft carrier and its remaining surface ship escorts. Even with Michigan at ahead flank, the surface ships had steadily pulled away.

A second order had subsequently been received, sending Michigan southeast. Now, an hour after the northeastern turn at the bottom of the gulf, Wilson’s crew was approaching its destination — the minefield stretching across the Strait of Hormuz. Although Michigan’s slower speed had been a handicap earlier, the guided missile submarine’s new capabilities might now come in handy. It would take over a week for mine-clearing assets capable of dealing with the deeper mines to arrive at the strait. In the meantime, Wilson had been ordered to devise a way to utilize the SEAL detachment and their equipment aboard to clear a path through the minefield.

Wilson glanced at the navigation display; Michigan was fifteen nautical miles from the strait, still traveling at ahead full, with the turbulent water flowing past the hydrophones blunting the detection range of the submarine’s sensors.

“Slow to ahead two-thirds,” Wilson ordered Lieutenant Brian Resor, the Officer of the Deck.

Resor relayed the order to the Helm, slowing the ship to ten knots. He followed up, “Sonar, Conn. Report all contacts.”

Two minutes later, after shifting their equipment lineup to take advantage of the longer detection range of the submarine’s sensors at the slower speed, Sonar reported, “Hold a new contact on the towed array, designated Sierra eight-five, ambiguous bearings zero-zero-five and zero-nine-five.”

With the towed array being a single string of cylindrical hydrophones, the sonar algorithms couldn’t determine which side of the array the sound had been received on. A maneuver would be required to determine whether the contact was to the north or east. More important, however, was the contact’s classification — surface ship or submarine. Sonar quickly completed its initial assessment.

“Conn, Sonar. Sierra eight-five is classified submerged. Analyzing.”

No other American or NATO submarines were authorized in Michigan’s new operating area, which meant Sierra eight-five wasn’t friendly.

Wilson turned to his Officer of the Deck. “Man Battle Stations Torpedo silently.”