Don Stroh and Murdock talked about the new assignment all the way to the dirty shirt mess, where Murdock had a steak dinner.
"You say this frigate is the largest and most powerful Navy ship that the North has. Why don't you just put an F-18 on it and blow it out of the water with a missile?"
"Because we can't find it when we want to. For instance, the first morning of the war at four-thirty a.m., the frigate showed up three miles off Inchon Harbor and shelled it for fifteen minutes. Then before it was light, it vanished back north into some of the many inlets and harbors up there."
"The whole U.S. Navy can't take care of one little frigate with what, a hundred and eighty men that's about three hundred and forty feet long? I don't believe it."
"True. Second day it did the same thing, and just after dark today it shelled the harbor and the city, then slammed out of there at twenty-four knots and we never laid a hand on her. But we know where she hides out."
"You didn't find her with all the air the Navy has during daylight hours?"
"She vanishes. Now we know why. The Caves of Ponhyon."
"The what? Caves? You telling me she slips into a cave during the day? That's an awfully big cave."
"Short of blasting down the whole damn mountain, there's no way we can get her in the cave. Except…"
"Except by the SEALs. Good choice. How do we get in there and get out?"
"You tell me. The admiral wants this one. He doesn't like to get slapped in the face by a little frigate."
"Yeah, I understand that. Let me sleep on it. We can't do anything until tomorrow night. We could meet her leaving the cave, in the cave, or coming back to the cave."
"Give it your best shot. The admiral's really pissed about this one."
It took Murdock a half hour to get to sleep that night. He kept going over the ways they could get to the ship, how they would blow it or disable her, how to get away. It would be wet, that was the best part. A real SEAL-type job for a change. When he drifted off to sleep, he was imagining the long hull of the ship edging out of the largest cave he'd ever seen.
The next morning in the SEALs' ready room, Jaybird and Ed DeWitt were delighted with the idea. By 0830 they had the details.
"Yeah, this will give us something to get our teeth into," Jaybird said.
"Good," the JG said. "I was wondering if I remembered how to swim. How do we go in?"
They worried it.
"Why not an RIB dropped off a destroyer out about ten miles from the target," Jaybird said. "We can get that middle sized one that does twenty-five knots. It's got plenty of range."
"They can carry nine," Ed said. "Do we take two of them and both squads, or just one?"
"Both squads," Murdock said. "We might need the firepower. These NKs get trigger-happy sometimes." "So we would take two of the RIBs," Ed said. "We have them in Coronado. Are there any in the fleet?"
"Get on the horn and find out, Ed. One of the amphibious ships could have some."
Ed left the small table and moved to a phone.
The rest of the SEALs were cleaning weapons, restocking ammo pouches, and repairing anything that had worn out or been broken. Murdock called them around and told them about the new mission.
"Just one little old frigate?" Douglas asked.
"Hell, Douglas can take care of that himself," Fernandez said. "He can piss it to death easy."
Murdock watched the exchange. He didn't like the tone, or the way Fernandez stared at the other SEAL.
"She hides out during the day, so it'll be a night run," Murdock said. "Maybe early, maybe late, we're not sure." As he spoke, he moved to disrupt the war of stares between the two SEALs. He'd have to ask Ed again about the problem. "How we go in there, all depends on what kind of transport they have in the fleet."
"We could go in on our IBS," Lampedusa said.
"Maybe, let's talk about it," Murdock said. "There are some islands and outposts up there where we might get in trouble. A faster boat might be better if we can wrangle it. Talk to me."
"Hell, we know the IBS," Jaybird said. "We know them inside out. The bigger boat can go faster, but it makes a hell of a racket."
"Have to throttle down when we get in close," Quinley said. "We'd want to swim in the last mile or so anyway."
"Hell we can carry a lot more stuff in the bigger boat," Ron Holt said. "We'll want some limpets or some such to put that sucker in the bottom of that cave, or the channel. I'd vote for the new ten-meter-class RIB. It's got Furno 1730 radar and GPS. Get us in and wait for us and snake us out of there."
They talked it over for another half hour, laying out the tools they'd want to take in, the explosives, the limpet mines, TNAZ as well, and the personal weapons. Murdock had the whole picture by 1000. Ed came back from a trip to see some supply officer and at last had a report.
"The amphib Boxer LHD4 has four of the RIBs. They're the new ten-meter class, which the XO over there said should work fine. He can have one or two of them here for us within two hours of our call."
"Good, let's you and me go see Stroh and then the XO. Looks like we might have a handle on how to do this one."
The XO was Captain Barney Waterton, former CAG and former Wing Leader and F-14 pilot. He grinned at Murdock.
"Damn, we're in the thick of it here, making more combat sorties than anything since the Gulf War. We're geared up to the max on close ground support and rear-area strikes, and still you SEALs can make the admiral jump. Amazing."
Murdock smiled. "Captain, I understand the feeling. But our boss just slightly outranks everyone on board. Of course this one is for Admiral Kenner. His request."
"Roger that, Commander. Well, your outline looks fine to me. I'll order the two RIBs over here now and you can check them out. They come with a crew of three, but you can cut that to two if you want to. You have all the ordnance you need?"
"Check that out this afternoon, Captain. Your powder room should be able to supply us with plenty. We can go with TNAZ if nothing else."
"You want to swim in the last mile?"
"I understand the NKs don't have much coastal radar, and what they have probably won't pick up the RIBs. A mile swim is a walk around the block for us, sir."
"Right. When will you push off?"
"Captain, I figured with the ride on the destroyer for forty miles north, we'd need to allow an hour and a half. We've decided to hit the cave just at dark, before the frigate can get out of its nest. Dark comes about 1800. We'll need fifteen minutes to move the last nine miles in the RIB, and then a half hour for the swim to shore."
Ed had been adding up the times where he sat beside Murdock. He showed Murdock the figure.
"So, about two and a quarter hours for insertion. We'd need to leave here at 1530 to make our time sked. We don't mind being a few minutes early."
"Sounds reasonable. I've assigned the destroyer Cole DDG 67 for your transport. We'll lift your men and the two RIBs over to the Cole by helo. No sweat there. Have your men on deck at 1520 and we'll take care of the rest. Anything else?"
"Crews on the RIBs. Keep all three men on board. We'll only have fifteen SEALs."
Murdock and DeWitt stood.
"Thanks, Captain. We'll try to get this NK frigate out of your hair."
After noon chow, Murdock told Jaybird to put the men down for a rest period. They had their personal gear ready, regular loads of ammo, and room for explosives and mines. Murdock and Jaybird went to the ordnance officer and laid out their plans.
Lieutenant Commander Morton smiled when they told him their mission.
"Yeah, more like it," he growled. "What the hell would do the best job the quickest? A frigate, you say. That's about three hundred feet long. Blow her stern off, she'd sink like a bulldozer in heat. We've got some new limpets that really pack a wallop. Only trouble is they weigh about fifty pounds each."
"Flotation collars?" Jaybird asked.
"Yeah, make them neutral buoyancy," the commander said, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah, we've got some of those. Want four of them beauties? If you can get them going off within twenty seconds of each other, they should just about tear that old frigate to pieces. What is she, an old Russian tub?"
"My guess," Murdock said.
They picked out the flotation devices, made sure they would hold the big limpets, then asked the commander to have them on the flight deck in half an hour. Murdock left Jaybird to shepherd the mines upstairs and to make sure where they were when the SEALs arrived later.
By 1430 Murdock had his platoon moving up the ladders toward the flight deck.
Topside, they found the two RIBs and the limpet mines with their flotation gear. The SEALs brought ten pounds of the TNAZ and timer/detonators.
A destroyer steamed alongside the carrier a quarter of a mile off. A flight deck officer checked with Murdock, and shortly two Sea Knights rolled on scene. One rigged the two RIBs on slings, and lifted away with the cargo. The limpets and their flotation collars and the SEALs loaded into the second chopper, and it took off chasing the first one.
Two hours later, Murdock and his SEALs hunkered down in the sleek ten-meter RIBs as they motored at five miles an hour toward the just-visible North Korean shore through the dusk. They were twenty minutes behind schedule, but it wasn't the SEALs' fault. There had been a small mix-up by the destroyer on its speed to the ten-mile-limit line.
Close enough. Just so the raider didn't slip out of the cave before they got there. All they needed were three or four minutes in the water under the ship. Then five minutes more to get out of the immediate vicinity so the underwater concussion didn't knock them unconscious like a school of flopping fish.
Murdock checked his watch. It was 1750 and they were nearing the mile mark. In a half hour it would be dark. The seals wore full black neoprene wet suits, caps, boots, and gloves. The neoprene traps water inside the suit, which is warmed by the body to help insulate the diver. Each man had a face mask and LAR V Draeger rebreather unit, which allowed the reuse of oxygen and emitted no telltale bubble line to give away the diver.
They had the insulated jungle boots and flippers ready in hand to slip on just before diving. Each SEAL had his individual weapons strapped to his back. This time they didn't bring the heavy .50-caliber sniper rifle.
"We about there?" Ed DeWitt asked Murdock on the Motorola. The rest of the men had already put their personal radios away in waterproof pouches on their combat vests.
"Looks like it," Murdock said. "You ready for a swim?" Both the motors cut off and the sleek RIB boats coasted to a stop. The men were paired and tied together with buddy cords, eight to ten feet of thin nylon line to help them stay together. The line also was a good communication tool underwater.
By pairs, the SEALs went overboard. They swam down fifteen feet, leveled out, and moved toward the coast. Murdock had the attack board, a piece of molded plastic with two hand grips and a bubble compass in the center. It also held a depth gauge and a Cyalume ch emical tube to twist to turn on and regulate the amount of light needed to read the instruments. Murdock moved until he had the right compass heading, and stroked out underwater at the normal rate of travel.
Each man in the platoon knew exactly how many strokes it took him to swim underwater a half mile. They had practiced it so much it came as second nature. They were totally at home in the water.
Murdock watched Holt, who shepherded one of the fifty pound limpet mines on its zero-buoyancy collar. It slowed Holt, just as Murdock figured the big mines would be slowing the other three teams that were responsible for the limpets.
Murdock slowed his stroke to match Holt's.
After a quarter of a mile he tugged on the buddy line and took over the mine, giving the attack board to Holt. The problem was more one of bulk than weight, but still, the blunt collar had to be pushed through the water.
At the half-mile point, they traded off again.
Murdock expected no guards, sentries, or even patrol boats in this area. The South had taken no offensive action against the North's Navy, so they would be snug and feel secure.
Less than a half a mile from the shore, Murdock heard an engine sound coming at them fast. He gave three quick jerks on the buddy cord and he and Ron Holt moved upward to sneak a peak.
Murdock's face came out of the water only enough so he could see. To the left he spotted the boat, one of the larger patrol craft that North Korea had. Their Navy was miniscule. The frigate they were going for tonight was the largest boat in the NK fleet.
As Murdock watched, the patrol craft continued on its way toward shore. This could have been the farthest it ventured off the home country. Murdock concentrated on the landfall. From there they would parallel the shore for about one more klick; then the town and the caves should show.
Murdock didn't worry about losing any of his platoon. Ed DeWitt had an attack board as well. By previous arrangement the swimmers began to surface after every half mile. Murdock counted his four teams, which came up within twenty yards. He saw DeWitt break out of the water and wave.
He had his six men. All accounted for.
Murdock swam over to Ed.
"Another klick or so along this point of land and we should have it. Any trouble with the mines?" DeWitt shook his head. "Good, stay alert."
Murdock put the mouthpiece from the rebreather back in his mouth and kicked underwater.
They surfaced the next time at the edge of the small inlet. It was about a hundred feet wide, and ended with a huge cliff and the darkness of what must be the cave. The inlet grew larger as they worked slowly into the tiny port. They surfaced for a moment, took their bearings, and saw the gaping black hole in the side of the mountain that came down to the water's edge.
At this point the swimmers stayed just below the surface, and Lampedusa and Jack Mahanani swam forward on a scouting mission. They couldn't go in blind. Were there surface guards? Were there divers in the water? How about a closing gate across the cave or a net of some kind? All were questions that needed answering.
When the scouts didn't come back after five minutes, Murdock waved his platoon to shore, where they rested sitting on rocks under a half-completed dock.
Lam tracked them down five minutes later. He came out of the water and nodded.
"Oh, yeah, she's there. Big and ugly. No gate in front of the bow. No net. Four guards we could see along the dock on each side. Her mast barely clears the top of the cave, which looks like it was chipped away to make room.
"Doesn't seem to be much activity, not like they were ready to get under way any time soon."
"Bow or stern for the mines?" Murdock asked. "Oh, the bow. They backed her in, so she can come out quickly. But if we drop the bow into the mud, they won't be able to drag her out of there. It'll be like a big long grave for her."
"Let's do it."
Eight men moved out at once, two to each of the four large limpet mines. The teams swam forward and worked underwater down the bow of the 335-foot-long frigate. They moved fifty feet along the side and stopped. The big mines were edged away from their flotation gear enough so they could be gently attached by their magnetic backings to the steel hull of the ship. Each set of two mines was ten feet under the waterline and three feet apart.
When the mines were in place, one of the sappers swam to the front of the hull. A SEAL from the other side was there waiting. They signaled that they should set the timers. The men swam back to the mines on both sides, set the timers for three minutes, activated them, and swam quickly away toward the mouth of the huge cave. Once free of the cave, they stroked faster toward the half-completed pier, which was two hundred yards from the ship. They came to the pier and surfaced quietly.
Lampedusa nodded at Murdock. The mines were in place and the detonator/timers started.
All the SEALs had their heads out of the water. To be this close to a heavy blast such as was coming could damage or kill a diver with his head underwater.
"About now," Mahanani whispered.
The words were barely spoken when a rumble filled the air around them, then a muted roar, and a wave of water two feet tall rushed toward them. Almost at once, two more blasts went off underwater in the cave, which brought another surge of sound and racing water.
They could see the dark outline of the big ship, and watched as it tilted and then sank heavily forward to the bottom of the inside of the cave.
"How deep is it?" Murdock asked.
"Maybe twenty feet," Mahanani said. "Her deck won't be in water, but she sure as hell ain't going nowhere." Sirens wailed. Lights flashed inside the tunnel. Murdock took a moment to watch the chaos they had started. More lights flashed; then the entire cave blazed with lights. The bow of the frigate had nosed deep into the water. Her deck slanted twenty degrees forward.
More sirens flashed. Truckloads of troops arrived at the front of the cave and in the lights, Murdock could see the soldiers start to work along the side of the inlet.
"Moving time," Murdock said. The SEALs slid into the water, gripped the rebreather mouthpieces, and swam under the surface to their comfortable fifteen feet. Murdock looked upward, and through the water could see bright flares. He checked again a few minutes later, and saw more flares. But no gunfire sounded or showed below the surface. The SEALs swam forward using their regular strokes to eat up the ocean between them and their pickup boat.
After stroking a half mile, the SEALs surfaced. They were still close to the point of land that extended south from the cave. Murdock counted his men; then Ed DeWitt came to the top of the Yellow Sea and indicated he had all of his men.
Behind them they could still see flashing lights and flares that went off high in the sky and floated down on parachutes. Far off they heard gunfire. None of the rounds came their way.
"Let's go a mile on the same compass heading before we surface this time," Murdock said. The men nodded and dove below the water, where many of them felt more at home than above, or on some enemy land mass.
When they surfaced the third time, Murdock knew they were in the approximate area where they had been dropped off. He couldn't see any boat, but the RIBs were small and painted black, which made them harder than ever to see.
They waited.
Far behind them, Murdock heard a growling sound of an engine.
"Patrol craft," Lampedusa said. Soon they saw a searchlight sweeping the ocean in front of the craft as it came closer.
"Could be one of their large patrol crafts," Ed DeWitt said from nearby. "They have a batch of them. Some are a hundred and forty feet long with one three-inch gun and some thirty seven millimeter guns and MGs. These guys could give us a bad time. Only good thing is they can't do over eighteen to nineteen knots."
"That's a lot of help," Jaybird said. "Where the hell is our RIB?"
"These patrol craft have radar?" Murdock asked.
"Far as I know they have surface-search only. Something called the Skin Head with an I-band. Whatever the hell that means."
"It means we're gonna have company in about five minutes," Murdock said. "Check your buddy lines. When he comes this way we go down to twenty feet and wait. We don't want anybody getting chewed up by a propeller."
"We don't even have the SATCOM," Holt said. "Why didn't we bring it, Cap?"
"Piece of cake like this, we didn't need it. Up to now, that is."
Ron Holt growled and got ready to dive. After this, wherever he went the fucking SATCOM was on his back.
"Here he comes," Murdock said. "Let's go down deep and hold."
The SEALs dove into the Yellow Sea as the North Korean Chodo-class patrol craft raced toward them.