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Authors: William H. Lovejoy
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aren’t up to heavy-lift.”
“That concurs with what I’ve heard from various sources,” Hampstead said. “If the rocket is located, it will likely require some heavy-duty equipment.”
“All right,” the President said, “If we find this thing, how do we get it up?”
“The Navy has a tethered robot good for twenty thousand feet,” Delecourt said. “It’s in England, now, but we can get it on board a plane. We can operate it off the Bartlett , but I’m going to have to check on the availability of cable”
“Okay, Ben, let’s get started on something. Deploy the two ships from Hawaii and arrange the transport for the robot. What about submarines?”
“They can’t achieve the depths, Mr. President,” Hampstead said.
“But they could aid in the search?”
“Possibly.”
“We can’t reach the ballistic missile subs,” the CNO said.
Hampstead knew the big missile-carrying submarines patrolled assigned sectors of the sea, hidden even from their commands, and did not respond to communications directed toward them. They had their orders, and they surfaced at predetermined times to accept radio messages.
“Whatever you can raise,” the President said. “I want every potentially useful asset assigned to this. What have we got at Midway?”
“Midway Naval Base has a small task force, the largest ship a frigate, and recon aircraft. Not much help,” Delecourt said.
“Get some of those into the area,” the President ordered.
“How large is this reactor?” Hampstead asked.
Unruh coughed, then said, “It’s a cylinder fifteen feet in diameter by twenty-six feet long.ˮ
“Weight?”
“Forty-five hundred pounds.”
“That includes the payload module?”
“No, Avery, it doesn’t. Best estimate is that the module is thirty-five feet long by seventeen in diameter. I don’t know about the weight.”
“So, the whole thing may have to come up? The reactor hasn’t broken loose?”
“No one knows. And yes, the whole thing may have to be raised.”
“If it were me,” Hampstead said, “making the decisions, I’d want to have MVU’s recovery robots on-site. They’re the best currently available for heavy-lift, and we don’t know what we’re going to run into.”
“Ben?” the President asked.
“The reports I’ve seen support that assessment,” the CNO said, perhaps with some reluctance. “Navy Procurement is requesting funds to buy one.”
“All right, then. Get Marine Visions’s sonar and robots on the move,” the President said.
“I’ll try, sir.”
“Try?”
“I can’t guarantee that Brande will want to move his people into an area that might become radiation-contaminated at any moment. He’s a civilian, after all.”
The President slumped back in his chair. He looked washed out. “That’s a point, isn’t it? Got any motivators in your pocket, Mr. Hampstead?”
“Maybe one or two.”
“Do what you can, then.”
“Tell him he’s to report to CINCPAC,” Admiral Delecourt said.
“That may be a problem also, Admiral. Dane Brande doesn’t report to anyone.”
*
0221 HOURS LOCAL, 46° 16' NORTH, 160° 12' EAST
Capt. Mikhail Petrovich Gurevenich ordered his submarine, the NATO-named Sierra-class Winter Storm , to the surface in response to an urgent message recorded by the Extremely Low Frequency receiver. Because of technical restrictions on the ELF band, which could penetrate ocean depths, but which had very poor data transfer capability, elaborate or long transmissions were not normally attempted.
Sr. Lt. Ivan Mostovets, in charge of the watch, ordered the planesman to increase the climb angle to thirty degrees, and Gurevenich braced himself against the bulkhead of the communications cabin. He reached out with his right hand and pressed the bar on the intercom.
“Sonar, this is the captain. Report.”
“Captain, Sonar. No contacts.”
The bow cleared the surface, and the submarine leveled itself abruptly, tossing Gurevenich upright. He
“That concurs with what I’ve heard from various sources,” Hampstead said. “If the rocket is located, it will likely require some heavy-duty equipment.”
“All right,” the President said, “If we find this thing, how do we get it up?”
“The Navy has a tethered robot good for twenty thousand feet,” Delecourt said. “It’s in England, now, but we can get it on board a plane. We can operate it off the Bartlett , but I’m going to have to check on the availability of cable”
“Okay, Ben, let’s get started on something. Deploy the two ships from Hawaii and arrange the transport for the robot. What about submarines?”
“They can’t achieve the depths, Mr. President,” Hampstead said.
“But they could aid in the search?”
“Possibly.”
“We can’t reach the ballistic missile subs,” the CNO said.
Hampstead knew the big missile-carrying submarines patrolled assigned sectors of the sea, hidden even from their commands, and did not respond to communications directed toward them. They had their orders, and they surfaced at predetermined times to accept radio messages.
“Whatever you can raise,” the President said. “I want every potentially useful asset assigned to this. What have we got at Midway?”
“Midway Naval Base has a small task force, the largest ship a frigate, and recon aircraft. Not much help,” Delecourt said.
“Get some of those into the area,” the President ordered.
“How large is this reactor?” Hampstead asked.
Unruh coughed, then said, “It’s a cylinder fifteen feet in diameter by twenty-six feet long.ˮ
“Weight?”
“Forty-five hundred pounds.”
“That includes the payload module?”
“No, Avery, it doesn’t. Best estimate is that the module is thirty-five feet long by seventeen in diameter. I don’t know about the weight.”
“So, the whole thing may have to come up? The reactor hasn’t broken loose?”
“No one knows. And yes, the whole thing may have to be raised.”
“If it were me,” Hampstead said, “making the decisions, I’d want to have MVU’s recovery robots on-site. They’re the best currently available for heavy-lift, and we don’t know what we’re going to run into.”
“Ben?” the President asked.
“The reports I’ve seen support that assessment,” the CNO said, perhaps with some reluctance. “Navy Procurement is requesting funds to buy one.”
“All right, then. Get Marine Visions’s sonar and robots on the move,” the President said.
“I’ll try, sir.”
“Try?”
“I can’t guarantee that Brande will want to move his people into an area that might become radiation-contaminated at any moment. He’s a civilian, after all.”
The President slumped back in his chair. He looked washed out. “That’s a point, isn’t it? Got any motivators in your pocket, Mr. Hampstead?”
“Maybe one or two.”
“Do what you can, then.”
“Tell him he’s to report to CINCPAC,” Admiral Delecourt said.
“That may be a problem also, Admiral. Dane Brande doesn’t report to anyone.”
*
0221 HOURS LOCAL, 46° 16' NORTH, 160° 12' EAST
Capt. Mikhail Petrovich Gurevenich ordered his submarine, the NATO-named Sierra-class Winter Storm , to the surface in response to an urgent message recorded by the Extremely Low Frequency receiver. Because of technical restrictions on the ELF band, which could penetrate ocean depths, but which had very poor data transfer capability, elaborate or long transmissions were not normally attempted.
Sr. Lt. Ivan Mostovets, in charge of the watch, ordered the planesman to increase the climb angle to thirty degrees, and Gurevenich braced himself against the bulkhead of the communications cabin. He reached out with his right hand and pressed the bar on the intercom.
“Sonar, this is the captain. Report.”
“Captain, Sonar. No contacts.”
The bow cleared the surface, and the submarine leveled itself abruptly, tossing Gurevenich upright. He
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