Kirov (33 page)

“We
will, sir,” said Karpov. “I recommend that we come about and engage this enemy
surface action group. Let us take out these carriers with a couple of Sunburn
IIs and there will be nothing more to expend our SAM batteries on.” He was
referring to the lethal, long range anti-ship missiles
Kirov
carried
beneath her forward deck.

“Under
the circumstances I do not believe that will be necessary. According to Mister
Fedorov, the British carriers had no more than thirty planes each, and we have shot
down over forty in the actions fought thus far. Yet we expended thirty-two
SA-N-92s, and eight S-300s to do so. I must tell you, gentlemen, that we cannot
trade the enemy missile for plane indefinitely. If they persist, and dare to
launch another strike at us, then I will consider what you suggest, Captain.
Otherwise, as they cannot close on our position further given our speed, I
think we can safely proceed south into the Atlantic.”

“But Admiral,” argued Karpov. “They will shadow us. They
have just enough planes left to keep long range radar watch on us.”

“For
the moment,” said Volsky. “Mister Rodenko assures me that he will have jamming
capability for this Type 279 radar by 0800 hours. His technicians are
recalibrating the equipment now. Until then, I suggest we all get some rest. I
believe you are scheduled for relief, Samsonov. Get some sleep. You have the
remainder of the watch, Mister Karpov, but if you are fatigued I can send up
Orlov.”

“I
am fine, sir.”

“Very
well…And one last thing. Good shooting, Mr. Samsonov. You did well, in spite of
the missile failure. But have that system thoroughly checked.”

“I
will, sir. There will be no more failures.”

“Dismissed.
You too, Mister Yazov. You had a sharp eye tonight.”

“Thank
you, sir.”

Samsonov
smiled, saluted, and left the wardroom with Yazov, leaving Volsky alone with
his Captain. The Admiral scratched the back of his neck and then took a sip of
cold water.

“As
for you, Captain, your decision to engage and your missile selection were
correct. The enemy forced us to defend ourselves. But never leave this ship
under threat again without sounding general quarters immediately. You owe that
much to these men. If that torpedo had detonated…”

“I
understand, sir.” There was nothing else Karpov could say.

“We
have to be very careful, Karpov; very precise. One mistake, one oversight, one
maintenance failure, and we could sustain a damaging hit. To lose eight
missiles like that, and to come within inches of taking a torpedo in our gut
should be something to keep you awake tonight.”

“It
will, sir.”

The
Admiral leaned back in his chair, looking at the chart map on the table. “It is
going to get worse,” he said quietly. There was no further recrimination in his
voice now. He was speaking man to man, and Karpov could hear the shift in his
tone, thankful for the measure of respect the Admiral gave him now.

“I
will need you, Vladimir. You have a sharp mind, amazing skills, sound tactical judgment.”

“Thank
you, sir.”

Volsky
pointed to the map. “Yet we must consider strategy as well. Yes, we are a
strategic threat, just as you argued earlier. I think we will be here,
according to Fedorov, if we maintain this course and speed for another day. That
will get us down through this narrow channel. If I know the British, they will have
already notified their Home Fleet about us, and we may soon encounter a heavier
surface action group intending to intercept us as we exit the Denmark Strait.”

“I
agree, sir.”

“We
can most likely outrun them. This is our best option.”

“But
if we cannot sir?”

Volsky
nodded. “Then, Mister Karpov, you will get your chance to fire at a ship worthy
of our Sunburn IIs. I would not be too eager to do so, however. We have
chastened them, but not really hurt them, and if possible I would like to keep
things this way. Consult with Mister Fedorov on the range of the enemy guns. We
will see them on radar long before they know where we are, and maneuver to
avoid contact wherever possible.”

“Avoid
contact? Why should we fear these old ships? We can sink them at our whim, just
like we handled these air strikes.”

“For
the same reason we should fear those old planes that nearly put a torpedo into
us,” said Volsky. “You may think the enemy brings a knife to a gun fight here,
but if he gets close, a knife will do!” Our best course is to avoid close
contact—use our speed to stay outside the range of their weapons. Their
carriers are the only ships that can strike us at range, and I will decide what
to do about them.”

“I’ll
be looking forward to it, sir.”

“You
will? Yes, I suppose you will. But are you also ready for what comes after such
an engagement? Thus far we have been sparring with them, nothing more. This
business with the air strikes is just the opening round. Sink one of their
capital ships, however, and the gloves will come off. They will want vengeance
and they will come after us with everything they have. Then our hand is forced
to put this ship on a course where the outcome will be far from certain. Keep
that in mind, Captain. Keep that in mind.”

Part VII

Battle Stations

“As in the mechanism of a clock,
so also in the mechanism of military action, the movement once given is just as
irrepressible until the final results … Wheels whizz on their axles, cogs catch,
fast spinning pulleys whirr …the lever catches, and, obedient to its movement,
the wheel creaks, turning, and merges into one movement with the whole, the
result and purpose of which are incomprehensible to it.”

—Leo
Nikolayevich Tolstoy

War
and Peace

Chapter
19

August
4, 1941

The
PBY
was an early
bird out of Reykjavík from Squadron 74, a group of six front line planes scheduled
to begin operations there in two days. At the request of the British, it was
flying a search pattern over the southern exits of the Denmark Strait as the
sun came up after barely leaving them for a brief interval of twilight that
passed for night in these northern climes. The days were growing shorter, the
twilight thickening just a bit each day, but visibility on the whole was very
good where daylight was considered. This morning, however, the weather front
that had been slowly tracking down from north of Jan Mayen was upon them, and
the cloud cover was thicker, with puffy white clouds at altitude and a grey
gauze of thinner low haze below.

With
Britain still hard-pressed and America out of the war, President Franklin
Roosevelt had ordered the occupation of Iceland by United States forces on 16
June 1941. This assignment was given to the first provisional Marine Brigade, a
little over 3700 men out of San Diego California. Commanded by Brigadier
General John Marston, the force sailed from Charleston South Carolina where it
was surprisingly issued heavy woolen underwear. Soon it was joined by Navy Task
Force 19 in Newfoundland before proceeding to Iceland.

The
Americans made a strong showing at sea for the journey, sending battleships
Arkansas
and
New York,
two heavy cruisers
Brooklyn
and
Nashville,
and a screen of thirteen destroyers to escort the transports bringing the
Marines out to Reykjavík. A second force designated Task Force 1 was built
around the carrier
Wasp
with heavy cruisers
Quincy
and
Vincennes
and several destroyers of
Desron 7
. It was tasked with general
protection of the sea routes between Iceland and Newfoundland.

The
Yanks were ashore safely by 12 July, the skirl and drums of the Scottish Regiment
of the 49th West Riding Division they were relieving playing a welcome as they
came ashore. The Marines of the 1st Brigade were only the first wave of
American units slated for duty on Iceland. They would stand a watch,
cooperating closely with the British as they planned their withdrawal, until
relieved by Army units some time later to be sent to warmer climes in the South
Pacific to fight the Japanese the following year. To the British they looked
like ghosts from the First World War, still wearing old tin helmets and bearing
Springfield bolt action rifles from 1903. The Americans set up facilities in
Reykjavík, which they came to call “Rinky-Dink,” and at Hvalsfjord, which they
promptly renamed “Valley Forge.” Like the British before them, they were not
much welcomed by the Icelandic population, who resented the occupation and
wished both the Yanks and the Brits would go home and leave them in peace.

But
for now, the Navy set about establishing an air base at Reykjavík to receive
patrol squadron VP-73 and VP-74 flying Catalina PBY and Mariner search planes.
The Squadrons were not arriving officially until the 6th of August but, flying
out ahead of his squadron, Lieutenant Commander Arthur Vosseller had come in a few
days early from Argentia Bay in Newfoundland to have a look at his new post. He
was amazed to see that he was now the proud commander of a stark empty, open
field that had not yet even been fully cleared of large stones and boulders to
make for a suitable landing site. Appropriately naming it “Camp Snafu,” he
settled in to a British Nissen Hut, much like the aluminum sided half dome
Quonset Huts he was familiar with on US bases, until a curious telephone call
came in from the British.

It
seemed the Germans were up to something in the Denmark Strait, and they caught
the British with their air squadrons all assigned to patrol runs to the south.
The British commander asked if the Americans could possibly get a PBY or two up
to have a look, and Vosseller was only too happy to accommodate them. It beat
sitting around in that frigid hut. There was not even any kerosene about to
heat the damn thing!

The
Americans and the British would soon define a cooperative agreement that would
see the United States largely responsible for the defense of the Denmark
Strait. But as yet those negotiations had not been concluded. The sudden
appearance of this dangerous and somewhat mysterious new German raider,
however, was about to change the situation considerably.

Unbeknownst
to Vosseller, his brief reconnaissance flight was to become the first official
action in Admiral King’s Operation Plan Five, initiated on 15 July 1941. In
that plan the Admiral ordered the Atlantic Fleet to support the defense of
Iceland and to “capture or destroy vessels engaged in support of sea and air
operations directed against Western Hemisphere territory, or United States or
Iceland flagged shipping.” US units were authorized to engage any “potentially
hostile vessels,” and the newly reorganized Task Force 1 centered on the new
aircraft carrier
Wasp
was authorized to protect and defend all friendly
shipping between United States ports, and Iceland.

FDR
communicated the intent of the policy to admiral Stark when he wrote to him
that very month:
“It is necessary under the conditions of modern warfare to
recognize that the words ‘threat of attack’ may extend reasonably long
distances away from a convoyed ship or ships. It thus seems clear that the very
presence of a German submarine or raider on or near the line of communications
constitutes ‘threat of attack.’ Therefore, the presence of any German submarine
or raider should be dealt with by action looking to the elimination of such
‘threat of attack’ on the lines of communication, or close to it.”
Admiral
King would subsequently modify the phrase “close to it” to read “within 100
miles.” There was to be no hesitation in handling these potential threats.
Admiral Stark would chime in with clear orders defining the American response:
“
If there is conclusive evidence that she is a combatant naval vessel,
either merchant type raider or a regular naval vessel, she shall be destroyed.”

The
days ahead would see the American navy operating in a strange limbo between war
and peace that was, in effect, an undeclared war. Admiral Stark made no bones
about it when he said:
“Whether the country knows it or not, we are at war.”
The situation was very delicate, and Vosseller had some misgivings as
he headed out to sea in his PBY that afternoon, rather hoping he would have an
uneventful trip. It was not long before he found himself in a most interesting
position. He would spot and report the very first violation the new King
policy, and do so at a very critical time. It was Vosseller’s luck to stumble
across the Russian battlecruiser just as he had completed the outward leg of
his patrol and was turning for home.

~
~ ~

Aboard
Kirov
,
Admiral Volsky had just relieved Captain Karpov, who was ending his watch, and
thankfully so. When the contact came in on radar, Karpov's initial intention
was to destroy it quickly. Volsky's presence moderated the response however, as
the Admiral had been reading up the previous night, and Fedorov had urged him
to be cautious, telling him about the recent American occupation of Iceland and
suggesting that this was likely to be an American plane.