SSN

    As Cheyenne approached closer to the abandoned oil rig, Mack got more photographs of the oil platform. Less than three months ago, this area had been crowded with oil workers who were attempting to extract oil from the bottom of the islands. Now, however, there was not a soul on the rig, and the neighboring islands were completely occupied by Chinese troops who would have loved to attack Cheyenne if given the chance. But Mack wasn't about to give them that chance. Not if he could help it, anyway.

    "Sonar, conn, have you picked up any contacts yet?" Mack asked of the sonar supervisor.

    "Conn, sonar, nothing at all, Captain."

    Mack acknowledged the report, but he wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad one.

    At three knots, Cheyenne crept around the entire length of Cuarteron Reef but found no sign of enemy submarine operations in the area. That was definitely a good sign, Mack thought.

    "Next stop, Swallow Reef," Mackey said to the executive officer before turning the conn back over to the waiting OOD.

    The captain, satisfied with Cheyenne's search, went back to his stateroom for some rest. He gave specific orders to the executive officer not to have him disturbed unless there was an emergency.

    Several hours later the executive officer walked quietly into the captain's stateroom and roused him. As soon as Mack opened his eyes and saw his executive officer standing over him, he knew something was up.

    "What happened?" Mack asked. "Did you run us aground?"

    But the executive officer was in no mood for humor. "We've got numerous contacts near Swallow Reef, Captain," he said. "I think we found their submarine depot."

    Mack was on his feet and heading back toward the control room before his executive officer finished speaking.

    In the control room, the OOD was examining the plotting tables. Mack glanced over at the OOD, then headed straight for the sonar room and looked at the sonar supervisor. "What have we got?" he asked.

    "Sir, it looks like the abandoned Swallow Reef oil platform is the submarine depot we were sent here to find. So far, we've heard two submarines surface in the area. Both submarines then slowed, heading north. They have since begun to recharge their batteries on all diesels and we can hear lots of activity going on out there."

    "Do you have any classification on those two that surfaced?" Mack asked.

    The sonar supervisor nodded. "We just picked up the contacts three minutes ago, sir. We've positively identified two submarine contacts, both old Romeos. But there might be more of them out there."

    This situation was exactly what Mack had hoped to avoid. He had detected a major submarine operation at Swallow Reef, but he had no permission to attack the targets. He wasn't even sure that his Mk 48s could do a job that was best suited to Tomahawks.

    Thinking it over, examining the few possibilities available to him, Mack came up with a plan. It might not have been on the same level of innovation and inspiration as some of his earlier ideas, but it was the only thing that occurred to him.

    He knew that Cheyenne would eventually be in position to attack both submarines, now designated Masters 49 and 50. He also assumed that there were probably more than two submarines rearming and refueling at this depot. What Mack wanted to do was to attack the depot itself and put it out of commission.

    The question was-in addition to whether or not Mack and Cheyenne could pull it off-would CTF 74 grant him such leeway? Mack was pretty sure that the answer would be no, but just in case he called his combat systems officer and his communicator in for a meeting in the wardroom.

    "Would it be possible," the captain asked the combat systems officer, "to destroy that Chinese depot by hitting them with Mk 48s?"

    The combat systems officer scratched his head before looking up at Mack. "I guess we could do it, sir. The oil platform acts as shelter to the submarines beneath it and we could target those submarines. That would, at the very least, severely disrupt operations at the mini-base." He paused and looked at Mack. "But, sir," he went on, "have we been granted permission to attack the platform and the submarines in it?"

    "Not yet," Mack said, glad that his officers were both involved and aware of what Cheyenne's orders were. Turning to the communicator, he added, "Which is where you come in. I want you to draft a message to CTF 74, tell him what we've found, and request permission to engage the submarines in the depot and hopefully bring down the entire platform."

    "Yes, sir," the two officers replied. They were dismissed and both went about their work. The combat systems officer went to the quartermaster to find the best locations from which they could launch their attack. The communicator went straight to the radio room.

    "Make preparations to come to periscope depth," Mack said to the OOD.

    "Make preparations to come to periscope depth, aye, sir."