Kirov Saga: Altered States (Kirov Series) by Schettler John

Author:Schettler, John [Schettler, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: The Writing Shop Press
Published: 2013-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

“Right away, sir.”

* * *

The Denmark Strait ranged from 300 to 500 kilometers wide, and with ice year round off the Greenland coast, though by June it receded somewhat, giving ships a little more open sea for passage. It was still a lot of sea room for a pair of light cruisers to cover, but Manchester and Birmingham had been on patrol for several days, with little to see but an occasional wide ranging gull or ghostly bergs looming like broken ships amid scattered floes of lighter ice.

The two ships had served ably in the Norwegian campaign and they were paired up again for invasion watch duty in the Humber before being sent out to sea again on this watch. At 32 knots they had good speed, but even with twelve 6-inch guns each, they were no match for what was now heading their way. The Sunderland that had made that sighting of the Russian cruiser to spur Holland on his way was now busy with more pressing matters and scouring the seas at the north of the Denmark Strait. They made another lucky sighting at 15:00 hours and soon tapped out the warning in Morse code.

‘MOST IMMEDIATE - RKS 1 - SIGHTED TWO HVY CRUISERS, ONE DESTROYER – 67.49,-27.02 APP BEARING 312 ISA – SPEED 24’

Birmingham was Daddy Brind’s last command before he was hastily moved to his current position as Chief of Staff, Home Fleet in early March of 1940. Now the ship was captained by Alexander Madden, destined to rise to command of the battleship Anson later in the war and to eventually hold the lofty position of Second Sea Lord. Now, however, he was a light cruiser Captain, huddled in the cold upper bridge in spite of the milder temperatures at this time of year.

The real chill, however was that sighting report which was just called down from the top watch. Two cruisers and a destroyer? More like two battlecruisers and a cruiser, he knew. The Germans won’t have any destroyers out here, so those two bigger ships will be Salmon and Gluckstein, the Twins, or possibly two of the pocket battleships. Either way you slice it we had best be sharp eyed and ready. The ship is scheduled to get the new Type 286 radar in just a few months time, but we’ll have to rely on the old fashioned methods until then, a man on the mainmast and four eyes on the bridge.

By the time they saw what was coming it was almost too late. The Sunderland seaplane had reported a contact and now the pallid horizon seemed to darken with a smudge of charcoal at one point. Captain Madden was experienced enough to take a good long look with his field glasses. Those were ships ahead, and now he was in a most uncomfortable position.

“Signal Manchester and see what they find at about fifteen degrees north,” he said quietly to his senior officer of the watch.

Time passed and the runner from the W/T room was up with the news.

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