World War 1990: Operation Arctic Storm by William Stroock

Author:William Stroock [Stroock, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-03-31T07:00:00+00:00

Faslane, Scotland

As HMS Tenacious put out to sea, Chief Torby guffawed.

Captain Lovelette took his attention away from the receding Scottish coast and looked at his chief.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘I’m sorry, sir, it’s just that Bernard Manning.’

‘I don’t like…that man.’

‘Oh, come now, sir. He came down to the yard yesterday and put on a great show.’ He guffawed again. In the dim light of the North Sea night, all Lovelette could see was the chief’s unruly beard.

‘I don’t like his use of that word.’

‘What, sir. Paki?’

‘Yes.’

‘Now, sir, Manning says his own neighbor is one and don’t mind at all.’

In the dim light, Chief Torby couldn’t see the captain’s glare.

‘I don’t see any of those public school toff comedians coming down to entertain the lads….sir.’

Lovelette didn’t respond.

‘Excuse me, sir,’ said the young ensign. He pointed to the headphones over his ears. ‘XO says it’s time to submerge.’

‘Very well,’ said Lovelette. ‘Clear bridge.’

‘Clear the bridge!’ bellowed the chief.

When Lovelette got to the control room he gave the order, ‘Take her down, XO. One hundred feet.’

‘Yes, Captain.’

‘I’ll be in my quarters.’

Lovelette retired to his quarters by the control room. He removed his cap and placed it on the stateroom’s tiny desk. Then he reached into his shirt and took out the key that he had hung around his neck. Lovelette opened up his safe and took out the orders from fleet. He opened and quickly read. No surprises. With the navy assembling a large amphibious task force in the Irish Sea, every man aboard Tenacious knew where they were headed.

Lovelette picked up his intercom and raised the control room. ‘This is the captain,’ he said. ‘Give me the XO.’

A moment later, ‘Griffin here.’

‘Set course zero-five-five, speed ten knots, Mr. Griffin.’

‘Yes, Captain.’

‘I’m going to try to get some rest, XO. You have the control room.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘And give the kid sometime in the control room,’ said Lovelette, referring to Tenacious’ young and enthusiastic ensign.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Lovelette thought he heard the sound of dejection in his XO’s voice. He replaced the receiver and lay on his bunk and kicked off his shoes. He had a pair of slippers he kept at the foot of the bunk in case he needed to get out in a hurry.

Lovelette sighed and closed his eyes. In three days at Faslane they had topped off the boat’s stores and replaced her torpedoes. Lovelette smiled. In two patrols Tenacious had fired off twelve of her sixteen fish. The first in an aggressive patrol north of the GIUK Gap against the Soviet’s attack boat assembly area, the second in the defense of Iceland. Chief Torby had already painted three submarine silhouettes on the boat’s coning tower.

Come on, old boy, Lovelette said to himself. Stop thinking shop.

Then he laughed.

‘Paki neighbor,’ Lovelette said aloud. ‘That is funny, isn’t it?’’

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