Donald Cameron 8.In Command by Philip McCutchan

Author:Philip McCutchan [Philip McCutchan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2015-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

CAMERON was on the bridge within thirty seconds. Morgan said, ‘No time to send down for you, sir —’

‘That’s all right.’ Cameron had seen the situation for himself: a small warship had appeared in the entrance to the inlet, a ship of about their own size wearing the Japanese Naval ensign. As Cameron trained his binoculars on her, there was a flash and a shell took the water a little way off the corvette’s starboard side. A small waterspout went up, sent spray flying over the bridge. The 4-inch was pumping away to good effect: a hit was observed on, the Japanese ship’s port bow and when the smoke and flame burst out Cameron saw a gaping hole in her side above the waterline. Not mortal damage, but it showed that Briar’s gunners had the range right. After that more shells found their mark; within a matter of a minute and a half the Japanese bridge was seen to be burning and hanging off to port. Something had landed in the superstructure beneath.

‘We’ve got smack inside her wheelhouse,’ Cameron said. The Japanese gun was still in action but the shambles behind them seemed to have affected the gunners and the aim was poor. Briar took no hits at all. Then a shell took the Japanese on her fo’c’sle, there was a blinding flash and a roar and the gun blew into fragments, fragments that must have knifed through what was left of the gun’s crew.

Cameron said, ‘Cease firing.’ He bent to the voice-pipe. ‘Full ahead main engine, wheel amidships.’ He straightened.

‘She’s staying afloat by the look of it, Pilot. She mustn’t get away.’

‘Cut her off, sir?’

‘Yes. And I want some men left alive for questioning.’ Morgan said, ‘Let’s hope some of the sods speak English, then. I doubt if we have any Japanese speakers, somehow.’

Cameron, staring ahead as the corvette moved towards the entrance, made no response. He was assessing the chances; he might have to open fire again or he might not. Maybe there was a better way than point-blank firing at close range. He took up the tannoy, then put it down again. Speech could carry. He spoke down the voice-pipe.

‘Cox’n … pass to the buffer, all seamen to muster, port side fore and aft, with rifles and bayonets. Fast as you can. I’m going to lay alongside and board.’

‘Aye, aye, sir!’ Chief Petty Officer Rodman was grinning to himself as he sent a bosun’s mate post-haste to find the buffer. Boarding … that was real Nelson stuff and didn’t often happen, not in this war, not since Captain Vian had taken the Cossack alongside the POW ship Altmark in Jossing Fjord.

Rodman’s grin was one of anticipation; in his early days in the Andrew, back before the last war, he’d been trained as a Seaman Boy First class in cutlass drill and now he would have liked nothing better than to leap aboard the Jap and swing cold steel to slice through necks and see the heads

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