Day 98
"Con-Sonar...We have a new contact bearing 110."
"Sonar-Con...Do you have a classification?"
"Con Sonar... We're picking up under ice active sonar. It has to be a submarine."
"Sonar-Con...Roll tape on this."
"Con-Sonar...We are recording. Do you know if there are any of our subs in this area?"
"Sonar-Con...That's a negative. It's just us. We need to find out who that is and fast."
"Con-Sonar...I'd bet next months pay she's Soviet. They're the only others who operate in this area."
"Sonar-Con...No bet. We're coming around for another pass. Keep checking for a signature. If we can verify her as Soviet we'll bag ass out of here and radio a message to SubLant. For now keep running tape."
We did what we were trained to do. We concentrated on the new contact in the hopes it was a Soviet submarine. During the Cold War, US and Soviet nuclear submarines played a cat and mouse game. Mostly we were the cat. Our technology was superior. Just barely. In the excitement of recording tape and trying to track the other submarine, I had once again forgotten the strange crying child I would swear I heard.
We came out from under the ice long enough to send and receive message traffic. It was confirmed. Naval Intel had suspected there was a Soviet submarine in the area. Another part of our mission we did not have a "need to know" until it was practically on top of us. We went back to our ops area but no more contact. She had left the area. Since our primary mission was complete and we were low on supplies we prepared to leave the ice and head back to our home port. As we made our way to the open water, I picked up the crying child sound again.
Several other crewman heard it also, but this time it was coming from the ship. Our ship. This time it was accompanied by a banging noise, like someone pounding against the bulkhead (wall). We thought it must be someone in the berthing area playing a trick on us. Quickly one of the other sonarman went to the bow to check for the dumb ass making the noise. We had recently had contact with a Soviet sub and the only reason we heard them first is because we weren't active when they were. We had been lucky. But they would have no trouble hearing someone banging against the hull.
'The kid up there told me he heard the banging too. He said it was coming from the sonar access area."
"Did you smack him?"
"He swears it wasn't him."
"Yeah. Well if he does it again he'll be telling his story to the captain over the green cloth."
We heard the banging again coming from the same area of the ship.
"Sonar-Con...What's that banging?"
"Con-Sonar...We're investigating right now."
"Get back up to the bow and find out what the hell is going on. Now!"
Then I heard a loud explosion and the sounds of a ships hull splintering. Like a wooden ship crashing into ice and tearing apart, or just being squeezed until she splits and spills her guts to the sea. The voice of the child cried out, "Maaamaaa!"
"What was that?"
"I don't know but it has to be ice noise."
"But we're not under the ice. We haven't been for over two hours. What the hell is happening?"
The banging stopped. The crying stopped. All was quiet again.
Don't miss the conclusion of the crying child at sea mystery.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
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