USS Nebraska - SSBN-739
Naval Encounters - III
USS NEBRASKA (SSBN-739): 20..
CONTACT!! Contact bearing: one–two–zero!
Broadband target coming in south-south-east
at 18 knots and closing... closing fast!"
Now, the whistle of sharp quick movement is offset;
the hush of quiet action shattered well–
by shriek and wail of hot klaxon throughout boat.
Now, harried and wide-eyed yeomen scramble feverishly–
moving hurriedly about in sharp double-time crouch,
tunneling the cramped, down-angled passageways
of USS NEBRASKA, late late November–2005;
moving rapidly for "stations"
on RED ALERT-ONE.
"Chief-of-the-Boat–on the 1MC–Dive! Dive! Dive!!"
"Contact now bearing one-two-one, and steady on course!"
Rigged now and set for silent running, proud Nebraska
swiftly navigates the cold pull of undercurrent;
knifing the troughs and craggy channels of
undersea passage in quick-time motion–
cavitating imperceptibly–
while ever hunting anomaly,
and the faint faint "sound ghosts"
always just quite out of range...
... now with them quite seeing US before we've quite seen them.
Then–
"Conn–Sonar: TORPEDOES IN THE WATER!
Torpedoes in the water!"
A moment's frigid pausing, then...
"One–negative–TWO fish in water
at 55 knots and 1000 yards...
bearing: 1-2-1; 1-2-2–and coming in fast!"
Now, clench of teeth and hiss of heated breath,
with sharp glance of knowing looks to all about
–man to man, and each to each–
as moments tick, tick, tick...
wondering just who in HELL this was!
"Left full rudder! Shift to left full!!
Flood tubes Two and Four–Come to course 2-7-0.
Make your depth two-five-zero–
5-degree down bubble... Do it SMARTLY!
Move, move, MOVE!!"
Nebraska spins on wild wheel of water undersea;
coming fast about on tightest axis
in quicktime turning–sluicing fiercely
back toward Boomer now in range
–"Hunter-Killer" class–DEADLY FAST and silent.
"Conn–Sonar: torpedoes incoming... now on active
seek and arming! – It's gonna be close!"
Only liquid swirl from propwash churning,
now with fast Nebraska turning, turning–
steep to port...
"Countermeasures away! Punch chaff! Punch chaff!!"
Then, canisters like bales of tangled metal mesh and strip
now quick-blown from chutes of ship–jettisoned
with urgency and speed from port and starboard
of great hull of Big Red 7-3-9.
"Turn, turn, turn!... Open tubes Two and Four..."
"RANGE ON INCOMING–500 yards and homing..."
"Chief-of-the-Boat, rig ship for impact! Take her deep!!"
Then, taut and cadent screech of metal stretching
metal straining,
with mute thump of hull-pops shaking
bulkhead rivets all, with Nebraska pulling fast
away through murky roll of sea
to evasion slipgate or deep thermal.
... And now to find a "hole" or make one quick...
"Range on incoming now 100 yards...
Range to Akula–two-five-oh and closing!"
... Now to find a "hole" or make one quick...
"Snapshot Two and Four... Fire, fire, fire!!"
Now, "INBOUND fish" on doorstep quite–
aiming well for grand Nebraska–
itself now slicing briskly, breaking
fast from zone of offense–submerging deeper
and shifting nose well off to port...
"Range on INBOUND: 75 yards – speed unchanged!"
"... Sound collision alarm!"
Jostled decoys bobble forward,
deep into the dark of water;
tumbling swiftly into pathway of
"steel fish" zooming–now inbound at 50 yards.
"PULL, PULL! Bring it over! Give me two-seven-oh!!
Load tubes One and Three..."
Torpedoes now like hawkish fish on move;
inbound tracking, homing in for kill...
then, like snap of taut nerve
or loss of focus, INBOUND 1 and 2
swivel well to starboard–sucked and duped
by countermeasures blown by
dread Nebraska–and off they swim
toward naught and twofold detonation
far from ship... not far enough...
IMPACT THEN to 4•points•east, yet trailing
well behind; with jolt and jangle sure enough
to rattle bones of men and ship;
itself too close for comfort
one to all, in prayer, agreeing.
And now it was OUR turn indeed...
OUR outbounds still on course
and still outgoing;
now on fast and lethal solid "lock"
headed straightaway for target.
"... Give me range and speed on weapons outbound..."
"Torpedoes at 100 yards and 50 knots–closing fast
on target!... Now at 50 yards–50 knots... now at 25..."
Nebraska smuggles quickly off to distance–
moving well apace in motion–
veering ever far from starboard;
sharp away from phantom Boomer
now trapped in vice-grip crosshairs
of Big Red.
Then, impact wallop heard by all, with
"shockwave bubbles" billowed out
beneath deep sea in near 360.
Rocked by blast and rip of hammered steel–
scoring 'midships hit on stricken sub;
Akula pummeled quite by Two and Four...
And THUS it was, this short yet fateful day,
as silent ships of war moved haply in harm's way.
Engagement done in less than 10–
of frazzled nerve and well-trained men–
Nebraska had fought and held her ground,
then punched a hole through void of sound.
In late November, 2005,
of two ships fierce at war, one might survive.
Of two combatants–on land or sea–
one must ever more victorious be...
With high-seas bravado, and volley of shot,
7-3-9–best in battle–gave well as she got.
And, when moments had passed, and paused at a lull,
she quickly returns to AHEAD–STANDARD–FULL!!
Securing from "stations", all hands alarm free;
Nebraska sets new heading, and puts well out to sea.