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It had been a long voyage. The Hindenburg and her Consort destroyers Erich Greise and Horst Wessel were now halfway around the world. At a constant speed of 21 kts, and with the Hindenburg refueling the two destroyers, they had made it-undetected, no less, to the Mid- Atlantic. It had been a really nerve wracking experience, especially when one of the Hindenburg's MAN Diesel turbines had failed. Thankfully a storm had been blowing for the longest while and that had helped somewhat. Still it had been a tense 4 hours until full speed could be restored.
Lindermann had stayed on the bridge throughout the Voyage, running himself as hard as he ran his ship and her crew. So had Hornsech. Lindermann was worried about the Captain. His Limp was worse, and the officer was clearly feverish. Yet he remained at his post.
"Admiral" It was one of the ships Runners. He handed Lindermann a Typed message form. Frowning slightly, the admiral opened it and began to read.
TO: REAR ADMIRAL LINDERMANN.
INTELLIGENCE REPORTS AMERCIAN TASK FORCE AT KEFLAVIK ICELAND.
FORCE CONSISTS OF BB COLORADO CLASS BB IOWA CLASS BB UNKNOWN CLASS 4 CA, 6 DD.
HINDENBURG IS ORDERED TO LINK UP WITH COMBAT GROUP 3-{Prinz Eugen, Z-45, Z-55, Z-12, Selyditz.} AT CO-ORDINATES 20N-72W AND ATTACK. REPEAT ATTACK. OBJECTIVE IS MAXIMUM DAMAGE TO ENEMY FORCE, MINIMUM DAMAGE TO FRIENDLY FORCE.UTILIZE WHATEVER TATICS ARE APPROPRIATE TO ACHIEVE VICTORY.
COMBAT GROUP 9- {TIRPITZ, LUTZOW, GNEISENAU ADMIRAL SCHEER, Z-34, Z-76, Z-33, Z-88, Z-61}. WILL JOIN AT EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME.
I HAVE THE GREATEST CONFIDENCE IN YOU AND HINDENBURG.
AVENGE THE BISMARCK
RAEDER.
Lindermann felt his heart soar as he read the message. Finally!, a chance to make remedy for the murder of his men and his ship. He turned to the runner with a wide smile on his face. "Call the captain to control, and give him this message." The runner saluted crisply and turned to do his bidding.
Lt. Nigel Ryan-Hill hardly dared to breathe. His Submarine had been shadowing the massive battleship for close to an hour now. Her destroyers were deployed forward and the whole force was moving at 12 kts. Hill was sweating, but his finger was firm on the controls of the periscope, and the camera he held to the eyepiece.
Hill did not realize it, but he was shaking. He'd seen battleships in his time, but that?that?Monster was like nothing he'd ever seen.
"Number one," Hill said in a voice with a slight tremor. "Let's get to the surface, shall we? And get the radio warmed up." The First officer nodded. He'd seen the ship too.
The Film had come via Sutherland flying boat. Hill's radio call had brought one from coastal command inside two hours. By five the film had been developed, and was in the hands of the admiralty staff. By seven, Winston Churchill arrived.
The meeting was in direct contrast to the imagined 'stiff upper lip' of the British race. Accusations and counter accusations flew. But they all led to one thing. Who was this ship, and what could they do against her?
It was Churchill who put some order. After listening to the bickering for nearly a hour, the stocky Prime Minister asked one question
"How do we kill it?"
Rear Admiral Bruce Fraser, Commander of Force H answered for the room. "Of course we can kill it Mr. Prime Minister." He said steadily. "But the cost will be ghastly" Churchill gestured for him to continue.
Fraser stood and moved to the map. "We have four Convoys at sea now, two bound for Murmansk, two from Murmansk. After the fiasco with HX-12W Last month, All four Convoys have Battleship Protection. The Nelson is with HX-14E, the Ramillies with HX-14F. Both are 2 days out of Murmansk, and theoretically in danger of this ship. USS Texas is returning with HX-14D and the New York with HX-14C. From what my gunnery experts have deciphered from cursory study of the photographs taken by the Trident, it's armed with 15 inchers, just like Bismarck and Tripitz." The Admiral paused. "We can catch her between home and here Mr.Prime Minister, catch her and sink her."
"What with?" Admiral Phillips asked.
"Duke of York, and King George V can depart Scapa at dawn." Fraser replied. "We'll pick up Renown off Ireland and throw in Jamaica, Belfast, Stord, Sammurez, Scorpion and Savage. This German is as good as dead." "Especially," Fraser added thoughtfully, "if the Yanks get in on the act."
That brought Admiral Mellors to his feet. "The Americans have no role to play here" he all but shouted, "Bloody Cowboys, they'll only mess things up, and?"
The Prime Minister cut him off. " This isn't Spitsbergen, Mellors" he said, referring to the worse friendly fire incident of the War. In the great dash to catch the crippled Battlecruiser Dresden after her duel with the Warspite, Mellor's Cruisers had come under fire from the American Battleships New York and South Dakota. Sheffield had been sunk, and Suffolk and Dominica badly damaged. How the Fire control aboard the USN ships had managed to target three cruisers instead of the Dresden had never been fully explained. Mellors still carried a big chip on his shoulder because of it.
"The Americans must be informed." Churchill continued. "That Task Force has three battleships. Five to one odds is much better than two to one."
Logie sat bolt upright in his bunk, sweat streaming off his skin. He looked at the clock on the shelf. Its hand read 5:10. 50 minutes sleep.
The dream had been coming more regularly now. It was always the same. He was on the Colorado's bridge, at 3rd Guadlalcanal. He turned to look for Tyler's Cruiser, and found it the moment Nagatos shells had ignited her main magazine. Before his eyes, his Friend's ship had blown apart. He shivered. That's not how it had been though. The shells that had killed the Jackson had come from his ship. He'd killed his best friend.
A knock on the door brought him out of the fog of depression. Taking a moment to master his voice, he answered. "Yes?"
"Begging the admiral's pardon, Capt. Gilmore sends his compliments and asks that you join him on the bridge. Admiral Halloran wants to see all Task Force Commanders aboard Montana at 0650,sir"
Logie stood up and stretched. "Tell the Captain I'll be right there." He said, reaching for a towel.
As was his habit, Logie and Gilmore arrived aboard the Montana a full nine minutes before the Meeting was due to begin. They beat the commander of the Iowa by five minutes.
At exactly 0650, they were ushered into the Admirals quarters.
Logie was not impressed. Halloran looked for all the world like a Preppie waiting for a date at the Ritz. Hair oiled, shaven, wearing a Blue Turtleneck armless sweater, with his rank insignia emblazoned on the shoulders over his Khaki utilities. He rose to greet them all individually, with a firm handshake and a cordial word. Then he indicated them to their seats, and called for coffee and rolls to be served. After the Stewards left, he turned back to the assembled officers, and his whole demeanor changed.
" Our mission has Changed, Gentlemen." Halloran began. " We have a problem. Sometime yesterday, a British submarine heading home to Scotland stumbled across something incredible."
The Vice Admiral stood. "The Krauts have built a new battleship"
Warships cannot hide in A conquered country. They cannot come or go, without being seen. That was the case with KGM Admiral Von Tripitz. For two years now the great battleship had been the bane of the allies. It had started less than a year after the sinking of the Bismarck. Tripitz and the "Twins"- Scharnhost and Gneseinau had caught HMS Rodney and the carrier Victorious covering a convoy bound for England. Then-Rear Admiral Carnaris had ignored the Carrier, and maneuvered around until he could fire on the Rodney from aft. The outcome was never in doubt; Rodney rolled over fifty minutes later. Despite torpedo attacks from Victorious`s Swordfish bi-planes, and the escorting destroyers, the carrier dived for the bottom after 20 minutes. Then the twins finished off the convoy. And so it continued. Four times Tripitz sailed from her lair in Norway, four times she returned victorious. Her tally now read: the Rodney, two Free French Destroyers, a Polish Destroyer, and The Malaya. Now, like the Predator she was, she was moving out to sea, for the fifth time. And like the other times, there were people waiting, and watching.
Admiral Fraser loved the scent of the ocean. He especially loved the scent when his flagship was running at 20 knots, the spray washing over the bridge. Duke of York was in the middle of the line of capital ships. Anson, the last minute replacement for King George V was 500 yards to port. The cruisers Jamaica and Belfast held their stations to starboard. Aft was the destroyer Scorpion. Out ahead were the Stord, Samurez, Savage and Renown. Fraser smiled for a moment and then sobered up.
Norwegian partisans reported that the Tripitz was gone. Fraser shook his head bitterly. If only Bomber command had gotten that strike in. those TallBoys would have settled the bloody Tirpitz.
Fraser shook his head. Damn Galland and his fighters!
The Admiral turned to the Duke's captain standing at his side. "Any word from the Yanks?"
The Officer shook his head. "No sir" He replied.
A storm is brewing. The Hindenburg has linked up with the Prinz Eugen group. They are 669 miles south of Surtesy. Tripitz and attendant vessels are steaming due east at 24 knots, from Vestfjorden. They are 450 miles from their base. The Americans are 200 miles west of Keflavik, steaming at 25 knots. The British force is 130 miles north of the Faeroes.
All convoys have been diverted. There will be no interference.
