Kirov II: Cauldron Of Fire (Kirov Series) (21 page)

Chapter 14

The dawn
came in hues of scarlet and
vermillion, brightening to pale rose as the skies lightened quickly.
Kirov
had raced northwest, a steel arrow aimed at the Strait of Bonifacio, and behind
her a gaggle of Italian Cruisers and destroyers hurried in pursuit. Fedorov was
back on the bridge after a brief two hours rest below when he gave over command
to Rodenko coming off his leave at three in the morning. Now he studied the
radar plots, satisfied that they were still well ahead in the race and would
reach the Maddalena Archipelago in plenty of time to run the strait before
these pursuing ships could interfere.

“I expect
some more work for the deck guns,” he said to Samsonov, also back at his
station in the CIC.

“Good!” said
Samsonov. “Gromenko’s been boasting below decks and I’ve some catching up to
do.”

Fedorov
didn’t like the sound of that, but he let it pass. Then again, he thought, if
they were going to have to fight again, why not do it without reservation? This
is one thing Karpov had tried to impress upon him. He stared at the radar
returns as daylight began to bathe the citadel in pale light. Another half hour,
he thought, and by then we’ll see what they have to throw at us from La
Maddalena. His timing was just a little off.

Tasarov sat
up quickly and sounded off at sonar. “New Contact – Undersea boat – Bearing 325
degrees, range 10.3 kilometers, depth forty feet, speed 5 knots. Designate Alpha
One.”

A diesel
boat was creeping in on them from the northwest, very near the strait and
obviously assuming a blocking position where it might get a shot at any passing
ship. Fedorov went to Tasarov’s station, encouraged. “It appears our sonar is operating
well enough in spite of the loss of the towed array. Then again, I’m told you
have the best ears in the fleet, Tasarov. Can you track this boat easily now?”

“As long as
it continues to move, sir. If it stops and hovers, we may have to go to active
sonar, but for now, I have a good location plot.”

“Then you
can kill this sub? Do you need one of the helicopters up?” Fedorov recalled the
wild opening minutes when one of their first contacts had been a submarine. He
remembered how the Admiral immediately sent up helicopters, and wondered if he
should do the same. Tasarov’s answer reassured him greatly.

“Sir, I can
put a weapon on this target at any time. Our
Shkval
ASW system is in
range now and can close this distance in a matter of seconds.”

Again, the
amazing technological leap that
Kirov
represented over its WWII naval
adversaries was decisive. The creeping enemy sub was still far from the ideal
range it needed to launch a torpedo at
Kirov
. For any chance of a hit it
would want to be at no more than a 1000 to 2000 meters before firing. By
contrast,
Kirov’s
super cavitating
Shkval
rocket propelled
torpedoes could strike targets at many times that range, and they would
accelerate to incredible underwater speeds exceeding 200 knots by generating a
gas bubble around the weapon that literally displaced the ocean water as the
torpedo surged forward. In effect, the seawater was never touching the weapon
to create drag. If launched at this target it would eat up the ten kilometer run
to the enemy sub in just a minute and fifteen seconds.

“Just say
the word, sir.”

Fedorov
thought for a moment. “What is our inventory on this system?”

“Sir, we
have expended only one torpedo, and have nine remaining.”

“And when
they are gone?”

“We still
have one KA-40 with sixteen standard torpedoes in the magazine. Normal load out
is two per mission. Then we have the close-in UDAV-2 system, though it is far
less effective than the
Shkval
.”

“Very well,”
said Fedorov. “Make ready on your primary system, Mister Tasarov, but we will
hold our fire momentarily.”

“Aye,
sir…But we are running at thirty knots and will be inside this sub’s firing
range in nine minutes.”

“I
understand,” said Fedorov. “Helm, ahead two thirds.”

“Ahead two
thirds, sir and steady on 315.”

“Come left
fifteen degrees rudder to course three-zero-zero.”

“Sir, my
rudder is left on 300 degrees, aye.”

He thought
to buy himself just a few short minutes with the reduction of speed, as they
were drawing very near the Maddalena Archipelago now, a cluster of rocky
islands that harbored the Italian naval base. It was time to decide.

“Mister
Samsonov, bring the ship to full battle stations. I‘ll want all systems manned
with lookouts to both port and starboard to scan for mines. We may also face
shore based guns.”

The alarm
sounded, and
Kirov
pushed on swiftly towards the first major bottleneck
they would have to run if they were ever to find safe water again. Crews manned
machine guns on both sides of the ship, and Samsonov also activated the AK-730
close in defense system to assist with floating mines.

The Maddalena
Archipelago dominated the eastern approaches to the strait, a cluster of seven
large islands with many more smaller islets. Their strategic position had seen
them fortified during the days of the Roman empire, with old towers and
bastions perched atop the rocky crags of the hills. In WWII these forts were
improved with the addition of modern concrete gun casements in several areas,
particularly on Caprera in the east, La Maddalena in the center of the
archipelago and Spargi to the west. Both naval and anti-aircraft guns were
placed in these sites, and they were elements Fedorov had failed to fully consider
in his thinking. He knew they existed, but was not sure of their locations. The
course change he had made would skirt the northern coastlines of the islands,
and the first surprise came when battery Candero opened fire from Caprera
Island just after dawn.

The sharp
report and whine of the shell startled Fedorov, even though he had half expected
it.
Kirov
was five kilometers off the coast, and well within the range
of this battery.

“Samsonov,”
he said quickly. Can you locate that gun emplacement?

“Let them
fire one more time and I can back-trace their approximate location from the arc
of the shell on my weapons locating radar.” The art of counter battery radar
systems was highly advanced, and
Kirov
soon had a lock on the gun
position.

Karpov rushed
onto the bridge, clearly winded, just as the ship’s forward 100mm deck gun
began to fire. “I’m sorry Fedorov, the alarm caught me by surprise.”

Fedorov
looked to see that the Captain seemed to clutch his side, in some pain, but
thought it was just the long climb up from the lower decks. He waved Karpov
over to his side, and briefed him on the action as he pointed to the Tin Man
display.

“There,” he
said. “Do you see it? That is the Candero shore battery on Caprera Island. They
fired three rounds at us—all well off the mark—but I think Samsonov has a lock
on them now.” They watched the display as
Kirov’s
forward deck gun put
ten rounds on the target, enveloping the battery and surrounding hillside in a
billow of smoke and dust.

“Sir, air
contact, 150 kilometers, bearing 45 degrees northeast, altitude 7200 meters,
speed 280kph.” Rodenko’s voice sounded the warning. He paused a moment, then
continued. “Surface contacts, group of three vessels bearing 202 degrees
southwest, speed thirty and closing on our position.”

“Those are
probably long range aircraft out of Grosseto,” said Fedorov. “The surface
contact will most likely be fast torpedo boats.”

“I have them
on my tracking radar,” said Samsonov. “Permission to engage, sir?”

“Granted,”
said Fedorov. “Mister Karpov, will you plot an appropriate air defense with
Rodenko?”

“At once!”

“Sir,” said
Tasarov, “Sub surface contact now at five kilometers.”

“Submarine?”
Karpov turned, his attention immediately focused on this threat.

“We have a
good fix on their position,” said Fedorov.

“Then I
recommend we fire at once, sir.” Karpov said quickly. “The
Shkval
system
should easily neutralize this threat.”

“I believe
Tasarov has plotted this solution. You may engage, Mister Karpov.” The sharp
staccato of machine gun fire split the air, and Fedorov rushed to the port side
view pane to see rounds churning up the sea. Fedorov immediately knew they had
encountered a floating mine, and his great fear was that there were many more
unseen threats ahead of them.

Kirov
was now simultaneously engaging
threats on land, sea and air, but Karpov was quick to put an end to the
submarine threat. The super-cavitating
Shkval
fired, ejecting for a
short run at 50 knots before the rocket motor ignited and sent it hurtling
toward the unseen enemy submarine, a lethal underwater lance that they had no
chance avoid. A minute later Tasarov verified a hit, and with it SS
Avorio
,
which had been maneuvering to block the entrance of the strait, exploded and
died a quick underwater death, its captain and crew never aware of what had hit
them until they heard the screeching sound of the weapon just before contact.

 
Kirov
’s
deck guns had already shifted targets to the
torpediniera
racing towards
them from the gap between Caprera Island and La Maddalena. Three
Spica
class boats were out that morning,
Antares
,
Centauro
and
Lira
.
When the 152mm shells began to range in on them, their astonished captains
clutched their field glasses in a vain attempt see the enemy ship.
Kirov
was still well off shore, and firing at a range of over seven kilometers. How
could the enemy have spotted his small boats so quickly? Now the
torpediniera
would have to run a gauntlet of fire to get within their 2000 meter firing
range, and not one of the three boats would survive. Samsonov worked with his
brutal efficiency, locking the guns in on the targets with radar and quickly
bracketing the small flotilla with the fire from all three of the ship’s 152mm
batteries.
Centauro
died first, struck amidships and set on fire, the
bridge shattered and the boat careening wildly about when helm control was
lost.
Antares
exploded in a brilliant orange fireball when a round
struck and ignited one of her torpedoes, and
Lira
died a slower death,
peppered by five hits that riddled her hull and superstructure and sent her
foundering, burning in three places. A total of thirty-six rounds had
dispatched this threat with little difficulty.

The attack
had been ill timed, as the air strike out of Grosseto was late, and it too
would not get anywhere near the battle zone.
Kirov’s
piercing radars
could see and engage the squadrons of enemy planes well before they had any
thought of making their attack runs. Karpov selected a barrage of six S-300
long range SAMs, firing them like a spread of aerial torpedoes at five second
intervals. The first two missiles caught the lead formation of twelve JU-87s,
blowing three planes away and sending the remainder diving with the shock of
the attack. Behind them came a squadron of Do-217s, six planes, and two of
these fell to the next two missiles, with shrapnel clawing through the wings of
two others, and setting one engine afire, forcing them to abort their attack.
The nine remaining Stukas found their evasive maneuvers provided them no
respite from the attack, and watched in shocked amazement as the last two
S-300s turned to seek them out, one shattering a sub flight of three planes before
the pilots realized they had to completely break formation and scatter in all
directions to save themselves from certain death.

In these
engagements it was
Kirov’s
incredible advantage in radar tracking that
enabled her to see, target, and bring weapons to bear on all these simultaneous
threats. The ship raced past the Maddalena Archipelago in the bright morning
sun, up around Santa Maria and Razzoli Islands and turned into the Bonifacio
Strait. Here they encountered a more devious passive threat when Tasarov’s active
mine countermeasures system indicated numerous undersea contacts, and very near
the ship. Some were moored mines, anchored to the seafloor by a long chain,
detected by the ship’s forward looking high resolution sonar in the big bow
dome.

Federov
slowed the ship to just ten knots, clearly worried about the mine threat now.
It was perhaps the cheapest weapon the enemy might deploy against them and,
unlike the enemy ships and planes, which could be seen and engaged well before they
posed a danger to the ship, the mines lurked in waters
Kirov
had to pass
through in order to transit the strait. He seemed very anxious, knowing that
much of the threat would not be visible on the surface and that they might face
an array of minefields here: delayed-action, magnetic, acoustic, and older contact
mines; moored, and floating mines. Snag lines might also connect a series of
mines to set off numerous detonations. He was not sure what to do.

“It could
take days to adequately sweep this channel and remove all threats,” said
Karpov. “We will have to take more expedient measures and use the UDAV-2 ASW
system.” Fedorov confessed he had no idea what the Captain was talking about,
and Karpov explained.