Commander Zeng Yong rotated swiftly on the attack periscope of his Shang class nuclear-powered submarine, the CNS Chang Cheng, pausing for longer than he should have. It was a sight to behold: one of America’s great aircraft carriers sinking. Zeng swung the periscope around, stopping to examine his target, the second carrier, marked by a single black plume on the horizon. Resuming his clockwise scan, he spotted two destroyers—one on each side of his submarine—forming a screen in front of his target. In a few minutes, Zeng and his crew would pass between the two warships and their helicopters equipped with dipping sonars and lightweight torpedoes. A few minutes more and their target would be within range of the Chang Cheng’s heavyweight Yu-6 torpedoes.
The Chang Cheng’s Periscope Attendant, standing between the submarine’s two scopes, called out loudly, “Time!”
Zeng stepped back, pressing the Lower Periscope button on the bulkhead behind him. The scope had been up for thirty seconds, the time limit he had set for periscope exposure. Not only did Zeng need to worry about being detected by the sonar systems aboard the destroyers and their helicopters, he also had to ensure his ship wasn’t detected by periscope search radars.
The attack scope descended to the bottom of the well and Zeng turned his attention to the fire control consoles just forward of the two periscopes, studying the red symbols on their screens. The two destroyers were holding steady on course and speed, giving no indication they had detected Zeng’s submarine. It appeared the aircraft carrier was dead in the water, making his job that much easier.
Four days earlier, Zeng had left port along with two other Shang class submarines, and they had caught an American submarine monitoring the port of Zhoushan. Zeng’s orders were clear. He had been surprised at how easy it was; the American submarine hadn’t even fired back. Either the submarine’s captain had been caught unprepared or the vaunted American Submarine Force was more propaganda than capability. Not a single United States submarine remained in the Western Pacific—every submarine on deployment had been sunk.
The Americans were arrogant, sending in their aircraft carriers without submarines to protect them. Is that how little they thought of their Chinese counterparts? The Shang class submarines were a marvel of engineering, built with the latest sound-quieting enhancements and new, sophisticated sensors, and his crew was well trained. Zeng’s thoughts moved past the glorious moment when he would sink the American carrier, to his first engagement with a prepared American fast attack.
The Periscope Attendant called out, “Prepare!”
Zeng took station behind his attack periscope again, and a few seconds later, the Periscope Attendant followed up. “Next observation!” Zeng pressed the Raise Periscope button on the bulkhead, folding down the periscope handles as the scope emerged from its well. Placing his eye to the periscope, he swung it in the direction of the closest American destroyer, pausing to examine it for a second before continuing on to the second. Satisfied that neither destroyer had maneuvered toward them and no helicopters had repositioned along his path, Zeng stopped on the bearing to the American aircraft carrier. It was clearly visible now, no longer a gray speck beneath a spiraling black plume.
“Prepare for observation, Contact One!” Zeng called out.
The Fire Controlman announced, “Ready!”
“Bearing, mark!” Zeng pressed a red button on the right periscope handle, sending the bearing of the contact to fire control. “Range, one division, high power! Angle on the bow, starboard ninety!”
He stepped back and pressed the Lower Scope button as the Periscope Assistant announced, “Range, sixteen thousand, eight hundred yards!”
Zeng compared the visual range to the distance calculated by the submarine’s automated fire control system. The range was an exact match, and the calculated speed of their target was indeed zero. Zeng smiled. With the American aircraft carrier dead in the water and a starboard ninety-degree angle on the bow, his torpedoes couldn’t miss. The only question was how many torpedoes it would take.
One heavyweight torpedo would sink most combatants. An aircraft carrier would take several, depending on where along the carrier’s keel the torpedoes exploded. Zeng decided to play it safe. The Chang Cheng had six torpedo tubes and they would therefore launch a salvo of six torpedoes. He wouldn’t get a second chance. Once the torpedoes were detected, every anti-submarine sensor and weapon would be directed his way. He’d be forced deep, sprinting to safety before he could return to periscope depth, hopefully in time to savor the last minutes of the aircraft carrier sinking beneath the ocean waves.
Checking the fire control solution, Zeng calculated they would be within firing range in another two minutes. It was time to prepare their torpedoes. Standing between his submarine’s two periscopes, Zeng gave the order.
“Prepare to fire, Contact One, all tubes!”
The men in Control responded immediately, powering up the Yu-6 heavyweight torpedoes loaded in their tubes and sending the target solution to the torpedoes’ guidance and control computers. A minute passed and the submarine’s Executive Officer announced, “Ready!”
“Open muzzle doors, all torpedo tubes!”
A minute later, Zeng received the report that all doors were open. Satisfied all preparations were complete, he approached the periscope for a final observation. Pressing the Raise Periscope button, he announced loudly, “Final Observation, Contact One!”
Zeng placed his eye to the scope again, swinging it in the direction of his target. At this range, he could almost see the texture of the black smoke spiraling upward. The target was still dead in the water. Zeng pressed the button on the periscope handle, sending a final bearing to fire control. Stepping back, he lowered the periscope. But just before giving the command to launch their six torpedoes, the Sonar Supervisor’s voice blared across the speakers in Control.
“Incoming torpedo, bearing zero-nine-zero! An American MK 48!”