Chapter Nine

 

In balmy San Diego, Nancy felt nice and warm. She loved this part of Southern California. This was where she wanted to retire. She'd left a text message telling Gloria she'd be out of town for awhile. Gloria was a woman without any self confidence and needed a strong person to guide her through life. Well, she'd just have to endure her absence because this was her job.

It wasn't that Nancy was ambitious to climb any political ladders, but it sure felt nice being in charge of an office of a covert agency with direct connections to the President. Be that as it may, Nancy decided to rent a car and when she had some free time, drive around looking at the area. Little did she know that driving around would be a large part of her job checking on possible terrorists sites.

Billy was the first one she met as she parked her rental car in the visitors parking area. Security was tight and well founded she thought. Billy was puffing away and waved at her as her long legs strode across the lot. She said, "Billy, I thought this state was a non - smoking area?"

"I won't tell if you don't tell. It's getting real difficult to enjoy a little tobacco anymore. Not to mention the price of each pack is breaking me. And you know what; the sticks are getting smaller with less tobacco in them. If I wasn't so addicted, I'd quit." Nancy laughed and asked about where to go inside and other things that were going on.

Billy said, "They have guards everywhere. Just show them your sexy ID card and he'll lead you to our situation room. I'll just have one more and then join you."

Nancy found the other team members busy, neck bent over a large map of the west coast from San Francisco down to the Mexican border. Presently the team was huddled over the Bay Area looking for possible terrorists sites.

The others looked briefly to say hello and then bent back down to the map. Nancy, ever-present about logistics, saw the long span of the famous Golden Gate Bridge. She wondered how many people a day crossed back and forth over that bridge. Then she saw the Bay Bridge and recalled the horror of an earthquake during a baseball game or a football game being broadcast nationally. The Bay Bridge connected Oakland with San Francisco. Also another bridge, the San Rafael Bridge on Interstate 580 connected the Oakland area with highway 101 that was the main artery to the Golden Gate Bridge.

If even one of those main arteries were closed a nightmare of traffic would be forced on the remaining highway. Also, as she looked at the map, the BART system ran from the Embarcadero area across the bay following the Bay Bridge. Any attack on any of the three bridges or the rapid transit system would be devastating for the economic region.

What Nancy didn't know was how much damage a torpedo could do to a bridge support. She asked, Wade that very question. He scratched his head and passed the question on to somebody that might know. As it turned out, the buck was passed around until that 'somebody' could be found.

What it would do, however, was make people start thinking that if a six tube torpedo attacked the Golden Gate support what damage would occur. General Pratt was listening with both ears open to the conversation. He whispered to his aid the Colonel and off he went. General Pratt had sent him to San Francisco with a team of SEAL's to inspect the footings of all the bridges in the Bay Area.

Billy was on the computer doing what he did best. His friends were hard at work too. They had all said the same thing: block the harbor into San Francisco with submarine nets. One problem with that idea was our own subs couldn't get in or out. In addition, someone pointed out; a large container ship has a draft of over thirty feet or about twelve meters. A Romeo sub could theoretically follow a large ship through the submarine net and then be free to do what they intended.

After a hard look at the Bay Area their attention went down to the coastal area of Los Angeles. The port area stuck out like a sore thumb as a premium terrorist target. A sea wall protected the harbor area. The opening was large enough for any ship to pass through easily.

Billy had a long yardstick in his hand. He placed it on a line from the sea wall opening to the oil terminal off loading area. Nobody said much, but the implication was evident: a sub could sit outside the entrance to the port and fire a torpedo directly to the oil terminal where tankers off loaded their oil.

General Pratt asked, "What does anyone suggest we do here about the potential target being a supertanker off loading its crude oil?"

"This is one of the busiest ports on the coast. If we had a submarine net that would be a pain in the rear end," Wade said.

"Not to mention that a surface torpedo would skin right over top of it," said Billy.

All of this was being observed by Park. He asked, "Excuse me please, but would a submarine have to surface to fire a torpedo that is just a meter or so under the water?"

"Why yes it would," replied Wade. "Where are you going with this thought of yours Mr. Park?"

"I'm not familiar with all the latest weapons and stuff like that, but what about a SAM from a tower erected neat the entrance to the harbor?"

The room went a silent while each person digested what was suggested.

Wade said, "A Command of-sight missile would work. The operator would guide the weapon by radio control. Using night vision glasses, he could successfully guide a missile into the conning tower of a sub."

Nancy added, "Would that scare off a terrorist seeing a guard tower where a tower never existed before?"

General Pratt said, "I think not Nancy. I'm beginning to like this idea from our new friend from North Korea Mr. Park."

Park grinned from ear to ear happy he had contributed to the team. Sadly he was worried about his garden, but Sujin had told him not to worry she would take care of it.

Two days later, after a complete hashing over the guard tower suggestion, a surplus of towers were found in a steel yard. Some modifications were taking place to make them look like lighthouses, but in fact manned by the military. Two towers were placed at the entrance to the port.

General Pratt had a team of SEALs practice at Edwards Air Base. After that they had a submarine surface at about the site where a sub might obtain the best angle for a torpedo attack. The guards weren't told when or where they might surface. The exact time of the surfacing of the sub and the sighting were recorded. It was within seconds of each other. A few high fives went around the war room when the results came in.