MARCH 9, 2010  1600hrs local BEIRUT   

COB Billings was enjoying the fantantic view from dockside, when LTJG Gunner tapped him on the shoulder and said "COB, I was told to talk to you before boarding the boat and my first command at WEPS..."  "DAMN GOOD IDEA SIR, WELCOME ABOARD!" COB boomed out, startling the newbie. "Stand easy, I always say that to shipmates sent to me, so what you got sir?"  "Admiral Puffy sent me over to you after he told me that my new Captain is 'sandpaperly'..."  "Aye, he has developed the SIB and at such a young age, 'tis a pity I say.  Well, what was your last boat?"  "Hampton...."  "GUTSY'S OLD BOAT??" the COB bellowed out.  "Aye the same." "You got no problems here sir. Just opportunities for greatness.  The Captain mostly stays in his office and lets the events unfold without him.  We have a great crew.  There 'Cookie' Wilson for Chief Mess Mate and XO 'Dartman' Porter been thru all the SW schools and drives like a professional in a big money race.  Just strap in when he turns up the music on ship's comms. Check out your command and let me know what you need from my men." "Roger, thanks COB....what the hell?... that ship is moving.. "

They looked up at the sight of a silent warship moving out of the naval base to open sea.  "ALL HANDS, PREPARE  FOR DEPARTURE...A THREAT  HAS BEEN SIGHTED 34NM NORTH WEST.  WE SAIL WITH TEAM SUB AKULA AT ONCE" came from the subs loudspeaker system as the boat started its evolution to open sea. LTJG Gunner moved to the sub wondering what the hell's the SIB. The COB was already half way down the sail hatch, noting in his mind ..3000 feet deep water with shore 4 to 6nm close east, easy sea, and hoping the team Akula was driven by "DropOnYou" Fredrick.  

As Gunner moved forward he could feel the boat slowly moving, he was glad the seawolves sent him on the ensign path using the sonalysts simulators.  He felt at home.  He passed thru helm, and the control compartment seeing Dartman at the scope and hearing the familar sounds of a seawolf warship..

conn, radio. i have eam.
radio, conn.  please read to the crew
conn, radio. aye.  attention all hands from admiral puffy.  Dartman move out west best possible speed to meet with Fredick last known 22 nm bearing 275d from your present positon. that is all
conn, helm ..you have the conn move us out now.. try 20kts if possible
helm, conn. aye...  

Gunner entered combat systems, he was thankful that Admiral Puffy had his gear stowed aboard last night.  He was glad last night was over as the Admiral treated him to popcorn and root beer at the O club ....for about 7 hours....  As Gunner reached his consoles he noticed a ship mate with funny look in the standard sw uniform.  The shipmate turned to Gunner saying  "Howdy Gunner, i have heard a lot about your from my friends at the Academy,  call me Nancy, I your second." 

Behind her head on the compartment wall were two photographs......   Nancy noticing Gunner looking past her head, simply said.. "he must have had too much popcorn at the O club the night before"  The boat gained speed and made a slight roll port and music filled the background sound around the ships comm of "rig for fast mover".  "We must have cleared all hazards as XO ready to jump, you need a barf bag Gunner?"  "NO WAY.  Nancy, take your console. Let's set up a drill, you know the Finger Shot?  "All of them, what you looking at?"  "Prey 12nm, Prey 18nm, Prey 23 nm, manual solution 30nm, all six fish"      The boat dropped her bow 30d angle and started her usual slight shimmy of 40 plus knots..  Gunner slipped his head into the halyard of his stop watch, and strapped himself to his console.



MARCH 9, 2010  16:43 hrs local 22nm WEST OF BEIRUT

Gunner leaned back from his console, satisfied.  Nancy knew her stuff and all the drills worked just fine.  He looked at his log with the times noted beside each torpedoe on when to alter its course to produce the feared FINGER.  He looked over to Nancy and noticed her name tag:  NANCYBOIE.  Nancy Boy he said to himself getting the phonics down pat.  She looked up at him and said "XO on his way, you going to see DOY in his Akula"   " WHAT !!!"  "Situation Awareness, I live it, eat it and think about it when on head call" she said matter of factly.   

The XO stepped into the compartment and said "Gunner, take your log, stopwatch and come with me you going over to see DOY"  The WEPS Officer unstrapped, noticing they were now on the surface and followed the XO aft.  They were headed to the seal pen. "Gun, you are taking some goodies to DOY and he wants to talk with you about your Fingers.   You impressed them bigtime at the Academy and they passed on doing a grad dive with you... i guess maybe scared them silly sir. well done".  "XO, what is a DOY?"  "Oh my, well Gunner, that stands for "drop on you" Fredrick, the Akula driver who has been driving his boat for four years now.  He knows this water and our prey." 

Fredrick, watched the rubber boat dock with the goodies and the Finger shot expert, thinking this is a wonderful opportunity to stop Captain Twisted, the threat laying North East.  DOY had intel comms to send back to Dartman.  A radio ransom message.  Twisted is trying it again.  Extorting 1600 lbs. of Lebanon Baklava from Rafaat Hallab.  There seems to no worse villian than Twisted,  he seems to return and return and return screwing up normal people and their lifestyles. Some have have been screwed more than three times and some have never recovered and are forever changed when it comes to Captain Twisted.  Fredrick smiled when  the young seawolf smartly saluted the boat's sail when boarding on the aft deck.     Fredrick arrived at ship's ward room as Gunner rounded a passageway. Yeoman  Sasha was escort and said "Gunner, this is Captain Fredrick". The 'wolf saluted and Fredrick entered the wardroom.....

Gunner saw that there only the two of them and took a seat on the Captain's left.  Fredrick reached under the table and came out with a chart, two cigars, a small bottle of purfume and said "Put your log on the table."  Unfolding the chart he placed it front of Gunner and said "Prey last known is here, and notice the depth and how close the shore is.  I want to use the sensors on the seawolf platform to locate this monster and your FINGERS to push and hold him for my Akula drop. Can you hold him off shore and keep him in deep water?"   Gunner took a good look at the chart with the spot where the big red print 'sub sighted here' was.  He opened up his log to the diagrams of the finger drills and wondered if he should call Capain Fredrick, 'DOY'.     Fredrick had trimmed a cigar and pushed it over to Gunner with a monogramed lighter and started on the second cigar.   Gunner picked up the cirgar and lit it, producing a nice small ash on the end and noticed that Fredirck had finished preparing his cigar.  Gunner took the lighter, leaned over and fired the Captain's cigar.  Puffs were made and after awhile, the Captain looked at Gunner.  "Well DOY, well sure I can" "Very cool Gunner, here is a bottle of Nancy's favorite scent, she adds it to her coffee.  What do you think about my boat?"    

Fredrick stood up and said "Time to go back, I will show you the way." "Thanks DOY, sir i heard you know this threat?.." "Yep Gunner I do. His name is Twister and he works for some admiral with an unlimited supply of platforms. Mostly my Brother knows all there is. Twister got my Brother to invest in a two story special operations training center for young people desireing danger and glory; located and excitement located next to an airforce base... Well it goess belly up. My Brother hires some ex body guards and opens up a bar grill with guest rooms upstairs. He uses all the gear left by all who came and tryed to make the training center work. It has a military mortiff with the ex body guards in the proper dress with the wooden weapons and practice gear (hand cuffs, billy clubs, flash lights suspenders for the weap loads.. etc). Gunner, it is all ok as Twister is building a training center somewhere and still extorting sweets from all he can. Life goes on. Here we are, take care and do not fall in the water unless in port.



MARCH 9, 2010  1710 hrs local with the team

LTJG Gunner made it back to his seawolf and briefed Dartman and proceeded to weps.

THE TEAM on the edge of their sensor ranges, advanced north easterly 8 nm sprinting and drifting and no joy.. they had the cruise ship and the cargo boat and their ai ffg... nothing else and time was running out.....

Dartman, took command, sent a comms uuv for the seawolf and akula subs comms, and then picked up the ships mc1 and broadcast all over the boat....

conn, weps you have the boat

weps aye make depth 1700ft right under the gradient in SSP prepare tubes 1-6, we will send north east deep and enable to clear shelf and turn fish north and then north west.

Gunner, DOY. sound check 1 2 3 4
DOY five by five where and when do you want my drop?

Gunner, DOY. well sir, we have no sub sign and everything else in the water.. say he moving 15kts and has to be shallow but our ai FFG has not seen him.. maybe on shelf edge heading south to the bakery. i think maybe 12nm bearing 168 degrees from the prey's last know posit. take a look.

Gunner, fish away make speed 40kts course 20d, at 4 min make course 60d at 3min all stop.

Gunner, DOY, you have show allies on, so you see our fish.... when fish start their turn to north west.. send your drop. ..

DOY, Gunner. aye.

The Team was now at all stop waiting......

Dartman put up the Target display screen on all ships displays... the entire team was watching .. even the seawolf captain tilited back in his chair and saw it all. The fish ran true. The team watched as their torps made a perfect line the width of the shelf ..all was covered moving north. Then DOY put his weaps exaclty on point, one circled into the shelf edge.. you could hear a groan thru out the entire team.. just then the second akula wep exploded... so did both crews... there was joy in the deep blue sea off of lebanon. Then the Captain, stood up preparing to make his normal regular good cheer walk about on the seawolf platform.

Dartman picked up the MC1 and said to all hands.. "well done. be advisied the captain is up, passing combat systems now."