One of our subs was missingThe nightmare fear of the U.S. had come true. One of our finest submarines, the U.S.S. Tampa, on a top-secret spying mission, had fallen into Chinese Communist hands. The Communists, fighting for survival in a savage civil war, now held not only the sub, the crew, and gutsy Commander Sean Murphy hostage, but U.S. power and prestige as well.America had one last desperate card to play. The most advanced submarine in the world, the still untried U.S.S. Seawolf, under the command of maverick daredevil Captain Michael "Patch" Pacino. The Seawolf had to steal back the Tampa from where it lay guarded by the entire Chinese fleet armed to the teeth with technology from the bankrupt Russians.
To Theresa Lynn, Matthew Robert, and Maria Dean
This book, and an entire writing career, is the result of a long chain of people, all of them extraordinary.
The line certainly begins with parents and extends through teachers and mentors, commanding officers and colleagues. To those who have helped on the way, I offer my thanks:
To Donald I. Fine, the giant of publishing who taught me the hard parts and was patient with me when I might not have deserved it.
To Natasha Kern, my agent, the first to see something in the words I wrote.
To Alice Price, who convinced Natasha that what she saw was not a mirage.
To Adam Levison, an editor who listened and explained.
To Barbara Field for her superb illustrations, and for her willingness to learn the insides of a nuclear submarine to make them.
To Andrew Hoffer, production manager, who made it seem easy.
To Richard Mareinko, the venerable commander and founder of SEAL Team Six, a daring and creative Navy SEAL who revolutionized modern special warfare commando techniques, whose life stories came to me not only from his excellent book Rogue Warrior but from Bique family folklore and the girl who used to babysit his kids.
To Lieutenant Commander David De Longa Ph.D., my old roommate from MIT,
Scuba School, and the USS Hammerhead, who opened up the world of deep diving submersibles and showed me exactly how one goes about flying a helicopter.
To the officers and men of the U.S. Submarine Force, especially the alumni of the USS Hammerhead, SSN-663, and especially to Commander Tim Mulcare, now executive officer of the Norfolk, who showed me the workings of a 688 class.
To every teacher who cared, particularly those at Ballard H.S. in Louisville, KY.” and at Annapolis.
And, of course, to Mom and Dad.
He who will not risk cannot win.
Pick out the biggest and commence firing.
Fight her till she sinks and don’t give up the ship.
The colors must never be struck.
Take her down.
I. I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
II. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.
III. If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
IV. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
V. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
VI. I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
Even in the moonless night, the KL-87’s digital infrared camera captured the endless rows of crudely camouflaged People’s Liberation Army tanks, the Main Force Battalion that was waiting to ambush the opposition White Army brigade advancing from the west.
