Shadow of the Dragon полностью

“It wasn’t a question, Dustin,” Ryan said. “I know they trust you, or they wouldn’t have sent you over to brief me. I’ve been in your shoes, shoved out in front, so to speak. Believe me, I understand what it’s like to stand where you’re standing. So take a deep breath and give me what you’ve got. We can go over it again when Commander Forestall arrives.”

“Of course, Mr. President,” Fullmer said. “I was…” He caught van Damm’s gaze and opened the leather folio. “As you’re aware, China and Russia recently engaged in a military exercise they called Snow Dragon. Satellite imagery shows three Chinese submarines departed pens in Wuhan and Hainan approximately five months ago. Two Shang Type 093 nuclear fast-attacks, then later a Kilo diesel-electric. The Kilo surfaced to top off batteries every twenty-four hours. They made no attempt to hide. A week later, a Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile sub departed Huludao. We picked it up again when it transited the Bering Strait and monitored it during the war game. The Kilo peeled off from the pack near Anadyr, Russia, at which point a fifth Chinese submarine, a Yuan, we believe, hull number 771, appeared. Both these subs stayed in the littoral waters around Anadyr, participating with Chinese and Russian surface ships in what we assume was a different round of the same exercise.”

Ryan nodded, showing that he was listening. None of this was exactly new information.

Van Damm made an ever so slight get-on-with-it motion with his hand.

Fullmer swallowed, taking the hint. “Satellite imaging, undersea hydrophonic arrays, and P-3cs stationed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, show the Shang fast-attacks transited the Bering Strait nine days ago, moving southward. The Kilo departed Anadyr at around the same time, but the Yuan remained for an extra week before departing to the south.”

“Okay…” Ryan said.

“Right,” Fullmer said. “The point is, the Yuan-class sub has turned around and has transited the Bering Strait heading north. We’ve picked up a coded signal we believe is coming from an area known as the Mendeleev Ridge in the Arctic Ocean.”

“A submarine in distress?” Ryan asked.

“A DISSUB would make sense, sir,” Fullmer said. “Both Shang fast-attacks have apparently turned around and passed through the Bering two hours ago. The Chinese Kilo appears to be following.”

“Any Russian vessels heading toward the coded signal?”

“There are some standing well off,” Fullmer said. “But none approaching. The newest Chinese icebreaker Xue Long 2 took part in the exercises and remained in Russian waters. It is moving toward the signal from the Laptev Sea.” Fullmer swallowed. “Incidentally, Xue Long means snow dragon… Same as the name of the exercise…”

“Interesting,” Ryan said, looking at van Damm, amused but for the gravity of the situation. Forestall was on his way. That was a good thing.

Fullmer continued. “It’s spring and the Arctic ice is thinning, but it still keeps most surface vessels away.”

“So a coded signal,” Ryan asked. “And returning submarines…”

Fullmer waited a beat. When van Damm didn’t offer anything, he said, “The subs that—”

A knock at the door from the secretaries’ suite preceded Commander Robbie Forestall’s arrival. He apologized for D.C. traffic. Breathing easier now, Fullmer brought the commander quickly up to speed.

Forestall took a stack of 8x10 color photographs from his folder and passed them across the desk to give commentary — and clarity — to Fullmer’s earlier brief.

Ryan tapped the humpbacked submarine in the photo. “Tell me what I’m looking at.”

“That’s the Yuan-class,” Forestall said. “The 771.”

“And a Yuan isn’t a nuke,” Ryan mused.

“It is not,” Forestall said.

“Dustin mentioned the Chinese boomer,” Ryan said. “The Jin-class. When’s the last time we saw her?”

“Our last contact with her was a week ago, north of the Bering Strait.”

“So are we thinking this boomer is in distress and calling for help?”

“High probability,” Forestall said.

“I can see them sending the Shangs into an overhead environment like an ice floe, but the Yuan’s a diesel. Seems like a good way to lose another sub.”

“Right,” Forestall said. “But the Yuan’s not an ordinary diesel-electric. Folks at the Naval Institute describe it as like a Song that resembles the Russian Kilo or a Kilo that has some characteristics of a Song. The Yuan has horizontal control surfaces on his sail and a dorsal rudder — like the Song-class boats. The Kilos have neither of these features, but they do share the same two-over-four torpedo tube configuration with the Yuan. Shipbuilders in Wuhan are turning out this newer class of sub with a rubberized hull coating, seven-blade screw, antivibration rack. State-of-the-art weaponry and sonar come either from Russia and or France. This is a very quiet sub, Mr. President. China has had great success with air-independent power.”

“Meaning they don’t need to surface and run their diesel to charge their batteries,” Ryan said.