Chapter 11
Kate found Mike on the Hammersley in the control room, surrounded by all kind of papers. "Hey", she greeted him and waited in the doorway, her hat tucked under her arm.
He looked up and was seemingly surprised. "Hi,… huh? What have you done with your hair?"
She walked in and turned around, "What do you think of it? "
"Uh, good! Although, I never expected this from you", he said.
She sat down, "Everyone was looking at us as if we were from another planet. We had to do something to melt into the crowd", Kate said.
He chuckled, "You're cute! And you said 'we'?".
"Indeed, Bomber also got her hair done."
"Hmm, I also want to see that", he grinned.
"By the way, how's the city?", he asked anxiously.
"You would barely recognize it. Luckily there's the Harbour Bridge and some of the older buildings, but It's so weird to look at where the opera house should be, but it isn't. It's strange. It's like walking around the setting of an old movie, except it's real. Moreover the streets are crowded with military, our troops, but also Americans and British", she told.
"Interesting. I want to see that too!", he replied leaning back in his chair.
"We can go together, no? And how did it go here?", she asked.
He looked at the papers, "Pfft, tiresome. Captain Collins helped enormously, but I had to show him the ship first with all the details. No more online requests, everything on paper. If there is no stamp on it, they refuse it outright. Charge assured me that the bunker oil from here is suitable for our engine and that's also the case for the other fuels and oils we need. Apart from the limited spare parts, there's only one major problem, that of ammo for the Steyr rifles. Our bullets don't exist yet. The good thing is that the 9 mm for handguns are okay. Collins will bring Sten guns and Enfield rifles aboard", Mike said.
Kate rolled her eyes, "Jolly good, museum pieces. Harpie's going to be exuberant again".
"Then, there will be at least one happy man", Mike answered deadpan.
"Have you ever heard anything about what we are going to do?", she asked.
"Nope, I tried to call Crace, but he wasn't available. I got his chief of staff, but he couldn't answer. The only good thing was that he already knew us as a special operations ship", Mike said.
"Do you think that we can get a longer shore leave? A few days or more?", she asked.
He shrugged, "I hope so, but I don't know. I really don't know anything at this point".
"Mike, I'm going to sleep in my own bed tonight. We must not exaggerate. What if someone sees us?", she said.
He nodded, "Yeah, good idea, our time will come. "
The next day, the crew attended a training for the reconnaissance of ships and aircraft, supplies were delivered aboard as well as new weapons. Although new? New for the period, Enfield rifles and Sten guns. A set of new charts were also delivered. Mike and Kate were studying the maps when he was called for a meeting ashore with Admiral Crace.
He was driven by Jeep to the Navy headquarters. When he entered the building, his eyes widened as he saw the nervous hustle and bustle of people hurrying back and forth. He walked over to the desk where a tired WRANS lieutenant looked at him questioningly. "Sir?", she simply said.
"I'm Commander Mike Flynn and I have an appointment with Vice Admiral Crace at 10 o'clock", he said.
"Sorry sir, the admiral is still busy. We'll let you know when he's free", she said lethargically.
"Yes, but I have a ship to run...", he started, but was cut off by her.
"Sir, everyone has something to do! The admiral is in conference with a captain. It's war, you know", she replied wearily.
He raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.
Keep a low profile Mike!
"Okay, okay. I'll wait in the mess", he said, turning away to look for the mess.
He was looking around and not paying attention to avoid a possible collision. As expected, it happened around the corner. He bumped into a Navy lieutenant with a set of charts in his hands. The set landed on the ground.
"Ouch, sorry", he said.
The man already had a curse on his lips, but when he noticed the three full bands on Mike's shoulders, he swallowed his words. "No problem, sir", he mumbled.
Both men bent down to pick up the papers from the ground and Mike handed them to him. That's when the tall, dark haired lieutenant read the name on Mike's name tag on his shirt. "It's a coincidence sir, I'm also Flynn, Hugh Flynn", he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Mike looked at the man's face and frowned.
No,it can't be true! Could he be my grandfather? He looks like him, although much younger.
"Are you Hugh Gregory Flynn?", he asked and noticed that his words hit the target.
The man's eyes widened, "Yes sir, it's me! How do you know that?"
"Uh... I'm Mike Flynn, I'm a ... cousin", he improvised holding out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, sir, and I thought I knew all my family members!", Hugh said shaking Mike's hand.
"Apparently not, huh", he grinned.
"That's great! Really! I never expected to meet a family member here", Hugh replied enthusiastically.
"Are you working here?", Mike asked.
"No, I'm the executive officer of HMAS Alice Springs, a minesweeper. We had nasty visitors and the meat balls caused damage to us. We're here for two weeks for repair. Meanwhile I'm collecting charts for our future area. And you sir?", he said.
"Hugh, drop the sir. We're family. It's Mike. I'm in Special Operations and I can't talk about it. You know how it goes huh", he replied.
Hugh nodded, "Yeah, okay. I understand, walls have ears, don't they?"
"Are you here for a while or is this also classified information?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I was here to see Crace to find out more", Mike answered.
"Well, that's great. I'm celebrating my birthday this weekend, Sunday. It's probably a unique event because where we will be in the next few years. So, why don't you come too? It's a small family reunion", he asked enthusiastically.
"Sounds good. Hopefully, we'll still be in the port. May I have your address? And, uh, may I bring my girlfriend?", Mike asked.
"Yeah, sure! Mine will be there too!", he answered, scribbling his address on a piece of paper. "Here".
Meanwhile the same weary WRANS lieutenant stood behind them, "Sir? The admiral is expecting you", she said.
Mike winked at Hugh, "I'll call you if it turns out badly. See you".
"See you there Mike".
Still smiling; he entered Vice Admiral Crace's office. "Sir", he said.
At the same time, he noticed that another officer was also seated in one of the empty chairs.
"Ah, Commander Flynn, take a seat", Crace invited him.
As Mike sat down, Crace continued. "Commander, this is Captain Keith Fairfax of the HMAS Fremantle.
Mike looked at the man and nodded to him, saying "Nice to meet you sir".
The Fremantle! It's the one that disappeared in 1942. Where are we heading to?
Crace continued, "I created a powerful taskforce. The Fremantle is our heaviest cruiser with an important range of fire with its 8 inch guns. The problem is that the accuracy at maximum distance is limited because we can't see that far. As we get closer to the enemy the accuracy increases, but then we're also within range of smaller enemy guns. To solve this, I added your ship to the Fremantle, commander. With your high-tech radar and tools, it must be perfectly possible to direct the fire of the 8 inch cannons. Moreover, you can come closer to the enemy and the small size of your ship will not attract the attention. The taskforce is under my command and you are under the command of Captain Fairfax. To facilitate the communication between both ships, I'll transfer an assistant of the Fremantle Fire Control Officer to you", the admiral said. He looked at his file, then at Mike, "It will be Lieutenant David Newman. He'll report to you aboard this afternoon. I know I'm anticipating, but this will give hm the opportunity to get used to the ship and the tools. Any questions?", he said.
"When do we go into action? And where?", Mike asked.
"I have planned this for next week, Tuesday. And where? I'll keep the taskforce here, around our country. The Japs are moving faster than I thought. It's just like a hot knife in a lump of butter and nothing seems to stop them. However, the Yanks are planning to do something in the coming months. I can't say more for security reasons. But meanwhile, a lot can happen. They could try to land in the north, near Darwin. Why would they have bombed it on 19th February? So, your task is to patrol along the northern border and destroy any Japanese attempt to approach our soil!", Crace said.
"I'm ready for it", Fairfax said.
"Me too", Mike added.
"Good! Written instructions will follow", the admiral said.
"Can I give my crew a few days off ashore before we leave?", Mike asked.
"Sure, until next week, there's nothing to expect", Crace answered.
"And this also applies to your crew", he said to Captain Fairfax.
"Okay sir", the latter answered.
Crace looked at his watch, "Gentlemen, I have to call General Mc Arthur".
"Okay sir", both men answered, standing up.
As they left his office Fairfax turned to Mike, "Commander, you owe me a tour on your wonderful ship. I want to know her capabilities before we face the Japs".
"Sure sir. When?"
"This afternoon? I'll come with Lieutenant Newman", the captain said.
When Mike arrived at the Hammersley, he found Kate checking out new supplies. Bomber was standing next to her and didn't seem happy.
"What's the matter?", Mike asked.
"The new medical supplies are not what Bomber expected", Kate said.
"No sir. The only thing that matches are the bandages. For the rest nothing! Painkillers, serums, pills. It's not what we need here. The worst are the syringes. They are not vacuum-packed! And when I ask for it, they look at me like I am an actor straight out of a play and they come out of the blue when I talk about the things I need!", she ranted.
"Bomber, you seem to forget that it's 1942 and not 2011. The product you are asking for doesn't even exist yet. And the same goes for sterilisation. In 2011 it's much stricter. You'll have to make do, I'm afraid. Remember we're just a small ship. Hospitals probably have the latest products. And don't forget either that they have never seen a woman on active service", Mike said.
"Okay sir", she said plainly. "Then, uh.. I'll start putting all things away".
She turned around and returned to the ward.
Kate looked at him, "And? The HQ?"
"You won't believe me! I met my grandfather at HQ. Lieutenant Hugh Flynn. Funny thing is, he's younger than me. Moreover, it's his birthday next Sunday! He invited us. ", Mike said enthusiastically.
She looked baffled, "No? Are you kidding? How is it possible. How is he?"
"Just as I remembered, an extremely passionate man. He hasn't actually changed in fact", Mike answered.
"Nice, but, uh… did you only go to HQ only to see your grandfather?", she asked without batting an eyelid.
"Oh, no, of course not. I had a meeting with Crace".
"We're forming a taskforce with the Fremantle and we have to patrol in the north to stop any Japanese attempt to land on our soil", Mike said.
Kate turned pale.
"What? The Fremantle? Do you do know that one's missing?", she replied.
"Yes, I know, but what could I say? 'Sir, be careful, your ship will disappear!'. I can already see their faces in front of me. But, that concerns the Fremantle. We are not supposed to be here", Mike replied.
She gave him a worried look, "And yet, I don't feel very reassured now".
"Anyhow, we can't help it. We are going to be the eyes of the Fremantle with our radar, EOD and drone as a kind of advanced observation post. For this purpose we'll take aboard a certain Lieutenant David Newton. He'll be the liaison officer with the Fremantle", Mike said.
"Hmm", she murmured gloomily.
"He will be here this afternoon. His commander, Captain Fairfax will bring him and he also wants a tour of the ship. He's our commanding officer and he needs to know what our capabilities are", Mike said.
"Uh-hu. Ok."
"Can you fix a place for Newton?", he asked.
She rubbed her chin, "Hmm, we no longer have spare cabins for seniors, unless…. Dutchy has a cabin of his own. I'll put him there. Hopefully he'll agree to share a cabin with an NCO, otherwise I'll have to shift everything or move Bomber into mine", Kate said.
Mike gave her a smile, "Good. I hear that we already have two alternatives".
"And,… I also have some good news, we're getting shore leave for the weekend. Two days off for the entire crew. Good? Isn't it", he added to cheer her up.
Kate sighed, "Yeah, why not. We can use it".
To be continued