CASTLE'S COMMAND

CHAPTER FOUR

Author's Note; Please remember that this is an AU story and while the major events are the same, I've stretched the timeline a little so that D-day occurs a month later on July 8th. Also, though not actually done in our timeline I invented a modified PT boat that could have been possible.

Preparing for the mission, Castle went over the status of the squadron. All damage to the boats had been repaired. All but two of the wounded had recovered and been returned to duty. Seaman Jeffords of 517 had lost his left leg, below the knee and Petty Officer second class had lost an eye. Both would be returned home and medically retired. All boats had carried a fourteen- man crew, although twelve could operate the boat adequately. Men were transferred from other boats to bring 517 up to strength, until replacements could arrive from PT school. 517's XO took over as its' commanding officer and Lieutenant Calder transferred aboard as the XO.

First Officer Beckett-Trent agreed to handle his duties as well as her own until an officer arrived from America to replace Calder on the boat. 513 remained at full strength. As the squadron commander had to coordinate the other boats as well as fight his own. With their slowly growing friendship, Kate was appalled that Rick was undertaking a mission like this, the first day back but also knew that there was no hope of talking him out of it. Nonetheless she stood on the dock as the two boats departed. The British boat wasn't one of the MTBs but rather a RAF marine Branch Rescue launch armed only with two pair of .303 machine guns. Castle had ordered extra ammunition for all guns storing it anyplace he could. The crews of both boats all wore turtle neck sweaters and gloves, their faces darkened with camouflage makeup.

The Two Jedburgh teams would go ashore by rubber boat, in two separate locations on the rocky coastline and the launch would rendezvous with a French fishing boat at a third location. The Jedburgh landings went in without a hitch.

Not so the extraction. A German harbor patrol boat got suspicious and tried to intercept the fishing boat. It was a hopeless task, turned fatal. It was just a thirty-foot launch with twin MG42 machine guns forward and another pair aft.

The launch had a German officer and four German sailors aboard and four Vichy French crewmen. They had just ordered the fishing boat to heave to, when PT 513 opened fire with all guns. In less than a minute the launch was nothing but scraps of wood and floating bodies.

The crew of the fishing boat was brought on board the MTB as well as the resistance personnel. The fishing boat was then sunk by gunfire. Its' owner promised compensation. Both boats returned to port without incident. The first person off the launch was not a member of the resistance, but a female S.O.E. agent, Mary, Margaret Riley, a petite auburn-hared, green-eyed beauty.

A senior S.O.E. agent was on the dock to meet her as well as the resistance people, as well as an officer from MI5. Her accent was a strange mixture of Irish and French.

"Well, Jock, it's good to be home and out of France it's not fun living with a price on your head. And I'll be damned if I'll go back. I'll be going with you, but give me a bit o' time to thank the skipper of the boat that sank the damn Jerries."

"I'll give you half an hour. It will take us that long to sort out the French. (there were six resistance fighters, four men and two women and the three- man crew of the fishing boat)

"Will you point him out to me?"

"I don't know which one he is. Ask the launch commander."

"Excuse me Leftenant, which one of those men commanded the gunboat."

"It's not one of ours, it's an American boat. The commander is that big one standing by the bollard. Leftenant Commander Castle."

Mary walked up to the group of American officers and a Wren officer.

"Excuse me, may I speak to Leftenant Commander Castle?" Rick turned to her.

"I'm Castle." Mary said;

"I'm Mary Margaret Riley, Commander, I and all of us on that boat owe you our lives. This is by the way of thanking you.? She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

She grinned. She could tell by the grimace that the Wren didn't like that at all. Taken aback, all Castle could do was say; "You're welcome."

He's a handsome one. Maybe I'll come back and look him up when he's off duty and really thank him. I'll see if the over-sexed rumors are true.

"Good night Commander."

"Good night, Miss Riley."

What a shameless little tart and rude too. She didn't even greet the rest of us! Why do I even care, except it was an unseemly display? You know why. Her mind said back to her.

"First Officer, gentlemen, it's three in the morning I'll write the after action after I've had a little sleep. First Officer, I'll debrief you at thirteen hundred, if that's acceptable to you."

"Perfectly acceptable, sir."

"Very well. Good night, First Officer, gentlemen."

Rick was off duty until thirteen hundred so he got a good seven hours of sleep, showered, shaved and dressed, then went to the combined officer's mess for lunch having a plate of bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes), toast and coffee. Kate and Ryan joined him at his table. Ryan copying Rick and Kate ordering Dover Sole. They kept the conversation light and off the war. After lunch, Rick debriefed Kate. It was a short debrief as it was a simple mission with no allied causalities.

The next few days were quiet, just routine patrols. Then the replacement personnel arrived from the PT school. The importance of the channel operations such that they were flown over in Martin PBM-3R flying boats. Then came the task of integrating them with the boat's crews as quickly as possible. Twenty new men were assigned to the squadron more than were needed but who would get rotated through the boats so that they would have a reserve. Two new officers were with the group. Lieutenant Junior Grade John Gilbert to relieve Lieutenant Calder and Ensign Tracy Walker as assistant operations officer. No new Chiefs were with the replacements. Petty Officer First Class Warren Greene was promoted Chief Petty Officer.

Rick and all his skippers were all overworked integrating the new men and shifting more experienced men to balance the crew of 517. He returned to his bad habit of eating catch as catch can at his desk. After five days of that, Kate caught him at his desk eating a bologna and cheese sandwich. She glared at him.

"Do you want to go back to the hospital? Because working as hard as you do and not eating properly will put you there. You are a man, not an automaton."

There was no one else around so he said;

"Katherine, there is too much to do and too little time to get it done."

"It won't get done at all, if you exhaust yourself. Please don't make me go to Commander Greaves. I will if I have to." Rick sighed.

"Very well, I don't want that pill roller on my back."

"Good, the mess is still serving. Please come along. I've missed our chats."

I've missed you, but I can't say it yet.

Things began to heat up as the day of the invasion crept closer. The number of convoys increased, therefore the enemy raids increased. Both day and night actions increased. A complex schedule was arranged with the MTB flotilla so that neither unit bore all the night raids and counter actions.

Toward the end of March, word arrived that a second squadron was due in from the states, RON 34 under Lieutenant Commander Raphael Semmes III. Rick was promoted Commander, in overall command of both squadrons. Being promoted two ranks in less than six months would have been unheard of, before the war but it wasn't unique in this war. Rick was not happy with the situation as it meant more time at his desk and less time at sea.

Lieutenant Stewart took over PT 513. Rick received a New Specially built Elco Boat modified by adding ten feet to its' length, two feet to its beam and more powerful (2000 horsepower) engines. The extra length was necessary to accommodate a larger chart room, radio room and ward room The room necessary for another radio set and more powerful radar all for command-and-control purposes. A twin Oerlikon 20mm was added amidships. The crew was increase by four. One officer and three enlisted men. Ryan was promoted Lieutenant Commander, commanding RON 30 and a second hat, the group executive officer. The two squadrons were designated a group. There were twelve more of these boats built for use in the Pacific. The new design designated Patrol Torpedo Command- and- Control Boats. (PTCC). In an odd coincidence, his boat was PTCC-13 and the new group, group 13.

Castle only had a week to work on integrating his two squadrons when a major action occurred. A large convoy was arriving, with an escort of six destroyers, two frigates and a heavy cruiser. Intelligence reports said that the Nazis were expected to responded with eight submarines, the light cruiser Bamberg, two destroyers and twenty E-boats.

Rick Split the two squadrons into three groups with nine of each squadron's boats under direct control of their commanders and three from each squadron under him.

"Gentlemen, this is our action plan. The seven boats under my control will form up and go head on. Ryan your nine boats and hit their right flank, Semmes you hit the left. If he tries to overwhelm my group, that will leave his flanks vulnerable. So, his only viable choice is to split up to meet our attacks which will leave us with a slight numerical superiority.

The British squadron will head directly for the convoy as a screen and to intercept any that might get past us. Get your men fed, we depart at fourteen hundred."

Kate was on the dock to see the boats off. She broke one of her own rules. She walked up to Rick as he was about to board. She touched his arm.

"Good luck Richard. Please come back safe." Come back to me.

He smiled.

"I'll try very hard."

Kate was a worried woman. She had known Rick for just over three months. It was too short a time for this to be happening but she couldn't deny it. She was falling in love with him. They hadn't been intimate, not even kissed or dated. Off duty, the hard-charging naval officer was a kind, caring, charming man. Intelligent, erudite and witty. He made her laugh and forget her fears for a little while. And all they'd had were their chats over meals and drinks in the club.

She was a passionate woman and her needs were not being met. She hadn't been with a man since the debacle with the doctor almost a year ago. She had been a virgin when she married Lloyd. And even as short as the marriage had been it had awakened a powerful sexuality in her. After his death, she had kept it under rigid control until she met Doctor Josh Davidson and she'd let her walls down. He was tall, dark, handsome and charming. They dated for a month, before she gave in. He had her completely fooled, but only for two weeks. They'd only had sex twice.

She was supposed to go to his flat for dinner at six o'clock. He'd given her a key, although he didn't have a key for hers. She got off duty early and thought she'd surprise him. She stopped at a bakery and picked up a small pie. She surprised him all right. She opened the door and heard very recognizable moans coming from the bedroom. The arrogant bastard hadn't even closed the bedroom door. She went right past surprise to outrage. She stormed through the door and saw the nurse's whites on the floor. The naked couple not even under the coverlet.

"You right bastard. Don't you ever come near me again!" She dropped the pie on the floor, the blueberries staining his precious Persian rug and stormed out, dropping his key down a storm drain.

Now, she was willing, if not quite ready to take a chance again. She wanted this man and could sense that he wanted her too, but something was holding him back, too. Another fear, for her was the very thing that brought them together in the first place. He was not only a naval officer but one of the most hazardous assignments. Exceeded only by the submarine service. There was the very real fear of losing him to enemy action. But if she didn't act, she could lose him to local predators, Mary Riley for one.

Castle too, had his reasons for holding Back. After Kyra, he was leery of trusting any woman too far. He hadn't been celibate but had several very short -term affairs, both parties understanding that it was just temporary pleasure. Nothing since shipping overseas. Kate was too good a woman to be used like that. His second reason for holding back was his situation. Every time he left harbor there was a chance that he wouldn't be coming back. He'd already been wounded twice.

Third was her place in society. Her peers wouldn't readily accept a man not of her class and might well shun her. He didn't know that she could care less about that. To top everything off, with the new command structure, he had even less free time than before.

He looked back as the boat cleared the dock. She waved, once then turned to walk back to headquarters.

The PTCC was larger, thus heavier than a standard PT, but had an additional 750 horse power to make up for it. She came up on the plane as easily as the smaller boats and could achieve the same speed. The two squadrons formed up behind castle's boat in a large arrowhead formation, cruising at 35 knots. Going at maximum speed before action, simply ate up fuel.

Reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the course, estimated speed and size of the German force. Intelligence had been slightly off. Here were only eighteen E-boats. The two forces came in sight of each other at seventeen fifteen hours. Rick ordered;

"Combat spread." The Germans reacted as Rick had predicted. They really didn't have any choice. The cruiser and her escorts headed for the convoy, while the E-boats hanged course to intercept the PT boats. Rick ordered;

"All boats charge your guns."

Although RON 30's crews were now mostly veterans, RON 34's were mostly green. Completely ready or not, Group 13 was about to receive its' baptism of fire.

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