Chapter 6: Blood of The Bull
Yankee Station, 17 30' N, 108 30' E
Combined Task Force 77 cruised lazily through the South China Sea, as air crew bustled around the deck of USS Midway. Aiko was sitting in the bridge, gazing loftily out her starboard window. She looked out at the main battle group, as USS Tutuila's crew worked tirelessly to repair USS Saratoga, and the two Alaska class large cruisers flanked her. A feeling of regret flooded Kurosawa's mind, as she thought about Captain Chambers, who was still down in the medical bay.
"What am I going to do, Larry…?" She muttered to herself. "I'm not ready to command CV-41... Even after everything I learned at Yokosuka, I'm still just as weak as when you found me."
"Captain, my apologies." The senior radio officer saluted, appearing next to her chair. "You're needed in the war room. Urgent call from Nebraska, it's General Lemay."
"What, now?!" Aiko jumped up and sprinted to the war room. She cautiously picked up the telephone set, which rested next on the map table. "This is XO Kurosawa Aiko of USS Midway, sir!" She said into the receiver, saluting even though Lemay couldn't see her.
"XO Kurosawa? Where's Captain Chambers?" Lemay inquired.
"He… He was injured in an air raid. I helped him get to the medical bay, but he's unconscious." Aiko said, trying not to break up.
"I see. Er, XO Kurosawa, you're Halsey's kid, right?" Lemay continued, and Aiko could hear the flipping of a memo notepad.
"Y-yes sir! I've taken up temporary leadership in Captain Chamber's stead." Aiko managed.
"We've got a job for you. It's not an easy one, but if Chambers trusts you, then so do I." Lemay stated. "We have new orders from Washington, you are to conduct a raid on Haiphong Harbor. Recon has discovered numerous cargo and ammunition ships within Haiphong – gifts from Soviet Russia to North Vietnam - but now the Teki are attempting to capture these assets. A convoy of Teki ground units left Hanoi yesterday, and they're heading to Haiphong Harbor. We cannot allow that to happen, and it is your job to send those transport ships to the bottom, by any means necessary before they fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, President Kennedy has approved the mining of Haiphong Harbor. Nothing gets in or out. Understood?"
"Yes sir. 'By any means necessary.'" Aiko shuddered a little.
"You are permitted to use any and all methods of carrier aviation, and the 7th JSF will assist you in the raid. Rear Admiral Henderson is flying in from LPH-5 USS Princeton, to hold a briefing on the USS Midway. All the captains from CTF 77's main battle group are to be in the war room, on time. The command group will be available for auxiliary support, if you should need it. Also…" Here, Lemay's tone changed from official to fatherly. "Loosen up, kid. I can hear the phone shaking in your hand."
Aiko became conscious of this fact and held the receiver even tighter. "Yes sir!"
"I also understand you didn't have a fantastic first impression of the 7th, but believe me, we only choose the best graduates. You'll do fine, Kurosawa." Lemay said warmly.
"Thank you, sir!" Aiko saluted again, to seemingly no one in particular. The officers looked at her curiously, then returned to their work as she set the receiver down. "D-Does anyone know what Rear Admiral Henderson's ETA is?" She stammered nervously.
The senior radio officer looked at his aide, and then flipped through a clipboard on the desk. "His helicopter should be arriving in a few hours, until then, all the other captains are expected to assemble in the War Room and await his arrival. Sixteen of the eighteen attendees are already present – the two submarine skippers will be coming alongside Midway for transfer via motorboat. You however, being the host captain, are to meet him on the deck and escort him." The senior officer replied.
Aiko groaned nervously and began fussing with her hair. "Very well! I'm going to go prepare then!" She began an awkward stride out of the room, before the senior officer stopped her again.
"You know Captain, the 7th JSF will be arriving around the same time. They're coming with us to Haiphong." He stated.
Aiko's nervousness turned to disdain, as she turned to look at him. "Don't let those clumsy witches anywhere near the Rear Admiral. I won't be disgraced by the likes of them…" She said in disgust, before retreating to the XO's quarters.
Meanwhile, approximately 150 miles northeast of Yankee Station…
Rear Admiral Henderson was preparing to board a Huey Delta, onboard USS Princeton. The command group of CTF 77 was separate from the main battle group. It consisted of several large carriers and logistics ships.
Henderson's flagship was the former Essex class carrier turned amphibious assault ship, LPH-5 USS Princeton.
Princeton was complemented by LPH-2 USS Iwo Jima, the namesake of her class. Unlike Princeton, which was a converted Essex-class, Iwo Jima was the first ship to be designed and built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship.
There was a large Alaska class battlecruiser, the USS Hawaii, which was converted to a large command ship halfway through her construction. The hull was obstructed on various intervals by towering communication relays where her main battery used to be, although she did retain the impressive anti-aircraft suite and dual-purpose guns of her sister ships Alaska and Guam.
The other communications relay ship was AGMR-2 USS Arlington, which served in a previous life as CVL-48 USS Saipan in World War 2. In the post war era, she had radio towers and satellite relays installed on her flight deck, which prevented aircraft launching, and relegated her to communications relay only.
The USS Midway's sister ship was also present - the USS Coral Sea was part of the command group and was nearly identical to Chamber's ship.
The USS Bennington was laid down as an Essex class in 1944, but was modernized under the SCB-125 configuration, which provided her an angled flight deck, new elevator designs, and improvements to the ship's seakeeping abilities – This modification had also been applied to USS Intrepid, and the other survivors of the Essex class carriers.
USS Ticonderoga, another Essex class carrier, was also present in the group, and operated under modernization SCB-125, in similar fashion to Bennington and Intrepid.
Other ships in the group consisted of WW2 veteran battleship BB-59 USS Massachusetts, heavy cruiser CA-35 USS Indianapolis, anti-aircraft light cruisers CLAA-96 USS Reno and CLAA-98 USS Tucson, destroyers DDG-24 USS Waddell, DD-951 USS Turner Joy, and DD-731 USS Maddox, in addition to Balao class submarine SS-311 USS Archerfish, and Gato class submarine SS-242 USS Bluegill.
Maddox and Turner Joy were of notable mention, as they were both present in the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964. Prior to this, the US had contributed little attention to the Vietnam conflict, until Maddox's patrol group came under fire from Teki torpedo boats. The patrol group managed to evade eight of the underwater projectiles, and only sustained one confirmed hit from a small caliber repeating laser cannon on the Teki motored boats. USS Ticonderoga assisted Maddox and Turner Joy in their retreat, with air support from four Vought F-8E Crusaders. Having spent their warheads, the Teki boats retreated from whence they came, but managed to damage the wing on one of the Crusader jets with their repeating laser cannon.
The command group was several miles northeast of CTF77's main battle group, as it existed to provide air support for the B-52's, and communication relays for the US forces. Rear Admiral Henderson boarded one of the UH-1D Huey's on USS Princeton, and departed for the USS Midway, flanked by two other Huey Delta's.
Aiko anxiously awaited the Rear Admiral on Midway's flight deck, holding on to her hat as the sea breeze attempted to snatch it. The flight deck was inactive, with a few parked planes on the aft deck, and the rest in the hangar below deck. Occasionally, wisps of steam from the two aircraft catapults would drift downwind, carrying water vapor into her face.
"So much for brushing my hair and all that…" She sighed. "I hope I can still make a decent impression."
The Huey's came in from port astern, alighting on the forward deck as they blew rotor wash all over the deck. Aiko clutched her skirt tightly, as the wind attempted to flip it upwards. When she looked up, the ever-decorated Henderson stepped out of the chopper, looking rather intimidating. His eagle eyes scanned every square inch of the Midway, before they settled on the young XO.
"XO Kurosawa, I presume?" He asked gruffly.
"Yes sir! XO Kurosawa Aiko reporting, sir!" She saluted.
"At ease, XO." He said dismissively, as Aiko's hand dropped to her side. "How's Larry?"
"His vital signs are doing well, but he's still unconscious. The medical officer said that he could wake up in a day or two, or he could be out for months even." Aiko replied gloomily, staring at the floor as she walked next to Henderson.
"I've known Larry for many years, we've been on several assignments together. And the Larry I know wouldn't let such a thing keep him down, he'd be back on his feet and ready to serve his country." Henderson chuckled. "You know, he was so proud the day they promoted him to Captain. He's the first African American to reach flag rank and command an aircraft carrier. He wanted to make something of himself – make his mother and brothers proud of him. An admirable prospect, to be certain."
Aiko looked up at Henderson curiously, noticing the wistful look in his eyes. The two of them entered the superstructure, and descended below deck to the war room, via elevator.
"The Midway class certainly is impressive. It even has elevators, which my knees greatly appreciate." Henderson said, rather relieved.
Upon reaching the war room, there were eighteen captains present around the table. This included even the two submarine commanders, who had surfaced near the carrier and been transferred aboard by small motor boat. There was murmuring all around the room, as they noticed Kurosawa standing next to Henderson. Someone shouted, "Admiral on deck!" followed by a whistle, and everyone stood at attention.
"At ease, gentlemen." Henderson waved dismissively and took a seat. "As you know, we have been tasked with a combined naval and aerial assault on Haiphong Harbor, with the ulterior motive of mining it and preventing any further naval activity from the Teki. While this may seem controversial, Defense Secretary McNamara has approved the raid, that we might employ a 'shock and awe' strike and show the Teki we mean business. Now you might ask, 'Why do the Teki need conventional ammunition ships when they're so advanced?' It is rumored that before the Soviets cut ties with North Vietnam, they had a Delta class submarine go missing near Tonkin Gulf. If for any reason the submarine was near Haiphong, the Teki could have captured the boat, and all sixteen of its nuclear ballistic missiles. Secretary General Brezhnev has denied all accounts of a missing submarine, but McNamara and the CORONA observation satellites have reason to believe otherwise, since there's an empty spot in Vladivostok's submarine pen."
Henderson groaned, stretching his back as loud cracking noises were heard throughout the room. Many of the captains in the room shuddered, unnerved by the sound. Henderson motioned to the map table, which had several flag markers on it representing the ships in CTF 77. "Gentlemen, I'm not getting any younger, as you may have noticed. In fact, I should have retired last year if it weren't for the escalation. But enough of the fireside chat, I'll turn it over to Kurosawa." He grinned, leaning back in his chair.
Aiko froze on the spot, her mouth gaping as she flashed a curious glance at Henderson. All eyes in the room were trained on her, including those of the Admiral.
"Well Kurosawa," Henderson chuckled. "We already had a plan on the table, but I'm interested to see how you would prepare such an assault - give us some insight from a younger set of eyes."
Aiko's knees began to knock, and her forehead was glistening with sweat. Murmurs began to circulate the room, and she could feel the shame beginning to mount, as if an elephant were sitting on her. "What do I do? Think Aiko, think!" Her thoughts raced, as she desperately attempted to recall any memory of such a plan. Even after all the time spent with Captain Chambers, she wasn't typically present in strategy meetings. It was then that she could hear her father's voice in her head, plain as day, as though 'Bull' Halsey were right next to her at the table.
"Aiko, even in your darkest moments, there is always more than one path to victory. There are no extraordinary men – or in your case women – just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary people are forced to deal with. And when the time comes, I know you'll make me proud. Because you're my daughter, and you've got the 'Bull's' blood. Hit hard, hit fast, hit often."
As the murmuring grew more pronounced, Aiko got a grip and put on a serious face. "Well, if I were planning the attack... I'll tell you what my plan would be." She gritted her teeth, and began moving pieces around on the map as she said this. "The Alaska and Guam will follow the battleships and provide long range fire support into the harbor. The cruisers will form a layer between the harbor and the battleships and provide mid-range fire support while also creating a defensive wall of anti-aircraft fire. Their radar and sonar will be invaluable to spot enemy ships and torpedoes. The cruiser and battleship groups will approach from the south and pound the harbor, while the destroyers come in from the north and lay mines, then exit through the south channel. The inner harbor is very narrow and close quarters, so the destroyers need to be on high alert as the situation will be fluid. The 7th JSF will also be present, to assist in the gunfire coordination, and provide air support. I'm aware that the Teki have launched numerous torpedo attacks from Haiphong, so we'll be sending in fighters to strafe any torpedo boats before they can make a run. The ASW plane squadrons will remain on standby and comb the harbor for any trace of the Delta class submarine. If it's in there, we'll seal it in with sonobuoys and mines."
Aiko took a moment to breathe, and noticed the other captains were staring wide-eyed at her. Even Henderson's eyebrows were raised, even as he sat there with all his naval awards.
"XO Kurosawa." Henderson boomed.
She shuddered, not knowing what might happen next. "Was that the wrong thing to say? I guess it's too late to be thinking that…" Her mind wandered nervously.
"You really do have the blood of the Bull. You're just like your old man." The admiral smiled. "Charging in, horns poised, as if nothing could withstand you. Your father would be proud. Your suggestions present a reasonable argument, and will be implemented in way or another into the battle plan."
The rest of the naval staff and captains were dismissed, and began heading back to the shuttle boats, even as Aiko's mind was still wallowing in confusion. She was left in the war room with Henderson and the officers.
"With all due respect Admiral," She interjected. "Were you simply testing me?"
"Perhaps." Henderson's eyes twinkled. "After all, we had to see if you had the navy spirit. And more importantly," He leaned closer. "It's always nice to inspire the men with some new talent."
The young XO was grinning ear to ear, as she eagerly saluted the Admiral.
"Thank you, sir!" She beamed.
Once Kurosawa had escorted Henderson back to the Huey, she returned to the bridge of the Midway and sat down in the captain's seat once more. Despite the majority presence of male officers, she let out a long sigh as the tension began to leave her body. A few of the younger officers glanced over momentarily, as she sank into the chair.
"XO Kurosawa." The assistant air officer said, arriving on next to the captain's seat and saluting her.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" She asked, seeing the young gentleman.
"I've spoken with the aircraft handlers, we've finished installing the bomber unit docks in the hangar bay, and the 7th JSF will be arriving in the traffic pattern soon to land." He reported.
"Ugh, I forgot all about them…" Aiko groaned, sinking further into the chair.
"Sir, is there a problem?" The AAO asked, with a puzzled expression.
"First, call me ma'am, not sir. Second, keep an eye on those girls. I don't want any shenanigans aboard this carrier, not when we're so close to a major operation." Aiko grumbled.
"Yes ma'am. I'll relay to the air boss." He saluted and headed back upstairs to the flight control deck.
The girls of the 7th JSF were entering the fleet airspace and had contacted Midway's traffic control. They had gotten into a skirmish with Teki ground units near the coast and managed to take them out with relative ease. Roberta had stayed behind at Osan, insisting that Jamie wouldn't allow her to go into combat, and she was also quite worn out after the previous exercise. One by one, the girls followed the glide slope down onto the carrier, as it bobbed up and down in the South China Sea.
"We might as well be trying to land on a rubber duck in the bathtub." Glenda scoffed, as she missed the arresting gear and went around for another try.
"Don't worry, they even adjusted the wire tension for us, so it should be even easier for you." Meryl chuckled, as the arresting wire caught her bomber unit, and she rapidly decelerated.
"It could be a lot worse, at least you weren't getting shot at by portable missiles…" Denise groaned, rubbing her leg.
All of them had completed an acceptable landing, except Glenda and Denise, who were still in the holding pattern. Glenda was still cross, having missed her first approach. But Denise was wobbling uneasily in the air and looked rather pale in the face.
"Hey Glenda, does it look like something's wrong with my unit? I'm not feeling too good, and I feel unbalanced." Denise worried.
"You look fine." Glenda snapped.
"But-" Denise began.
"Just hurry up and land." Glenda interrupted.
As Denise came down the glide slope to the carrier, the mirror landing aid began to change colors, as she adjusted her flight path. Upon getting closer, something started rattling on Denise's left unit, and she began losing thrust. Then, she felt the wind picking up, as a sudden downdraft hit her in the back, forcing her altitude down. The landing lights on the carrier turned from green to red, signaling an emergency wave off to abort landing. But Denise was losing power on the left engine and couldn't correct her course.
"…Shit. Shit, shit SHIT! Clear the deck!" Denise shouted frantically over the radio.
The air boss got on the PA system, and shouted, "All nonessential personnel clear the deck! Raise the emergency landing net!"
The deck crew began raising what seemed like a giant tennis net, which spanned across the flight deck as Denise came wobbling out of the sky. She crossed her arms in front of her face, just before smashing into the carrier deck and sliding into the net. The net stretched, increasing in tension as she rapidly decelerated, and pieces of her left gunship unit went tumbling down the flight deck. Her right unit caught fire, blossoming with orange red flames as she lay motionless and bleeding.
"DENISE!" Theresa cried out from the sidelines, attempting to run over just as Holly grabbed her arm. "Let go, Holly!" She shrieked.
"Theresa, get a grip! I know you're scared but let the combat medics do their job!" Holly yelled. "You won't help her by getting in the way!"
"You don't know that! And you have no idea how much she means to me!" Theresa bawled, breaking free from Holly's grip and running over to Denise. The fire suppression team beat her there, quickly extinguishing the flames as the combat medics began running out of the ship superstructure.
Theresa knelt next to Denise, and gingerly attempted to roll her onto her back. Denise had sustained an intense scuff mark along her right cheek and was bleeding from cuts on her forehead. Her right arm had taken substantial damage from the impact and appeared to be partially fractured. Her chest was still rising and falling in shallow intervals, as tears ran down her cheek and mixed with the crimson streak.
"Oh my god…" Theresa wept, trying to feel for Denise's pulse.
The paramedics arrived alongside her and convinced her to move out of the way, as they loaded her onto a stretcher and started cleaning the wounds for bandaging. Her arm was placed in a temporary splint, as they began carrying her down to the medical bay. Theresa followed them, right until they entered the intensive care unit, and forbade her from going further. Theresa paced around the entrance to the ICU, sobbing loudly, just as Glenda came around the corner.
"Theresa." Glenda said, trying to avoid her gaze. "I'm sorry."
Theresa's hands flew up in the air. "Sorry?" She echoed indignantly. "That's all you have to say?"
"I was so upset about my go around, I completely brushed her off when she asked me for help. She was asking if something looked wrong with her unit. I mean, it looked ok, except for maybe a loose piece of sheet metal…" Glenda said sheepishly. "I thought she would be fine, and it didn't help with the sudden downdraft."
"Well…" Theresa laughed scornfully. "I hope you've learned a valuable lesson from this. Don't assume. People's lives are at stake here. She could die! And all you have to say is 'sorry.'"
"I made a mistake," Glenda began. "And you know how much I hate making mistakes, I was frustrated with myself and now…" Her voice trailed off.
"You'd better hope she gets out of this alive." Theresa warned. "Or I'm never going to forgive you." She cast a dark glare at Glenda, before sitting down and resting her head in her hands.
Meanwhile on the bridge, Holly was reporting to Kurosawa.
"I see. Any word on 2nd Lt. Eilers?" Kurosawa asked worriedly.
Holly shook her head. "Not yet, Theresa wants to be with her very much, but they locked her out of the ICU."
"I can sympathize. I know all too well what it's like to lose someone close." Aiko's gaze drifted to the large windows, where Chambers was struck.
"XO- I mean, Captain." Holly began. "Would it be possible to let Theresa see her?"
"I'll see what I can do." Aiko answered, not turning around.
"Captain, if I may, something seems… different about your demeanor." Holly noted curiously.
"Well, I'll be honest when I say I didn't like your girls at our first meeting – I still don't like them even now. But they're just like me: young and inexperienced, but capable of learning and becoming more than themselves. Just like my father told me, 'There are no extraordinary people, only extraordinary circumstances that ordinary people are forced to deal with.'" Aiko replied, with her back to Holly.
"That's very thoughtful of you, captain." Holly smiled. "I'm glad we're on your side."
Holly saluted Kurosawa, before leaving the bridge to find Theresa and the other girls. Aiko waited until she had left the room, just as a very subtle smile crept across her face. The helmsman looked over curiously, as Aiko departed to go see Chambers.