More Disregard
Nelson was at a radio talking to Chip. Telling him the flying sub was shot down. That he was aboard the Macklin.'
Chip asked if they were all right.
He hesitatingly answered, not wanting to process the words he had to say, that Captain Crane was missing.
Then he was talking to the ill-fated Captain Lawrence asking him to plot a course and get away at flank speed. Abandoning the search for Crane, abandoning all hope for him.
Lawrence said, 'If we continue our search pattern we may be able to find him.'
By Nelson's choice, in a self-assigned mission, they called off the search for Crane and exclusively searched for missiles, losing the Macklin and Lawrence in the process.*
Back ashore many researchers were now busy looking for connections between the men on the purification team and known foreign intelligence recruiters, as well as similar connections between crewmembers of all the vessels attending the commissioning. Research was ongoing into the pasts of the delegates, searching for areas of vulnerability to foreign influence. Strategies were being devised to identify the security risks for the commissioning and address them.
Crane was an insignificant cog in the wheel of the workings of naval intelligence, but one that had some slight potential at the moment, one they were more than happy to make use of.
Nelson's coping mechanism had always been to subjugate distress and trauma by covering over them with activity, forging ahead making plans with single-minded focus, stubbornness, and determination. As an Admiral he expected others to support those plans and follow orders to make them happen. In the past few days, he had suggested plans to ONI, and compelled COMSUBPAC to agree with them. This single-minded determination was typical for him and was how he coped with trauma. However was he dealing with, or hiding from, his own distress?
Now he was working hard behind the scenes to make sure Lee carried out the mission. He was determined that Lee would attend the commissioning regardless of his fitness. He truly wanted the Captain to rest, and get well, however in his zealous patriotism and commitment to identifying the enemy agents, he was entirely unrealistic of the required recuperation time for Lee's physical injuries and completely in the dark as to the emotional and mental torment his Captain was suffering.
Nelson pulled strings to ensure Crane received orders to attend the commissioning in spite of medical guidance to the contrary. Crane was not yet aware of this.
Because of Crane's condition he would be allowed an assistant to attend with him throughout the commissioning. Kowalski was selected because of his skills in tough spots, scrappy nature, quick thinking, familiarity with Crane's current situation, and natural empathy and compassion. Kowalski would get instruction from the corpsmen on the techniques of assisting Crane, use of emergency medications, and first aid. The Admiral briefed him on what he could be told of the mission. No one told Crane about this.
In spite of his naive ideas on recuperation Nelson did try to pave the way for Crane. He arranged for Admiral Jiggs Starke, who was representing COMSUBPAC at the commissioning to be an emergency contact for Kowalski should help be required. Crane would never be informed of this.
Nelson arranged for the flying sub to land him on the aircraft carrier.
Nelson in an honest attempt to not distress Lee failed to prepare him for what was coming. He correctly felt Lee would be overwhelmed with details at this point but made the mistake of telling him nothing about the mission continuing at all. This would prove problematic.
* Killers of the Deep