Submarine Warriors: The Enemy Beneath Read Online Free PDF Page B

them.”
    “So they just made all this stuff up?” asked Annie.
    “That’s exactly what they did,” replied the Admiral. “They told everyone a story about an accident during a science experiment with a research sub that conveniently cannot be found.”
    “So what are we supposed to do about it?” said Annie, looking incredulous. “We can’t exactly call the police.”
    “You’re right, we can’t tell anyone what we know. We’re going to find them ourselves.”
    “That’s crazy,” Mike belted out. “We’re just kids.”
    “Yeah, how are we supposed to find our dads out in the middle of the ocean?” Chrissie asked.
    “We’re going to steal a submarine.”

Chapter 3 > The Plan

    Tree House
    “Steal a submarine…,” Caroline proclaimed, “…nice.”
    “I think we’ll need to send in Master Chief to pull off something this big.” Nick referenced his favorite video game.
    “I’m sure the submarine we’re borrowing will have a Master Chief onboard,” the Admiral replied, with a perplexed look.
    “I doubt anyone in the Navy has gone through the SPARTAN-II Augmentation Procedure,” Nick added.
    “So, what’s the game plan?” Annie asked the Admiral, who was still looking confused at Nick’s comment.
    “Well, since I’ve never stolen a sub before, we’re going to do like the Marines and improvise,” the Admiral answered.
    “Fake it till you make it!” Mike exclaimed.
    “My contacts at the Pentagon tell me that the Alaska has cut short its patrol and will be arriving home tomorrow afternoon,” the Admiral resumed. “We’ve got to get down to the Delta pier and make our way onboard the Alaska while most of the crew is onshore. You guys will have to help operate the ship. Just keep suspending your disbelief and you’ll be okay.”
    “It sounds like an awful lot of things will have to go right for us,” Annie commented.
    “You have no idea,” the Admiral remarked.
    “In a nutshell, we have to take control of the Alaska and drive it to the GPS location given to us by the XO. Along the way, we have to navigate the sub up through the Hood Canal Bridge, through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and dive into the Pacific. Once we reach the coordinates, some of you will have to suit-up in deep sea diving suits, leave the Alaska and try to find your fathers in their DSRV or wherever else they may be.”
    “Sounds like mission impossible,” Mike remarked under his breath.
    “Maybe he thinks we’re the Spy Kids or something,” Annie added.
    “Chrissie, please download and display the full blueprints of an Ohio Class submarine on the wall for us,” the Admiral asked.
    “Sure thing,” replied Chrissie.
    A moment later, a three-dimensional view of the sub appeared on the wall. The Admiral walked over and motioned his hands to separate the different parts of the sub onto different walls of the tree house. The Engine room slid to the wall behind him, the reactor compartment moved to the wall on the left, the missile compartment stayed put, and the forward part of the sub slid to a wall on the right.
    “Take a look at these four large areas of the sub.” The Admiral pointed at the wall. We’ll have to proceed with the assumption that all of the Alaska’s systems are operational and not in need of repair. I’ll need one of you back here in the engine room to control the speed of the sub and keep an eye on all these moving parts. We don’t need to worry about the reactor compartment or the missile house. The rest of you will be up front with me. Typically, a new sailor reporting onboard a sub would have up to a year to learn everything about the ship in order to get his dolphins. Unfortunately, you kids don’t have that luxury.”
    The Admiral proceeded to go over blueprints of the Trident submarine with the kids and gave them a crash course on the different systems and how they worked. Each of the kids had some knowledge of their father’s job onboard the sub, which was