TFA3 6.2 – Underwater Asset Retrieving
Harley Quinn adopted a policy that in a special operation mission, three highest ranking officers from the unit that execute the mission couldn’t be deployed together. This policy was to prevent the unit from lose its highest command in one go in case mishap happened during the mission.
And so, Captain Kasino could only standby in Command Center as the mission would be executed by Lieutenant Kidd and Lieutenant Caldwell, the second and third highest ranking officer of Frogman Platoon, and were also the best frogmen to carry underwater asset retrieving.
As he watched Storm-01 sank and disappeared Captain Kasino muttered, “Kidd is really good at placing limpet bomb at moving platform.”
Hearing Captain Kasino’s mutter, Rear Admiral Norrak immediately turned his gaze to him, “Captain, didn’t you also personally participate in the previous operation to sink Makai carrier ship?”
“I did.”
“Then, you are also good at such craft.”
“Carrying the approach under the stormy night and bright morning is two whole different ballgames,” Captain Kasino calmly said. “Under the stormy night, I can approach the ship from surface of the sea before timing my movement to the ship movement and then dive and plant the limpet bomb.
While under the bright morning sun, where the deck watcher has clear field of vision, the approach have to be carried out fully underwater, 3-5 km away from the ship at least. It’s not easy to time your movement to a moving ship when you fully underwater.
It requires lot of resource, time, and bravery to polish such skill. That’s why, only 16 frogmen master it and among them, Lieutenant Kidd and his men are the best.”
“But I heard it was you who developed this tactic,” Real Admiral Norrak calmly said.
“What I developed is suicide torpedo controlled by a frogman,” Captain Kasino explained. “Kidd and Caldwell then develop it into the current tactic.
They said, a frogman can only do a suicide torpedo once, but with the limpet touch and go tactic a frogman will have a chance to do it multiple times.”
Admiral Norrak nodded and said, “I see.”
Everyone in the Command Center then waited until the rest of the ships under Admiral Shoel’s command left the area before initiating the second phase of the retrieving operation.
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As soon as Command Center greenlighted the second phase, two Chinook immediately took off from Sommer Island and flew straight to Storm-01’s location. Each Chinook carry two ASW specialist, four frogmen, and the necessary equipment to carry the mission. In the leading Chinook, Lieutenant Caldwell calmly studied the latest picture of Storm-01, sent by Lieutenant Kidd and his team.
The carrier ship was lying peacefully on the seabed, 25 meter under the surface. The sunlight easily reached this depth so the picture was quite clear. The blue crystal was located inside the highest floor on the ship’s tower in the rear, just above the bridge. The room’s structure was consisted of big glass window to all direction, low wall made of wood plank, and steel frame that everything together.
‘It’s very easy to breach this room and recover the blue crystal,’ Lieutenant Caldwell muttered before turning his gaze to his men. “Let’s get it done quick and back to Sommer Island before the dinner.”
““““Aye, LT,”””” The other frogmen calmly replied.
Retrieving asset from under the water in was not new game for Lieutenant Caldwell and his team. They had done lot of such simulation with USN Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit, mostly it was to retrieve missile or sensitive technology from a sunken warship, submarine, or aircraft, and then destroyed everything else to prevent technology leak.
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However, Lieutenant Caldwell and his men never had any chance to apply their skill on friendly asset. They did several times perform underwater asset retrieving, but the target was asset from adversary country, and they did it under black ops circumstances.
When they lost asset in the sea, those countries had a habit to not admit or announce the incident to save face. And so, US Navy used it as a chance to retrieve some sensitive tech like missile, core component of engine, avionic, or radar.
Those loots would give US military lot of valuable intelligence on the real capability of the adversary country, and measured how far their bluffing wandered away from the reality.
Of course, the owner would try to recover their sunken asset covertly, using civilian scavenging ship mostly. However, in the middle of international waters, a destroyer or two would ensure any civilian vessel stay away from the area until the frogmen finished their job.
And now, TF Amethyst happily continued the US Navy scavenging tradition. It’s just that they applied it on a different adversary.
Then, the pair of Chinooks finally arrived at the location. They calmly hovered above the Storm-01’s location, 15 meters above the sea surface and 20 meters apart.
At the same time chief crew shouted out a warning, “Be ready to dip into the water.”
A moment later, both Chinooks slowly lowered their altitude until the side of its body one-third submerged into the water. After crew chief and his men ensure there was no leak and the Chinook was floating in the water just fine, the pilot then turned the engine off.
Without delay the chief crew on the leading Chinook opened the left shoulder windows. The ASW operator then deployed the dipping sonar and scanned the area. It was a procedure to ensure the nearby water was clear of Black-stripped Shark. This cold blooded and huge underwater predator was known to hunt at night, but in some occasions they hunt for prey at daylight.
Once the ASW specialist confirmed that up to radius 30 km from the Storm-01’s location they didn’t detect the presence of Black-stripped Shark, the chief crew immediately lowered the hooked-steel cable from the winch above the shoulder window, and handed it over to frogmen from the first phase.
The frogmen from the first phase would connect the hooked-steel cable to Storm-01’s tower. This step was to prevent the Chinooks from being drifted away by current. Then, the frogmen from the first phase climbed into rooftop of Chinook, two frogmen on each Chinook. While enjoying a cup of hot coffee the chief crew had made for them, they carried out surface over watch.
At the same time, Lieutenant Caldwell and frogmen from the second phase made the preparation to retrieve blue crystal. It took 20 minutes before they start the retrieving operation.
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Once he received the report that the frogmen from the second phase had started the retrieving operation, Lt. Colonel Gillray immediately turned his gaze to Rear Admiral Norrak.
“Admiral, it’s about time we contact Admiral Shoel. His fleet just enters our area of responsibility.”
“Yeah.”
After taking a deep breath Rear Admiral Norrak asked a Buriek crystal communication operator to contact Admiral Shoel. A moment later, a communication line to cruiser Rampant-01 was established.
“Admiral Shoel, this is Admiral Norrak from Buriek Navy,” Rear Admiral Norrak calmly introduced himself. “By jurisdiction of Kingdom of Buriek, I ask you to change your course to Sommer Island, and peacefully surrender yourself and your fleet.”
[Admiral Norrak, this is Admiral Shoel from Makai Navy. My fleet is numbered only a dozen ships, and we are just passing by peacefully. No need for hostility and unnecessary skirmish.]
“Admiral Shoel, Ser, please pardon my bluntness, but we are at war currently,” Admiral Norrak calmly replied, “Most of all, TF Amethyst still has not forget the loss they suffer from the tunnel Attack launched by Prince Makar.”
[Admiral Norrak, I have solid intels that TF Amethyst lost only hundred personnel or so. It’s just minuscule number compare to Makai Guard’s loss. Can you not use such a small loss to flame unnecessary hostility?]
“Let alone hundred fatalities, even a single fatality is more than enough for TF Amethyst to declare a full scale war,” Admiral Norrak said in a drop dead serious tone.
[That’s insane. Only warmonger has that kind of logic.]
Admiral Norrak could feel a thick sense of disbelief in Admiral Shoel’s tone, but he didn’t give a damn and said, “Feel free to call them warmonger for their care to the life of their man, I guarantee, it will make them smile at you like a maniac
Or test if you want, and I assure you they will screw you upside down.”
[Let’s cut the chit chat.]” Admiral Shoel firmly said. [I won’t surrender myself and my fleet. Send your fleet to meet us in the sea, we won’t back down.]
“In that case, I wish you good luck, Admiral. You will need it.” Admiral Norrak calmly ended the communication, and then turned his gaze to Lt. Colonel Gillray. “If they don’t change their course in five minutes, let’s proceed with the plan.”
“Copy that,” Lt. Colonel Gillray calmly replied.
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