As one of the first volunteers to go to the Pacific Theater, Captain Neil Carsley went through the so-called discharge process on Valentine's Day in 1936, and although he was able to return to the Irish Defence Forces in two to three years later with a matching rank, he was no longer able to appear in public as an active soldier at least until then. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Now, the officer is wearing the standard U.S. Navy submarine officer attire on an American-built P-class submarine, standing on an unfamiliar command podium, scanning the open and empty sea with a high-powered telescope over and over again.

An outsider in the true sense of the word, Captain Carsley had travelled thousands of miles to clearly not just show off his combat prowess – between 1933 and 1935 he commanded two different types of submarines, sinking four Commonwealth ships and three American ships.

Standing next to Captain Carsley was the submarine's main captain, Major Bryn, who was also the commander of the 11th Submarine Detachment of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The detachment of five combat submarines is now ambushing near the route between the Philippines and the Mariana Islands.

"Fortunately, there will be moonlight and stars tonight, otherwise it would be pitch black, and it would be almost impossible to observe a ship sailing a few nautical miles away!"

Captain Carsley speaks fluent British English and is easy to communicate with the Americans, which is a big reason why he was able to stand out from the crowd and become one of the first volunteers.

Major Brin looked down at the chart, on which the predetermined lurking positions of the five American submarines were marked with red dots, about ten nautical miles apart from each other, and as Captain Carsley suggested, they fanned out rather than the straight line of habitual thinking. It seems that there is no difference, but it is one of the effective experiences summed up in actual combat, and it is important to know that when the submarine commanders of the Allied countries use to search for the US and British fleets, they most often use this formation -- although the search efficiency is far inferior to that of aircraft, it can maximize the detection range of conventional submarines.

With a tight naval blockade, the Allied Navy had severely damaged the opponent's Atlantic shipping lines with a limited number of submarine forces in the early stage of the war, otherwise, the arrival of a large number of American-made equipment would greatly enhance the ability of the British army to defend the homeland, and it was even possible to produce qualitative changes due to quantitative changes, helping Britain win the anti-landing campaign that determined the direction of the war!

Major Brin did not seem interested in this, and he calculated: "If we were to sail at cruising speed for the whole day, it would not be possible to be here until this time tomorrow!" We can get a good night's sleep tonight! ”

"War cannot be calculated in this way, and it is entirely possible for the Japanese to predict through intelligence from all sides, and then adjust the itinerary of the fleet accordingly." Captain Carsley said with a smile that the two countries that had once been on fire had become close strategic partners, and it was a "wonder" that they fought side by side on a submarine.

Major Brin was a little disgusted by Captain Carsley's tone, perhaps he didn't like the Irish officer with a very different style from the beginning, or maybe he didn't allow anyone to point fingers in his area of power.

"If Mr. Captain insists on this, then the responsibility of tonight's night duty will be entrusted to you!"

Captain Carsley did not seem to notice the sarcasm or provocation in his tone, and straightened his back as usual, and replied, "I will do it!" ”

Major Brin snorted, put away his charts, and descended down the gangway to the cabin, never to come up again - it was not until dinner that Captain Carsley learned that the American submarine commander had eaten dinner early and went straight back to the captain's room for a good night's sleep.

Due to the need to set up ambushes at sea, the submarines of the detachment do not break the radio silence unless necessary, so there is no communication between them. After a casual dinner, Captain Carsley added a jacket to his waterproof suit, grabbed two packs of cigarettes and went to deck.

At night, the breeze in the Central Pacific Ocean is still gentle and drowsy. Lighting a cigarette, Captain Carsley walked up and down the deck, sort of an after-dinner stroll. Then he chatted with the US military crew about his experience in the European war, and every ten minutes he climbed up to the highest command platform of the submarine and looked around with a telescope. In the absence of on-board radar, the naked eye and sonar are the two major tools for submarines to search for targets, so Carsley also specifically asked the US military sonar crews on the boat to take turns on duty to ensure that at least one of them stayed at their posts throughout the night.

As the night wore on, everyone except the crew on duty went back to sleep, despite the fresh air on deck. Captain Carsley was also sleepy since the morning, but as a former Irish submarine captain and an excellent undersea hunter, patience and calmness were his two key weapons to victory. Since midnight, he has hardly left his binoculars and cigarettes, and even if his lips are dry from the sea breeze, he has not left his post to drink. When the needle pointed to two o'clock, he suddenly found that the sea surface in his sight was a little mottled, and he closed his eyes and adjusted it for a few seconds before looking, and he could basically be sure that this was not his own dazzle.

Due to the distance, Major Ludendorff was not sure whether it was the Japanese transport fleet or the Japanese Navy's patrol fleet. So, he asked the crew on duty on deck to go down and warn the sonar crew to keep an eye on the movements in the northern seas, but after a while, Major Brin climbed up with a grim face.

"I didn't ask him to wake you up, because it's not clear if it's the target fleet or the enemy's patrol fleet!"

Major Brin was not at all willing to accept such an explanation, and he muttered: "Is there such an important situation in your fleet that can judge for itself without reporting to the direct commander?" ”

The difference in thought and habit, so that Captain Carsley still did not notice the displeasure of the American officer, replied with a straight look: "On the battlefield, the officer should indeed have his own judgment!" ”

If it weren't for the telescope, Major Brin would probably give this guy a roll of the eye.

"I think it should be the target fleet, their itinerary is ahead of schedule, damn it, maybe the intelligence is not accurate at all!"

Muttering a few words of surprise, Major Brin looked like he had made his decision, and he shouted into the microphone: "All attention, all attention, immediately enter the combat mode!" Signal soldiers, prepare to send a telegram! ”

"Sending a report now will inevitably startle the snake!" Captain Carsley reminded gently.

Although he was dissatisfied, but what was about to happen was a battle with unpredictable results, and Major Brin quickly asked, "Then what do you think?" ”

"Good hunters need a little more patience!" Captain Carsley deliberately spoke so slowly that he almost fainted the resolute American captain next to him, and he asked rhetorically:

"Are we going to sit here and watch patiently for a few more minutes?"

Captain Carsley said in a disgraceful way: "This should be the best option at the moment!" ”

Major Brin muttered in a deep voice, "I really can't understand your European way of thinking. ”

"If the report is sent now, it will be easy for the Japanese warships to detect it, and it is not difficult to judge that the radio waves are coming from close range, they will immediately raise their vigilance, and even take anti-submarine routes to avoid our attacks, which will not delay them for too long!" Captain Carsley seriously analyzed in a professional tone: "Since it is a slow-moving escort fleet, it is too late to notify other submarines later." ”

Major Brin wanted to continue to refute, but he opened his mouth and did not speak, some of the truth is actually not difficult to understand, the key is the mentality and direction of thinking when thinking.

Captain Carsley said unhurriedly: "Calculating the approximate distance, as long as the Japanese ships follow the established route, they will inevitably pass through our submarine ambush area, and there should be at least one submarine that will find an opportunity to attack, and once an attack is launched, there will be more opportunities!" ”

The gap between reality and imagination caused Major Brin to hesitate, and it took a full minute and a half before he said, "All right! Just listen to you once! ”

This seems to be a reluctant concession, but psychologically, actual combat experience is the most reliable basis.

Captain Carsley made some reservations, such as the P-class submarine having a top speed of 10 knots, which was much faster than the Irish submarine he commanded earlier!

In the early hours of the morning, the breeze and the submarine without engine turned on were like a sleeping whale, floating quietly on the black sea. Even if a bright moon hangs in the sky, it is not easy to see the pitch-black lurking around this ship from a distance.

On the podium, more than three meters above the deck, four adults of perfectly normal physique huddled together, turning the place into an open can of meat, without worrying about the bumps of the breeze and waves. The officers each held a telescope and looked very carefully at the surrounding sea, especially due north and east. As time passed, the group of dark shadows that appeared in that direction became clearer and clearer, and the outline of the fleet could be seen gradually!

"Good fellow, such a fleet is carrying tens of thousands of tons of war materials, to say the least! Captain, what are we going to do now? Major Brin suppressed the excitement in his heart, his small eyes almost glowing green, and his previous dissatisfaction with Captain Castlely seemed to have vanished, but the cooperation between his peers was always with a mentality.

In this case, Captain Carsley did not pretend to be pretentious, and there was no such pretentious word in his dictionary. Estimating the distance of the fleet and the speed of its movement, he thought for a moment and said in a rational and calm manner: "If they continue to maintain this course, it is very likely that they will pass through the sea between P-4 and P-6, and as long as the commanders of these two submarines can remain calm enough, they should have a chance to find the angle of attack." Eight torpedoes will be able to disrupt their formation, even if they fail to hit important targets, and drive some of the ships to our combat zone! ”

Major Brin asked curiously, "Don't we take the opportunity to take the initiative?" ”

Captain Carsley replied word for word: "Starting either the diesel engine or the electric motor will increase the chance of being detected by enemy sonar, and movement does not mean that you will be able to find a suitable position to attack." Therefore, it is wiser to be as quiet as possible when the enemy has not yet discovered us! ”

(End of chapter)