Under Pressure

 

The USS Hawaii, a fast attack nuclear submarine, finished replenishing supplies at the naval base in Yokosuka, Japan. Once underway they would prowl the Pacific in search of threats to the US and its’ allies for the next three months. All 15 officers and 113 enlisted personnel reported for duty; the order was given to cast off, and the ship was soon under way.

During the whole departure procedure, it was hard for Ensign Mike Monahan to control his enthusiasm. He had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy just two months earlier, and this was his first duty assignment.

Relief was the best way to describe how Chief of Boat, Master Chief Jack Smith, was feeling. The old salt had 28 years of sea duty under his belt and was well aware of all the stupid screw ups that can happen while transitioning from harbor side to the open sea. This crew actually had their act together, he admitted to himself. Jack had sailed under Captain Wallace and several of his officers before, so he knew what was expected of him, and the other enlisted men. Yes, everything seemed shipshape.

It took less than a week for the Ensign and the Chief to have their first confrontation. Life aboard a sub is less formal than on a surface ship. That’s not to say all military bearing is dispensed with, but when there are more than 100 people living in close quarters, small infractions are often overlooked. Ensign Monahan hadn’t been taught that at the Naval Academy and regularly reprimanded the crew for insignificant infractions. Finally, the Chief felt it was time to intervene.

“Ensign Monahan, a word please,” said Chief Smith.

“Yes Chief, how may I help you?”

“Should you have an issue with any of the crew that doesn’t involve a safety situation, would you please bring it to my attention before speaking to the crewmember. As Chief of Boat it’s my job to reprimand as necessary. The other officers, including the Captain, adhere to this policy. I know these men, and can point out problems to them without lowering morale.”

“At the Academy we were taught that a good officer will fix small problems on the spot before they become large problems. Unless the Captain orders me to do things differently, that’s what I will continue to do.”

Before Jack could reply, a seaman from the galley interrupted them. “Excuse me for interrupting, Sir, but you need to come to the Captain’s ward room, right now,” blurted out the panic-stricken sailor.

Captain Wallace and all his officers were in a meeting, with the exception of Monahan who was the designated on-duty officer. When the three men arrived at the ward room, they were stopped by two crewmembers. The door was closed, but through its porthole Chief Smith and Ensign Monahan saw fourteen dead officers and one dead cook. Monahan had never seen a dead person before and recoiled from the horrific scene traumatized.  This wasn’t the Chief’s first dead body and he was able to stay focused on the task at hand.

“Do any of you know how this happened?” asked the Chief.

The assistant cook spoke up. “Cook took a carton of eggs from the provisions locker. He went to use one of the eggs but stopped when he noticed something wasn’t right. It looked like there was a tiny needle hole that had been sealed with glue. He checked the remaining eggs and found they had all been tampered with. Cook was concerned and decided to immediately bring the suspect eggs to the Captain’s attention. I was standing in the doorway as the officers took turns inspecting the eggs, then one of the officers dropped an egg by mistake. Immediately they all began choking and gasping for air. I closed the door and came to find you.”

“Ensign Monahan, what do you make of this?” asked Chief Smith.

“How the hell do I know! We need to surface, air the ship out, call for help, get some instructions from headquarters. My God, what a mess.”

“Ensign, walk with me. As the highest-ranking officer you are now the acting Captain. The men are looking to you for cool-headed, rational thinking and a calm demeaner. If you aren’t up to the task, I’ll have to ask you to retire to your quarters until you can pull yourself together. I’m also available for advice should you need it. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” replied the Ensign as he straightened his posture and calmed his nerves. “What would you suggest we do next Chief?”

“I would suggest we deploy our low frequency antenna to communicate with HQ but remain submerged. Using sonar, we can tell what’s around us but we have no clue what’s waiting for us in the air. This is probably a random act of terror, but we can’t be sure. Once command is contacted, they can give us further instructions. What are your orders, Sir?”

“I believe I’ll follow your suggestions Chief. Please let me know when contact has been established with HQ, and Chief, thanks.” Chief Smith gave the acting Captain a crisp salute and carried out his orders.

The Hawaii returned to port two days later. NCIS determined the pathogen was Sarin gas injected into the egg shells after the contents had been drained. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, probably because the sub made it back to port. Chief Smith received a commendation for valor by the recently promoted Second Lieutenant Monahan.

Once things returned to normal, Chief Smith decided it was time to retire. The new Lieutenant remained in the navy, eventually retiring as a Captain. He remained forever grateful to Master Chief Smith for his guidance on that fateful day.