China Sea (22 page)

“Exercise Oceanic Prospect is the first step toward providing a more powerful deterrent to criminal activity directed against commercial shipping.

“I will now introduce our principal speaker, Admiral Waluyo Supryo Suriadiredja, Navy of the Republic of Indonesia.”

Consulting the op order, Dan saw that Suriadiredja was the commander of the task force.

“First slide, please,” said the admiral, and a chart of the South China Sea came up on the screen. A rough comma, with the head curled against North Vietnam and China, the Philippine Archipelago at its back, its tail curling past Borneo and the Malay Peninsula up into the Gulf of Siam. Dotted across it were small red triangles. They formed three clusters of activity. The first was the Strait of Malacca; the second, west of the Philippines; the third, wider in extent but more densely populated, off the south coast of China.

Speaking a slow but understandable English, Suriadiredja began, “The South China Sea stretches three thousand kilometers north to south, twenty-five degrees of latitude from the Tropic of Cancer to the equator. Seven nations border it, and half the commerce of the world transits its seas.

“Our goal in the multilateral exercise titled ‘Oceanic Prospect' is to test and extend the integration of surveillance and communications assets, identify pirate strongholds, and demonstrate the unity and determination of coastal states to free the seas of these scourges of commerce. The operation will take place in three phases. Phase One will sweep the island groups from Singapore east to Borneo. Phase Two will proceed northeast along the line Brunei–Palawan–Luzon, with Detachment A entering the Sulu Sea for operations in shallow water off Mindanao. Finally, in Phase Three, the high-seas-capable units of the task force will operate in the northern half of the South China Sea.”

Dan, recalling Dr. Guo's remarks, saw that at least on the surface this was an evenhanded sweep through the three main areas of pirate activity.

“Next slide, please.” The admiral went on to outline the forces involved and his concept of operations. What he called the core squadron consisted of six oceangoing ships, two Indonesian, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one Filipino, and one American. Patrol craft from Brunei would participate south of the Spratleys. Maritime surveillance assets included Thai P-3s and USAF reconnaissance out of Clark Field. Intelligence assets included support from Russia, South Korea, and Japan. As the force proceeded counterclockwise around the China Sea, land-based police and coast guards from the littoral states would join it in rooting out criminal elements from their lairs. Suriadiredja emphasized that it was not the primary mission of the task force to give battle or to conduct hot pursuit into the territorial waters of the littoral states. He concluded with a few remarks about command arrangements.

At the break, an Indonesian officer approached Dan and Doolan, who were standing a little apart, hoping for coffee, although there didn't seem to be any. “Sir, I am the admiral's aide. He has asked me to inquire if you have any objection to his breaking his flag aboard
Gaddis
during the first part of the exercise.”

“Uh … I wasn't prepared for that. You mean he'd be sailing with us?”

“No. He will board at sea day after tomorrow and remain aboard through Phase One. If there is a problem with serving as flagship?”

“No, no problem, but … how many staff will be coming with him?”

The aide said between six and eight. Dan said he could provide hotel services, but that there might be communications shortfalls; if they could bring their own comm gear and technicians, the admiral would be better served.

Shortly afterward, Dr. Guo sailed past. He admired her legs, as well as her steely poise. After Susan he was leery of Chinese women, but he couldn't help respecting the way the doctor had dominated the meeting. Her gaze passed over him without stopping, and she disappeared and did not return.

The next presentation was by a meteorologist from New Zealand, who outlined the weather conditions they'd be operating under. The northeast monsoon dominated these waters from November on, bringing heavy cloud cover, rainy afternoons, sudden intense squalls, and heavy periodic downpours. This was also typhoon season in the China Sea, and the forecast this year was for several destructive storms. Dan wondered why they were patrolling in such challenging weather conditions. Not too much later, the conference broke up. Doolan lingered, discussing the arrangements for the admiral's boarding with the aide; and when he was done, they all left.

14

00° 21' N, 106° 49' E: THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

TWO days later, Dan stood in the hangar, swaying to the rise and fall of the deck and worrying about the fact that he'd traded away to the Aussies the protective suits his crew would need if the incoming Bo-105 helicopter, now a speck against the clouds, burst into flames or crashed. He'd ordered fire hoses laid out, but his fire party looked apprehensive in cotton dungarees. He couldn't help it now, so he just squared his shoulders and sighed, glancing from the approaching aircraft back toward five gray shapes lurching against an uneasy sea.

For the past day and a half, the TNTF had steamed generally east under the tactical direction of the CO of the
Nala. Nala
was an Indonesian frigate slightly smaller than
Gaddis
but more modern, armed with Exocets and a 120mm gun. The other ships in the formation were
Monginsidi
, another Indonesian, the former USS
Claud Jones
; a German-built Singaporean missile boat, RSN
Sea Lion
; the second largest ship in the task force, the Malaysian RMN
Hang Tuah
, a British-built all-gun frigate; and RPN
Miguel Malvar
, a Filipino corvette that
Jane's
said had been the
Ngoc Hoi
when there had been a South Vietnamese Navy and before that USS
Brattleboro
, a destroyer escort built by the Pullman Car Company in 1944. It suffered several breakdowns a day and usually trailed far astern of the rest of the group. On the plus side, it carried World War II–issue forty-millimeters. Doolan was already laying plans to get over to her at the first opportunity, to beg, cumshaw, or steal a few rounds of ammo.

Altogether it was a farrago of modern ships and museum pieces, as interesting a force as Dan had ever sailed in, and possibly the most dangerous. Not to any enemy, but to itself. Communications were uneven, with radio frequencies all over the spectrum, language difficulties, and no common signal book. Someone was sure to misunderstand even the simplest course change, leading to several extremely close shaves when they had attempted to maneuver in a circular formation. The Singaporeans and Malaysians had been trained by the British; the Filipinos, by the Americans; and the Indonesians seemed to be in a league by themselves. The weather didn't help, with squalls and a monsoon-driven sea from the northeast that had the smaller craft nearly on their beam ends much of the time. At last, to Dan's relief,
Nala
's CO had given up the night before and put them in a line ahead at a thousand yards' interval. Now each ship simply followed the one in front of it, like a chain of circus elephants swaying trunk to tail across the island-dotted expanse between Borneo and Sumatra. This worked better, except, of course, when a ship had to sheer out for one reason or another, such as Dan's moving out now in order to get the wind on his bow.
Hang Tuah—
“
Hang Tough
,” as the crew had immediately dubbed her—had swung out to follow him, then realized her error and hastily reinserted herself into the column.

The little helicopter's engines became audible, and shortly after it touched down on its skids as lightly as a dragonfly finding a perch. Dan noted the anchor-in-pentagon of the Indonesian Navy. Bundled in a green flight suit, Admiral Suriadiredja jumped out. Lenson glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the signalmen were on the ball; the task force commander's pennant was already snapping out into the steady wind. The flag officer straightened, spied Dan as he stepped forward, and met him, hand extended. Dan saluted, then shook the admiral's hand, noting that the flight suit was stained dark under the armpits and at the neck. No wonder; the heat was intense and the humidity could only be higher if they were actually underwater. Dan led him forward as the chopper began to rev up again preparatory to taking off.

On the bridge rain rattled against the windows. The doors thumped as the boatswain dogged them down. Usmani clawed his way up the ladder, one hand for himself, the other balancing a tray of iced tea and sandwiches against the plunge and heave as
Gaddis
presented her port bow to rollers the color of dollar bills.

Suriadiredja refused Dan's offer of the skipper's chair with a curt shake of the head. He stood before the chart table instead, eyeing the column as
Gaddis
neared, angling in to resume station.
Hang Tuah
had moved up, not understanding the U.S. frigate was going to return, and only a narrow slot presented itself. Dan had a word with Zabounian, who was conning, warning him to fall in slightly off-bearing to port, then ease the helm over a degree at a time, give the ship behind a graceful interval in which to fall back. Suriadiredja listened, weather-worn face expressionless as graven teak. He did not touch the sandwiches but drank half his iced tea before he said, “You're a cautious ship handler, Lenson.”

Dan couldn't help remembering Khashar and wondering what the Pakistani skipper was doing now. “I try to maneuver smoothly, sir. There are enough surprises out here.”

“I have to ask you something.” The admiral looked around at the bridge team, all staring forward or down into radarscopes or otherwise intent on their work. He thumbed through the ready charts on the chart table, selected one, and tucked it under his arm. “Is there somewhere we can speak privately?”

“My cabin, sir, one deck down. Careful on the ladder.”

“Do you recall Dr. Guo? At our conference in Singapore?” were Suriadiredja's first words after Dan's door was closed.

“Certainly do, sir. Impressive woman.”

“Did you know that General Lee is Lee Kuan Yew's son?”

“I didn't know that.”

“Dr. Guo had an interesting theory, about these phantom ships. Remember what she said? How they were disappearing into China?”

Again Dan said he did, and Suriadiredja nodded as if to himself. He gazed out at the surging gray sea. “It is possible one of our submarines will be able to join the exercise off Palawan.”

Dan blinked, not sure he was following the change of subject, whether the Indonesian was just making small talk or aiming at some point. He cleared his throat. “One of the 209s, sir? Having a submarine might be useful. For surveillance, I mean. Pick up any pirates before they know they're being followed.”

“We may be acquiring more,” Suriadiredja said. “You may know of our plans to greatly increase our surface fleet. We may be purchasing several command destroyers and frigates from the Dutch. We already have a program for twenty-three new frigates, all locally built. We did not have such a good experience with the hydrofoils we had contracted for with Boeing.”

Dan gave the task force commander a sidelong glance. Why the mention of Boeing? What did this man know about him? “Not every new program works out,” he said tentatively.

“No. But Indonesia is doing well from this crisis in the Persian Gulf. Petroleum sales are very good. Most of it is being refined into jet fuel in Singapore.” Dan remembered the smoky pall smothering the harbor. “The question will be how to expend that foreign exchange in the best interests of the country. There seem to be two schools of thought. Submarines, more destroyers, air forces … there is also the OPV school.” OPVs were offshore patrol vessels, like the
Sea Wolf
.

Dan said, “As far as optimal force mixes, that would be an interesting analytical problem. But I'm sure you have better advice than I could offer you, sir.”

“Perhaps. However, I understand that you are close friends with several Washington policy makers.”

Dan took his time and thought about that one, realizing that the subject had ratcheted a notch closer to whatever goal the man opposite had in mind; realizing, too, that getting to it might take time, judging by the conversation to date. “Close friends? I don't think so. I know a few—”

“Miss Blair Titus. Senator Bankey Talmadge. Dr. Edward Szerenci. If there is a change of political climate in Washington, they could be very high in the new administration.”

Dan would have gaped, but the bridge buzzer gave him a moment to recover himself. He said “Excuse me, sir,” and took two quick steps to it. “Captain.”

“Sir, OOD. We're back in formation. A little tight fore and aft, but we're shoehorned in.”

Dan told him very well, to keep a sharp eye on the weather and the radar and make sure all contact reports were made to
Gaddis
now, as the flagship. He fastened the cover on the speaking tube and said to Suriadiredja, “I don't think there's any possibility President Bush will lose in '92. Unless he totally plows this war with Saddam. Which I don't think's going to happen.”

“Nevertheless, you have the contacts.”

“I know those people you've mentioned, yes.”

“And I understand that you have also had a certain interest for some time now in the Chinese.”

Dan was finding this more and more astonishing. When they'd first met, at the Hyatt, Suriadiredja had not even known his name, had confused it with that of his ship, called him Captain Gaddis. Now the man knew his history, his associates, might even know that he'd been suspected of being a Chinese agent when he was working with Joint Cruise Missiles in Crystal City. He said, tightly, “I've acted under orders at all times.”