Christopher Nuttall - Ragnarok

I don’t blame the Brit pilots for nixing the thought of flying reconnaissance in this , Eric thought. Yet for some reason I’d still rather take my chances in that soup than be on this ship right now. She’s definitely going into harm’s way, and fast .

The heavy cruiser’s deck throbbed beneath his feet, and the smoke pouring from her stack and stiff wind blowing onto her bridge told him that Exeter had definitely picked up speed.

“Sir, I’ve brought Leftenant Cobb,” Adlich said, causing Captain Gordon to turn around. Exeter ’s master had obviously been mollified by the worsening conditions, as he gave Eric a wry grin when the American officer stepped up beside him.

Whoa, it’s cold out here , Eric thought. As if reading his mind, a petty officer handed him a jacket.

“We remove the windows when we’re getting ready to go into action,” the man said. “Lesson learned after River Plate.”

“Thank you,” Eric said. “I guess the windows would be a bit problematic in a fight.”

The petty officer gave a wan smile, pointing to a scar down his cheek.

“Glass splinters are a bit sharp, yes.”

“Your squadron commander was either a very brave man or a much better pilot than anyone I know,” Gordon said solemnly from behind the ship’s wheel.

Or alternatively, Commander Cobleigh was an idiot who didn’t check with the meteorologist before we took off .

Eric was about to reply when the talker at the rear of the bridge interrupted him.

“Sir, Hood should be coming into visual range off of our port bow,” the rating reported. “Range fifteen thousand yards.”

“Thank you,” Gordon replied. The captain then strode to the front of the bridge, stopping at a device that reminded Eric of the sightseeing binoculars atop the Empire State Building. Bending slightly, Gordon wiped down the eyepieces, then swiveled the binoculars to look through them.

“Officer of the deck,” Gordon said after a moment.

“Yes, sir?” a Royal Navy lieutenant answered from Eric’s right. Roughly Eric’s height, the broad-shouldered man looked like he could probably snap a good-sized tree in half with his bare hands.

“Confirm with gunnery that the director’s tracking Hood ’s bearing to be three one zero, estimated range fourteen thousand, seven hundred fifty yards.”

“Aye aye, sir,” the officer replied. Eric heard the RN officer repeating the information as Gordon stepped back from the sight and turned to look at him.

“Well, if you want to see how the other half lives, Leftenant Cobb, feel free to have a look.”

Eric hoped he didn’t look as eager as he felt walking forward towards the bridge windows. Bending a little further to look through the sight, he pressed his face up against the eyepieces. Swinging the glasses, he found himself looking at the H.M.S. Hood , flagship of the Royal Navy. With her square bridge, four turrets, and rakish lines, the battlecruiser was a large, beautiful vessel that displaced over four times the Exeter ’s tonnage. Black smoke poured from her stack, and her massive bow wave told Eric that she was moving at good speed.

“You can change the magnification with the switch under your right hand,” Gordon said, startling Eric slightly. He followed the British master’s advice, continuing until he could see the entire approaching British force as it closed. Destroyers were roughly one thousand yards in front of and to either side of the Hood . Behind her at one-thousand-yard intervals were two large vessels, either battleships or battlecruisers, with another one starting to exit the mist like some sort of great beast stirring from its cave. After a moment, Eric recognized the distinctive silhouette as that of a Nelson -class battleship.

“That is the King George V , Prince of Wales , and Nelson behind her. Warspite should be next.”

Eric nodded at Gordon’s statement, continuing to watch as the final battleship made its appearance. A moment later, Gordon starting to give orders to the helmsman. Exeter ’s bow began to swing around to port, causing Eric to step back from the sight with a puzzled expression.

“We’ll be passing between the destroyer screen and the Hood to take our place in line,” Gordon said. Eric turned back to the device, continuing to study the British battleline. A few moments later, there was the crackle of the loudspeaker.

“All hands, this is the captain speaking,” Gordon began. “Shortly we will be passing by the Hood . All available hands are to turn out topside to give three cheers for His Majesty. That is all.”

Eric stepped back from the sight, his face clearly radiating his shock. Gordon smiled as he came back up towards the front of the bridge with the officer of the deck.

“The King is going into battle?” he asked incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit…”

“Dangerous?” Gordon finished for him. “Yes, but much like your situation, circumstances precluded His Majesty’s transfer to another vessel.”

“What? That doesn’t make any…”

“His Majesty was apparently aboard the Hood receiving a briefing from the First Sea Lord when the Queen Mary was torpedoed,” Gordon said, his voice cold. “We were not expecting the German surface units to be as close as they were, and it was considered imprudent to stop the Hood with at least two confirmed submarines close about. Is that sufficient explanation to you, or would you like to continue questioning our tactics?”

Eric could tell he was straining his host’s civility, but the enormity of what was at risk made him feel he had to say something.

“I’m no expert at surface tactics…”

“That much is obvious,” Gordon snapped.

“…but the Hood is a battlecruiser,” Eric finished in a rush. “While I didn’t get a great look at the Germans before they shot up me and my commander, Rawles saw at least two battleships.”

“Your concern is noted, Leftenant Cobb, but I think that you will see the Hood is a bit hardier than a dive bomber.”

Okay, I’m just going to shut up now , Eric said. I may have slept through a lot of history, but I seem to recall the last time British battlecruisers met German heavy guns it didn’t go so well. A quote about there being problems with your “bloody ships” or something similar comes to mind. The Battle of Jutland hadn’t been that long ago, as evidenced by the Warspite still being a front-line unit. Eric sincerely hoped Gordon’s confidence was well-placed.

“Sir, we are almost on the Hood ,” the officer of the deck interrupted. Eric turned and realized that the lead destroyer was indeed almost abreast the Exeter , with the Hood now a looming presence just beyond.

“The Hood , after her refit, is the most powerful warship in the world,” Gordon continued, his voice a little less frigid. “The Bismark and Tirpitz have only recently gone through refit, while the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have not been in the open ocean for almost six months. There should not be any major danger.”

If you’re looking around the room and you can’t find the mark, guess what? You’re the mark . Eric’s father’s words, an admonishment to always be suspicious of any situation that seemed too good to be true, came back to him with a cold feeling in his stomach.

The Germans would not be out here unless they had a plan , Eric continued thinking. Somehow I think that, much like the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy is about to receive a rude shock .