Эдвин Грей - Diving Stations

Patches of early morning mist were still rolling gently over the surface of the sea as Hamilton peered through the eye-piece, but the sun was already glinting on the rock outcrops of Castle Peak as it rose clear of the shimmering haze covering the New Territories to the east. Everything looked deceptively peaceful and, as far as he could judge, the invaders had failed to penetrate the western sector of the mainland during the night. Glimpsing something moving in the direction of Lung Kwu Chan he switched to the high magnification lens.

Circala, her white hull gleaming in the morning sun, was steaming slowly south-east in the direction of Castle Peak. Her battle flags were flying and a plume of spray whispered like silver from her bows. Hamilton could see the urgent flash of the signal lamp on her bridge and swung his lens to starboard in search of her companion. He found Firefly close inshore two miles to the eastward. Ottershaw’s ship was moving fast and the anti-aircraft gun in front of the bridge was firing at an invisible target high up in the sky. Moments later, two enormous geysers of water erupted astern of the little white gunboat and he glimpsed a Japanese dive-bomber as it flashed across Firefly’s quarterdeck and climbed for height at the end of its attack run.

Hamilton knew there was nothing he could do to help. Submarines did not usually engage aircraft unless they happened to be caught unawares on the surface and, with a fine sense of personal preservation, he decided to remain discreetly out of sight beneath the waves. The Japanese pilots would be too intent on the gunboat to spot the periscope of a submerged submarine.

‘I’ve found Firefly and Circala ,’ he told Mannon. ‘Both ships bearing one point off the starboard bows at a range of four miles. They’re under attack from enemy bombers, but so far they seem to be getting the best of it.’

‘Can’t we do anything to help, sir?’

‘I’m afraid not, Number One. We wouldn’t last five minutes on the surface. We’ll just have to sit it out and see what happens. If you want to do something you could always try praying!’

It was almost an hour before the last of the Japanese bombers swung away from their targets and vanished northwards towards their airfields inside the Chinese border. During that time, Hamilton had seen them drop no fewer than fifty bombs and yet, by a miracle, neither gunboat had been hit. He could not help wondering whether Mannon had taken him at his word. Perhaps that’s what came from having a father who was a clergyman.

He waited for five minutes to make sure the attack would not be renewed and having assured himself that there was no immediate danger, he told Mannon to take Rapier up….

Firefly’s guns swung to port as the look-out reported a submarine surfacing to seaward and Ottershaw raised his binoculars anxiously in anticipation of a fresh hazard.

‘Range 1000— bearing Green-two-five! Hold your fire.’ He turned to Forsyth. ‘Any idea what a Jap submarine looks like, Number One?’

‘They all look the same to me, sir. I suggest we open fire before he has a chance to hit back.’

Ottershaw shook his head and kept his glasses focused on the patch of white foam bubbling on the surface half a mile off the gunboat’s port bow. He knew he was taking a dangerous risk, but something warned him not to be too hasty. No enemy submarine commander would be fool enough to surface under the guns of two warships and yet, so far as he knew, there was no possibility of there being any British boats in the area. Rover was dry-docked and refitting in Singapore and Rapier was by now several hundred miles to the south en route to Malaya. It might just be an American boat, or a Dutchman. And while the doubt lingered in his mind he was not prepared to take chances.

The bows of the submarine thrust from the cauldron of foam, followed, moments later, by the periscope standards and conning tower. Ottershaw thought that there was something vaguely familiar about the shape of the surfacing boat and he was still trying to identify it when the bosun shouted excitedly, ‘It’s the Rapier, sir! It’s bloody Rapier come back to give us a hand!’

‘Check the guns, Number One. Two points to port, helmsman. Half-ahead together.’

Hamilton scrambled out of the upper hatch and leaned over the conning tower rails as Firefly drew alongside. The look-outs followed him out on deck and quickly stationed themselves on either side of the bridge◦– their eyes already scanning the empty blue skies as they raised their binoculars. Hamilton had warned them to get below at the first sign of aircraft. It was no time to take risks and he knew he could rely on Rapier’s highly trained crew to get the submarine safely beneath the surface within thirty seconds of the diving alarm.

‘What’s the score, Harry?’ he yelled as soon as the gunboat was within hailing distance.

‘The Army’s falling back on Kowloon. The Japs will probably be there in another two days◦– we’re completely outnumbered.’ He turned to pass an instruction to the helmsman as the two boats began drifting apart and then continued his report. ‘Kai Tak airfield has been knocked out and we’ve nothing left to stop the bombers. It’s sheer bloody murder. We were under attack all day yesterday.’

Rapier rolled suddenly as the gunboat’s rubbing strake rode up over the bulge of the starboard ballast tank and forced it under the surface. Ottershaw yelled something to the coxswain and Firefly backed off gently. Hamilton peered down over the side, but fortunately the collision had caused no damage.

‘If you touch me there again I’ll scream,’ he grinned across at the gunboat commander, who rewarded his humor with a two-fingered gesture. He waited for the two vessels to drift together again. ‘Where do you suggest we go◦– and no cracks, Harry!’

‘Anywhere in the Straits once the Japs succeed in taking Kowloon. They’ll have to use boats to get their troops across to Hong Kong.’

‘What about the gunboats?’

‘We won’t survive that long if the air attacks continue. But we’ll do our best to support you while we can. If you run to the south and he on the bottom for forty-eight hours you should be just in time for the big show.’ Ottershaw paused for a moment as Forsyth joined him at the bridge rail and handed him a message. He nodded. The submarine and the gunboat were drifting apart again and he cupped his hands to his mouth so that his voice would carry across the water. ‘If you’re after bigger game, Nick, try the south-west approaches. Thanet has reported seeing a cruiser and destroyer in the offing. Collinson has nothing he can send out against them. And if they find any of our gunboats it’ll be a massacre.’

‘Three aircraft astern, sir!’ Rapier’s starboard look-out reported urgently. ‘Five thousand feet and approaching!’ Hamilton pressed the diving alarm. He made no effort to confirm the report. If Jacobs said aircraft were approaching that was enough for him. Geysers of water erupted along the side of the submarine as the main vents swung open and, almost before the two look-outs had slid into the hatchway, Rapier was dipping beneath the surface. Hamilton waved a hasty farewell to Ottershaw as he made for the open hatch.

‘See you around, Harry! And don’t get your feet wet.’ The hatch cover shut with a bang and within seconds the submarine’s conning tower had vanished into the bubbling cauldron of foam.

‘Action Stations! Bandits astern◦– range 2000◦– height 4000. Full ahead both!’ Ottershaw watched the three Mitsubishi dive bombers coming out of the sun. ‘Starboard helm! Pass air attack signal to Circala, Number One!’