Within the command centre, the number two, Vanderhofen, gazed at the electronic map and pointed.

“That’s the Devil’s Triangle mam. Surely we are not going there?”

Wilma smiled at him.

“Not scared of ghosts are we sir?”

“Just don’t want to vanish like all those ships.”

“How many subs do you know about vanished there?”

He thought hard.

“Four Japanese for a start during the war, and the USS Vanguard mam.”

She shook her head.

“We sank those subs and the Vanguard may have struck a mine.”

“Even the fishermen avoid that area.”

“I just want to take a look sir. Blow ballast tanks.”

She stepped onto the conning tower and gazed at the frothy seas.

“We can do twenty knots on the surface mam.”

“We need some fresh air I think.”

The intercom buzzed and she took the call.

“We have a flash message mam from Pacific Command.”

“It never rains number two. It only pours.”

Clambering down the ladder, the message was quickly handed to her.

“Not a very nice one either,” she commented.

“Take us to launch depth.”

This order would take the sub fifty feet below the surface in a bow
down configuration.

“Launch depth captain.”

As calm as a cucumber she activated the intercom.

“Action stations missile.”

Her second in command took his necklace off and stood by the launch
station. As she reached her own she said slowly, “Insert on three. One...Two...Insert.”

As the keys entered, she paused for breath.

“On my command turn to position one.”

“Aye mam.”

“Turn.”

As the keys turned, the green line of lights turned a brilliant red.

“Missiles armed,” a crewman called out.

“Now we follow protocol and wait five minutes.”

An eerie silence descended as the clock ticked toward doomsday.

Within sixty seconds to go the communications officer shouted, “Flash message from Pacific Command.”

“Just read it aloud,” the captain replied.

“Message to all SLBM’s. Drill, drill, drill.”

Everyone sighed loudly.

“Return key to failsafe.”

After turning them anti-clockwise, the keys were removed, and the necklaces returned to the now sweating necks.

“I sometimes wonder why they do that,” Vanderhofen commented.

“Perhaps checking that we are listening sir. Continue into the Devil’s Triangle. Ahead one third.”

“Aye mam.”

Sub Lieutenant Hogen sat at the food hall table in quite a lather.

“We had no right sinking that Korean sub. I reckon we have a nutter for a captain.”

Tilbert disagreed.

“It sank a Japanese tanker then fired at us. What else were we supposed to do?”

“It’s not right mate.”

As he stood aggressively Tilbert asked, “Where are you going?”

“Just off for a walk. Enjoy lunch won’t you?”

He marched across the floor heading back to his cabin. Once inside he removed a spare toolkit from his locker.

“I’ll ruddy well teach her.”

No one questioned him walking through the command area as engineers regularly did so on their inspections. When he reached the torpedo room, he smiled at the crew.

“Just have to check the nukes.”

“They are over there. Go right ahead.”

He knelt by the monsters and removed a screwdriver. As he began to open a panel a crewman asked, “You don’t usually do that.”

Hogen smiled.

“Some idiot set the primary system at launch depth. You know what that means.”

“They go off when we fire them. Anything we can do.”

Hogen stopped for a moment.

“You could get out of here and leave me in peace. After all, you really don’t want me to make a mistake.”

As they left the compartment, he locked the bulkhead tight.

“That was easier than I thought.”

He removed the plate and peered inside the hatch at the electronics.

“Now my dear. If I adjust that...”

Outside the closed hatch, the six crewmen were becoming uneasy.

“What’s he up to?”

“I don’t know.”

He banged the hatch hard.

“Let us back inside mate.”

When there was no response, they contacted the command centre.

“What do you mean a situation?” the second in command asked.

The captain glanced over.

“Something up?”

“Hogan has locked himself inside the torpedo room mam.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

She took the intercom.

“Did he say why he was there?”

“Yes mam. He wanted to check the nukes.”

Her face suddenly hardened. Switching channels she said, “Hogan! What are you up to?”

A tense moment passed before he bothered to reply.

“Just teaching you a lesson mam. Nothing to be concerned about.”

“What lesson?”

“You really should have left that sub alone.”

She cut him off and her agile mind whirred.

“He must be nuts. If he is fiddling with those nukes, he could blow us all to hell.”

“I can have a security team there in moment’s mam.”

“It would take you half an hour to cut through that hatch at least.
That’s far too long.”

She stared at the pilots hard.

“Surface.”

Then activating the com she said, “Engineer Murray to the com. Bring a toolkit with you.”

As the craft rose, the Scotsman walked into view.

“What’s up?”
“We have a serious problem in the torpedo room. I want you to
disengage the safety valves on tube one.”

He gave her an alarmed look.

“You intend to flood?”

“This boat is designed to float with the bow flooded and now it’s time to test it. How long will you be?”

“Once I get that panel open no more than five mins.”

“Then go ahead.”

“Surface mam.”

The engineer knelt by the console and opened the lower panel. When he found the safety valve, he turned the nut hard left.

“That’s it done.”

“Open tube one.”

As the outer door slid open, water rushed inside and struck the hatch door. After a few seconds, the door burst open. A jet of water shot inside and the astonished engineer attempted to reclose the hatch.

The incoming pressure was far too strong for that and quite soon, he was up to his waist. Hitting the intercom he screamed, “What the hell are you doing?”

The bridge crew remained silent as alarms rang unheeded.

“Hey, let me out of here.”

As the water reached his neck, he tried to open the bulkhead but automatic locks had now engaged. He took a last breath as the water surged over his head.

Within the command centre a crewman said,”Bow down five degrees mam.”
She watched the clock tick ten minutes before ordering the tube closed.

“Increase pressure and pump that water out. Vanderhofen, collect the body and take him to the medical centre.”

It took twenty minutes to pump the ocean out of the bulkhead and when the second in command entered, he found the torpedo room slightly damaged and covered in seaweed.

Glancing at the still body, he shook his head sadly.

“We have quite a mess here mam. Tube one is out of action.”

“Get a cleanup team in there sir. We’ll remain upon the surface for a bit.”

The submarine cut its way through the ocean, now well within the deadly triangle. As she watched the swell, something bothered her. Looking along the sleek surface, she noticed the bow going slowly under.

“What now?”

She slid down the ladder and closing the hatch barked, “Who gave the dive order?”

“No one mam.”

She glanced at the trim gauge and noted it set at twenty degrees.

“Bring the bow up.”

Moments passed but nothing happened.

“What’s the problem?”

“The bow planes are not responding mam.”

“Depth one hundred,” a seaman called out.”

“This is ruddy peculiar,” she muttered.

As the depth increased, the pilots called out.

“Depth two hundred mam.”

“Try to level off.”

The pilots did their best but it seemed hopeless.

She saw the trim gauge reach thirty percent when the second in command walked in.

“Anything that I can do?”

“We seem to be out of control Vanderhofen.”

“Depth five hundred.”

She thought for a moment.

“Increase to thirty knots and set bow planes to hard over.”

The officer became highly alarmed at this order.

“If the planes sheer mam we are well and truly had it.”

“Depth one k mam,” a pilot called out.

She took Vanderhofen aside.

“I’m trying to create a bow wave that hopefully will bring us back up.”

“She’s slowing mam.”

Captain Harris glanced at the trim gauge.

“Twenty degrees again.”

“Depth fifteen hundred mam.”

The gauge gradually became level and the plunge stabilised at
seventeen hundred.

“Best speed to Midway. We can have the repairs done there, as well
as off loading the body.”

“Aye mam. Midway it is.”