Chapter 270 - Book 11 Chapter 2-5 A Time for Decisive Action 2: The Flame of the East

February 20, 2021, 19:05

The sea 133km off the southeast end of Yokosuka Port, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (three carrier strike groups of the U.S. 3rd Fleet)

Three Virginia-class (Block IV) submarines of the 3rd Fleet had been waiting at a depth of 50m for the second launch after launching the LGM-30F Mintman IVs. They received an order from the 3rd Fleet Command to cancel all operations and enter into emergency submersion. They stopped the second launch procedures and soon went deep into the sea. Also, the three carrier strike groups which were sailing at low speed near Yokosuka Port increased their speed and sailed away quickly.

Twenty-five minutes ago, six C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon) launched by Zeus 2 entered an altitude of 9,000 km at a speed of Mach 45 or higher. The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s D-1 ballistic missile early-warning satellite detected them. Accordingly, an emergency was communicated to the 3rd Fleet Command, which was identified as a target. There were 9 minutes and 48 seconds left until the impact. To escape the impact, about 50 ships of the three carrier strike groups entered high-speed evasion operations and escaped in different directions.

Six C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon) had been fired, two for each carrier. In anticipation of the evasive maneuvering of each carrier, two of the six were set up to target the outer side, not where the ships were.

***

February 20, 2021, 19:05

The sea 12km off the southern tip of Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (2nd landing expeditionary escort fleet)

The three Mk-99A Super Lynxes quickly took off from the Sejong the Great (DDH-991) and Kim Jong-seo (DDG-975) to spread anti-submarine vigilance against enemy submarines in response to the sudden torpedo attack. The Super Lynx’s pilot, who was maneuvering over the east, opened his mouth wide at the scene in front of his eyes. His whole body seemed to be frozen.

“Sir! Is that a tsunami?” The co-pilot, Master Sergeant Oh Tae-won, flipped the helmet visor and pointed in front of him with a finger.

“I’ve never seen a tsunami before. But, yes, it looks like one.”

A huge column of water with a radius of several hundred meters soared to a height of 100 meters. While tremendous water fell, a wave of 3m high rushing in a circular shape occurred around it. The tsunami was rolling in white foam. Even though they were 3km away, the waves grew and became clearer.

“Oh no. The landing fleet is in danger…,” Warrant Officer Kim Il-kyu, who was the main pilot of the Mk-99A Super Lynx belonging to the Sejong the Great (DDH-991) said, slurring the end of his sentence.

Master Sergeant Oh Tae-won, who was sitting next to him replied, his voice doubtful, “Sir. Our ship’s displacement is at least 4,000t. There is no way our ship will be in danger by that tsunami.”

“Can’t you see that? Is it getting bigger and bigger! I need to contact Sejong the Great right away.”

The sonar operator, Chief Petty Officer Heo Man-ho, had been scolded by the tactical control officer of the Sejong the Great (DDH-991) for finding the proton torpedo late. Actually, this disaster was detected earlier than expected thanks to him. Since they had started the interception operation quickly, they could succeed. Also, they could escape from the center of the disaster of the proton torpedo. If the proton torpedo had been detected later and exploded in a close area, more than 50% of the surface ships of the second landing expedition would have suffered.

The tsunami, coming at a speed of 110 km/h, was expected to hit the surface of the 2nd landing expedition in seven minutes. In a very urgent tone, Warrant Officer Kim Il-kyu reported to the Sejong the Great.

The huge tsunami passed under the three Mk-99A Super Lynxes flying 30m above sea level. The tsunami sounded like a huge waterfall. The three Mk-99A Super Lynxes turned around and began to fly back to the fleets.

***

February 20, 2021, 19:10

The sea 133km off the southeast end of Yokosuka Port, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (three carrier strike groups of the U.S. 3rd Fleet)

It was a situation where three carriers entered high-speed maneuvers in different directions. From the Aegis ships and destroyers of each carrier strike group launched the SM-3 (Block IIA) missiles, which had the longest range among ship-to-air missiles.

Each carrier strike group fired about 20 SM-3s (Block IIAs) from the Mk 41 VLS vertical launcher with red sparks. The missiles quickly disappeared high into the sky, emitting massive smoke.

A total of 60 SM-3s (Block IIA) flew to C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon). Ten missiles were assigned for each C-SE Epirus. SM-3 (Block IIA) used GPS guidance in the intermediate stage and semi-active radar guidance method in the final stage. When they reached a certain altitude, they separated the first-stage boost and gradually reduced the distance, detecting each missile to intercept.

***

February 20, 2021, 19:12

The sea 12km off the southern tip of Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (2nd landing expeditionary escort fleet)

Sejong the Great (DDH-991), which was informed of the tsunami situation by the Mk-99A Super Lynx, was the first to face the tsunami because it sailed from the rear. A 4m high tsunami came toward Sejong the Great.

“Brace for impact. Brace for impact.”

An emergency alarm sounded throughout the ship, and the commander’s voice was heard through the speaker.

In preparation for a collision, Sejong the Great (DDH-991) urgently turned the ship. When the ship faced the tsunami, a huge wave hit the bow of the ship. Sejong the Great (DDH-991) was a ship with 10,000 tons of load displacement. But the rear of the ship soared up to the air with a great shock. The ship tilted nearly 30 degrees. The crew, who were holding various hard handles and facilities, bounced back and rolled on the floor at once. The shock was beyond their imagination.

A strange sound came from all over the ship as if the ship’s keel was breaking. It was enough to make everybody worry. Each crew, trembling in fear, gave strength to their hands. It was as if they were riding a Viking warship. They felt their bodies fly up. The crew members screamed out in fear. The bridge was a mess with the crew who rolled over.

Sejong the Great (DDH-991) rode through the tsunami. Then, its bow hit the sea. The center of gravity moved to the front. Due to this, the crew members who flew backward were thrown forward this time.

After a while, the bow that had drowned in the sea bounced back onto the surface of the sea due to the ship’s stability. The ship shook greatly. It gradually regained its center of gravity and established a stable position.

Not only ordinary privates but also officers and commanders who had been living on the sea for many years were exhausted, many of them sick from the extreme motions. The impact of this tsunami was really great. Thankfully, Sejong the Great (DDH-991) managed to escape from the dangers of the tsunami.

“Each manager report the status of the damage immediately,” Captain Go Hyun-woo ordered.

Accordingly, each department checked the status of the damage and reported in.

“This is Chief Engineer Master Chief Petty Officer Kang Hyuk-joon. Currently, there is no damage to the engine. But three firemen have minor abrasions.”

“Ok. Send the wounded to the infirmary immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Salute! This is Lee Won-woo, the commander of the battle command room. There is no problem with all equipment related to the current operation. Also, all 35 personnel in the battle command room are safe.”

“Okay, got it.”

“This is Boatswain Han Gyung-seok of the deckhouse. Right now…”

While receiving the damage report from the boatswain, the commander shouted, pointing to a place outside the bridge. “Captain! Look at the Kim Jong-seo!”

They could see the Kim Jong-seo (DDG-975) that was 600m away from them colliding with the tsunami. The ship tilted to the port. It was sinking to the sea as if it lost its force of restitution and center.

“Damn it. 5,500 ton of load displacement was not enough?” Captain Go Hyun-woo muttered.

He picked up the communication device and tried to contact the Kim Jong-seo (DDG-975) himself.

“This is Sejong! I am Captain Go Hyun-woo! Kim Jong-seo! Can you hear me?”

“Salute! This is the chief navigator Kang Oh-won.”

“Where is your captain?”

“He fell in shock.”

“Was the ship’s stability damaged?”

“It seems so. Right now, the ship is tilted 55 degrees to the port.”

“Damn it! Abandon the ship! Order all crew to abandon the ship! You, too! Take the captain and abandon the ship right now.”

“Yes, sir!”

This was just the beginning. The tsunami, coming at a speed of 110 km/h, struck all the surface ships of the 2nd landing expedition in less than 10 minutes. Some small private ships were deployed behind large ships to minimize the impact of the tsunami, but about 10 ships sank.

***

February 20, 2021, 19:15

The sea 133km off the southeast end of Yokosuka Port, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (three carrier strike groups of the U.S. 3rd Fleet)

The three carrier strike groups had fired more than 100 SM-3s (Block IIA) to intercept the C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon). But they only succeeded in intercepting two. A tremendous flash of light occurred in a row over 1km above the three carrier strike groups

With a total of four flashes, a circular shock wave spread across the sea in all directions. Flashes occurred at the same time in two places above the 1st Carrier Strike Group which had entered high-speed maneuvering. The shock wave passed through the ship belonging to the 1st Carrier Strike Group.

The huge shock wave struck not only the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson (CVN-70) but also about 10 cruisers and destroyers. Because of the shock wave, the system operated by the EMP pulse was malfunctioning.

In particular, the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and one of the Aegis cruisers, Lake Champlain (CG-57), and one of the Aegis destroyers, Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) turned into scrap metal as the systems were completely jammed.

A fire broke out with sparks spattered all over the Carl Vinson (CVN-70), which were operated by various electronic systems. The automatic fire extinguishing system was broken as well. So, the crew pulled out fire hoses and started extinguishing the fire manually.

Aircraft and helicopters that were flying over the vicinity of the 1st Carrier Strike Group also fell to the sea as the system malfunctioned.

Meanwhile, one C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon) which was maneuvering at an azimuth of 1-7-0 launched a shock wave with bright light in the air near the 9th Carrier Strike Group.

One C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon) was falling to the expected evasion point but was intercepted. Fortunately, the 9th Carrier Strike Group escaped from the direct impact of the shock wave. So, only some of the systems were jammed, but there was no significant damage.

Finally, one C-SE Epirus (Super EMP Weapon) exploded in the airspace of the 3rd Carrier Strike Group, which was maneuvering at a 2-7-5 azimuth. The system of the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and ten surface combatants belonging to the 3rd Carrier Strike Group, which was in the middle of the bombardment, also malfunctioned. The systems were down. Soon small sparks began to ignite.

Another catastrophe fell from the sky above the 3rd Carrier Strike Group, which had become a simple lump of scrap metal floating on the sea. Following the C-SE-M1 Epirus (Super EMP Weapon), Zeus 2 fired six additional C-SH-M1 Zinogs (plasma amplified ammunition) equivalent to 1Mt of nuclear bombs.

In the case of the C-SH Zinog mounted on the existing Zeus 1, it was a plasma amplification missile with the power of a nuclear bomb of 15Kt. However, Zeus 2 and 3 were equipped with a more powerful 1Mt class (1Mt = 2,000,000 tons of TNT) C-SH-M1 Zinog-II.