E
FROM: ALFRED THOMAS DD107 0320 GREENWICH 1JAN43
TO: CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS WASH DC
ALL USNAVY VESSELS AND SHORE STATIONS RELAY
1. RENDEZVOUS WITH BILOXI AND DEVIL FISH MADE AT POINT J 0310 1JAN43.
2. REFUELING WILL TAKE PLACE AT FIRST LIGHT.
3. IN CONTACT WITH PETER.
4. PROCEEDING ACCORDING TO ORDERS.
JERNIGAN, LTCOM USN COMMANDING.
* * *
FROM THOMAS TO PETER
REF OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE FROM THOMAS TO CNO 0320 GREENWICH 1JAN43.
1. ESTIMATE COMPLETION REFUELING 0930 GREENWICH 1JAN43.
2. ESTIMATE ARRIVAL DEVILFISH POINT M REPEAT POINT M 2300 GREENWICH 1JAN43.
3. ESTIMATE DEPARTURE DEVILFISH POINT M REPEAT POINT M 0200 GREENWICH 2JAN43. SHE WILL ATTEMPT ADVISE ACTUAL DEPARTURE TIME PRIOR DEPARTURE.
4. ESTIMATE ARRIVAL DEVILFISH POINT 0 REPEAT POINT 0 0400 GREENWICH 2JAN43. SHE WILL REPORT ACTUAL ARRIVAL TIME.
5. GODSPEED AND GOOD LUCK.
JERNIGAN, LTCOM USN COMMANDING
* * *
“Chief,” Clete said, “since you’re dealing with a bunch of amateur sailors, maybe you’d better translate all that for us.”
“You mean that, Mr. Frade?” Chief Schultz asked.
“Each tiny little detail, each tiny little step,” Clete said.
“OK,” Schultz said. “OK. For openers, all these times are Greenwich times, which is a place in England. There’s four hours’ difference. When it’s noon here, it’s four in the afternoon there. Got it?” He looked at his wristwatch. “It’s quarter after eight. That’s 1215 Greenwich. Got it?”
Clete nodded.
Tony said, “Got it, Chief.”
“So, let’s talk about our time,” Chief Schultz went on: “The tanker, the Biloxi, and the Devil Fish rendezvoused-up with the Thomas off Punta del Este about eleven-ten last night. What I’m guessing is that Captain Jernigan decided there wasn’t much point in starting the refueling in the dark. If things fucked up—laying alongside another ship on the high seas isn’t easy in the first place, and at night it’s a bitch—forget the whole operation. So he waited until it was light to start the refueling.
“Only ten minutes later, he sent that Operation Immediate to the Chief of Naval Operations. That seems pretty dumb, but maybe when you’re operating DP you have to do it.”
“‘DP,’ Oscar?” Ettinger asked.
They must have a mutual admiration society, Clete thought. It would never have entered my mind to call Chief Schultz by his first name.
“It means ‘Direction of the President,’ Dave,” Schultz explained patiently. “Really big-time stuff. There’s probably six admirals sitting on their ass in the Navy Department, waiting to hear that you guys carried this off. Praying they don’t have to go to the CNO hisself and tell him he has to go to the President and tell him this got fucked up somehow.”