SSN Read online

  SSN

  Tom Clancy

  Martin Greenberg

  Tom Clancy SSN is based upon Tom Clancy SSN, an interactive submarine combat thriller available on CD-ROM.

  China has invaded the oil-rich Spratly Islands. The American response has been swift and deadly, resulting in the start of World War III. SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare presents 15 thrilling scenarios-fact-based mission profiles for Captain Bartholomew Mackenzie and the crew of the nuclear submarine the U.S.S. Cheyenne-stirring plots and characters, perfectly accurate details, and the chilling knowledge that these events could really happen.

  Tom Clancy

  SSN

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank my friend and colleague Captain Doug Littlejohns, Royal Navy (Ret.), for his invaluable contributions to the interactive game upon which this book is based. I would also like to thank Commander Craig Etka, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Eric Wertheim, and Mike Harris for their contributions to the creation of the manuscript and for their relentless fact-checking. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of James Adams, Martin H. Greenberg, Larry Segriff, Robert Youdelman, Esq., Tom Mallon, Esq., and the fine folks at The Putnam Berkley Group, including Phyllis Grann, David Shanks, and David Highfill. In addition, this book would not have been possible without the efforts of Elizabeth Mackey, Ken Gordon, and Keith Halper of Simon & Schuster Interactive, Paul Wirth of the Virtus Corporation, Bill Howe of Photri, Inc., and Steve Fahrbach of Magellan Geographix. And as always I would like to thank Robert Gottlieb of the William Morris Agency, my agent and friend, without whom this book and the interactive game would never have been done.

  And thanks to you, my readers, who have come to love submarines and the men who man them as much as I do.

  Foreword: Note to the Reader

  This book is based upon the CD-ROM game Tom Clancy SSN, co-published by Simon & Schuster Interactive, a division of Simon & Schuster, C.I. Entertainment, Inc., and Virtus Corporation. Developed by Tom Clancy with Captain Doug Littlejohns, CBE, British Royal Navy (Ret.), SSN is a groundbreaking, action-packed submarine combat game and a full-screen, live-action cinematic thriller.

  This book, however, is intended to serve as more than a faithful adaptation. While based on the game, this book is intended to serve as a strategy guide to submarine warfare, and as such it contains some minor variations from the CD-ROM game: an additional class of enemy submarines, a wider range of weaponry, and a broader spectrum of available tactics and strategies.

  Both the game and this book share a common goal: to put you, the reader, in charge of a United States nuclear attack submarine at war. If you come away with a taste of what life in the silent service is like, with a better understanding and appreciation of the efforts of those brave sailors who serve aboard boomers and attack submarines everywhere, and with an idea of the dangers these sailors face every day, then this book and the game upon which it is based have done their jobs.

  Life aboard a submarine is filled with hard work, close quarters, and the constant threat of silent enemies and the deep, dark pressure of the ocean. Slip into your naval uniform — the one with the golden dolphins on the collar — and step aboard one of the finest submarines in the United States Navy — the USS Cheyenne. But don’t forget your seat belt. There’s a war on, and it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

  Preface: Prelude to War

  Though the name may sound obscure, the Spratly Islands have been a cause of conflict in East Asia for quite some time. Sovereignty over all or part of this potentially resource-rich archipelago in the South China Sea is presently contested by Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Although the Manila Declaration by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1992 promised to resolve this dispute peacefully, the nations involved have yet to arrive at a consensus about the future of this territory. In the past few months, tensions have mounted between the East Asian nations, and the need to have the United Nations serve as a mediating force has been suggested. At this point in time, many of the countries have stationed troops on the islands and some have begun to build their own infrastructures, causing further disagreements.

  * * *

  “The dispute over the Spratly Islands has served as a further impediment to healing many of the rifts existing within East Asia. This issue needs to be addressed on an international level before it escalates into higher forms of conflict. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee will attempt to consolidate the interests of all parties involved and hopefully diminish a source of growing regional conflict in the world.”

  — The New American

  * * *

  “China’s aggressive search for oil near the Spratly Islands of Vietnam’s coast has become the most serious threat of war along China’s frontier.”

  — Jim Landers, The Dallas Morning News

  * * *

  Chinese leader dies, power struggle anticipated

  July 19, 1997

  Web posted at: 12:00 P.M. EST (1700 GMT)

  From Beijing bureau chief Julie Meyer

  BEIJING (TCN) — Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping died today at the age of ninety-two. Having suffered multiple strokes in the previous two years, Deng had reportedly been living in a military hospital for the past eighteen months and was said to have been barely able to speak for much of that time.

  Deng’s successor, President Jiang Zemin, was chosen by Deng himself over a year ago, yet could not assert full leadership rights until Deng, as “paramount leader,” had died. Now that Deng is dead, many experts feel that Jiang’s position will be challenged by his peers among the Chinese government, and that a power struggle will ensue.

  Among the suspected challengers to Jiang is Premier Li Peng, a Marxist conservative who played a major role in the quashing of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. Li is said to be intent on scaling back China’s economic growth, which he feels to be unstable, should he take control.

  Another possible contender is Zhu Rongji, senior vice premier and the liberal economist responsible for much of China’s economic growth under Deng. However, Zhu has alienated much of the Chinese bureaucracy with his infamous temper and acidic comments, and experts believe that he does not enjoy the support necessary to win the leadership battle.

  When asked for an opinion regarding the power shift in China, prominent Tufts University international relations professor and Asian affairs expert Adrian Mann stated that great “political instability” lay ahead and that “there is a very good chance that the power struggle may lead to a Soviet-style breakup of China,” a view shared by many senior White House political advisers.

  The President, who is currently vacationing at Camp David, issued a statement earlier today saying that “the United States offers her sincere condolences to the people of China on the loss of their esteemed leader” and that “we have every confidence that the new Chinese leadership will assume office with the minimum of disturbance.” When asked the President’s position on the possible power struggle within the Chinese government, a White House aide stated that “the President is watching with great interest.”

  * * *

  United Fuels Corp. discovers oil, stock soars

  July 21, 1997

  Web posted at: 2:00 P.M. EST (1900 GMT)

  From New York financial correspondent Bill Mossette

  NEW YORK (TCNfn) — A spokesman for United Fuels Corporation stated today that the company had recently located a large and, until now, undiscovered oil deposit six miles from Mischief Reef, one of the Spratly Islands chain located in the South China Sea.

  The deposit is thought to be the largest of its type yet discovered, with a conservative estimated yield of close to one trillion barrels. This information caused a massive surge
in United Fuels stock, which peaked today at eighty-nine dollars a share, up nearly 200 percent. Experts predict that the stock will continue to skyrocket if the find is fully substantiated.

  However, many financial advisers are wary of investing in United on the basis of this new find, due to the political instability surrounding the area in which the oil lies. The Spratly Islands have long been contested, with China, Vietnam, Taiwan and other neighboring countries all claiming sovereignty. Wall Street experts say that the oil find will be contested by the governments of the aforementioned countries, among others, and that it may be years before such disagreements may be resolved. During this time, of course, United Fuels Corporation will be unable to drill in the area.

  Nevertheless, United has already started to build a drilling platform at the site, staging construction from the prospecting ship that located the enormous oil deposit, Benthic Adventure.

  * * *

  Coup in China, Li takes control

  July 23, 1997

  Web posted at: 3:00 p.m. EST (2000 GMT)

  From Washington chief correspondent Michael Flasetti

  WASHINGTON (TCN) — In a stunning development, Premier Li Peng has staged a coup d’etat and gained control of the Chinese government in the early hours of this morning. Aided in the coup by General Yu Quili, leader of the so-called Petroleum Faction, Li has apparently ordered the arrest of Jiang Zemin, president and successor to the late Deng Xiaoping, and Zhu Rongji, senior vice premier. Both political rivals in the struggle for control, Jiang and Zhu have yet to be located and are presumed in hiding.

  Li, a conservative with broad support from both the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese military, issued a statement to the effect that Deng’s liberal economic policies were causing ruin within China, destroying the socialist ideals that the Communist Party has been striving to maintain. He also stated that rampant capitalism and greater economic ties to the West threaten to undermine the “national focus of China” and that “it was time that the people of China stood together in a common cause.” Precisely what that cause is remains to be seen.

  However, Taiwan has requested aid from the United Nations, fearing that Li may attempt an invasion of the country, which China has regarded as a renegade province since 1949. If such an invasion was to take place, it would probably be masterminded by General Yu Quili, the one-armed army veteran who led the Petroleum Faction, a group of engineers that developed the rich Daqing oil field in Manchuria with the aid of then Chairman Mao Ze-dong.

  The Petroleum Faction wielded enormous power over China’s economic policy until Deng consolidated his own power base within the government in the early 1980s. Now, with Li and other allies, including Wang Tao, chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation, General Yu seems poised to take a place among the executive elite of China.

  East Asia political expert Adrian Mann commented today on the current radical shift of government power. “Energy production seems to have become the engine for a neoconservative upheaval in China. Politically, those who control the means of energy production can control the country. It’s a very strong position.” Doubly strong, Dr. Mann went on to argue, in a country with a well-documented shortage of raw power.

  The White House has so far been unresponsive to the developments in China, as the President wishes to confer with UN chiefs before making any official statement, which is expected later today. Sources report that the President will need full support from the UN before action, if any, is to be taken, in light of America’s historically rocky relationship with China.

  * * *

  President reacts to Chinese coup, UN sanctions expected

  July 23, 1997

  Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)

  From Washington chief correspondent Michael Flasetti

  WASHINGTON (TCN) — After conferring with other permanent members of the UN Security Council for most of the day, the President made a statement condemning the Chinese coup, led by Li Peng. In addition, both the U.S. and UN have officially refused to acknowledge the new Chinese government, demanding instead that Jiang Zemin, chosen by ex-paramount leader Deng to be his successor, be restored as China’s new leader. However, many believe Jiang to be dead, killed by troops under Peng during the coup. Senior vice premier Zhu Rongji is also missing.

  Li Peng responded to the demands by stating that both Jiang and Zhu were wanted for “crimes against the state” and that he would not give up his new position, which is supported by the leaders of China’s industrial-military complex. He went on to decry the UN mandates as yet more “interferist Western meddling in China’s interior affairs” and that China would not submit to any of the UN’s requests.

  Deadlocked, the UN is convening immediately to analyze the situation and discuss the possibility of sanctions against China.

  * * *

  China invades Spratly Islands, oil ship seized

  July 26, 1997

  Web posted at: 12:00 P.M. EST (1700 GMT)

  From Beijing bureau chief.lulie Meyer

  BEIJING (TCN) — In a show of military might, China has occupied the long-contested Spratly Islands. Both Vietnamese and Philippine forces, which had established a presence on the islands, were quickly overrun by the Chinese navy in the course of the two-day campaign. Leading the ten-ship attack fleet, the Chinese destroyer Haribing quickly and utterly eliminated all threats in the area, and the islands now look to be completely under the control of the Chinese.

  The rationale for such an overtly aggressive act, at a time when the current Chinese leader, Li Peng, faces opposition to his leadership by the United Nations, is made clearer in light of the discovery of a massive oil field last week by the United Fuels Corporation prospecting ship Benthic Adventure. The ship, which has been seized by the Chinese, is moored six miles from Mischief Reef, the island nearest the position where the oil deposit is suspected to be situated. This is seen as a very serious act, say military experts, especially in light of the fact that Benthic Adventure is a U.S.-flagged ship, and was seized in international waters. “The President would be 100 percent justified calling the seizure of Benthic Adventure an act of war,” said one top aide today, apparently echoing the thoughts of many chiefs within the Pentagon.

  In addition to the massive resource boost the Spratly Islands may provide China, many analysts feel that the invasion has significant tactical motivations, as well as economic. “Control over the Spratly Islands provides a staging ground for the South China Sea,” a senior Pentagon aide commented today. “China understands the true value of these islands.”

  The Spratly Islands may also be utilized to mount an invasion of Taiwan, which China has never recognized as a sovereign nation. Experts say that although China has considered reclaiming the country since 1949, up-to-date military plans for such an action were drawn up last year. The Chinese Foreign Ministry calls such plans “completely groundless,” reiterating their comments to similar accusations leveled last year. Nonetheless, the Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui has appealed to the United States for military support, echoing requests made in 1996.

  The President has made no statement on the situation, preferring once again to confer with the UN Security Council before passing comment. Sources say that the proceedings continue with much tension on all sides.

  * * *

  President announces military response to China

  July 27, 1997

  Web posted at: 3:00 P.M. EST (2000 GMT)

  From Washington chief correspondent Michael Flasetti

  WASHINGTON (TCN) — The President, after a round-the-clock session with UN chiefs, made a statement announcing America’s military commitment to opposing China’s claim to the Spratly Islands. Having received no concessions from Beijing, the President feels that conflict is inevitable unless the Chinese withdraw.

  The secretary-general of the United Nations has also pledged the support of the world organization in ousting Chinese presence from the disputed islands. She stated th
at the Chinese have clearly violated the Manila Declaration of 1992, a treaty signed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which China is a member, that resolved to settle the Spratly Islands dispute in a diplomatic manner. In response to this violation of international law, the U.S. Navy will begin mobilization immediately, with the aircraft carriers Nimitz and Independence entering the area within the week.

  Chinese reaction to today’s announcement was one of diplomatic indignation. “We have every right to the Nan-Sha Islands,” said the Chinese ambassador, referring to the Spratlys by their Chinese name, “and we will defend them as we would any other part of our homeland.”

  * * *

  Russia selling arms to China, U.S. Navy concerned

  July 30, 1997

  Web posted at: 12:00 P.M. EST (1700 GMT)

  From Washington chief correspondent Michael Flasetti

  WASHINGTON (TCN) — As tensions mount in the South China Sea, a confrontation between the Chinese and UN military, led by the U.S. Navy, seems inevitable. Adding to the danger of the situation is the news, reportedly obtained by the CIA, that Russia has been arming China with advanced weapons, among them nuclear attack submarines that may be deployed into the waters surrounding the Spratly Islands.

  The news that Russia has been selling arms to the Chinese is not new. Over the past two years, China has taken delivery of four Russian Kilo-class diesel submarines, which are considerably less advanced than Russia’s nuclear submarines. However, the possibility that Russia has sold more advanced submarines to the Chinese is of great concern to White House military advisers.

  A source close to the Joint Chiefs of Staff has disclosed that the Russians have even collaborated with the Chinese on a prototype nuclear attack submarine, and that the submarine may see action in the Spratly conflict. If true, this presents a possible shift in the balance of naval power in the region, and a great concern to the recently downsized U.S. Navy.