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  “Admiral, I appreciate your bringing your ideas to us. Newport News Shipbuilding is the primary builder of naval ships in the world. If we can’t do it, it can’t be done.” He got up and walked around the table a little, more to organize his mind than to stretch his legs. “You propose we take your plans and begin building ships we have not built here before. You also propose that we have the first ones out to you within 8 months. Granted, back in the Second World War the Kaiser people turned out a merchant ship in a week. But those were merchant ships, not warships. I can gear up and build them, but the costs would be astronomical. Why, because we no longer have the laser cutting capabilities, the bending and the shaping we could do with the computers. In other words, we are back to the good old World War II days of shipbuilding and it all has to be done by hand.” He pointed out the window at the far drydock. “You see that old battleship out there? I could put her and four others like her back in commission for less money than it would take to build one of your frigates. Aside from piping and some refurbishing, everything is already there,” he said.

  With that comment both Hammond and Shranski glanced at each other. The idea needed some cultivating.

  Reardon continued. “I don’t have the manpower or the equipment to do what you are looking for, and I can tell you none of the other shipyards will be able to do it either. So I suggest you go back to Washington and rethink all this,” he said. Reardon sat down before Granger exploded.

  “Then we will take our business other places. You are not the only shipyard around and you can’t tell the Navy what it can and can’t do!” Granger stormed.

  Reardon laughed out loud. “Go take your business elsewhere. We are the only ones that can build your submarines and aircraft carriers. I am one of two that builds the DDGs. I am telling you it is a waste of time and money to build all these ships in the timeframe you are giving. If I did, each frigate would cost two billion. The DDGs would jump to four. Carriers simply can’t be built that fast. Now are you telling me that we suddenly have the funds to do this?”

  “I am the one that makes these decisions and in the name of national security I am ordering your shipyard to do it!” Granger shouted.

  Shranski and Hammond stared wide eyed. Granger had just made the ultimate blunder. That became immediately apparent when a voice came over the speakerphone on Reardon’s desk.

  “Actually Admiral, I am the one that makes decisions like that,” the President said before the men in the room. “Mister Reardon, I appreciate your allowing me to listen in, it appears the Admiral does not wish to hear any suggestions. You are quite right. The purse strings are not as open as some may wish. Admiral, I thank you for your time. Could you please leave while I discuss some things with these people?”

  The room was silent. Granger looked as if he had been stabbed in the head with an ice pick. He stood suddenly; growing angrier by the moment. “Come with me gentlemen,” he said to Hammond and Shranski.

  “If you please, Admiral Shranski and Captain Hammond, could you remain behind for a moment,” the President said calmly.

  Granger looked as if he was about to blow a gasket. He snatched up his notebook and stormed out of the room slamming the door in his wake. After a moment the President asked, “Is he gone?”

  “Yes, sir, he is gone,” Reardon said letting out a slow breath. All of the people in the room started breathing again.

  “Again, I thank you for letting me listen in. My chief of staff had a feeling this meeting might go this way. I felt like I needed to hear it first hand,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I need help to build up all my armed forces to face what I have just been informed is the country that caused this. Do I have the assurance of everyone there not to divulge what I tell you?”

  Reardon and everyone present sat up in their seats. “Hold on a sec,” he said as he got up and locked the doors. “I will vouch for everyone in this room including Admiral Shranski, Mister President. It the word gets out, it won’t be from here,” he said.

  “Thank you, my friends. I am counting on you to help me find a way to get this job done. It all boils down to two words – North Korea.” The gasp was almost audible in the room.

  “I didn’t think they had the capability,” one of the men said.

  “Actually we didn’t either,” said the President’s National Security advisor, Carrie Strong, also on the telephone. “It appears they disguised some container ships and carried intermediate range rockets aboard. They parked off our shores and cut them loose. Then they figured the ships would be sunk with all hands hiding the evidence. We just found out about it.”

  “Not like they haven’t done strange things before,” said another man.

  “True enough,” said the President. “Now what can we do?”

  Hammond spoke up. “Actually Mister Reardon made an excellent suggestion.” He looked at Reardon who had a puzzled look on his face. “Did you really mean what you said about recommissioning the battleships?” he asked Reardon.

  Reardon scratched his chin. “Well, I was using that as an example. I hadn’t really counted on actually doing it,” he said. “But I wasn’t kidding when I said it would be cheaper.” He pointed out the window. “That’s the North Carolina out there now. She came in to clean her bottom and check her hull. That one would take a lot more work, but the four Iowas were last used in the 1990s. They wouldn’t be any problem at all,” then he paused a second. “What are you thinking about?”

  Hammond walked over to the speakerphone. “How many older ships are still in mothballs?”

  “I’m not sure. I know a few are sitting around,” said Strong.

  “Think about it. Remember the older cruisers? Most of that equipment was vacuum tubes as well. I remember several amphibs over in Pearl. There might be enough to get something going and still be effective,” Hammond said. “Just before we went to the Barry I mentioned to Jim Butler about looking back and using the older stuff. We just need to expand that a little.”

  “Reactivating the older ships might just work,” said one of the older men at the table. “We did it in WWII and in the Korean Conflict. Nowadays we usually just let them sit around and either sell ‘em or scrap ‘em. Unless I am mistaken, the North Koreans aren’t really up to par on technology anyway. These old ships might still do the trick, at least for the time being. They would be relatively impervious to EMP. The trouble will be getting those old systems put back together. I know a bunch of retirees who could probably do it, but it’s not in our training pipeline anymore,” the man said. “There aren’t that many of them anyway, so it shouldn’t really tax the different shipyards that much. Even smaller yards could do it.”

  “This can work well for us in the short term, Mister President,” Hammond said. “But now I’m thinking about the Marines. If we can activate the battleships or some other gun ships, we can use those to soften up beaches before the Marines go in and provide support as they move inland. As I recall, Korea is only about 120 miles across in some places. With battleships on either side we can effectively deny the North about one third of the landmass. This is looking better and better.”

  “Okay, but how do we make this happen?” the President asked. “Mister Reardon, do you have any ideas?”

  Reardon sat back in his seat. It was a rare day indeed when a President asked for advice, much less help. It was time to earn the big bucks. “Okay, Mister President. You want ships, I will give you ships. Get those battlewagons to my yards and I will make them whole again. The North Carolina is here now and the Wisconsin is in Norfolk. I can pull her in tomorrow morning. As I recall, the Iowa is in California, the New Jersey in Philadelphia and the Missouri in Pearl Harbor. I will get in touch with the shipyards in those cities and we’ll get them refit in those yards. I’ll coordinate it for you. Now as I recall, there are at least two others in museum status - one in Massachusetts and one in Alabama. I’ll get Ingalls to do the Alabama and maybe New York to do the Massachusetts. If you guys come up with other s
hips, I will try and coordinate their activation too. At the same time, let’s try and find out where all the mothball ships are and make our plans accordingly,” Reardon said. There was no denying he was a man of action.

  “Now that I have said all this, what’s in it for us?” Reardon asked. “I will gladly donate my time and efforts, but shipyards have to pay staff and workers. I need to be able to cover my expenses. If there is anyway to make a little profit, I am one happy man, but we need to work this out,” he said.

  Shranski stood up. “Mister President, I need your permission to do something. It is out of the ordinary, but in this case it might work well,” he said.

  “What do you propose?”

  Shranski straightened up. Now he was in his element. “Mister President, I think Mister Reardon will agree that the biggest headaches in military contracts are all the minutia we have put into them. If we can make it plain and simple, we can save money and get a product much faster.”

  Reardon nodded. “That’s entirely true, but what are you getting at?”

  Shranski grinned. “Sir, I propose a cost-plus contract for the refurbishment and recommissioning of the seven battleships mentioned. The costs will be the actual expenses of the organization with a ten percent administrative charge to cover any additional overheads. All charges will be accompanied by receipts and invoices. Any ship delivered within 100 days of it entering the shipyard will get an additional bonus of ten million dollars per ship for expediting the order. All materials used will meet the requirements set down in the original shipyard plans or as prudent for its operation. There will be no further stipulations.” He turned to Reardon, “Would this meet your requirements?”

  Reardon was astonished. He had never seen a contract that lenient. But Shranski was right, with this, he could make a small profit and get the work done in practically no time if he had a free hand. He even had an idea of how to speed up the process. “Will all the work be MilSpec?” he asked; referring to stringent military specifications.

  Shranski thought a moment. “With your approval, Mister President, we will suspend the MilSpec provisions until this conflict is over. Just make sure the materials are top quality and the systems work well before turning them over. As long as the systems work, we will consider the contracts fulfilled.”

  “I see Strong nodding her head, so I agree,” said the President.

  “This will work, Mister President,” Reardon said. “I pledge that no one at this shipyard will use shoddy materials or cut any unnecessary costs. Hell, there’s no reason to since you are paying all the costs anyway. By requiring copies of invoices and our bills, I can cut out half the paperwork at this end. You guys would be doing a lot of the accounting as it is. I can make this fly with the other shipyards. If I can’t, then Mister President, we may have to double team them.” Reardon was beaming by this time.

  “You know, I think that could be fun,” the President said. “Admiral, draw up and sign that contract. If you need me to sign it, bring it up,” he said over the telephone. “When you get back to Washington, I think you will find a few changes made. Come with Captain Hammond when you get in town so we can discuss a few other things I have in mind,” he said.

  “My pleasure, sir,” Shranski said.

  “Is there anything else to discuss?” the President asked.

  “I don’t think so, sir,” Hammond answered.

  “Good. Thank you all very much. Our country is in a bind right now and I’m glad we have people like you working to get it fixed. Mister Reardon, you may call me anytime,” he said. “Thank you again.” The line went dead.

  Everyone in the room let out a whoop. Reardon came over and slapped Shranski on the back. “Mike, that’s one hell of a boss you have there.” He turned to Hammond. “And you, sir, are a shrewd operator. It’s a pleasure to work with you,” he said shaking Hammond’s hand.

  Reardon then asked the people in the room to sit again as he brought up his ideas. “In order to make this work and get that bonus, I need people. Not just shipyard workers, but the workers that put those ships together and operated them. They are the ones who will know what to look for and how to get them working. Craig,” he said indicating one man at the table, “I want every retiree from this place identified and brought back in for this special purpose. If they worked on these things, then they get a bigger salary. Bill, get up with Ingalls and Brooklyn. Get what you can there too. I think even the old Philadelphia Navy Yard had some people. We got phones back, so let’s use them where we can. Tom, you get on the horn to Norfolk and get all the plans for these things. George, get the ball rolling internally to hire these people back and outfit them, then make sure all the shops are online and ready to go on a 24-hour rotation as of tomorrow. When these ships come in, I want work to start immediately and be at 100 percent until they are accepted by the Navy.”

  Then he turned to Shranski. Admiral, we don’t have the access to the ammunition or the electronics that these things had. If something is broken, I can probably get it to work, but specialized equipment might be a problem. If you guys can deliver what radars you want on them, the fire control radars and stuff like that, we can get them installed and operating. Then you guys will need a crew. The quicker you can get them here, the quicker I can help you get them trained on where things are and how they work. After that, it’s up to you,” he said with a grin.

  Shranski was taking notes. “I’ll see to it. Will you need any materials shipped here quickly? I can probably muster up some transportation.”

  “I’ll need a couple train loads, but I can let you know. We have enough for now. The big thing right now is manpower. I am going to bring in a shitload of people to get these things out the door. The good news is that the work is mostly just time consuming. We’re not building hulls. Most of this is piping and clearing out the Cosmoline. I may even throw in some air conditioning for these older ones,” he said standing and extending his hand. “Mike, I’ll get them done for you,” he said. “And I’ll operate on a handshake until you get the ink dry,” he said.

  Shranski took Reardon’s hand and shook it firmly. “Tim, let’s make history.”

  After a few minutes RADM Shranski and Captain Hammond were walking out the front door of the headquarters building. They looked around for VADM Granger, but he and the car were gone. They heard a helicopter overhead and looked up to see the one they came on pass over them. Hammond looked over at Shranski. “The son of a bitch took our ride.”

  Chapter 6

  April 11 - Movements

  Washington, D.C.

  The Joint Chiefs stood when the President entered. He came in with Butler and the Secret Service agents in constant companionship. “Please be seated,” he said as he took his seat.

  “Gentlemen, I called you all here today because things are not going totally as I asked. As you recall, I instructed each of you to come up with plans to be able to engage in a conflict. I said, based on your reports and estimates; that we would probably have to be prepared for at least a sealift and incursion on some foreign soil. I also asked for contingencies to do so in the soonest possible time.” He opened a folder he brought with him. “What I got from some of you was a pretty good start, but from others all I got was an estimate of how many ships and tanks to build, helicopters, aircraft, totaling well over two trillion dollars in one year alone, with the earliest possible start date being one year from now. Gentlemen, this is not good enough.

  “What’s more, I have heard from my colleagues on the Hill that some of you have been shaking the tree to get all this paid for, not only without letting me know, but in opposition to what I requested. Gentlemen, never try to out-politic a real politician. General Black, you say you have 90,000 men and materials to sealift wherever needed and can go within 10 days after I say jump.” He smiled at the General. “We won’t have to go that quick,” he said with a grin. “You also recommended we take the ready force out of Diego Garcia and some of our European assets to provide the tanks
and support. That’s a good idea. Quick and dirty.”

  Then he turned to the Coast Guard Admiral. “Admiral your forces are ready with a few exceptions and you say here you don’t anticipate any problems with your current mission. Let me ask you, can your guys pull some escort duties if we need you?”

  The admiral thought a moment. “Sir, we never have had much in the way of deep ocean equipment. My cutters are not all that big, but there are twelve of them if you need them. They weren’t affected by the EMP except for the electronics. Right now I have them using Morse and signal lights. We can cut out the drug interdiction and some of the mundane tasks and go wherever you need. The rest are coastal only.”

  “What about helos?”

  “Now there’s a problem. I can get about two-thirds of them up, but again it’s a radio thing. Once some of those NATO sets arrive, I can replace the basics and make due. Our birds just aren’t as high tech as the others. I do have a flock of old C-130s for coastal patrol. We can set some watches along the coasts. Won’t be much, but at least there’ll be some eyes overhead,” he said grinning.

  “Nice work. Let’s start some of those patrols around the major ports as soon as we can.”

  “They will be starting tomorrow sir. I kind of anticipated that.”

  “Good. Now General Foote. I see you have been talking to some of my staff,” he chuckled. Butler had told him about the telephone call between Foote and Hammond after the trip to Norfolk. “How was your enquiry?”

  Foote seemed to swell. He had been stumped by his politicking staffers until he talked to Hammond and heard his idea. From that point on, he was in the pilot’s seat and enjoying the hell out of it. “It’s still going to take some time, sir. But I have been assured by the people at Davis-Monthan that they can get 100 B-52s back online within 90 days if they pull out all stops. It will take longer if we do a full load, but I suggest we do just that. I want all the 52s, the F-4s, the 15s and 16s, and Warthogs they can spool up, and we can even include a bunch of others if the Navy wants them,” he said. “I talked to the CO and he is doing what the shipyards are doing, calling in everybody that can turn a screwdriver,” he said beaming. “I can probably have some equipment in the air at about the 50-day mark with a hell of a lot more a month or two after that. Your man had a great idea.”