Jack Miller stood watch as the USS Boston held station in the western Pacific ocean. The Boston was the twenty-seventh of sixty-three Harrisburg class submarines built since 1943. From the periscope shears he scanned his half of the choppy ocean while Jim Dimmler scanned the other half. It was unusual for the Boston to be on the surface. Even with the stabilizers operating the whale-shaped boat rode badly on the surface of even a smooth sea. He looked nervously over his shoulder. Japan was less than seven hundred miles behind him. Their mission required them to be on the surface. At ten minute intervals the captain and the exec would each take a sun sight then calculate and compare the positions. Although he couldn’t see them, eight other U. S. Submarines were on the surface of the western Pacific. They were covering an area just over fifteen hundred miles to the east and about three hundred miles wide. Jack knew only that they were lifeguards and radio relays for some special air mission over Japan. Over the last year the Boston had twice picked up downed fliers in this area so serving as a lifeguard was not foreign to the men of the Boston. The submarines were operating with their radar and radio equipment shut down except the devices installed just before they left Pearl. Several hours before they left two civilians and three extra radio men came on board with the gray boxes. The regular Boston radio men were sworn to secrecy before they were briefed on how to operate the equipment. Captain Bowders was given little information about the mission or the devices until after they were at sea. The men were only told that if this equipment failed the most important air mission over Japan may fail. Jack had been at war for nearly five years. He prayed it would end soon. As he stood his watch, Jack remembered that awful day in 1941.

World War II – a Novel Chapter One

World War II 3: The Greyfish Retreats