USS Independence
“Captain…CIC.”
Commander Doug Bland stood in the ladder-well three levels below his normal station on the bridge and watched as his chief boatswain supervised the flooding of the ship’s well deck. He reached for the portable radio clipped to his horse-collar life vest and talked to the watch officer in the combat information center.
“This is the Skipper. Send it.”
“Sir, radar reports target is moving. She’s on a north-westerly course at about twelve knots and accelerating. We have a constant track.”
“Copy all. Stand by.” Bland jumped down from his perch and splashed his way toward the 35 foot rigid hull inflatable boat that was already bobbing in the chilly seawater streaming into his ship. Five of the nine raiders including Shake Davis and Janet Dewey were already ab
