JonDLundyn 16 #2
April 7th 2007 08:06
Along side the Ocean King , 20 pairs of rubber ins kicked lazily to keep station alongside with the tide. The rubber boats the men had paddled in were tied to a piece of coral and two of the men were working at slitting the air pockets of the canoes to sink them. Each canoe still contained spare air bottles for each man and spare fuel for the gas axes. Highly efficient underwater cutting gear, light weight and quick to operate and easy to handle. The boys from the airforce were now what the divers were waiting for. A little diversion was due to start in a couple of minutes to allow the men time to light up their cutting instruments and get into the hull.
Two RAAF F118s came roaring out of the rising sun and cracked the sound barrier directly over the tanker. The sonic boom was the signal for the clearance divers to start their work. For the next twenty minutes the RAAF would fly annoying sorties over the tanker to keep the crew looking to the sky rather than over the side to the water where the cutting was happening. Each pair of RAAF fighters, there was six of them, roared across the tanker letting the sonic boom linger no more than a few seconds between passes. Then they came in single passes, not to break the sound barrier but to tempt a few shots from the crew. A few of the crew obliged by firing off their AK 47s but no damage was done. The heat seeking missiles were being prepared on board and it was only a matter of Ali’s command and the firing would commence.
Ali was now on deck with his own weaponry draped around his neck along with his mobile phone and powerful radio transmitter. He moved his hand down in a cutting action indicating to fire. The men with the missile launchers grinned hugely and started to look for targets. It was their first ever opportunity to fire at an enemy in anger. The whole crew became engrossed in the drama, each offering advice and looking skyward for a target. The planes came and the terrorists locked on and fired. The Aussie pilots also were avoiding in anger for the first time but their better training and superbly equipped aircraft meant an easy opportunity to avoid the missiles. But not too easily. They were the bait while the true action was going on under water.
Two RAAF F118s came roaring out of the rising sun and cracked the sound barrier directly over the tanker. The sonic boom was the signal for the clearance divers to start their work. For the next twenty minutes the RAAF would fly annoying sorties over the tanker to keep the crew looking to the sky rather than over the side to the water where the cutting was happening. Each pair of RAAF fighters, there was six of them, roared across the tanker letting the sonic boom linger no more than a few seconds between passes. Then they came in single passes, not to break the sound barrier but to tempt a few shots from the crew. A few of the crew obliged by firing off their AK 47s but no damage was done. The heat seeking missiles were being prepared on board and it was only a matter of Ali’s command and the firing would commence.
Ali was now on deck with his own weaponry draped around his neck along with his mobile phone and powerful radio transmitter. He moved his hand down in a cutting action indicating to fire. The men with the missile launchers grinned hugely and started to look for targets. It was their first ever opportunity to fire at an enemy in anger. The whole crew became engrossed in the drama, each offering advice and looking skyward for a target. The planes came and the terrorists locked on and fired. The Aussie pilots also were avoiding in anger for the first time but their better training and superbly equipped aircraft meant an easy opportunity to avoid the missiles. But not too easily. They were the bait while the true action was going on under water.
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