“The trouble is, he’ll hear us and slow down, too,” said Fraser. “He’ll slow down till we can’t hear him unless we’re right on top of him. There’s little chance he’ll be near enough to hear yet. I’d rather go full speed till we’re almost on the line I think he’s on, and then stop quick and try to spot him before he has time to slow down. Tell the engine room to be ready to stop all auxiliaries when I give the word, and give the listeners warning.”
Calling the other ships by phone, he gave them similar instructions. Nine minutes passed in silence save for the roar of the blowers and the swish of the waves and the ghostly sheets of spray swirling past over the bridge and lifeboats. The executive officer was beginning to fidget. Commander Fraser stood with his eye on his watch.
“Stop the auxiliaries. Give the word to the listeners,” he called quickly. “Ready? Stop the engines.”
A signal was flashed to the other ships. The great torrents of steam pouring into the turbines of the three ships stopped almost as if the valves controlling them were geared together. As the ships lost headway, the suspense became almost unbearable. A minute elapsed, with no word from the listeners, but to every man on the bridge it seemed an hour. Then a voice from the hydrophone station down in the hull called, “Motors heard slowing down, too faint to get bearing; slowed and became inaudible about five seconds after engines stopped.”
“My God! I wish the wing boats would report,” said the skipper.
The words were hardly spoken when the radio phone from the starboard ship reported, “Motors heard slowing down as we stopped, roughly bearing fifty-five degrees, true.”
Fraser fairly jumped for joy. Eagerly he called the port ship: “Have you heard anything?”
“Nothing heard,” was the answer.
“Starboard ship reports motors bearing fifty-five, true; motors heard here, no bearing,” he replied. “Submarine probably three to six miles east of us. Your course is eighty degrees, true, speed, thirty-five; start now.”
“Aye, aye,” came back from the port ship.