Free Between The Hunters And The Hunted by Steven Wilson Page A

. In it you will find her displacement, dimensions, armor protection, armament, propulsion plant, complement . . . Well, I could go on but I have no desire to delay our departure, so I will summarize much of what is contained in the folder. She is faster than the King George V , Prince of Wales , and Rodney . Her guns have a greater range and power than those vessels. She can steam 11,320 nautical miles at a speed of sixteen knots, or 5,750 nautical miles at a speed in excess of thirty-five knots. If Sea Lion were called upon to defend the Fatherland against the American Navy, she could just as easily destroy the U.S.S. North Carolina, one of their newest capital ships. So would she treat the French battleship Richelieu , and with apologies to our Italian allies, the Vittorio Veneto .”
    There was a polite round of superior laughter around the table for the inadequacies of anything Italian, except perhaps food and women.
    Ingrid returned to her seat and snapped the lens cap on her camera.
    â€œKapitan?” one of the reporters asked. “Can you tell us when we sail?”
    â€œAll I can say is that it will be shortly. I cannot give you the exact date and time, for security reasons.”
    â€œWell then,” another said, “can you tell us what the mission is? Surely we who sail with you cannot possibly disclose that information.”
    â€œRegrettably,” Mahlberg said, “I cannot reveal that as yet. The mission and your other questions will be answered when we are at sea.”
    â€œKapitan Mahlberg,” Ingrid said, “should I have packed a wardrobe for winter or summer?”
    Laughter again and Mahlberg felt it was directed at him. She was an expert at subtle humiliation, with either her words or her tone. He looked away from her to the opposite side of the table. He needed her because she could move subtly through the intrigues of Kriegsmarine High Command and the complexities of Nazi Party politics. But at times, he despised her.
    â€œI can tell you this,” he said. “When we leave Leka we will proceed up the Kattegat, and enter the Norway fjord system through the Korsfjord. We will refuel in Grimsfjord, sail on to the Hjeltefjord near Kalvenes, and pick up our escort.” He was satisfied to see the reporters scribbling furiously, but he had revealed more than he had intended. That was Ingrid’s fault; her attitude had angered him. “Upon reaching the North Sea we have one of four options to enter the North Atlantic. We can run between the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. That is the shortest but most dangerous route. We can attempt to slip through between the Shetland Islands and the Faeroe Islands. Although farther north, we are still within range of British patrol aircraft. We can drive between the Faeroe Islands and Iceland. Here we face minefields and surface vessels, but the weather is generally overcast or the sea is shrouded in fog.”
    â€œâ€˜Shrouded in fog,’” Ingrid said. “Such a lovely term for a warrior to use. Are you a poet as well as a seaman, Herr Kapitan?”
    â€œFinally,” Mahlberg said, ignoring her, “there is the Denmark Strait, the channel between Iceland and Greenland.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong with that one?” one of the party members asked, obviously bored.
    â€œPack ice,” Mahlberg said, “thick enough to cut a ship’s hull in two, even Sea Lion . Minefields as well and British patrol vessels. They often keep two cruisers in those waters. But . . .” Mahlberg paused, hoping that these idiots truly understood the danger. “It is the pack ice that is the greatest threat. In the winter it closes the Denmark Strait. In the summer it reduces the strait’s navigable waters by fifty percent. That means that our room to maneuver is severely restricted.”
    â€œWhy, you said yourself that no vessel on earth can stop Sea Lion ,” the fat Nazi said.
    â€œThat