Up From the Depths
series of problems in just seconds.
    “The system is really simple,” Brown said, taking a breath. “When you know what you’re doing with it.”
    “Chief, would you mind staying here for a while?” Pratt asked. “Maybe you could take a seat and act as supervisor for us. A lot of this gear is older than we are and you seem to know how it works.”
    Brown hid a grin then nodded and walked over to one of the vacant chairs at the radar console and sat down.
    “I was due for a break anyway,” Brown said and he tucked his cane next to the console and leaned back. He glanced up at the ship’s clocks mounted on the bulkhead. The different clocks, all analog, showed the time zone difference between Hawaii, and the West Coast. The other four clocks hadn’t been reset to represent any particular time zones. He leaned back and his foot hit something under the console. He bent over and glanced at the breaker box mounted near the deck that was under the console that held the dark, non-functioning radar scope. They hadn’t been able to get the radar to boot up since leaving Hawaii and had to rely on a deck watch to scan the sea. It was on the list of systems to troubleshoot but hadn’t been as yet. The lever providing power to the box was in the down position meaning it was off. Next to the breaker was a box that contained the fuses that acted as surge protectors to save the delicate electronics from damage during combat operations.
    Brown leaned down and worked the clasps then opened the fuse box. Inside, he saw there were three fuses present as it should be and out of those three, only one was locked in its brackets. He shook his head. How had this been overlooked? He mentally asked himself. Straining and stretching further, he removed one of the loose fuses. It was large; about the size of carbonated beverage can with metal caps at both ends and two prongs centered on those caps. He held it up to the light and studied it. It appeared undamaged. He blew dust off of it, wiped the contact ends with his shirt then leaned back over and pushed it into place until it clicked. He repeated this for the other fuses. He verified that all three were secure in their slots then closed the box and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He took a couple of deep breaths. Damn emphysema , and kicked the power lever into the up and on position with his foot before he reached over and pressed and held the reset switch. The Radar or Plan Position Indicator, screen flashed, stuttered, and then stabilized as the sweep arm moved around the circular screen. Other indicators on the board lit up as well showing that the console was now receiving power.
    Brown reached over, picked up the headset for the PPI station and plugged it into the jack.
    “Bridge, CIC. Radar is up,” Brown calmly announced. The other sailors in the room turned and looked at him in disbelief before turning back to their own consoles.
    “Hey, Chief,” Pratt said. “You have any idea if what happened in Hawaii happened everywhere else?”
    “I don’t know,” Brown replied. “From what I saw before I came to the Mo, it looked like it was everywhere and then some.”
     
    ***

Chapter 6
    Port Winthrop Naval Base, Washington State
     
    “Captain, I have a new contact,” The radar operator on the New Orleans reported. “It’s weak but a definite contact.”
    The New Orleans , having suffered severe structural damage during the encounter with a hostile force off the coast of Anacortes, was now out to sea but only a few miles from Port Winthrop. Not able to make more than twelve knots, it had been decided for safety reasons, to remain close to Winthrop. Engineers below decks were still working feverishly to seal the inboard stress fractures. The flight deck had been patched but the hangar bay was unusable for the near future as there had been several explosions and major fires in that space.
    “Can you tell what it is?” the Operations Officer asked.
    Since New Orleans had

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