Odessa Sea (Dirk Pitt 24)

“It’s been a steady diet of mud and sand.”

They were performing a multibeam sonar survey of the northern coastal fjord region of Norway to study its former glaciers. Those glaciers were believed to have extended beyond the current fjord channels, leaving subsea scouring and debris zones when they retreated after the last Ice Age. Deploying a towed array sonar, the NUMA research ship Odin surveyed the region, allowing scientists to study the history of glacial retreats in conjunction with changes in global climate.

“We should finish surveying the final search grid on your shift,” Dirk said.

“It’s been a long, cold, and tiring four weeks,” Summer said. “I’ll be glad to wrap up this project.”

“If we hang around here much longer, we’re liable to be dodging icebergs soon.”

She motioned for Dirk to give up his seat, but he shook his head. “I’ve got two minutes left on shift.” He motioned toward the clock. “Grab yourself a cup of coffee.”

Summer rolled her eyes and stepped to a coffeepot wedged in the corner of the cramped sonar bay. “What are you hoping to find in the last two minutes?” she asked, pouring herself a cup. “Signs of a new glacier?”

Silence.

She turned to her brother, who had his face glued to the monitor.

“Not a glacier,” he said slowly, “but a shipwreck.”

Summer rushed over to see a dark image scroll down the screen. It had a clearly defined rectangular shape with a pointed prow. A thin shadow protruded off one side.

“A steel wreck, sitting upright,” she said. “It looks to be in pretty good shape.”

Dirk marked the position, then consulted a nautical chart spread on the table. “Must be an unknown wreck. It’s not marked on the chart.”

“It’s nearly one hundred and fifty meters long,” Summer said. “A pretty large vessel.”

“Take a look at that.” Dirk pointed to a small shadow. “Might be a gun turret.”

“If it’s a warship, there must be a record of its loss.” She waved him out of his seat. “A pretty nice score on the two-minute drill, but we still have a geological survey to complete. I’ll take it from here.”

Dirk eased out of the chair and refilled his coffee cup.

“Aren’t you going to bed?”

“Heck, no. First I have to go to the ship’s library and see if

I can find out what ship that is.”

“And then?”

“And then I have to talk the captain into letting us dive it.”

• • •

FOUR HOURS LATER, Summer completed her sonar shift, concluding the final search grid without any new geological discoveries. The Odin turned around and retraced its path southward toward the site of the shipwreck. As the NUMA survey was ahead of schedule, Dirk had no problem convincing the captain to take an extra day on the journey home to investigate the wreck.

Dirk joined Summer at the sonar station as they made several more passes over the target, gathering detailed images of the wreck while pinpointing its location. In a chilly breeze on the stern deck, they met a brawny underwater technology specialist named Jack Dahlgren, who helped retrieve the sonar towfish.

“It’s colder than my ex on an iceberg,” Dahlgren said.

Dirk grinned. “Feels like Amarillo in August to me.”

“I wish. Y’all want to take a dive on the wreck now?”

“The seas look stable enough.” Dirk gazed over the ship’s rail. “Let’s get the submersible prepped while the captain puts us on position.”

An hour later, under darkening skies, a bulb-shaped yellow submarine was lowered over the stern. The light green waters of the Norwegian Sea washed over the vessel as Dirk flooded its ballast tanks. Summer sat beside him at the controls while Dahlgren wedged into a seat behind. They let gravity draw them to the seabed as the waters outside their viewport faded to black.