Time Bomb Ticking

Espionage was nothing new to Captain Larry McGraw and the crew of the USS Charlotte, a Los Angeles—class fast attack submarine. But this mission certainly was. Docked onto the hull of his sub was the new, state-of-the-art Advanced SEAL Delivery System, complete with 16 highly trained SEALs. Orders from the White House were simple, yet clear. Penetrate the Bo Hai Bay—a mere hundred miles from Beijing—and linger while the SEALS conduct nighttime missions. Simple, as long as they weren't detected. But if spotted inside the shallow bay, the orders were clear. McGraw couldn't let the Charlotte or the ASDS fall into Chinese hands, even if it meant destroying both.