 And now, tonight's presentation of Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Drills, Suspense. Tonight, we bring you a story of what might have happened to the first atomic-powered submarine. We call it Report on the X-915. We ask you to remember that it is fiction. So now, starring Stacey Harris, here is tonight's Suspense Play Report on the X-915. As soon as the groupers' orders dated April 1st, 1952, I was detached from temporary duty with Naval Defense Command, Washington, and reported to Andrews Field for immediate transportation from New Haven, Connecticut. From there, I was directed to proceed without delay to Naval Base Charlie, where I was to report to Admiral R.L. Carothers Commandant. After a routine flight, I landed at New Haven, Connecticut, and at 1815, I reported with orders to the Office of Admiral Carothers. Yes, sir. Reporting for duty, sir. Please sit down, Commander. Thank you, sir. Is that all right? No, thank you, Admiral. Commander Richard, what do you know about Project Sailfish? A atomic pig bought a submarine, sir, authorized by the Secretary of Defense, and begun May 1949, designated Experimental Vessel X-915, cost about $50 million. Where about the timetable? Well, I believe the first atomic sub is scheduled for test runs in May of 1953. You've been reading the newspaper and the file in the Bureau, sir. Suppose I told you both new ships and the daily papers are wrong. Wrong? Deliberately wrong. Oh, I see. But since this base was activated, Commander, world conditions have changed. The Navy is no longer satisfied with the eight-hour day of the 40-hour week. For this reason, we've been on a round-the-clock basis for almost six months. Project Sailfish is one year ahead of schedule. If we could publicly display our accomplishments, as the fact is, we can't. Not even to the Bureau of Shipson? Not even to Congress. I'm beginning to understand why my orders are classified top secret. Commander, there are 307 men working on this base. Every single one of these men has been given the most thorough, loyalty check possible. Every single one of them has been working and living behind a barbed wire for the past six months. Sir, you suspect a leak? We're not sure. Two days ago, a convoy arrived at the base. Eight trucks. And one of those trucks was a stand-up periscope. Yes, sir, I've heard of it. But not more than a handful have. Yet, when the periscope was being installed yesterday aboard the X915, it fell to the deck, made completely inoperative. The cable on the crane lifting into place snapped. Steel cable. Have it been cut? No, it had not. In fact, the lab technicians assure me it simply broke under the strain. That cable was designed to support 100 tons. The stand-up periscope weighs less than 20. All right. Now, there are two possibilities. One, that the cable was faulty to begin with. A manufacturer's mistake. I'm having a wash and a check that for me now. Second, that someone on this base somehow weakened that cable. Sabota? Exactly. Commander, only one thing matters to me right now, that the X915 completes the first trial run. They must proceed according to plan without interruption. That's why I requested Washington to send me a top man for low and high. Yes, sir. I'll open anywhere I can. When do you plan to test the sub sometime this month? Not this month, Commander. Tomorrow. $2,100, Tuesday, April 1st, 1952. I looked up Lieutenant Commander Stanley Linden, Chief Engineering Officer on the base. And his quarters I was told Linden was at the docks working. Naval Base Charlie was surrounded by barbed wire. Yet within the base itself was still a smaller area surrounded by more barbed wire. Patrol by an arms sailor every 20 yards. Even with my higher priority, Yellow Pass, I was given the same checkout received by any other visitor to this senior barbed wire area. For it was here behind the wire that the United States ship X915 was moored. The first atomic submarine. Floodlights covered the area and brought a glaring whiteness of the faces of the men wishing. But that wasn't what caught my eye. It was the thing that lay alongside the dock. The iron and steel monster that nestled against the tour like a giant pig. There she was. Black, hideous and beautiful. The X915. 3,000 tons, $50 million. The Navy's first line of defense in any future war. The atomic age going down to the sea in ships. I found Lieutenant Commander Stanley Linden just outside a 6x6 wooden shack. Never thought he invited me inside. The old man from you were coming down, Commander. What's the story, Linden? A box of Steinberg periscope. I wish you could tell me. How do you feel about it? Personally? Me? Yeah, you. Not official Navy. Capitally. I see. And... And something more than just a periscope? I think so. Something else has happened to the men. The crew, the officers. Could it be the speed-up? It could be. 24-hour days, 7-day weeks, even with 3 ships, you get the feeling of rush. Get it done right now. Get it done yesterday. Your crane operator. Anything you might have had something to do with it? Johnson? No. But then I could say that about almost every man on the base. They were hand-picked, Commander. I'd just stray working with no-how, but the best. Nobody applied for a job at the base. Not even me. We were all chosen. And the loss of your periscope doesn't correspond to your trial run set for tomorrow. Commander, Washington didn't take chances with anything on Project Sailfish. Two periscopes were made. The second was installed less than an hour ago. What's your ETB for tomorrow, then? Zero 700. Sure. I'll be a boy. Zero 700. Wednesday, April 2nd, 1952. Captain Zeo under US Navy commanding officer set special fee detail aboard the USS X-915. 710, the X-915 lets a berth under auxiliary power. 830, the X-915 is in the open sea. Now here is all kept personnel. X-915 is switching to and will proceed under atomic power. I joined Lyndon in the control room. He didn't sound good. What's our speed, Lyndon? 30 knots, traveling at two-thirds. Coolers at 50? That's what the book says. 50 knots. 30 knots submerged. You've been reading the same book, Commander. Today's test is speed and maneuverability. Testable. Right? Right. Tomorrow we'll look again. If we're successful today. $100. Captain Under gave the command a standard speed. The X-915 responded quietly and efficiently. We made 50 knots. $1,100. Captain Under gave the command a flank speed. We made good 60 knots. Nothing in the United States made it good to catch her. At $1,700, the exercises were secured. At $1,730, the X-915 tied up alongside the dock of Naval Base Charlie. A big boat of tomorrow was everything the Navy had hoped for and then some. Lyndon and I went up to the B.O.Q., changed clothes, and joined Admiral Carter for dinner in his office. Lyndon reported, and I listened. If there was sabotage aboard the sub, it had kept itself well hidden. Everyone was pleased. The Admiral suggested I continue my investigations on shore the next day instead of joining test run Baker and I agreed. Lyndon and I said good night to the Admiral and headed for our quarters. $0,700. Thursday, April 3rd, 1952. USS X-915 underway for depth test. $0,800. I began an investigation of the dock area. $0,930. I was summoned to the office of Admiral Carter and the messenger said it was urgent. Never mind that. You got me the secretary of defense. Don't get worried if now you get him. All right, all right. Call me back. Hand me those charcoals for you to manage. Yes, sir. What? Well, why care if he's in the meeting? No, I don't care if he's with the president. You get him. Hand me the charcoals. You're going to test the area for the eight rounds of your circling. Yes, sir. I believe this color is early. You're stored, haven't you? Yes, sir. Hello. Hello. Yes, sir, sir. Oh, yes, sir. Yes, that's right. No, nothing's changed. No, sir. I want authority to put Plan Zebra in effect. Yes, sir. Thank you. Yes, sir, right away. All right, Commander Richards, here it is. What? The X-915 began depth test at $0,800. She was to remain at various depths until $0,900. It is now $940. She hasn't said it. What about radio conduction? Silence. She hasn't answered it. Radio message since $845. You think they're in trouble? I don't think so. Sir, the sub was equipped with any number of special emergency devices, including an automatic marker which would immediately rise to the surface should any trouble develop for the engines. No markers have appeared. Well, I don't know if she is in trouble. The X-915 is deliberately maintaining radio silence and is proceeding under her own orders to some unknown destination. However, destroyer escorts lost contact with her. The accompanying destroyer before the sub disappeared off their sonar screen at full submerged speed 30 knots. Commander, there is only one possible conclusion. The X-915 has fallen into enemy hands. $10,000, April 3, 1952. Admiral Kolevatov. The Admiral explained Plan Zebra. There are 15 plans covering each phase of the trial run to Project Sailfish. Each plan covers a particular contingency. Of all of them, Plan Zebra is to be used only in the case of extreme emergency. It covers the possibility of capture of the X-915 by enemy forces. Even though it's very unlikely, every possibility has to be provided for. And the Secretary gave you permission to put this plan into effect so correct. Within half an hour, a task force will steam out of three separate bases on the Atlantic coast. They'll rendezvous at this point here. That's about 100 miles southeast of this base, correct? When the task force is rendezvous, they will begin circling Abel. This is the second step in Plan Zebra. And that is to find the X-915? Not to find it, Commander. Just sink here. $1100. The lawyers escorting the atomic sub in a second trial run reported they had watched the dive and never regained either visual radar or sonar contact. This supported the Admiral's theory that the X-915 was not on bottom. Either the crew was composed entirely of traitors, which was unlikely in view of the exhaustive loyalty checks made on them, or some small portion of that crew, perhaps but a handful of men, and succeeded in taking over command of the vessel. $1130. Admiral Correthus established radio contact with the task force that should now begin to rendezvous at Pointe-Stork. The task force commander, Captain Elton R. Sevens, was designated by the code name Red Dog 1 for radio communications. Admiral Correthus is using Pier Point 5 on a wavelength unavailable to the sub. This is Red Dog 1. This is Red Dog 1. Hello, Pier Point 5. Hello, Pier Point 5. This is Red Dog 1. How do you read me over? Hello, Red Dog 1. This is Pier Point 5. I read you 4 by 3. Pier Point 5, this is Red Dog 1. Group is at a point short. We are beginning third plan approval. Over. Hello, Red Dog 1. This is Pier Point 5. How's the weather? Pier Point 5, wind 20 to 25 knots per hour. It's been through a lot, but it was a calmer sea. Over. Red Dog 1 from Pier Point 5. Execute search plan A-boat. Good luck. Over. Pier Point 5, plan A-boat. Over and out. Now we wait. Well, that said, we've got a pretty fair lead, Admiral. We haven't got any in the fleet that can make good 30 knots of merge. I don't know who's commanding the X-915 right now, Ricketts, but if he's smart, he isn't traveling to merge. I don't understand your point, sir. What about air search? They'd spot him in a minute if you suffer. The hub is equipped with Mach 10 radar. That means she can pick up a plane 100 miles away. By traveling on the surface, she can make good 60 knots. She'll have plenty of time to die before being spotted by the Air Force. Yes. Yes, just a minute. Commanders, for you. I'll take it in the other office, please. Yes, sir. Richard Sping. Commander Richard Sping. Yes, who is it? Sir, this is Lieutenant Hammond down at the torpedo shack. Yes, go on with him. Well, sir, you remember you were inspecting the torpedo down here this morning about nine o'clock? That's right. Remember you checked the cases containing the atomic warheads? You told me to report to you if anything funny happened. All right, Lieutenant. What have you found? Well, sir, that's just it. We didn't find anything. See, one of the cases seemed open a while ago, and we could see it from nothing. Somebody had to remove the atomic warheads during the night. What? So we looked down here at the torpedo shack, Commander. Perhaps you'd like to come down here and have a look for you. Never mind that, Lieutenant. You get some men. Search the entire storm. Search the base and check back with me. Oh, we haven't got time for that now. See why that second fighter group hasn't contacted that task force yet? Right. Anything to matter? I was with Lieutenant Hammond at the torpedo shack, sir. He told me he found the atomic warhead crates empty. Empty? That's right, sir. They're conducting a thorough search, but I don't imagine they'll find them. Well, it's great to mark torpedoes, but you know as well as I do what they actually contain. Yes, sir. Atomic warheads for the guided missiles aboard the X-915. They were scheduled for use in the final trial run. Quick with those warheads, that sub could launch a full-scale atomic attack on any city on the eastern seaboard. Yes, sir. Well, that about there. That only has an enemy force succeeded in capturing our first atomic submarine, but now they've taken along the greatest single weapon the United States Navy owns. Admiral... Admiral, the captors of the X-915 pulled off one of the greatest coups in military history. Wouldn't you think they'd be satisfied to let it go with that? But this enemy went to the added risk of stealing a shipment of atomic warheads for guided missiles. Now, why? Why take that extra gamble unless you had plans to use it? I see your point. If they wanted the sub and were planning to make a run for it, they'd accomplish it. But they included in their plans atomic warheads. Admiral, it's my guess they're going to use those rockets in the near future. Why? Well, say today. I'll go along with that reasoning, Commander. Let's get to work. $1,300. April 3, 1952. Admiral Carothers and I studied the charts at the Atlantic Coast. We agreed the nearest major target for atomic attack would be the city of New York. Figuring the effective range of the sub's missiles at 50 miles, we then sketched in the launching area the sub would have to use. One step was established. There remained one simple detail. Stop those rockets from leading the sub's deck. Admiral Carothers had a plan. All right. Now we've settled on the probable side of their attack. That becomes our bullseye. Around that bullseye, we draw a circle, 10 miles out, like this. Then another circle, with another 10 miles. And still another, until the outer circle around the bullseye measures a 100-mile radius. In other words, our outer circle is out of the atomic sub's radar range, right? Exactly. Now, calculating the speed and course we should arrive at their ideal launching site, the center of our circle. Just about the time we're able to complete a ring of ships 100 miles out. With the X-915 in the center. Except if we close in, so the sub will submerge and escape under us. We won't close in. Sir? We'll send one ship in toward the bullseye. Alone. The sub will pick up contact. Oh, and they'll figure it for a straight vessel. Not enough of a threat to fight them. But it will force them to shift their position before launching a missile. Correct. And it also forces them to travel submerged. And that negates the 100-mile radar. Now, we send in another ship. The sub-ships position again. To another segment of our circle. Then we send in still another ship. We're constantly narrowing their car to protect. And then when they do break service in the last remaining segment to launch the missiles, we're surrounding them. We hope they drive away on command. Hello. Red Dog 1. Hello, Red Dog 1. This is Airpoint 5. Over. Hello, Airpoint 5. This is Red Dog 1. Over. Discontinue Search Plan Able. I repeat. Discontinue Search Plan Able. Over. Airpoint 5. This is Red Dog 1. Would you repeat your last transmission? Red Dog 1. This is Airpoint 5. I repeat. Discontinue your present search plan. The following plan supersedes all previous orders. It is to be executed immediately following this transmission. Five minutes to have more good facts and figures. And at 1600, the plan was in effect. The Admiral clicked off his radio transmitter and we stared at each other. We had to pray for one thing. That whoever had captured the X-915 was now proceeding to the launching area, and once there would attempt to destroy the city of New York. 1715. The sun was low outside the Admiral's office. The sun was low outside the city of New York. The sun down is made for submarine. It is their witching hour. Their time for attack. coffee. Yes, thank you sir. What time is it? It's exactly 1720. Beautiful sunset. Used to seem like this after a week off. Pacific. The three have the sunsets. Linden served in the city. What happened to Linden and Captain Unger? Unger was a classmate of mine at the academy. He didn't sell out. None of them sold out, sir. And they were sharing that. He didn't bet on it. And they're all aboard that sub right now. Linden and Unger had a lot of good men. They said it's not job to sink. Airpoint 5. This is Red Dog 1. I should be at the launching point now. Airpoint 5. The Red Dog 1. Go ahead. Over. Airpoint 5. We are completed the range. Highly pleased. We are completed the range. Over. Airpoint 5. Red Dog 1. Airpoint 5. Have you sent in your first messenger? Airpoint 5. Red Dog 1. The line is forward. Red Dog 1. Proceed with plan. Please advise any contact. Over and out. The admiral sat down behind his chart-cotted desk. The wind-stained lines of his face were more noticeable now. Together we waited. Airpoint 5. And sending in second messenger. Range closing. No contact is yet. Over and out. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes. Sending in third messenger. Closing to both sides. No contact. Over and out. One by one the single ships were slicing across the big target that we had drawn on our chart. Each ship slicing in closer toward the launching area. Forcing the enemy we had never seen to change plans, change positions. Yet not fighting him enough to make him forget his attack. Airpoint 5. Red Dog 1. Sending in seventh messenger. No contact is yet. Closing within one drill mile over both sides. I repeat. No contact. One way that's good, Commander. At least we can feel certain the sub has a surface. I would say from a radar then a song range is only 10,000 yards. I'm going to order the task force to patrol that range. Red Dog 1. Take position five miles from Bullseye. I repeat. Take position five miles from Bullseye. Over. Red Dog 1. Red Dog 1. Okay, Skipper. That's the position we can get. Report to me every minute. Yes, sir. Red Dog 1. Over and out. He's worried. Well, I don't blame him, sir. Well, he's only worried. I'm scared. Suppose the sub headed for Siberia. Well, sure, then we were out of luck anyway. 10,000 yards. No contact. Destroyer group is... 10.5. Destroyer group off my fourth mile has funded enemy. I repeat. Destroyer group has funded enemy. The sub is servicing. 10.5. You hear me. Over. Red Dog 1, I hear you. Over. Enemy has serviced. Destroyer group opening clear. Red Dog 1. Red Dog 1. Come in. Red Dog 1. This is 10.5. Come in. Red Dog 1, are you receiving me? 10.5. This is Red Dog 1. I am receiving you. Air Force and destroyer group to the class. The F915 is singing. I repeat, sir. The F915 is singing. Proceeding to pick up survivors. Over. Red Dog 1. This is 10.5. Well done. Over and out. $100. April 4th, 1952. Class 4 Sabre reported in to Admiral Corruthers. Of the crew of 40 men and 8 officers, there were 11 survivors. Captain G. L. Unger and Lieutenant Commander Stanley Linden were not among them. But the 11 survivors told us the story. The F915 had been captured during maximum depth tests. It had taken only 8 well trained enemy agents to do it. Where did they come from? For one year they had been trained for this assignment. All 8 were seen with brilliant naval records. All 8 had been living and working within Naval Base Charlie for over 6 months. And what of the Steinberg Periscope? Why had they sabotaged this? The answer was they had not. Just as the lab technicians had told us the cable had broken some strings. A manufacturer's mistake. A mistake that brought about an investigation that saved the city of New York. End of report. Suspend. In which staking harrass starred with Jack Cushion in the night's presentation of reports on the X915. Be sure to listen next week. The radio's outstanding theater of thrills. Suspend.