Like a fiddle
Aug 20, 0345 hours. Naval Intelligence Office, Esquimalt Naval Dockyard.
The Senior Intelligence Officer could not sleep. He had been alternately staring at the ceiling and pacing his small room, until he gave up completely, dressed, and came to his office. He sipped his cup of tea.
A number of questions kept bouncing around in his head. Why have the Germans stopped jamming the distress calls of their quarry? Equipment failure? Why such a flurry of stray merchant shipping this far into the shipping stop, when the certainty of a German cruiser on this part of the coast has peaked? And not just sailing ships, but wireless equipped steamers? How are the CGS Falcon and Nürnberg criss-crossing the same waters and not meeting? Just passing in the night? Bad luck? Good luck? The Officer had been making inquiries through channels, but had received no responses to satisfy his angst.
He heard feet coming up the stairs. There was a quiet knock on his door. A rating entered, from the telegraph office. “Sir, this just arrived, I thought you would want to see it right away.”
DOMINION WIRELESS STATION DEAD TREE TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION URGENT DISTRESS MESSAGES FROM SHIPS SS DEMODOCUS YARROW AND CRAIGARD WERE SENT WITH THE SAME HAND STOP OPERATOR HAS VERY DISTINCT KEYING STYLE AM CERTAIN ALL MESSAGES WERE SENT BY SAME OPERATOR STOP
The Intelligence Officer felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. “Have the RNO woken,” he said to the rating. “I will meet him at his office.”
Trousdale showed up at his office looking rumpled and bleary eyed. “I was not sleeping anyway,” he said. “What do you have?” The Intelligence Officer told Trousdale. “I see,” he responded. “I was troubled by the very same things.”
A rating arrived at the door, with another telegraph message.
RNHQ SINGAPORE TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION DESK AS PER YOUR INQUIRY BLUE FUNNEL LINE OFFICE REPORTS SS DEMODOCUS IS IN SURABAYA HARBOUR AT THIS MOMENT STOP
“There you have it, sir,” said the Intelligence Officer. “The first distress call was in the name of a real ship, but one that is half way around the world.”
“We are being played,” said Trousdale. “like a fiddle. So what is going on here? Rainbow is being lured, that much is clear. But is she being lured towards an ambush? Or away from where she can be useful?”
“There is no way to know that sir,” said the Intelligence Officer.
“In any case though, the proper action is to recall the Rainbow,” said Trousdale. “If only to refuse playing their game.”
A rating appeared at the door, with another message.
RNHQ HONG KONG TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION DESK AS PER YOUR INQUIRY TRAMP STEAMER SS YARROW REPORTS POSITION 2 DAYS OUT OF HONG KONG BOUND FOR FUKUOKA STOP
“Wait a moment while I draft an outgoing message,” said Trousdale to the runner.
HMCD ESQUIMALT TO HMCS RAINBOW SERIES OF DISTRESS MESSAGES FROM DIXON ENTRANCE DETERMINED TO BE FAKES RETURN TO ESQUIMALT AT BEST SPEED STOP
The Senior Intelligence Officer could not sleep. He had been alternately staring at the ceiling and pacing his small room, until he gave up completely, dressed, and came to his office. He sipped his cup of tea.
A number of questions kept bouncing around in his head. Why have the Germans stopped jamming the distress calls of their quarry? Equipment failure? Why such a flurry of stray merchant shipping this far into the shipping stop, when the certainty of a German cruiser on this part of the coast has peaked? And not just sailing ships, but wireless equipped steamers? How are the CGS Falcon and Nürnberg criss-crossing the same waters and not meeting? Just passing in the night? Bad luck? Good luck? The Officer had been making inquiries through channels, but had received no responses to satisfy his angst.
He heard feet coming up the stairs. There was a quiet knock on his door. A rating entered, from the telegraph office. “Sir, this just arrived, I thought you would want to see it right away.”
DOMINION WIRELESS STATION DEAD TREE TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION URGENT DISTRESS MESSAGES FROM SHIPS SS DEMODOCUS YARROW AND CRAIGARD WERE SENT WITH THE SAME HAND STOP OPERATOR HAS VERY DISTINCT KEYING STYLE AM CERTAIN ALL MESSAGES WERE SENT BY SAME OPERATOR STOP
The Intelligence Officer felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. “Have the RNO woken,” he said to the rating. “I will meet him at his office.”
Trousdale showed up at his office looking rumpled and bleary eyed. “I was not sleeping anyway,” he said. “What do you have?” The Intelligence Officer told Trousdale. “I see,” he responded. “I was troubled by the very same things.”
A rating arrived at the door, with another telegraph message.
RNHQ SINGAPORE TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION DESK AS PER YOUR INQUIRY BLUE FUNNEL LINE OFFICE REPORTS SS DEMODOCUS IS IN SURABAYA HARBOUR AT THIS MOMENT STOP
“There you have it, sir,” said the Intelligence Officer. “The first distress call was in the name of a real ship, but one that is half way around the world.”
“We are being played,” said Trousdale. “like a fiddle. So what is going on here? Rainbow is being lured, that much is clear. But is she being lured towards an ambush? Or away from where she can be useful?”
“There is no way to know that sir,” said the Intelligence Officer.
“In any case though, the proper action is to recall the Rainbow,” said Trousdale. “If only to refuse playing their game.”
A rating appeared at the door, with another message.
RNHQ HONG KONG TO HMCD ESQUIMALT Y STATION DESK AS PER YOUR INQUIRY TRAMP STEAMER SS YARROW REPORTS POSITION 2 DAYS OUT OF HONG KONG BOUND FOR FUKUOKA STOP
“Wait a moment while I draft an outgoing message,” said Trousdale to the runner.
HMCD ESQUIMALT TO HMCS RAINBOW SERIES OF DISTRESS MESSAGES FROM DIXON ENTRANCE DETERMINED TO BE FAKES RETURN TO ESQUIMALT AT BEST SPEED STOP