Pride and the Anguish by Douglas Reeman

have remembered to act yourself.”
    In silence the watch continued.
    Four hours later, as Trewin lay on his bunk, his chest bared to catch the churned air from the fan, he tried to understand what Corbett had really been trying to do. To use him to score points off the admiral? Or did he love this ship so much that even her officers and men were like personal possessions, part of a whole, which he would not stand to be criticised?
    He frowned as Hammond slid back the cabin door and stared in at him. “Hello, Sub.” He looked at his watch. “Hell, it’s too early for the Dogs.”
    Hammond stepped over the coaming and sat down suddenly on the bunk as if his legs had been cut from under him. “I thought you ought to know, Number One.” He sounded stunned. “Force ‘Z’ has been attacked by torpedo bombers.” He gesturedvaguely. “Hughes just handed the signal to the admiral.”
    Trewin lay quite still, knowing there was worse to come.
    Hammond continued in the same dull voice. “
Prince of Wales
and
Repulse
were sunk!” He ran his fingers through his fair hair. “Both in the space of an hour!”
    â€œI see.” Trewin rolled on to one elbow and stared emptily at the open scuttle and the straight horizon line which rose and fell with slow, timeless regularity. “Thank you for telling me.” Then he stood up and walked to his mirror, and began to comb his hair. He could feel Hammond watching him, his eyes bright with shock and despair.
    Hammond said suddenly, “Look, Number One, you’ve been through this sort of thing.” He seemed to have difficulty forming his words. “Dunkirk, Crete, and all that…”
    He fell silent as Trewin wheeled round, his face hard and angry. “That was different, quite different!” He pointed at the gleaming scuttle. “This time there’s nowhere to run! It’s us or them!” Then he walked across the cabin and laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We’re on our own now. Face up to that and it won’t feel quite so bad.”
    Hammond was speaking almost to himself. “I went aboard both of those ships just three days ago.” He shook himself. “They seemed so confident, so
sure.
”
    Trewin studied him and then replied gently, “I expect the lads in the
Hood
felt like that, too.” He touched Hammond’s arm. “Come on, we’ll go to the bridge. I expect the admiral will want to speak to all of us about it.”
    Outside the cabin the deck seemed full of off-watch sailors. They stood either in small, silent groups or at the guardrails, staring towards the empty horizon as if they expected to see some sign or aftermath of the disaster.
    Petty Officer Dancy, the chief bosun’s mate, stepped forward and asked quietly, “It’s true then, sir?”
    Trewin nodded. “I’m afraid so, Butter.”
    Dancy looked towards the sea, his face suddenly grave. “Inever knew the battleship, she was new to me.” Unconsciously he took off his cap and held it to his side as if paying tribute in the only way he knew. “But the
Repulse,
I knew her well enough. I was an A.B. in her.” He shook his head slowly. “Twenty-five years old she was. Poor old girl, what a way to end up.”
    But when Trewin reached the bridge the admiral was not to be seen. Mallory was on the gratings, his tanned face grim and thoughtful, and Tweedie stood beside the chart table, his hands clasped behind him as if on parade.
    Corbett turned slightly in his chair, and Trewin saw that he looked very tired. “I was just going to send for you, Trewin.” He studied his features for several seconds and added, “I don’t have to spell it out for your benefit.”
    â€œNo, sir.”
    Corbett squared his shoulders and settled himself more comfortably in his chair. “We’re going on just the same.” It sounded final.