To those in peril on the sea.
Cairns North Queensland
Wednesday February 22 1984
0330AEST
The phone was ringing and ringing and ringing…..
“Jeezus bloody Christ who is ringing at this time…….?” Cairns International Airport Manager Andy Wheetam blearily groped for the phone. Way too much scotch last night but what the hell does a divorced fiftyish man do at nights anyway?
“Yeh, yeh, yeh Andy here, who’s speaking?”
“What you say?, National Emergency my arse…nobody’d be that stupid. Yeh OK I’ll be down shortly…..give me half an hour”
Andy was the senior executive managing the Cairns International Airport, itself owned and operated by the Cairns Port Authority. He had been awakened by the Control Tower night duty officers who were employed by the Commonwealth Government but answered to him for all operational airport matters.
Skipping a shower and shave, and aware of a general hung-over and grubby feeling made worse by throwing on a clean shirt, he simply brushed his teeth and splashed cold water over his head. Then downstairs into the car and off into the moonless night.
The roads were empty driving down to the Airport and he made good time. The Airport itself was ablaze with lights and he noted that it looked little different to normal, even if the world might be coming to an end in other places. The night was noisy with cicadas and steamy hot this late Summer night. Sunrise was still a couple of hours away.
Skipping the dark unmanned Administration complex, Wheetam let himself through the card reader security system and climbed the stairs to the Tower.
“OK fellas, fill me in”
“We’ve had a special telex from Canberra, Andy. All hell’s breaking loose in Europe….some prick’s used a nuke in Germany and it’s anybody’s guess where it goes from here. We’re expecting some military traffic to be dispersed from Townsville and apparently the Yanks are requesting that we make the Airport available for emergency use of civilian traffic. Their nearest military stuff is in Darwin, four B 52s and three Herky-birds.
Our direction is to co-operate in all ways possible with the Yanks and of course other NATO countries”.
Wheetam read the telex himself and shrugged…”When’s the next scheduled flight into Cairns?”
“We’ve nothing until an Ansett 727 from Brissy at 0730, then a string of other domestics as usual.”
“Thank Christ we’re not accepting International big jets until the end of March, life will be difficult enough as is without reffos flying in from the North.”
“So we wait…anyone clued the CEO in on this lot yet?” Wheetam referred to Bob Pye, CEO of both Airport and Seaport….corporate head and Andy’s boss.
“Nah, what’s the point? He’ll be screwing some shiela anyway at this time…won’t be interested”
“Not good enough…if I’m up and busy so’s fucking Pye, get him down here.Get the fucking radio on too…lets see if the news has anything.”
0800 AEST
ABC News Radio: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, we are reliably informed that nuclear weapons have been used in the Northern hemisphere. We are as yet unaware of the number and location of all such explosions, but certainly can inform listeners that the ABC no longer has any contact whatsoever with overseas correspondents in Europe, the Soviet Union and North America.”
“Normal contact is still in place with correspondents in New Zealand, and certain South American correspondents as well as our immediate neighbours in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.”
“Prime Minister Hawke will speak to the nation at twelve noon today.”
1200 AEST
ABC News Radio: “My Fellow Australians, I bring you today news of the most difficult and distressing nature.
We are as yet quite unable to form a clear picture of exactly what has taken place in the Northern Hemisphere though it is clear that something truly dreadful and far-reaching has happened. Many nuclear weapons have fallen and it is my sad duty to inform you that Australia has not escaped unscathed.
Our national military and civil intelligence informs me that early this morning we were struck by up to seven nuclear weapons of large yield, targeted at our more important naval and command and control facilities. Thankfully civilian casualties are, whilst appalling in normal circumstances…. ………CRACK”
1300 AEST
Radio 4CA Cairns
“Ladies and gentlemen, as Mayor of your city it falls to me to inform you that over the last few hours many nuclear weapons have fallen on Australia. Furthermore it is now clear that we in Cairns are totally isolated, having lost contact with both State and Federal governments. In fact it seems that even our close neighbour, the city of Townsville has been struck by one of these fiendish weapons. An earlier broadcast by the Prime Minister was interrupted by unexplained circumstances and we have not been able to re-establish communications. Please listen for further news as it becomes available.
All emergency service personnel, police and military are to report immediately to their posts. This community has weathered countless cyclones and other natural disasters and with God’s help will deal with this one also.
God Save the Queen”
Council Chambers Cairns City Council
23 February 1984
0900 AEST
“What’s the go then Jim? Where do we go from here? What do we have?” The question addressed by Mayor Ron Davis to the City Manager was not an easy one to answer.
He gave it his best shot:
“ Gentlemen, we have nothing going in or out by road. Marine traffic is limited to small boats, though we do have a Sugar ship docking tomorrow. They left MacKay on the 22nd and when they arrive that’s it….no fuel to go elsewhere. We have food stocks for maybe three weeks with rationing.
The Navy, (with a nod to the Commander of HMAS Cairns) still has considerable fuel stocks for military uses and there are five patrol boats available for limited duties.
Andy Wheetam tells me that they have three domestic passenger jets available plus three DC3s and a dozen or so light aircraft. Again, however fuel stocks are limited and we do not have any idea as to what other airport are still open. Anything else Andy?”
“No mate, not really. We have two Mirages from Townsville that got in on the 22nd, but both have damage from the Townsville blast and aren’t going anywhere….otherwise nothing.” But I think the Commodore here might have something to tell us….that right Tony?”
Commodore Tony Weston RAN, looked across the table at the rest…
“Well yes, maybe. We have picked up what seem to be communications from an RN submarine. She is HMS Valiant, a nuclear attack boat. It’s difficult to be sure but we think she is suffering battle damage and is negotiating the outer Reef up near Cooktown. If she comes here she’ll be able to tell us a lot about what’s going on in the world.”
The Mayor interrupted violently: “Now just hold on one bloody minute Tony, have you invited this submarine here? Suppose the Russians spot it from a satellite? Is that possible? The last thing we want is to draw the crabs here.”
The rest of the group swapped furtive glances and looked at the Navy Commodore.
He sagged in his seat, looking 20 years older than his years…
“I don’t know. Christ on his throne only knows what loose weapons the Soviets still have unused, never mind if there are any of their subs in our area with useable weapons. Just what the hell am I supposed to do……tell the Brits to piss off? They are our allies and fellow mariners in distress. No-one here has any authority to make me do that.”
After the meeting, Wheetam sought out a colleague with the Port Authority, Col Franklin, the Finance Controller:
“Well Col, you’re better placed than most with that place of yours up at Kuranda. If I were you I’d be thinking about staying there instead of coming to work every day. No way the Mayor will hold this lot together….what is he but a damned insurance broker?
The sub worries me. The Russians are bound to be watching out for surviving strategic assets like subs.”
Franklin listened, but made no comment apart from….”You forget Andy, I’m a pommy too, but let’s see what happens.”
28 February 1984
0900 AEST
Cairns Seaport.
The submarine looked huge as it drew up to the wharf, dead black with only the White Ensign lending colour to the sombre picture. There was obvious damage to the sail, and much of the hull was scorched , with bare steel showing through.
High above the scene a certain set of cameras recorded the events and a Soviet cosmonaut, barely alive himself, sitting in his own wastes and bleeding from every orifice carried out his final reporting duty.
It was less than 24 hours later that a Soviet SSN 21 warhead initiated at 1,000 meters above the City of Cairns.
ROTFLMAO.