Portland Breaks Radio Silence, Evading Destroyer
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The tense silence shatters as satellite contact with the Portland is announced, revealing their evasion of a North Korean destroyer.
Bartlet vindicates his trust in the submarine crew, confirming their survival and tactical competence.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Insistent frustration laced with institutional dread
Albie Duncan urgently recites historical submarine losses to caution Bartlet, checking his watch to insist on waiting ten more minutes, but is overridden as the President mobilizes to the Situation Room.
- • Delay rash rescue to avert historical repetition
- • Leverage time pressure via watch to reinforce caution
- • Past submarine disasters predict current peril
- • Hasty presidential action risks irrecoverable loss
Focused professionalism under pressure
Officer 2nd crisply decodes 'Whiskey Three' as Portland's callsign during en-route briefing, locking naval terminology into the President's grasp as rescue details unfold.
- • Clarify code names for command understanding
- • Support seamless intel flow during mobilization
- • Clear jargon accelerates crisis response
- • Presidential queries demand instant precision
Rigid attentiveness signaling operational readiness
Another Officer barks 'Ten-hut!' snapping Situation Room to attention as Bartlet enters, enforcing military protocol at the crisis threshold.
- • Maintain military decorum upon President's arrival
- • Signal room's primed status for briefing
- • Hierarchy demands immediate respect
- • Protocol steadies high-stakes environments
Operational calm confirming success
Pac Fleet's voice (VOICE 1ST) hails Whiskey-Three-Charlie via Sat-Hi Com, requests status report, then rogers the evasion details with 'happy hunting,' funneling naval coordination into White House relief.
- • Verify Portland's status post-evasion
- • Authorize continued mission with positive dispatch
- • Sub crew competence handles threats autonomously
- • Clear comms sustain fleet-wide momentum
determined then relieved
Overrides Albie's caution, mobilizes to Situation Room, questions rescue details, reacts with relief to restored contact, affirms trust in Portland's captain and crew.
- • Override caution and initiate rescue for U.S.S. Portland
- • Resolve submarine silence crisis
Steady reassurance amid rising tension
Leo accompanies Bartlet en route to Situation Room, crisply interprets Officer 3rd's report twice—'We have the Portland on satellite' and 'We have them'—bridging military jargon to presidential clarity amid unfolding radio contact.
- • Facilitate clear communication of restored contact
- • Reinforce Bartlet's momentum post-override
- • Bartlet's instincts outweigh historical cautions
- • Operational confirmation trumps diplomatic delay
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
C-141 Starlifters at NAS North Island referenced in officer briefing as primed transport for DSR-V submersibles, embodying logistical backbone of rescue mobilization, heightening stakes with their readiness amid en-route strategy.
DSR-V rescue submersibles detailed in briefing—submerging to dock with Portland, blowing collars for 24-survivor egress over six trips with medevac—serving as narrative lifeline, transforming Bartlet's override into tangible extraction plan.
North Korean Luna-class destroyer invoked in Portland's report as evaded threat via deep-and-quiet maneuver, shifting from antagonist peril to neutralized risk, vindicating Bartlet's trust and easing war brink tension.
Sat-Hi Com surges active in Situation Room, channeling Officer 3rd's announcement, Leo's confirmation, and Pac Fleet/Portland radio exchange—pivotal conduit restoring contact, catalyzing relief and operational pivot.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Pac Fleet orchestrates via radio (VOICE 1ST), hailing Portland post-Sat-Hi Com restoration, rogering evasion report—driving narrative turn from silence to coordination, aligning naval might with White House command.
U.S.S. Portland manifests via VOICE 2ND on Sat-Hi Com, reporting position, deep-quiet evasion of destroyer, and full ops—core distressed asset proving resilient, validating Bartlet's gamble and refocusing on extraction.
Ballast noted in officer briefing as contacted via Pac Fleet chain, integral to rescue relay from San Diego/North Island, embedding in broader extraction infrastructure activated by Bartlet's push.
North Korean Navy's Luna-class destroyer cited in Portland's report as evaded pursuer, receding from immediate threat to contextual antagonist, underscoring sub's grit and de-escalating war flashpoint.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The initial silence of the submarine is resolved when contact is re-established."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"VOICE 1ST: "Whiskey-Three-Charlie, this is Pac Fleet, report you whiskey, over.""
"VOICE 2ND: "Pac Fleet, Whiskey Three-Charlie, Whiskey is 36.6 degrees north by 110 west. Went deep and quiet to avoid close-aboard contact with Luna class destroyer. Mechanical situations at full op.""
"BARTLET: "All right, okay. There they are. See, they went deep and quiet to avoid a close-aboard with a Luna class destroyer. What you gotta do in these situations is you trust the captain, you trust the crew.""