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"We're done in," Spencer said in a voice so low that Pitt wasn't sure he heard him

"Say again"

"We're done in," he repeated through slack lips His face was smeared with oil and a rustlike sliedtorch, but the sea has battered the hull all to hell and the old girl is taking water faster than a sieve"

"We've got to keep her on the surface until the tugs return," Pitt said "If they can add their pue can be patched"

"It's a dao

How ive me?" Pitt demanded

Spencer stared wearily down at the water sloshing around his ankles "The pu on fumes now When their fuel tanks are sucked dry, the pumps will die A cold, hard, sad fact" He looked up into Pitt's face "An hour, maybe an hour and a half I can't proo"

"And if you had enough fuel to keep the diesels going?"

"I could probably keep her on the surface without assistance until noon," Spencer answered

"How much fuel will it take?"

"Two hundred gallons would do nicely,

They both looked up as Giordino plunged down a co the deck of the No 4 boiler room

"Talk about frustration," hethe ship Six Navy fighters and two radar recon planes I've tried everything except standing onmyself and all they do is wave every time they make a pass"

Pitt shook his head in mock sadness "Remind me never to play charades on your team"