X-ray Delta, this is Phoenix, come in.” “He’s gone,” Halsey said quietly, the petty officer operating the radio looking back at his admiral and nodding in agreement. McCloskey, standing to one side, gave a nod of agreement as well. They had broken radio silence long enough. He didn’t want to risk another minute on the air and perhaps give the Japs a better chance at getting a bearing on him. With the appearance of his scout planes, they now knew he was out here. That was all he wanted to give away, and calling a plane that was most likely down was far too dangerous. From outside he could hear the roar of the last of his planes launching, the slow, lumbering Devastators. The fighter and dive bomber squadrons were now aloft. Groups formed up, circling at five thousand feet while their slower comrades took wing. He looked back to his other radio operators. One radio was assigned to each of the four search planes. Operators shook their heads, protocol accepting that at such a crucial moment, the men didn’t need to take their eyes off their instruments or speak.
