 The two proceed to the hearing, which is (due to Mandeville's animosity) progressing very badly for Steckler and Bludde.Given a reprieve of 48 hours, Steckler and Wychinsky go to a spot in the ocean where the wreck of the "Kornblatt" lies following her last use as a target dummy.After a harrowing dive and struggle with nitrogen narcosis and a hungry kraken, they recover a bell from the "Kornblatt", thus confirming the ship's fate, and back at the inquiry Mandeville is revealed as the man who had unwittingly assigned the "Kornblatt" for target practice, ignoring the red tape.