Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[kaleun]

[:D]

[Cuttlefish]

February 5, 1943

Location: 75 miles west of Amboina
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 474

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

After the fleet refuels the three smaller and slower carriers present, Hiyo, Junyo, and Ryujo, are dispatched back to Truk. They need to rebuild their battered air groups, and Imperial Navy Headquarters wants them to join the three light carriers still in the Central Pacific to stand guard in case the Allies attempt to take advantage of the Japanese preoccupation with Timor to attack elsewhere.

An attempt by a submarine during the afternoon to penetrate the destroyer screen and attack Akagi fails. Whether the submarine involved is same one that attacked Chokai the previous night or is a different one is unknown, but Admiral Ozawa decides that the waters near Amboina have become a little too crowded. He orders the fleet back to the waters off Sulawesi. This will also put the carriers in position to guard the next troop convoy, which is now in the Celebes Sea and about to enter the Makassar Strait.

[Cuttlefish]

February 6, 1943

Location: 40 miles south-southwest of Butung Island
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 435

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

“Is this the only case so far?” asks Captain Ishii. He and Hibiki’s medical officer, Lieutenant JG Nakagawa, are standing outside an alcove in the ship’s dispensary. Inside the alcove Seaman Second Class Iwai lies asleep, sweating in the grip of a malarial fever.

“It is,” says Nakagawa. “It’s an isolated incident, I think, though it would not hurt to increase the ship’s supply of quinine.”

“How did he catch it?” says Ishii. “No one aboard has been ashore since we left Truk.”

“Well,” says Nakagawa a little wryly, “we have been close to shore several times, and mosquitoes do fly, you know.” Captain Ishii looks slightly embarrassed.

“Yes, of course they do,” he says. “Will Iwai be all right, and what do you recommend to prevent further cases?”

“Iwai has a mild case, I think, and will be fine once the quinine starts to take effect,” says Nakagawa. “Well enough to return to duty in a few days, perhaps. As far as prevention, it would not hurt to spray pesticide in the crew areas. Limit any shore parties if we do put into port. Otherwise there is not much we can do. It is the curse of the tropics, as much a part of this region as the islands themselves.”

“All right,” says Ishii. “Thank you, Nakagawa, and let me know if more cases turn up.” Nakagawa assures him that he will, and Captain Ishii leaves the dispensary to return to the bridge. As he goes he makes a mental note to himself to have the quartermaster obtain more quinine. If it turns out to be difficult he can put that fellow Ariga on the job, he should be able to turn up something.

He doubts it will be a problem, though. He seems to recall hearing that most of the world’s supply of quinine comes from nearby Java. If that is true he wonders how the enemy’s forces are coping with the shortage.

---

From a US Army pamphlet done in 1943 by Theodore Geisel advising soldiers how to avoid contracting malaria:

[Cuttlefish]

February 7, 1943

Location: 60 miles southeast of Makassar
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 397

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

Ensign Izu steps onto the bridge from outside and walks over to Captain Ishii. “Sir,” he says, “Shokaku has just flashed a message. Admiral Ozawa advises all ships that the next troop convoy will be here in two days. We will rendezvous with them then and escort them to Timor.”

“Very well, Ensign, thank you,” says the captain. Izu lingers a moment. “Is there something else on your mind, Ensign?” he asks.

“Yes sir,” Izu says, “that is, with the Captain’s permission I have a question, sir.”

“The Captain grants his permission,” says Ishii with a small smile. “Spit it out, son.”

“Thank you sir,” says Izu. “Do you know which infantry division is aboard those ships?”

“I don’t,” says Captain Ishii with a shake of his head. “They’ve come from China, I think, or maybe Manchukuo.” He pauses as realization comes to him. “Ah yes, I had forgotten, your father is stationed in Manchukuo, isn’t he? A captain?”

“A colonel,” says Izu with just a little bit of pride.

“Yes, that’s right. Well, Ensign, the odds are against it, but stranger things have happened. If I find out what unit it is I will let you know.”

“Thank you, sir,” says Ensign Izu.

“Given how quickly they have gotten here I would say they have most likely come from China,” the captain muses, “but one never knows. The last I heard there was a lot of fighting going on there, so maybe they did bring this division down from Manchukuo. The Germans seem to be keeping the Russians busy, so we could perhaps spare some men from watching the border there.”

“I heard a story when we stopped at Truk that the German Army was having trouble,” says Izu. “Something about a place called Stalingrad.” Captain Ishii snorts.

“I think that if you treat almost everything both the German and Russian governments say as lies you can’t go wrong,” he says. “In any event, I think those two are likely to be shooting at each other for some time yet.”

“Yes sir,” says Izu hopefully. Like many Japanese he has no more sympathy or liking for the Germans than for any other Western power, but he nevertheless wants to believe they are winning. It may sometimes be hard to tell who one’s friends are, but there is no doubt at all that Soviet Russia is an enemy. And Japan has more than enough enemies for the moment.

[kaleun]

Cuttlefish has a knack for keeping up the anxiety level[;)]

[Cuttlefish]

February 8, 1943

Location: 60 miles southeast of Makassar
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 366

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

To Ensign Izu’s disappointment the division now approaching the Banda Sea turns out to be the 104th Infantry, from China. Until recently they had been doing quiet garrison duty at Kweilin, but following the Allied attack on Timor they were ordered to Hong Kong to board a hastily assembled group of transports.

Their journey has been uneventful, but the soldiers aboard are heartily sick of the voyage and ready to reach land, even if it means braving a gauntlet of enemy aircraft and submarines and then a fight against a trapped and desperate enemy. Anything, most of them think, has to be better than enduring another storm at sea such as the one they are sailing through now.

Hibiki is currently enduring the same conditions, but the intermittent heavy rain and moderate chop hardly qualifies as a storm in the opinion of the crew. They would be amused at the plight of the soldiers, although some aboard might recall their first days at sea and feel a little sympathy. And even the enlisted men, who sling their hammocks in whatever space is available aboard the destroyer, would regard their own conditions as luxurious if they could see the crowded holds into which the soldiers are crammed. The Japanese military does not place a premium on the comfort of its rank and file.

[Cuttlefish]

February 9, 1943

Location: 60 miles southeast of Makassar
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 334

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

“Petty Officer, there is something in the water over there, about 175 meters off,” a sailor says to Taiki, pointing. They are standing on the port rail, near the center torpedo mount. Taiki takes the glasses from him and raises them to his eyes. After a moment he sees it, an ominous dark shape riding low in the waves.

“Is it a mine?” asks the sailor.

“It could be,” says Taiki. “Go and advise the bridge, please.” The sailor departs quickly, and Taiki continues to scrutinize the object until Ensign Handa and Chief Petty Officer Shun arrive a moment later. Shun is carrying a rifle. Hibiki slows and begins to circle the object at a respectful distance while Handa studies it through his binoculars.

“What do you think, sir?” asks Taiki. Handa lowers the binoculars and frowns.

“It looks like metal,” he says. “What do you think, Chief?” Shun takes the binoculars and looks at the object. After a moment he hands them back to Handa and hefts the rifle.

“It is possible,” he says. “There is one way to make sure.” He raises the rifle to his shoulder and sights along it. He waits until Hibiki hangs poised for a second at the top of a roll and then fires. Taiki sees a spurt of water in a wave just behind the object. Shun says nothing, but works the bolt and waits. At the right moment he fires again. The watchers hear a faint metallic “spang” but there is no other result.

Shun shoots it several more times. No explosion results, so a boat is dispatched to examine the item more closely. Handa is in charge of the small expedition. The boat goes out, and those watching on deck can see Handa carefully look the thing over. After a moment the item is hauled into the boat, which comes about and returns to Hibiki. Handa has the object hoisted up on deck.

Taiki and the others gather around it when it is aboard. It looks like a short torpedo with stubby wings. Its cylindrical body is partly wrapped in a net to which several cork floats are attached. The thing is studded with barnacles and has several bullet holes in it from Shun’s rifle. Most of the onlookers quickly identify it as a paravane, though of a strange configuration.

“From a British or Australian ship,” says Shun. He points at the net. “That’s native make. The paravane probably had some buoyancy. It was drifting along the bottom and some fisherman snagged it, brought it up, and thought it was a torpedo. They cut the net free.”

“I can’t blame them,” murmurs Taiki. He kneels down to examine it and see if he can figure out what ship it came from, but except for a manufacturer’s plate, which no one can read, it is free of markings.

“Well, it should stay sunk now that it is full of holes,” comments Ensign Handa. “Let’s return it to the sea.” He gestures at several of the nearby sailors, and the paravane is cut free of the net and tossed back over the rail. It hits the water with a splash, bobs once, and then slowly submerges as it falls astern of the destroyer. The remains of the net follow it into the water.

“Don’t worry about the false alarm,” Handa tells Taiki. “Continue to keep a sharp watch. There’s a lot of stuff left over from the fighting here last year, and not all of it is that harmless. The Captain says the Dutch left a lot of mines scattered here and there, and some of them may be adrift.”

“Yes sir,” says Taiki. Handa and the others leave, and Taiki goes back to supervising the port side lookouts. Far behind Hibiki the paravane, which once rode on the bow of HMS Repulse, settles into the mud on the bottom, there to remain.

[String]

Wow, a very nice touch there Cuttlefish. I liked it a lot

[Cuttlefish]

February 10, 1943

Location: 60 miles southeast of Makassar
Course: Holding position
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 3
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 474

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

The Japanese transports enter the Banda Sea, heading for Koepang. Admiral Ozawa wants his ships to be able to linger in the waters around Timor should it prove necessary, so he orders his destroyers to refuel before his ships follow. He knows he will be able to overtake the much slower transports the next day.

As it turns out refueling takes much longer than anticipated due to rough seas. Aboard Hibiki Captain Ishii oversees operations while the destroyer comes alongside a big tanker. It is a nerve-wracking operation. Twice the two ships almost collide, a collision which would do the much smaller Hibiki no good at all, and at one point they do grind slightly against each other. The damage is very minor, however. After some sweat and a good deal of swearing on the bridge the operation is concluded successfully. Hibiki’s fuel tanks are full again, and the destroyer moves away from the tanker to sighs of relief among the crew.

As night falls Ozawa’s ships are finally ready to go. They leave the waters around the mouth of Bone Bay and head back into the Banda Sea. It is time once again to visit Timor.

[Cuttlefish]

February 11, 1943

Location: 40 miles north-northwest of Raba
Course: South
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 3
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 443

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

Riku looks out over the rail at the green, rugged land visible on the horizon to the south. It is sunny at the moment, though at times rain squalls sweep over the task force and obscure the land from view. Taiki stands nearby, scanning the sky with his binoculars.

“Petty Officer, what island is that?” Riku asks after a moment. Taiki lowers the binoculars and looks at him.

“That’s Flores, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands,” he says. “A pretty big island. We have a small base at Raba there, I think.”

“What do they grow there, do you know? What kind of resources do they have?” asks Riku. Taiki smiles.

“Always thinking, aren’t you?” he asks. Riku looks unabashed.

“Just thinking of the crew, Petty Officer,” he says. “We could use some fresh food. And I need some new trade material to swap with other ships. All for the common good.”

“Of course, Seaman Ariga,” chuckles Taiki. “As it happens, I do not know the answers to your questions. I know the charts and I can name all the islands, but knowing the map is not the same as actually knowing the place. I don’t know what kinds of people live there, or what they eat, or anything like that.”

“A pity,” says Riku with a sigh. “I suppose there is no chance of any kind of time in port soon?”

“We need to support the landings,” says Taiki. “After that I don’t know. A lot depends on what the enemy does next.”

“After their defeat last week do you really think there is any chance they will try something?” Riku says.

“Well, they still have no lack of bombers, at least,” says Taiki. “As for the rest, who knows?”

“I thought that Petty Officers knew everything,” says Riku innocently. “But you do not know what they grow on that island or what our enemy’s intentions are. My illusions are shaken, Petty Officer!”

“I know that you have spent too much time talking and not enough time keeping watch,” says Taiki with a mock growl. “Back to work, Ariga!”

“Yes, Petty Officer,” says Riku obediently, and raises his binoculars again.

[Cuttlefish]

February 12, 1943

Location: 80 miles north of Koepang
Course: West
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 3
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 407

Orders: Protect reinforcement convoys approaching Timor.

---

Ozawa’s ships slip once again into the Savu Sea. To the south the transports reach Koepang under the cover of darkness and begin quickly to unload. The soldiers of the 104th Division file ashore, grateful to be on solid ground once more.

Enemy search planes discover the transports late in the day. A single air raid by heavy bombers succeeds in mostly evading the Japanese fighters, but only one bomb hit is scored on a transport. By the time night falls again half of the division is ashore, though most of the vital supplies remain aboard.

Mindful that the air raids tomorrow will probably be worse Ozawa details two of his carriers to keep fighters on patrol over Koepang. Meanwhile he orders his ships to shift position to the west overnight to keep the enemy from establishing too solid a fix on his position.

[kaleun]

Have finished eating fingernails[8|]
Starts gnawing on fingers[:(]

[ChezDaJez]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

Have finished eating fingernails[8|]
Starts gnawing on fingers[:(]

You might need the fingers... try the toenails![:D]

CHez

[DuckofTindalos]

But remember to stretch first...

[kaleun]

Thanks for the advice[;)]Might need it if this suspense continues too long.

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

Thanks for the advice[;)]Might need it if this suspense continues too long.

I can't resist doing some foreshadowing at this point. The game is only five turns ahead of the AAR right now, but they are a pretty intense five turns. In any history of the Pacific theater written for this alternate version of World War II the name of Timor will echo with sorrow, bloodshed, and deeds of sacrifice and heroism on both sides.

[DuckofTindalos]

Sounds like the RL Guadalcanal campaign just got relocated to Timor.

[Capt. Harlock]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

I can't resist doing some foreshadowing at this point. The game is only five turns ahead of the AAR right now, but they are a pretty intense five turns.

AAARGGHH! I'm going on vacation, and I'll be out of touch from the internet for a week! [:@][:@]

[DuckofTindalos]

Don't you feel happy now...?[:'(][:D]

[tocaff]

My internet connection is terminated on Friday and with moving the new connection could take up to 4 weeks.  Most things in Brasil move at their own speed.  [&:]