breaking rocks - Ens stone

[1275psi]

6/1/42
Even after a few years in the RAN, Langy has to admit to himself that what lays ahead is a fairly daunting prospect.
Its 0750, and he is passing through the airlock from the main passageway, down into "Alpha " boiler room. This is the first cruiser he has ever served on, the first multiple space ship as well.

The ladder down to "the plates" is long and steep, with a platform about half way down. All around him his senses are assualted by a kliedascope of shining brass, stainless steel and the gleaming white of asbestos and plaster lagged steam pipes. Heat beats at him from every side -and the roar of the boilers compete with the scream of the air blowers.

This is his new home and place of work for the war.
he is now , oficially, one of those who "work below"

The PO steamer of the watch is a giant of a man -PO Fetter -"fets" to his mates. The Water tender is Marky, the evaporator tender is the inevitable Bluey,Stoney and Lurch -two skinny kids -are the sprayer punchers.

Langy meets the guys.
Fets quietly explains the evac procedures, the locations of the fire fighting gear, and quickly hands him over to the stick figure of Stoney.

Stoney is not phased at all about a seaman teaching a kellick, all know the drill, you simply cannot exist in a machinery space unless you know your S@#T, and you have to start at the beginning.

he grins "OK, here is the Admiralty MK 1 register -and she's a bitch......."
The watch passes quickly in a blur.......
langy is happy, he has a lot to learn, but not all of it seems too difficult, and the forenoon watch is a good one -0800 to 1200, 2000 to 2400.
Add the defence watches -0600 to 0800, 0001 to 0200, this still allows 3hrs or more sleep. With luck dawn and Dusk action stations will fall in those hrs..........

The TF steams North from Darwin

On the Bridge Captain Dechaineaux recieves a signal

Admiral Collingwood assumes command of Battle group POW.
"I will not hesitate to relieve from Command those that fail to press the attack"
Churchhill


MK 1 register

[1275psi]

7/1/42
The battle group steams hard due north from darwin
For langy the first two watches have been hard, interesting, and not hat intellectually challenging, but hard
he has been learning to punch sprayers under Stonies enthusiastic but at times chaotic instruction.
the theory is simple -if the ship increases speed, the turbines suck more steam
Boiler pressure drops, Fetts winds on more blower speed, winds up fuel pressure -and asks for more burners.
The boiler front has 5 burners -4 large, one smaller. 4 biggies, and a half burner.
If fetts gives a sweeping upward motion with an open palm facing upwards -thats the signal to "throw in a biggie" -open the air flap, punch in the sprayer -open the fuel VV -boom -it ignites.
palm down motion, pull it out -off fuel, off air, pull the burner out.
If the motion from fetts however is a closed fist -its a half that has to be manipulated.
But if you are say already at 2 biggies and a half, and its "up a half" -throw on the air , in the burner, on the fuel -boom -for a Biggie FIRST -then PULL the half! -now we are at three.
Do this far faster than you read it and you get the idea.
Fortunately -or maybe unfortunately for Langy -the day is spent in AA drills -and the ship manouveres very heavily.
The Admiralty 3 drums are not the most responsive boilers in the world -and the work and skill the team has to throw together tests them to the limit.
Lift safeties -and it costs a bottle of champange to the engineer.
By end of the day, langy has the hang of it, and how to clean and re asseble the fuel sprayer plungers -a vital job. get it wrong and combustion will be poor -and smoke will result.
And now, smoke can so easily give your ships position away - and all are intensly aware of where they are -well below the waterline..........
langy sleeps well this night.

[1275psi]

8/1/42
The task force arrives at ambonia.
In stark contrast the port is bursting at the seams with shipping
Langy counts 2 AR ships, a AVD, multiple AKs and 4 old yank 4 stackers.
The news flies quick and fast from the fuelling barge -Aussie troops are in the town, and only 2 days ago so were many, many warships.

The battleship Prince of Wales has struck at palua -the yanks are bottled up at bataan, and the british are under siege in singapore.
But the Dutch Admiral has been highly agressive -and Moriatai has been pounded several times -and Aussie troops landed there.
The Japs on the island have been stopped cold.

DD stewart joins the task force
Langy is busy while on watch, tracing the entire fuel system -the first step of learning his systems -it will be the first of many, many he will have to place into his sketch book.
Rumours swirl around the port.
Langy is no Admiral -but it is pretty obvious what is going on -whilst the Japs concentrate the bulk of their forces on the operation against hawai -the allies are going to race as many forces they can scrape together into the DEI
Late in the evening a graphic symbol of this effort shatters the evening quiet -as a force of 8 B17s sweep over the port, and alight in the field.

[1275psi]

9/1/42
Hi Pop
No idea when you will get this letter of course -but one can hope I suppose!
Ive finally got down into where I belong -the hole!
Hot work -the guys I am on watch with seem like a good bunch of bricks though.
The Steamer of the watch has me very busy tracing the systems at the moment -fuel oil is the topic of the day -uuugh -I hate the black stuff with a passion.
The boilers and steam plant seem to be pretty solid at the moment -leaks do not seem to be accumalating too quickly!

Bad news about singapore -cannot believe the Japs have entered the island already
Of course we have to just hope God will look out for my brother -Im sure he will be Ok.
maybe the japs have bitten off more than they can chew there anyway -what with the huge effort they seem to be putting into the central pacific!

Obviously cannot tell you where we are at the moment -or where we are going -Not sure if we will see any action for a while -we now seem to be steaming away from the war -destination unknown!
Well, Im still looking after myself -aint got a ounce of fat on me now -it all melted away in the last 2 watches -its easily 130degrees F down below at the moment!
Got to go -
Langy

[1275psi]

10/1/42
Its a very hot day today down below -as the equatorial waters bake the task force.
temperatures in the boiler room are hovering around 140 degrees, and no amount of water seems to help.
Overalls are instantly soaked in sweat, cinging to bodies in a clammy grip.
Still the concentration of the menbelow cannot waver -the task force is north of timor now -Injun country.
rabual has fallen
palmyra has fallen
langy has spent all of his two watches trying to keep the turbo blowers cool -the sea water rushing through the coolers is simply too hot already here up top -desperate measures are underway.
each blowers cooler is now covered in blankets -and fire hoses run continously over them
Now not only have the stokers got to contend with the heat -the humidity also is heavy, and adding to the torment.
The rumours on board are gathering strength -the task force is
iether attacking with the dutch to the north
escorting the POW
or going to India -to escort the 7th to the war.
Langy does not care -its just too hot!

[1275psi]

11/4/42
This is the captain speaking.
"we are headed to India
Today the dutch fleet has attempted to engagethe enmy fleet at balikapapan -we are unsure of the results yet -however we bel;ieve the enemy have several carriers in the area.
I for one have confidence in our guns

We regret that Tromp and Java may have been sunk
That is all"
langy still does not care.
Its still too hot!

[1275psi]

12/1/42
Dear Pop,

well, we missed the warby a little bit this week.
By the time you get this you will probably heard the news -the dutch missed the japs by about 2 hrs at a place called balikapapan -seems the japs carriers have a real sting -not to worry -I'm sure we have an answer to them.
Its bloody hot below!
I have finished my first sketch -fuel system
The FFo pump is this great big bitch of a recirc steam driven job -i've got to grease it every hour without losing my arm -then the fuel goes into this big air charging vessel -which is used to boost its pressure -througfh the cold filters -a barsted to clean Ill tell you-and into the heater.
Thats my main job, monitoring this beasts temperature, flow and the like.
we call her the beast -let it get out of control and it'll bite us no second thoughts!
She runs on 300 lb steam -and i have to monitor the drains and the like from it as well.
from there the fuel goes into the sprayers -and fetts controls that through a rod geared valve to the left of his head -the air valve linkage is to his right.
Im busy now on tracing all the systems-the 300, the 150, the 50, 15.
the drains -HP, lp, and the like.
And that still leaves the feed system, the ASW system
Aint got time for the war pop!
Anyway -its bloody hot, but the boys are tight.
Looks like the Nip really means business -but i reckon we might have a few surprises for them!
your Son -Langy

[1275psi]

13/1/42

The first battle of balikapapan

On the night of the 12th the Dutch cruisers tromp and java -and 4 DDs attempt to intercept the landings -sweeping in from the north of Borneo
They fail to make it -intercepted by the catrrier planes of the Jap "mini KB" -only Trompm escapes

But on the 13th the allies try again -from the south BC repulse and DDs, from the north -dds electra and express.

The 2 dds surprise the jap carriers -and hit the zuiho -before being pounded to scrap by the escorting CAs
The repulse also misses the target -by a mere 60 miles -and takes 5 kate torpedoes -she sinks

The japanese withdraw to the north, and on the 14th are finally properly intercepted by another allied task force
CA Cornwell, Exeter, CL danae, dragon, durban, and the DD tendous engage the Jap carrier groups
The jap heavy cruisers nachi, haguro and myoko engage

The battle opens with the tendous hitting the nachi -the Cornwell hitting the jap escorting destroyers -as the carriers flee.
For several minutes both sides fire steadily -the range closing -and then abruptly cornwell staggers -torpedoed by haguro
tendous also is hit in the same salvo -she just disapears
Myoko zeros in on the cornwell -plastering her with 8" hits -but exeter next in line cripples the nachi

the range closes -but now the wieght of fire from the japs begins to tell -and as the allies stagger away, no single ship remains undamaged

Again the japs have turned away -and when the Boise and 4 DD come into the battle -things look like finally going the Allied way

CA Ashigari , CL Kuma and 5 DD intercept
The Torpedoe salvo they launch is devastating -no less than 3 hitting the Boise before she even fires a shot -DD barker is split in two

A viscous DD battle rages -2 jap ships go down, but so do 2 more allied

Day -and the Jap carrier planes seek revenge -and extract it -not a single allied ship survives the day

The allied Navy all but ceases to exist in the DEI
Langy has no idea how lucky he is that the Australia headed west -and not north

[1275psi]

For technical reasons, this AAr is closing...............