Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Terminus]

Nice!

[Cuttlefish]

January 26, 1944

Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Await further orders.

---

“Permission to come aboard, sir?”

“Granted,” says Ensign Izu, currently the Officer of the Deck. “Welcome back, Takahashi. Did you enjoy your leave?”

“Yes sir,” Taiki says. “Very much so.”

“Good, good,” Izu says. “I hear you went to Hakone.”

“Yes sir,” Taiki answers.

“That is pretty country,” says Izu blandly. “I imagine you saw some fascinating new sights. Beautifully rounded hills, splendid deep canyons, erupting geysers…”

“Actually, sir, I was on my honeymoon,” says Taiki. “I…I really didn’t see much of the countryside.”

“Countryside?” says Izu. “Who’s talking about the countryside?”

[Terminus]

D'OH![:D][:D][:D]

[Mynok]

LOL!

[tocaff]

OH OH!  The PG rating is under threat!  [:D]

[Onime No Kyo]

[:D][:D][:D]

My respect for Izu's sense of humor just shot up 300%.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

[:D][:D][:D]

My respect for Izu's sense of humor just shot up 300%.

Agreed. [:D]

[BrucePowers]

Most definitely[:)]

[Cuttlefish]

January 27, 1944

Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Await further orders.

---

Chief Petty Officer Shun sets the urn carefully on the table in the officer’s wardroom. Lieutenant Miharu sits on the other side of the table, fingers steepled under his chin, gazing at it.

“We found him on the beach later,” says Shun. “He must have trusted Umeda for some reason, as he was shot in the back at close range.”

“I have no trouble believing that,” says the lieutenant. “He was a trusting sort. This was a man, after all, who idolized Stalin and thought that the Soviet Union was truly a worker’s paradise.” He sighs. “Thank you for bringing him all this way, Chief.”

“It was no trouble, sir,” says Shun in his gruff voice.

Lieutenant Miharu continues to gaze at the urn. “This news will be hard on my parents,” he says, “and on my wife. She was fond of him.” After a moment he looks up at Shun. “I will take care of him from here,” he says. “Thank you again, Chief. I’m glad you and your family are unhurt. Have you given Captain Ishii a full report?”

“Yes sir,” says Shun.

“Very good,” says Lieutenant Miharu. “Carry on, Chief.” Shun salutes and departs, closing the door quietly behind him. The lieutenant’s gaze returns to the urn in front of him. He sits there for several long moments without moving.

“Farewell, Morito,” he says at last. “In your death all shame is expiated, all crimes forgiven. May our ancestors welcome you with open arms.” He pushes back the chair and stands. His face is expressionless but his eyes glisten slightly as he gently lifts the urn and carries it from the room.

---

[John 3rd]

Nice work CF. 
 
I checked out the 1-700 site of Hibiki and it is wonderful.  I don't remember that sort of detail on any of the models I built!

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Nice work CF. 

I checked out the 1-700 site of Hibiki and it is wonderful.  I don't remember that sort of detail on any of the models I built!

Aye, I built several dozen myself ( growing up on a secluded farm can give you a perspective on boring!). Nothing I built or saw comes close to that sort of detail.

[John 3rd]

I have to agree.  I built a massive number of those models and blew up many of them on July 4th every year!  Wish I had the kits now so I could build them with some respect.  Things are darned expensive now...
 

[Shark7]

Right now I've got a 1/700 scale Kasumi and a 1/700 scale Chikuma awaiting some time on the builders slip. Been putting off working on them till I have the time to devote to getting them built right. These newer kits are really nice, a lot more detailed and crisper molds than they had when I was a kid.

[Cuttlefish]

January 28, 1944

Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Await further orders.

---

“I still say signing the Tripartite Pact was a huge mistake,” says Yoshitake. He and Shoji are up on the searchlight platform, doing routine lubrication and maintenance on the big Type 92 searchlight. “It helped drag us into the war, and what have we gotten out of it? Italy is out of the war and a battleground now, and I heard yesterday that the Russians recently crossed into Poland. Hand me that spanner, will you?”

Shoji hands him the spanner. “The Germans have kept the Soviet Union busy,” he says. “We might have real trouble in this war if we had to fight them as well.”

“Bah,” says Yoshitake. “The Soviets are Asians too. They should be our allies, not that idiot Hitler.”

“What are you, some kind of Communist?” Shoji asks.

“It’s not about politics, it’s about race,” says Yoshitake. “Sure, we have had trouble with the Russians before, but against the West we have a common cause. Surely Stalin can see the advantages to the Co-Prosperity Sphere.” He grunts with effort. “Damned rust. Put some grease on there, would you?”

He steps back and Shoji does so. “So what do you think will happen if the Soviets defeat Germany?” he asks.

“Maybe they will join us,” says Yoshitake. “There is no love lost between Russia and America or England. All they have in common is their enemy, Germany.”

“I don’t know,” says Shoji. “Those damned Cossacks have long memories. Don’t you think they still want Port Arthur back, and more besides? There, try it now.”

Yoshitake attacks the bolt once again. “Like I said, the cause we are fighting for is their cause, too. I think we should…” Before he can complete his thought he is interrupted by a growling voice from behind him.

“I think you idiots should stop babbling about things of which you know nothing,” it says. Yoshitake stifles a yelp and Shoji lurches so violently he almost steps into the bucket of grease. They whirl around to see Shun at the top of the ladder and simultaneously brace to attention. Shun eyes them balefully.

“You two are not supposed to think,” he says. “This is fortunate, because you both stink at it. You are supposed to finish this job. Concentrate on that and leave the thinking to the experts. If you must talk, talk about things you know something about. I realize that shortens the list to eating, sleeping, and pissing, but work with what you have.”

“Yes, Chief,” both men chorus. Shun gives them a last disgusted look and then vanishes down the ladder as silently as he came. The two sailors look at each other.

“So,” says Shoji after a moment. “What is your favorite food?”

[Terminus]

Heh... I'm reminded of Agent Gibbs from NCIS; he also has the ability to sneak up on people completely undetected. Not quite as menacing as Shun, though.

[Capt. Harlock]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish


“You two are not supposed to think,” he says. “This is fortunate, because you both stink at it. You are supposed to finish this job. Concentrate on that and leave the thinking to the experts. If you must talk, talk about things you know something about. I realize that shortens the list to eating, sleeping, and pissing, but work with what you have.”

Hmm . . . something's bothering Shun more than he cares to admit. Maybe he was more shaken by Umeda's invasion of his family home -- or maybe he still doesn't like the idea of Riku as a son-in-law.[;)]

The scene with the urn and Lt. Miharu was beautifully done, BTW.[&o]

[Shark7]

I really get the feeling it would be less painfull to fight an enraged grizzly bear than a slightly annoyed Shun... [X(]

[Onime No Kyo]

I think Shun is just having a hard time letting go of his little girl. I'm pretty sure he knows he made the right choice, though.

[Cuttlefish]

January 29, 1944

Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Await further orders.

---

Late in the afternoon on the 28th rain starts to fall in the Tokyo area. As night falls the wind shifts to the north and temperatures sink. The rain begins to freeze as it lands, and by midnight snow is falling.

The snow tails off around sunrise on the 29th, but the morning light gives Hibiki a strange and different look. Ice coats her decks and icicles hang from the stays and backstays, from the rails, and from almost everything else. On level surfaces it is covered by a layer of snow, and walking even a few steps topsides becomes an adventure. Crewmen slip and curse and think of the stifling tropical heat in which they have spent so much of the war. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so bad.

The only solution available to Hibiki is to clear the ice by hand. Midshipman Konada leads a large detail to accomplish this purpose. Konada watches carefully as experienced members of the deck force, especially petty officers such as Shun and Aikawa, show the crew the most efficient methods of breaking up the ice. Before long he is no longer just standing around and supervising but is an active participant. Despite the -6 C. temperature it is heavy work and soon the young officer is sweating profusely under his neatly tailored and buttoned jacket.

He stops for a moment and looks around to make sure the work is progressing as it should. It is, the petty officers are making sure of that. Konada hesitates, then unbuttons his jacket, rolls up his sleeves, and returns to work. He sets a strong pace and soon steps back and turns the detail into a competition among small groups to see who can clear the ice the fastest. He moves among the groups, tossing out encouragement and insults, as they move up and down the ship. The groups cheerfully taunt each other as they pick up speed. Ice and snow flies over the rails and into the sea

Captain Ishii and Lieutenant Miharu look down on this scene from one of the observation platforms.

“This much ice is just an annoyance,” Ishii comments. “In some conditions in the north this time of year it can build up so heavily on a superstructure that the ship’s stability is affected.”

“Then I rather hope our next assignment is not a convoy run to the Kuriles,” says Lieutenant Miharu. “This is enough ice for me.”

Captain Ishii nods agreement. “Has the paperwork on Konada’s promotion come back yet?” he asks.

“Yes sir,” says the lieutenant. “He’s an ensign now, he just doesn’t know it.”

“I’ll tell him this afternoon,” says Ishii. He reaches out and snaps an icicle off the frozen canvas covering one of the binoculars. After contemplating the icy spear for a moment he cocks his arm back and then sends the icicle spinning out away from the ship and into the sea.

[thegreatwent]

This stuff is just poetry CF! [&o][&o] I always read accounts of tall ships rounding horn with amazement, just imagine the Great White Fleet going through the Straits of Magellan. Those old BB's were wet cold ships, must have been miserable.

That period may have been the only time that sailors envied the Black Gang in the furnaces [:D]


Woot, just earned my first star [:)]