Something for the Modders

[jmscho]

How about something a bit more far fetched as a start point:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/joh ... choice.htm

I've just started reading it so cannot say much.

[el cid again]

Sounds like a movie plot - the movie plot itself possibly being inspired by a real event. In the movie - Final Countdown? - USS Enterprise is sent by time warp to Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941.

What may have inspired the film is an event at the filming of Tora Tora Tora in 1968. Seems USS Waddell DDG-24 steamed in the night before - and didn't know about the filming. En route to Viet Nam - the first ship in history charged to stop missile attacks - she was working up for real world anti-air warfare. At the right time - moments before 0800 ceremonies - planes in Japanese markings appeared in the skies over PH - including 26 pseudo Kates right on the deck - running in on battleship row (or what used to be that). Stepping outside of the unused port quarterdeck (we were starboard side to) - I saw these planes inbound - and being a trained petty officer of the watch - I went to the alarm handles and threw the GQ switch. Then I picled up the mike and announced (without whistle since am not a bosun) "General Quarters General Quarters Air Attack Inbound Starboard Side This is Not a Drill"

The ship - after daily drills for weeks - stood to in about half the allotted time (5 minutes) - missile running out on the rail (waiting for fire control to warm up) - gun mounts swinging to starboard - people running and setting watertight doors.

The rest of the Navy was horrified - they knew perfectly well what comes next. And this ship really was going to GQ and announcing it was not a drill!! Every form of communication possible came into use - signal lights - flags - radio - telephone - runners - name it. Everyone wanted to get the word through this was a movie - not the real thing.

I did not get in trouble for sounding the alarm. The captain said "any time you see aircraft attacking this ship - you do the same thing."

[JeffroK]

The weapons of choice trilogy is good reading, more in the vein of Harry Turtledove than Final Countdown.

In their 'timewarp" , their United Nations fleet reappears all over the world so many nations get a chance to use modern technology.

Get the seies, its worth reading.