The little ship that could.
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: The little ship that could.
oh, man. pencil whipping the rounds log book. gonna lose some skin for that ....
Pax
RE: The little ship that could.
29/6/42
Smn Azuki stand rigidly at attention. He is literally frozen with fear. Before him, the charge sits. Behind them, the door is closed
‘How long have you been onboard this ship Azuki?” The charge sounds tired. His face is a sea of pain, written loud and clear across it.
‘
“Six days Chief petty Officer!”
‘Your first ship?”
‘Hie!”
The Charge takes him in the eye. His eyes are grey, dark, fathomless.
“Seaman Azuki, what is your principle job on this ship?”
The young man hesitates. Terror consumes him. This , this life, has turned into a nightmare so quickly
“Trainee stoker sir!”
The older man smiles “ No, you idiot, Chief petty officer-I work for a living”
‘Chief!”
‘Now, your job –specifically when you do rounds”
The victim, trapped, is being led gently to the gallows………..
The young mind races, the Charge can almost see the gears churning inside………
“To check all compartments and machinery hourly chief”
‘And?”
Up the steps………
‘To dip the oils, to look for…………”
The noose is fitted……….
‘To look for young man?”
“For leaks Chief……..”
Ah yes, to look for leaks………………you have hung yourself you fool, you poor silly fool.
“And the forward pump room –did you really look?”
‘I……….I did Chief”
The older man does not doubt that, but he can already guess at the real story.
New man. Heavy seas. The vomit rocket compartment…..so much easier to just look through the hatch, than descend into that smell. Hadn’t he done it himself once?. Hadn’t they all?.
But they had not been so unlucky
“Seaman Azuki, your job is this –you are my eyes, my ears. Mine. On you, I depend on everything. If I cannot trust you, you who has so little responsibility –who can I trust. Who can trust anyone?. Can you trust me, do you trust me?”
Silence.
“But what is your real job Azuki?”
Sir..I mean chief?”
‘Your real job –what is it?’
The young man stands rigid still –lost now
‘Let me explain. You are a stoker second. Second. Do you understand? But you are a warrior first!. All of us –we are warriors first. If anyone of us, any single one of us, does not do our duty –then this ship –this weapon-this little carrier –fails.
Fails.”
Silence – but now, finally, a face red with shame.
Quietly now, almost a whisper. “it used to be custom in this nation for failed warriors to slit their bellies……..”
And now Azuki’s face is horror filled. The consequences of his actions are now, finally coming to him…….
The Charge stands
‘however, I need every man, every piece of equipment. Here it is Azuki. You will repay your shame, you and all of your watch that have forgotten that we are warriors first. Minobe would have you beaten. Hasegawa would have you shot – as you should be……………..”
The older man stands in front of the younger
So young, so naive. I was like that once……….I got the second chance……..
‘you have twelve hours to get that motor to the electrical workshop. If you take twelve hours one minute, then I will give you a sword myself”
Later, at Minobes cabin
‘Rounds Chief?’
‘All good sir –we have a short in the forward pump room, down a fire pump I am afraid, we are pulling it out for a look see”
‘I see –no problem. Good to give nothing for Hasegawa to ride us about for another day yes?’
‘Yes sir, it is”
Dusk
Zuiho is 360 miles due North east of marcus, recovering her final birds.
The horizon is already dark, the sea mist heavy, the usual thunderheads gathering in the distance.
A thousand miles of empty ocean. But there on the horizon, very low down–unnoticed –a sudden flash of aluminum in the setting sun.
An aircraft
And not Japanese.
Smn Azuki stand rigidly at attention. He is literally frozen with fear. Before him, the charge sits. Behind them, the door is closed
‘How long have you been onboard this ship Azuki?” The charge sounds tired. His face is a sea of pain, written loud and clear across it.
‘
“Six days Chief petty Officer!”
‘Your first ship?”
‘Hie!”
The Charge takes him in the eye. His eyes are grey, dark, fathomless.
“Seaman Azuki, what is your principle job on this ship?”
The young man hesitates. Terror consumes him. This , this life, has turned into a nightmare so quickly
“Trainee stoker sir!”
The older man smiles “ No, you idiot, Chief petty officer-I work for a living”
‘Chief!”
‘Now, your job –specifically when you do rounds”
The victim, trapped, is being led gently to the gallows………..
The young mind races, the Charge can almost see the gears churning inside………
“To check all compartments and machinery hourly chief”
‘And?”
Up the steps………
‘To dip the oils, to look for…………”
The noose is fitted……….
‘To look for young man?”
“For leaks Chief……..”
Ah yes, to look for leaks………………you have hung yourself you fool, you poor silly fool.
“And the forward pump room –did you really look?”
‘I……….I did Chief”
The older man does not doubt that, but he can already guess at the real story.
New man. Heavy seas. The vomit rocket compartment…..so much easier to just look through the hatch, than descend into that smell. Hadn’t he done it himself once?. Hadn’t they all?.
But they had not been so unlucky
“Seaman Azuki, your job is this –you are my eyes, my ears. Mine. On you, I depend on everything. If I cannot trust you, you who has so little responsibility –who can I trust. Who can trust anyone?. Can you trust me, do you trust me?”
Silence.
“But what is your real job Azuki?”
Sir..I mean chief?”
‘Your real job –what is it?’
The young man stands rigid still –lost now
‘Let me explain. You are a stoker second. Second. Do you understand? But you are a warrior first!. All of us –we are warriors first. If anyone of us, any single one of us, does not do our duty –then this ship –this weapon-this little carrier –fails.
Fails.”
Silence – but now, finally, a face red with shame.
Quietly now, almost a whisper. “it used to be custom in this nation for failed warriors to slit their bellies……..”
And now Azuki’s face is horror filled. The consequences of his actions are now, finally coming to him…….
The Charge stands
‘however, I need every man, every piece of equipment. Here it is Azuki. You will repay your shame, you and all of your watch that have forgotten that we are warriors first. Minobe would have you beaten. Hasegawa would have you shot – as you should be……………..”
The older man stands in front of the younger
So young, so naive. I was like that once……….I got the second chance……..
‘you have twelve hours to get that motor to the electrical workshop. If you take twelve hours one minute, then I will give you a sword myself”
Later, at Minobes cabin
‘Rounds Chief?’
‘All good sir –we have a short in the forward pump room, down a fire pump I am afraid, we are pulling it out for a look see”
‘I see –no problem. Good to give nothing for Hasegawa to ride us about for another day yes?’
‘Yes sir, it is”
Dusk
Zuiho is 360 miles due North east of marcus, recovering her final birds.
The horizon is already dark, the sea mist heavy, the usual thunderheads gathering in the distance.
A thousand miles of empty ocean. But there on the horizon, very low down–unnoticed –a sudden flash of aluminum in the setting sun.
An aircraft
And not Japanese.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
30/6/42
Hosho again rests under a tree.
From 20 feet away, you would be hard put to tell that a man rests there at all. From fifty feet away, that a platoon rests with him.
Each man, in his platoon, the company, the regiment, is now a mobile forest, each pack a carefully arranged camouflage of jungle.
There is a reason now –for overhead, every day –the allied bombers prowl.
But they do not roam unmolested, once again the skies above reverberate to the growl of the high powered engines, the snarl of guns, and the occasional death scream of the loser.
The war over head ‘is hot’
Today, its hurricanes verses the KI-43’s –a swirling snarling show.
Planes fall – and too many are Japanese, eliciting cries of distress and pain from the onlookers
But one british one does, and its pilot –purely by chance floats down to within 15 feet of hoshos platoon.
He lands, and even as he recovers, tries to undo his chute – the forest, horrifically –comes alive around him.
He has no time for fear however –before a dozen bayonets split him open………
The war, no gentlemans game this, continues in Burma
Hosho again rests under a tree.
From 20 feet away, you would be hard put to tell that a man rests there at all. From fifty feet away, that a platoon rests with him.
Each man, in his platoon, the company, the regiment, is now a mobile forest, each pack a carefully arranged camouflage of jungle.
There is a reason now –for overhead, every day –the allied bombers prowl.
But they do not roam unmolested, once again the skies above reverberate to the growl of the high powered engines, the snarl of guns, and the occasional death scream of the loser.
The war over head ‘is hot’
Today, its hurricanes verses the KI-43’s –a swirling snarling show.
Planes fall – and too many are Japanese, eliciting cries of distress and pain from the onlookers
But one british one does, and its pilot –purely by chance floats down to within 15 feet of hoshos platoon.
He lands, and even as he recovers, tries to undo his chute – the forest, horrifically –comes alive around him.
He has no time for fear however –before a dozen bayonets split him open………
The war, no gentlemans game this, continues in Burma
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
1/7/42
It is very late in the evening, the sort of hour when the streets are quiet, and the ticking of the wall clock rings loud.
Herbiesan is alone in this massive room, deep, deep under the streets of Tokyo. The conference is finished, the generals gone..
Bed, and its contents, await –yet draw him not at all.
Before him, the great map of the pacific, the little red flags spread from Northern Burma, to the tip of the solomons. And there in the pacific, the three extra flags – Junyo, Hiyo, hunting east of the gilberts. And to the north of wake –combined fleet, and further east –swift eagle
And not a sight, or smell, of the Americans.
Nothing
Again, that un ease spreads through him.
The unease a dictator must never, ever show to the wolves that circle the throne every day.
They can smell blood, those wolves.
He does not bleed yet –but one disaster, one loss …………..
But now, here in the quiet, it rises again. How to finish this war?
Can it be true. Twenty fleet cariers laid down and building in the USA?
A dozen battleships?
50000 airplanes?
Impossible!
But what if it is true?
The map is full of so many red flags – positions of strength? –or vulnerable indefensible outposts?
His eyes are drawn again to the dots in the pacific. So much depends on those ships.
Decision
He will give Yamamoto a week. No more.
Then he will gather his strength together again –and try to think of how to defend all these little red flags……………
It is very late in the evening, the sort of hour when the streets are quiet, and the ticking of the wall clock rings loud.
Herbiesan is alone in this massive room, deep, deep under the streets of Tokyo. The conference is finished, the generals gone..
Bed, and its contents, await –yet draw him not at all.
Before him, the great map of the pacific, the little red flags spread from Northern Burma, to the tip of the solomons. And there in the pacific, the three extra flags – Junyo, Hiyo, hunting east of the gilberts. And to the north of wake –combined fleet, and further east –swift eagle
And not a sight, or smell, of the Americans.
Nothing
Again, that un ease spreads through him.
The unease a dictator must never, ever show to the wolves that circle the throne every day.
They can smell blood, those wolves.
He does not bleed yet –but one disaster, one loss …………..
But now, here in the quiet, it rises again. How to finish this war?
Can it be true. Twenty fleet cariers laid down and building in the USA?
A dozen battleships?
50000 airplanes?
Impossible!
But what if it is true?
The map is full of so many red flags – positions of strength? –or vulnerable indefensible outposts?
His eyes are drawn again to the dots in the pacific. So much depends on those ships.
Decision
He will give Yamamoto a week. No more.
Then he will gather his strength together again –and try to think of how to defend all these little red flags……………
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Cue in the music.
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
RE: The little ship that could.
3/July/42
“You do realize tomorrow is the fourth of July?’. Hasegawa says, as he reaches for his glasses, sweeps the horizon yet again.
Nothing
Again
“yes”. Hidaka raises his –takes his turn at sweeping.. calm seas, no mist. Visibility a million miles.
And nothing to be seen.
Hidaka lowers the glasses. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”
‘That the Americans can hardly let tomorrow go past quietly?”
‘yes” agrees Hidaka “that’s exactly what I am thinking”
the Older man sighs, rubs his chin, smiles –old grey eyes twinkling however “ Gives one the willies doesn’t it?”
The day however, passes quietly –CAP is flown, search is flown. In the afternoon, refueling, it passes routinely today, and the fat tankers depart for KB just after dark.
It’s a nothing day, really……………
Nashiguchi wearily makes his way from the ablutions towards his hammock, tired, aching.
Another day of endless laps around the fleet, another day of sun burning down, of sweat, of ache, of pounding from the engine. His bum, quite frankly is numb.
And tomorrow, another day that will begin at 0300 hours, and end deep into the night.
He climbs adroitly into the hammock, turns his back against the glare of the lights in the mess, against the noisy humanity in it –the card games, the board games, the eating. .
It is a special skill this –the ability all men at sea develop – the ability to take this little space –this hammock –this space-your space –and to ‘isolate’ it from the world.
You climb into your rack, turn your back to the mess –and it is, for all practical purposes – no longer there.
And it works the other way – your friend is there, playing cards with you. He announces “guts shift’, closes his hand, and moves what? – ten feet away, strips, climbs in…………..and is gone.
You don’t disturb him, and truly, he ‘fades from view’.
It’s a skill. But you develop it.
(the other one is of course, the ability to drop of to sleep immediately, despite the noise, the lights, the movement, and the stink)
(but maybe exhaustion helps that. -------But ask any navy veteran – it’s the lack of noise that makes it hard to sleep)
And so, Nashiguchi enters his own little world. And, as is his lifetime habit, he reaches into the little pocket he has sewn into the hammock, and reaches for his Bible.
His hand, however, encounters not the expected worn leather cover, but something soft, and sticky.
He withdraws his hand - and finds it covered in human excrement
The world, for him, pauses.
He looks up – and stares straight at Kurihama.
Eyes meet.
Kurihama smiles, and then turns away, back to his game.
Gingerly, Nashiguchi withdraws his book. It is after all, only a book – and crap washes off.
But Nashiguchi won’t sleep very well tonight.
“You do realize tomorrow is the fourth of July?’. Hasegawa says, as he reaches for his glasses, sweeps the horizon yet again.
Nothing
Again
“yes”. Hidaka raises his –takes his turn at sweeping.. calm seas, no mist. Visibility a million miles.
And nothing to be seen.
Hidaka lowers the glasses. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”
‘That the Americans can hardly let tomorrow go past quietly?”
‘yes” agrees Hidaka “that’s exactly what I am thinking”
the Older man sighs, rubs his chin, smiles –old grey eyes twinkling however “ Gives one the willies doesn’t it?”
The day however, passes quietly –CAP is flown, search is flown. In the afternoon, refueling, it passes routinely today, and the fat tankers depart for KB just after dark.
It’s a nothing day, really……………
Nashiguchi wearily makes his way from the ablutions towards his hammock, tired, aching.
Another day of endless laps around the fleet, another day of sun burning down, of sweat, of ache, of pounding from the engine. His bum, quite frankly is numb.
And tomorrow, another day that will begin at 0300 hours, and end deep into the night.
He climbs adroitly into the hammock, turns his back against the glare of the lights in the mess, against the noisy humanity in it –the card games, the board games, the eating. .
It is a special skill this –the ability all men at sea develop – the ability to take this little space –this hammock –this space-your space –and to ‘isolate’ it from the world.
You climb into your rack, turn your back to the mess –and it is, for all practical purposes – no longer there.
And it works the other way – your friend is there, playing cards with you. He announces “guts shift’, closes his hand, and moves what? – ten feet away, strips, climbs in…………..and is gone.
You don’t disturb him, and truly, he ‘fades from view’.
It’s a skill. But you develop it.
(the other one is of course, the ability to drop of to sleep immediately, despite the noise, the lights, the movement, and the stink)
(but maybe exhaustion helps that. -------But ask any navy veteran – it’s the lack of noise that makes it hard to sleep)
And so, Nashiguchi enters his own little world. And, as is his lifetime habit, he reaches into the little pocket he has sewn into the hammock, and reaches for his Bible.
His hand, however, encounters not the expected worn leather cover, but something soft, and sticky.
He withdraws his hand - and finds it covered in human excrement
The world, for him, pauses.
He looks up – and stares straight at Kurihama.
Eyes meet.
Kurihama smiles, and then turns away, back to his game.
Gingerly, Nashiguchi withdraws his book. It is after all, only a book – and crap washes off.
But Nashiguchi won’t sleep very well tonight.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Kurihama is lucky it is not "the other" holy book.
Nice touch.
Nice touch.
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
-
Smoky Stoker
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:34 pm
RE: The little ship that could.
ORIGINAL: 1275psi
( -------But ask any navy veteran – it’s the lack of noise that makes it hard to sleep)
The last time I was at sea was in 1974, but I still clip a small fan to my headboard and run it all the year around. It's a niche variation on "getting a buzz on". There used to be 'white noise machines' that would do the same, but the ones they sell nowadays last no more than a month or two, and cost more than the fan as well.
"Leveling large cities has a tendency to alienate the affections of the inhabitants and does not create an atmosphere of international good will after the war." -Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery
RE: The little ship that could.
Dear Great Dictator,
This is absolutely brilliant and poetic writing. Thanks for taking the time to think up and write down such detailed thoughts. Have you seen the colorized photo of Zuiho at Cape Engano?
oi
This is absolutely brilliant and poetic writing. Thanks for taking the time to think up and write down such detailed thoughts. Have you seen the colorized photo of Zuiho at Cape Engano?
oi
RE: The little ship that could.
Hi guys
Yes, seen photo
Info on Zuiho is very scarce -I may have to buy model of her one day -but i am a bit busy building my 1/72 scale yamato -2.65 mtres of her!
thankyou for comments.
(we need some action soon though yes? LOL)
4/7/42
“For TRUK sakes! – hold the bitch steady!”
The nightmare for smn Azuki continues. For the hundredth time he thinks he should have taken the beating, for the hundredth time, that sword seems such an easy answer.
He struggles now against many things, the weight of the motor on the trolley –attempting to roll away, against the rising swell of vomit in his belly, but mostly against the looks of scorn from those around him..
And again, the shame sweeps through him.
Word of his ‘punishment’, had swept like lightning through the mess- but so had the deadline set by the Charge.
For several hours, Azuki had sat above that hatch, consumed with misery –how –alone –was he going to do it.
Then, a curios thing (curious then, but not now) had happened.
‘In a bit of strife ney?”
The stoker –a stranger –was huge. He was also smiling. “don’t worry “ this great beast of a man had chuckled “ the Charges bark is worse than his bite –and I should know”
And with that, Lurch had slipped through the hatch, spanner bag in hand.
Azuki –at this moment – feels, knows, this is a pivotal moment. Go down, down into that rising, falling, rolling, stinking hell –and things will change.
Hesitate……….
He, of course goes.
The Motor is huge, and heavy, and acts the bitch they expect it to be –hold down bolts are rusted in, and have to be chiseled off , the chain blocks will weave like the fighters they carry, and the motor will attempt countless times to amputate fingers, toes, crush limbs.
Oh yes –she will be a bitch, this motor.
Azuki stays. He spews, he sweats, he stays.
Blood will flow from his knuckles.
Others –all strangers to him –come and go, working before, and after watch.
It takes time, but slowly Azuki comes to realise something, something deep, and very meaningful is occurring here, here deep in Zuiho’s guts
They come, and work, not for him, but for the Charge.
Yes –the word has spread.
Loyalty flows two ways……………
Azuki stays, exhausted, he stays.
He helps haul this bitch up the many decks, the rattle of the block and tackle a steady rhythm.
He stays as they put her onto the trolley.
He stays as they chain the bitch over every coaming, every obstacle, across the hanger to the greenies workshop
And now they are here –one more coaming to go.
And again, he struggles to hold her steady.
Suddenly the work stops, and the men leap back, stand straight, and HE is there –the Charge, and he does not even look at him –examining the beast with a critical eye.
‘Good job men-I am sure she will go again”
And that is that.
“good job men” is enough
Again, the shame rises……………………and smn Azuki will never, ever skip rounds again.
A lesson the Charge knows –no beating would have ever assured.
Despite “the willies’, July the fourth passes very quietly. In Burma, Akyab falls to Japan, Katha too.
Yamamoto, frustration rising, decides to up the stakes.
From Combined Fleet
To
Swift eagle
‘Strike Wake”
‘Come right, new course 210degrees. “
“do you hear there. This ship will conduct offensive combat operations tomorrow from 0400 hours. Action stations will be called 0300 hrs.
That is all”
Yes, seen photo
Info on Zuiho is very scarce -I may have to buy model of her one day -but i am a bit busy building my 1/72 scale yamato -2.65 mtres of her!
thankyou for comments.
(we need some action soon though yes? LOL)
4/7/42
“For TRUK sakes! – hold the bitch steady!”
The nightmare for smn Azuki continues. For the hundredth time he thinks he should have taken the beating, for the hundredth time, that sword seems such an easy answer.
He struggles now against many things, the weight of the motor on the trolley –attempting to roll away, against the rising swell of vomit in his belly, but mostly against the looks of scorn from those around him..
And again, the shame sweeps through him.
Word of his ‘punishment’, had swept like lightning through the mess- but so had the deadline set by the Charge.
For several hours, Azuki had sat above that hatch, consumed with misery –how –alone –was he going to do it.
Then, a curios thing (curious then, but not now) had happened.
‘In a bit of strife ney?”
The stoker –a stranger –was huge. He was also smiling. “don’t worry “ this great beast of a man had chuckled “ the Charges bark is worse than his bite –and I should know”
And with that, Lurch had slipped through the hatch, spanner bag in hand.
Azuki –at this moment – feels, knows, this is a pivotal moment. Go down, down into that rising, falling, rolling, stinking hell –and things will change.
Hesitate……….
He, of course goes.
The Motor is huge, and heavy, and acts the bitch they expect it to be –hold down bolts are rusted in, and have to be chiseled off , the chain blocks will weave like the fighters they carry, and the motor will attempt countless times to amputate fingers, toes, crush limbs.
Oh yes –she will be a bitch, this motor.
Azuki stays. He spews, he sweats, he stays.
Blood will flow from his knuckles.
Others –all strangers to him –come and go, working before, and after watch.
It takes time, but slowly Azuki comes to realise something, something deep, and very meaningful is occurring here, here deep in Zuiho’s guts
They come, and work, not for him, but for the Charge.
Yes –the word has spread.
Loyalty flows two ways……………
Azuki stays, exhausted, he stays.
He helps haul this bitch up the many decks, the rattle of the block and tackle a steady rhythm.
He stays as they put her onto the trolley.
He stays as they chain the bitch over every coaming, every obstacle, across the hanger to the greenies workshop
And now they are here –one more coaming to go.
And again, he struggles to hold her steady.
Suddenly the work stops, and the men leap back, stand straight, and HE is there –the Charge, and he does not even look at him –examining the beast with a critical eye.
‘Good job men-I am sure she will go again”
And that is that.
“good job men” is enough
Again, the shame rises……………………and smn Azuki will never, ever skip rounds again.
A lesson the Charge knows –no beating would have ever assured.
Despite “the willies’, July the fourth passes very quietly. In Burma, Akyab falls to Japan, Katha too.
Yamamoto, frustration rising, decides to up the stakes.
From Combined Fleet
To
Swift eagle
‘Strike Wake”
‘Come right, new course 210degrees. “
“do you hear there. This ship will conduct offensive combat operations tomorrow from 0400 hours. Action stations will be called 0300 hrs.
That is all”
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
5/7/42
They have carried you all this way.
You
Around you, they work every day –work extraordinary hours, work in the boiler rooms, work in the galley, work on the bridge.
A thousand men taking, Zuiho to this point.
You, you work -a little.
You train –a lot.
But mostly, you are carried here , to this point.
They have deferred to you. They give you the best food. The best care. They give you the honour, the glory, the glamour.
But now, fighter pilot, they give you something else.
The responsibility.
Zuiho will strike today.
And you, and your companions must make sure it gets through.
A dozen bombers –all from Ryujo –wing south west at 5000 feet, a neat formation, green camouflage stark against the brilliant blue below
Above them, gently weaving from side to side, 30 zeros provide cover.
Around them, scattered cloud –enough to hide a lurking flight of fighters, not enough to hide wake itself.
Diogawa leads.
Zuiho has brought him here.
He is glad to be here
He lives for this.
This is him
Fighter pilot.
The hunters blood surges through him.
And now –slanting in from the flank –still two miles or more away –the wildcats are coming in.
He smiles, weaves his wings, and peels of the formation, leading a dozen plus others straight towards them.
Fighter pilot
We have brought him here –so many of us –for this.
The point of the spear.
And it sparkles bright in the morning sun………………..
They have carried you all this way.
You
Around you, they work every day –work extraordinary hours, work in the boiler rooms, work in the galley, work on the bridge.
A thousand men taking, Zuiho to this point.
You, you work -a little.
You train –a lot.
But mostly, you are carried here , to this point.
They have deferred to you. They give you the best food. The best care. They give you the honour, the glory, the glamour.
But now, fighter pilot, they give you something else.
The responsibility.
Zuiho will strike today.
And you, and your companions must make sure it gets through.
A dozen bombers –all from Ryujo –wing south west at 5000 feet, a neat formation, green camouflage stark against the brilliant blue below
Above them, gently weaving from side to side, 30 zeros provide cover.
Around them, scattered cloud –enough to hide a lurking flight of fighters, not enough to hide wake itself.
Diogawa leads.
Zuiho has brought him here.
He is glad to be here
He lives for this.
This is him
Fighter pilot.
The hunters blood surges through him.
And now –slanting in from the flank –still two miles or more away –the wildcats are coming in.
He smiles, weaves his wings, and peels of the formation, leading a dozen plus others straight towards them.
Fighter pilot
We have brought him here –so many of us –for this.
The point of the spear.
And it sparkles bright in the morning sun………………..
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Don't stop now! [:D]
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british exil
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RE: The little ship that could.
Just as it get's exciting. Will they get through or will the "bad guys" stop them?
Will our heroes suffer loses? Can't wait for the next post.
Mat
Will our heroes suffer loses? Can't wait for the next post.
Mat
"It is not enough to expect a man to pay for the best, you must also give him what he pays for." Alfred Dunhill
WitE,UV,AT,ATG,FoF,FPCRS
WitE,UV,AT,ATG,FoF,FPCRS
RE: The little ship that could.
There are a neat dozen of them, tubby little things, marvelous how all those hours of recognition training pay of…..no doubt, even at this rapidly closing range what they are though.
The enemy.
Doigawa is banking in to the right, and the wildcats are banking into their right as well, interception………..
Now it is all about being calm, about being smooth, about , above all keeping your cool, eyes, hands, stick, all as one
He fires briefly at one of the hurtling by cats, neatly rolling up and over the fire coming the other way, wincing as something bangs hard some bloody where, and its now full hard bank and climb, head arching back, seeking, seeking, grunting under the gee forces, engine bellowing –yet silent-such is the concentration……
A zero, one wing gone, tumbles past, and another, and so do several wild cats.
The bank is almost a loop now –a target –500 yards or so, twisting right, and he latches on, spotted!, the wildcat lurching left –skidding, skidding in panic, smooth, smooth, eating up the distance……….and another zero flashes in from the right, the distinctive thud of the cannons, DAMN!, the target bursts into flame, plunges away out of sight…….
Haul her up again, up, around –and the sky is clear- how quickly it happens! –the strike –unmolested heads into wake.
Doigawa eases the throttle, watches the bombs fall – a wasted effort –this he can tell even from here –the field is empty………….
“result of the strike sir”
Yamamoto nods –‘yes?”
‘”enemy field struck sir –little damage inflicted, field not, repeat, not occupied by any bombers. Six enemy fighters shot down for two lost”
Silence fills Akagi’s bridge.
‘Do you think the coop had flown Hara?”
Akagi’s Captain contemplates the ocean about them, so big, so empty –so many places to hide…….
Yesterday, full of b17’s –today, empty. Isn’t the answer to that obvious Admiral?
‘Sir, I think……….”
“Aircraft!-bearing 180 degrees – range 4 miles! –Catalina flying boat sir!”
Hara does not finish his sentence. Its moot now. Everything is moot now, damn it to hell.
Mobile fleet has been sprung.
Hidaka watches them come in.
How keenly you seek signs of damage, how closely, heart in mouth do you count them.
He cannot rest easy until they all have got down.
Zuiho has launched 6 fighters on this strike, she has six in the air still.
Her Kates rest below – armed with fish, waiting for the unexpected.
Doigawa joins circuit, turns in, floats over the ramp, catches the second trap (always the second one does Doigawa), lurches to the halt.
Eager hands push him forward to safety.
Hidaka climbs up to his cockpit, waits until the engine stops. Sweating, Doigawa pulls of his helmet, looks up at his commander
“I think fighting Americans might be a bit different Hidaka”
‘How so?”
‘Unlike the British, these bakas have teeth”
Its then Hidaka spots it –the hole in the cockpits side –just above where Doigawa’s right knee rests, the exit just near his left hip………………..
Herbiesan reads the signal.
A bust.
Six months worth of fuel
An entire fleet deployed
For six wildcats!
“order combined fleet home!……………I will have heads for this!”
The enemy.
Doigawa is banking in to the right, and the wildcats are banking into their right as well, interception………..
Now it is all about being calm, about being smooth, about , above all keeping your cool, eyes, hands, stick, all as one
He fires briefly at one of the hurtling by cats, neatly rolling up and over the fire coming the other way, wincing as something bangs hard some bloody where, and its now full hard bank and climb, head arching back, seeking, seeking, grunting under the gee forces, engine bellowing –yet silent-such is the concentration……
A zero, one wing gone, tumbles past, and another, and so do several wild cats.
The bank is almost a loop now –a target –500 yards or so, twisting right, and he latches on, spotted!, the wildcat lurching left –skidding, skidding in panic, smooth, smooth, eating up the distance……….and another zero flashes in from the right, the distinctive thud of the cannons, DAMN!, the target bursts into flame, plunges away out of sight…….
Haul her up again, up, around –and the sky is clear- how quickly it happens! –the strike –unmolested heads into wake.
Doigawa eases the throttle, watches the bombs fall – a wasted effort –this he can tell even from here –the field is empty………….
“result of the strike sir”
Yamamoto nods –‘yes?”
‘”enemy field struck sir –little damage inflicted, field not, repeat, not occupied by any bombers. Six enemy fighters shot down for two lost”
Silence fills Akagi’s bridge.
‘Do you think the coop had flown Hara?”
Akagi’s Captain contemplates the ocean about them, so big, so empty –so many places to hide…….
Yesterday, full of b17’s –today, empty. Isn’t the answer to that obvious Admiral?
‘Sir, I think……….”
“Aircraft!-bearing 180 degrees – range 4 miles! –Catalina flying boat sir!”
Hara does not finish his sentence. Its moot now. Everything is moot now, damn it to hell.
Mobile fleet has been sprung.
Hidaka watches them come in.
How keenly you seek signs of damage, how closely, heart in mouth do you count them.
He cannot rest easy until they all have got down.
Zuiho has launched 6 fighters on this strike, she has six in the air still.
Her Kates rest below – armed with fish, waiting for the unexpected.
Doigawa joins circuit, turns in, floats over the ramp, catches the second trap (always the second one does Doigawa), lurches to the halt.
Eager hands push him forward to safety.
Hidaka climbs up to his cockpit, waits until the engine stops. Sweating, Doigawa pulls of his helmet, looks up at his commander
“I think fighting Americans might be a bit different Hidaka”
‘How so?”
‘Unlike the British, these bakas have teeth”
Its then Hidaka spots it –the hole in the cockpits side –just above where Doigawa’s right knee rests, the exit just near his left hip………………..
Herbiesan reads the signal.
A bust.
Six months worth of fuel
An entire fleet deployed
For six wildcats!
“order combined fleet home!……………I will have heads for this!”
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
6/7/42
Zuiho’s ready room is a rough place at the best of times. Exuberance calls this place home. Three of the new pilots have proven themselves in combat –claiming kills.
Now, as dawn approaches, they josh and kid each other mercilessly, waiting for Hidaka to come in, give them the orders, let them loose over Wake again.
He enters, and the racket and noise slowly dies.
‘readiness –and 30% CAP”
Stunned silence
“No strike sir?”
Hidake grimaces. Plainly, plainly, he is disgusted as any of them.
“No, no strike. The mission is cancelled. …………we go to other climes I am afraid”
And then, he is gone
‘Truk!”
Nashiguchi smiles to himself. How easy to express disgust at lack of action, here, safe onboard. How easy to forget that the enemy have teeth too.
He gathers his stuff, heads towards the passageway, ladder to the flight deck –he will be on the first patrol regardless.
It will be good to escape the stink up there for a while anyway.
A figure blocks his path.
Kurihama –the great Gorilla. Just what he doesn’t need.
‘Pleased ney?’ it is almost a snarl
Nashiguchi stops, perplexed, pleased with what?
“That we miss action, that you don’t have to face the enemy hey?’
For a moment, he struggles to control himself. Why this hatred? Are they not warrior brothers? Where the hell is Kurihama coming from?
“I have four kills”
“And you will love one another!” –you are a joke Nashiguchi –a weak joke”
And the Kate pilot brushes past.
For a few moments the zero pilot can only stand and think. There is no one else on this ship he can talk to, nobody to whom he can turn.
Uniquely, in this problem, he is alone.
It is many moments before he can continue, up onto the flight deck, to his fighter –to another day.
On the bridge, they watch (but mostly hear) the last fighter roar overhead for todays duties.
It is just after dawn, a dawn after a very, very long night.
Twice the Catalina flying boats have prowled into view –raising high anxiety amongst everyone.
Catalina’s have been known to strike at night…………..
Now, the Officer of the watch takes his bearings from the binnacle –still nicely on the bow of Shoho. Any moment now he anticipates that growl from the corner as Hasegawa will pass his desires to change course, the trick is to be ready for the growl when it comes……………
But it doesn’t come.
What does is a gentle thud, and a stifled cry from the helmsman.
Horrified, the OOW turns to see Hasegawa collapsed on the deck, face pale, eyes rolled back……….
Zuiho’s ready room is a rough place at the best of times. Exuberance calls this place home. Three of the new pilots have proven themselves in combat –claiming kills.
Now, as dawn approaches, they josh and kid each other mercilessly, waiting for Hidaka to come in, give them the orders, let them loose over Wake again.
He enters, and the racket and noise slowly dies.
‘readiness –and 30% CAP”
Stunned silence
“No strike sir?”
Hidake grimaces. Plainly, plainly, he is disgusted as any of them.
“No, no strike. The mission is cancelled. …………we go to other climes I am afraid”
And then, he is gone
‘Truk!”
Nashiguchi smiles to himself. How easy to express disgust at lack of action, here, safe onboard. How easy to forget that the enemy have teeth too.
He gathers his stuff, heads towards the passageway, ladder to the flight deck –he will be on the first patrol regardless.
It will be good to escape the stink up there for a while anyway.
A figure blocks his path.
Kurihama –the great Gorilla. Just what he doesn’t need.
‘Pleased ney?’ it is almost a snarl
Nashiguchi stops, perplexed, pleased with what?
“That we miss action, that you don’t have to face the enemy hey?’
For a moment, he struggles to control himself. Why this hatred? Are they not warrior brothers? Where the hell is Kurihama coming from?
“I have four kills”
“And you will love one another!” –you are a joke Nashiguchi –a weak joke”
And the Kate pilot brushes past.
For a few moments the zero pilot can only stand and think. There is no one else on this ship he can talk to, nobody to whom he can turn.
Uniquely, in this problem, he is alone.
It is many moments before he can continue, up onto the flight deck, to his fighter –to another day.
On the bridge, they watch (but mostly hear) the last fighter roar overhead for todays duties.
It is just after dawn, a dawn after a very, very long night.
Twice the Catalina flying boats have prowled into view –raising high anxiety amongst everyone.
Catalina’s have been known to strike at night…………..
Now, the Officer of the watch takes his bearings from the binnacle –still nicely on the bow of Shoho. Any moment now he anticipates that growl from the corner as Hasegawa will pass his desires to change course, the trick is to be ready for the growl when it comes……………
But it doesn’t come.
What does is a gentle thud, and a stifled cry from the helmsman.
Horrified, the OOW turns to see Hasegawa collapsed on the deck, face pale, eyes rolled back……….
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
7/7/42
Commander Korrii is a dapper little man. It’s a cliché –I know –but truly –it’s a look Zuiho’s medical officer actually pursues, from the neat little moustache –to the neat umbrella (always rolled up-but never opened) that continuously accompanies him.
He should have –truthfully again, been born an Englishman.
But he wasn’t, of course –but there it is.
Medics on ship know everything.
There are, can be absolutely no secrets kept from him, and he, like most medical staff, keeps them. It takes no effort really anyway –he knows that whatever problem you attend with –will be known through out the ship soon anyway………its damn hard to hide a problem when you live cheek and jowl with so many others
But this secret he did not know about.
And now, as he leans over the calm face of Hasegawa, he is almost angry, almost – dapper gentlemen don’t get angry –annoyed yes –but never angry.
‘And how long has this been going on?”
He eyes the Captain with a clinical eye (as you would hope he does!) –noting the thinness of the old mans body, the dark circles under the eyes –the pallor of the skin.
He knows much more of course – having done his examination while the Captain lay unconscious , and what he has found distresses him.
“Does it matter Korrii?. When its time, its time”
‘But it may not be. Shore time, rest-treatment. It may not be as bad as it might be. I cannot tell here –ashore……….”
The old eyes twinkle again “A lot of maybes Korrii there, a lot”
Silence for a moment fills the sickbay. It is currently empty, and undoubtedly the quietest place onboard at the moment.
The Old man sits up. “you know, I joined this outfit in 1900 –which my friend, feels like a long, long time ago. You know, I helped secure the Gilberts in 1914, didn’t see my first plane until 1930!. Can you imagine that!?. Battleships. Always battleships filled my blood. That’s what I wanted. Command of a battleship.”
He laughs –weakly, the irony trickling through “And now the day of the battlewagon passes for little sows like this, flying tin cans, and young men we don’t even understand”
‘But you command -yes?”
A deep sigh. “yes. Yes I do”
And suddenly the eyes stop twinkling, and fill with a fierce anger –and a fierce defiance. “you won’t put me ashore Korrii –I forbid it!”
Send me ashore –they pension me off. If japan is defeated –what of my pension then ? –yes? –have we considered that? And of my family – in a defeated nation, with a dead father no matter what happens? Defeated nations don’t pay pensions!”
“You are not going to die sir, I……….”
‘Oh crap Korrii!. I know the score. Better to die winning a future for my daughters, than to fade away –that, that I will never do –not now, not after all these years!”
Korrii considers the man. Considers the words –a defeated Japan? – a thought he had never even considered. Ever.
Disturbing.
‘Now – get me back on my feet Korrii –soon. I am sure there are plenty who think they can do better than I can –lets not give them a chance yes?’
It had been, thinks the Charge –a remarkable run. But that’s how steam plants can be –once you get em up and running, get them stabilized, and they will run like a dream.
Except for that cursed pump up forward, so few defects – a few leaking valves .
But now the good run has finished.
“Ok bitch, what have you got for me now?”
The call comes from Port Engine room –problems –major –with the main oil pump.
Even as he climbs down through the hatch, enters the bedlam of noise, ears tuned to years of this bedlam pick out the subtle –yet distinct RONK< RONK< RONK of a bearing, or something worse, coming from below the steaming platform.
Okano greets him
“Doesn’t sound too good hey Okano!?
‘Sounds pretty truked to me Chief!”
Lurch comes over too. He has his little oil drain tin with him –and he scoops a finger into it –withdrawing a finger covered in ‘lovely’ brass filings –sharp and jiggered.
The Charge really does not need to see the pump – he has seen this so many times before.
Japan lags many , many years behind the Americans and british in turbine design, and Gland seals are not their strong point.
“Main pinion wheel Okano – the gland will have failed. Bet you first beer in Tokyo that the Turbine seal is gone – the sump is full of water –and what passes for lubrication is now a nice slurry”
Okano grins. ‘No way I bet a beer against you Chief . Shut it down?”
‘Yes –swing to the Motor driven. It appears the bitch has woken up. Come on Lurch, lets go look……………”
“Its gone Chief?” Minobe eyes him, one eyebrow arching very high.
‘Yes sir”
‘Human failure –or design?’
“Definitely design sir”
“Like that pump up forward?’
Ahhh, crap, he suspects, or maybe even knows. Stuff it. What will the jelly fish do? –beat him as well?
‘yes sir –like up forward”
The lie sits there between them.
Minobe smiles –a genuine one. “you like the men too much Charge. One day you will see that the fist is better.”
The Charge says nothing to this, waits
“I will let Hasegawa know –apparently he has a cold or some crud……….”
Commander Korrii is a dapper little man. It’s a cliché –I know –but truly –it’s a look Zuiho’s medical officer actually pursues, from the neat little moustache –to the neat umbrella (always rolled up-but never opened) that continuously accompanies him.
He should have –truthfully again, been born an Englishman.
But he wasn’t, of course –but there it is.
Medics on ship know everything.
There are, can be absolutely no secrets kept from him, and he, like most medical staff, keeps them. It takes no effort really anyway –he knows that whatever problem you attend with –will be known through out the ship soon anyway………its damn hard to hide a problem when you live cheek and jowl with so many others
But this secret he did not know about.
And now, as he leans over the calm face of Hasegawa, he is almost angry, almost – dapper gentlemen don’t get angry –annoyed yes –but never angry.
‘And how long has this been going on?”
He eyes the Captain with a clinical eye (as you would hope he does!) –noting the thinness of the old mans body, the dark circles under the eyes –the pallor of the skin.
He knows much more of course – having done his examination while the Captain lay unconscious , and what he has found distresses him.
“Does it matter Korrii?. When its time, its time”
‘But it may not be. Shore time, rest-treatment. It may not be as bad as it might be. I cannot tell here –ashore……….”
The old eyes twinkle again “A lot of maybes Korrii there, a lot”
Silence for a moment fills the sickbay. It is currently empty, and undoubtedly the quietest place onboard at the moment.
The Old man sits up. “you know, I joined this outfit in 1900 –which my friend, feels like a long, long time ago. You know, I helped secure the Gilberts in 1914, didn’t see my first plane until 1930!. Can you imagine that!?. Battleships. Always battleships filled my blood. That’s what I wanted. Command of a battleship.”
He laughs –weakly, the irony trickling through “And now the day of the battlewagon passes for little sows like this, flying tin cans, and young men we don’t even understand”
‘But you command -yes?”
A deep sigh. “yes. Yes I do”
And suddenly the eyes stop twinkling, and fill with a fierce anger –and a fierce defiance. “you won’t put me ashore Korrii –I forbid it!”
Send me ashore –they pension me off. If japan is defeated –what of my pension then ? –yes? –have we considered that? And of my family – in a defeated nation, with a dead father no matter what happens? Defeated nations don’t pay pensions!”
“You are not going to die sir, I……….”
‘Oh crap Korrii!. I know the score. Better to die winning a future for my daughters, than to fade away –that, that I will never do –not now, not after all these years!”
Korrii considers the man. Considers the words –a defeated Japan? – a thought he had never even considered. Ever.
Disturbing.
‘Now – get me back on my feet Korrii –soon. I am sure there are plenty who think they can do better than I can –lets not give them a chance yes?’
It had been, thinks the Charge –a remarkable run. But that’s how steam plants can be –once you get em up and running, get them stabilized, and they will run like a dream.
Except for that cursed pump up forward, so few defects – a few leaking valves .
But now the good run has finished.
“Ok bitch, what have you got for me now?”
The call comes from Port Engine room –problems –major –with the main oil pump.
Even as he climbs down through the hatch, enters the bedlam of noise, ears tuned to years of this bedlam pick out the subtle –yet distinct RONK< RONK< RONK of a bearing, or something worse, coming from below the steaming platform.
Okano greets him
“Doesn’t sound too good hey Okano!?
‘Sounds pretty truked to me Chief!”
Lurch comes over too. He has his little oil drain tin with him –and he scoops a finger into it –withdrawing a finger covered in ‘lovely’ brass filings –sharp and jiggered.
The Charge really does not need to see the pump – he has seen this so many times before.
Japan lags many , many years behind the Americans and british in turbine design, and Gland seals are not their strong point.
“Main pinion wheel Okano – the gland will have failed. Bet you first beer in Tokyo that the Turbine seal is gone – the sump is full of water –and what passes for lubrication is now a nice slurry”
Okano grins. ‘No way I bet a beer against you Chief . Shut it down?”
‘Yes –swing to the Motor driven. It appears the bitch has woken up. Come on Lurch, lets go look……………”
“Its gone Chief?” Minobe eyes him, one eyebrow arching very high.
‘Yes sir”
‘Human failure –or design?’
“Definitely design sir”
“Like that pump up forward?’
Ahhh, crap, he suspects, or maybe even knows. Stuff it. What will the jelly fish do? –beat him as well?
‘yes sir –like up forward”
The lie sits there between them.
Minobe smiles –a genuine one. “you like the men too much Charge. One day you will see that the fist is better.”
The Charge says nothing to this, waits
“I will let Hasegawa know –apparently he has a cold or some crud……….”
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
8/7/42
In Japan, a small girl takes her very first steps.
Her father, on Zuiho, will miss it.
In Japan, a Son will turn 21
His Father, on Zuiho, will not be there to celebrate.
In Japan, a wife will struggle with a loose roof shingle.
A husband , on Zuiho, will not hear of it
In Japan, a father dies
On Zuiho, a Son will not hear –and be able to mourn, for many months yet.
War calls for all to sacrifice
Peace, or war, sailors will always sacrifice………….
Zuiho continues to transit. New orders. New mission.
Below, the repairs begin on the oil pump. Boilers are blown, soot is blown.
Planes are stripped, overhauled.
A thousand cans of paint suddenly appear, and the eternal war against rust, against the sea, resumes.
But quietly, secretly, a thousand hearts, here, and in Japan, wish things were different.
In Japan, a small girl takes her very first steps.
Her father, on Zuiho, will miss it.
In Japan, a Son will turn 21
His Father, on Zuiho, will not be there to celebrate.
In Japan, a wife will struggle with a loose roof shingle.
A husband , on Zuiho, will not hear of it
In Japan, a father dies
On Zuiho, a Son will not hear –and be able to mourn, for many months yet.
War calls for all to sacrifice
Peace, or war, sailors will always sacrifice………….
Zuiho continues to transit. New orders. New mission.
Below, the repairs begin on the oil pump. Boilers are blown, soot is blown.
Planes are stripped, overhauled.
A thousand cans of paint suddenly appear, and the eternal war against rust, against the sea, resumes.
But quietly, secretly, a thousand hearts, here, and in Japan, wish things were different.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt