16/11/43
Capatins log Zuiho
Arrived safely KOBE, 1600 hours
Granted 72hrs leave to all ships company, restricted to 10 miles of naval base.
The little ship that could.
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: The little ship that could.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Okano's tale will be typical.
The rush to complete the shut down, the panic to finish the work of securing systems
The utter anxiety of waiting for the harbour watchbill to be printed, the exhultation to see that wisely the single men will keep duty tonight
The panic to find a clean shore rig (for this is an arrival utterly unexpected)
Then the endless wait for the word, "leave"
The rush to find a phone in a strange city, the waiting in the inevitable cue, counting again and again the precious coins in his pocket.
The phone, hot, sweaty from the last man.
The crackling line, the endless ringing
His wife, of course, does not own a phone, this call will be going to MR Tans, local landlord of the block they live in. He can afford a phone.
The answer, its old Mrs Tan, patriarc of the street. The awkwardness of being utterly polite, yet desperate to inform his wife, while an elderly lady prattles on, and on, how proud we are, how hard things are, how the arthritis...........and the phone swallows the coins..........one after the other.....
The desperate break in........please, my wife?
Oh, so sorry........... oh, you daughter is here!, I will send her to get her...........and the silence, and the cons, and the silence..........two coins left........footsteps...........
And only sailors can do it.
Pass such essentials so quickly....
I am fine, you are fine, I am in Kobe, come now!, I love you................and the coins run out.........
It does not matter.
She will be here soon, he knows it.
The rush to complete the shut down, the panic to finish the work of securing systems
The utter anxiety of waiting for the harbour watchbill to be printed, the exhultation to see that wisely the single men will keep duty tonight
The panic to find a clean shore rig (for this is an arrival utterly unexpected)
Then the endless wait for the word, "leave"
The rush to find a phone in a strange city, the waiting in the inevitable cue, counting again and again the precious coins in his pocket.
The phone, hot, sweaty from the last man.
The crackling line, the endless ringing
His wife, of course, does not own a phone, this call will be going to MR Tans, local landlord of the block they live in. He can afford a phone.
The answer, its old Mrs Tan, patriarc of the street. The awkwardness of being utterly polite, yet desperate to inform his wife, while an elderly lady prattles on, and on, how proud we are, how hard things are, how the arthritis...........and the phone swallows the coins..........one after the other.....
The desperate break in........please, my wife?
Oh, so sorry........... oh, you daughter is here!, I will send her to get her...........and the silence, and the cons, and the silence..........two coins left........footsteps...........
And only sailors can do it.
Pass such essentials so quickly....
I am fine, you are fine, I am in Kobe, come now!, I love you................and the coins run out.........
It does not matter.
She will be here soon, he knows it.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Ok, quick step out of the story
Found what I call a dodgy, where you can load groups onto a CV, increase their size to 63 or 83, and then unload them.
Told cantona, we won't be doing that.
Now I know where some japanese players find all those endless numbers of AC from!
thoughts any one?
Found what I call a dodgy, where you can load groups onto a CV, increase their size to 63 or 83, and then unload them.
Told cantona, we won't be doing that.
Now I know where some japanese players find all those endless numbers of AC from!
thoughts any one?
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
17/11/43
Ruhyo, ISE, Hyuga, 3 CA, dash from Ulithi towards kavieng
From Truk, 2 CL, and several DDs sail as well.
A large convoy has docked at Kavieng..............and there is a small????, CVE???? CV? task force lingering 120 miles north.
Can the cruisers intercept, can Ruhyo cause the enemy to react, into Truk bomber range?
We will see.
Ruhyo, ISE, Hyuga, 3 CA, dash from Ulithi towards kavieng
From Truk, 2 CL, and several DDs sail as well.
A large convoy has docked at Kavieng..............and there is a small????, CVE???? CV? task force lingering 120 miles north.
Can the cruisers intercept, can Ruhyo cause the enemy to react, into Truk bomber range?
We will see.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Kobe is chaos
The fleet, a large part of it anyway, is in.
From everywhere across Japan, those that can travel, do.
Many, of course cannot, and I can think of only a handful of things more painful for loved ones to endure.
They come, wives, lovers, parents, and accomodation becomes impossible to find in this town.
But a way is always found.
All over Kobe, a phenomonen occurs. It occurred then, it occured a thousand years ago, it occurs now, it will occur for as ever as long as sailors re unite with families, with loved ones seperated for too long..
The gentle lies
The wives: Yes, I am well, the children are well, we are eating well, even as the dark shadows persist under the eyes, and faces seem a little gaunt.
The sailors......no, we have not seen danger, the war goes well, no, life is not so hard...........
They will dance and weave these little lies, as long as they are together. For why burden him, or her, with cares and woes one cannot do anything about?
No.
Live for today, tonight.
Each hour together, precious.
Death is the harsh reality of war. But sometimes, sometimes, its prescence can make these hours of life together sweetness itself........
The fleet, a large part of it anyway, is in.
From everywhere across Japan, those that can travel, do.
Many, of course cannot, and I can think of only a handful of things more painful for loved ones to endure.
They come, wives, lovers, parents, and accomodation becomes impossible to find in this town.
But a way is always found.
All over Kobe, a phenomonen occurs. It occurred then, it occured a thousand years ago, it occurs now, it will occur for as ever as long as sailors re unite with families, with loved ones seperated for too long..
The gentle lies
The wives: Yes, I am well, the children are well, we are eating well, even as the dark shadows persist under the eyes, and faces seem a little gaunt.
The sailors......no, we have not seen danger, the war goes well, no, life is not so hard...........
They will dance and weave these little lies, as long as they are together. For why burden him, or her, with cares and woes one cannot do anything about?
No.
Live for today, tonight.
Each hour together, precious.
Death is the harsh reality of war. But sometimes, sometimes, its prescence can make these hours of life together sweetness itself........
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
18/11/43
Fate is cruelly fickle, never more so than in war.
In waters deep south of Truk, CL Naha, Yubari and dd kagearo all operating seperately strike for the enemy task force, while the CVL tails her coat.
Everybody misses..............
Dawn finds them a mere 80 miles from the enemy, the CVL just out of range.
Whatever they were hunting however, is more than the anticipated CVE, 42 hellcats escort the 28 helldivers that sink naha, and the kagearo. rain covers Yubari for most of the day, a second strike in the afternoon sees a bomb bounce straight off her.
Wisely, it would seem, the rest of japans ships in the area retire north.
There are changes at Truk
47th Sentai depart , ultimately bound for Biak. In their place new Navy fighters.
And at last, a proper new fighter, heavier, faster, better gunned.
George awaits her debut.
Fate is cruelly fickle, never more so than in war.
In waters deep south of Truk, CL Naha, Yubari and dd kagearo all operating seperately strike for the enemy task force, while the CVL tails her coat.
Everybody misses..............
Dawn finds them a mere 80 miles from the enemy, the CVL just out of range.
Whatever they were hunting however, is more than the anticipated CVE, 42 hellcats escort the 28 helldivers that sink naha, and the kagearo. rain covers Yubari for most of the day, a second strike in the afternoon sees a bomb bounce straight off her.
Wisely, it would seem, the rest of japans ships in the area retire north.
There are changes at Truk
47th Sentai depart , ultimately bound for Biak. In their place new Navy fighters.
And at last, a proper new fighter, heavier, faster, better gunned.
George awaits her debut.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
19/11/43
CA Aoba swallows two fish near Truk.
There is little hope of making it safely, but she will try.
CA Aoba swallows two fish near Truk.
There is little hope of making it safely, but she will try.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
21/11/43
Despite leave, despite being at 8 hours notice for sea, Zuiho rides alongside Kobe fundamentally defect free.
Small teams have given her boilers a very quick internal brush down, removing a large amount of the choking deposits all that donkey poo fuel deposited there over the last months.
Urgent valve re packs are complete, and oil changes done.
More importantly, vitally in fact, the steering gear compartment spaces again overflow with spare parts.
This is a tale in itself.
CVL Nisshin lies in dock, a truking great hole punched in her side..
Minobe may be a drunk. He may be steam shy. He may, even in some eyes, be seen as incompetent (but Zuiho keeps going no?), but he has been about a long time.
He knows Nisshin's Engineer. Hes got drunk with him many a time.
What happens, happens in many a Navy , I am sure.
In a deal designed to drive a supply officer loopy mad, 40 Zuiho sailors take a truck to the dock, and strip her spares store dry in an overnight raid worthy of the Brinks gang.
Not a scerrick of paper work is raised, and Nisshins own supply staff will remain ignorant of this transaction for many a day yet.
They will, however, in the days to come, find a great many Article in use forms pass over their desks with the words " requeast for stores.........article destroyed by enemy action"
Nisshin takes a fish
Zuiho feeds on her entrails.....
Reamaining at 8 hours notice for sea proves to be wise
"leave is cancelled. All crew to return to ship. Raise steam. Prepare to sail, 0100 hours 25 th."
Enemy fleet CV, or Cvs are operating south of Truk, and getting aggressive. The fleet is restored to full strength in aircraft, and more vitally, her Tankers are again full.
It is time to again roll the dice of fickle fate.
Despite leave, despite being at 8 hours notice for sea, Zuiho rides alongside Kobe fundamentally defect free.
Small teams have given her boilers a very quick internal brush down, removing a large amount of the choking deposits all that donkey poo fuel deposited there over the last months.
Urgent valve re packs are complete, and oil changes done.
More importantly, vitally in fact, the steering gear compartment spaces again overflow with spare parts.
This is a tale in itself.
CVL Nisshin lies in dock, a truking great hole punched in her side..
Minobe may be a drunk. He may be steam shy. He may, even in some eyes, be seen as incompetent (but Zuiho keeps going no?), but he has been about a long time.
He knows Nisshin's Engineer. Hes got drunk with him many a time.
What happens, happens in many a Navy , I am sure.
In a deal designed to drive a supply officer loopy mad, 40 Zuiho sailors take a truck to the dock, and strip her spares store dry in an overnight raid worthy of the Brinks gang.
Not a scerrick of paper work is raised, and Nisshins own supply staff will remain ignorant of this transaction for many a day yet.
They will, however, in the days to come, find a great many Article in use forms pass over their desks with the words " requeast for stores.........article destroyed by enemy action"
Nisshin takes a fish
Zuiho feeds on her entrails.....
Reamaining at 8 hours notice for sea proves to be wise
"leave is cancelled. All crew to return to ship. Raise steam. Prepare to sail, 0100 hours 25 th."
Enemy fleet CV, or Cvs are operating south of Truk, and getting aggressive. The fleet is restored to full strength in aircraft, and more vitally, her Tankers are again full.
It is time to again roll the dice of fickle fate.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
1275, your prose is so poetic.
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.
Thank you Kaleun, as long as people read, Ill write my little tales.
they are stress therapy!
they are stress therapy!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
22/11/43
Where has the year gone?, can it have passed so fast?
Takeji stands on Zuihos bridge wing, collar raised against the bitter wind blowing across the bay.
He is wearing his light coat, and wishing deeply for his heavy one, as he holds Zuiho against the wind, the drift, waiting for the rest of this massive formation to gather itself.
Winter is coming, he can feel it. Winter, dark times, bleak times, call it what you will.
Japans summer is done. None will admit it, not even himself. But they feel it, all of them.
The formation gets its poo together.
And about time.
Without a backward glance to his homeland, to his life, to Japan, Takeji turns Zuiho into the setting sun.
Winter is coming.
"half ahead all"
So be it. He has never been afraid of the dark.
Where has the year gone?, can it have passed so fast?
Takeji stands on Zuihos bridge wing, collar raised against the bitter wind blowing across the bay.
He is wearing his light coat, and wishing deeply for his heavy one, as he holds Zuiho against the wind, the drift, waiting for the rest of this massive formation to gather itself.
Winter is coming, he can feel it. Winter, dark times, bleak times, call it what you will.
Japans summer is done. None will admit it, not even himself. But they feel it, all of them.
The formation gets its poo together.
And about time.
Without a backward glance to his homeland, to his life, to Japan, Takeji turns Zuiho into the setting sun.
Winter is coming.
"half ahead all"
So be it. He has never been afraid of the dark.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Pilot Officer Graham is a big man, a Jovial flying fellow, a man of ready laughter, of the quick smile, the quicker quip.
He is, in almost every sense, the perfect caricature of the British flying officer.
But read that first line again.
Pilot officer Graham is a big man, and right now, here in the pilot seat of his Blenhiem, this fact may well shortly kill him.
Up to the last 5 minutes, this milk run, bombing japanese troops at Toungoo, had been just that. Lead his pack of six companions in low and hard, drop the packages into the deep green, avoid the occasional twinkling tracer coming the other way, bank, and head home for tea, just like they had been doing for week now.
The sight of sixty (for gods sake, where in the hell do the Japs raise 60 from!) fighters swarming down upon them had been , to keep to the caricature "a right roayal surprise, let me tell you!"
The folowing, horrribly, was less than one.
The Blenhiems try to scatter, the blenhiems go down.
Including his.
Blenhiem cockpit, exit small.
Pilot officer Graham......... large.
'In a right sort of tight spot hey?'
No kidding.
He rides her down, less piloting the dying aircraft, keeping her on some sort of even keel, than willing her down with curses and courage towards the railway below.
The jungle smacks them, and his plane disintergrates about him, around him............but not him, or his cockpit.
The awful noise lasts merely a moment, and to his astonishment, despite the tree in the cockpit with him, he lives.
For a few minutes he just sits, attempting to grasp the miracle of his survival.
Unscratched, un injured. Crew gone, hopefully, at altitude.
Lucky man, my son, a lucky man.
The stink of fuel pokes him into action, it takes 35 minutes to clear the wreck, shaking somewhat on the ground.
A second stroke of luck.
20 yards away, the railroad.
And that, of course, is where the luck for pilot officer graham turns sour.
The railroad. The same rail road the entire 15th army is retreating down...........
He is, in almost every sense, the perfect caricature of the British flying officer.
But read that first line again.
Pilot officer Graham is a big man, and right now, here in the pilot seat of his Blenhiem, this fact may well shortly kill him.
Up to the last 5 minutes, this milk run, bombing japanese troops at Toungoo, had been just that. Lead his pack of six companions in low and hard, drop the packages into the deep green, avoid the occasional twinkling tracer coming the other way, bank, and head home for tea, just like they had been doing for week now.
The sight of sixty (for gods sake, where in the hell do the Japs raise 60 from!) fighters swarming down upon them had been , to keep to the caricature "a right roayal surprise, let me tell you!"
The folowing, horrribly, was less than one.
The Blenhiems try to scatter, the blenhiems go down.
Including his.
Blenhiem cockpit, exit small.
Pilot officer Graham......... large.
'In a right sort of tight spot hey?'
No kidding.
He rides her down, less piloting the dying aircraft, keeping her on some sort of even keel, than willing her down with curses and courage towards the railway below.
The jungle smacks them, and his plane disintergrates about him, around him............but not him, or his cockpit.
The awful noise lasts merely a moment, and to his astonishment, despite the tree in the cockpit with him, he lives.
For a few minutes he just sits, attempting to grasp the miracle of his survival.
Unscratched, un injured. Crew gone, hopefully, at altitude.
Lucky man, my son, a lucky man.
The stink of fuel pokes him into action, it takes 35 minutes to clear the wreck, shaking somewhat on the ground.
A second stroke of luck.
20 yards away, the railroad.
And that, of course, is where the luck for pilot officer graham turns sour.
The railroad. The same rail road the entire 15th army is retreating down...........
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Hosho watches the Blenhiem steak overhead, his company cheering about them.
They watch it disapear ito the green, hear it smack the canopy, and growl in animal satisfaction at the sound of destruction.
"One less buka hey!" Bando grins beside him, gaunt face almost spilt by the grin.
'yes" growls Hosho, trying to hide the hope he feels stirring again inside him 'one less Buka"
One less, no actually, 6 less today, and to their astonishment, once again the sound of Japanese aero engines overhead.
And why not?
They have marched a long way south now, the fields at Rangoon, moulmien, they would be coming into play now surely?
Now, if they can keep the bukas of the trains,.............
Trains are death traps. But he doesn't care anymore.
He must rest, or die anyway.
They watch it disapear ito the green, hear it smack the canopy, and growl in animal satisfaction at the sound of destruction.
"One less buka hey!" Bando grins beside him, gaunt face almost spilt by the grin.
'yes" growls Hosho, trying to hide the hope he feels stirring again inside him 'one less Buka"
One less, no actually, 6 less today, and to their astonishment, once again the sound of Japanese aero engines overhead.
And why not?
They have marched a long way south now, the fields at Rangoon, moulmien, they would be coming into play now surely?
Now, if they can keep the bukas of the trains,.............
Trains are death traps. But he doesn't care anymore.
He must rest, or die anyway.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
23/11/43
Thoughts of home, the distractions of rest, are abruptly and rudely swept away within an hour of clearing into the pacific
With land still in view, the SS makes its attack.
BB Hiei is its target, only 1000 metres to Zuihos stern, it is not long before the thuding hammers ring through the ocean, the depth charges tapping, banging on her hull.
Men will grimace, and silently curse.
The war, forgotten with such difficulty, returns, ugly and real.
Bang, goes the next set, bang, bang, welcome back Zuiho, bang, welcome back fear and doubt, bang, returning now, endless stress and strife.
The attacks go on for some time, fading behind her streaming wake.
The sub is reported sunk. Few believe it has been.. It does not need to be said.
There must be more.
Thoughts of home, the distractions of rest, are abruptly and rudely swept away within an hour of clearing into the pacific
With land still in view, the SS makes its attack.
BB Hiei is its target, only 1000 metres to Zuihos stern, it is not long before the thuding hammers ring through the ocean, the depth charges tapping, banging on her hull.
Men will grimace, and silently curse.
The war, forgotten with such difficulty, returns, ugly and real.
Bang, goes the next set, bang, bang, welcome back Zuiho, bang, welcome back fear and doubt, bang, returning now, endless stress and strife.
The attacks go on for some time, fading behind her streaming wake.
The sub is reported sunk. Few believe it has been.. It does not need to be said.
There must be more.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
-
Gridley380
- Posts: 464
- Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:24 pm
RE: The little ship that could.
ORIGINAL: 1275psi
Ok, quick step out of the story
Found what I call a dodgy, where you can load groups onto a CV, increase their size to 63 or 83, and then unload them.
Told cantona, we won't be doing that.
Now I know where some japanese players find all those endless numbers of AC from!
thoughts any one?
Making a group that big is, IMO, gamey in the extreme.
However, resizing awkwardly sized groups by a few A/C to make them easier to use is just fine.
If you do an edit to strip the mandatory resizes out of the various naval airgroups I might go for an HR allowing limited use of the 'big wing' groups just to allow me to size my F/DB/TB squadrons the way the current needs of the war and replacements are, not the way they turned out historically.
My $0.03 (gotta allow for inflation!)
Loving the story!
RE: The little ship that could.
Re-sizing is certainly a well known tactic that both sides would need to agree about. We also now know that re-sizing can tax the game engine with large air battles.
Pax
RE: The little ship that could.
First
Great story telling 1275psi. Nothing make morning coffee taste batter that reeding your story.
Second
I don`t think that resizing is gamey. But there must be some rules for that.
What is gamey i think is resizing unit, splitting it and again resizing parts of unit so after rebuild they have size of 200 or more.
Single resize of units in my opinion is fine.
Great story telling 1275psi. Nothing make morning coffee taste batter that reeding your story.
Second
I don`t think that resizing is gamey. But there must be some rules for that.
What is gamey i think is resizing unit, splitting it and again resizing parts of unit so after rebuild they have size of 200 or more.
Single resize of units in my opinion is fine.
"Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War"
RE: The little ship that could.
Thank you for comments, think will close that now, Cantona and I both agree not to do it, one of the things that has made this particular game so good is our mutual agreement and detirmination to play "in real life".
The engine works best that way.
24/11/43
Its raining. Pissing down, bucketing down, beating down in a torrent that deafens you. It comes crashing in streams through the forest, turning trails to creeks, roads to rivers.
It falls from thick heavy black clouds, clouds swirling around the peaks abouts them.
For the tenth time today, Hosho looks up into this sodden sky, and smiles.
Before them, the train that will take them south. One more day, just one more day of this, free from air attack, and they are home free.
He is wet, he is cold, he is hungry. But hope still smolders.
The moulmien line. Its rivers, its hills, its shorter supply line.
They will hold them there. They will. Yes. get him, his company there, and they will.
The engine works best that way.
24/11/43
Its raining. Pissing down, bucketing down, beating down in a torrent that deafens you. It comes crashing in streams through the forest, turning trails to creeks, roads to rivers.
It falls from thick heavy black clouds, clouds swirling around the peaks abouts them.
For the tenth time today, Hosho looks up into this sodden sky, and smiles.
Before them, the train that will take them south. One more day, just one more day of this, free from air attack, and they are home free.
He is wet, he is cold, he is hungry. But hope still smolders.
The moulmien line. Its rivers, its hills, its shorter supply line.
They will hold them there. They will. Yes. get him, his company there, and they will.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Pilot officer Graham, for the hundreth time, curses the rain, and gives thanks for it.
thanks, for the concealment of it.
Curses, for the way it muffles all sound, the way it is rapidly turning his life to misery.
Right now, he rests behind a gigantic fallen tree, 50 metres from the rail line.
He has to cross that rail, cross it, and begin to move west, to Akyab, so many (don't think of that yet friend) miles away.
Twice he has tried, twice forced to scuttle back from japanese troops marching out of the wet headed south.
Right now he can see the barrells of heavy artillery bouncing ever so slowly past, too slowly past.
Again he stocktakes.
canteen, yes.
Pistol, 6 rounds, yes.
A knife
A round of ham sandwiches, which will have to be consumed soon.
A bar of chocolate
And some sort of vagualy remembered escape and evade course.
"Well, friend, life, hope, all that," he whispers to himself.
He will wait for dark. Then try again.
thanks, for the concealment of it.
Curses, for the way it muffles all sound, the way it is rapidly turning his life to misery.
Right now, he rests behind a gigantic fallen tree, 50 metres from the rail line.
He has to cross that rail, cross it, and begin to move west, to Akyab, so many (don't think of that yet friend) miles away.
Twice he has tried, twice forced to scuttle back from japanese troops marching out of the wet headed south.
Right now he can see the barrells of heavy artillery bouncing ever so slowly past, too slowly past.
Again he stocktakes.
canteen, yes.
Pistol, 6 rounds, yes.
A knife
A round of ham sandwiches, which will have to be consumed soon.
A bar of chocolate
And some sort of vagualy remembered escape and evade course.
"Well, friend, life, hope, all that," he whispers to himself.
He will wait for dark. Then try again.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
/11/43
Po Okano, Po Hirate stand at the bench.
We met them at this same bench a war and a lifetime ago.
They work, now, as then, as one, on actually, the same pump.
It has worn out over this time, gradually fading in strength. Now they fix it again, silently handing tools to each other, manipulating the parts with calloused fingers, steady hands.
The pump has faded.
But the bonds between these two have only strengthened. grown stronger.
You will see men like these during memorial days, bound still together after countless years.
War has few upsides.
But this is one
Po Okano, Po Hirate stand at the bench.
We met them at this same bench a war and a lifetime ago.
They work, now, as then, as one, on actually, the same pump.
It has worn out over this time, gradually fading in strength. Now they fix it again, silently handing tools to each other, manipulating the parts with calloused fingers, steady hands.
The pump has faded.
But the bonds between these two have only strengthened. grown stronger.
You will see men like these during memorial days, bound still together after countless years.
War has few upsides.
But this is one
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt