Bring me the head of Diego Garcia...and the Mayor of Addu Atoll too!

[Cap Mandrake]

The PI

[Cap Mandrake]

From the colonial era graveyard at Beaufort Presbyterian Church in Beaufort, S.C.

Someone had bothered to plant the Union Jack to honor the grave of two young officers a long way from their home soil. They were killed in the Battle of Gray's Hill (Beaufort) on Feb 3, 1779. Most likely someone at the church was a loyalist.

Battle of Beaufort

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beaufort

[Cap Mandrake]

A sublime private garden in Beaufort

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

From the colonial era graveyard at Beaufort Presbyterian Church in Beaufort, S.C.

Someone had bothered to plant the Union Jack to honor the grave of two young officers a long way from their home soil. They were killed in the Battle of Gray's Hill (Beaufort) on Feb 3, 1779. Most likely someone at the church was a loyalist.

And a well educated one too. Note the Irish Cross is missing from it.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

From the colonial era graveyard at Beaufort Presbyterian Church in Beaufort, S.C.

Someone had bothered to plant the Union Jack to honor the grave of two young officers a long way from their home soil. They were killed in the Battle of Gray's Hill (Beaufort) on Feb 3, 1779. Most likely someone at the church was a loyalist.

And a well educated one too. Note the Irish Cross is missing from it.

The whole graveyard was dotted with CSA flags for Confederate soldiers and Union flags for Union soldiers buried there from the occupation during the Civil War. Honestly, I didnt look to see if the Union flags were historically accurate.

I can imagine in 1779 it might have been a bit divisive to bury English dead on the church grounds when local militiamen had just been killed in the same battle but the apparent reason that English troops were sent to occupy the town was the local loyalist sentiment.

In a lot of places if you planted CSA flags like that there would be wailing and moaning but it is South Carolina. Interesting place.

[sprior]

Damage to Vicky:

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

From the colonial era graveyard at Beaufort Presbyterian Church in Beaufort, S.C.

Someone had bothered to plant the Union Jack to honor the grave of two young officers a long way from their home soil. They were killed in the Battle of Gray's Hill (Beaufort) on Feb 3, 1779. Most likely someone at the church was a loyalist.

And a well educated one too. Note the Irish Cross is missing from it.

I genuinely don't understand this, Lord Admiral Sprior. Can you elaborate a bit?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Damage to Vicky:

53cm torpedo? She take one from a local submarine?

[sprior]

No, torps from 2 Nells.

[sprior]

Air losses:

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

And a well educated one too. Note the Irish Cross is missing from it.

I genuinely don't understand this, Lord Admiral Sprior. Can you elaborate a bit?
[/quote]

Lifted from wiki:

The current and second Union Flag dates from 1 January 1801 with the Act of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The new design added a red saltire, the cross of Saint Patrick, for Ireland. This is counterchanged with the saltire of St Andrew, such that the white always follows the red clockwise. The arrangement has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up"; see specifications for flag use, below. As with the red cross, so too the red saltire is separated by a white fimbriation from the blue field.[11] This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The fimbriation of the cross of St George separates its red from the red of the saltire.

Outside the Union flag, Saint Patrick's cross has seldom been used to represent Ireland, and with little popular recognition or enthusiasm; it is usually considered to derive from the arms of the powerful FitzGerald family rather than any association with the saint.[30]

The current flag's design, in use since 1801, is blazoned Azure, the Crosses Saltire of St Andrew and St Patrick, quarterly per saltire, counterchanged Argent and Gules, the latter fimbriated of the second, surmounted by the Cross of St George of the third, fimbriated as the saltire.

So, because the flag is pre-union it doesn't have the saltire cross of St Patrick.

[sprior]

A shrubbery!

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

A shrubbery!

I refuse to belong to any universe where cats rule over dogs.

There, I've said it.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

No, torps from 2 Nells.

Are you sure about that? My recollection is it was a sub.

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: sprior

No, torps from 2 Nells.

Are you sure about that? My recollection is it was a sub.

I'm sure at least 3 sub commanders, and probably a dozen Nell pilots, are claiming the hit on their combat reports back at base...

[Cap Mandrake]

A covey of cucarachas got into the growing Allied lake south of Luzon. I think it's Atago and friends in which case they will be low on ammo....but......

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: sprior

No, torps from 2 Nells.

Are you sure about that? My recollection is it was a sub.

Nells / Betties carry the 18 inch type 91 aerial torpedo. Japanese minisubs carry the 45cm type 98 torpedo. "Regular" japanese subs carry the 53cm type 95 torpedo. Of course, there may be some FOW there, who knows?

[Cap Mandrake]

********************March 30, 1943(c)*****************


Lucena et envrions: You know that LYB taffy that was probably *#*&@* Atago? It was *#*@(@(@! Atago. First, Atago moves NW along the southern coast of Luzon, encountering the DD's which ahve been deatched for lack of ammo and are retruning to Cagayan. Jarvis gets a boo boo.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boac at 80,80, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CL Sendai
DD Michishio
DD Shirakumo
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
DD Cony
DD Jarvis, Shell hits 1
DD Gridley
DD Preston

Next, one of the amphibious groups has erroneously been set on "retirement allowed" by a staff flunkie. This they do, heading SE, right into the jaws of #&@*@(!) Atago. Fortunately, Hector puts up a fight and the LYB's are low on ammo.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boac at 80,80, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CL Sendai
DD Michishio
DD Shirakumo
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
AM Cessnock
SC-630
AK Leonis, Shell hits 1
xAK Knoxville City, Shell hits 1
xAK William Luckenbach, Shell hits 3, on fire
xAP Cleveland Abbe
xAP David J. Brewer
xAK Anglo Indian, Shell hits 1
xAK El Madina
xAK Itola
xAK Clan Macfadyen
xAK La Cordillera
xAK Salween
AMC Hector, Shell hits 8, on fire


Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Arashio tries to get into Lucena "harbor" from the NW.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Lucena at 79,79, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Arashio, Shell hits 1, on fire

Allied Ships
BB North Carolina
BB South Dakota, Shell hits 1
DD Lansdowne
DD Isaac Sweers
DD Kortenaer

#^$&@#*@( Atago is attacked at night by Kingfishers from one of the BB's. THAT'S the spirit!

Night Air attack on TF, near Lucena at 79,80

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes


Allied aircraft
OS2U-3 Kingfisher x 3


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CA Atago

An S boat tires to line up a shot on the Atago group.

ASW attack near Lucena at 79,80

Japanese Ships
CL Sendai
DD Michishio
DD Sagiri
DD Shirakumo

Allied Ships
SS S-47, hits 4

Submarine action against retreating Arashio and the retreating Atago group 80 m to the NW at Lubang. Nobody gets really hurt but it is quite a gauntlet for any LYB's trying to gain access that way

Submarine attack near Calapan at 78,79

Japanese Ships
DD Arashio

Allied Ships
SS Sturgeon



DD Arashio is sighted by SS Sturgeon
SS Sturgeon launches 4 torpedoes


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Lubang at 78,78

Japanese Ships
DD Michishio
DD Sagiri
DD Shirakumo

Allied Ships
SS KVIII, hits 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Lubang at 78,78

Japanese Ships
DD Arashio

Allied Ships
SS KVIII



DD Arashio is sighted by SS KVIII
SS KVIII launches 2 torpedoes

[Cap Mandrake]

That was quite an epic run for Atago. The crew deserve a few days of R&R. I'm guessing they will be back.

[Cap Mandrake]

Lucena: The airfield is level one with adequate supply and good ground support. Even so, the Corsairs need oil changes, air filter changes, new plugs, coolant changes, ash tray replacements........ We bring in some fresher P-40K's. They aren't the same thing.

Morning Air attack on Lucena , at 79,79

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 17 NM, estimated altitude 28,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 22



Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 5
P-40E Warhawk x 3
P-40K Warhawk x 23
F4U-1 Corsair x 6


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40K Warhawk: 3 destroyed

Then some snazzy new Zeroes. How come the LYB fighter sweeps always go in BEFORE the bombers? Just asking.

Morning Air attack on Lucena , at 79,79

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 181 NM, estimated altitude 30,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 54 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 5



Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 4
P-40E Warhawk x 2
P-40K Warhawk x 14
F4U-1 Corsair x 5


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

Then Oscars. The LYB fighters sweeps are even coordianted to bring in the best planes first. Out guys are getting tired.

Morning Air attack on Lucena , at 79,79

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 122 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 17



Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 4
P-40E Warhawk x 2
P-40K Warhawk x 13
F4U-1 Corsair x 5


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses