This reminds me of the old radio serials ... you got 15 mins every day ... and the stories spanned years ... used to listen to them every day as a kid.
Ditto. We were pretty slow to respond to mom's call to come home, but we hurried home for the start of "Journey Into Space". A few broadcast words + own imagination was far more captivating than TV programs. Maybe it was just the stage of life I was at.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
This reminds me of the old radio serials ... you got 15 mins every day ... and the stories spanned years ... used to listen to them every day as a kid.
Ditto. We were pretty slow to respond to mom's call to come home, but we hurried home for the start of "Journey Into Space". A few broadcast words + own imagination was far more captivating than TV programs. Maybe it was just the stage of life I was at.
I'm involved now in a radio theater group. We don't do many serials (although we are doing a licensed production of "Zorro"), but we'd all agree with the "Theater of the Mind" concept. None of our stuff is actually broadcast, but it is used on various Internet radio programs. Check out some of our podcasts at www.americanradiotheater.org if you're interested!
Okay, end of commercial. It is a lot of fun, and I've always enjoyed listening to recordings of the old-time shows (sorry, but I wasn't born quite that long ago!).
In our modern times, personal transfers at sea are easy, call up a chopper.
There are no Choppers in 1944, and only madness would cause a captain to halt a Capital ship in these waters to effect a boat transfer.
Okano and hirate will transfer via light line to a tanker first, yamato sucking hungrily for fuel one way, a stream of men, of orders, of 25 mm ammunition going the other.
From the tanker, to a destroyer.
And finally, from the destroyer to Hiyo, again the wet and wild journey across the gap between the ships.
It is near dusk when they finally arrive
Okano instantly realises something, zuiho was a toy to this ship. Sure, only 7000 tons or so heavier, but they have made a real difference.This ship has a proper tower, for a start.
They stand, a little lost, near the base of the tower, waiting for their kit bags to follow.
A petty officer finally comes to them
Okano views him, not with a little alarm. For a stoker, his clothing is frightingly clean and neat. His boots are polished for heavens sake!
He catches Hirates eys, indicates discreetly at the poster perfect man leading them across the flightdeck
"Whats the story?" he whispers
Hirate smiles, there is no humour in it, none at all. "Welcome to the Hiyo" he whispers back " Nothing, I see, has changed"
They go below.
There is no surprise for Hirate, this he has almost expected.
The shock, for Okano, is deep.
There are all sorts of ships in the Navy. And for those of us who have served on many, this is a truth.
You can take a dozen identical ships, and none, none, after a time, will be the same
And for those, with experience, the difference can be seen, and digested, in moments
Okano see's it immediately.
There are ships that go
There are ships that show, but don't go
And rarely, very rarely (even though all should) there are those ships that manage both.
Zuiho, was a ship that went. Never pretty, her rusty flanks, her stained innards spelt work
Hiyo, inside, gleams.
Yes, she has just finished a long repair time alongside, but, well, that was a week ago. More than enough time to take her back to the standard her Executive officer expects...............
The petty officer leads them deep inside, down a trunk, down again, down again, the stairway seemingly endless.
then, unerringly, through a door.
A long passageway, gleaming. Okano's eyes, not a little panic showing, flick for a compartment identification tag.
On zuiho, one always knew where one was............already, he is lost again.
They stop.
Engineers cabin.
The petty officer knocks, enters.
"Our replacement crew, sir"
A salute.............look out Okano, this is looking like a tight one.
They enter.
The engineer, busy, writing, barely glances at them.........no time to judge him..........nor him them...........
"You are both assigned port boiler room, doubled up, middles watch, you have one week to get yourselves to speed, that is all"
They are led out again.
Disorientated, not a little worried, the petty officer leads them forward, deeper into the bowels of Hiyo.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Takeji watches the destroyer peel away, only her creaming bow wacve really visible in the deepening dusk
Not before time, he thinks, the passage south of Densapar to be negotiated in the hour.
A barsted of an idea, trying to squeeze this lot through there..........
Line ahead, Hiyo leads yamato, Musashi, nagato, Mutsu, these last, lost now in the mists behind
Tonight, they must punch through,turn south, and head, yet again, towards waingapoe.
The waters, of waingapoe, again
Maybe, if they are lucky, the sound of battle will not disturb Zuihos dead.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Hirate stands under the blower, just for a moment, taking it back in. There is no sign, no sign at all of the fire that killed so many of his friends, that set Minobe and himself on such a rocky path.
The fuel pump is hammering away, the pipe gleams under fresh paint.
It is all coming back to him, he turns his head this way, and that.
The boiler, the pumps, the blower, the vap...........
He has traced the systems down here, once, years before, as an able seaman. Hiyo, he remembers, is a simple ship, almost the same layout down here as Zuiho...........
The Steamer of the watch leans over, a face he once knew. War has advanced this career as well.
'Remember your stuff?"
Hirate smiles. Its not going to be so bad after all. "Its steam isn't it?. And steam is good"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
He casts a critical eye about........the plant, it appears, is tight.
No hissing of steam leaks, no dripping leaks. Just the fuel pump hammering, the blowers whining. Much he recongnises, Japanese Machinery is Japanese machinery.........
The boiler, however:
Kawasaki LA Mont water tube boiler, one of 6 Hiyo carries.
Admiralty three drum in any other nations language.........
Two water drums, bottom corners of the triangle, steam drum at top. A genuine economiser, not a preheater, a proper economiser. And superheated steam as well.
But still a three drum. And this, he knows, is good, a kapon has nothing on these beasts.
The steamer hands him tea. "Opinion Okano?"
Okano nods.'Clean, its very clean. Looks simple enough......."
'That it is..........finish your tea, then, i think, we learn the fuel system"
Hiyo ploughs due east now, at nearly 22 knots, through the night. None aboard sleep. They are too busy for that.
her signal office in particular, is frantic with activity.
The signals are rushing in
All speak the same message, in one form or another.
The enemy are rushing west.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Two men dress into flight suits, carefully pulling on worn boots, stained jackets. They sit, a small invisible bubble it seems, seperating them from the rest of the pilots in the room.
It has taken a few days to discover, and now, as battle looms, Ogowa wonders if ignorance was not a better alternative.
The hard fact.......between himself and Diogowa, more flying hours, more missions, more bloody kills than all of these other fighter pilots put together..............
A disturbing thought
Diogowa leans close......"I thought our fellow orphans were re assigned, these guys look green to me"
"maybe there are not so many of us veterans left Diogowa..............what ever happens, stick close ney?"
There is no time for further talk. Alarm bells are ringing, and the tanoy is speaking.
"Offensive air operations will commence, 0400 hours, make all preparations, and report same completed to the bridge"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Salarjar.
Fuchida lies under his fighter, lies on the dirt, peers again at the left wheel.
The light is poor, the shadows dark.
It would not matter if it was brilliant daylight, not the middle of the night, he would not be able to see the bloody thing anyway
Too many tears, eyes too blurred.
Word has come
Zuiho, and his Father, are gone.
Fuchida lies under his plane, spanner in hand, hoping that today, today, for gods sake, they will get his plane away
The left wheel comes down, does not go up. And there are few enough mechanics .
Thus the midnight work, .
The dirty man he assists grunts.'Spanner"
Fuchida hands it too him
The darkness sits heavily over the field. It hides a crop of broken planes, a broken field, a broken man.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Extract from shattering the sword a cantona production.
...............and at 0215 hours precisely, the Japanese open fire.
Incredibly, against all odds, they have gained surprise, have opened fire at the incredible range of just 2000 yards
In line ahead, parrallel to the line of 6 fletchers, 2 cruisers, 5 dd's erupt into flame
In the 6, mere 6 minutes of this madness, its as if two men have lashed themselves together, face to face, and gone at it
Furatuka staggers away, torpedoed, an allied DD is split into two, 25 mm, 5 inch 6 inch gun fire.......the rate of fire between calibres almost indistinguishable.
6 minutes, the modern fletchers, who have a fearsome reputation, stagger away. Japanese experience today tips the scales. But three of the japanese destroyers, two Akitsukis amongst them, stagger away too.
Furatuka crawls, listing, burning.
But against all common sense, Kinugasa, 2 dds press on...............................
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Tanaka wipes the blood from his face.
The hit has shattered the port side of the bridge, smashing through, failing to explode, but lethal enough as is.
Now, in the ringing silence of post battle, the wind whips through the gash, and glass crushes beneath his feet.
"Navigator!...position!"
The reply, swift sure. As it should be..
Koepang, 30 miles due south sir!"
30 miles. Less than an hour to the hornets nest. A nest I must, must kill. Our troops coming ashore at Waingapoe are depending on this.
No matter what it costs
he reaches fo the broadcast
"men of the Kinugasa...........we have won a victory.....but the battle is not yet won. Expedite all repairs, we will bombard the field in under an hour........."
But on the flank, one of his destroyers is firing, firing towards an enemy unseen.
"Starshell, to port, open fire!"
Another enemy, unseen............but does it matter.?. He is Tanaka, and Tanaka is not for turning.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Hiyo steams hard, the horizon a hint of pink
her deck is packed, fighters to the front, Judys behind, the Jills arses swinging in the breeze right at the stern.
Once again, diogowa, ogowa sit, eyeing the short stretch to the bow, engine ticking over, eyes waiting for the flag to fall.
Target, enemy shipping , Koepang area, a mere hours flight away.
Cmdr Matsunaga breaks from the island, climbs up behind Diogowa, places leans into his cockpit.......'Change of plans!", he yells......."Combat air patrol waingapoe!"
"Waingapoe?..........."Where the hell is that?",
'100 miles, due west!, you lead first patrol!"
And such is the planning for today..........
Annoyed, angry, Diogowa slams his canopy shut. There is no drop tank under his belly, nor under any of his companions. CAP?, over waingapoe?
It will be a bloody thin one.
In anger, he leads 10 fighters aloft.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
The starshells reveal them, sharks streaming in at 7000 yards, low sleek, dancing in the dark.
The starshells reveal them starkly, like cockroaches they dive for the shadows. The destroyers engage, Kinugasa saving her ammunition.
Tanaka turns his small task force hard away, the battle turning into stern chase, Pt boats are fast, but so are these japanese ships, .It is not long before guns fall silent again.
A brief pause, then the target, Koepang. The bombardment, by necessity, is brief.
Tanaka can but hope that it has done the job, given the landings at Waingapoe half a chance.
They swing away towards the west.
Dawn is breaking.
Kinugasa leads the way, gun barrells smoking, paint blistered, her fires still being fought.
Ahead, the pursung PT boats...........but there, tantilising , just there........
A convoy, a dozen fat transports.
And no escorts
'Ammunition state!"
Main exhausted sir!"
Secondary?"
Enough sir!
For Tanaka, certainly enough
"Attack!"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Diogowa leads them aloft to 6000 feet, cirles the small task force but once, and then banks them east, waingapoe is 60 miles away
The sun glitters on 10 sets of wings, low, red, huge on the horizon.
The rising sun.
And out of it, snarling, guns hammering the T bolts explode.
Two zeros explode on his right shoulder , he curses, slams his stick instinctively, jumped!, bounced!, how in the hell did he not see...
Cannon shells slam into his plane, everything happening at once
The stick falling slack, the flash of flame from the port wing, the lurching fall to port.........
There is no hesitation, even as she rolls, the straps are loose, the canopy is open, he is out, falling free, the great shining bird roaring past, white pale buka upright and stiff in the cockpit
he falls, but for a moment, rips the chute......
Shot down
Gods
Ogowa is so going to pull the piss out of him
But it is no laughing matter, 8 of the ten zeros Hiyo has dispatched have been shot down in less than a minute........
Only 3 of the pilots, Diogowa amongst them, will return to Hiyo today.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
japanese strikes roll in towards Waingapoe, where the allies, too, are landing troops
From Soerabaya, the betties, the Francis attack, the zeros engaging P 38's circling above the fat targets
A AK is sunk
Helens, sallies (yes, Japan is still using sallies) pound the invasion beaches
The allies too, are attacking.
Tanaka, it is obvious, has not closed Koepang.
Hiyo has been spotted
And Hiyo is going to be attacked.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
