At dawn we slept...in the cab on the way back from Olongapo

[Cap Mandrake]

Java-jima: JJ is marching on Batavia. The landing at Samarang is stalled.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 13
D3A1 Val x 9

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 1 damaged

Your CAP did nothing? What was wrong? [&:]

Yes, well

1) P-40E has only a 6 hex range even with drop tanks and therefore struggles to have loiter time even at 2 hexes

2) They were tasked to cover Lexington which is in the same hex but a different TF so this is technically "spill-over" CAP

3) Bad weather

4) Zero escort present.

[witpqs]

What speed is Lady Lex making?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

What speed is Lady Lex making?

21 Kts (unless more damage accrued from her fires). We need a typhoon to save her, I think. We can try the same trick of blocking the exits to the Solomon Sea tonight but we are running out of cruisers.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: witpqs

What speed is Lady Lex making?

21 Kts (unless more damage accrued from her fires). We need a typhoon to save her, I think. We can try the same trick of blocking the exits to the Solomon Sea tonight but we are running out of cruisers.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The thrust vector for Kirk's Enterprise is quite obviously not on axis with the center of mass. Every time you step on the gas the thing would pinwheel like Hell throwing the crew in their sissy uniforms into bulkheads and ceilings. If you were unlucky enough to be in the crapper at the time they would have to write a letter home to your family.

Don't forget the [tech] compensator which is housed inside engineering. By [tech] mechanism, it addresses your concerns about acceleration on the axial vector. It's been attended to.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The thrust vector for Kirk's Enterprise is quite obviously not on axis with the center of mass. Every time you step on the gas the thing would pinwheel like Hell throwing the crew in their sissy uniforms into bulkheads and ceilings. If you were unlucky enough to be in the crapper at the time they would have to write a letter home to your family.

Don't forget the [tech] compensator which is housed inside engineering. By [tech] mechanism, it addresses your concerns about acceleration on the axial vector. It's been attended to.

Ha! Prate in head get to crose too tractor beam.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The thrust vector for Kirk's Enterprise is quite obviously not on axis with the center of mass. Every time you step on the gas the thing would pinwheel like Hell throwing the crew in their sissy uniforms into bulkheads and ceilings. If you were unlucky enough to be in the crapper at the time they would have to write a letter home to your family.

This is why they didn't have lavatories in Kirk's Enterprise (true fact!! None were included in the plans!!!) Who knew this wasn't an oversight? [:'(]

[Cap Mandrake]

Every one of the crippled ships from the first day battle was sunk..along with the two CA that stayed behind as a rear guard. Halsey himself went down swinging as he had transferred to one of his CA's when Enterprise sunk.

Lexington has her fires down to 20% and can still make 21 kts. She made it to Milne Bay yesterday. One DD will stay behind off Milne Bay and everyone else runs.

A ton of transports are bearing down on Rabaul. The fun will be over there soon. B-17's at PM on naval attack...we're up all day trying to get lucky.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The thrust vector for Kirk's Enterprise is quite obviously not on axis with the center of mass. Every time you step on the gas the thing would pinwheel like Hell throwing the crew in their sissy uniforms into bulkheads and ceilings. If you were unlucky enough to be in the crapper at the time they would have to write a letter home to your family.

Don't forget the [tech] compensator which is housed inside engineering. By [tech] mechanism, it addresses your concerns about acceleration on the axial vector. It's been attended to.

Ha! Prate in head get to crose too tractor beam.

Well, true enough.

Full disclosure: I'm a Trekkie.

In my FTE as uberdork OG, I've also seen several original scripts of ST:TNG episodes. For the 'tech' bits that aren't integral to the plot line, the original scripts just block out the technobabble for later with "[tech]" in the written script. The technobabble (e.g., explanations for why toilets are no longer necessary on Constitution-class starships in the 23rd century) is filled in later. So please consider that my early script explanation.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Every one of the crippled ships from the first day battle was sunk..along with the two CA that stayed behind as a rear guard. Halsey himself went down swinging as he had transferred to one of his CA's when Enterprise sunk.

Lexington has her fires down to 20% and can still make 21 kts. She made it to Milne Bay yesterday. One DD will stay behind off Milne Bay and everyone else runs.

A ton of transports are bearing down on Rabaul. The fun will be over there soon. B-17's at PM on naval attack...we're up all day trying to get lucky.

Sounds like Lexington will be able to make it out of the hot zone unless some hotshot IJN submariner puts one up her smoking chuff.

What's the total butcher's bill, Cap'n? It sounds like it wasn't a very good couple days for the USN.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Every one of the crippled ships from the first day battle was sunk..along with the two CA that stayed behind as a rear guard. Halsey himself went down swinging as he had transferred to one of his CA's when Enterprise sunk.

Lexington has her fires down to 20% and can still make 21 kts. She made it to Milne Bay yesterday. One DD will stay behind off Milne Bay and everyone else runs.

A ton of transports are bearing down on Rabaul. The fun will be over there soon. B-17's at PM on naval attack...we're up all day trying to get lucky.

Sounds like Lexington will be able to make it out of the hot zone unless some hotshot IJN submariner puts one up her smoking chuff.

What's the total butcher's bill, Cap'n? It sounds like it wasn't a very good couple days for the USN.

Well..that might be true if the Wee Jap Dobbers don't pursue her into the Coral Sea.
We received such a congratulatory message on the shortwave.....but it wasn't probable..
not when they knew her only real escape route and there is no way to provide fighter cover over the Coral Sea

[Cap Mandrake]

***********December 28, 1941(e)*************

Good news: JJ was so enjoying the blood sport off of New and Improved Guinea that they failed to notice Marblehead and some four stackers sneaking up.

We catch a very large ground unit(s) embarking at Balikpapan. This seems too large for a single SNLF unit but is clearly predominately infantry.
Very satisfying. It was a bombardment mission which is why the damage isn't worse.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan at 64,97, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Kuma
DD Kuretake
DD Sanae
xAP Hakone Maru, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Haruna Maru
xAP Rakuyo Maru, Shell hits 2
xAP Horai Maru
xAP Takatiho Maru, Shell hits 2

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
DD Barker
DD Bulmer
DD Stewart
DD Paul Jones, Shell hits 1
DD Parrott, Shell hits 1

Japanese ground losses:
6909 casualties reported
Squads: 137 destroyed, 69 disabled
Non Combat: 211 destroyed, 77 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 30 (30 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 16 (16 destroyed, 0 disabled)

[Cap Mandrake]

Marblehead taffy was set to retire toward NE Borneo but apparently it was just too much fun.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan at 64,97, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DMS W-13, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
DMS W-14, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
DMS W-15, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
DMS W-20, Shell hits 7, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
DD Barker
DD Bulmer
DD Stewart
DD Paul Jones
DD Parrott[color]

And even when the sun comes up. Another 900 LYB's go into the drink. Almost 8K in total. We have a small LRCAP from down the coast of Borneo. This is apparently enough to scare off the dozens of Bettys at Kendari.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan at 64,97, Range 23,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Kuma
DD Kuretake, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Sanae, Shell hits 1
xAP Haruna Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Rakuyo Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAP Horai Maru
xAP Takatiho Maru, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
DD Barker
DD Bulmer, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Stewart, Shell hits 1
DD Paul Jones, Shell hits 1
DD Parrott, Shell hits 1

Japanese ground losses:
870 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)

[Cap Mandrake]

Coral Sea: We leave behind Benham at Milne Bay to cover the obvious exit. In retrospect we needed a cruiser too but somebody had to cover the Lexington TF.
Tone was in a fight yesterday but evidently has enough ammo. Probably should have set Benham on "absolute" to eat up some more time and ammo.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Milne Bay at 101,133, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Tone, Shell hits 1
DD Tanikaze
DD Oshio
DD Arashio

Allied Ships
DD Benham, Shell hits 2, heavy fires

[Cap Mandrake]

Benham turns for home and finds a sub. Lexington is now well out into the Coral Sea...far enough?

Submarine attack near Milne Bay at 101,134

Japanese Ships
SS RO-33

Allied Ships
DD Benham, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

[Cap Mandrake]

Nope. 240 miles out from Milne Bay paths converge..Lexington at 21 Kts...Tone at 30+
Australia and the USN cruiser in a SCTF assigned to cover Lexington are picking their noses.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Milne Bay at 98,137, Range 22,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Tone
DD Tanikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Oshio, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Arashio, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Northampton
DD Dunlap, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Mahan, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Drayton
DD Lamson
DD Porter

The damage is not catastrophic but likely enough to slow us down further.

[Cap Mandrake]

Another 120 miles closer too safety....crap. Where are Australia and friends?

Day Time Surface Combat, near Cairns at 97,139, Range 23,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-2 Dauntless: 4 destroyed
F2A-3 Buffalo: 6 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed
SB2U-3 Vindicator: 3 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei, Shell hits 3
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 2
CL Natori
DD Kasumi
DD Fubuki, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Shirayuki, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
CA Northampton, Shell hits 6, on fire
DD Dunlap, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Mahan, and is sunk
DD Drayton
DD Lamson
DD Porter, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

She slips under the waves along with two IJN DD's and one USN DD. [:(]

[Cap Mandrake]

Oh...NOW Australia and Salt Lake City show up. We wreck a couple of CL's...bahhh

Day Time Surface Combat, near Cairns at 97,139, Range 24,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei, Shell hits 3
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 8, on fire
CL Natori, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Kasumi
DD Fubuki, Shell hits 27, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CA Salt Lake City, Shell hits 2
CA Canberra, Shell hits 2
DD Balch, Shell hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

Oh...crap! Carriers in the Coral Sea as well.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Cairns at 95,139

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 7
B5N1 Kate x 3

Allied aircraft
F4F-3A Wildcat x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 destroyed
B5N1 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Drayton