Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Onime No Kyo]

Shun...smiles....?

That could be either sort of good or very bad. [:)]

[thegreatwent]

It is unfortunate that the war couldn't have been settled by baseball. Many U.S. ships had official teams, complete with custom uniforms. While researching The Great White Fleet I was amazed at the pride crews had in their teams during the voyage. Sadly I could never find a box score, only a mention of a game played in New South Wales, Australia. IIRC the American's took 2 of 3 games before dark fell, would have loved to see the box score on that series [:)] .

If baseball had been the battlefield the loss of Torpedo 8 during Midway may have had a very different meaning [:D].

I have lurked for awhile and would also like to sign on for a copy of this AAR, especially if Shun obliterates some poor catcher coming home in the 9th [&o]

[marky]

Proverb time!!

Baseball is wrong...

Man with 4 balls cannot walk...



[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]


fishy, nice to see the Hibiki still afloat [:)]

[bobogoboom]

so which was true yamato and musashi going to the bottom or enemy cariers sunk?????????

[Mike Solli]

Probably neither.

[Cuttlefish]

December 24, 1943

Location: Kwajalein
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Await further orders

---

“Okubo as the starting pitcher?” Lieutenant Sakati asks, then takes a drink of beer. He and Captain Ishii are in an officer’s club on Kwajalein.

“I think so,” says Ishii, making a note on a sheet of paper in front of him. “Itowaka can relieve him if needed. In fact, it might be effective to use him in the late innings if Okubo is in trouble. His breaking pitches contrast well with Okubo’s fastball.”

“Shun will catch, of course,” says Sakati.

“Of course,” says Ishii. “Hosogaya at first base?”

Sakati nods. “He hit better than Takeya did,” he says, then takes another sip of beer. “Is there any news on our next mission?” he asks.

Ishii makes another note, then looks up. “Nothing,” he says. “There is a briefing day after tomorrow, so there is either no need to hurry or a good reason for delay,” he says. “Admiral Tanaka is giving the briefing.”

Sakati raises his bushy eyebrows. “Tanaka? Does he still command the cruiser division here, or was he promoted following the Santa Cruz battle?”

“He still has the cruisers,” says Ishii.

“Well then,” says Sakati, “if they are sending him out we are going to hit someone, somewhere.”

“I think so too,” says Ishii. He looks back down at the table. “Who do you like at second base?”

“I think we need to look at defense for second base,” says Sakati. “Konno has the best glove…”

[Cuttlefish]

December 25, 1943

Location: Kwajalein
Course: None
Attached to: Disbanded in port
Mission: None
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Play ball!

---

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for Hibiki’s nine that day;
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play;
And then when Konno died at first, and Okubo did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon their shipmates at the game…

“If only Shun could get to the plate,” says Kinsei. He and most of the rest of Hibiki’s crew are sitting along the third base line watching the game.

“I know,” says Chuyo. “But both Nakagawa and Hosogaya have to get on base for that to happen.”

“And Hosogaya has already struck out three times,” says Kinsei gloomily. On the field Nakagawa steps to the plate. Takao’s pitcher has pitched in the minor leagues and he has been excellent. Nakagawa simply tries to put the ball in play, and he does; a ground ball right to second base. At the last second, though, the ball hits a bit of coral or something and bounds over the startled second baseman and into right field.

Hosogaya comes up. Kinsei and Chuyo can hardly look as their friend misses the first pitch badly. Takao’s pitcher hangs a curveball on the next pitch, however, and the big torpedoman makes his first contact of the day. He hammers the pitch into the left field corner so hard the cover comes halfway off the ball.

Lieutenant Sakati, coaching at third base, halts Nakagawa at third as Hosogaya cruises into second base with a double. Sakati knows that Nakagawa’s run is meaningless by itself and there is no point in risking a play at the plate.

While a new ball is tossed out to the pitcher Chief Shun strides up to the plate. The crowd grows silent. There are easily three thousand people watching the game. This includes most of the crews of both ships as well as onlookers from many other ships and units stationed in the area. Everyone knows that Shun now represents the winning run; he also represents the final out.

The pitcher goes into his windup and releases the ball. Shun watches it sail past and the umpire, a former major league umpire now crewing a submarine tender in the lagoon, goes up with his right hand.

“Strike one!” he calls. There are exclamations of disbelief from Hibiki’s crew, but Shun holds up a hand and they fall silent.

The pitcher gets the ball back and he walks once around the mound. Then he toes the rubber once more and once more he goes into his windup. And again Shun watches the ball go by.

“Strike two!” calls the umpire.

"Fraud!" cried the maddened shipmates, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Chief Shun and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Chief Shun wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Chief Shun's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Chief Shun's blow...

---

“You know,” says Shiro later, raising his voice to be heard amidst the din of celebration in the crowded bar, “I had the strangest feeling there that Shun was going to strike out.”

“Not a chance of that!” says Yoshitake. “Have you ever seen a baseball hit so hard? It probably still hasn’t come down yet!”

“Hibiki’s honor has been upheld,” agrees Riku. He laughs. “I am almost glad we are returning to the war in a day or two. Another game such as that one and I would be a nervous wreck!”

“The fact that you had bet a huge sum on our team has nothing to do with the state of your nerves, of course,” Shiro says with a smile.

“Absolutely not,” says Riku nobly. “It is the thrill of competition and the honor of the ship that I care about.”

Shiro eyes him suspiciously, and Riku grins. He is saved from further answer by the arrival of another round.

“To Shun and the rest of the team!” says Yoshitake. And to this everyone drinks.

[princep01]

Holy shades of Mudville, Batman!  What a game:).

[John 3rd]

Bravo to the Chief!
 
BANZAI!
 

[Onime No Kyo]

Bravo to Cuttlefish! [:D]

[Capt. Harlock]

“You know,” says Shiro later, raising his voice to be heard amidst the din of celebration in the crowded bar, “I had the strangest feeling there that Shun was going to strike out.”

“Not a chance of that!” says Yoshitake. “Have you ever seen a baseball hit so hard? It probably still hasn’t come down yet!”

The blessing of Benizaiten still holds for the Hibiki!
(It might be interesting to see her come up against USS Fletcher (the only ship to emerge from the furball of First Guadalcanal untouched).

[thegreatwent]

Yikes! Mighty Casey...errr. I mean Shun has not struck out![:D]

[Feinder]

Shun never swings at the first pitch...
 
-F-

[thegreatwent]

He does swing at the first pitch, yet nobody can hear, see or prove it. [:D][:D][:D]

[tocaff]

"Casey at the Bat" all over again, yet Shun delivered (again) and there was joy in Mudville, er on the Hibiki.

[Cuttlefish]

December 26, 1943

Location: Kwajalein
Course: None
Attached to: TF 25
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: See below

---

Captain Ishii and some twenty other naval officers are seated in a briefing room on Namur. They are listening to Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka describe the current situation in the Admiralty Islands and Truk. Behind the admiral a large map of the South Pacific area is pinned to the wall.

“It is therefore impossible to say how the battle is developing with any certainty,” Tanaka is saying. “But the enemy is obviously committed to this offensive and he shows no sign of leaving the area.” He sweeps his hand down along the map until it reaches Espiritu Santo, which he taps several times with his forefinger. “In the meanwhile the enemy is consolidating his conquest of Luganville. Reconnaissance flights from the Solomons show that the enemy’s activity here is proceeding at a slow, almost casual pace.”

He looks out at the assembled officers. His movements are precise and his speech is calm and unhurried. “I believe that the enemy’s attention is focused entirely on their new attack. There is a lot of shipping at Luganville but the airfield there is not yet in use and there do not appear to be any heavy surface forces in the area.”

“It may be,” Tanaka continues, “that the enemy thinks we have been so soundly defeated that they have nothing to fear from us. We are going to show them that they are wrong in this assumption. We will leave Kwajalein tonight and proceed swiftly to Luganville, where we will launch a night attack to defeat any enemy surface forces in the area and do as much damage to the shipping there as possible. The task force will be based around heavy cruisers Chikuma and Takao and will include two light cruisers and nine destroyers.”

“What kind of opposition can we expect to meet?” asks Captain Hayashi of Takao.

“The latest reports show thirteen freighters or transports, several minesweepers, and eight or nine light cruisers and destroyers in Segond Channel,” replies Tanaka.

“Is there any sign of torpedo boats?” Captain Ishii asks.

“No,” says Tanaka. “Of course, it will take us several days to get there. The enemy’s dispositions may change in that time. But it seems unlikely to me that they will further reinforce their ships there. The biggest danger, in my opinion, is that they will move in aircraft before we arrive. We should be able to avoid detection from planes based at Efate or New Caledonia, but it would be difficult to avoid being spotted by aircraft flying out of Luganville itself.” He looks around. “Are there any further questions?”

It seems there are none, though it is apparent that everyone in the room is excited by the prospect of taking the offensive once again. Tanaka’s staff officers go over the details of the mission and then the officers are dismissed back to their ships. There is work to be done if they are all to be underway by nightfall.

---

Rear Admiral Tanaka:

[Capt. Harlock]

The biggest danger, in my opinion, is that they will move in aircraft before we arrive. We should be able to avoid detection from planes based at Efate or New Caledonia, but it would be difficult to avoid being spotted by aircraft flying out of Luganville itself.

That's a key point, all right. It always seemed to me that Wolffpack -- er, South Pacific HQ -- was missing a bet in not building up the airfields there. But "Tiger" Tanaka may find the trip from Kwajalein to Luganville to be a much longer haul than the "Rat Express" from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. [;)]

[Durbik]

glad to see some fighting spirit again - it's about time to leave this baseball thing (although well written) - for me baseball seems to be... exotic

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Durbik

glad to see some fighting spirit again - it's about time to leave this baseball thing (although well written) - for me baseball seems to be... exotic

Yes, I worried that it would not be a very interesting subject to anyone outside of America or Japan, and not even everyone there. But something about the subject draws me to it. As thegreatwent pointed out, while Hibiki's men are playing baseball their American enemies are doing the exact same thing at their bases across the Pacific.

Flash forward, if you will, to Seattle, Washington on October 1, 2004. On that date Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, a native of Japan, breaks the record for hits in a single season, a record set by George Sisler back in 1920. The event is cheered with equal enthusiasm by crowds in Seattle and Tokyo.

This event would seem unbelievable to the men on both sides of the war currently being fought in the Pacific. It is a war filled with anger and bitterness, and a war fought by two cultures that have little in common and do not understand each other very well. But baseball is one of the few things the two sides share. It is possible to stretch the image of the sport as a point of commonality too far, of course. But beyond the fighting and dying there will someday be Ichiro, and others like him, and Americans playing baseball in Japan as well.

It would make Captain Ishii very happy, if he knew.

[BrucePowers]

It can't be all combat. Unless they are sunk very quickly most ships spend more time tied to a pier than they do in combat. I appreciate the diversity of the narrative and I am not really a big fan of baseball.