The little ship that could.

[1275psi]

5th January

Chiburi and the convoy arrive Toyoda at dawn. By midday the single tanker has loaded her pitiful cargo, all 1850 tons of it, and sailed again.
How many gallons of avgas would this cargo bring?
Enough for a few days operations, by a handful of squadrons?.

Hirate , off watch, stares out across the waters, the pale face sliding beneath the waves filling his mind, a memory unshakeable.
So young.............

And now only one ship to defend.

Angrily he flings his smoke over the side.
What a bloody waste.

[1275psi]

Abe takes a deep breath

"They are coming, and the target is obvious............Morotai, Ternate. Inform all souther Phillipine commands to come to full CAP. Activate SHO O 3 plan." grimly he eyes his Captains "Yamamato wants us to conserve the fleet. To hell with that, while we have the fuel.............Battleships Yamato, Musashi remain here in Manilla, let Yamamato have his sop. We sail in two hours"


yes, they are coming again.
Our carrier airgroups are rebuilt, the final veterans posted to the vacant billets.

5CV, 4cvl, 7 battleships, 7 cruisers, 40 destroyers.
To battle, again.

[1275psi]

7th January, 1945


Extract from shattering the sword, a cantona production

..................and thus Chumphon falls, the Japanese army prised out in a whelter of blood from its fortifications. It retreats in the only directionit can, towards Victoria point.

There is but 2 brigades left to Japan south of Chumphon

The gate to malaya has been opened, the road is clear all the way to Singapore.............
But how fast will the allies move?

[1275psi]

8th of january

Yamamto sits heavily upon his chair.

Army barsteds.
Chumphon, they said, will hold forever...................

How many ships lost trying to supply them............
And now this, this disaster.

He rises, stirs the small fire in the fireplace, staring deeper into its flames.
he must not, must not allow despair to overcome him.

It is not the Bushido way, the Japanese way.
No. We must fight, yes?. Fight to the bitter end.



He stirs the fire again. Then, firmly, places the poker back into its place.
His staff wait, patiently.

"order every ship capable of carrying oil to singapore."

damn the army
damn them

"there are 2 divisions available at takao, I want them to singapore now............also every spare man from Soerabaya, I want them there now..........
'But sir, the Army will never agree..............."

'DAMN THEM!!!. They will agree!"

[1275psi]

Ships, we know, never sleep
In war, sometimes, to sleep, is to die.

On Mutsu, 1500 men are awake, yet dawn is many hours away
For one man, sleep would be impossible, even if opportunity came.

Abe has transferred his flag to this valiant old battlewagon.
If i die in battle..........I die able to see my foe.................

"Another report sir"
Abe nods..........
'A great many ships off Morotai sir, and a bombardment is underway"
'carriers?, battleships?"

"No battleships reported..............enemy carrier fleet is suspected to be 90 miles to the south of the invasion fleet"

No change in his doctrine then................none at all..........

'Is dajangles still open?", any word from army?"

Another report is shuffled from a clipboard............Mutsu's commcen must be humming............
Attacked by 30 B-29s today....and a dozen shotdown.......the field is fully functional."

Oh very good.

Morotai is in range, of course to at least three large fields in the southern phillipines............

Abe strides to the bridge wing, out through the great door, into the night. He breathes deep the cool air.
He feels the motion of this old weapon beneath his feet, he can almost sense the crew all about him, awake, alert..........girding for battle.

last time, of course, he failed
he lived

this time.....................
You are old Mutsu, so am I..............but we are still strong............

He strides back into the crowded bridge..................and it waits for his word.

Bushido .................

'We attack. As planned.. He turns to Mutsu's dimutative Captain..........'Morotai if you please ,and prepare for battle"

[1275psi]

9th of january

It is, quite simply a beautiful day.
It is a day made for sailors. Made for men who answer the call of the sea.
It is a day, simply for those who love the sea, and the ships that sail upon them.


Through the inner seas of the phillipines, across waters still , blue and shimmering, the great beasts power on.
For eight solid hours, they have cleaved their great wakes, furrowed the waters with white trails visible for miles.

And for eight solid hours, nothing has disturbed this great run south.

Abe feels no weariness. It is impossible too feel any.............not here, not now.

Mutsu does not lead. That is for that barsted of a ship, Ise, half carrier, half battle wagon, 40 miles ahead
Then, 20 miles behind her, Fuso and her escorts.

And 100 miles ahead of all of them, the Ashigari surface group.

At times, if he looks closely enough, one can still see in the waters the faint traces of the ships ahead.

A ready road for him to follow. A ready road for this fleet.
About him, 4 CVLs, behind Nagato.

'Another report sir"
Reluctantly he drags his eyes from the sights about him. the flimsies flap in the breeze Mutsu is creating. Carefully he takes them.

The news is good. Better than good. The main carrier fleet has cleared Suriago straight, tanaka tailing. Undetected. At davao, the Amigari destroyer task force has reached its strike point, also undetected.

And he, Abe, would be in position by dawn tomorrow, also, undetected.

And best yet, the enemy invasion continues to unload, rooted to the beaches. And from all reports, still not nearly enough troops to take the place.

Mutsu's captain joins him.'They remain?"
"yes.............his carriers remain exactly where we expect them to be...........he probably has a thousand planes on CAP over the beaches..........the arrogrant Americans think we will just fling ourselves at them............'
Mutsu's captain smiles..........'but we are , are we not?"
Abe strokes his chin........'yes, but not how he might imagine I think. "
He glances at the setting sun.........'forecast is for rain from about midnight........he's left it to late .............."

Abe re enters the bridge, and for the first time since gods knows when, he feels it. Excitement. Rising excitement.
The enemy are still unloading, with an entire navy bearing down upon them......

He has left it too late...........
Arrogant americans, lets see your hellcats save you now.

[pws1225]

Great story, great writing!

[&o][&o][&o]

[1275psi]

Jan 10 1945

Death by fire, death by water, death by violence.

The death of task force 56.

Extract from 'report of proceedings, naval battle of morotai'

it was just afte 2300 hours, 9th of January, when this task force recieved a report that a Japanese Battleship of the Fuso class had been unsuccessfully attacked by submarine 20 miles due south of dajangles.
The commander of the task force, Cmdr Elliot, was surprised, then horrified to learn that this attack was already 8 hours old.
Quick calculations placed this ship, or any other Japanese ship in these waters, within striking range by dawn, should they desire to do so.
Permission to cancel unloading operations was immediately requested to land commander.
This was, after a delay of thirty minutes, denied.
With the massive air support available, and no less than three seperate allied SCTF in the area, the desire to increase the ashore forces was considered worth the risk.

At this time TF 56, 15 ships strong still contained some 10000 men and their equipment, desperately needed ashore.

At 0125 hours, 10 january, it began to rain
At 0200 hours, further reports of un identified warships only 120 miles to the North were recieved.
Again, permission to withdraw TF 56 was sought.
This was approved

By 0400 hours the task force was moving due south, and sighted the Belleau wood task force moving North, and shortly afterwoods 8 Fletcher class destroyers moving North as well.

Dawn was at 0600 hours, a day of scattered rain and poor visibility

At 0645 hours, at 30000 yards, due south of task force 56, also coming north, another SCTF was sighted.

It was not until range was down to 20000 yards, was it realised that the approaching ships were Japanese.................

[kaleun]

Bites nails...

[bartrat]

Is this going to be like the real battle that Taffy3 had in 1944???
The World Wonders.

[british exil]

ORIGINAL: bartrat

Is this going to be like the real battle that Taffy3 had in 1944???
The World Wonders.

Nice comment.

I just hope that there is no Allied naval force out there to save the day.

BANZAI!!!

Mat

[1275psi]

Belting rain , the pouring vertical downpour all tropical sailors , soldiers and airmen are so familiar with, that you just cannot convey the strength of to people of temperate climes, lashes the CVL belluea wood.

Dawn is breaking, and Admiral Turner yet again paces the small bridge of the carrier.
They call the Belluea wood, "the hunted one"...so many of her original companions have been hit, or sunk in the last year, yet she, despite so much metal flung her way, remained.

But now.now Admiral turner truly feels hunted.
20 Miles south of Morotai, his Task forces wait for the onrushing enemy
He has made his dispositions, this task force waits for the onrushing enemy, ahead of him, 10000 yards to the north, 8 fletchers, the trip wire.

Dawn is breaking......and the expected night attack has not come Soon, very soon the search aircraft should give the enemy dispositions, and he can get to business...........
'Signal sir!"
"Amphibious task force 57 has cleared the beaches, unloading completed, it is passing south, 5000 yards to our port."

Good. 50 ships, safe.........

Another flimsy handed to his communications officer............who reads it, hesitates.......
'Sir!.task force 56 reports enemy ships attacking it, 60 miles to our south!"
What!"
'To our south!, , 'Am under destroyer and cruiser attack!"

Jesus.............

'Captain, come about!, all ships, prepare to execute 180 degree turn!"

Three things occur simultanously right then

'Radar shouts
"Contacts!, 20000 yards!
The rumble of heavy guns fill the air
And artillery fire, heavy calibre, marches magnificent towers of white 100 yards across his bow.......

No. the enemy did not attack last night.
That was not the plan

Dawn
Fleet surface action...................commence .

[british exil]

Now this attack sounds sneaky. Very nice.

Mat

[Lecivius]

Ye gawds, I get caught up, only to trip off another cliff hanger

[1275psi]

8 fletchers.
The trip wire

Somehow, but almost certainly hiden, masked from radar by the heavy rain, the land mass of Morotai itself, 4 heavy japanese Cruisers, three destroyers have slipped past, and even now, are beginning to bring fire upon The belluea Wood task force.
Frantic calls for help are being recieved from task force 56
The skies above are filling with the mayhem of aircraft battle

The Fletchers wheel about, begin to form up, they will be a decisive factor against the cruisers, in this battle


They will not get there
They will have one of their own

Battleship Fuso, cruiser Yubari, 5 destroyers, emerges from the furtherest rain squall, The horizon erupts with the flashes of a dying history.
23000 yard, against all odds, the battleship still has a vital role to play.

[kaleun]

Awesome.

[1275psi]

"remain in formation!, all ships follow me!"

Cmdr Ashida is a young man. Until now he has been a man whom history (like most of us) will swallow. He has served long, he has served his Emperor dutifully, but even he will admit, he has risen as far as his talents will ever allow.

Many days, he considers himself lucky to even be the captain of the Amagiri, this sleek lethal destroyer.
But now fate has taken him, and thrust him to centre stage of this page of history, has placed him at the head, and thus command of these eight destroyers, and asked him.
Are you worthy?

He will respond in the best way possible
The only way a military man must.

He will do his duty, he will play his part, he will be part of the team.


It is still raining. Scattered squalls, heavy showers, patches of bright sunshine on a rising chop
But there is nowhere for task force 56 to hide

Cmdr Ashida raises his glasses again, a dozen, or more allied transports, some almost liner size, swinging about, two columns, seeking shelter.
No escorts!

'Calmly he bends to his speaking tube.
he must take the chance, there may be no escorts now, but in this visibility...........and how long before the helldivers arrive?
"Prepare for long lance attack"

'range is 16000 yards sir!, permission to engage"

He raises his glasses again. He knows THAT ship, that is the AP Montery, how many invasion fleets has she been in?
No more after today, I swear it

Signal all ships.......'Engage, make every shot count, deliberate shooting only!"

'Stbd twenty"
The guns, unmasked, bark
The fish, long sleek, shining, slice into the sea

Death by water. Death by fire. Death by violence.

[John 3rd]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa BABY! Go get 'am!

[1275psi]

lets get this straight, because the books, and the movies never, ever do.

How much ocean does a Naval battle cover?
Especially a Daylight battle?

The movies, those CGI clips you see on U tube, they have it oh so wrong.
naval formation cover many, many square miles.
A column, just in itself, may be miles long.
Ships, "in close formation" will normally still be 500 yards apart.

And as for the enemy?
Small shapes on the horizons, flashing at you, positioned by funnel and gunfire smoke, your replies small pimples of water sprouting about them.

naval battle, at times, can seem unreal.
It is hard, at times, to imagine that those small shapes over there, are trying to kill you..................

naval battle Morotai, actually three in one

Two the south west of the island, Bellue wood has placed her arse to the enemy, and runs.
20 Miles away, to the east, 8 fletcher Class destroyers turn north, a giant is coming over the horizon.
And 40 miles away, task force 56 is ordered to scatter,


bellue Wood runs, her 4 destroyers on her flanks, smoke pouring from their stacks
Ashigari, Haguro, Nachi, Mikuma, 3 destroyers , 21000 yards, guns spitting

The shells scream in, the water towers, the captains 'follow the shot"
The range, however closes fast

Light Cruiser Perth, peels away, and does what has to be done, she closes with the enemy.
At 8000 yards, she strikes Ashigari hard, and the cruiser turns away, out of control.
Hope and triumph do not last long, Nachi in turn strikes her back, but not before she launches her fish

destroyer Take leaps, explodes, is gone...............
Perth, her upperworks a mess, is left behind by the japanese, desperate to get the carrier.

For 30 minutes the shells will rain towards bellue wood, her escorts, only 2 will hit, and them the DDs.
Then the rain will swallow them again, and grant them safety

bellue wood, remains a lucky ship.

[1275psi]

Task force 56 attempts to scatter.

It does have three escorts, DE's, but they have placed themselves at the rear of the convoy, the Morotai end

At 22 knots, it will take 20 minutes to get to its head

This quickly becomes about ten too many

The Japanese close quickly, and the killing begins
2 APs are long lanced, and the shells begin to dance upon the transports

The range is down to 9000 yards when the first DE, the Osmos, emerges clear of the smoke.
Only to be moments later run down by the great bulk of the AP Santa Palua..........

A mere ten minutes after contact, the destroyers are literally amongst their prey
That statement on long range, impersonal battle?
Forget it.
This is close, personal, and utterly merciless..............