The little ship that could.
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: The little ship that could.
I do enjoy this story over my morning coffee at the office, I like the graphic novel approach. Place a little rust and paint chips, grease and oil, and sweat and blood on the pixels.
RE: The little ship that could.
6/2/45
CL Sakawa concludes her less than steller career, sunk near Japan by an SS.
Combined fleet arrives Hiroshima. Taiho needs 20 days to repair. It may as well be 1020 days, there is little fuel for another foray..........
Ogowa finishes dressing, the flight suit sliding on like a second skin, the helmet comfortable upon his head. It is dawn, a new day.
Okiwana gleams , fresh dew, and the ocean sparkles. Spring is in the air, and his pockets bulge with bananas. Of all the islands in the pacific, there are few to match Okiwana for shere comfort.
A barsted to have to travel on...........
A final check, and once again he picks up his clipboard, and walks towards his fighter. How many times has he done this?. Too many. But today, today, this is different
100 plus fighters are lined across the edge of the strip, 100 plus men. His men. How strange, how utterly foriegn to think that.
His men
A thought, funny to his mind flashes through .
"I am no longer a fighter pilot........now I have bloody responsibilities!"
Un believable
Knots of men stand, and salute as he passes, breaking away once he has towards there own machines
His men
He must not let them down.
Must not.
He clambers into the gleaming new fighter, takes his stuff from the ground chief "Thankyou for your efforts warrant, they have been appreciated"
The old man merely grins, "a busy night sir, the men needed it"
A busy night indeed...........a wonderful fighter this plane, but such a pig to keep flying
he looks about, eveywhere great blades are beginning to spin, to blur, the clouds of blue exhaust rising, whipping away, the dust replacing it.
Swiftly now, he starts his own beast, and for a minute, all else must be forgotten..
It is one of the keys to surviving so long............
Satisfied, he can look about.
he cannot hear it, of course, over the great growl of his machine, but he feels it.
120 eagles, stirring
Talons razor sharp.
A sudden thrill passes through him.
His planes
His men
A grin passes across his face briefly before the goggles go down.
Command................he could get used to this.
CL Sakawa concludes her less than steller career, sunk near Japan by an SS.
Combined fleet arrives Hiroshima. Taiho needs 20 days to repair. It may as well be 1020 days, there is little fuel for another foray..........
Ogowa finishes dressing, the flight suit sliding on like a second skin, the helmet comfortable upon his head. It is dawn, a new day.
Okiwana gleams , fresh dew, and the ocean sparkles. Spring is in the air, and his pockets bulge with bananas. Of all the islands in the pacific, there are few to match Okiwana for shere comfort.
A barsted to have to travel on...........
A final check, and once again he picks up his clipboard, and walks towards his fighter. How many times has he done this?. Too many. But today, today, this is different
100 plus fighters are lined across the edge of the strip, 100 plus men. His men. How strange, how utterly foriegn to think that.
His men
A thought, funny to his mind flashes through .
"I am no longer a fighter pilot........now I have bloody responsibilities!"
Un believable
Knots of men stand, and salute as he passes, breaking away once he has towards there own machines
His men
He must not let them down.
Must not.
He clambers into the gleaming new fighter, takes his stuff from the ground chief "Thankyou for your efforts warrant, they have been appreciated"
The old man merely grins, "a busy night sir, the men needed it"
A busy night indeed...........a wonderful fighter this plane, but such a pig to keep flying
he looks about, eveywhere great blades are beginning to spin, to blur, the clouds of blue exhaust rising, whipping away, the dust replacing it.
Swiftly now, he starts his own beast, and for a minute, all else must be forgotten..
It is one of the keys to surviving so long............
Satisfied, he can look about.
he cannot hear it, of course, over the great growl of his machine, but he feels it.
120 eagles, stirring
Talons razor sharp.
A sudden thrill passes through him.
His planes
His men
A grin passes across his face briefly before the goggles go down.
Command................he could get used to this.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Diogowa does, of course, what diogowa does every mile of the way to Clarke.
he spends it tucked ridicoulously close to Ogowa, following every bounce, every wobble in the warm air.
After a while he gets bored with this, and annoys all and sundry, describing great slow barrell rolls, Ogowa the axis of them.
Unsurprisingly, a great number of evil looks come their way.........
They stream south, spread across 20 miles, a loose formation, men pairing with friends, companions, rivals.
120 fighter pilots
120 killers
60 aces amongst them
a flying stream of ego.............
Command
Ogowa, you are going to have some fun with these men, I think.
he spends it tucked ridicoulously close to Ogowa, following every bounce, every wobble in the warm air.
After a while he gets bored with this, and annoys all and sundry, describing great slow barrell rolls, Ogowa the axis of them.
Unsurprisingly, a great number of evil looks come their way.........
They stream south, spread across 20 miles, a loose formation, men pairing with friends, companions, rivals.
120 fighter pilots
120 killers
60 aces amongst them
a flying stream of ego.............
Command
Ogowa, you are going to have some fun with these men, I think.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Chiburi
Midday
"captain requested bridge"
Ugaki curses. Why, every time he needs to have a dump, does he have to be called?
Red faced, flushed, he enters the bridge
"Message from task force commander sir"
"Lets have it"
CL Sagawa reported sinking 40 miles due east, can you detach for survivors?"
A cruiser, sinking..............a SS victim for sure.
Leave the safety of the convoy, travel alone..............
"Inform him negative, i am still having..............having some engine troubles..."
There are no rebuking looks, no accusing eyes on Chiburi's bridge.
To a man, it seems, they agree with him.
Midday
"captain requested bridge"
Ugaki curses. Why, every time he needs to have a dump, does he have to be called?
Red faced, flushed, he enters the bridge
"Message from task force commander sir"
"Lets have it"
CL Sagawa reported sinking 40 miles due east, can you detach for survivors?"
A cruiser, sinking..............a SS victim for sure.
Leave the safety of the convoy, travel alone..............
"Inform him negative, i am still having..............having some engine troubles..."
There are no rebuking looks, no accusing eyes on Chiburi's bridge.
To a man, it seems, they agree with him.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
7/2/45
55th division stands on parade
It is, by any sense of the word, an impressive sight
15000 men, straight, tall, strong
Slowly, carefully, the prince guides his new white Charger along the ranks
here, and there, he stops, and with a few words, acknowledges a man, shares a few quiet words. men he has marched, and fought the length of Burma, Thailand with. men who have shared blood, pain, starvation.
Commanders do not speak to men in Japan, not usually.
But this division, 55th, is bound to him, and he to them, in a million cords of blood and sacrifice.
They have fought, they have retreated.
They do not , yet, feel defeated.
The prince stops, another face he recongnises.
'Ah, Hosho!..so you survived too ney?"
"That I did sir"
"I am glad.........you have put on wieght?"
"Getting positevly fat sir"
The prince laughs........"a good soldier never wastes a chance to eat............I advise you to follow that philosophy"
he moves on.........
His obversations are correct. 55th division is gaining wieght, gaining strength so heavily spent in asia, in those cursed jungles.
Wieght, and weapons and men. Another week, and this division would again be at full TOE, much as the entire army would be.
High command eyes again, are fixed upon this army.
But where to send them?, where they would go?
Okiwana, the rumours go, is top of the list.
55th division stands on parade
It is, by any sense of the word, an impressive sight
15000 men, straight, tall, strong
Slowly, carefully, the prince guides his new white Charger along the ranks
here, and there, he stops, and with a few words, acknowledges a man, shares a few quiet words. men he has marched, and fought the length of Burma, Thailand with. men who have shared blood, pain, starvation.
Commanders do not speak to men in Japan, not usually.
But this division, 55th, is bound to him, and he to them, in a million cords of blood and sacrifice.
They have fought, they have retreated.
They do not , yet, feel defeated.
The prince stops, another face he recongnises.
'Ah, Hosho!..so you survived too ney?"
"That I did sir"
"I am glad.........you have put on wieght?"
"Getting positevly fat sir"
The prince laughs........"a good soldier never wastes a chance to eat............I advise you to follow that philosophy"
he moves on.........
His obversations are correct. 55th division is gaining wieght, gaining strength so heavily spent in asia, in those cursed jungles.
Wieght, and weapons and men. Another week, and this division would again be at full TOE, much as the entire army would be.
High command eyes again, are fixed upon this army.
But where to send them?, where they would go?
Okiwana, the rumours go, is top of the list.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
7/2/45
Dusk, Morotai
Silence fills the bay, a tropical dusk, beautiful, brilliant reds
5 cargo ships, APs, APAs lie in the bay, burning.
An air attack. One that continues a growing terrifying trend
The air attack, the clawing down of so many attackers, the screaming, un flinching dives, the shattering, shattering crumps of planes flying un erringly into hulls...........
men work around the burning ships, fighting fires, searching for swimmers.
they work silently, minds troubled more deeply than war has ever taken them
How, how can you stop madness such as this!
Dusk, Morotai
Silence fills the bay, a tropical dusk, beautiful, brilliant reds
5 cargo ships, APs, APAs lie in the bay, burning.
An air attack. One that continues a growing terrifying trend
The air attack, the clawing down of so many attackers, the screaming, un flinching dives, the shattering, shattering crumps of planes flying un erringly into hulls...........
men work around the burning ships, fighting fires, searching for swimmers.
they work silently, minds troubled more deeply than war has ever taken them
How, how can you stop madness such as this!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
7/2/45
When you pay attention to it, you realise that no ship is ever silent.
Even alongside, in the deep of the night, you can hear her heart beat, her crew move through her. From doors creaking, clanging shut, to unseen bursts of laughter and conversation.
And there is of course the ships broadcast system
Old sailors will know of what I speak of.....how often, and of what, this system breaks into voice reflects (I think) very well the state of the ship, of her fighting trim.
Some Tannoys burst into life every damn second minute,.......so and so report here, team x to there, this will occur now.........
It reflects discipline, or, to be harsh, the lack of it.
Lack of organisation, lack of what you will...........
Mindless noise in the background, so easy, in the end to just ignore
It is not like this, on BB Kongo
So when Tanaka takes the microphone into his hand, and presses the transmit button, the loudspeakers humming into life, he knows that all will pause through out her great length and girt, and listen
"This is Tanaka. I have assumed command of this task force. We sail at 2359 hours. All hands to prepare for departure. Mail will close at 2200 hours"
Carefully he replaces the microphone.
Then a thought strikes him, and he picks it up again
"This may be your last chance for mail for a very long time, I urge all crew members to write what must be considered your final messages to your family.'
A silence
"That is all"
When you pay attention to it, you realise that no ship is ever silent.
Even alongside, in the deep of the night, you can hear her heart beat, her crew move through her. From doors creaking, clanging shut, to unseen bursts of laughter and conversation.
And there is of course the ships broadcast system
Old sailors will know of what I speak of.....how often, and of what, this system breaks into voice reflects (I think) very well the state of the ship, of her fighting trim.
Some Tannoys burst into life every damn second minute,.......so and so report here, team x to there, this will occur now.........
It reflects discipline, or, to be harsh, the lack of it.
Lack of organisation, lack of what you will...........
Mindless noise in the background, so easy, in the end to just ignore
It is not like this, on BB Kongo
So when Tanaka takes the microphone into his hand, and presses the transmit button, the loudspeakers humming into life, he knows that all will pause through out her great length and girt, and listen
"This is Tanaka. I have assumed command of this task force. We sail at 2359 hours. All hands to prepare for departure. Mail will close at 2200 hours"
Carefully he replaces the microphone.
Then a thought strikes him, and he picks it up again
"This may be your last chance for mail for a very long time, I urge all crew members to write what must be considered your final messages to your family.'
A silence
"That is all"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
9/2/45
Yamamato watches Kongo, Hiei and Kirishima, the five heavy cruisers slide out of the bay
Yamato, Musashi will leave in three more, last minute repairs delaying them
They will gather, it is hoped , at Manilla, the carriers, what remains of them, to remain here, then, when battle commences to strike due south.
The enemy, gathering in plain view near waigo, is gigantic in numbers.
Target, undoubtably Davao or Djangles
His response?
So limited in options. Only Manilla, only the tankers in home waters have fuel enough for a mission. Hiroshima......empty
Tokyo..........empty
Japan runs on fumes.
The carriers would be the bait, again, then, swing east of the phillipines, the battlewagons stabbing for the beaches.........
Crude.
But all he can do know.
But first, problems
Yamato, Musashi............guns worn to the limits now, never designed for protracted use, for so many battles. Engines, boilers, tired.
All of his ships..........tired.
As the destroyers move out, his eyes almost wince..so mauch rust, so many ugly paint patches, so faded......so battered.'Even if peace came, now, " he thinks 'Japan would need a new navy, built from scratch...........this fleet is used up"
Wearily he sighs, turns to the stack of reports.
His air arm...........that, at least, seems ready. This man, Ogowa........will he be any good?"
Yamamato watches Kongo, Hiei and Kirishima, the five heavy cruisers slide out of the bay
Yamato, Musashi will leave in three more, last minute repairs delaying them
They will gather, it is hoped , at Manilla, the carriers, what remains of them, to remain here, then, when battle commences to strike due south.
The enemy, gathering in plain view near waigo, is gigantic in numbers.
Target, undoubtably Davao or Djangles
His response?
So limited in options. Only Manilla, only the tankers in home waters have fuel enough for a mission. Hiroshima......empty
Tokyo..........empty
Japan runs on fumes.
The carriers would be the bait, again, then, swing east of the phillipines, the battlewagons stabbing for the beaches.........
Crude.
But all he can do know.
But first, problems
Yamato, Musashi............guns worn to the limits now, never designed for protracted use, for so many battles. Engines, boilers, tired.
All of his ships..........tired.
As the destroyers move out, his eyes almost wince..so mauch rust, so many ugly paint patches, so faded......so battered.'Even if peace came, now, " he thinks 'Japan would need a new navy, built from scratch...........this fleet is used up"
Wearily he sighs, turns to the stack of reports.
His air arm...........that, at least, seems ready. This man, Ogowa........will he be any good?"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Naga
New home of Ogowas eagles
They arrive at 1500 hours, 120 strong
Ogowa observes the gaggle of different types already at the field.
With purpose, he moves to the command hut
Squadron commanders are called
heated words erupt
1800 hours
Naga, home for the Navies N1K2 fleet...........exclusively.
"Find another home gentlemen, navy ground crew, for navy types.......only"
What sort of man will Ogowa be?
Focused..............focused indeed
New home of Ogowas eagles
They arrive at 1500 hours, 120 strong
Ogowa observes the gaggle of different types already at the field.
With purpose, he moves to the command hut
Squadron commanders are called
heated words erupt
1800 hours
Naga, home for the Navies N1K2 fleet...........exclusively.
"Find another home gentlemen, navy ground crew, for navy types.......only"
What sort of man will Ogowa be?
Focused..............focused indeed
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Ugaki see's the flagship signalling, a small light blinking unsteadily at the head of the convoy, nearly 3 kilometres away.
He does not even attempt to read it, he will get it soon enough.
It is a brilliant day, Pacific ocean weather, a gentle swell. Chiburi plods on, her motion regular and steady, the diesels thumping on and on, carbon trailing across the sky behind her.
They have been undisturbed for ten odd days now, not that this has dropped the tension one iota.
The daily SS intelligence situation is now frighteningly long........
"the signal sir"
"new destination. Cagayan now target. Air cover promised. From HQ southern army, successful delivery of supplies considered critical to defence of Southern Phillipines....."
Ugaki reads the signal again.......if we are so goddam important, then where the hell are decent escorts, did they consider this tub a bloody battleship!?
'Another signal sir'
"from 24 air flottilla........enemy task force waigo area .............6 battleships, 11 carriers, inumerable escorts........
Ugaki moves to the chart, calculates.
7 days at this speed to Cagayan
"We will need more than air cover" he mutters to himself..........
He does not even attempt to read it, he will get it soon enough.
It is a brilliant day, Pacific ocean weather, a gentle swell. Chiburi plods on, her motion regular and steady, the diesels thumping on and on, carbon trailing across the sky behind her.
They have been undisturbed for ten odd days now, not that this has dropped the tension one iota.
The daily SS intelligence situation is now frighteningly long........
"the signal sir"
"new destination. Cagayan now target. Air cover promised. From HQ southern army, successful delivery of supplies considered critical to defence of Southern Phillipines....."
Ugaki reads the signal again.......if we are so goddam important, then where the hell are decent escorts, did they consider this tub a bloody battleship!?
'Another signal sir'
"from 24 air flottilla........enemy task force waigo area .............6 battleships, 11 carriers, inumerable escorts........
Ugaki moves to the chart, calculates.
7 days at this speed to Cagayan
"We will need more than air cover" he mutters to himself..........
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
-
CV Zuikaku
- Posts: 442
- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:25 pm
- Location: Legrad, Croatia
RE: The little ship that could.
Too bad you are using carriers as baits instead of waiting for A7Ms to become available... [:(]
RE: The little ship that could.
Shades of Leyte.Too bad you are using carriers as baits instead of waiting for A7Ms to become available...
Turkey trots to water, etc.
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
RE: The little ship that could.
11 Feb 1945
Chiburi drives on.
Diesels are unglamourous beasts.
Somebody I suppose loves em out there in the world, most of us would think them dirty , oily, lumps of metal.
Chiburi's leak oil. They vibrate. They are beyond noisy. The funnel spews an evil black stream of stink.
And everyman onboard is tuned to every beat of them, half waiting, half expecting to hear that life giving beat miss one.
They are in Leyte gulf this dawn.
And in enemy air range.
They have seen them, the vapour trails stretching across the horizon, seen the smoke rise . Bay bay pounded.
There has, of course, been nary a sign of the promised air cover.
Thus the attention to those filthy diesels.
Everyone onboard knows that they are what will be keeping them alive in the days ahead.
Chiburi drives on.
Diesels are unglamourous beasts.
Somebody I suppose loves em out there in the world, most of us would think them dirty , oily, lumps of metal.
Chiburi's leak oil. They vibrate. They are beyond noisy. The funnel spews an evil black stream of stink.
And everyman onboard is tuned to every beat of them, half waiting, half expecting to hear that life giving beat miss one.
They are in Leyte gulf this dawn.
And in enemy air range.
They have seen them, the vapour trails stretching across the horizon, seen the smoke rise . Bay bay pounded.
There has, of course, been nary a sign of the promised air cover.
Thus the attention to those filthy diesels.
Everyone onboard knows that they are what will be keeping them alive in the days ahead.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Two men walk
Ogowa, Diogowa stroll slowly around the huge perimeter of Naga airfield. Around them, spread over some 40 yards, a group of soldiers match their progress, eyes peeled.
There have been no partisan activity for many months, but one cannot be too careful
It has taken Ogowa no time at all to accept the trappings of command. Whether he will show as much aplomb with its responsibilities, is yet to be seen.
The two men walk almost in silence, sweat streaming , staining threadbare shirts. The field bakes in the tropical heat, shimmering.
His eagles rest, scattered around, dispersed as best he can.
His pilots wait, equally scatterd near the ready room.
All appears peaceful, an illusion, of course.
The storm is gathering, electric.
You see it in the attitudes of the men. stiff, un natural movements.
Forced laughter.
The enemy are active over Minando.
"What are your plans Ogowa?'
'What do you think Diogowa?"
The portly pilot laughs gently...........'Oh no, my friend, thats what they pay you the big dollars for, to be my fearless leader"
'ha!"
They continue slowly.........
'My plan is simple, i suppose"
he gestures over towards the men he commands
"take that pack of barsteds into battle, and shoot as many of those enemy barsteds we can down"
Diogowa grins
"Good plan, my friend, a trucking good plan"
Ogowa, Diogowa stroll slowly around the huge perimeter of Naga airfield. Around them, spread over some 40 yards, a group of soldiers match their progress, eyes peeled.
There have been no partisan activity for many months, but one cannot be too careful
It has taken Ogowa no time at all to accept the trappings of command. Whether he will show as much aplomb with its responsibilities, is yet to be seen.
The two men walk almost in silence, sweat streaming , staining threadbare shirts. The field bakes in the tropical heat, shimmering.
His eagles rest, scattered around, dispersed as best he can.
His pilots wait, equally scatterd near the ready room.
All appears peaceful, an illusion, of course.
The storm is gathering, electric.
You see it in the attitudes of the men. stiff, un natural movements.
Forced laughter.
The enemy are active over Minando.
"What are your plans Ogowa?'
'What do you think Diogowa?"
The portly pilot laughs gently...........'Oh no, my friend, thats what they pay you the big dollars for, to be my fearless leader"
'ha!"
They continue slowly.........
'My plan is simple, i suppose"
he gestures over towards the men he commands
"take that pack of barsteds into battle, and shoot as many of those enemy barsteds we can down"
Diogowa grins
"Good plan, my friend, a trucking good plan"
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Japans last warship commisions, CVL Ibuki commisions, and alone, races south to join the fleet departing Hiroshima bay
It could be the shortest of carrier careers ever.
At Surat Thani, northern malaya, the allies probe
6 divisions.............and japan now has 4 there, and again dug in to the hilt.
grimly the allied eastern Army prepares to do it all again
the allied death star just hovers off waigeo................and hovers, and hovers..................
It could be the shortest of carrier careers ever.
At Surat Thani, northern malaya, the allies probe
6 divisions.............and japan now has 4 there, and again dug in to the hilt.
grimly the allied eastern Army prepares to do it all again
the allied death star just hovers off waigeo................and hovers, and hovers..................
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Chiburi drops anchor, Cagayan.
The barges swarm.
How long to unload?
It may be moot.
High overhead, the allied recon flights barely even care whether they are sighted or not.
The barges swarm.
How long to unload?
It may be moot.
High overhead, the allied recon flights barely even care whether they are sighted or not.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
Extract from shattering the sword..........a cantona production
...........and again, the japanese fleet sails.
The allies, fully aware of the coming clash, believe that what carriers they will encounter, can only be a decoy.
They are partially right
japanes forces are, again, scattered.
CA Chokia leads 9 DDs towards Jolo island
Approaching manilla, Tanaka takes the three battlecruisers, 5 cruisers, 9 destroyers towards manilla
Behind, Nagato leads a handfull of DDs towards manilla as well
The carriers, Shokaku, zuikaku, kaga, Unryu, wait for Yamato and Musashi south of Hiroshima.
There are two AO groups, some 10 tankers in all. They hold the last of the fleets fuel, enough for a one way trip to minando.
There seems to be little point, now , in preserving a fleet.
Victory , or death.
...........and again, the japanese fleet sails.
The allies, fully aware of the coming clash, believe that what carriers they will encounter, can only be a decoy.
They are partially right
japanes forces are, again, scattered.
CA Chokia leads 9 DDs towards Jolo island
Approaching manilla, Tanaka takes the three battlecruisers, 5 cruisers, 9 destroyers towards manilla
Behind, Nagato leads a handfull of DDs towards manilla as well
The carriers, Shokaku, zuikaku, kaga, Unryu, wait for Yamato and Musashi south of Hiroshima.
There are two AO groups, some 10 tankers in all. They hold the last of the fleets fuel, enough for a one way trip to minando.
There seems to be little point, now , in preserving a fleet.
Victory , or death.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
short note
No point in thinking about super zeros and the like...............no research done in this game (I did not know how to do it.........LOL)
No point in thinking about super zeros and the like...............no research done in this game (I did not know how to do it.........LOL)
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: The little ship that could.
ORIGINAL: 1275psi
short note
No point in thinking about super zeros and the like...............no research done in this game (I did not know how to do it.........LOL)
All the more amazing you are where you are now!! [&o]
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill