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RE: The little ship that could. - 6/17/2013 12:44:29 PM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
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Status: offline 		They come just before the evening meal
Polite, well dressed, following form, following convention.
Herbiesan invites them into the boardroom, all wood, polish, portraits……….a place of money, a place of power.
The general, the admiral, the air chief. The aids close the door behind them, leaving the four of them in the silence
“yes gentlemen?”
A hesitation.
“Sir, we come on behalf of japan……….we think we, no, we know , we must face the inevitable, sir, we must seek peace, the war……..
I am over this defeatism……….so over it.
I draw my gun, hidden in the waistband, and shoot them………………. It is too easy, really
I don't know what is more amusing, the look on their faces, or the thought that they could persuade me to give up all i have

Stupid men.

Damnation……….what a mess. And I will need another general staff……….damnation.



22nd sentai Chengsha, Fuchida does not fly, they lose a man, kill another 15 P51’s.
In the afternoon, 71st sentai fly in, another 48 crack Franks.
This is a backwater of the war. But war is about killing. And here, the killing continues our way.
So why not double up?


Zuiho marks time, bouncing in the swells
With regularity, the Jills and zekes depart, arrive. Takeji leaves his Bridge, stands on the flight dek, watching his eagles work.
Three men come onto the upper deck, flight gear as stained as ever. They stop, salute.
“Another round men?”
They nod.
“Where is Nicaido?”
The men exchange glances, glances that say a great deal indeed……..
“In his cabin sir, something about maintenance schedules……….”
Takeji cannot answer………….
I have a sky full of planes, a sea full of enemy…………and he is doing………….
NO, wait, he is NOT Hidaka, I must give him a chance………………

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2281
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/19/2013 9:17:46 AM   
1275psi

 

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Status: offline 		21 July

Hidaka, whan I last looked, 540 odd missions, experience 87, 2 kills
(I think, long time since I checked)


Combined fleet recieves her eagles back again from Soerabaya, a great many new men, men who can fly, yes, most of them even experienced carrier trained men, but men who really need time to be incorporated into the carefully constructed puzzle of a combined air operations group.

But there will be no time. The next tme these new men will launch, it will be into battle.

The fleet steams south east again, for the allies are coming west, approaching Roti island in strength.
maybe, just maybe, they think KB has retired towards Singapore.

A thin hope.
But one Abe hangs his plans upon.








The allies jump across the river at moulmien. It is a bloody affair.
But across they get, and once again a japanese army begins to fight its way south, trying to avoid encirclement.





And regretfully we have to pause, cantona, after many trials, welcomes a new baby into the world.
he's a bit tired, me thinks..............

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2282
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/19/2013 3:30:39 PM   
zuluhour


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quote:

welcomes a new baby into the world



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Post #: 2283
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/19/2013 4:43:40 PM   
kaleun

 

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From: Colorado
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_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 2284
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/22/2013 2:22:42 AM   
1275psi

 

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Port Engine room:
Hirate is writing up the log, filling in the current machinery state. For two days now Zuiho has steamed at cruising speed, her eagles arranged on her decks, ready, but not aloft.
Since the last action, for the men below, life has continued in its routine manner, for news from the bridge has been sparse indeed.

They could be in the Indian ocean, the pacific, the bloody atlantic for all they know, the ocean is blue everywhere.

Hirate writes, and starts a new page, 22 July, 1944.
He begins a new line, 1800 hours, completed transferring to port ready use tank, transfer pumps secured..

At 1801, the helm indicator turns, and he feels Zuiho heel.
Zuiho straightens, the helm admidships

The bells tingle.
The revolution counter twirls, the figures rest. Revolutions 296.

damn near full power.......

he places the log down, the throttle watch keeper answers the bells.
"second condensate pump, standby oil pump, shut main engine drains"
calmly his third hand reacts, walking to the required machinery
Hirate bends to the microphone.........."You right over there Lurch?"
'Hie!,bring it on!"

Hirate smiles, eyes the guages.
About him, Zuihos heart quickens, the scream of machinery rises in octive.

Another day, full power again



he has no way of knowing, of course, what this order has begun

Abe has chosen his moment .
At full power, Combined fleet is charging towards the enemy carriers, now positively identified at 80 miles east of Koepang

Tomorrow, if all goes to plan.

Carrier clash.

(in reply to kaleun)
Post #: 2285
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/22/2013 4:37:39 AM   
zuluhour


Posts: 5244
Joined: 1/20/2011
From: Maryland
Status: offline 		Great, just when I am out of nails to chew off.

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Post #: 2286
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 10:56:22 AM   
1275psi

 

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Status: offline 		23 July 44
Action stations for Zuiho is programmed for 0200 hours.
Nearly all of her men are at their stations well before then, veterans to a man, they have done this before. Gods willing, they will do it again

Her hatches are shut, her magazines filled. below decks, all her fire pumps run, her steam systems isolated into units, Port and starboard
She continues to race east, through a dark, wet night. There is no moon, what there is is hidden behind low wet clouds, squalls.

By 0300, as ordered, as expected, her Jills beat their beat on the flight deck, dark shadows on the flight deck, the shaded lamps giving barely enough light for the work in hand.
takeji takes his helmet, and makes his way to the little conning tower. Its wet, almost cold. But he needs to be here, needs to see them off.

A quiet shadow joins him, Nikaido.
he nods acknowledgement.
Is he Hidaka?. Who knows.
Today, maybe, we will find out.

The Flight commander speaks
"Tokyo is 50 square miles of wood and paper.........today we must, must win"

Takeji cannot reply. It is a thought to terrible to think about.
The flight commander moves to the rail, nods his head.
A flag, waiting, falls
"Commence launching"

Zuiho goes to work again.

One by one, the Jills rumble away, 11 only now, yesterday one has gone missing.

Nikaido salutes, and hurries away, the zeros are coming up, the ilots sheltering below takeji.
There is laughter, smiles even.
And why not?
About them, above them, the air is filling.

Abe will not wait for dawns reports, he intends to strike now.

The morning is breaking.
A morning, wet grey, low clouds, cieling 5000, clouds stacked to 20000.
A grey morning
There is no sunburst this day.

0430 hours
battle breakfast. A meal worthy for the day.

And the last, for many, many of them.................

(in reply to zuluhour)
Post #: 2287
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 10:57:49 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
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Status: offline 		A game note.............
In the battle ahead, judys set at 16000 feet, and every single one level bombs.............

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Post #: 2288
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:02:44 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		Combined fleet has achieved what has taken the amaericans oh so long to learn, again

A co ordinated strike
120 Jills, 120 Judys, 120 zeros..........they speed due east, forced to skim the base of the grey at 5000 feet, busting through the showers

Ahead, the airwaves are full.............carriers, many carriers............dead ahaed.

But also, behind, the chatter of the chase as combined fleets CAP hunts her snoopers too.

They speed on, Japans mighty sword

Unseen, in this early murk, an equally large strike, going due West.................

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2289
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:11:08 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		extract from shattering the sword, a cantona production...........

23rd July

They have fenced, they have crossed swords. they have barely met in battle, there has been seemingly endless missed opportunities.
Today, there will be no missing.

Today, the giants must clash.
Abe has seen it..........the invasion force coming west. The anchor tied to the allied legs.............a chance for surprise, a chance to strike with out enemy LBA on this wet day.
A chance he MUST take.

And this morning, they take it.............................almost




Coming in through the grey, forced low by the murk, thuis strike achievs almost perfect surprise.
Over 200 fighters await them, less than 30 intercept.

The allied flak, murderous, barks.
The bombers, still 100 jills, 110 judy strong, commence the attack.

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2290
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:17:18 AM   
1275psi

 

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Status: offline 		The enemy carriers are spread over nearly 40 square miles, 3 task forces, 4 CVE in each, with a CVL in the centre.
The Dive bombers perform terribly..............they score but one hit.
The TBDs are clawed out of the sky in droves.
They come in
They come in, and they kill.


(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2291
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:26:15 AM   
1275psi

 

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Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		"From taiho sir..........9 CVE reported sunk, 2 heavily damaged.............strike returning"

Takeji grips the rail............Oh good. very, very good. He turns to his deck, where two of his zeros are preparing to depart.
Ogawa, Diogawa....

Good hunting friends............

"Sir!, report from tahio............enemy strike inbound!, 100 plus!"

100 plus.
Too many. Far too many.

Ahead, 3 miles away, a squall, heavy, dark.

He bends to the voice tube
"Engine room..........give me all you have got chief!"

Below him, Zuiho trembles, as if sensing the danger above.
To the east, the skies begin to blossom with black and white flowers.

Tracking the strike coming in.

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2292
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:33:19 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		Ogawa darts behind the hellcat, his machine guns hammer, the beautiful blue barsted twists away.........he curses, out of cannon ammo already..tracer hammers past, he rolls, dodging, cursing, the barsteds are all over him........
banking hard, trying for the bombers again....gods, hellcat!
Something smashes behind him, his fighter slews alarmingly, flicks into a spin....

Full opposite rudder....come on you bitch..........she recovers, stick forward, gently pull her out...........ocean close, too close,.the fleet ahead, the barsteds swarming all over them.

'Don't let them through"

But this time they have.

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2293
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:37:37 AM   
1275psi

 

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Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		Zuiho is doing 27 knots.

Her guns bark, defiant

Takeji sees Kasagi take a fish on his flank, Mizuho take two.

7 Avengers............stbd flank.coming in so truking fast!

"hard to port"!

hard to port...............gods...too late

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2294
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:41:38 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		The bang of the hit on kasagi reverbs through damage control central, the devil himself with his hammer.
Minobe goes white

trance like, he reaches for the phone, picks it up, puts it down
he mumbles.........'the captain wants me".....

And to the astonishment of the men in this tight little hole, he gets up and leaves

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2295
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:43:47 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		July 23rd, 1944

1032 hours, and zuiho swallows her first fish.



And 7 seconds later, her second.

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Post #: 2296
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 12:29:55 PM   
pws1225

 

Posts: 1166
Joined: 8/9/2010
From: Tate's Hell, Florida
Status: offline 		Oh crap!

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Post #: 2297
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:23:02 PM   
PaxMondo


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quote:

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

A game note.............
In the battle ahead, judys set at 16000 feet, and every single one level bombs.............

Oh NO!!! 1000ft too high to enable dive bombing! Argh!

Of such little things are battles decided upon .... very realistic, but still so disheartening.

_____________________________

Pax

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Post #: 2298
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:23:29 PM   
Saros

 

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RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:24:49 PM   
PaxMondo


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quote:

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

July 23rd, 1944

1032 hours, and zuiho swallows her first fish.



And 7 seconds later, her second.

Oh no, I've never had Zuiho survive 2 torps ... she struggles to survive one ... hopefully no secondary explosions ... with a little luck maybe she can survive the day, but to reach a port ....

_____________________________

Pax

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Post #: 2300
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/24/2013 11:39:18 PM   
obvert


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_____________________________

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

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Post #: 2301
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 10:49:00 AM   
1275psi

 

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Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		She is doing just short of 28 knots when the first torpedo strikes, and instantly what was a salvation, her speed, becomes a terrible curse.
It strikes forward, 30 feet back from the bow, at the junction of the Stbd forward fuel tank and the main feed tank forward.
Both tanks are full, and absorb much of the blow, transmitting it upwards, and outwards.
It destroys the sickbay, kills Cmdr Korii, and tears a 30 feet hole in her side
At 28 knots, those 30 feet will immediately begin to grow.............


Through out zuiho men are flung of their feet as the little ship whips with stunning violence, a hammering blow that flings a million loose items about her, some with lethal results.
A cruel blow, but one she could, possibly survive.


Takeji too is flung from his feet, landing on his arse with an embarassing slap, arms reaching futily for the coaming on the little tower.
He never sees the second fish strike.
This saves his life.

The second fish strikes another 50 odd feet astern of the first. It strikes abreast of 2A boiler. It strikes fair into the heart of the stbd fwd 4.7 inch magazine.
The blast is stupendous. None will hear it, it is simply something that overwhelms the senses.
There is stunning noise.
Then silence

Stbd boiler room ceases to exist. Zuiho is split to her keel, to the flight deck. The blast destroys the longnitudal baulkhead seperating the boiler rooms, 1 A boiler coming asunder under the blow.
Lurch has his hand on the throttle of the blower, then, simply he is no more

the blast follows a million routes.
Some travels up the uptakes, her funnel will tear away, hang drunkedly down her side, writhed in flame, steam, hells smoke....
Some lifts the lower hanger floortearing it, raising it, turning a thousand items into mangled , un identifable metal shapes.

A great deal of the blast enters the fwd well lift, rises, and flings it upand away, a great 60 foot wide spinning topthat will rise, spin, crash back down against the little tower.
A massive hole has been instantly created in Zuihos side, one the ocean instantly fills, thundering in, a million niagras........

The ocean slams in, and the Aft baulkhead fails...............

(in reply to obvert)
Post #: 2302
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 11:00:46 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		Takeji struggles to his feet.

A million things strike his senses.

The silence...........Zuihos guns are silent

About them, battle rages still.............and he hears nothing

Eyes dragged forward..........Zuiho is plowing on.............but her bow..............gods, its pointing to stbd...............
Starboard bridge wing is gone...............I would normally have been there.............

She's slowing, gods, the bow is going under...............

And like that, a life at sea , a life of command, re asserts itself. He takes three steps, bends to the speaking tubes.
'Pipe all hands to upper decks......all hands abandon ship"
He looks up.
Below him, the silence.............the fans, the background noise to Zuihos very life, are silent. the deck is tilting, steepening to starboard, tilting forward.
Air, flame, smoke is roaring out of the chasm that only moments ago was the elevator

Only a minute since strike, and already the bridge is plowing under.............

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Post #: 2303
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 11:03:18 AM   
Saros

 

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Post #: 2304
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 11:11:27 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		The battle rages still
About him, Admiral ABE watches his fleet twist and turn like eels.
Kasagi has taken a fish, 2 of his CVLs too, apparently..............he can live with this

To the east, a dozen enemy carriers burn, and hope rises...........we can win this, we can win this.

"New contact report sir, 2 Essex class, 1 CVL, 2 Iowa class battleships, due east of us, coming hard!!"

two, maybe three, vs at least six..............

"Signal all ships........speed due east, battle speed one.........recover strike, prepare for second strike"

On his port bow, a rising, horrible column of smoke and steam, a stern rising into the sky.
Damnation....."signal DD Harasume, detach to Zuiho, rescue survivors"

Not, he thinks, that with the speed she is going, there will be many.

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2305
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 11:18:01 AM   
1275psi

 

Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005
Status: offline 		The battle rages on.
8 Avengers are coming in, the last trailings of the strike.

Uto whips around, he has taken two down, now for the third

The avenger fights desperately for its life, rear turret spitting fire

The battle rages on

Uto, lifeless, headless, in fact, spins down into the greedy sea

The battle rages on.

(in reply to 1275psi)
Post #: 2306
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 12:10:39 PM   
bbbf

 

Posts: 493
Joined: 7/16/2000
From: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Status: offline 		Sad day indeed. So many characters we wait for every day will no longer be there when we log in. As always, luck never lasts forever for the ships of the IJN.

_____________________________

Robert Lee

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Post #: 2307
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 12:20:45 PM   
pws1225

 

Posts: 1166
Joined: 8/9/2010
From: Tate's Hell, Florida
Status: offline 		Indeed. Great stuff from 1275psi for nearly three years. I hate to see this one wrapping up.

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Post #: 2308
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 12:31:44 PM   
obvert


Posts: 14050
Joined: 1/17/2011
From: PDX (and now) London, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: pws1225

Indeed. Great stuff from 1275psi for nearly three years. I hate to see this one wrapping up.


Lets hope he doesn't wrap it up but finds a way to keep things rolling with the characters that managed to survive.

The description of the explosion moving through the ship and the bow bending around as it went under is just chilling!



_____________________________

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

(in reply to pws1225)
Post #: 2309
RE: The little ship that could. - 6/25/2013 5:11:33 PM   
a7v


Posts: 75
Joined: 3/18/2001
From: Germany
Status: offline 		What a sad day

But there is still hope that at least a few characters will survive and fight on

Best regards and thank you for a wonderful and entertaining story

This AAR was (is...) always the first I check when I enter the forum

(in reply to obvert)
Post #: 2310
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