1275psi
Posts: 7979
Joined: 4/17/2005 Status: offline
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Oct 13 100 miles North east of Iba, Phillipines Captain Shorten contemplates the steak on his plate. Its come a long way, this piece of beef. Pity his bloody cook has murdered it.......... He sighs. Its been a long war, and Texas is so far away. Beside him, the intercom buzzes "Yes?' The New York drawl of his Navigator rumbles down " radar reporting a contact to the North sir, range 30000 yards, Alden is altering towards" Shorten carefully places his knife and fork down, glances a final time at the steak...saved by the bell, it seems "On my way up" Its a delightful day, the sun warm on the bridge, the breeze light, the sea calm PF Pocatello rides easily across the swell, third in line Yes, ahead, DD Alden has altered, DD Phillsbury following 'I have the con.....". He takes a quick bearing........"Port ten......Eyes out everyone" For a few minutes the four ships carve across the sea, the bridge quiet. There is no excitement, no anticipation of anything new today. This will undoubtably be a convoy Hong Kong bound, or China bound. "Bridge......masthead lookout.I have a sighting, bearing 010.........range 25000 yards" "very good" Shortens stomach growls.......Bloody cook.......... He glances up, its Smith, a good man up there, good eyes But its Destroyer Alden that ruins the day. "Sighted ships appear to be Japanese........I am attacking........follow me" "Jesus............." "hands to action stations.........revolutions 198.......jesus.........." And as the shock falls away, and action takes over.....what the hell are we up against? The range closes rapidly, the enemy forming into a clear picture.....a convoy,.......3 tankers, a slew, 4, 5, 6? patrol craft...a destroyer? Racing, if that can be attributed to a patrol craft, the Japanese begin to screen their charges, determined to defend them to the end Confident that this can only end in victory, the allies hold fire until the range has fallen to 15000 yards, a long range for these minnows of war. But a deadly one nevertheless...... Behind them, PF Eugene opens first......Phillsbury next Shorten waits.....and a gap appears 9000 yards, and Pocatello's guns bang for the first time in anger..... It all seems so......so calm to Shorten...the guns bang, you can even follow the shot , follow, follow, follow to that grey shadow, a Tanker......a straddle...a straddle....a HIT!!! But a patrol craft swims across his glasses.it flashes.....and you can follow the shot all the way towards you........ There is a bang aft.......hit......damn, damn....... Shorten feels no fear.....his guns now target the SC...........cheeky buggar...NOT so cheeky now, as it flares, staggers away. he glances at his Nav.......grinning too...... The action becomes general now, a line of battle........they are not battleships, no great warships here, but the action is no less dramatic for all that. Guns spit water erupts. Shells scream past......and some don't Pocetello fights well She strikes that tanker ten times, 2 of the SC's She absorbs 6 hits of her own.......and takes them like a man. But in the end, only 2 of the tankers are sunk, one gets away.......... Later, as Shorten finishes his steak (does the escaping from death really improve food so much?) he has to wonder Are the Japanese still trying to get oil through? The fact is They are.
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big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
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