RE: Small Ship, Big War

RE: Small Ship, Big War (Full Version)

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BrucePowers -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/5/2008 2:40:54 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock quote: This reminds me a scene from Rio Bravo with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan Nope, you're thinking of "El Dorado". "Rio Bravo" was with the Duke and Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson. (And just happens to be my all-time favorite Western.) Ooh, you're right. My mistake ( both were good movies though).

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/6/2008 10:49:40 PM)
December 19, 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 --- “I think your plan has worked well, sir,” Lieutenant Miharu tells Captain Ishii. “The morale of the crew seems remarkably improved.” Privately he thinks that the biggest benefit has been to Ishii’s own mood, but he does not say so. “Thank you, Exec,” says Ishii. “It isn’t a substitute for action, of course, but that will probably come our way soon enough. The enemy has invaded Luganville and they are no doubt already planning further attacks.” “I wonder where?” says the lieutenant. Ishii shrugs. “If you figure that out let the top brass know,” he says. “I imagine that is the main subject of conversation in the Naval Ministry right now.” He pauses. “Heavy cruiser Takao has a baseball team. They have accepted my challenge and we will play a game next week.” “Very good, sir,” says Lieutenant Miharu. Ishii nods. “It will be interesting. They have a much larger pool of talent to draw from, of course, but I think we will give a good account of ourselves.” He stops and thinks for a moment. “Too bad we can’t challenge the Americans. What a civilized way that would be to settle our differences! Teams from both countries could meet at some neutral site and play a series of seven or nine games, with the winner able to dictate terms.” “What about the British and their allies?” asks Lieutenant Miharu. “Do they play baseball in England?” Ishii shakes his head. “No, that would be a problem,” he says. “They play a game there called cricket. I don’t really understand it. The bats are flat and there are things called wickets involved.” “Wickets?” asks the lieutenant. Captain Ishii just shakes his head. “You’ll have to ask the British,” he says. “I don’t think anyone else really understands the game.”

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/6/2008 10:50:48 PM)
The English don't either... That's why they keep losing...[:D]

Onime No Kyo -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 2:46:08 AM)
Great game CF. I dont know a terrble lot about baseball but I seem to recall hearing that in Japan, unlike the US, pitchers are actually expected to hit as well as everyone else.

Feinder -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 4:04:22 AM)
I'm not really even a baseball person. I -might- watch the last game of the World Series if it goes 3-3. Other than that, I could really give a crap. But this was the most exciting baseball I've "see" (err... read) in a long time! [sm=happy0065.gif] -F-

goodboyladdie -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 10:52:18 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Terminus The English don't either... That's why they keep losing...[:D] Do keep up, Old Boy. We win as much as we lose these days...

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 11:50:34 AM)
Must be a recent development...[:'(]

goodboyladdie -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 1:23:02 PM)
Stick to handball and stop spamming the Hibiki! [:'(]

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 1:23:29 PM)
[:'(][;)]

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 9:47:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo Great game CF. I dont know a terrble lot about baseball but I seem to recall hearing that in Japan, unlike the US, pitchers are actually expected to hit as well as everyone else. In those long-ago and far off days pitchers batted both in America and in Japan. There was also no astroturf, very few relief pitchers, and starting pitchers were expected to go on three day's rest. Football players routinely played both offense and defense. And they all did it for an average working salary.

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 9:48:09 PM)
December 20, 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 --- Morale aboard Hibiki is further improved by the arrival of two bags of mail from Japan. No diversion or activity is worth more to the men than letters from home. For men who have been away from Japan for many months and who have no idea when they will return, even a short note is more valuable than gold. --- Excerpt from a letter to Taiki Takahashi from his brother, Noboru Takahashi: And of course when I was home I got to meet your bride-to-be. I have to say, little brother, she is a striking woman. I was so impressed by her looks, in fact, that I have decided to marry her myself. We are planning a wedding in January and hope to have many children. Ha ha! Just kidding. Seriously, she is a fine woman, but a little too independent for my tastes. She is just adequate at performing the tea ceremony, for instance, though she really is a fine plasterer. She has been a huge help to Father. I thought that he would receive some grief for having a woman assist him, but Japan is changing. You have not been here to see it, Taiki-san, but the demand for war material is beginning to have an effect on everything. Some items have been rationed, and others are very hard to get. Many women have heeded the call to work in factories and other areas and are patriotically helping in every way they can. As for myself, I am heading back to Mutsu soon. We have not seen action lately and it looks like more boring duty ahead. I have heard some interesting things about the recent victory in the South Pacific, though, and look forward to talking to you about them in person when we meet again… --- Excerpt from a letter to Riku Ariga from Ensign Mark Turnby, USN (in English): …and Jack is doing all right too. This place will never be compared to the Ritz Carleton, but at least we get enough to eat and that makes all the difference. Thank you. I have enclosed a letter to my parents. I know you have risked a lot to help us as much as you have, and if you can’t find a way to deliver this I understand. I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble already by getting the guard to mail this to you. But if there is any way to get the letter “across the lines”, as it were, I would appreciate it. I swear to you as an officer of the United States Navy that it contains no information of military value. I just want to let them know that Jack and I are still alive and okay. Stop by and see us next time you are in Japan. My social calendar is usually pretty open. Oh sure, the dates, parties, and dances take up a lot of time but I imagine I can free up an evening or two to meet with an old friend…

Capt. Harlock -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 10:23:16 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish I thought that he would receive some grief for having a woman assist him, but Japan is changing. You have not been here to see it, Taiki-san, but the demand for war material is beginning to have an effect on everything. Some items have been rationed, and others are very hard to get. Many women have heeded the call to work in factories and other areas and are patriotically helping in every way they can. It sounds like the U.S. submarine arm has sorted out its torpedo problems. I dread what happens when the USAAF starts scoring Manpower hits!

bradfordkay -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/7/2008 11:48:30 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish quote: ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo Great game CF. I dont know a terrble lot about baseball but I seem to recall hearing that in Japan, unlike the US, pitchers are actually expected to hit as well as everyone else. In those long-ago and far off days pitchers batted both in America and in Japan. There was also no astroturf, very few relief pitchers, and starting pitchers were expected to go on three day's rest. Football players routinely played both offense and defense. And they all did it for an average working salary. Do you mean that they actually recognized that they were lucky to be getting paid to play a game? Imagine that..[;)]

tocaff -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 1:18:02 AM)
I remember that the players lived in the community, the guy next door, and had an offseason job. Only the biggest stars made "big" money and it wasn't enough to make them rich.

Onime No Kyo -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 3:32:03 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: bradfordkay quote: ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish quote: ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo Great game CF. I dont know a terrble lot about baseball but I seem to recall hearing that in Japan, unlike the US, pitchers are actually expected to hit as well as everyone else. In those long-ago and far off days pitchers batted both in America and in Japan. There was also no astroturf, very few relief pitchers, and starting pitchers were expected to go on three day's rest. Football players routinely played both offense and defense. And they all did it for an average working salary. Do you mean that they actually recognized that they were lucky to be getting paid to play a game? Imagine that..[;)] I detect sarcasm. [:)]

Alikchi2 -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 4:35:17 PM)
Well, I've just finished reading all 86 pages of this over the past three days. It's really the most readable and human story on this forum. Just a pleasure. What else is there to say, sir? Kudos.

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 4:36:13 PM)
Figured this would be right up your street, Alikchi-San...

Alikchi2 -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 4:38:12 PM)
quote: Figured this would be right up your street, Alikchi-San... Oh yes. It's cost me some sleep, but it's worth it, I think. [:D] I have a wireless keyboard, so I can just crank up the font size and read it in bed! Ahh, technology.. [:o]

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 4:42:09 PM)
[:D]

DW -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 5:27:06 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Alikchi Well, I've just finished reading all 86 pages of this over the past three days. It's really the most readable and human story on this forum. Just a pleasure. What else is there to say, sir? Kudos. Heh heh.. I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Cuttlefish is missing the boat. He should have given us the first couple of pages for free and then charged us for the rest. We'd have lined up and handed over our money just like the junkies we are.

tocaff -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 7:48:42 PM)
So you're in line for the leather bound edition of Hibiki's story? The illustrations are killers............

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 9:07:13 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Alikchi Well, I've just finished reading all 86 pages of this over the past three days. It's really the most readable and human story on this forum. Just a pleasure. What else is there to say, sir? Kudos. It's always good to welcome a new reader! Getting through this thing from the beginning is getting to be quite a job. I recently skimmed through all of it myself, something I hadn't done lately. What struck me the most is that I have gotten wordier the deeper into the war we get. I was worried at the start that I would run out of stories to tell, but the opposite seems to have happened.

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 9:08:12 PM)
December 21, 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 --- The second baseball game between the Tigers and the Dragons is played in the morning. The competition is keen; the players know that they are competing not only to win the ballgame but for a place on the team that will play Takao’s team in a few days. Petty Officer Okubo avoids dirty tricks this time and concentrates on his pitching. He does this not out of sportsmanship but because he suspects he is being closely watched. He pitches well once again; he throws harder than Itokawa, the Dragon’s pitcher, but since he throws fewer breaking balls his arm has recovered faster than Itokawa’s has. The first batter he faces in the second inning is Shun. This time Okubo tries to pitch the Chief inside and makes a mistake; his second pitch drills Shun right in the shoulder. Okubo looks so appalled when this happens it is clear it was not intentional. Shun simply laughs and trots down to first base. The second time Shun comes up he hits a monstrous home run to left field. Okubo just shakes his head angrily as Shun circles the bases. It is patently unfair, he thinks, that Shun possesses quick reflexes in addition to great strength. He has known many strong men who could not hit a good fastball. That is one of the few mistakes Okubo makes, however. He gives up another run in the sixth, on a bloop single by Itokawa and a solid double by Hosogaya, but in the meantime his teammates have scored five runs. In the top of the ninth Lieutenant Nakagawa surprises everyone, including himself, by hitting a deep fly ball down the line in left. It lands fifteen feet beyond the fence in foul territory, but it is clear to Taiki, who has carefully watched the flight of the ball, that it crossed the fence still in fair territory. Many of the Tigers disagree, and within seconds he is surrounded by half the team, all of them yelling at him in anger. Shun isn’t one of them, but he doesn’t move out of his crouch or offer any help, either. Taiki is jostled and desperately wants to look to Ishii for assistance but realizes that this would be a fatal mistake. He needs to deal with this himself. “Silence!” he bellows in his best parade-ground voice, and is startled when it works. He does not let the angry players recover but instead takes the offensive immediately. “My ruling is accurate, and it stands! Instead of squawking like a bunch of crows why don’t you return to playing baseball?” He threatens to toss anyone who continues to complain out of the game and the chastened players retreat to their positions. Over on the Tiger’s bench Ishii smiles slightly to himself. This leaves the score 6 to 2 in favor of the Dragons as the bottom of the ninth inning begins. Okubo begins the inning by giving up a single. After Hosogaya pops out Shun comes to the plate and draws a walk. Okubo then walks Moshizuki to load the bases. As the next batter, Chief Petty Officer Shinoda, comes to the plate Okubo wipes his sleeve across his forehead. He is getting tired and his control is suffering as a result. Shinoda is a capable hitter and with the bases now loaded he could tie the game with one swing. Okubo breathes a small prayer and throws the ball over the plate with all the strength he has left. Shinoda pounces on the pitch and hits a blazing line drive right at the third baseman, who catches it largely in self-defense and then alertly steps on the base before the runner can get back. It is an unassisted double play and the ballgame is over. --- After the crew returns to the ship there is a line at Paymaster Kataoka’s desk as those who bet on the Dragons collect their winnings. It is not a long line, as the Tigers were 3 to 1 favorites. Around the ship the main topic of conversation is speculation over who Lieutenant Sakati and Captain Ishii will select to face the team from Takao. Conversation takes on a decidedly different tone in the afternoon, when the first reports begin to reach Kwajalein of a new enemy attack. At dawn a powerful enemy force began an assault on the Admiralty Islands, some 1600 miles to the west. Japanese air and naval forces based at Truk are said to be responding, but details are scanty and confused. The men listen to the rumors and wonder whether Hibiki will be called on to help defend against this latest threat.

Feinder -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 9:43:04 PM)
I must admit, every time I see Cuttlefish in his own thread, I get all giddy, "Cool, another update!" -F-

Capt. Harlock -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 10:21:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish At dawn a powerful enemy force began an assault on the Admiralty Islands, some 1600 miles to the west. Japanese air and naval forces based at Truk are said to be responding, but details are scanty and confused. The men listen to the rumors and wonder whether Hibiki will be called on to help defend against this latest threat. As the ring around Rabaul closes tighter. My bet is there's plenty of Land-Based Air from New Guinea supporting this -- Hibiki could be in serious danger if she's called into action there. [:(]

tocaff -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 10:43:21 PM)
I too am more than pleased when I see that CF has posted in the continuing saga. How much is tuition in the CF school of story telling?

bradfordkay -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/8/2008 11:28:01 PM)
Tuition is cheap, but the graduation requirements are quite stiff!

Terminus -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/9/2008 12:03:46 AM)
Well, she's been pretty lucky so far. The Law of Averages might be about to come knocking...

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/9/2008 2:56:15 AM)
December 22, 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 --- “I heard that Yamato and Musashi caught the enemy carriers in the night and sank several of them,” says Oizuma as he prepares for sleep. “Yes?” says Riku from his hammock. “I heard that enemy carrier planes caught them and sank them both.” “Maybe both are true?” says Yoshitake. “Probably both are false,” says Shiro. “Both battleships were at Truk, though,” says Oizuma, “and we know that enemy carriers are launching strikes against our airfields and shipping there.” “I wonder how is the attempt to repel the invaders at Manus is going?” Oizuma says. “According to a broadcast from there the enemy has been slaughtered on the beaches and is retreating in disarray,” Riku says. “Which probably means we are losing badly.” “Since that’s what they said at Lae, at Noumea, and at Wewak you are probably right,” Shiro says gloomily. “No ships have left the harbor here, though, and no leaves have been cancelled or anything,” says Yoshitake. “Maybe things really are going well.” No one says anything to this. There is no way to really know what is happening there. Silence falls in the bunk area as the sailors drift one by one off to sleep.

Cuttlefish -> RE: Small Ship, Big War (4/9/2008 2:58:35 AM)
December 23, 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 --- Captain Ishii and Captain Hayashi of Takao both receive orders to be ready to sail in a few days. As both ships are ready for combat and the crews are looking forward to the baseball game the two captains agree that the game should continue as planned. The two ships will play each other on December 25, the last day they know they will both be in port. Despite the vague and uncertain news coming out of Truk and the Admiralty Islands there is general interest around the harbor in the upcoming ballgame. Since no one at Kwajalein is currently able to do anything to affect the far-away battle the game promises to be a welcome distraction. Aboard Hibiki a rumor sweeps the ship that they will be sent to slip through the Solomons to strike at the flank of the enemy attack, probably by attacking Gili Gili or another of the enemy’s bases in New Guinea. Most of those aboard recall the series of visits Hibiki paid to the area last spring and hope that this is not the case. It was a difficult assignment then, and the enemy defenses there have certainly not grown weaker in the months since.

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