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1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (5/30/2015 10:00:45 AM)
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CMDR Oda has the duty
Its the duty he has lived his whole short life hoping to fullfill
And now, finally he can.
He stares calmly through the glass, the glass that is the first pierce of the great chain of equipment that ultimately controls yamatos guns
Gunnery control officer.
The Gun directors optics are superb, the russian task force at this short range of 5000 yards is as clear to him as if he was alongside these, his targets.
The russians steam line ahead, 2 destroyers, two cruisers, two more destroyers. They steam away from the Japanese battle line at this moment, heading due north. The japanese line, Musashi, yamato, leading has cut across the rear of the Russians, a crossing of the T in reverese.
Point blank
I cannot miss
And the barsteds have not seen them..........
"You may open fire............."
Oda presses his trigger.
Visibility, despite the dark, is good. Good enough to actually watch the first salvo , great white glowing balls race, arc, fall across the kilometres.........and arrive with incredible violence
A good first salvo, the spread tight, the second in line russian burning already.
Musashi has, he notes, hit the lead Cruiser hard as well.
Oda watches the russians , despite everything, their reactions are good. They swing hard to starboard, guns already trying to come to bear......
The lights glow on the panel in front of him, guns 1, 3, 5 ready..........come on , come on.....4, 6 , 8, 9.2, damn, why is 2 always so slower than all the others. 9 lights............27 seconds good
The second cruiser, more of her visible now, steady in his sights...
The trigger feels so comfortable................ Squeeze............the bells tingle, the great guns, his guns, goddam it, thunder, spit 9 more balls of fire, of revenge, of vengence, ...............mess with japan you barsteds....................mess with me.............and their short flight finishes again deep into the russians bowels.
faintly he can feel, hear the secondary's...............and yes, the shells stream out towards the Russians, Russians who's formation is already breaking apart, confusion and panic obvious to allnow.
"Director, am turning to starboard"
Good, very good, all guns can remain on bearing
The russian is burning brightly now...........He's trying to shoot back.
2000 yards.........I can almost pick where to plant the next ones...yes, yes, right there.
Fire!!...............
And that is you finished. You trucker.............
"Shifting target right."
But the russian destroyer, Oda's next choice , is already heeling, heeling.......and Musashi finishes her off.
This has been a long war, long, long, long.
But some things have not changed.
The power of a battleships guns remains awsome...........
2 cruisers sunk, a destroyer sunk, 3 left burning
One destroyer damaged in return
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