Navyfield A Novel

Chapter 1

United States naval group
USNG
USN Commander Farley
1-11-1942
13:26 Hours
Pacific Ocean

Luke was confused. He still had a week till he would graduate from the naval academy. Yet
the brass ordered him to report to the ship assignment headquarters. They then went on to
tell him to bring all his gear with him. What they had not told the petty officer was that
he was being assigned to a ship a week before he would graduate from the academy. They did
this because they were running short on officers due to the event of pearl harbor. He was
to be assigned to the -=USS-Phe .onix=- A South Dakota class battleship in the united states
navy. This ship was commanded by none other than Commander Farley who had specifically
requested Luke Randall.

Farley뭩 second in command had been KIA in an accident several weeks prior. During a
surprise attack by a Japanese convoy a shell had hit the bride killing the his XO they
suffered light damage but the light cruisers were no match for the Dakota class battleship
which then rid itself of the nuisance. The enemy convoy consisted of one Oyodo class light
carrier that also carriers torpedo bombers and a pair of Mogami light cruisers along with
one Kita kuma torpedo ship. The Pheonix took a two torpedo's?from the torpedo bombers
however the bulge armor kept it from hurting the ship itself. In the end one Mogami class
escaped along with the Oyodo but they manage to sink one Mogami and the kita kuma torpedo
support ship.

Because of the loss of his XO Farley needed a new man and he knew exactly who he wanted to
have as his XO last time he was at the Hawaii training base he saw a trainee named Luke
Randall pull of some amazing feats against a superior foe with insufficient force. He
recognized that the way Luke went about his task that he would make a great captain one
day after some experience so he was going to give him that experience.


Chapter 2

United States naval group
USNG
USN Petty Officer First Class Luke Randall
1-11-1942
15:28 Hours
Hawaiian Islands

Luke wasn't having the greatest day he was making his bunk for the 3rd time that day.
However he was interrupted when a officer walked into the barracks and called his name.
Luke went to the officer to see what he needed. He was told to go pack his stuff but to
leave behind his sheets and blanket. Once he had his stuff packed into his navy issue
duffel bag he reported back to the officer outside the barracks. The officer introduced
himself as Farley Cormell he was Luke's new commanding officer.

Farley led Luke to the naval briefing room on the training base where Luke received his
official orders that he was to be the new XO on the South Dakota class battleship USS
Pheonix. Luke was stunned that he was being assigned to a battleship and as the XO for his
first ever command. He had been expecting to be assigned to a Fletcher class destroyer or
maybe a DDX if he was extremely lucky this defied all his expectations.

After his briefing about his new post he went with Commander Farley to meet the command
crew of the USS Pheonix where he would now serve during the war. Luke said Permission to
enter the bridge sir. Permission Granted Randall come on in. Luke entered the bridge and
saw several people behind consoles and radio stacks. Directly in front of the door was the
window of the bridge looking out on the two 16 inch guns on the front of the ship. To the
left side there was a small room with two people inside running the radio and radar
consoles. Along the right wall and in the middle of the room there was several people. On
the middle right side of the room was what looked to be an engineering station. While on
the left there looked to be a chart table next to gun elevation charts and several
nautical measurement and navigational devises. Then directly behind that station was the
captain뭩 chair where Commander Farley was sitting.

밇veryone this is the new XO Luke Randall come over and introduce yourselves.?The man who
was sitting behind the engineering station stood up and came over to shake Luke's hand he
had a slight Russian accent. He said 밚uke my name is Mikhail Ivanov I am in charge of
making sure this boat can move.?밡ice to meet you sir are you Russian??밳es, Luke I was
Russian i came to America several years before the war and then enlisted in the navy.?

The next to come over was the navigation officer he introduced himself as Rod Sterling.
밐ello Luke I'm Rod Sterling my job is to help us get where we are going and let you and
the captain know exactly where we are on the ocean.?He was a rather short guy with brown
hair and a attitude that made you like him almost instantly. Luke being a curios fellow
asked him 뱒o then what is our position now??Sterling responded 밶pproximately 15 degrees
North by 165 degrees West.?

After Sterling introduced himself the gunnery officer came over and said 밐ello Luke my
name is Will Randolph. I Command the gunners of this ship designate their targets and feed
them the information they need to hit the targets. I work closely with my partner Kenny
Hugh. Kenny is the radar operator. Hey Kenny come say hello to our newest crew member.?
Kenny then came over and said 밾ey Luke welcome aboard the Pheonix. Kenny seemed to be the
shy short and almost immediately went back to the radar console.?

The last member of the bridge crew to come introduce himself was Jack the radio officer.
He clapped Luke on the back and said 뱖elcome 멳oard son glad to have you with us.? He had
a southern accent and was 45 to 50 years old he also had a mustache. Luke immediately
liked the man and returned the clap on the back and said 밎lad to be aboard myself.?


Chapter 3

United States naval group
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-12-1942
06:00 Hours
On board USS Pheonix

Luke woke in his bunk aboard the USS Pheonix and for a minute couldn't figure out where he
was. Then as his mind woke up the previous day came back to him and he remembered that
today would be his first day of duty aboard the USS Pheonix. He shaved and dressed in his
working uniform a white uniform that signifies he is a officer. Once dressed and cleanly
shaved he went to report to the bridge so that the ship could get under way. 밨equest
permission to enter the bridge.?밣ermission Granted come on in Luke.?Luke entered the
bridge and took his place behind and to the left of the captain뭩 chair.

밯hat is our destination Rod??Sterling Responded 밢ur destination is Midway Island and
then from there we will be deployed escorting convoys through to the Philippines.?밫hanks
Sterling Keep up the good work. Luke why don't you go with Jack and get a tour of the
ship.?밃lright I뭠l do that Commander Farley any suggestions as to where we should start.
Yes start in the boiler rooms and work your way forward through the ship.

밃lright Luke I뭠l give you a tour of your new home follow me we will head back to the
boilers. This corridor we are in now leads from the front to the back of the ship if you
need to get somewhere quite a ways away in the ship use this corridor to get there. Ah
here we are the boiler rooms. Luke looked into the room and instantly choked on the smoky
atmosphere from the coal boilers that power the ship. As you can see said Jack the burning
coal makes it kind of smoky in here but it뭩 not too bad if you get used to it. Off he the
right is where the coal is stored then in back is where we shovel in the coal to make the
boilers hotter and thereby create more steam to power the ship.?

Now that we've seen the boiler rooms I뭠l take you to the ammo storage racks that hold the
16 inch shells for our rear turret on the South Dakota. It뭩 just a little ways up this
hall from here. Here we are this is the hardened storage room for the 16inch shells for
the rear turret there is an identical room up front on the ship but about twice this size
that hold the shells for the front guns. Inside the room were racks loaded with shells
about the size a 7 year old child is tall and a foot wide these racks must have held 300
or more of the shells for the gun. There was also some rifles stored in the room Luke
assumed they were for the compliment on marines that was also on board the ship.

밡ow we will head to the crew mess. It뭩 a bit of a walk in this direction about 2 minutes
or so this way. The mess should be empty right now. Seeing as everybody has a job to do
for the next 2 hours then we will serve breakfast in the mess. However since were near the
mess ill show ya how to get there which table to sit at and all that nonsense. Here we are
this is the mess hall that table in the back corner off to the right is officers table
that is where you will eat all your meals. This concludes the tour I뭠l take you back up
to the bridge now and we can both start working.?


Chapter 4

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-13-1942
13:50 Hours
Midway Island Naval Base

Farley Cormell and Luke Randall were in the briefing center at Midway Island naval base
receiving the orders for which convoy they would guard and where it would be going. All
they knew for sure is that it most likely would be to protect a convoy to the Manila
submarine base in the Philippines. But they also could get orders to seek and destroy a
convoy of enemy ships which also has good chance of being their mission. Luke was rather
impatient waiting for his orders he preferred to be out doing things rather than waiting
for a briefing.

Just then a man walks into the room and calls out USS Pheonix 뱓his way please.?Luke and
Farley follow the man into the briefing room. He motions for them to sit in a chair so
Farley sat but Luke remained standing. Once they were settled the man exited the room by a
door in the back of the room. A minute or so later an Admiral walks into the room both
Luke and Farley Stiffen into a salute until the Admiral calls out at ease gentlemen.

밠y name is Admiral Wilson I뭠l be giving you your next assignment you will leave Midway
Island in approximately 4 hours. At that time you will proceed to the South China Sea your
job is to seek out a large Japanese convoy that will have one Kongo class battleship one
Ryujo Class Carrier two Mogami class light cruisers and one Agano class light cruiser
along with 3 Tatsuda destroyers your job is to sink the Kongo and Ryujo and then to fall
back to Manila Naval base in the Philippines where you will refit and rearm then you will
proceed at flank speed back to the south china sea to try and catch the enemy carrier
force that is mobilizing to come to midway your job will be to buy some time and take out
at least 1 carrier before coming back to midway. Any questions??밡o sir?replied Luke and
Farley at the same time.

밎ood then this briefing is at its end go get your ship ready to depart and brief your
bridge crew.?밳es sir?replied Luke and Farley. Dismissed said Admiral Wilson. Luke was
surprised he and Farley had thought that for sure they would be escorting a convoy not
attacking an enemy convoy, Especially one with such powerful protection. The Ryujo class
carrier alone could hold 37 bombers enough to cripple and sink the South Dakota if more
than 5 waves of planes hit them. The Kongo wasn't a problem the South Dakota had a lot
more range and could engage while it was helpless to defend itself but if the carrier saw
them before they got in range and took them out then it would be game over for the USS
Pheonix. However Luke wasn't worried and he was sure Farley was of the same mind as he.
They could easily take out the carrier first and the bombers it would be carrying would be
slow and easy to pick off before they got in range to drop their bombs.

All in all the mission should be easy until they had to return to midway and take on a
Japanese carrier force of unknown strength and numbers they most likely would be
overwhelmed if they went in range of the carrier force. It most likely would be a large
force with at least 1 Kaga Class 2 Akagi class Carriers and one Junyo and two Hosho
Carriers. It could be alot less carriers or alot more the Japanese have about 12 Carriers
in service at the time and any one of them could be in the carrier force or all of them.
All in all the carriers would be the hardest part of the mission unless they could catch
them at night and ambush when the enemies planes would be useless. Luke surmised that this
would be the best possible strategy and planned to bring it up with Farley when they are
ready to engage the enemy carrier force.

However now they had to get back to the ship and brief the bridge crew of their mission
and make all the preparations to be able to ship out in 3 hours?time. That would mean
getting all the supplies they need on board in that time and to recall all the crew out on
leave which may be more of a hassle than would be expected however it could be done in
time to get underway on time. So now it was up to Luke to get back to the bridge and brief
the crew while Farley went and got all the supplies signed for and sent to the docks to be
loaded onto the USS Pheonix so they can set sail all the sooner.


Chapter 5

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-13-1942
17:00 Hours
South China Sea

밪tirling how long until were expected to make contact with that convoy? Approximately 1
hour sir based on the charts they will appear on radar in one hours?time. Good slow to
1/4th speed we want to hit them just as it gets dark.?밪lowing from standard to 1/4th?
reported Mikhail. 밪tirling we should now arrive in what 3 hours?time??asked Farley. 밡o
sir, we should arrive in approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes time so instead of arriving
at 18:00 we will arrive at 19:50 hours.?밣erfect it will just be getting dark when we
arrive therefore the carrier will be useless. The scout planes will not be able to see us
in the dark as long as we extinguish all lights on the outer levels of the ship. Good go
about doing that now so we won뭪 have to worry about it when it gets dark however once
it뭩 dark launch out scout and have him radio if he sees any light on the ship.?밳es sir,
I뭠l see to it?said Luke.

밡ow as long as we don't see any planes that are Japanese then we will be fine but if we
do see a Japanese airplane be sure to shoot it down if they get back and report us were
screwed the convoy will know we are coming and will be prepared for it. So let us hope
luck is on our side and we will not come across any planes and that this mission will be a
success. Sir shall we have the men eat in the mess now so that we won뭪 have the
interruption during the op??asked Jack. 밳es please send out the order on the intercom
jack.?Said Farley. 밚uke why don뭪 you Jack and Kenny head on down to mess now and when
your finished bring back a tray for myself Rod and Mikhail.?밃lright sir will do.?Said Luke.

밯hat뭩 for dinner tonight jack more canned beef??밳eah same stuff they've served all
week. Damn thought the-yd get creative since tonight is the op all well at least they feed
us.?said Luke. 밢f course they feed us without us this ship is useless all though you
don't seem to do much Luke.?Luke grabbed Jack in a choke hold and said 뱑ecant your deadly
words old man.?Jack starts to laugh and says 밶lright young whippersnapper i give you do
plenty of work for the Captain.?Luke then releases jack with a laugh and says 뱓hat's
better. Now let뭩 go eat and then get the food back up to the bridge so we can get some
downtime before the mission alright Jack.?said Luke


Chapter 6

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-13-1942
19:55 Hours
South China Sea

밪ir enemy planes on the scopes range 1000 yards he뭩 flying high and fast could be an
enemy zero being used to reconnoiter the area.?Said Kenny. 밫hat's probably what it is
they used this tactic at the academy of course it was always during the day when they ran
this seeing as landing on a carrier at night is a really risky maneuver with little chance
of success.?Replied Luke. 밪ir new radar contacts along with hydrophone contacts sounds
like screws and the radar contact matches the approximate size of a Kongo class battleship
its currently at our maximum range for the guns. Will get a solution to target that ship
we will send our scout in low to the water to take a peek and see if it is the Kongo or if
it뭩 the Ryujo that were seeing on the scopes either way keep it targeted and the guns
loaded.?

밨elaying target information to the gunners rotating the guns 62 degrees to starboard
elevation of 40 degrees on the cannons. Sir the guns are ready to fire on your command.?
밎ood, Luke what뭩 the scout reporting.?밪cout report that it is the Kongo class
battleship and that she is in full battle alert light are flashing the following message.
[All ships enemy in immediate area prepare for battle.]?밃ctivate anti sub patrols.
Scramble bombers for immediate launch.?밇nemy target to our South South East approximately
1000 meters distant.?밪ir they see the scout. He is taking fire from AA defenses i am
recalling him.?밒 suggest you take out that Kongo he is the biggest threat it will take
the carrier several minutes to get the first flight of bombers into the air.?

밳ou heard him Will fire 5 salvos at the target; the scout will relay if it뭩 a hit or a
miss.?밳es sir guns firing 5 salvos in 3 2 1 fire salvo one.?They ship rocks as a
gigantic roar is heard and 2 massive fireballs form at the end of the turrets as the guns
fire. 밪alvo 1 away reports Will firing salvo two in 5 seconds. 5 4 3 2 1 firing salvo
two. Again the ship rocks and the night lights up in the twin fireballs from the guns
discharging their 16 inch shells. Salvo two away preparing for salvo 3 firing in 5 seconds
5 4 3 2 1.?The night is rendered into day by the brilliant flashes of the guns as they
fire a salvo of 9 16 inch shells from all 3 turrets on the South Dakota. 밪alvo 3 away
preparing to fire salvo 4 firing in 5 second 5 4 3 2 1.?The guns ring out with a roar
into the night leaving the bridge crew temporarily blind from the discharge of the guns.
밪alvo 4 away. Preparing to fire salvo 5 in 5 seconds 5 4 3 2 1.?The final salvo roars
its defiant challenge to the Japanese force as it flings the 16 inch shells off into the
night sky. 밪alvo 5 away sir awaiting reports from the scout.?

밚uke what뭩 the report from the scout??asked Farley. 밪alvo one is hitting now sir 6 out
of 9 shells hit the main deck of the Kongo class battleship. A large fire has broken out
salvo two landing now all shells landed on the deck. Sir the scout reports that the front
turret on the Kongo has been breached. Salvo 3 is hitting the target another complete
direct hit only 1 shell missed the turret that was breached just exploded. The Kongo is
starting to list to the port side. Salvo 4 is hitting the target 3 shells of 9 hit the
target however the target is starting to sink the bow is under water. Lifeboats are
deploying from the back of the ship scout counts 35 lifeboats in the water. The Kongo is
going under! Salvo 5 hit the target all 9 shells hit however the target is now bow down in
the water and sinking fast! 밪ir the Kongo has sunk.?Reported Luke. 밡ew radar contacts
looks like 3 destroyers and the Ryujo. Also I'm tracking two Mogami class cruisers coming
our way we should probably take them out. In two minutes they will be in range to fire on
us.?said Kenny, while adjusting settings on the radar console. 밯ill, get me a targeting
solution on the leading cruiser.?밳es sir; rotate guns to an angle of 90 degrees elevation
of 25 degrees. Guns ready to fire sir.?Mumbled Will. He seemed to be preoccupied with the
targeting solution because the targets were both getting closer all the time. 밪ir, I
suggest we fire in single salvos rather than a full series of salvos so we can re target
after every shot, seeing as they will be getting closer every time we fire.?

밃lright Will fire when you뭨e ready you've got full control of the guns. Take out those
cruisers so we can then focus on that carrier. Yes sir firing 1 salvo on the lead cruiser
in 3 2 1.?The guns booming report echoes out over the water from the firing of the
massive cannons. 밪cout reports a direct hit on the Mogami one more hit should finish him.
However it뭩 crippled and slowing to 7 knots.?Said Luke. 밯ill target the other cruiser
the first one is no longer an immediate threat.?Ordered Farley. 밳es sir, changing targets
rotating the guns 98 Degrees elevation 22 degrees. Firing in 5 seconds 5 4 3 2 1.? The
guns belch flames while a deafening roar rings out over the waters of the South China Sea.
밪alvo away impact in 3 seconds 3 2 1 impact now.?Reports Will in a nervous voice. 밪ir
scout reports salvo is a miss by about 50 meters the Mogami has started to weave
about.?Said Luke sounding a bit worried. 밃lso the scout reports 4 flights of 3 dive
bombers each have left the carrier and are coming this way.?

밚uke sound the alarm to man the anti-aircraft stations.?밳es sir sounding the alarm
now.?Luke then pushed a button on the console directly in front of his chair and a
buzzing alarm starts to ring out all throughout the ship. 밃larm sounded AA batteries
being manned. Flak batteries are manned and will be firing in 45 seconds when the planes
are in range.?밯ill you get the other ship targeted??밳es sir i was about to fire the guns
rotating guns to 115 degrees elevation 18 firing in 3 seconds 3 2 1.?The windows of the
bridge shake from the concussion of air pushed aside by the firing of the main guns.
밠ogami is opening fire on us. Scout reports direct hit 9 of 9 shells the Mogami just
broke in two shes going under the waves.?밠ogamis salvo will impact in 6 5 4 3 2 1 Impact.
밪ix of the 12 shells hit the rear deck behind the turret causing little damage other than
to break some of the planking. The remaining 6 shells missed sir.?

밪ir enemy bombers now in range the flak cannons are opening fire. The first two flights
of bombers were destroyed however the third and fourth flights got though the flak
unharmed. Four bombers are incoming the 50 caliber machine guns are engaging the planes.
Sir flight three has been destroyed.?Just then two dive bombers started their dive on the
USS Pheonix. The bombers were screaming as they dived down on the ship. They released
their payload of bombs and pulled up from their howling dive. Both bombs scored a direct
hit on the number one turret causing severe damage to the turret.

밪ir we have a massive fire breaking out in the number one turret i suggest we pull out
before they get more bombers off the deck to hit us.?밯ill, do you think you can take out
the Ryujo before it gets another flight in the air after recovering those planes??밳es
sir i think we can it would normally only take 1 salvo to take out the carrier so i think
with two salvos we can take it out. However we will be firing blind seeing as the scout
had to return to get some more gas and the carrier is putting fighters into the air.?

밃lright do your best Will we won뭪 know the effect so we will just fire based on radar
targeting information.?밳es sir , rotating the turret to 125 degrees elevation 40 degrees
firing one salvo in, 3, 2, 1 Salvo away.?밙enny watch the target let us know of any
changes.?밪ir, she뭩 stopped moving. She sounds like she뭩 breaking up on the
hydrophones. I believe we took out the target.?밎ood; Mikhail get us flank speed to
Manila naval base for repairs.?


Chapter 7

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-14-1942
09:37 Hours
En route to Manila Naval Base

밪ir, we are approximately 30 minutes out of Manila naval base.?Reported Stirling.
밃lright,?sighed Farley. 밠ikhail what뭩 the damage report from our recent action can we
get it repaired in time to intercept the Carrier task force??밒 believe so sir damage was
heavy but it is repairable. Basically the elevator that brings up the shells from the
locker below decks was destroyed. Along with the gun elevation motor the bomb landed right
on top of the turret and blasted a big chunk out of it. The chunk then fell into the
elevator shaft and is wedged somewhere in the shaft. The second bomb went through the
breach in the turret and detonated inside the turret killing the gun crew and shredded the
interior of the turret. In the process it destroyed the gun rotation and elevation control
engines. However once in the dock it should be a relatively easy fix we will have to strip
turrets two and three of crew so that we can still use all three turrets. Additionally we
be better off with a new turret but seeing as we can뭪 get one unless we get back to
Hawaii island we will have to improvise with parts from Manila.?

밃lright Mikhail I뭠l leave it to you to get this boat back in fighting shape once we dock
at the harbor. Luke why don't you go see about getting the surviving gun crew and a few
replacements from turrets 2 and 3 together to run gun one once its fixed.?밳es sir, I뭠l
get on it right now said Luke. Sir one thing though didn't the entire gun crew die??Asked
Luke he sounded a bit confused. 밳es Luke that's what we though turns out though that 8 of
the crew members were outside the turret when the bombs hit and survived the blast. So we
still have 8 of the original crew members to get the replacements up to speed.?

밐ere's a crew roster for turrets 2 and 3 I뭭e highlighted who I think you should transfer
to turret one. Only 8 guys?sir, these turrets are usually run by at minimum 25 men 16 men
is quite a bit short.?밒 know Luke but we have no other choice we don't have the time to
train new men.?Said Farley in an exasperated tone. 밫hese are the best men we have in
these turrets who aren't the main crewmen who man the turret. These are the second shift
of men from turrets two and three they will be the best chance we have of still making the
engagement with that carrier force.?

밳es sir,?said Luke 밒뭠l see to it now. Also we should be receiving a message from
command on the radio in a few minutes about the details of the task force we will be
joining to go after the enemy carrier task force. Jack write down the details of that
transmission as you receive them so we can review them on our way to meet up with that
task force.?


Chapter 8

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-15-1942
14:57 Hours
The Philippine sea

밓ack would you mind reading the briefing on what our convoy consists of and what we will
be facing.?Asked Farley. 밳es sir,?said Jack he didn't seem too excited about the
briefing. 밯e will be joining a task force consisting of 1 Midway class carrier 1
Ticonderoga class carrier 1 Yorktown class carrier 1 Iowa class battleship 1 Alaska class
battle cruiser and 2 Pensacola class heavy cruisers accompanied by 2 Northampton heavy
cruisers. We are to meet up with this task force off the coast of Guam island at the edge
of the Philippine sea. We will then set sail for midway island by the route of the Wake
island. We are expected to encounter the enemy carrier force approximately half way to
Midway island from Wake island.?

밫he enemy task force consists of 7 carriers of the following classes 1 Taiho class
carrier 1 Ise class converted battleship carrier, 1 Akagi class carrier, 1 Hiryu class
carrier, 1 Ryujo class carrier, 1 Shokaku class carrier, and 1 Kaga class carrier. Our
objective is to sink 1 carrier the Iowa class must sink 3 carriers the Ticonderoga is to
provide fighter cover from bombers while the Midway sinks the remaining 3 carriers while
providing fighter support for itself and the Ticonderoga.?

밪ounds like they don't expect us to succeed they didn't exactly set us up for victory
with so few carriers even if they are big carriers.?Said Farley in a tired voice.
밫ogether those enemy carriers can probably put near to 50 planes in the air. Whereas, we
can only put around 25 into the air every few minutes.?밡ot the greatest odds.?remarked
Stirling. 밪ir, according to the report that is why there is 4 heavy cruisers. They are to
provide AA support with the flak guns they have mounted. One Pensacola will be assigned to
us and the Iowa class the Northampton's will provide support for the carriers.?Said Jack

밃lright sir we should arrive off the coast of Guam in about 15 minutes I'm also getting
contacted on the shortwave radio. The ship contacting us is the USS Sunshine the flagship
of our task force.?밃lright Jack relay the message we are the final ship in the task
force the USS Pheonix. Also relay to Captain Christian that we are glad to be back with
the USS Sunshine.?


Chapter 9

USS Pheonix
USNG
USN Lieutenant Commander Luke Randall
1-15-1942
15:12 Hours
The Pacific ocean

밪ir, the enemy convoy has been sighted by our scout. The convoy is about an hour to the
north going 22 knots on a course straight for midway.?밃lright relay the information to
the USS Sunshine Jack.?Ordered Farley. 밪ir at our current speed we should catch them in
52 minutes?reported Stirling. 밎ood however we can뭪 go full speed we need the slowest
ship to be able to keep up and since we go 45 knots we are the fastest ship in this
convoy. If we were to leave this convoy we would become a very good looking target for
those enemy CV뭩. So we will relay the info to the flagship and wait for orders.?Said Farley.

밪ir, orders from the flagship are to accelerate to 38 knots and adjust into formation
diamond squared our sodak on the top right corner with the Iowa on the top left corner and
the CV뭩 directly behind us. The Heavy cruisers will setup on the outside four sides of
the box and the Alaska class will be in the center of the box. We call this formation
diamond squared because it lays out the shape of a diamond with a square inside of it.?

밪ir, the scout reports that the carriers are fueling flights of fighters and bombers.? Reported Luke. 밓ack, forward the information to the USS Moonshine and the carriers then
send a message to the AA support ships to ready their guns for enemy planes.?밪ir it
looks like they are loading in groups of 5 bombers per flight.?Relayed Luke 뱓hat means
the Flagship can only be hit 4 times before she sinks, same for the Ticonderoga we can be
hit 2 times maybe 3 times, and the Midway can only be hit 5 times; we better hope they
only can land one flight of bombs.?밯e will be lucky if they land only 1 flight of bombs
most likely however we will lose a couple of ships in this skirmish.?Said Farley.

밫he USS Sunshine says we are free to engage anything as soon as it뭩 in range. They also
gave us new orders the carriers will not be launching bombers they will be 100% fighter
support seeing as so many bombers are being launched. Furthermore the battleships must
take out that enemy convoy without bomber assistance from the carriers.?Reported Luke.
밯ell Luke, if the fighters do their job right then we won뭪 have to worry about any
bombers and can focus instead on sinking those carriers. However we may have our hands
full as it is they can field a lot of planes that they can send into the air to our lesser
number the only bright side is we have better fighters than they do.?Said Farley and he
then proceeded to yawn.

밪ir, we are getting a message from Midway Island.?Said Jack. 밒t looks like they are
sending 3 more carriers to assist us.?밯hat class carriers??asked Farley. ? Essex class
and two Yorktown class carriers sir.?Reported Jack. 밎reat this should even up the
playing field.?said 밚uke, now we can really get down to the work of sinking this enemy
task force.?밯ell there is still one problem Luke, they won뭪 be in fighter range for
another 5 minutes that's enough for a wave of enemy bombers to get here. However they have
planes on the deck and fueled ready to takeoff as soon as they are in range.?Reported Jack.

밪ir, the USS Sunshine has given the order to engage at will we can now target any of the
enemy carriers that are in range.?Said Jack he seemed extremely excited. 밃lright calm
down Jack you've done this before no need to get out of hand now.?Said Farley. 밪orry sir
I just love it when we fire those guns of ours. Gets the blood flowing faster and gives me
an adrenaline rush.?Said Jack. 밪ir we now have two carriers in range looks like one is
the Shokaku class carrier and the other is another Ryujo class carrier.?Reported Kenny 밒
suggest we take out the Shokaku class carrier seeing as it poses the bigger threat of the
two.?밎ood work Kenny. Will get us a targeting solution and engage the Shokaku class
carrier The USS Sunshine is probably taking out the Akagi class carrier.?Stated Farley.
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keep in mind this is a work of fiction and also that it is a work in progress please let
me know what you think of it