Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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Story 2429
East China Sea, February 20, 1944
USS Pogy's sail broke the surface. Within minutes her batteries were charging and the fetid stank of a submarine on a war patrol wafted out and onto the deck. The look-outs had already scrambled high and the radar was probing the darkness. They had seen very little on this part of their patrol. Three torpedoes had been fired at a 1,800 ton coaster two weeks ago. Two broke her back. Japanese patrol planes had forced her down twice.
The skipper took a long, deep breath of fresh air and called for the navigator to change course. They were leaving their current patrol area as they were expected to be on lifeguard duty in two days.
USS Pogy's sail broke the surface. Within minutes her batteries were charging and the fetid stank of a submarine on a war patrol wafted out and onto the deck. The look-outs had already scrambled high and the radar was probing the darkness. They had seen very little on this part of their patrol. Three torpedoes had been fired at a 1,800 ton coaster two weeks ago. Two broke her back. Japanese patrol planes had forced her down twice.
The skipper took a long, deep breath of fresh air and called for the navigator to change course. They were leaving their current patrol area as they were expected to be on lifeguard duty in two days.
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Story 2430
Norfolk Naval Base, February 21 1944
HMS Furious tied up in the American naval base for the first time of her last mission. She was berthed within a good attacking shot of the USS Ranger. Both ships had the same mission; train new aviators on the demanding task of landing on carrier decks. Most of the Americans had experience already landing on Great Lake ferries, while the Imperial aviators had some experience landing on escort carriers but Furious and Ranger would give them polishing touches as they steamed off the Virginia Capes and the Carolina coast chasing the wind. After six months on this duty, the Admiralty expected Furious to return to the Firth where her experienced crew would be taken from her after they prepared her for the reserves.
HMS Furious tied up in the American naval base for the first time of her last mission. She was berthed within a good attacking shot of the USS Ranger. Both ships had the same mission; train new aviators on the demanding task of landing on carrier decks. Most of the Americans had experience already landing on Great Lake ferries, while the Imperial aviators had some experience landing on escort carriers but Furious and Ranger would give them polishing touches as they steamed off the Virginia Capes and the Carolina coast chasing the wind. After six months on this duty, the Admiralty expected Furious to return to the Firth where her experienced crew would be taken from her after they prepared her for the reserves.
Story 2431
Portsmouth, England February 21, 1944
Two proud warriors ended their war. HMS Glorious and HMS Resolution were no longer needed. More correctly, their crews were needed for far more capable ships. Both ships were in a basin with other ships that could no longer give adequate service for the number of men that they consumed. Half of them had already been cut down for one last mission. The aircraft carrier would enter the dockyard soon, and then the old battleship would follow her. The expendable fleet was almost complete. HMS Calypso was due to arrive next week.
Two proud warriors ended their war. HMS Glorious and HMS Resolution were no longer needed. More correctly, their crews were needed for far more capable ships. Both ships were in a basin with other ships that could no longer give adequate service for the number of men that they consumed. Half of them had already been cut down for one last mission. The aircraft carrier would enter the dockyard soon, and then the old battleship would follow her. The expendable fleet was almost complete. HMS Calypso was due to arrive next week.
When you can spare a fast carrier and a 15" gun battleship, the war is going well.
There are questions about how fast GLORIOUS could be if her engines were clapped out.....
Story 2432
Western Pacific, February 22, 1944
Three carrier groups were turning into the wind. Hundreds of Grummans and Douglasses and Voughts were about to enter the air. The first strike would be three full fighter squadrons, Hellcats all, to wrest air superiority. Minutes behind them would be a task group's worth of bombers to suppress the small island's airfield. Thirty minutes after that wave, a single carrrier would be striking to hit fuel farms and ammunition dumps. And then another carrier would strike thirty minutes later. The fleet had established its capability to be a metronome of death.
Three carrier groups were turning into the wind. Hundreds of Grummans and Douglasses and Voughts were about to enter the air. The first strike would be three full fighter squadrons, Hellcats all, to wrest air superiority. Minutes behind them would be a task group's worth of bombers to suppress the small island's airfield. Thirty minutes after that wave, a single carrrier would be striking to hit fuel farms and ammunition dumps. And then another carrier would strike thirty minutes later. The fleet had established its capability to be a metronome of death.
Story 2433
Near Strasbourg, February 23, 1944
Anne Marie checked the fire one more time. The soup was coming along nicely. Another fifteen or twenty minutes and it would almost be good enough for her mother to approve. Half a dozen other local girls were working the field kitchen with her. The gossip was nice as the farm was lonely. Two of them had just gotten engaged to the soldiers that manned a radar set and electronic listening post near her village. They were squealing with delight as they told everyone else about their beaus. She could only smile as she had not had a man in too long and her friends from school and church and the village square were still blushing virgins who could only anticipate what she wanted and needed to experience again.
She smiled as she listened. They knew not what they would become.
The soup was almost ready. Soon two hundred local men would be done for their morning shift of moving guns out of the fortresses that faced east. Those guns were to be used to defend the northern coast of France from her liberators.
Anne Marie checked the fire one more time. The soup was coming along nicely. Another fifteen or twenty minutes and it would almost be good enough for her mother to approve. Half a dozen other local girls were working the field kitchen with her. The gossip was nice as the farm was lonely. Two of them had just gotten engaged to the soldiers that manned a radar set and electronic listening post near her village. They were squealing with delight as they told everyone else about their beaus. She could only smile as she had not had a man in too long and her friends from school and church and the village square were still blushing virgins who could only anticipate what she wanted and needed to experience again.
She smiled as she listened. They knew not what they would become.
The soup was almost ready. Soon two hundred local men would be done for their morning shift of moving guns out of the fortresses that faced east. Those guns were to be used to defend the northern coast of France from her liberators.
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Story 2434
Near Seattle, February 23, 1944
USS Enterprise, Franklin, and Oriskany turned into the wind. The old veteran carrier was the flagship of the new task group. All three ships were ready to take aboard their air groups before sailing a few hundred miles to the south to rendezvous with another task unit led by USS Wasp , Iowa and New Jersey. Wasp would act as if she was an Independence class ship on spinach --- local patrol and local defense while the three big, proper carriers were the group's punchers.
By mid-afternoon, fourteen ships were heading south at an efficienct cruising speed. Once the rendezvous occurred and bosun chairs were rigged for staff to come across for long and detailed discussions, the twenty five warships would be heading first to Midway where tankers would allow them to refuel and then a milk run on Marcus Island for one final practice attack before entering the fray.
USS Enterprise, Franklin, and Oriskany turned into the wind. The old veteran carrier was the flagship of the new task group. All three ships were ready to take aboard their air groups before sailing a few hundred miles to the south to rendezvous with another task unit led by USS Wasp , Iowa and New Jersey. Wasp would act as if she was an Independence class ship on spinach --- local patrol and local defense while the three big, proper carriers were the group's punchers.
By mid-afternoon, fourteen ships were heading south at an efficienct cruising speed. Once the rendezvous occurred and bosun chairs were rigged for staff to come across for long and detailed discussions, the twenty five warships would be heading first to Midway where tankers would allow them to refuel and then a milk run on Marcus Island for one final practice attack before entering the fray.
TTL Oriskany is CV-19 as she was originally slotted in OTL to be CV-18 but had her name taken by a replacement for USS WASP after she was sunk. OTL CV-18 (TTL CV-19) joined the fleet in late February 1944
So in reality, OTL CV-18 and TTL CV-19 is running six to eight weeks ahead of schedule
OTL CV 33, 34, 35 (Kearsarge, Oriskany, Reprisal) have been ordered in Summer 1942 but as of the last update, steel has not been cut for any of them.
I think this Oriskany is CV-18, not CV-34. In OTL, CV-18 was renamed from Oriskany to Wasp after the loss of the original.
Edit: ninjad
Maybe after the war Reprisal gets finished as the first SCB-27 Essex class in place of the OTL Oriskany?
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