Well one thing is certain. HMS Defence will definitely be joining Craddock - there is no way Churchill will be flip flopping now!
The Rainbow. A World War One on Canada's West Coast Timeline
- Thread starter YYJ
- Start date
That's my thought. Take the ship, and use it to douse a target before lighting up. Nasty.
The only thing some of the old armored cruisers are useful for would be for guard duty in these locations.
We have them pinned down
Aug 17, 2045 hours. Prince Rupert
Captain Fry gathered his detachment of six riflemen, a corporal and a sub lieutenant, and left his horse tied at the Grand Trunk Inn. He descended towards the wharf, lit by the burning GTP warehouse, to confirm that the Germans had left. The slips were empty, but a pair of masts stuck out of the harbour wharfside where the Princess Ena had been moored. The heat from the blazing building drove the men back. He left the wharf in the hands of the fire brigade. The warehouse was beyond hope, but the wharf below might still be saved. The town depended on it.
Fry took his men east, with the waterfront jumble of docks, fishing boats, and shacks to their left, and the commercial buildings of the downtown to their right. The elevated plank road carried the men over a field of stumps and rock outcroppings. A lifeboat had landed at a fisherman’s flimsy dock, and merchant seamen were making their way inland. Fry continued eastward. The smell of burning coal became stronger, and a glow came out of the fog ahead. “At least we kept the Germans away from the coal,” he said to his sub lieutenant. As they approached the coal wharf, the men had to detour inland to bypass the heat and smoke from the burning bunker and scows. As they watched, one of the scows rolled over and sank in a hissing burst of steam. Past the coal dock, the party descended a long flight of wooden stairs to the level of the harbour.
A roaring and cracking came from ahead. And then, some rifle fire from close by. At first, Fry thought the shots were secondary explosions from the shipyard fire, but as they continued it became clear they were gunshots.
“Form skirmish line!” ordered Fry. “ His men advanced through the stumps and shacks and net drying racks. He soon made out the backs of several men in Canadian militia uniform, their attention attracted to something to the harbour side and out of his sightline. Running at a crouch, he approached an officer he identified as Lieutenant Fletcher, his second in command.
“Report!” he ordered Fletcher. It was hard to hear over the sound of the burning shipyard, lost in the fog to the east. Fry’s detachment took up positions facing the harbour.
“German landing party sir!” replied Fletcher. “Two boats. We have them pinned down.” Several more shots were fired by the militiamen. Fry heard no shots fired in their direction.
“What could they want here?” asked Fry. “You would think they have run out of targets.”
“Beats me sir, but listen,” answered Fletcher.
“Hold Fire!” ordered Fry, and the order was passed down the line.
The burning shipyard made it difficult to make out, but he heard yelling voices. The language was certainly not English. It was a babble to him. But one word seemed to be repeated. He listened closely.
“Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!”
“God damn it!” cursed Fry. “Those are Russians! They must be from that armed merchant cruiser.”
Fletcher looked unhappy.
“Don’t just sit there! Go help them!”
Fletcher holstered his revolver, and waved his men forward.
Captain Fry gathered his detachment of six riflemen, a corporal and a sub lieutenant, and left his horse tied at the Grand Trunk Inn. He descended towards the wharf, lit by the burning GTP warehouse, to confirm that the Germans had left. The slips were empty, but a pair of masts stuck out of the harbour wharfside where the Princess Ena had been moored. The heat from the blazing building drove the men back. He left the wharf in the hands of the fire brigade. The warehouse was beyond hope, but the wharf below might still be saved. The town depended on it.
Fry took his men east, with the waterfront jumble of docks, fishing boats, and shacks to their left, and the commercial buildings of the downtown to their right. The elevated plank road carried the men over a field of stumps and rock outcroppings. A lifeboat had landed at a fisherman’s flimsy dock, and merchant seamen were making their way inland. Fry continued eastward. The smell of burning coal became stronger, and a glow came out of the fog ahead. “At least we kept the Germans away from the coal,” he said to his sub lieutenant. As they approached the coal wharf, the men had to detour inland to bypass the heat and smoke from the burning bunker and scows. As they watched, one of the scows rolled over and sank in a hissing burst of steam. Past the coal dock, the party descended a long flight of wooden stairs to the level of the harbour.
A roaring and cracking came from ahead. And then, some rifle fire from close by. At first, Fry thought the shots were secondary explosions from the shipyard fire, but as they continued it became clear they were gunshots.
“Form skirmish line!” ordered Fry. “ His men advanced through the stumps and shacks and net drying racks. He soon made out the backs of several men in Canadian militia uniform, their attention attracted to something to the harbour side and out of his sightline. Running at a crouch, he approached an officer he identified as Lieutenant Fletcher, his second in command.
“Report!” he ordered Fletcher. It was hard to hear over the sound of the burning shipyard, lost in the fog to the east. Fry’s detachment took up positions facing the harbour.
“German landing party sir!” replied Fletcher. “Two boats. We have them pinned down.” Several more shots were fired by the militiamen. Fry heard no shots fired in their direction.
“What could they want here?” asked Fry. “You would think they have run out of targets.”
“Beats me sir, but listen,” answered Fletcher.
“Hold Fire!” ordered Fry, and the order was passed down the line.
The burning shipyard made it difficult to make out, but he heard yelling voices. The language was certainly not English. It was a babble to him. But one word seemed to be repeated. He listened closely.
“Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!”
“God damn it!” cursed Fry. “Those are Russians! They must be from that armed merchant cruiser.”
Fletcher looked unhappy.
“Don’t just sit there! Go help them!”
Fletcher holstered his revolver, and waved his men forward.
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Author's note: I am only writing this a few instalments ahead of posting. I seem to have painted myself into a narrative corner, reconciling my ATL and the OTL. Nürnberg and events surrounding her are unfolding from my POD at the beginning of the story. Leipzig, and the Canadian navy at Esquimalt are on rails still, meaning they are tied to our timeline until August 18. Leipzig until midnight of the 18/19th, Esquimalt for at least part of the day. So how in the world can word not get out about the attacks on Prince Rupert and Anyox for another 24 hours?!?
Lets see how I get my way out of this one!
It is true that the Brave Boys got the message out to Vancouver and Victoria around 1745 hours on the 17th. But there is a high noise to signal ratio in reporting the German cruisers. Some is the work of German Intelligence, but most is the general panic of the time. Rumours were rampant.
OTL, on August 18, HMCS Rainbow made a frantic dash up to Prince Rupert to respond to what was considered to be very credible reports of a German cruiser coaling from an American freighter.
Lets see how I get my way out of this one!
It is true that the Brave Boys got the message out to Vancouver and Victoria around 1745 hours on the 17th. But there is a high noise to signal ratio in reporting the German cruisers. Some is the work of German Intelligence, but most is the general panic of the time. Rumours were rampant.
OTL, on August 18, HMCS Rainbow made a frantic dash up to Prince Rupert to respond to what was considered to be very credible reports of a German cruiser coaling from an American freighter.
Leipzig in San Francisco is unaware of any of this at midnight of the 18th/19th. Esquimalt unaware at least until the morning some time.
I am not asking for advice, just sharing the process.
Driftless
Donor
By this point, I'd guess that every report of German cruisers being sighted from New Guinea to Mexico to Alaska has caused senior commanders to demand some sort of verification before taking action. Though, the break off of basic communications with Anyox and Port Rupert ought to rattle some gourds.
(Loosely borrowed from Baroness Orczy....Ok, ok, Von Schoenburg doesn't fit the meter, but you get the drift....)
In OTL there was a German protected cruiser, SMS Geier, which was interned in Honolulu, due to lack of supplies and needed engine supplies. A local USRCS Officer had to convince the IJN that they couldn't come and take her out, she was interned in US waters. If Nurnburg heads to Alaska for whatever reason, and is interned there, the IJN may not be as willing to comply with the rules. That would be an interesting WI, Japanese cause US casualties, wonder how that'll shake out....
The tanker is capsized, it needs to be salvaged.
With the tanker being capsized, would a boarding party be sent over, and could they access the bridge without some difficulty? The tanker's cargo might mean increased US patrols along the Pacific northwest coast and maybe 'unofficial' information sharing?
The tanker isn't capsized; it's been taken. It it also in serious violation of American law. It's a British ship. ONLY ships registered in the USA are allowed to transport cargo or passengers from one port to another, if both ports are in the United States. If the owner of the cargo protests, Germany can point out that, since it was in a British ship, it clearly wasn't going from California to Alaska. Hmmmmm....False papers?
Driftless
Donor
That sounds correct, but the Germans need to be able to convey those facts to a larger audience before they're sunk. If they ultimately are interned, then those legal points will likely come to light. If they're sunk first, then the damning details get whitewashed over and the situation likely gets spun out a different way. (In the wrong hands, truth becomes malleable. Lies, damn lies, and statistics and all that...)
The Jones Act hasn't been passed yet and won't be for six years so for now its not illegal
Exactly. That law isn't well known, and I wasn't sure if you'd be considering retconning it--or more likely, the violation is an interesting plot point on your part.
Paternas
Donor
Was a predecessor law doing the same not already in effect? I'm pretty sure an existing law already applied to passenger transport.
In the historical setting of this time line, I suspect a lot of people will view this type of claim in the same way they would view burglars complaining that the building they burgled didn't comply with the building code.
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Thank you for this. I did not have a secret plan for this plot development, other than trying to find a good reason to put that ship in Prince Rupert harbour. But, Wikipedia gives a plausible reason why the shipping company might bend a rule, thinking it won't get caught, (the rule being whatever similar previous act governed US domestic shipping.) US shipping capacity encountered a crisis in World War One when other countries withdrew their merchant marines form servicing US markets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920#National_security