Captain John Catterall Leach stood in the center of the Prince of Wale's bridge and stared out at the clear crisp waters that surrounded them. With many destroyer escorts and the HMS Repulse with them, he feared no enemy, and was sure that their mission would be successful. But Leach was not an optimist and knew that anything could go wrong at any time, and often did.
Pearl Harbour had been destroyed not a day before and they were on their way to Malaya to counter a Japanese force there, but they had found no forces of any kind in the area, and so had turned back to their base in Singapore.
The sea and sky stayed clear and crisp until the late evening, when only Captain Leach and the helmsman were on the bridge. Stepping up beside him the Captain smiled. "Go get some sleep, you've deserved it."
The helmsman looked at the captain and saluted. "Sir! I shall inform my replacement then do so."
"You may tell your replacement that he may take his time. Dismissed."
"Sir!" the helmsman responded as he turned and left the bridge.
Alone in the bridge Captain Leach walked up beside the wheel, placing a hand on it to keep it steady, and placed his other hand on the navigation panel beside the wheel. His hand moved along the wood slowly, as if petting or caressing it, while he looked out the window at the dark and calm evening water. "And so the sun falls once more, crossing the seas and oceans of the world. But as it always does, it shall return to us, and falls upon our Prince of Wales; let her be bathed in the sun's glory for ever more, and let the moons watchful gaze sink her nevermore." Captain Leach smiled as he finished his strange almost poetic statement. His ship was indeed called a prince, but he truly thought of her otherwise.
"Sir, I am here to take the helm!"
Captain Leach turned to find the second helmsman standing in the doorway of the bridge. "Did you just get here?"
"Yes sir."
Captain Leach let out a relieved sigh. He enjoyed being alone on the bridge. It made him feel like he could truly understand how the ship felt, and he did enjoy making his little poetic sayings. But if anyone ever heard him say one he felt he would die from embarrassment. "Good. I shall take my leave then. I shall see you as sun rise tomorrow."
"Yes sir!" the helmsman replied as Captain Leach walked past him and made his way to his quarters for some rest.
As the captain walked through the corridors of the ship, he occasionally ran his fingers across the walls and pipes. He loved this ship, and while he had been it's captain for only a short time, he felt like he sometimes could feel her feelings. Smiling to himself he entered his cabin and laid down on his bed, thinking to himself that tomorrow would be a day like the last. They would make it to Singapore and all it would be well.
The next morning Captain Leach stood in the bridge of the HMS Prince of Wales with a smile on his face. They were only half a day away from Singapore, and while they had not completed their mission they also had not encountered any resistance, and a safe journey was a good one. Stepping toward a window he looked out at one of the destroyer escorts and began humming happily to himself. Then the destroyer escort went up in fire, breaking apart in a matter of seconds.
Ignoring the shock that assailed everyone else in the bridge, Captain Leach looked around for what destroyed the escort, and high above the clouds, caught sight of Japanese high altitude bombers, and a moment later, a large force of torpedo bombers.
Dashing to the navigation panel before a frightened and confused sailor, Captain Leach grabbed hold of the radio and flipped it on, screaming orders to other ships and his own. "This is the commander. Japanese high altitude bombers and torpedo bombers sighted off to starboard. Evasive action! All ships are to head full speed to Singapore! AA cannons fire at will! "
Captain Leach dropped the radio back onto its holder and looked to his helmsman. "Full speed to Singapore, now!"
The helmsman merely nodded as he began pushing the ship to her limits.
In seconds the air around them reverberated as AA cannon fire roared up from all ships. Returning to the center of the ridge Captain Leach roared commands to his crew as bombs and torpedoes slammed into the water around them. One by one their escorts were hit and began going up in flames, and soon after the HMS Repulse beside them began listing to one side, her hull punched through by torpedoes.
Looking in horror as the Repulse began to capsize, thoughts of failure and loss began filling Captain Leach's mind. Shaking them away he barked more orders to his crew to keep up the AA fire and to speed to Singapore. They had to make it, they had too!
Suddenly, an explosion rang out and the ship rocked heavily, dropping the entire bridge crew to the floor. Scrambling to his feet Captain Leach looked over to find the radio operator bleeding on the floor, his head having struck the Navigation panel as he fell. As he reached for the radio, the ship began shifting, and listed to one side. Falling against the window Captain Leech looked out and could see water currents flowing rapidly toward the side of their hull. They had been hit by a torpedo at the water line and were now taking on water, lots of it. Looking down from the bridge he could see the crew below frantically running around, and could see all but one of the AA cannons was inoperable. They were taking on water, had little AA, and no air force of their own to counter the Japanese bombers.
Making his mind up Captain Leach grabbed the radio and, barked his final orders to the crew. "Abandon ship! I repeat man life boats and abandon ship!"
"But sir?" The helmsman said as he tried to move the wheel, groaning as it creaked without budging.
Captain Leach looked at him and then to the rest of his crew on the bridge. "The Prince of Wales is bound for the bottom. I have given my order and that means all of you as well. Get to the life boats, now!"
"But what about you sir!?"
Captain Leach looked to his mean and shook his head. "We are listing and will likely capsize from the torpedo we took." Captain Leach stated as another explosion rocked the ship. Another torpedo striking them. "I shall hold the ship steady as long as I can. You men must get as many to the lifeboats as possible while I hold her steady."
The men looked at the captain and started to speak, until they looked at his face. His face was hard and sure of his decision, and tears slowly slid down his face. Seeing this, the men nodded and held back their tears as they left the bridge, preparing to save as many as they could, and leaving their captain to die with the ship.
As the last crew member left the bridge, Captain Leach stepped to the wheel and gripped it tightly with both hands. With a nearly inhuman show of strength he forced it over, turning the ship in broad turn, and forcing the torpedo struck side out of the water from the speed. As he tried to keep the hole in the hull out of the water, torpedoes struck the opposite side, causing it to list the other way. Quickly he turned the wheel again and tried to keep the deck level, despite the numerous holes that peppered its waterline on both sides.
Despite his efforts the ship listed more and more as its hull filled with water. As water began pouring into the bridge, Captain Leech stood up and placed both his hands on the instruments before him. With tears falling from his eyes onto the cracked glass covering the instruments his lips parted, and gave one last loving poetic goodbye to the Prince of Wales.
They called you a prince, but you were a queen.
A queen of the South Asian Sea.
Some crew shall live on as our last breath we draw,
I should have been a better Captain for thee.
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Battleship Hime woke up and shot straight up from where she lay, a cold sweat covered her pale white skin. Looking around she found herself lying atop the small pool of water that was her bed and dock, and let out a sigh.
It was just a dream, a memory of a time past, and the reason she fought. Unlike many Shinkaisei-kan, she had a definite personality, and could recall a past that was hers and hers alone. She did not care what her new 'Admiral' desired. Nor did she care what any other Shinkaisei-kan thought of her. She fought to avenge her Captain, and as her Captain's last words repeated themselves in her head she could feel tears forming in her eyes.
Standing up in her pool and stepping out of it she wiped the tears from her eyes and cold sweat from her head, saying the one thing she always wished she could have said to her captain as she left to fight her enemy and gain her vengeance. "You were a great captain, perfect even. There could not have been a better captain for me than you. Thank you."
Historical Note: the captain of the HMS Prince of Wales was indeed named John Catterall Leach and he did indeed go down with his ship after it capsizing from taking torpedoes from Japanese bombers two days after pearl harbour. Historically the event itself is accurate, just likely not my interpretation of the captains character or orders.