May 24th, 1941. 5:51 AM.
Denmark Straight, North Atlantic.
There's an old saying. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. While this phrase normally was used to describe the coming of a storm, HMS Prince of Wales couldn't help but wonder if the blood-red clouds she had seen at first sunrise were an omen of ill fortune as she steamed towards her looming conflict with the German battleship Bismarck.
When she had set sail the day before, the mission's success had seemed as close to a sure thing as there could have been. Even with how new she was, having been pulled from her post-shakedown refit for this mission, Wales was still one of the most advanced battleships in the North Atlantic. With an armored belt that was almost fifteen inches thick and six inches of deck armor, she was arguably the most well protected ship in the world. Her ten 14 inch cannons, while smaller than Bismark's 15's,were more numerous, faster firing, and tied to a state of the art fire control system.
And she wasn't alone either. Sailing with her was the pride of the Royal navy, a ship whose name was synonymous with its raw power. HMS Hood, the first and only member of her class and the last of the British Battlecruisers. While a bit long in the tooth and in need of a refit like Wales, she still had a belt as stout as any battleships' and eight 16-inch cannons. Even with only the two of them, they would have had the damn Krauts outgunned. Add in the six destroyers they had departed with and Sheffield and Norfolk, who were tailing the two German ships, and one could have considered the outcome already decided.
And had everything gone ahead as planned, that would have been the case. With Holland's force pressing Bismark from the West and two cruisers engaging Eugen from the north, the two ships would have been caught in a vice. Outnumbered five to one and engaged from multiple angles, neither Kraut would have a chance. They had even taken account for Hoods weaker deck armor, taking a route to the German ships that would have limited her exposure time to plunging fire from their guns.
But that had relied entirely on Sheffield keeping them under constant surveillance, and at thirty minutes past midnight they had received the fateful message that she had lost contact with The German vessels. Wales couldn't blame the girl, straddling the fine line between the edge of her radar range and the maximum firing range for Bismarck's cannons. At the same time though, she couldn't help but curse their luck. They were forced to detach their destroyers to search for her, and by the time Sheffield had found the Germans again they were too far away to regroup before the battle.
Even worse the new German position and course put them perilously out of position. Now, instead of a head on pass that played to their strengths, Hood and Wales were coming almost due south of the German formation. They would be outgunned by the Krauts initially and would be spending far more time exposed to their deadly plunging fire.
"At least Norfolk and Sheffield are still in position." Wales had said. "Two on one odds aren't that bad."
"… Certainly so." At the time Wales couldn't help but notice Hoods reply was distant, like she was holding something back from the battleship, even if she couldn't quite figure out what it had been.
It wasn't until her lookouts spotted the smoke from Bismarck's funnel that she figured out what it was. Try as she might, she couldn't locate the two cruisers that had been trailing her. "Hood..." She began to say, holding onto the foolish hope that the Germans smoke was masking their presence. "The cruisers, they're..."
"Not here." Came the battlecruiser's calm reply, confirming her worst fears. " Don't worry Princess, we still hold the advantage over them. You're every bit as advanced as Bismarck is. And her escort is only a heavy cruiser, nothing that can compare to a mighty battlecruiser like myself."
"You think so Hood?" Wales asked, nervously smoothing out the knee length skirt of her royal blue dress.
"I do Princess." Hood replied with such confidence, Prince of Wales could almost imagine her smiling from her spot on her bridge. "By the time those two cruisers get here, the only job we'll need them for is picking up survivors."
Even with her flagships confidence washing over her, Wales still couldn't shake the uneasiness over the upcoming battle. She was too new for this mission, with workers still aboard fixing issues from her shakedown cruise and a crew too inexperienced for a one on one fight. With every mile, the doubts began to grow. Would she be able to do her duty? Would her systems hold up to their initiation? Would her crew?
"30,000 yards." Hood called out, shaking Wales from her trance. "Prepare to fire on the lead ship of the formation."
Looking through her rangefinders, Wales could make out the distinct lines of the battleship Bismarck. The only problem was that she wasn't the ship Hood and Wales were targeting. Instead of leading the formation. The German battleship trailed her escorting cruiser as the made a break for their hunting ground in the North Atlantic. "Hood... I think that-"
"Fire." The rest of Wales's response was drowned out as the two capital ships forward batteries issued their initial challenges. Almost immediately her crew in the fire control room began shifting their focus to Bismarck as her gun crews worked feverishly to get the next salvo in place.
It was at that moment Wales worst fears were realized. "A turret reporting an issue with one of the cannons, captain." One of her officers reported. A ball of lead formed in her stomach as the words hit her ears.
"Hood." Wales began. "Something's wrong with one of my guns."
"Just keep firing with what you have left." The battlecruiser responded. "We'll be in position to unleash our full broadsides soon enough."
Despite her own doubts and misgivings, Wales remained silent as her remaining guns continued to pound at her German counterpart, each salvo landing closer and closer to their target. Mysteriously, the Germans had yet to return fire despite the flurry of shells landing around them.
"Alright Kraut." She said to herself as her forth salvo flew over Bismarck's bridge. "What in god's name are you up too?"
-
"What in god's name are you waiting for!" A blond-haired woman shouted at Admiral Gunther Lutjen before involuntarily as a series of shell sailed perilously close to her bridge. The damn British had been firing on her for almost 3 minutes now, and still the damn fool commanding her thought he could outrun the force sent to hunt her and Prinz Eugen down.
"Permission to fire." Her first gunnery officer asked, as if reading her thoughts. Bismarck attempted to respond only to cry out in pain, crumpling to her knees as a fourteen inch shell slammed into her hull below the water line. For her second her vision blurred, her gut burning as if someone had put a blowtorch to the wound. Pressing one of her hands against the wound she staggered back upright, stunned to see Captain Lindermann staring in her direction.
Her captains face showed no emotion as he turned from her to Admiral Lutjen except for his eyes, whose stare dared his superior to counteract what he was about to say. "I'm not letting my ship get shot out from under my arse." He commanded, his voice far calmer than his gaze suggested to the wounded battleship. "Open Fire."
A smile broke across Bismarck's face as her main battery gave its reply to the numerous challenges that had been thrown at her, her faithful companion following up with her own salvo moments later. All around the lead British ship, who Bismarck identified as none other than the world-famous HMS Hood, the sea turn white from shell falls. A large column of smoke rose from behind her foes superstructure as one of their shells drew blood, causing her smile to grow even more.
For too long the British had laughed as her compatriots had scattered before their mighty battleships. After today, that would no longer be the case. They would learn to fear her cannons after today, understanding just how lucky they'd been that no German battleship had dared fight them before.
-
"Hood." Wales screamed as she heard the aging battlecruiser cry out in pain, smoke billowing from her aft superstructure. "Hood, are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine." Hood replied, the pain in her voice betraying the lie. "All they got was the shelter deck. I'll be right as rain soon enough."
Despite Hood's calm response Wales could tell she was in trouble. Smoke enveloped her from mainmast to her second funnel. Every so often Wales could see a large cloud of smoke push out from her wounded friend as ammunition cooked off from the heat. Every word from Hood seemed labored as she said them.
Wales fired off another salvo as they closed to 14,000 yards, though she couldn't tell if it she had scored another hit. She this wasn't going to be enough though. Even with all her guns working she and Hood could only bring ten guns to bear against the combined main and secondary batteries of both German ships. "They're going to tear us apart at this rate." She shouted to Hood.
"I concur." Hood replied. "20 degree turn to starboard on my mark."
"Copy."
"Three…two…one… mark." Wales felt her hull groan as she and Hood pulled to starboard, their coarse now running parallel to the German battlegroup. "All batteries open fi-"
Wales watched as a shell slammed into Hood near her aft mainmast. Seconds later a column of fire spewed from the damaged area, towering high over her masts.
"Hood!" Wales cried out as her mentor grown from the blow. "Talk to me. How bad is it?"
"Wales, I… oh god…"
A fireball washed over Wales as Hood's midsection came apart as if they were made of matchsticks, pieces of the old battle cruiser raining down of her and her crew. The shattered remnants of her stern twisted away from her bow as her shattered keel broke in two. Its twisted wreckage headed to the bottom of the Atlantic instantaneously. Hood's bow stayed afloat a scant minute longer, pointing to the sky as water flooded its compartments.
As her bow slid into the water for the final time, Hood's "A" turret let out one last act of defiance. No doubt realizing they were dooming themselves doing so, it's crew fired off one last salvo at the enemy, it's shells propelled just as much by the last vestiges of their ship as by the cordite in their propellant bags.
Tears welled up in Wales's eyes as she sailed past the burning oil slick that had been her friend moments before, the battleship wiping her face and forcing herself not to produce anymore. She could cry for as long as she wanted to later, but not before sending Hood's murderers straight to hell…
… Even if she had to escort them there herself.
Wales heard herself roar as her nine remaining guns let loose on the enemy, intent of collecting payment on every last drop of blood that had been spilled. She watch with a smile as a shell smashed into Bismarck's bow, leaving a trail of oil and forcing the bitch to slow down a couple of knots.
The Germans were quick with their response a pair of shells slamming into Wales superstructure, killing scores of crewmen. Wales felt a splitting headache envelope her as the shells carved through her compartments, her hair turning a light brown from blood red while her thoughts grew muddy. Soon after, another shell tore through her armor belt, coming to rest in her in her torpedo bulkhead without exploding, a third smashing into the powder room below of her 5.25-inch gun positions. Still she kept firing, determined to take at least one of her adversaries down with her. She would avenge Hood, no matter what it cost her to do so.
"90 degree turn to port on my mark." Wales heard her captain order. "Prepare to disengage."
The word hit her with more force than the shells. Not only had she failed to sink the Bismarck, to avenge Hood, but now she was fleeing the Germans like a scared puppy with its tail between its legs. "Sir…" An officer asked in similar disbelief.
"We have already lost one ship today," Her captain said. "And I don't intend to make mine the second today to have her name struck from the registry. Now prepare to disengage."
Wales fought her helmsman as she was steered away from Bismarck's guns, her rear cannons continuing to fire on the enemy until another malfunction rendered the entire turret inoperable. She knew she couldn't return to Scapa Flow, not after what happened today. The rest of the girls would resent her for letting Hood die, and she knew deep down they'd have every right to do so.
She looked back at Bismarck's shrinking form as the German battleship sailed over the horizon, both wondering why she had hunted her down and finished her off, and welcoming her to do so…
-
Bismarck was euphoric as she watched the King George class battleship slink below the horizon, her tail between her legs. Even Lutjen's cowardly decision not to hunt the battleship down had done little to sullen her mood. She'd beaten two of the most powerful ships the Royal Navy had in combat today, and sent HMS Hood, the Pride of the Royal Navy, to the bottom of the ocean in only with only flesh wounds to show for the British efforts to sink her.
Resting against the table examined the blood gash that stretched across her arm. Blood still oozed from it, running down her hand before dropping to the ground below in an ever-expanding puddle. More blood poured down her left leg from the wound on her abdomen, leaving a trail of bloody footprints where ever she went.
"How bad is it." She asked Prinz Eugen, who had fallen behind her to gauge how bad the fuel spill was.
"Very bad big sister." The cruisers responded in a concerned voice. "I don't think you'll be able to complete the mission."
"Don't worry Eugen." Bismarck grinned. "We have already secured a stunning victory today. Continue with the mission Prinz Eugen, I'll see you again at after this is all over."
"They'll hunt you down Bismarck." Prinz Eugen replied, the worry in her voice evident. "They won't let either of us rest after what we've done."
"Fear not Eugen," Bismarck replied. Even with the damage I've sustained, it'll take nothing less than the entire Royal Navy to hunt me down."
-
April 28th, 2021.
Scapa Flow, United Kingdom.
HMS Prince of Wales sat at her desk, reading over the last of the after-action reports from the previous day's encounter between an Abyssal patrol and a task force lead by her sister. With her black stockings, dress, and petty coat, one would have surmised she had just comeback from a funeral. A black sunhat sat next to her on the desk , completing the look.
In truth, that description was more than accurate than anyone at Scapa flow dared to admit. The battleship rarely smiled since her return during the opening months, her personality almost a complete opposite of her more outgoing sisters.
"Catching up on my adventures, are we?" A voice said, causing her to look up from her work. Standing at the doorway of her office was her sister King George V, or KG as she insisted the others call her.
KG couldn't have been any more different than Wales if she tried. Always seen in her royal green dress and coat, her long brown hair done up in complicated buns, she radiated a confidence many found infectious. Her emerald green eyes seemed filled with endless optimism, regardless of how bad the situation might be.
"You know full well we need to get these filed in with mother." Wales replied. "Someone needs to take care of that while you and the others are off galavanting around the North Atlantic."
Wales watched as her sister took a seat across from her, the corners of her smile falling ever so slightly. "You know those things don't paint the complete picture right. Nelson, Renown, and myself could have used you out there."
"No, you didn't." Wales shot back. "You know full well what would have happened had I gone out with you." Looking back at the reports in front of her. "I'd only end up getting one of you killed."
KG sighed. Her sister hadn't fired her guns in anger since coming back, preferring to stay desk bound at Scapa Flow. "Wales, we need you out there. You can't keep blaming yourself for Hood and Repulse."
"The hell I can't KG. It's my fault they died." A small puddle of tears appeared on the report in front of her. "Lord knows I should have died in her place."
"You don't mean that Wales." KG pleaded, taking her sisters hand. "You did they best you could. No one expected you to win that fight by yourself."
"Do you think Hood would want you killing yourself over her fate?" She added, watching Wales head sink even farther into her work. "Do you think any of us like seeing you beat yourself up like this?"
Wales looked up at her sister. What did it matter what I think? She thought to herself. Hood counted on me to help her and I failed to do so.
Her response was cut off by the beeping off her headset. "Wales here." She said, tapping the earpiece. "Slow down Exeter. I'll be right there."
"What is it?" KG asked getting out of her chair
"Exeter found something at the docks. Wants me to head down there to help her." Wales replied. "She sounds a little shaken."
"Little miss textbook." KG said incredulously as the two made their way out of Wales's office. "Must be something big then, because she never panics."
"Think it's the Germans again." Wales asked. "I know Bismarck was guarding the oilfields this week."
"Unlikely. We would have heard something if that was the case."
As the two reached the pier, HMS Exeter ran up to them. "Sorry about calling out this late ma'am." The auburn-haired girl said. "I spotted her out near the pier as I was making my rounds. The destroyers are helping her get on dry land right now."
"Helping who." A confused Wales asked.
"You'll see in a second ma'am."
As the two battleships made their way into where a gaggle of destroyers was helping a lone figure out of the water. The destroyers scattered as they approached leaving the figure alone. She was tall and lean, a sure sign she was a battlecruiser. Her long blond hair was done up in an exquisite bun like KG's except for one strand that spiraled down the side of her head. Though her face was marred with dried blood and her blue overcoat seared and torn, she still radiated the confidence befitting a queen of the sea.
"Princess… Georgette." The figure said, her voice one not heard for almost a full century. "It's good to see you again."
"Hood." KG said with a smile. Wales simply nodded before taking a step back away from her old friend. "It's good to see you as well."
"It's good to be back." Hood replied before losing the smile. "So, what's the situation Georgette. I assume something must be going on, considering the afterlife I had."