Banzai
"Chief Engineer, report" Akeno called as she got to her feet. The battle had been raging for over an hour now and some ships had been sunk on both sides and countless lives lost.
"We're taking on some water, but the pumps are taking care of it" Maron called up on the phone. "We've got a bit of damage to the portside shaft, but nothing serious"
"How is our speed?"
"Full speed is still possible"
"Keep it like that, Bridge out"
"Gunnery, switch the forward batteries to ripple fire" Mashiro ordered. "Helm, port fifteen"
"Port fifteen"
"Radio room, signal the cruisers to go up against the destroyers and frigates – all other destroyers are to follow us in. Tell the others that we have encountered an unknown ship and need as many of them as possible to help us" Akeno looked out the window at the mass of ships firing at the Harekaze and her fellow vessels. "Helm, ease to five – steer 187"
"Ease to five… Steering 187"
"Bridge, Radar… I have two ships closing fast on course 264"
"Can you identify them?" Mashiro asked through the voicepipe.
"Not at this range"
"Track steady – shout out when they reach twenty six miles distance"
"Aye"
"Captain, we're taking heavy fire from the American ships. I recommend pulling back so we can make some emergency repairs" one of the Bridge officers called.
"Negative – have damage repair crews do the best they can" Akeno shook her head. "Helm, rudder amidships – what is this course?"
"Course is 188"
"Good enough"
"She's no Rin" and Mashiro could do nothing but simply nod. "Torpedoes, standby to fire a full spread at the enemy flagship"
"What sort of warheads?"
"The most powerful you have – set to detonate on impact" Akeno put in. "Okay, this is how it is going to happen. In a moment, we will go to flank speed and make a port turn as if to target the Iowa class ship on that side. However, we will then reverse the turn and go hard to starboard so we slip in between the Iowa class and the Montana and fire our torpedoes at point blank range. At the same time, our guns will fire at the Iowa class vessel in one massive salvo" she paused as the ship was hit by more and more weapons fire. "At that exact same moment, we will go full astern and get out of there as quickly as possible"
"Captain, Engine Room reports the starboard engine has a fuel leak" Mashiro was talking into a handset at the aft panels.
"Can they fix it?"
"They are trying to do so, but Maron is uncertain they can do it in the conditions we're in"
"Order her to patch it for the next couple of minutes. Tell her to be ready to reverse the engines on voice command"
"Aye"
"Radar reporting… Those two ships are closing a bit more slowly than before, but their electronics are not Japanese" the Radar operator spoke through the voice pipe.
"Americans?"
"Unknown"
"Radio, this is the Captain – try and make contact with them and discover who they are and their intentions"
"Acknowledged"
"Captain, Maron says that we're taking on water at the maximum rate the pumps can handle" Shiro said, "Any more damage and we're going to be in trouble"
"Damn" Akeno said softly. "Wait…! I have an idea – tell Maron to get the pumps leading into the ballast tanks. I know this isn't the same Harekaze as the last one, but the principle is the same"
"I remember that" Mashiro blinked and passed on the order to Maron down below.
"Captain, we've lost main power to the forward batteries"
"Switch to secondary power"
"We lost that half an hour ago"
"Torpedo officer, when the launchers are ready, I want you to send your crews to help restore power to the forward batteries" Akeno said. "Shiro, we're going to need more firepower"
"I know" the woman grunted as she hit her head on the bulkhead from a near miss.
"Have the Radio Room put out a general call for all destroyers to come over here at once – the crusiers and others will have to take care of the Iowas and the Clemsons by themselves – we must stop the Montana at all costs"
"Captain" the woman on the Helm pointed out the windows to where the enemy were throwing out smoke from generators mounted amidships. Before anything could be said, the vessels slipped into the cloud and vanished.
"Radar, give me a contact bearing"
"Too close for me to do that, Captain – their reports have merged and are in a dead spot"
"Very well" Akeno punched in another circuit. "Sonar, can you get me a bearing on those ships?"
"Negative"
"Helm, slow ahead both"
"Slow ahead both"
"Lookouts, sing out the second you see anything moving in the smoke"
"Captain, we've got a fire in the forward magazine" Mashiro said quietly, "And there is too much damage for us to get there and pull everyone out. I should also tell you that the sprinkler system is non-operational in that section"
"Get the crew out of there out"
"They can't, Ma'am - they're trapped by the fire"
"How many people there?" Akeno tightened her grip on one arm of the Captain's chair.
"Eleven"
"I see…" Akeno closed her eyes, bowed her head and gathered the courage to make a terrible decision. "Do we have a working pump in there?"
"Um…" Mashiro checked the indicator panel in front of her. "We have two pumps"
"Very well. There's too much danger of blowing up. Flood them!"
"What about the crew?" and the Captain turned to looked directly at Mashiro.
"I gave an order, Mashiro - Flood the forward magazines!"
"Aye, captain" Mashiro could see the pain behind the order she was given. "Damage Control, Bridge… Flood the forward magazines"
"ENEMY SHIP TO STARBOARD!" and everybody turned to see the Montana loom out of the smoke.
"My god" somebody muttered. All they could do was stare in abject horror as the guns rotated and aimed deep for her heart.
"HARD TO PORT – BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Akeno yelled as the guns fired and sent shells screaming into the Harekaze's heart – tearing her innards to shreds and killing yet more of her valiant crew. The effect of the 18 inch guns at almost point blank range was devastating and those on the bridge could feel the entire ship almost coming apart at the seams, though Akeno and Mashiro could feel their old ship simply dying beneath them.
"Main electrical circuits has been destroyed" Mashiro said as she leaned against the indicator panels. "After guns are out of action, torpedoes are out of action, Radar and Radio are out of action and the forward batteries are firing under local control"
"Helm, get us out of here. Sickbay, medical team to the Bridge" Akeno called down to Minami.
"I can't spare anybody – all my people are either injured, dead or otherwise busy"
"Helm officer is dead – I have the wheel" Mashiro had to stand over the body of the dead woman who had steered the Harekaze.
"Shiro, keep us hard to port and then midships… We need to get space between us. Do we have any lookouts still alive?"
"Me" called the port lookout.
"Get on the morse lamp and signal for other ships to come in and support us"
"They've sunk the Hiel" the Gunnery chief said as she pointed to the smoking wreck that was the Hiel's remains
"We have to do something" somebody said.
"We're in no position to do anything – we're badly damaged as it is" Mashiro snapped. Only the intermittent sounds of the Harekaze's guns could be heard of the sounds of battle as the Bridge was silent and took in that inescapable fact. The Americans were targeting them with a passion and it was all Mashiro could do to steer them out of as much fire as possible.
"Deputy Captain, steer for the majority of our fleet" Akeno said.
"Captain!" the surviving lookout spoke in alarm, "We're trapped" and those still left saw the Americans had surrounded them and aimed every possible weapon at the Harekaze. When she reflected on it afterwards, Mashiro could only recall the sight of the gun flashes and never hearing the booming of the guns as they roared their deadly fire and spat shells out. "TORPEDOES IN THE WATER!" and the crew could only watch in frozen horror as the torpedoes and shells zoomed over and impacted the already battered Harekaze – sending them all to the deck where Akeno hit her head, felt something pierce her stomach and then passed out.
#
On the Bridge of the Hiro, Tama and Mei could see the Americans closing in around the Harekaze and pounding her into bits – huge sheets of flame going up hundreds of feet into the air.
"The Captain… Shiro…" Mei whispered in despair.
"Bridge, Radio Room… Approaching ships identify as the Bismarck and Admiral Graf Spee. They report six minutes until firing range"
"My compliments to the Bismarck and ask them to speed up a bit – we must save people from the Harekaze" Tama said.
"Acknowledged"
"The Montana has fired a rocket directly at the Harekaze's Bridge and is moving off at high speed – the other ships are coming about and giving covering fire" a lookout called.
"Deck crew, prepare to launch boats to pick up survivors" Mei ordered. "Guns and Torpedoes together – fire on any vessel still flying the flag of the United States"
A/N:
A short chapter, but one I hope you will enjoy all the same.
Regards,
Pixel and Stephanie