Chapter 3: Combined Task Force 77
Somewhere in the South China Sea…
A small US task force was cruising lazily through the open waters, gently bobbing in the waves as they broke upon the warships. Combined Task Force 77 was a naval group, specially formed for the Vietnam conflict. It consisted of 4 cruisers, 3 resupply ships, 2 battleships, 3 destroyers, 3 carriers, and 2 submarines.
The cruisers were: the Baltimore class heavy cruiser CA-70 USS Canberra, Cleveland class light cruiser CL-93 USS Galveston, the nuclear-powered missile cruiser CGN-9 USS Long Beach – the only ship in her class - and Des Moines class heavy cruiser CA-148 USS Newport News. Most them were equipped with 8-inch main batteries, some with 6-inch main batteries, 5-inch secondary guns, and 'Terrier' surface-to-air missiles.
The resupply ships were the lifeline of CTF77, and consisted of the Kilauea class cargo ship AE-32 USS Flint, the Cimarron class fleet oiler AO-54 USS Chikaskia and the ammunition ship AE-12 USS Wrangell.
The first of the destroyers was the DD-948 USS Morton – a Forrest-Sherman class design that sat between the Mitscher (1954) and Farragut (1958) class. The second was DDG-13 USS Hoel – a Charles F Adams class guided missile destroyer, not to be confused with the heroic DD-533 from the Battle of Samar Sea. The final destroyer was the DD-846 USS Ozbourn – a Gearing class destroyer which had served since WW2 with only minor changes, and was primarily used for anti-submarine warfare and fire support.
The battleship BB-62 USS New Jersey was a monster belonging to the Iowa class fast battleships, which proved their proficiency in the pacific theater of World War 2. The other battleship was the BB-60 USS Alabama, aka "The Lucky A," which belonged to the South Dakota class and was renowned for her stark defense of carrier groups in World War 2.
The three carriers were the Forrestal class supercarrier CV-60 USS Saratoga, the modernized Essex class heavy carrier CV-11 USS Intrepid, and the centerpiece of the fleet was CV-41 USS Midway: the only ship of her class, and the namesake thereof. When the Montana class battleship hull was canceled part way, it became the basis that Midway would be built on, making her the largest carrier in the US arsenal of the post WW2 period.
The first of the submarines was a Gato class, SS-228 USS Drum. Despite being a WW2 design, and considerably outdated in comparison to the Balao class submarines, Drum was a diesel electric submarine that served a twofold purpose: to hunt enemy convoys with her 6 forward and 4 aft torpedo tubes - which could launch 533mm torpedoes – and the ability to carry Navy SEALS and Underwater Demolition Teams into battle stealthily. The other submarine was a Grayback class, SSG-577 USS Growler. Unlike Drum, Growler was an early attempt fielded by the US Navy to create a cruise missile submarine. She could launch 533mm torpedoes from her 6 bow and 2 stern torpedo tubes, but was also equipped with a unique hangar 'pod' on the deck, which could hold 4 Regulus I nuclear-capable cruise missiles, similar to the V-1 missiles Germany built in WW2. They could be launched from a rail on the deck, like a floatplane catapult, but it required the submarine to be on the surface – a rather dangerous proposition in the heat of battle. More sophisticated ballistic submarines would follow her, learning from the lessons of the Grayback class.
The fleet cruised in a southwesterly direction, with the three carriers at the center, battleship New Jersey just off the starboard side of the carriers, battleship Alabama on the port side of the carriers, the cruisers up in front of the carriers, and the destroyers in the trail position with the resupply ships. Captain Chambers was standing on the bridge of USS Midway, giving orders to the crew. He was strict, but kind to his fellow sailors, taking great interest in his personnel. His crew called him a humanitarian, a philosopher, but most of the time he was known as Captain 'Larry.' Behind him stood a young 20-year-old girl in black navy dress uniform. From under her peaked cap, her pale white skin almost glowed like the moon, and her deep purple eyes gleamed softly.
One of the radar officers jokingly asked, "Who's the girl?"
Captain Chambers turned to the officer, as a sly grin crept across his face. "What, don't you know? That's Halsey's daughter you're talking about!" His voice boomed.
"Wha- You mean, the Halsey, sir? Admiral Bill Halsey?!" The officer cried in shock.
"That's right. She's to be our XO, so you'd better respect her. I trust her with my life, just as I trust her old man." He smiled.
"I appreciate that, Captain Chambers." The girl smiled politely. "It's as the admiral says, I, Kurosawa Aiko, will be your XO on USS Midway. I still have a few things to learn, but I hope to learn from my fellow sailors." She bowed politely.
"You're Japanese though, right? You don't even have Halsey's family name." The radar officer piped up again.
"Yes, I'm Japanese. My father conducted much business in Yokosuka Naval Base after World War 2, managing the US fleet there. During his stay, he fell in love with one of the local women: my mother, Kurosawa Ibuki. I was born in Yokosuka, grew up around the naval base, and learned everything I could to be like my father. I still want to try my best for him, even if he's gone now…" She shivered.
There was a general silence on the bridge, and Captain Chambers put his hat over his chest in a moment of silence for Halsey. "Don't worry Aiko, I'll keep my promise to your father, and make sure you become the best admiral in the US Navy." He laughed heartily. He was about to send Aiko down to the war room for briefing, when the radar officer jolted up from his desk.
"Sir. Radar contacts off our bow. No friendly IFF." The officer said worriedly.
"Get me the Newport News." Chambers demanded, preparing to hail the Des Moines class heavy cruiser.
Before he could even pick up the phone, Chambers saw the muzzle flashes of the Midway's starboard 5-inch gun, followed by 20mm Oerlikon gunfire. He glanced out the window, just as a Teki fighter screamed down from the sky. The fighter had taken damage, but continued to careen down and into the bridge, smashing through the glass window. The front section of the bridge was engulfed in flames, as the alien craft came to a screeching halt.
Aiko shielded her eyes from the fire, and saw an unconscious Captain Chambers lying next to the dead helmsman. The rest of the fleet was in panic, as more fighters appeared from seemingly nowhere. Aiko ran over to Chambers, grabbing an extinguisher to cordon off the fire.
"Captain!" Her shrill voice rang.
There was no response, as Aiko tried to pull him to safety. Many of the officers had taken minor wounds, but peeked over their monitors to see Aiko and the Captain.
"Get the Captain to medbay! Now!" Aiko shrieked.
"XO." The radar officer said, clutching his arm. "With Chambers down… you're next in command. What are your orders, ma'am?"
Aiko stared blankly, realizing the weight of his words. "Order all units to engage in anti-air assault! Launch fighters and defend the carriers!" She said, trying to regain composure.
Even as flames continued to dance in the bridge, the F-4 Phantom jet fighters were lifted onto the flight deck via elevator, and launched to engage the enemy. Once the damage control teams had extinguished the flames, and the medics had the Admiral on a stretcher, Aiko stood alone with the radar officers and the backup helmsman. Aiko was in shock, as the men stared worriedly at her.
"I didn't think she could get any paler." One of them muttered.
Aiko was on the verge of crying, when the backup helmsman spoke up. "XO, you're the Captain until Chambers is back in good health. What should we do?"
Aiko shivered, feeling the weight and authority being placed on her shoulders. "The Phantom's should be able to provide ample cover, but keep the cruisers on high alert. We can't afford any more surprises…"
Outside the bridge, the F-4 Phantom's were trying their best to dogfight against the Teki. The enemy were just too maneuverable, compared to the lumbering Phantom, which relied on its weight and speed in a dive to catch a nimbler foe. One by one, the Phantom's began falling from the sky, and panicked cries streamed over the radio as the pilots splashed down into the sea. Most of them bailed out, and were picked up by the destroyers, but the few unlucky ones sank with their planes.
Aiko was still too shaken, and didn't know what she should do. "All that training… all the mentorship, and for what? I really can't do anything, can I…?"
Before the tears began to stream down her face, a long-range AGM-28 cruise missile struck the lead Teki fighter, as it spiraled down into the sea and crashed. The radar officer jumped up from his desk. "XO! Additional aerial contacts inbound!"
"More Teki?" Aiko asked, worriedly.
"Negative, they're on our side! We've got four Bomber Witches and a gunship witch inbound. The backup has finally arrived!" The officer cried. As the bridge erupted in cheers, five Witches flew over the fleet, fresh from Guam, with F-4 escorts flanking them.
The first was a very tall girl with a GRB-36D Peacemaker bomber unit, and a 20mm M24A1 autocannon. She was known as Master Sergeant Meryl Erickson, and by her callsign, "Magnesium Cloud." Her short lavender hair was wavy, looking almost boyish in style, as her serious periwinkle eyes scanned the situation. What was most peculiar about the girl was the miniature GRF-84K Thunderstreak jet fighter, which hung parasitically from the bomb bay of her units.
The second was Senior Airman Jane Nerger, a pilot of the early – and rather troublesome – B-52D bomber unit. She had long brunette hair in a side ponytail, red-brown eyes like pools of spiced rum, and carried a Browning M3 .50 caliber machine gun. As c/n 17187, her callsign was "Calamity Jane," and one of her signature abilities was the weapon racks to launch AGM-28 'Hound Dog' cruise missiles, which could clear out AA installations from long range. Strangely, she also had a 'Walkman' cassette player hooked to her belt, and headphones over her ears. She was a music aficionado, who carried audio casettes of her favorite songs everywhere.
The third witch was a hotshot pilot by the name of Captain Glenda Edwards, who flew the seemingly fictional, propeller powered XB-42 Mixmaster. The bizarre bomber unit relied on two contra-rotating propellers at the rear of the unit, which resulted in a considerably fast, cruciform tailed, strike bomber. She was equipped with the Browning M2 .50 cal, and an assorted payload totaling 3,600kg in internally stored munitions.
The fourth witch was Captain Danielle Thomas, a British pilot who flew the Avro Vulcan, number XH558. Known by her callsign, "Spirit of Great Britain," she had reddish-brown hair which was short and curly, royal blue eyes, and carried a modified Bren machine gun. Her special weapon, in addition to the 9,534kg of conventional bombs, was the Blue Steel missile - a long-range standoff weapon, which traveled at Mach 3 and could detonate in mid-air, causing shockwaves that could knock most aircraft out of the sky.
The last of the five witches was a small girl with medium length blonde hair hung in a ponytail, and grey-blue eyes which sparkled like the Caribbean Sea. She was flying a peculiar unit called the AU-23a Peacemaker, a counter-insurgency gunship adaptation of the Pilatus PC-6 Porter. The girl was known as 1st Lt. Shannon Fairchild, callsign "Firefly" - a spoiled heiress to the Fairchild aircraft company, owned by her grandfather, Sherman Fairchild. She was equipped with an ALICE style ammunition backpack, and a tri-barrel, XM197 electric rotary cannon, which fired 20mm bullets at up to 1500 rounds per minute.
The five witches flew over the carrier group, moving to intercept the incoming attack wave. Shannon was leading the group, her XM197 whistling as the wind carried steam away form the gun barrels. "This is 1st Lt. Fairchild, callsign 'Firefly.' Commence attack run on the enemy fighters, clear some space for the carriers to launch."
"Magnesium Cloud to Firefly," Meryl interjected. "Enemy bomber formation approaching from the northwest. No friendly IFF."
"Acknowledged. Worry about the fighters first." Shannon replied irritably.
Meryl merely rolled her eyes, as she shot down a Teki fighter, which was chasing the remaining F-4 fighters. The wounded Phantom's waggled their wings, as if to say thanks, and landed on Saratoga for repairs. A second wave of A-4 Skyhawks began launching from Intrepid, and A-7 Corsair II's on Midway started their engines, as the service crews rushed to get them on the catapult. As the carrier jets launched, Meryl kept glancing to the northwest, knowing the enemy bombers would appear at any second.
"Ugh. Magnesium Cloud, launching Thunderflash." Meryl said in frustration, as the miniature jet fighter detached from her bomber units, and soared off in search of the enemy.
"Meryl, are you questioning my authority?" Shannon demanded.
"No sir, I'm just concerned about your short-sightedness." Meryl grumbled.
"How dare you!" Shannon said, getting distracted just long enough for a Teki laser to graze her hair.
The plane was quickly shot down by Captain Glenda. "Quit arguing. Our job is to protect the carriers, not to debate who's right." Glenda said crossly.
They leveled off, and paused the argument, just as Meryl's recon plane spotted the bomber formation. "11 o'clock, they're coming up on USS Chikaskia!" Meryl said in alarm.
"Well we'd better do something soon." Danielle chimed in. "If they hit the resupply ships, we'll be 'up the creek without a paddle,' as you Americans say."
"I've got an idea." Jane raised her hand. "Captain Thomas can knock them out of the sky with her Blue Steel attack."
Danielle scoffed. "Not this close to the carriers. The shockwaves will destroy all their radar and instruments, not to mention it'll shatter every glass panel in a 350-meter radius."
Before the girls could come to a consensus, USS Long Beach opened fire with her long range Talos and medium range Terrier SAM's, and the missiles streaked towards the enemy formation. Early surface to air missiles were not very reliable, and some of them failed to detonate upon hitting the target. A few of the enemy bombers crashed from colliding with the missiles, causing collateral damage in their formation. Following an additional gun barrage from Hoel and Morton, only three bombers made it through the destroyer screen. The black Teki planes had cobalt blue markings, like lightning streaking across their bodies. The destroyer and resupply crews braced for impact, waiting. But nothing happened. As the captain of USS Long Beach stood up from his console, he could see the planes outside his window, streaming towards Saratoga. The carrier opened fire with her AA guns, just as the bombers released their warheads. Something akin to a torpedo dropped out of their bomb bays, and ignited as it sped towards the carrier. The missiles struck Saratoga in the stern, on the starboard side, ripping a hole in the structural steel as sailors were blasted off the deck and into the water.
There was a sound of a bellowing foghorn, and the radio filled with panicked chatter as the Saratoga's captain demanded damage reports. After the damage crew arrived on the scene, they found that one of the jet fuel lines had been damaged, and quickly ordered a shutdown of the fuel pumps, to prevent spread of fire. They knew that even the smallest fire on an aircraft carrier could spell their doom, with all the open space and flammable materials.
The girls watched in horror as the column of smoke rose from Saratoga, and the remaining Teki bombers splashed into the water from battle damage. Aiko looked out the window of Midway's bridge, taking in the situation. Her eyes were filled with guilt and fear from looking at CV-60, and it then turned into anger when she saw the witches sitting around in disbelief. She picked up the radio, and dialed in on their frequency.
"Get on the deck. NOW." Aiko's voice thundered.
As the fires were put out and repairs began on Saratoga, Aiko walked out to the flight deck as the five witches landed. They stood at attention in a line, saluting Kurosawa as she walked out to them.
"Who is your commander?" Aiko demanded.
The girls stepped to the side, and pointed to 1st Lt. Fairchild, who turned paler than a full moon. Aiko stepped forward, and angrily looked Shannon in the eyes. There was a violent 'smack' sound that echoed across the flight deck, as Aiko's gloved hand struck Shannon on the cheek.
"Next time you gamble, bet your own life!" Aiko fumed. "Just what were you doing up there, watching my sailors die, First Lieutenant?"
Shannon was speechless for a moment, and looked at Aiko with tear welling up in her eyes. Meryl stepped in front of Shannon, staring down at Kurosawa. "Forgive her, ma'am. It was my fault. I should've launched recon sooner, so we could've made a better command decision."
"Tell that to the sailors in the sea right now, some of which are already dead from the blast." Aiko said crossly. "It's bad enough that Chambers is in the infirmary, I can't afford any more mistakes in my task force. You girls, you're heading into 'Nam, right? I hope your instructor can whip you misfits into shape, because if we have to rely on you… God help us all." Aiko said in exasperation. She turned and walked back inside, descending to the medical bay.
The girls looked at each other nervously, trying to regain composure, as they took off again for Osan AFB. Shannon was silent the whole way, as Meryl tried to keep her calm.