WesWorld

January 8th, 1929
Cleito

Admiral Hekla anounced plans to set up various military bases and ports in Byzantium. These new bases will serve to house Atlantian military personel and assets in the region. The army will set up in Istambul along with the navy While the airforce will call Tekirdag home. Kuzi Limani, currently part of Turkey is expected to be partially ceeded to Byzantium is also expected to be home to naval assets.

"Adequate numbers of personel and assets wil be posted to these new bases with the purpose of defending Byzantium. It may not be too odd to see Greek, Atlantian, Turkish and Byzantian ships in the harbour at Kuzi Limani. In reguards to Istambul there are a few issues that need to be worked out before it is ceeded to Byzantium. Once those are sorted out this phase of the planed deployments will be carried out."

January 18th, 1929
Atlantian newsreel

Two new Atlantean battleships have been laid down this month! The Memnon and Philomedes will be two of the most powerfull Battleships in the world, and they will need to be! These two beauty's will have to contend with countless other navy's producing these masters of the oceans. Here in Eridanus, jubilous workers smile as they lay down the keel of the Philomedes. These ships will sport nine 15" guns and a secondary armament equivilent to several light cruisers combined.

Brawns and beauty combined to protect the Atlantean homeland for future decades.

January 31st, 1929
Washington D.C.

The Navy has issued its preliminary report into the loss of the ZR-2 in Kansas last summer. The report blames poor weather forecasting and recommends the Weather Bureau and Navy cooperate to take steps to improve methods for forecasting weather.

The report also recommends that there be no more inland flights for the Shenandoah due to her generally similar design, Both ZR-1 and ZR-2 were based on German wartime zeppelins which are now known to have been intended for high altitude flights in thinner air and over the relatively calm skies of Europe.

Atlantis will conduct its own report with U.S. assistance to determine if similar recommendations will apply to the new Atlantean airships.

February 12th 1929
Akron, Ohio

It was a blustery winter’s morning yesterday as the airships Atlantes and Maeotis were officially handed over to the Atlantian government. Ceremonies were presided over by Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Atlantian ambassador Richard Cerasus, and Admiral Moffett, head of the Bureau of Aeronautics and the man considered the father of the American airship program. Other speakers included the President of Goodyear, Paul W. Litchfield, Atlantian Navy Minister Kritiaus and Admiral Hekla of the Atlantian Navy.

The various speakers applauded the cooperation between the United States and the Atlantian Empire and held out high hopes for the future, including commercial airship service between the United States and Atlantis. The ceremonies ended with Captains Seylax and Thens taking command of the Atlantes and Maeotis respectively.

Official first flights are scheduled for later this month, to be followed by several weeks of trial flights from Akron and Lakehurst by the twin airships before they depart for Atlantis sometime in early April. Between the numerous guests attending the ceremonies and the number of Atlantian Navy personnel in town for training, there is hardly a hotel room to be found in Akron. Many private homes around the city have opened their doors to Atlantian sailors while they are there.

February 27th, 1929
Akron, Ohio

The airship Atlantes took to the air this morning for her first flight. The flight lasted nearly five hours as the massive airship flew over northern Ohio and Lake Erie. Traffic in Akron and Cleveland came to a standstill as the mighty vessel soared overhead. Her sister Maeotis is scheduled to make her first flight this Friday. It is hoped that both airships may fly together in the next couple of weeks before moving to Lakehurst for final trials.

March 4th, 1929
Washington D.C.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in today as the Thirty-First President of the United States. Carl Vinson was sworn in as his Vice President. The crowd received a special thrill when the Navy’s airships Los Angeles and Shenandoah appeared overhead, joined by the Atlantian twin airships Atlantes and Maeotis. It was the first time the two new airships had flown together. After the flyover the Atlantian airships returned to Akron.

March 8th, 1929
Washington D.C.

The U.S. Navy released the official itinerary for the South American tour prior to this summer’s exercise in the Gulf of Mexico. The Battle Fleet, joined by Scouting Groups One and Two will travel to: Acapulco, Mexico, Buenaventura, Colombia, Callao, Peru, Puerto Belgrano, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Caracas, Musaeus, Cancun, Mexico, and Vera Cruz, Mexico before gathering at Key West for the exercise that will apparently simulate an attack on the Mexican Canal. The fleet will consist of eight battleships, two Battlecruisers, and two Aircraft Carriers. No difinative plans have been made or preposed to Atlantis but given the involvement in the Mexican Canal project, participation in the excersises could be likely.

March 25th, 1929
Akron, Ohio

Goodyear-Zeppelin and Pan American Airlines announced a deal which would involve the creation of a transoceanic passenger airship line, with service to begin in 1931 or 1932. Pan American will operate the airships in partnership with Goodyear, which will produce the ships at a new facility near Los Angeles, California. Airship ports will be built in Florida, California, and on Long Island. Main transatlantic routes Miami to Cleito, Atlantis.

Meanwhile in Atlantis similar plans are taking shape with airfeilds in Cleito, Duecalion, Aufidus and other city's. Trojan Airlines is expected to develope a domestic service involving smaller airships designed by Accrisius industry's that will link up to the international service between the U.S. and Atlantis in Cleito. The hope is that other nations will be added to the international services creating a vast travel network.

March 28th, 1929
Lakehurst, New Jersey

Lakehurst Naval Air Station will be a crowded depot for the next few days as the Atlantian airships arrived here today for final trials before departing for home. Maeotis required adjustments to its fabric covering that could only be done in the hanger. The two ships are expected to head home in April.

If Kuzi Limani is part of Turkey, why would Turkey cede it to anybody? Especially if it could be used by rivals such as Greece?

I wondered the same about Istanbul. Here fledging nation set up by a country we hate, take our capital city. Is this one of the "few issues"?

Quoted

Brawn and beauty combined to protect the Atlantean homeland for future decades.

You're assuming they won't get sunk in a "freak" accident where a certain Japanese pilot files down one of the funnels.

Why are the airships controlled by the Navy? They fly. Shouldn't it be air force territory?

I think even Manzo would have difficulty sinking both battleships at the same time. Though if you give him an hour to find another plane...

Airships are designed to act as scouts at sea to search for enemy fleets, raiders, or submarines. So they tend to end up in the hands of the navy as air cruisers. There are very few dedicated air forces in this day and age. Most are part of either the navy or army. Chile had one of the earliest dedicated air forces in the late 1920s when they combined the naval and army air arms. They haven't done this yet as they are actually working on having a real naval air group with carriers.

There was a tremendous fight between the Army and Navy about who would operate airships here in the US. The Navy claimed them because they were to be used at sea and as scouts for the fleet, the Army claimed them saying that the Navy should only control floating assets and that anything on land or in the air was their responsibility. It was decided after WW1 that the Navy would oversee development of rigid airships, with the Army being allowed to get their own rigids once they had been perfected. The Army didn't particularly like the deal and tried to get the Los Angeles turned over to them during construction, almost scuttling the project in the process. The Army eventually wanted Akron-style airships to carry fighters and even bombers, as well as cargo and troop carriers. Finally, in the 1930's, with the Depression making funds scarce, it was decided to transfer the Army's blimps and equipment to the Navy, leaving the Army only small blimps and balloons for artillery spotting.

Quoted

If Kuzi Limani is part of Turkey, why would Turkey cede it to anybody? Especially if it could be used by rivals such as Greece?

Turkey is only ceeding Kuzi Limani which is part of the island of Gokceada Lembo. Its at the mouth of the dardanelles so its high value real estate.

Quoted

I wondered the same about Istanbul. Here fledging nation set up by a country we hate, take our capital city. Is this one of the "few issues"?

Istambul is no longer the captial, Ankara is.

Hate is an extreme word to discribe Turkish/Atlantian relations, given the fact that Atlantis could have simply made Byzantium on its own and continued with its plan for a new Kurdistan.

Quoted

Why are the airships controlled by the Navy? They fly. Shouldn't it be air force territory?

These are but the first two on a long line of Airships planed, the Navy was the first to express interest following a rather interesting experience involving airships in exersizes with the U.S.

They are scouts for the navy....

Quoted

Turkey is only ceeding Kuzi Limani which is part of the island of Gokceada Lembo. Its at the mouth of the dardanelles so its high value real estate.

That explains why Byzantium might want it, but not really why Turkey would agree to give it up. Perhaps an article from the Turkish perspective will help me.

Quoted

given the fact that Atlantis could have simply made Byzantium on its own and continued with its plan for a new Kurdistan.

Only with some severe political consequences. Any move by Atlantis to carve off territory from the rest of Turkey - which is not an Atlantean mandate - without Turkish consent would be viewed by India as an act of aggression, for example.

Quoted

Originally posted by The Rock Doctor
That explains why Byzantium might want it, but not really why Turkey would agree to give it up. Perhaps an article from the Turkish perspective will help me.

The Turks will still retain the island and no doubt will set up shop again on the west coast of the Island. They will recieve ample compensation for the loss of Kuzi Lemani and Istambul, in the case of the latter several ports will have to be relocated. basically this is the end of Atlantian occupation of Turkish soil.

Quoted

Originally posted by The Rock Doctor
Only with some severe political consequences. Any move by Atlantis to carve off territory from the rest of Turkey - which is not an Atlantean mandate - without Turkish consent would be viewed by India as an act of aggression, for example.

Both Istambul and Kuzi Lemani would both be part of Atlantean mandates. Due to the switch in Greek players and storylines Istambul has swapped back and forth between nations. Istambul has long been a friction point between Turkey and Greece (and other Christian nations) so ceeding it to Byzantium may be somewhat painfull but will go a fair way into alieviating tentions.