WesWorld

January 1, 1926

An agreement for a prized Incan artifact to be given to the Lady Nakamura Maeko has been reached. The artifact, being of high value not only the the Lady, but also our own nation, will be transported by the navy on the fasted ship that can make the journey. In light of this the recently returned Protected Cruiser Negro will be made ready to set off on monday with a brief stop at the Pitcairn Islands to take on coal for the long voyage to Japan.

January 2, 1926

In a special release of projected goals for the Navy, Chilean Minister of War Fernando Hegalio laid down future plans for the Fleet of 1941.

"It has been our goal to rebuild the navy in total in an effort to reflect our rising status in the world today," said the Minister to the local press.

January 4, 1926

Negro set sail from Valparaiso today on her long trek out to Japan.

January 6, 1926

Armored Cruiser Esmeralda enters drydock in Talcahuano for repairs to her forward main gun and deck.

January 11, 1926
A heated debate broke out today in the capitol building. With the openning of the new slipway in Talcahuano the new Armored Cruiser Capitan Tylor will be laid down within the next week. Mr. Oyama has been opposed to the current Tylor design, as he says it has too small a caliber of cannon to deal with a real heavy cruiser. The Italian 8 inch guns are good, Oyama says, but are just not for an Armored Cruiser anymore. As the debate got more heated the hot tempered Oyama seemed to reach for a weapon behind his cloak, but a young tall woman that was with him seemed to calm him down before he revealed what he could have been carrying. The young woman took him aside for a few minutes. Mr. Oyama came back to the session very excited and saying he "...was sure they were making a mistake, but he wouldn't get in their way on the Tylor, as long as once they changed there minds, he would have a even better plan for the likes of them". Smiling his toothy smile he and the tall woman left the building right afterwards. "I wonder if the British have this much trouble with their architects?" asked the Minister of Finance of the Chief of Naval Operations.

January 12, 1926

Negro makes the Pitcairn Islands at full speed to cut delivery time on the artifact. "The Lady does not like to wait", the rumor goes. After fully loading the coal bunkers, the Negro left late that evening for the long trek to Japan.

January 19, 1926

With much pomp and circumstance, the Chilean Navy was proud to lay the keel of the Heavy Armored Cruiser Capitan Tylor on this day in Talcahuano. Mr. Oyama was noticably absent. When asked, one of his co-workers said, "He is on one of his vactaions again...as usual. Why such a young man would need to go away so often is beyond me. But that woman he was with might be one reason he likes to take off so much."


January 25, 1926

Testimony of the captured Argentinean torpedo boat crews and the testimony of a trio of survivors of the striken merchantmen that was sunk on October 30 of last year confirms that the Torpedo Boats did fire their torpedoes and guns at the freighter Helushka the previous night. The fact that is was nearly a full moon lead to the questions as to way they would do this. After some persuasion, it is said, the crewmen said that they had performed this type of operation before. They would not say how many time, or when, but they also indicated that they were acting on the orders of a Contra Almirante Nestor Martin out of Rio Gallegos.

The Chilean Foreign Minister wishes to have this man brought to court to deturmine if and why the Argentinean Government would take to such a piratical action against its nieghbor. Meanwhile the Navy wishes to know how they were able to hid these attacks for so long. However with South African Warships in the Straits of Megellan already, the direct approach is not an option for the Chilean Navy. Diplomatic pressure is warrented.

January 29, 1926

The Argentinean governement denys all the Chilean accuasations that they were involved in the sinking of one of their freighters. They claim the Chileans are making it up and fired on their ships when they responded to a distress call from the merchantman. The Chilen responce to this denial are three simple points. One, why and how were two torpedo boats that far into the Straits of Megellan when there are not suppose to be any Argentinean warships in the seaway, as it is Chilean Territorial Waters. Two, why was there a protected cruiser at the end of the strait armed and ready when the Esmeralda arrived to assist the Almirante Riveros? It seems to be in a nice position for a trap. And Three, your own men say that they sank, not only the merchantman, but several merchanten over that last five years.

The Argentinean Government still denys they had anything to do with the lose of the freighter, but is not denying that the torpedo boats fired the torpedoes.

February 1, 1926

In Argentina, former "Rear Admiral" Nestor Martin was court marshalled for unspecified misconduct and misapropriation of naval war materials. Unofficial reports are that he may have acted indepentently after the Nordmark War to secure his own position of power. Rumors is that is own squadron was acting independent of official orders, but the officals looked the other way as long as he wasn't caught. But speculation is one thing. The Chileans still want him off questioning, but the Argentinean will not release him to Chile.

February 3, 1926

Late the evening of the Second, the Negro , only about eleven hours away from Japan received a distress signal from the 25km north of Miyake-jima, a cargo ship that did not identify itself. They reported sighting some sort of pirate ship. The Negro, being only two hours away from there went into hunt pirates. The weather was getting worse however, so the ship's captain decided that they would hunt for six hours then return to course for Japan so they would not be late in ther delivery as they has made good time.

In the heavy rain and fog, Negro spotted a "cruiser-type vessel" at some distance way and the captain ordered that they signle the ship to identify itself. The vessel did not respond. The ships captain had the signaller try again but they ship vanished into a cloud bank. Negro closed on the vessels course in an attempt to intercept them. About 30 min later the shadow of the vessel appeared in the fog bank, but not were is should have been. The Captain of the Negro, wary of the rumored "Deathshadow", ordered his men to perpare to open fire. A warning shot since the vessel did not respond before. Maybe this will get there attention. In a flash of lightning it seemed the Negro and the suspected cruiser opened fire at once. Both ships opened fire, but with all the rain and fog, sighting was poor at best. The Negro was hit by a single HE round on the quarterdeck. Had the ship not been pitching in the waves the shell might have missed completely. After action reports that it was likely a 6 inch shell. Not real damage was sustained. The exchange of fire lasted for eleven minutes before the fog and smoke make any sort of acturate fire impossible. Negro attempted to close the distance, but the vessel did not reappear out of the fog. The ship's chief gunnery officer swears her heard a larger shell then a 6 inch whistle right above the deck. Negro disengaged from her search efforts two hours later at 0423 hours.

Thirteen hours later...

Archeologist Jose Bolívar delivered an Incan artifact to Lady Nakamura Maeko. She seemed most grateful to receive the treasured item, but seemed distracted by Dr. Bolívar for some reason.

February 4, 1926

Negro, after recoaling, set forth again towards the Pitcairn Islands where she will likely relieve the Blanco for a few month patrol while shaking down the new Capitan Simpson.

February 9, 1926

Sixteen Vickers 121 Wibault 7C1 and Sixteen Vickers 116 Vixen V have been assigned to the First Naval Air Wing to begin training pilots in carrier operations and squadron operations. An airfield near Puerto Montt has been paved and fitted by the Air Force to match the discriptions of the British Aircraft Carrier Hermes flight deck to help the pilots gain experiance until such time as a carrier is slotted for construction or covertion for the Chilean Navy.

February 12, 1926

A Filiapino vessel picked up survivors of a Chilean merchantman Aurthur Mildoros near the Island of Palawan in the South China Sea today. The sailors say they were boarded by pirates, there hold raided, the captain shot, and the ship burned. The survivors are the lucky ones that managed to break free of there bonds before the ships was completely engulfed in flame. The hulk was reportedly sunk by the Filiapinos as it could not be salvaged.

February 13, 1926

Chilean Foreign Minister says that "the piracy of the South China Sea must be dealt with. The Western Pacific Force will return to patrol the South China Sea again".

February 15, 1926

Armored Crusier O'Higgins, the Destroyer Captian Herlock and the collier Angamos along with the transport Maipo head out of Valparaiso today for the Pitcairn Islands. The O'Higgins is said to be returning for her second Western Pacific Patrol while the Maipo is just relieving the transport Rancagua.

February 26, 1926

Protected Cruiser Negro arrives at the Pitcairn Islands.

February 28, 1926

Cruiser O'Higgins and company arrive today at the Pitcairn Islands.

March 1, 1926

Protected Cruiser Blanco and the transport Rancagua sat sail for Chile.

March 2, 1926

After a minor delay caused by some stores needing to be supplied by the Maipo before they set out, the O'Higgins, Capitan Herlock, and Angamos, set out for Port Moresby.

March 5, 1926

Bolivian Minister of War proclaimed that Bolivia should have its old coastline back and wished for the government to press Chile to return the land lost in the War of the Pacific to Bolivia and Peru. The Chilean government stated that the Treaty of 1904 that the providence of Antofagasta and the Bolivian coast belong to Chile, and to compensate them Chile built a railroad from their capital of La Paz to the port of Arica. As for Peru, Chile states that the terms the plebiscite show that both the provinces of Tacna and Arica are Chilean.

March 10, 1926

Battleship Almirante Cochrane, and a force consisting of the protected cruiser Chacabuco, the light cruiser Presidente Errazuriz and the destroyers Almirante Condell, Admirante Lynch, Capitan Thompson, and Capitan Orella setout from Valparaiso today to relieve the Battleship Almirante Lattore's force that is currently patrolling the Straits of Megellan. Battleship Capitan Prat has been assigned to Puetro Arenas for the time being.

March 11, 1926

Armored Cruiser Esmeralda left drydock today after replacing her forward main battery. She is expected to head to Mejillones for the time being.


March 14, 1926

Former Rear Admiral Nestor Martin was found dead in his home in Puerta Santa Cruz, today. No offical report on how he died was given, but failing health is suspected. Chilean investigators are unsure about the Argentinean's death, when they wanted him for questioning.

March 17, 1926

Battleship Cochrane's group relieves Battleship Lattore's group on this day.

March 23, 1926

O'Higgins and company arrive at Port Moresby.

March 24, 1926

Cruiser O'Higgins and company set sail for Singapore.

March 25, 1926

Battleship Lattore, with light cruisers Ministro Zenteno and Blanco Encalada returned to Talcahuano today. The sailors report there were a few tense moments with so many South African ships in the Straits and the Japanese and Filipino Ships as well in the same general area.

March 31, 1926

With some fanfare, the light cruiser Guardia Marina Hyatt was launched today. Oddly enough, Mr. Oyama was spotted for once at an official function, though he seems a little under the weather. The woman helping his says he hurt himself hiking in the Andes, fracturing a rib when he fell off a rock. When asked why he was doing on the rock she blushed a little and did not answer. The Hyatt will be sent to Mejillones for trails.

Doesn't firing on unidentified ships prove that the Chilean navy is both incompetent and unsafe?

I assume that your captains will wait with firing at an unidentified ship until their ships are on the way down to D.J.'s Locker, right?
:-)

But Chile isn't at war with anyone. You don't just open fire on a ship in the middle of the ocean when you aren't certain what it is.

I do believe that they are at war with piracy.
But what would you do? Wait until the torpedoes slam into your side? The Chilean captain probably made a poor choice, but I think that that was what was on the captain's mind. Better safe than sorry.
:-)

That should prove comforting to any inocent merchant ship caught in a similar situation. Shots off the bow are usually the standard warning to make certain a ships wireless is not damaged and can be deemed hostile or suspected of carrying illegal cargo.

Where is the fun in that? ^_^
"Fire across the bow! Not on top of it!!"

Funny how nobody commented on the other ship's not firing a warning shot, eh? :-)


Since it did not, it would appear that the Chilean capitan's decision was validated...

I think you missed it but the Negro did fire a warning shot, and was fired upon. So the shooting continued.

Or perhaps they fired warning shots off at the same time?

IIRC the point about firing a warning shot was not in the original post! As a moderator I can see when posts are edited ;-)

*Cough cough Post last edited by Ithekro on 25.01.2005, 08:03. cough*

If she fired a warning shot then I could see why the Chileans would then proceed to engage with force.

Quoted

*Cough cough Post last edited by Ithekro on 25.01.2005, 08:03. cough*

Ah but it doesn't tell you what was edited does it? My edits were mainly for spelling errors and to add the January 2nd point into this news to make for 30 bold sections headers. The news on the deal with the Japanese wanting the artifact was going to be the 2nd of January, but in reflection I decided to put it on the 1st of January. Also 08:03 is in what time zone? I like you are in the Pacific Time Zone, so that was sometime last night for us.

No there was always the warning shot. However the lightning strike combined with the "pirate" cruiser firing a shot as well likely lead to the engagement. Poor weather and know hostiles in the area generally result in odd sightings and mistakes. Since Negro was looking for a Pirate ship, found a cruiser sized vessel that did not respond to light signals, the assumtion was that the vessel was the pirate ship being searched for. The "returning" of shot confirmed this in the captain's eye, and things likely got out of hand, but not for too long as the weather ended the combat before it got too ugly.

At least that is how I read it (wrote it).

I just posted the previous message at 0627 on 1/26/05...it is now 2129 on 1/25/05 where I live.

The Board is running on GMT time at the moment.

Quoted

Originally posted by Rooijen10
I do believe that they are at war with piracy.

So shooting at unspecified targets and claiming to be at war with a group of people instead of a country is something I´ve heard before, though.... In real life, that is.

Anyway, one wonders about what will happen next...

Quoted

IIRC the point about firing a warning shot was not in the original post! As a moderator I can see when posts are edited ;-)

*Cough cough Post last edited by Ithekro on 25.01.2005, 08:03. cough*

That may be true, but the funny thing is that the last edit was made before the first reply to this mail by Red Admiral on 25.01.2005 at 18:18. That's 10 hours after the edit was made.