WesWorld

Sorry about the delay - will have Q1/31 news up shortly.

I just spent 15 minutes wrangling with the forum because it won't accept PNGs! Grrrr...

**********

Filipino News Information and Entertainment Radio (F.I.N.E.R.) - October-December 1930

1 October
(to be edited later with info on the SATSUMA exercises – when The Rock Doctor returns)

23 October
Philippine & Pacific Steam Ship Co. fast freighter Gordita finished her conversion to destroyer tender today. “These ships are necessary to accommodate our expanding destroyer force,” an Armada de Filipinas representative told F.I.N.E.R. “Conversions are stopgaps, but they’re necessary. The naval yards are still reorganizing in the wake of the war, and the recent privatization is also shaking things up a bit.”

No AdF vessels were laid down this quarter, making 1930 something of an “off year” for naval construction in the Philippines. Resources are being concentrated on the Brazilian battlecruiser Rio de Janeiro.



1 November
Filipino steamer Dos Hermanos and the American Hog Islander Capillo have both failed to arrive in Manila. Although no information (or survivor) has been received, the timing and presumed location of their disappearance indications that they have been taken by the pirate force operating in the South China Sea.

The increased threat has forced the AdF – and the forces of other nations – to respond. One Australian and one Canadian cruiser squadron have joined the AdF’s anti-piracy patrol forces, escorting civilian ships through the threatened sealanes and patrolling the area. French and Dutch forces have also responded.

The pirates are believed to be the same forces that the AdF (then the MdF) tangled with in the early 20s, considering the speed and effectiveness of their attacks. Only a few survivors have been recovered from earlier ships, and none recently. The ships lost so far appear to have been taken mostly north and west of Luzon, indicating that the pirate forces are operating somewhere along the China coast – although Don Esteban was lost far to the south, near Palawan Island. This tends to confirm the assumption that this is the work of the Chinese pirate-warlords, back on the hunt again…



17 November
Presidente de la Vega presided over the opening of the Laguna de Bay Canal today. The new destroyer Paiño, returning from her shakedown cruise, was the first ship to pass through the new canal into the port of Manila proper. El Presidente remarked, “This canal will provide an economic boon to our country by reducing congestion in Manila Bay and creating hundreds of new jobs. But it is more than just an economic asset. It is a symbol of our recovery from the Greco's coup and the strength of the Filipino people.”

The canal is now open for public and commercial use.

1 December
The Antarctic exploration ship Pacifica arrived at the exploration base now being constructed at Macquarie Island yesterday. Due to delays in the construction and extreme weather, her maiden voyage to the frozen continent will be delayed until late spring or early summer next year. In the meantime, her crew will acquaint themselves with southern temperatures and help hasten the construction of the joint Australian-Filipino base.

Quoted

Originally posted by Alikchi
The new destroyer Paiño, returning from her shakedown cruiser,

:o

I have the same problem when I am typing too fast. Annoying bit is that when I am dealing with multiple shakedown cruises, I have the tendency of hitting backspace and then automatically hit the 'r' again.

Quoted

Originally posted by Alikchi
The new destroyer Paiño, returning from her shakedown cruiser,

So which cruiser was responcible for the "shakedown" of Paiño? Anutha foiled hiest!

F.I.N.E.R. HQ

Minister of Information: Arrgghh!! Why can't our broadcasters pronounce anything correctly? Sleepy drunkards! I blame Garcia!

Its not uncommon for ships to simply disappear during this timeframe due to more natural causes. I can't remember the storm season for SEA but Typhoons take a regular count of older freighters, even new USN destroyers.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
Its not uncommon for ships to simply disappear during this timeframe due to more natural causes. I can't remember the storm season for SEA but Typhoons take a regular count of older freighters, even new USN destroyers.

True; several of the ships have nearly "vanished", without any survivors or information implicating the pirates. Don Esteban (a small passenger ferry working the Mindanao-Palawanarea) actually capsized independently.

The AdF believes that pirates are responsible for the following reasons:

1) The location of the sinkings - mainly very close to each other, in areas that were not experiencing particularly heavy weather at the time. (Don Esteban is the exception.) This was also in the same area as the attacks of the early 20s.

2) The timing. Random ships disappearing isn't uncommon, but two or more on the same day, manned by good crews in good seas, is more than a little odd. It gives the impression of an enemy force making a sortie, capturing a few ships, and returning home to "digest" its takings.

3) The Filipino gov't has been very interested in the activity of the Chinese warlords since the 1920 incident. Many ships in the pirate "fleet" are manned by Filipinos, former "Revolutionaries" - ex-Greco types. Naval Intelligence has acquired a source within the pirate forces. However, he is not particularly reliable, considering the nature of his assignment, and may have been compromised... more on this later.

The situation is more complicated than F.I.N.E.R. would have the average Filipino know...