WesWorld

IC...
"The Republic of France and the Russian Federation are dismayed by the South African government's actions serving as a false-flag buyer in order to evade the express wishes of the Philippine sellers. As a result, both countries intend to blacklist the South African Empire for any future sales of military hardware for a period of five years, whereupon the policy will be re-evaluated."

OOC...
Totally saw that one coming, no surprise whatsoever.

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

IC...
"The Republic of France and the Russian Federation are dismayed by the South African government's actions serving as a false-flag buyer in order to evade the express wishes of the Philippine sellers. As a result, both countries intend to blacklist the South African Empire for any future sales of military hardware for a period of five years, whereupon the policy will be re-evaluated."

OOC...
Totally saw that one coming, no surprise whatsoever.

Eyup...

Quoted

Bruce is right, i'm also still waiting that Stephan is coming back to the sim. He only send me the SS2-file for the original vessel (seaplane carrier) and wanted to send me the file for the carrier version. This was the last thing i heard/read from him.

Isn't China the client? Aren't they the ones who tell the South Africans what they want done with the refit? I'd be asking part of the money/tonnage paid back.

Quoted

Stefan has a bit of a hard-to-read report.

I wanted to say that as well but decided not to... but yes, it is.

Quoted

At first sight it really looks like the tonnage was too small, because you didn't found the complete needed tonnage only the used tonnage for this quarter.

In SAE report #97, above the Thjazi and Lagonoy you have:

Quoted

1x CVL43B-class light fleet carrier (23 month á 608ts material required per unit)

... which my brain translates to 608 tons/month.

With Lagonoy (and Thjazi is the same) you have:

Quoted

1x Lagonoy-class escort carrier (8 month and 397ts of material required)

... which my brain translates to 397 tons for the whole project. It probably should be the same as the CVL43B (with 'á' instead of 'and').

There is nothing in the report regarding the used tonnage for that quarter that actually went into any of the SAE ships individually, just what is required per month (not per quarter and not for the whole project). And that what is required per month is not necessarily that what actually went three times into the ship per quarter.

Quoted

"The Republic of France and the Russian Federation are dismayed by the South African government's actions serving as a false-flag buyer in order to evade the express wishes of the Philippine sellers. As a result, both countries intend to blacklist the South African Empire for any future sales of military hardware for a period of five years, whereupon the policy will be re-evaluated."

Sounds like they already formed ASAP (the Alliance against South African Perfidy) before I could suggest it. No doubt they thought it would be best to take action asap.

Manila, The Malacañan Palace, Sunday, 9 November 1947

Don Roberto Cain was ushered into the private office of President Cayetano Arellano, who rose to greet him. “Don Roberto,” said Arellano, “it is good to see you.” He invited his guest to sit, for he could see that Cain was troubled; the burdens on the old admiral were visibly heavy.

“Senor Presidente,” Cain replied, “I have come to tender my resignation as minister of defense. The sale of the Lagonoy was my responsibility, and I should accept the consequences.”

“The entire Council of Ministers, and the Senate, gave approval to that transaction,” Arellano answered with vigor. “You were as misled by the South Africans as we all were.”

“But the public sees me as the responsible party,” Cain continued. “They feel the need to blame someone.”

“And you want to accept that?” Arellano was at once surprised but relieved. Were Cain to resign it would shift attention away from the other members of the Council.

“For many years I have had the privilege to serve the Republic,” said Cain with visible pride. “If I can salvage the current situation by departing the Government, it will be the last act of service I can perform. Once the anger of the populace cools they will remember the good I have accomplished. I can live with that.”


The Freeman (Cebu), Monday, 10 November 1947

The escort tanker Apayao is due to be launched today at the Puerto Princesa naval shipyard on Palawan.

Balintawak, Manila, Wednesday, 12 November 1947

Don Andreas Soriano reflected on the events of the last several days, noting that however bad the situation might appear, it could have been far worse. As one might expect the Senate wanted somebody’s head for the embarrassment of the Lagonoy Affair. That Don Roberto Cain might offer himself up in atonement had taken the Senate by surprise; not only had the old admiral served for many years, and had played a pivotal role in the revolution that brought down the dictator Macadandang, but he was one of them – a member of the Principalía. His resignation speech before the Senate had staunched much of the criticism of the Government and had even moved some of his worst detractors to tears.

Popular discontent had been diverted into demonstrations in the streets against the perfidious South Africans and Chinese; the departing South African diplomatic representatives were jeered on their way to the airport from whence they were flown to Hong Kong; crowds gathered outside the Chinese Embassy to resurrect familiar chants about Chinese aggression and double-dealing.

By nominating Don Joaquin de la Vega to take the vacancy in the Ministry of Defense the continuance of Cain’s policies was assured, as the two men shared with Soriano the vision of a balanced approach to the nation’s defenses. Yet de la Vega was not associated with the discredited ‘foreign sales’ program and could thus be portrayed as a ‘new broom’. All in all, Soriano reflected, it was not half bad.


The Mindanao Post, Wednesday, 13 November 1947

The destroyers Lamitan and Lucena were launched today in the Butuan naval shipyard, where work on the minelayers Cagayancilo and San Vicente was completed. While work continues on the destroyers, the minelayers will now embark on their trials and training, which ought to complete before the spring of next year.

Manila, The Malacañan Palace, Monday, 17 November 1947

Don Joaquin de la Vega was in the midst of settling into his new office; the resignation of Don Roberto Cain in the wake of the Lagonoy Affair had swept him into the admiral’s shoes. While he had been appointed deputy defense minister a month ago he had never expected to succeed to the office so rapidly; but he was learning.

In defense matters the Senate had long kept its focus on the state of the navy; and rightly so – it was the nation’s first line of protection against potential Chinese aggression. The Philippine Air Force had also been the recipient of lavish funds, and it had proven its value time and time again. The step-child of the services was the Philippine Army. Yes, its strength had been built up to ten divisions, and it was far better trained and equipped than a decade previously, but the thinking of its leadership was too hide-bound and conventional. It needed to be shaken out of its lethargy. The question was how; and this was not something he could rush into – the balancing required in a Senate still riven by controversy would not permit it. But he jotted down thoughts in a small notebook and would discuss these later with his personal assistant.

Wittering, Cambridgeshire, England, Friday, 21 November 1947

Wing Commander Roger Bartlett, commanding officer of No.203 Advanced Flying School, looked over the latest reports of progress on the training of the Philippine Air Force’s first crop of jet pilots. All-in-all they were progressing well – first in classroom instruction, then in ground handling, and then check-flights in one of the Gloster Meteor trainers assigned to 203 AFS for grading. Bartlett regretted that there was no two-seat variant of the Vampire – though rumor had it that the Air Ministry was working with de Havilland to create such a beast – and first solo flights were a dodgy thing, even for graduates of the RAF’s own training program. Still, the recommendations of the flight instructors indicated that the dozen Filipinos were ready to move on to that stage.

“Well, there is only one way to find out for certain,” he thought, as he cleared them to progress to actual flight training in the RAF’s most advanced fighter.

Manila, The Malacañan Palace, Sunday, 23 November 1947

Under other circumstances Don Joaquin de la Vega would not have been in his office on a Sunday; however, the need to act quickly in the wake of taking up the reins of the Ministry of Defense precluded his normal day of rest. The long squabbles in the Senate over the naval budget and the lingering ripples of the Lagonoy Affair had pushed aside many proposals that needed to be considered, weighed, acted upon, or discarded. One of them was the memorandum now before him.

Authored by Major Antonio Ilustrisimo, a student at the Command and Staff College, it laid out the potential benefits of the formation and training of a small elite force capable of undertaking such tasks as unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, psychological warfare and direct action using new and novel methods. The proposal argued that in time of war it would be necessary to augment conventional forces defending the national territory with units intended to take the fight to the enemy in his homeland. Major Ilustrisimo was a well-known practitioner of the ancient Philippine art of close-combat, eskrima, and an annex to the overall proposal laid out how personnel skilled in eskrima might be able to infiltrate enemy-occupied areas without attracting the attention conventionally-equipped forces might garner. De la Vega was attracted to the idea. Calling for his military aide-de-camp he jotted down a few notes and guidelines.

Colonel Ramon Magsaysay knocked at the door. “Sir,” he said as he announced himself.

De la Vega rose, portfolio in hand. “I believe that this proposal should go forward. Please prepare the formal documentation to make it so.” With this he handed Magsaysay Ilustrisimo’s proposal and his own notes on how it ought to be implemented.

I was planning to build some submarines for the movement of Ninja so reading this I would think that a troop transport submarine or two could be useful for moving these special elite Filipino troops into a position so they can infiltrate an enemy-occupied area without ever being seen.

The Manila Times, Tuesday, 25 November 1947

The Ministry of Defense has announced the formation of a specialist unit to undertake unconventional warfare and long-range reconnaissance missions. Known as the Scout Ranger Regiment, this force will be based at Camp Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan.


The Freeman (Cebu), Thursday, 27 November 1947

The escort tanker Abra is due to complete today at the Puerto Princesa shipyard, Palawan. The lead ship of her class, she is expected to formally join the fleet in the early spring of next year.

The Philippine Herald, Saturday, 29 November 1947

The strength of the Philippine Navy received a significant increase today when the destroyers Balintawak, Bonawon, and Baelaran were declared operational upon joining the Northern Fleet.

When 'significant increase' was mentioned, I just looked at the numbers for fun. The 'significant increase' is... 1.2%...

I guess for propaganda purposes, the Philippine Herald has to set the bar low for 'significant increase'.

It makes me wonder how they would describe the increase of Pacifica's Navy when those Belgian ships were delivered (those 10 ships resulted in a 45.5% increase of Pacifica's Navy)...

The Daily Guardian (Iloilo), Tuesday, 2 December 1947

The minelayers Caloocan and San Pablo were launched today at the naval shipyard at Butuan. The third pair of ships of the Calopan-class, they are due to complete early next year.


The Philippine Herald, Wednesday, 3 December 1947

Following hard upon the heels of their sisters already afloat, the destroyers Bilogo, Bagumbayan, and Binondo were completed today – the first two at the Butuan naval shipyards and the third here at Cavite. Then will now undergo a period of training before entering service with the fleet.

Naval Operating Base Cavite, Friday, 5 December 1947

Kapitein-luitenant ter Zee Eugène Lacomblé noted with interest the work underway in Cavite’s dockyards. The large graving dock was the scene of much activity as workmen prepared it for the construction of two new destroyers, whose keels would be laid down sometime after Christmas. Scaffolding being erected on one of the slipways proclaimed that work there would soon commence on another vessel – Lacomblé had been advised that the first of the four new light cruisers recently authorized would be laid down in January. Despite the uproar from the still-simmering Lagonoy Affair the pace of the Philippine naval construction program had not slowed; if anything, it seemed to be accelerating.

Scarborough Station, Monday, 8 December 1947

Don Joaquin de la Vega craned his neck to keep the object of their flight in view, while the pilot of the Beriev Be-4 kept the aircraft circling. He had reviewed the files on the dradis station set in the midst of the South China Sea but he wanted to see it first-hand.


“Can we land?” he asked his assistant, Ramon Magsaysay.

“The Navy considers the water nearby too shallow to risk a landing in the immediate vicinity,” the colonel replied. “And landing in the open sea is hazardous at best.”

De la Vega nodded. He would have to schedule a visit by ship. His predecessor – for all the backing of its construction – had never inspected the station, despite its immense value as an early warning station of potential Chinese aggression. Perhaps the old admiral was confident enough from the reports; De la Vega was less certain.

Bakong, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi, Wednesday, 10 December 1947

Brother Francis was uncertain whether the situation in Bakong was improving or not; some weeks ago the Government had established a group of settlers nearby under the Strategic Hamlets program. Their numbers had increased the attendance at Mass and in the school, and their willingness to assist the work of the mission was laudable; their arrival though was not without friction on the part of the local Bajao population. It was not so much that the newcomers had displaced Bajao from their traditional land, or usurped their traditional fishing rights, it was that they were different; and difference often breeds resentment. To the good however, the newcomers were craftsmen – and the addition of their handcrafts to the local market had not gone unnoticed by the Bajao merchants, who now peddled their pottery, baskets, and furniture across the seas. Francis suspected that the self-interest of the local merchants was a restraining influence on any desire of the Bajao populace to take immediate action. He could but pray that, given time, the two sets of residents might blend.

Scarborough Station, Saturday, 13 December 1947

The cruiser Ticao lay hove too off the shoals while her escorting destroyers cruised lazily at a further distance; the gig made its way back through the reef towards the cruiser while Don Joaquin de la Vega sat in the stern sheets deep in thought. In his capacity as Minister of Defense he had made an official visit to Scarborough Station, coming away impressed with the engineering that had gone into erecting the station despite wind and wave. The value of its monitoring equipment to the national defense was incalculable; his concern however was how to defend the station from any sort of pre-emptive attack by an aggressor.

Heretofore reliance had been placed on air power to intercept any large scale foray well before it reached gun range; and there was little more that could be done to face such a scenario. Smaller-scale attacks however – by small craft, or raiding parties brought by submarine – could penetrate. He would commission a study to bring forth recommendations on how to secure the station against all forms of attack.

The Philippine Herald, Editorial Page, Thursday, 18 December 1947

We commend the recent decision of the Senate to appoint a commission to study the question of the littoral defenses of the nation in the face of growing threats from potential aggressors abroad. While we have absolute confidence in the armed forces to repel any threat, it would be foolish to ignore the changing defense environment and fail to adopt reasonable measures of deterrence. The work of the commission cannot start too soon, and we urge the Senate to act upon its recommendations as soon as they become available.

Olongopo Naval Ordnance Depot, Saturday, 20 December 1947

Captain Manuel Zamora re-read the message and considered what it might mean. He was directed to “review the inventory of naval ordnance presently in store” at the depot and “ascertain the quantities of such ordnance as may be readied for land service within a span of twelve months”. Further, he was to provide his report within the next seven days. What with the imminence of Christmas and the customary leaves of absence in its train, Zamora had very little time to comply. The warehouses contained dozens of guns removed from the ships scrapped by the Philippine Navy over the last few year, and certainly some of them could be adapted as coast artillery. In his own mind he questioned the haste of the inquiry, but picked up the telephone on his desk to start the process of recalling the relevant personnel, canceling planned leaves, and scheduling work crews to haul out and examine the guns in store.

The Mindanao Examiner, Tuesday, 23 December 1947

The Eastern Seafaring and Trading Company of Zamboanga continues its aggressive expansion in the shipping sector with the entry into service of the inter-island cargo ship Lago Lanao. The ship is fitted with strengthened cargo-handling gear and is well suited to transport the materials required for the accelerating development of the region. It is expected that she will be followed by a second vessel sometime next year.