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Belated Battleships (KanColle) [REHOST]

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Firefinder12-B said:
Edit: Plus Connie would have point out that if she was useless the Navy would have scrapped her like they did to Connie sisters.
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Constitution's sisters.... United States was captured by the Confederates when they seized the Norfolk Naval Yard. In 1865, the Confederates decided to destroy her rather than allow the Federals to retake her. They ruined a box of brand new axes trying to chop through the sturdy oak timbers that made her keel. They settled for burning the old warrior.

President was captured in 1815. She was taken into Royal Navy service but deteriorating condition caused her to be broken up in 1818. A new ship by that name was built to her measurements and served until 1862.

The ship was not broken up until 1903
 
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EuroBotes!
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    • And, another Europe bit.

    BB Europe: All Work and No Play​

    HMS Victorious was not a happy aircraft carrier. Normally she would be. Especially since she was home. The Med was nice, honestly. Sure, it kind of sucked being the only Aircraft Carrier in the entire sea, since the Yanks hadn't summoned any that could help and the Italians never commissioned one. But the weather was nice, and the Italians were even nicer. Always thankful to have the Royal Navy helping them out, since their own numbers were strained taking up the slack of covering the entire Med. Save for what few girls the Greeks and Turks had, anyway. The same situation her own Navy found themselves in with the Swedes, come to think of it...

    Anyway.

    Victorious, not Vicky, was much more at home in the British Isles though. Was that any surprise? She was a Brit at heart, even if the majority of her wartime career had been far from home. Extremely far from home actually, what with the time she spent as 'USS Robin' out in the Pacific. Or even her service towards the end of the war out there. Good days those, though thinking about them did make her miss her partner in crime, Saratoga. Victorious had often wondered when that old girl would come back, honestly, since she missed the Yank. Missed her quite a bit actually.

    But thinking about those days was not the reason she was unhappy.

    "Put your back into it ladies!"

    That was HMS Royal Oak, barking out orders. The old battleship had taken to her new role with the energy of a much younger ship, to say the least. And when that role was putting the younger ships through their paces...

    "Who put her in charge?" Victorious complained, as she pulled back the string on her bow.

    "Well, Royal Oak isn't able to fight as well, so at least she found something to do." HMS Furious shrugged, as the oldest carrier in the world pulled back her own bow string.

    "Yeah, but that something is killing me."

    Despite her complaining, Victorious still had a picture-perfect launch of her Corsairs, the gull-winged fighters joining the antique Swordfish off Furious. The younger carrier grinned at that, pumping her fist slightly. She may be younger than Furious, but thirty years of service had their upsides!

    Furious merely shook her head, a lopsided smile on it as she brushed back black hair, "You never have changed, have you?"

    "Why would I have?"

    "No reason. No reason at all," Furious replied, that fond smile refusing to leave her lips, as the old carrier turned to port. "Come along now Victorious. If you dislike training so much, you should finish faster."

    Resisting the urge to pout, Victorious did as asked. She and Furious continued along, a gaggle of destroyers circling the carriers. This little training exercise of Royal Oak's had long been in planning, but now that it was going, it was going. Every ship girl who could be spared from duty was being put through their paces, to make sure they could sortie properly. And survive the effort.

    The problem was, Victorious had been hoping to have some time off after all the work she put in back in the Med.

    "Target sighted."

    That was Furious, the elder carrier holding a hand to her ear.

    "Range?"

    "Fifteen."

    "Speed?"

    "Twenty knots."

    "Oh, Warspite then."

    "Yes."

    Victorious smirked at that, as she looked out at the horizon. For the purposes of this little test, Furious' bombers had been armed with paint bombs. And Victorious was acting in the same role she had with old Sister Sara. She would provide the aircover with her Corsairs, while Furious would provide the striking power. Both carriers were thus entirely focused on their planes, and keeping in contact with the fairies. If they could hit the battlewagons before they were hit in return- Victorious knew that Royal Oak would have something in mind to even the playing field -they would win. And frankly, if she was forced to do this, the carrier was going to make sure she won.

    Besides, she had the oldest and most experienced carrier in the world by her side. Kind of hard to lose in that regard. Furious may have missed serving much combat duty in the War due to her age, but in the new war? Her being old was no barrier to her serving in combat. And the old girl knew more about carrier operations than just about anyone, and that included Victorious. Counting her post-war service she was about equal to Furious.

    But she deferred to the closest thing she had to a mother anyway.

    "I'm starting my run now." The carrier in question spoke up.

    "Roger. Covering your run."

    Far in the distance, a dozen Swordfish nosed over, half with paint bombs and half with practice torpedoes. They were covered by an equal number of Corsairs, the little fairy pilots waving jauntily at the wildly maneuvering 'red' force. Warspite was in the lead, the 'Grand Old Lady' steaming beside her sister, Barham. Both of the old battleships were spewing a barrage of paintballs into the air, as their escorting cruisers- lead by Exeter -did their best to cover the larger warships. The Swordfish barely moved from their paths though, as the paint flew around them.

    Just as with Bismarck, once upon a time, the old Stringbags were just too slow to accurately target. Not that it helped when Victorious had her Corsairs strafing the battlewagon's either. She could just imagine Warspite glaring in her direction, making the carrier giggle lightly.

    "Payload away!"

    Not that she giggled long, as Victorious returned her focus to the reports being fed to her by her pilots. Furious' bombers had peeled off from their runs, two coated in brilliant red paint from Exeter. But the rest had made a clean getaway, save for one of Victorious' Corsairs. That pilot was cursing as creatively as only a Royal Navy sailor- pilot or no -could. What with the blue paint from Barham on her wing.

    Well, three planes isn't a bad exchange rate.

    Victorious held to that, as she nodded along with the report.

    Three torpedo hits on Warspite. One bomb on Barham. None of the cruisers or destroyers, but that's expected. Still, the Grand Old Lady is going to be pissed!


    "Come on sis, don't worry."

    "I'm hardly worried."

    "Okay, don't be angry."

    Perhaps they didn't realize it, but Victorious heard what the sisters were saying, as the two fleets joined up. Even being coated in paint herself did little to dampen the carrier's good mood. She hadn't expected aircraft from her own sister, Formidable. But hey, worth it. Because Warspite's legs were equally coated in brilliant green paint. And that paint was only slowly fading away. The Grand Old Lady was going to be bearing that mark for awhile! Grin refusing to leave her face, Victorious watched as Warspite and Barham sailed up to Royal Oak.

    The newer battleship, a tall-hat perched on her head, crossed her arms. And proceeded to lay into Warspite- and, for that matter, Formidable -for not working together properly.

    And for her part, Victorious just continued to grin. She held up hands to her mouth, and took in a deep breath.

    "Nice job, Grand Old Lady!"

    Warspite twitched, turning around slowly. Violet eyes narrowed, as the battleship looked at the carrier.

    "You were hit too, Vicky."

    "Yeah, but I got you first!"

    "No, Furious did."

    "Yeah but..."

    Victorious would have continued, butl Furious sailed up next to her. The elder carrier bore not a single drop of paint, a sign of her skill and experience. And that the younger carrier had dedicated her fighters to covering her...well...mother. A mother, who was currently wrapping her arm around Victorious' shoulder, pulling the other carrier to the side. Victorious didn't resist, even though she had more horsepower than the elder woman. Why would she?

    "What's wrong?" Victorious asked, as her counterpart pulled her out of hearing distance of Warspite.

    "You shouldn't be smiling so much," there was a motherly tone to Furious' voice, as she pulled back. The carrier waved a finger in the younger girl's face, though the smile on her own defused it somewhat. "Warspite won't like it. And you were hit as well."

    "I know." The younger carrier rolled her eyes.

    Furious reached out and flicked Victorious between the eyes, "I'm not sure you do."

    Flinching back, and rubbing at her head, the blonde frowned at her elder. Furious returned the expression, face entirely serious. Seeing that expression had Victorious feeling almost like a chastised puppy. You just didn't get HMS Furious angry with you. She was too easy going for that.

    "You know that Warspite works harder than any of us. Especially with Victory gone." Here, Furious sighed softly, running a lock of black hair over her fingers. "She's having to work harder than ever. I can understand you have a rivalry with her. You both are famous in your own ways, dear. Don't let it get to your head, and please, try to not push Warspite like that."

    Reaching out again, Furious placed a hand on the younger carrier's shoulder.

    "I know you have a need to prove yourself, Victorious. But darling, there's no need for that. You're the most experienced carrier we have. More than I am, even. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, least of all Warspite. She understands better than most, what that pressure means."

    Victorious couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. Furious really did treat herself as a mother to the carrier girls. Honestly, Victorious sometimes thought she would act that way with the Americans or Japanese as well. She was the ancestor to all carriers, sharing that title with Argus. And it had translated to a very motherly carrier, when she wasn't in combat. Most of the time, it was comforting. Just like the battleship girls had Dreadnought or the battlecruisers had, whenever she returned, Invincible. Victorious had Furious. And she wouldn't trade that for anything.

    It was just a bit...hard sometimes. She wanted to live up to Furious. Didn't any daughter want to make their mother proud? And yes, maybe she was a bit hard on Warspite. But there was a reason for that! Just not one that Victorious was particularly inclined to share. In fact, she already felt her face heating up at the idea.

    Get ahold of yourself woman!

    "I know that, Furious." Victorious got out, though she still fought the flush. "But, you know, it's fun to rib Warspite. She gives as good as she takes!"

    "Yes, she does, Vicky."

    Even Furious got a glare for saying that, though the older carrier just laughed softly.

    "You are far too sensitive to that nickname dear."

    Victorious grumbled, even as she turned her head, "Yeah, well, it's not me. Damn Renown for coming up with that one."

    Furious just smiled, brushing some hair out of Victorious' face, "Still, even though I know it is almost a ritual between you two, give Warspite a break. She may notice how you feel if you do."

    Wait...

    "Wha?!"

    Feeling her flush come back fully, Victorious turned wide brown eyes on Furious. Who merely smiled enigmatically, her own blue eyes dancing with amusement.

    "I'm not blind, you know," Furious waved her finger again. "You are my daughter, I would be worried if I didn't notice."

    Fighting her blush, Victorious backed up, "How did you..."

    "It's something I noticed a long time ago, Victorious."

    "Well..."

    The younger carrier honestly didn't know what to say. She had thought it wasn't obvious. She had thought her teasing of Warspite had looked like just that. Teasing between rivals. After all, she never held back! And Victorious knew that Warspite didn't hold back either. So how...how had Furious known? And who else knew? Barham? Her own sister, Formidable? Or...oh God.

    Did Warspite know?

    Inwardly panicking at that, Victorious barely noticed Furious walk forward. At least, until the elder carrier placed a hand on her shoulder. Victorious looked up, seeing Furious smiling at her softly. The older carrier didn't turn away, even as she squeezed Victorious' shoulder lightly.

    "Relax, dear. I'm fairly certain no one else has noticed, not even Formidable. I know you better than anyone, that's all."

    Victorious grimaced, "But still...I thought..."

    "Honestly, you aren't very good at hiding it. Warspite just doesn't think to notice it." Furious rolled her eyes, though there was a hint of amusement in the gesture. "Really. I sometimes wonder about her, to be completely honest. Warspite is older than I am, but she misses some things that I notice. Dreadnought has noticed that as well. We think it's because we're mothers, that we notice more than our contemporaries...but I'm rambling, aren't I?"

    A small smile crossed Victorious' face at that statement.

    "Anyway, my point is this. I may have been the only one to notice it so far, but someone else will eventually. Wouldn't you rather get it out of the way, than let the rumors start?"

    And now the grimace was back.

    "I know that, but it's...she's the Grand Old Lady." Victorious shuffled, suddenly feeling like a little girl again. "Not that she looks like that."

    "Well, yes. She is quite attractive, or else you wouldn't..."

    "Mo...Furious," Victorious didn't pout. No sir. "She earned that name, even if Warspite doesn't like it. I can't help it, if she looks like a Grand Lady, even if not an old one. Bloody hell...is it any wonder I noticed that? And she's like me...the last of her class to be scrapped. I...she..."

    Furious stepped forward, pulling the younger carrier into a hug.

    "She understands you. That's why the two of you enjoy your little competition and teasing." Furious finished for the other girl. At a nod from Victorious, she continued. "And that's part of the reason you feel the way you do. Victorious, darling, don't worry. Warspite may not have noticed, but she won't turn you down off-hand. She's too kind for that. And too proud. Which is probably why she hasn't noticed..."

    "Eh?"

    Smiling again, Furious nodded at the distant battleships, "Warspite wouldn't notice. She thinks that everyone only sees the 'Grand Old Lady'. And her pride keeps her from saying anything against that view. That, my silly daughter, is why she doesn't like that nickname. If you just called her by her name, sat down and talked with her- like Hood does -she would listen. You just have to make the first step."

    Victorious pulled away from the elder carrier, looking up at blue eyes, "That easy, huh?"

    "Well, I wouldn't go that far." Furious laughed brightly. "But then, love is never meant to be easy. I would know, Admiral Andrews is thicker than Warspite's armor belt."

    "I did not need to know that."

    Despite her words, both carriers broke down into helpless giggles, though Furious at least attempted to be elegant and proper about it. Victorious just laughed and laughed, feeling like a weight was off her shoulders. Tilting her helmet around on her head, the armored carrier looked over at Warspite in the distance. Maybe...maybe Furious was right. She had thought that her teasing Warspite was making it easier to get around her stubbornness. Legendary stubbornness, that had kept her afloat longer than she had any right to.

    But...well. Furious was rarely wrong. And it was at least worth a shot, right? What's the worst that could happen?

    I get fifteen inch shells in my face.

    Snorting softly, Victorious resolved to at least attempt what Furious had suggested.

    Hey, I can be shippy too you know. :p
     
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    • Saratoga: Victorious... You may not be the carrier the world deserves, but you're the carrier it needs. And Warspite is the battleship YOU need.
     
    Robin! Hand me down the Abyssal Bat-spray repellent!

    Edit: But seriously, on with the real entertainment....
     
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    Always Late said:
    And Jersey herself.

    Just a few inches wiggle room on either side. The Iowa's are the fat, er, biggest ships to ever cross the Panama canal. Well, until that expansion gets finished.
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    Not quite true.... At least in terms of width. The designers of the Essex class miscalculated and when those girls pushed through the canal, those poles along the side of the lock had to be taken down so the CVs could clear the lock.

    Or something along those lines anyway.
     
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