CompassJimbo
Where’s Your North?
- Location
- The former Rubber Capital of the World
There has been discussion on this, both here in the thread and on Discord. I will say this: Guessing who could be a time-travelling shipgirl has amused Sky a fair bit.
Changing Destiny (Kancolle)
- Thread starter Skywalker_T-65
- Start date
- Location
- North Carolina
Regardless with the Zero strafing Sara's bridge, I am more worried about the damn thing's 20mm cannons, whatever plating that's around the bridge wings should protect it from 7.7mm machine gun fire but a 20mm cannon round, even with the lazy punt that Japanese 20mm cannons have would go through it like paper. Still, Sara should consider herself lucky that the hit she took was likely just a 250-kilogram bomb had it been an 800-kilogram job or hell even a five hundred kilogram bomb, the damage would've likely been crippling. As it stands, Sara is incapable of flight ops for a couple of hours at least, depending on the damage.
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
probably less if we go by Yorktown's example at midway.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
Well, I cannot say that Kaga is wrong with her analysis of Hiryuu. Unfortunately for her, those words also could be used to describe the Japanese High Command in 1941.
This Yorktown might be 'new and untested', but she is also the toughest carrier of the war historically. Admittedly Sister Sara is bigger and has more planes, but Little E Does Not Lose carrier battles. Period. Dot.
Well, Sara's out of the fight with a torn-up flight deck. However, she's not in any real danger assuming that she purged her avgas lines, which she should have after talking to Thompson so that we don't have a repeat of Lady Lex's death at Coral Sea. Machinery spaces are intact, which is the big thing to keep her alive.
Fortunately, Little E can recover her planes and keep a CAP up. Speaking of Sara's planes, methinks a pair of Japanese carriers are about to have very unwelcome visitors.
That's Enterprise for you. She won't stop until Aunt Sara is safe. No matter what.
And if that means that Kaga and Hiryuu have to sink to protect E's family, Kaga and Hiryuu will sink.
Even if the Zero kamikazes into the bridge, it probably won't kill Sara since her damcon is on top of matters. They might be conning her from auxiliary control or main engineering, but she's heading back to port anyway to get her flight deck fixed (and more AA added while she's laid up).
I'm sure that for the last year plus Thompson has 'encouraged' his crew to practice damage control until they can keep Sara afloat in their sleep, since he knows that she will most definitely be going into harm's way.
Loved it and I can't wait to see the conclusion of Second Wake.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
I think that it is more a case of them not thinking of using their radios to talk to each other. Remember that the USN girls did not talk to each other before Thompson started interacting, though they had the capability to.
Also in this specific case, the Kido Butai went to fairly great lengths to keep radio silence for the attack on Pearl. IIRC the radio transmitters were actually physically disabled on some ships to prevent any accidents, and I know Akagi's main radioman was assigned to a ship off Okinawa to broadcast from there to make it appear CarDiv 1 was in home waters. So even though Kaga is probably *capable* of communicating, she is not talking because she is under orders to keep radio silence and is not thinking of herself as having the ability to communicate. Besides what is she going to say to Hiryuu to get the other girl to listen and get with the program?
True, but that means that the USN is down but not out, since Enterprise is combat capable and can rearm aircraft. I suspect that Sara and E's wings are already heading to Hiryu and Kaga, since they should have a rough idea as to location now even without a sighting by their scouts.
I also wonder whether or not the IJN pilots are going to report that Sara is 'killed' since she is on fire now. They probably won't mistake Little E and Sister Sara for each other though.
- Location
- North Carolina
Depends on where that bomb hit, but if it hit where I think it hit. Which would be probably abreast of her gun turrets, then Sara is most probably mission-killed because her forward elevator is likely either damaged or jammed meaning that she can't bring aircraft to her hanger making it impossible for her to spot planes.
- Location
- I thought you had the map?
Imperial Japan massively misjudged and underestimated things in the Pacific, if we're being honest.
Enterprise is a force of nature. She just hasn't realized her status as a War Goddess yet. Soon, the Japanese will know the raw edge of her wrath.
I could see this as being justification for her WWII success. She turned into a raging berserker to protect what family she had left. As she lost her sisters, her aunts, etc..., she kept slipping.
How very utilitarian, but likely correct.
Yes. Unlike the men he is working with, he knows and understands the enormous value of effective damage control in winning the war in the long-term.
Dark Mage
Sanity is really overrated...
- Location
- Out of My Mind
This gave me a weird mental image . . .
***
"Well Thompson, I though I saw everything when you revealed Enterprise had a actual spirit," Admiral Halsey stated, glancing at his fellow admiral, "but this takes the cake."
Thompson could only shake his head. "This is a new one on me."
The two admirals could only stare in stunned disbelief at a small Little E struggling to carry a wounded Sister Sara in her arms. With Little E muttering under her breath, "I will not let you sink!"
It was either that or to turn around.
And admit that, SOMEHOW, the damaged USS Saratoga was out of the ocean, and was currently resting on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise!
". . . Pearl is never going to believe this."
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Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
Honestly, I don't know if I should rate this a Funny, or a Hug.
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
you know they have two elevators right. It would be inconvinent, but she could still operate with only one
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
if there's a hole in her deck, she can't safely land planes on it.
- Location
- North Carolina
The other one could only lift 6,000 pounds and was thirty feet by thirty-six feet. It can just barely lift a Wildcat empty and while it could lift a Devastator it won't fit, too long by about five feet, I mean you could lift the damn thing but it has to be fitted on sideways, and the SBD is too damn heavy by several hundred pounds. That hit has probably just put Saratoga out of business for the entire battle.
Plus as @Dirtnap said, "if there's a hole in her deck, she can't safely land planes on it."
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Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
remember though, its a wooden flight deck. repairing that is a simple matter of grabbing some 2x4's and hammering nails, and given historical performances of the 250 pound bombs, we're looking a roughly 10 square foot hole. Right now Sara's roughly in the same state as E was in Eastern Solomons, and she was back in action within an hour.
- Location
- North Carolina
Depends on what sort of shape that the forward elevator is in. If the thing is unscathed but jammed not a problem, easy patch. If it's partially collapsed then that's a big problem for no patch would have a steel support structure underneath the hole in the wood. You'd need to install it the hard way and then put the patch in. Saratoga's forward elevator was very far forward, abaft of the number two gun mount forward.
PAGDTenno
Verified Warmind. Probably on fire.
- Location
- South Carolina
The bridge has 2-2.5" STS plating. Bullets aren't gonna penetrate. Chunks of Zero might, but bullets? Haha no.
- Location
- North Carolina
Pretty thick, won't penetrate but by that virtue gotta worry about ricochets though from shots that miss and hit the deck plating or bulkhead. As it stands, if Thompson gets wounded during this strafing run. He'll be one of the few Admirals in history who earn a Purple Heart while they are at the rank of Admiral.
Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
One word you may have forgotten: windows. Shots and debris through those pose a significant hazard.
- Location
- North Carolina
I am pretty sure that's a none issue, the windows would've likely shattered when the Japanese bomb went off from either the shrapnel or shockwave. It's probably what resulted in Sara's Captain getting KIA'd by the bomb hit, the captain's chair is right next to the forward windows on the bridge. Poor bastard didn't stand a chance.
HolyDragoon
Call Gespenst!
- Location
- Portugal
He means the holes in the armour that the window openings represent.
- Location
- North Carolina
I don't think that the windows really matter because they are on the bridge wings (or would it be wraparound battlement? Not sure) thus they are pretty damned exposed. Thankfully, we can say for certain that this Zero driver won't go all kamikaze on us (I am ninety percent sure).
PAGDTenno
Verified Warmind. Probably on fire.
- Location
- South Carolina
Windows on capital ships have armored shutters that would be closed when the ship goes to battle stations.
- Location
- North Carolina
With the exception of a small area for the window in front of the helmsman so he can see were he's bloody going.
- Location
- Canada
1. Please stop insulting Hiryuu. Imperial Japan High Command is to Hiryuu what Maximum-Exaggerated-Pola is to Nagato at Bikini in level of in-touch with reality.
2. *a few torpedoes later*
Halsey frowned and picked up the radio microphone "Thompson, why's your crew jumping overboard instead of a more orderly disembarkation?" He got what sounded suspiciously like a strangled burble from the other end as he put the binoculars to his eyes... and gaped.
"They're walking on water, Admiral!" Enterprise's captain informed him, taking a break from gaping.
"And they're picking the ship up out of the water before trying to run after us." And miserably failing as they were only running something like fifteen knots due to human sprint speed limitations. Still, if they were as nimble as Utah demonstrated at Pearl... "I can see that... but I don't think this is quite what Thompson meant when he said he'd drill his crew to be able to keep Sara afloat in their sleep! The rest of the fleet is to send over repair teams as soon as we finish repelling this air attack. I want Thompson's crew to be able to get back on their boat before they have to run with the ship back to Pearl."
"Admiral Halsey?" Sara's voice said over the radio.
"How's Thompson?"
"He's even more shocked than you are... oh, and you didn't let go of the broadcast button."
"At this rate, I can see what I'll be doing after retirement, probably the Looney Tunes." And then Halsey finally lifted his finger off the "broadcast" button.
As Utah said earlier, shipgirls are as strong as their horsepower.
Which means Sara should easily be able to woman-handle a pulley and bring up aircraft from her hangar even with a huge hole in the middle of the flight deck (whcih can easily be patched in time for returning planes to land).
Sounds right to have "Bitchy Mountain" booting Bishamonten out of the way as the new Shinto war god.
Because Little E will totally need a nickname, and with the similar pronunciation...
The ship shipping ships meme would be born earlier in this universe, for obvious reasons.
Much as Kratos saying "Boy!" would be found on graffiti in Pompeii in the God of War universe.
If the refit made the aft and forward elevators equal as Thompson should have recommended, then takeoffs can start from closer to the stern and by the time it reaches the forward elevator patch-over, either the plane would lift off already or the lift would be enough to be less than the full weight of plane and equipment anyhow. Planes generally didn't require the full run to take off, even torpedo bombers, to allow spotting on deck for even the shorter Yorktowns and taking off in sequence.
The alternative is the far more terrifying option of "we have only 100m left of edge of flight deck that's not burnt and blasted to hell yet? Machinery spaces are still working, so that's no problem for launching aircraft. Here, just let me get a good hold on your arrestor hook anchoring frame and your torpedo, and here we go!"
The scariest part about going 20 gravities acceleration for 1 second going forward, reaching 200 m/s over a distance of 100 meters, is how blasted-off most of Sara's front would be for this to be required. It would probably look like she'd been partly flayed.
Note that launching fighters is much simpler. The F4F's stall speed is about 85 miles per hour without flaps, that's a bit under 90*1.6/3.6 = 40 meters per second. At the maximum reliably survivable 20 gravities acceleration (round to 200 m/s^2) Sara can throw a plane to go that fast in the blink of an eye (1/5 second) over a distance of 4 meters.
The question is, how much acceleration can the AIRFRAME survive? Because Sara can only run at a limited speed of about 60 kilometers per hour or 50 miles an hour... if needed, she could always hook up something to push the plane with that she can apply force to using her hands, but by that point we might as well just take a seaplane catapult off someone to rig up a big atlatl...
I thought there was another helm near the front of the ship, just under the forward end of the flight deck?
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Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
Okay they're not gonna do a Wanted curve or a Looney Tunes bounce.