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Operation Flyhook: Difference between revisions
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Prior to the outbreak of the war, shipping through the [[Polynesian Sea]] into the Songun Sea was a major trade route for maritime traffic and freighters heading into the Malentine Sea. While larger and more stable export economies such as [[Arcerion]] and [[Paulastra]] could rely on strong industry and agriculture, the more impoverished nations relied heavily on imported goods from [[Sarpedon]] and [[Levantia]], meaning that the crucial naval route through the Eastern and Western Songun Straits, and then through the [[Warrington Strait|Warrington]], were key economic terrain. While several attempts had been made to create economic protections or otherwise enforce some form of freedom of travel for both the Songun and [[Warrington Strait|Warrington Straits]], ultimately the nations of South Crona were unable to come to a consensus on how to best implement a commercial and diplomatic strategy of cooperation prewar. | Prior to the outbreak of the war, shipping through the [[Polynesian Sea]] into the Songun Sea was a major trade route for maritime traffic and freighters heading into the Malentine Sea. While larger and more stable export economies such as [[Arcerion]] and [[Paulastra]] could rely on strong industry and agriculture, the more impoverished nations relied heavily on imported goods from [[Sarpedon]] and [[Levantia]], meaning that the crucial naval route through the Eastern and Western Songun Straits, and then through the [[Warrington Strait|Warrington]], were key economic terrain. While several attempts had been made to create economic protections or otherwise enforce some form of freedom of travel for both the Songun and [[Warrington Strait|Warrington Straits]], ultimately the nations of South Crona were unable to come to a consensus on how to best implement a commercial and diplomatic strategy of cooperation prewar. | ||
=== Geography === | === Geography === | ||
The Songun Straits are separated into two major waterways, the Eastern and Western, respectively. Between them and West of [[Cape Town]] is the Lower Songun Basin, which would see some of the most fiery convoy attacks and submarine actions during the Second Great War. North of this is the disputed Songun Sea. The Cape's islands in the Songun afforded it the geographical advantage in the Southeastern portions as it was able to more effectively conduct maritime patrols and anti-submarine patrols from airfields. However the geography and seafloor terrain of the Songun naturally pushed the Arcer submarines to the Western Songun, which was deeper and had more favorable currents and thermal layers. | The Songun Straits are separated into two major waterways, the Eastern and Western, respectively. Between them and West of [[Cape Town]] is the Lower Songun Basin, which would see some of the most fiery convoy attacks and submarine actions during the Second Great War. North of this is the disputed Songun Sea. The Cape's islands in the Songun afforded it the geographical advantage in the Southeastern portions as it was able to more effectively conduct maritime patrols and anti-submarine patrols from airfields. However the geography and seafloor terrain of the Songun naturally pushed the Arcer submarines to the Western Songun, which was deeper and had more favorable currents and thermal layers. | ||
The Warrington Strait was a secondary shipping lane although itself was the true key to central and Southern Crona, as it opened up into the Malentine Sea, a shallower and warmer body of water that six different sovereign nations (Arcerion, [[Telokona]], [[Malentina]], [[Kelekona]], [[Porlos]], and [[Istrenya]]) had maritime borders and extensive shipping and ports on. Due to this, Arcerion would fiercely defend the Warring Straits throughout the duration of the war, including the wo surface actions that took place under Operation Forefront. | |||
[[File:Warrington Strait Shipping Volume.png|thumb|Shipping volume by raw tonnage through the Warrington Strait into the Malentine Sea between 1900-1934. ]] | [[File:Warrington Strait Shipping Volume.png|thumb|Shipping volume by raw tonnage through the Warrington Strait into the Malentine Sea between 1900-1934. ]] | ||
=== The Royal Arcerion Submarine Service Pre-War === | === The Royal Arcerion Submarine Service Pre-War === | ||
The Arcer submarine service consisted of twenty-seven submarines, several submarine tenders and support vessels such as rearmament and refueling ships. Arcerion Naval HQ placed a high emphasis on the ability to rearm, refuel and repair submarines underway at sea away from a safe port-of-call, as the littoral nature of the Malentine and Songun Seas meant that maritime patrol aircraft and sabotage on port facilities could prevent the effective deployment of submarines during wartime. Research and development prior to the war had resulted in newer mine technologies, prototype snorkels, and improved rangefinding and electronic surveillance equipment allowing the service to be modern and ready for the conflict. | The Arcer submarine service consisted of twenty-seven submarines, several submarine tenders and support vessels such as rearmament and refueling ships. Arcerion Naval HQ placed a high emphasis on the ability to rearm, refuel and repair submarines underway at sea away from a safe port-of-call, as the littoral nature of the Malentine and Songun Seas meant that maritime patrol aircraft and sabotage on port facilities could prevent the effective deployment of submarines during wartime. Research and development prior to the war had resulted in newer mine technologies, prototype snorkels, and improved rangefinding and electronic surveillance equipment allowing the service to be modern and ready for the conflict. | ||
The drawbacks the service faced however, was an utter lack of real-world operational experience, owing to the dual nature of the service's relatively new nature (having only been in existence for 17 years) and the lack of an Arcer conventional conflict on the sea that would have allowed the service to effectively trial and test its doctrine, methods, and sailors. The service's rigorous standards of preparation and training however had created a culture of raiding and long-endurance patrolling that would benefit the disparate fleet. Arcerion had identified the difficulties of getting submarines into the Lower Songun Basin, and as such had provisioned plans to work with the [[Burgoignesc Security Forces|Navy of Burrgundie]] to conduct at-sea underway replenishment of its submarines, giving them the ability to operate beyond the Songun and away from the most Southern Arcer naval facilities at Chester-on-Moore. | The drawbacks the service faced however, was an utter lack of real-world operational experience, owing to the dual nature of the service's relatively new nature (having only been in existence for 17 years) and the lack of an Arcer conventional conflict on the sea that would have allowed the service to effectively trial and test its doctrine, methods, and sailors. The service's rigorous standards of preparation and training however had created a culture of raiding and long-endurance patrolling that would benefit the disparate fleet. Arcerion had identified the difficulties of getting submarines into the Lower Songun Basin, and as such had provisioned plans to work with the [[Burgoignesc Security Forces|Navy of Burrgundie]] to conduct at-sea underway replenishment of its submarines, giving them the ability to operate beyond the Songun and away from the most Southern Arcer naval facilities at Chester-on-Moore. | ||
[[File:Geography Flyhook.png|thumb|Geography of the Songun Area of Operations (SAO) during the Second Great War. ]] | |||
The Submarine Service was also complemented during ''Flyhook'' by a number of smaller minelayers, torpedo boats, and surface raiding vessels designed for the asymmetric nature of commerce raiding. Although doctrinally it was not a codified part of Arcer naval heritage or practice, the fleet would grow to accomodate this with the adoption of a class of light cruisers late-war that would participate to support the submarine force. | The Submarine Service was also complemented during ''Flyhook'' by a number of smaller minelayers, torpedo boats, and surface raiding vessels designed for the asymmetric nature of commerce raiding. Although doctrinally it was not a codified part of Arcer naval heritage or practice, the fleet would grow to accomodate this with the adoption of a class of light cruisers late-war that would participate to support the submarine force. | ||
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{{flagicon|Arcerion}} '''Royal Arcerion Submarine Service''', Rear Admiral Lawrence Arthur Coxley (His Majesty's Arcer Naval Station Chester-on-Moore, Arcerion) | {{flagicon|Arcerion}} '''Royal Arcerion Submarine Service''', Rear Admiral Lawrence Arthur Coxley (His Majesty's Arcer Naval Station Chester-on-Moore, Arcerion) | ||
* '''Submarine Group 1''' | * '''Submarine Group 1''' | ||
** Submarine Squadron 1 | ** '''Submarine Squadron 1''' | ||
*** HMAS David | *** HMAS David | ||
*** HMAS Integrity | *** HMAS Integrity | ||
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*** HMAS Reckoning | *** HMAS Reckoning | ||
*** HMAS Forthright | *** HMAS Forthright | ||
* '''Submarine Squadron 5 (Oiler and Supply)''' | * '''Submarine Tender Squadron 5 (Oiler and Supply)''' | ||
** HMAS Pearl | ** HMAS Pearl | ||
** HMAS Diligent | ** HMAS Diligent | ||
| Line 88: | Line 88: | ||
== Campaign == | == Campaign == | ||
[[File:Map 1.png|thumb|Numbered map of major areas of operation as determined by Rear Admiral Coxley at the outbreak of the Second Great War, including the two High-Frequency Transmission stations (blue squares) at HMNAS Chester-on-Moore and Port Hughes.]] | [[File:Map 1.png|thumb|Numbered map of major areas of operation as determined by Rear Admiral Coxley at the outbreak of the Second Great War, including the two High-Frequency Transmission stations (blue squares) at HMNAS Chester-on-Moore and Port Hughes.]] | ||
With the outbreak of the war, the commander of the submarine force, Rear Admiral Coxley, was recalled to the National Defense Headquarters in Kurst, along with his staff to brief the Arcer Admiralty on the readiness of the submarine force for war. The initial plans he briefed were the establishment of 5 'Special Raiding Zones,' numbered one to five. He intended to use his | With the outbreak of the war, the commander of the submarine force, Rear Admiral Coxley, was recalled to the National Defense Headquarters in Kurst, along with his staff to brief the Arcer Admiralty on the readiness of the submarine force for war. The initial plans he briefed were the establishment of 5 'Special Raiding Zones,' numbered one to five. He intended to use his five submarine squadrons, organized into two Submarine Groups, to bring Capetian commercial shipping and maritime traffic to a halt. The admiralty approved the plan, giving him provisional instruction to begin at once. | ||
=== Early War === | |||
The early war was defined by most Arcer submariners as the "Good time," when Capetian escort and anti-submarine vessels were either vacant, inept, or outmatched by the wit and aggression of their Arcer counterparts. Coxley assigned Submarine Group One with fourteen submarines to operate in zones 1-3, and their counterparts with thirteen submarines in Group Two as the Orixtal-Polynesian-Odoneru Force. Coxley's assertion was that by allowing one group to focus on the Sognun and the other far, in the blue water regions beyond the Lower Songun Basin, that they could develop their own tactics, training, and procedures to create a standard pattern for raiding that could be quickly disseminated to allow for more seamless integration of new submariners. | |||
Coxley's major concern was the resupply of Submarine Group 2, as they were far afield from the ability for the six submarine tenders to resupply. Coxley sent a letter to the admiralty to engage with the Burgoignesc Defense Attache at the Burgoignesc Embassy of Arcerion, and arrange for a joint agreement wherein Arcer submarines could be resupplied, fuelled, and rearmed from Burgoignesc vessels based out of [[Equitorial Ostiecia|Equatorial Ostiecia]]. Arcerion would send necessary provisions that were specific to Arcerion's submarines such as mines, torpedoes, and other supplies via rail to the New Archduchy, and from there escorted via convoy to Ostiecia wherein they could be loaded onto their Burgoignesc counterparts' own submarine tenders until such a time as Arcerion could find a way to get several of their own there and based effectively with sufficient escorting surface vessels. | |||
early war arco supremacy | early war arco supremacy | ||