NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is my 1st RP and I will be playing the side of victim, but will have an opportunity for someone else jump in later and take responsibility.

IC: 4 hours ago, Gibraltar Straight

The straight was a busy shipping lane, it was crowded with merchant ships and oilers bringing the goods of the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western Hemisphere vise versa. It was the highway of commerce and the capitalists and Westerners required it for the ability of commerce to occur.

Some didn't want that to occur. The men who owned the 26,000 ton small cargo ship SS Lakul were among that group. They were dedicated Muslim Extremist, the type that took a good religion and twisted it's words to back up their vile acts of murder and terrorism. The Lakul wasn't a large ship by ocean freighter standards, but at 26,000 tons it was fairly large. The ship was carrying some asian spices from the Western Mediterranean Sea to the Port of New Orleans. Spices weren't the only cargo that the ship's crew had been carrying, they also had about three dozen HLT 3 Russian contact mines, each weighed about a ton and would easily puncture a double hull of any ship, except perhaps a very large battleship.

The spice run was only a cover to make sure that the Westbound ship could drop her other cargo in the shipping lanes and hopefully close down the straight long enough and cause mass panic in the markets of the evil Westerners. If he killed an oil or gas tanker, the effect would be amazing, he could just see the pictures on CNN of a a large VLCC blowing itself to bits.

The ship went through the straight successfully laying her 36 mines without a notice since they were attached under the water line to a new attachment put in during her last drydock period. The small British Moroccan Navy wouldn't detect them since they only had 10 Cyclone class Patrol boats available to do patrols and would not stop a non-suspect spice carrying freighter with owners in good standing (the real owners were not known to the world, the Saudi Corporation that was listed as owning her was just a puppet operation).

Mines were placed in the Western shipping lanes and the ship was able to justify a wide turn to the empty Eastern lanes to drop mines there, 12 in the eastern lanes and 24 in the Western, the ship then continued out of there with little evidence of her actions as the mines electronically activated.

present time, 1/2 mile from the minefield

The 135,000 ton Liquid Natural Gas carrier SS Global Bronco plied through sea lanes leading to the straight at 15 knots, her captain was a 25 year veteran who would test his luck at unsafe speeds, not that speed would matter.

The LNG carrier had 80,000 tons of liquified natural gas stored at -160 degrees celcius. The natural gas had to be stored in liquid form for it to be efficiently moved, but it was also dangerous, if the tanks ruptured the ship would explode with so much power that it would do a nice imitation of Hiroshima. Natural gas was very explosive, it was not well known, but anyone who had seen what a small amount of gas leaking in a home could do would probably realize that 80,000 tons of it would be much worse.

The Global Bronco stored it in four 20,000 ton tanks with cylinders on top of the deck at the top of the tank. They were made of reinforced steel and concrete to survive any ship colision and made so a regular shipboard fire wouldn't do anything to them.

The LNG carrier actually steamed well by the 1st few mines in the Westbound lanes as she headed for Houston, but she hit the 4th mine 100 feet behind her bow on the starboard side. The bridge crew in back felt the 1 ton blast and thought they hit something, but not a mine. The mine would not normally sink such a massive ship, but the starboard forward tank had been slightly ruptured, the increase in temperature from -160 celcius to 22 degrees caused the gas to ignite, the 20,000 ton tank exploded sending the 48 inch domed roof of concrete and steel 400 feet in the air as the starboard and bow of the ship were blown apart.

The entire crew was aft of the last tank and not harmed by this explosion with the exception of flash burns. The captain ordered them into the lifeboats, but knew that not all the gas would burn and the vapor which now filled the air could ignite at any minute.

The port bow tank was damaged by the 1st explosion and it did a fine impression of the 1st tank in blowing the whole bow off the ship when it's 20,000 tons of LNG did the same. The ship now had an obvious 5 degree to starboard list and was now going down by the bow, but not at an arlarming rate.

A BM Naval patrol boat of the Cyclone class saw this explosion and rushed to aid the Global Bronco. The 324 ton patrol boat came to rescue the 48 man crew of the Houston registered LNG carrier. The ship's crew braved the fires and came to the untouched aft part of the Global Bronco where the LNG carrier's master tried to tell the BMS Protector away for her diesels could ignite the fumes, it was too late. The cyclone class boat Protector did not have a crew trained in LNG fires as they never happened before.

The hot engines from the Cyclone class vessel ignited the Natural gas and caused a fireball to burn the aft part of the ship killing the 29 brave sailors on the Protector and the 48 on the Global Bronco were all killed as the Global Bronco lay burning, she wouldn't sink as she was watertight with the exception of the bow, but that wouldn't sink her.

The ship and the water with the gas on it continued to burn with the 2 aft tanks undamaged to this point, but with the fires raging and the possibility of explosion, no ships were allowed into the straight, all shipping was stopped, the terrorists had exceeded in all expectations and they got their attack with spectacular flames on CNN. They halted shipping.

come on, bump

President Howard Johnson was going through the worst day in his life. THere was no indication that this was an intentional act, but the Western world's oil supply was cut and commerce through the straights was stopped and Johnson felt powerless. He partially blamed himself and even told Admiral William Jefferson to try and send fire ships to open up the straight, but was then reminded that more fumes could ignite and make it worse.

Johnson had his Admiral call the head of Texas Global Shipping for advice. After an hour's discussion, the decision was clear, put a torpedo in the port side and maybe the starboard side to blow up the remaining tanks and sink the ship, until this was done the straight couldn't reopen, but even then it would have natural gas burning and stopping trade for at least 3 days and possibly a week.

President Johnson had Admiral Jefferson send in the cyclone class patrol boat BMS Nile River to the area and fire torpedoes from a safe distance. The ship got out there in 25 minutes and fired a pair of torpedoes into the port side rupturing and exploding the aft port tank and damaging the aft starboard tank, which exploded 15 minutes later, the big ship began to sink taking the bodies down with her. 77 brave men had died today, the reason for the disaster was yet unknown. It would be investigated later, but now the CNN cameras focused on the sinking 135,000 ton hulk of a ship. It was white from the fires that consumed her. The fires would continue to burn indefinitely with no solution known.

bump please, some one take responsibility or try and run the closures and hit a mine or something.

tag

It was quickly determined that the eastbound lanes of shipping should be safe, but the fleet of British Morocco would test them. The flagship, a Ticonderoga class CG was the BMS Superior, Admiral Jefferson was aboard his flag ship and grumbling that any Admiral should have a mere guided missle cruiser as his flag.

The Ship's CO was Captain Jack Clagett. He had his helmsman take a course south of the normal lane, but he had to make a turn to port to avoid some rough sea swells from the tide. They went North of the normal Eastbound ship lanes and unfortunately, they put their port bow into a 1 ton PLT 3 mine. It was 85 feet from the bow and the thin quarter inch hull wouldn't do anything to stop this explosion. It riped through the bow and the gun magazine for te 5 in gun. The shells exploded sending hot shrapnel aft into the VLS magazines where the TLAM, TASM, SMs, and Harpoon missiles exploded cutting off 150 feet of the bow and blowing up the the forward superstructure. The superstructure and hull burned as the bow sank to the bottom of the sea.

The aft section that remained including the superstructure was burning, the bridge, radio room, CIC, and officer quarters along in the after part were burning or completely destroyed as CIC and the bridge were. The Admial, who was CinC of the BM fleet was killed along with the best CO in the small BM Navy. only 48 of the 350 crew would make it off the ship, but the VLS explosion ended up setting off the fumes of natural gas causing a massive explosion like those earlier that day. The 48 who made it off the ship were quickly consumed in fire.

The loss angered President Johnson who lost a good friend in the Admiral, his navy was discraced with the loss of the flagship and their good leaders. The straight would now be closed for at least a week as a theory emerging was that the sunken LNG tanker's aft tanks didn't completly burn before sinking and that some of it was below the surface and would come up in bubbles at times and blow up ships on the surface if the fumes ignited. No one knew of or suspected a minefield.

Shipping may even be closed for a month thought Johnson. "I'm only a month into my job in a new nation and my name will be synonomous with disaster and disgraced in the world," he thought.

His navy was now without a leader and a flagship

OOC: come on, any terrorist groups want to take responsibility? I put a lot of time into this :(

bump in honor of my wasted time :( :(

OOC: I'll make a post in a minute, I need to read all this stuff.... (I suppose I *can* play a terrorist, but as you can see from my post count, I don't have much [any] RP experience on these boards, so it's your choice :) )

OOC: I'll make a post in a minute, I need to read all this stuff.... (I suppose I *can* play a terrorist, but as you can see from my post count, I don't have much [any] RP experience on these boards, so it's your choice :) )
I guess someone has to do it *shrugs*. Give it a go and if lets see how it goes, you can go public and freak out the world. I pretty much set most of it up so you shouldn't have much problems with RP here

bump

OOC: Damn, can't log in as puppet nation.... oh well, I'd rather someone else be the terrorist organization anyway. Mind if I just RP some nutcase captain who tries to run through the strait or somesuch?

OOC: Damn, can't log in as puppet nation.... oh well, I'd rather someone else be the terrorist organization anyway. Mind if I just RP some nutcase captain who tries to run through the strait or somesuch?
sounds OK, make it a VLCC (very large crude carreir) or something to crash the markets and drive up oil prices

#tag#

For hours the strait lay dead. Scores of news helicopters hovered above a handful of PT boats blockading off the area like vultures. The shipping lanes laid ominously silent for hours, but a large grey shape slowly grew on the horizon...

Ronald Flynn leaned against the ship's railing, his grey hair blowing gently in the breeze. He was a balding man in his late fifties, with a round ruddy face and slightly drooping light brown eyes.
He was the captain of the Argon, a 480,000 ton crude oil tanker filled to the brim.

"Twenty-five knots and holding, sir," a voice shouted across the deck to Flynn. "Are you sure this is a good idea? There's bound to be some type of blockade by that strait."
"For God's sakes, we're one of the largest oil tankers on this route. How do you think they propose to stop us? Shoot holes in the hull? The media would love that, I'm sure.
"What about those mines they've been saying may be all over the strait?" The head from where the voice originated popped up from one of the stairwells. "We hit a mine, and we're all dead."
"Remember, Edwards, we've got a job to do. If we don't get this shipment in time, the Saudis will KILL us."

The ship lumbered toward the strait. A black helicopter with white lettering that read POLICE in bold letters approached the tanker.

A megaphone boomed from the airborne vehicle.
"Attention, crew of unknown tanker vessel. You are obligated to change course IMMEDIATELY. The strait is not safe. I repeat, change your course now or you will die."
Yet the ship held it's course. Several PT boats began to trail the Argon.
Flynn frowned at the nearby vessels and walked towards the engine room.
"Stop for no one. We cannot turn back! Just think of all the money we will make, my friends!"
Several crew members stopped in their work to stare at the apparently deranged captain. A dangerous glint appeared in his aging eyes as he reached into his jacket.
He removed a Colt .45 from his pocket.
"Damn you, move this ship as fast as it goes or I will shoot you my self! Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?" The enraged sailor traipsed back to the deck.

The ship continued it's doomed route through the strait. Half a dozen police craft were trailing it now, blaring warnings and threats through a megaphone.
The clanging sound of metal on metal rang out throughout the lower decks. The mine blew a hole straight through both hulls, igniting the crude oil within.
Instantly, the crew of the Argon was incinerated, as well followed by all of the ships in the immediate area.

The smouldering debris sunk into the deep...

The President was sitting and thinking in his office when the news of the Argon's destructio came. He thought that the explosion of his Navy's flagship was the result of the mysterious loss of the LGN carrier, but what had blown that up, and the natual gas had not blown up a VLCC so there was something out there in the straight causing ships to blow up, he had to go public to the world for aid.

OFFICIAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JOHNSON (ON TV

Hello, I'm President Johnson and I am the President of Britsh Morocco. Most of you are aware of the grave situation in the Straights of Gibraltar. 1st with the Liquid natural gas carrier SS Global Bronco, our Navy's flagship, the cruiser BMS Superior, and the Very-Large Crude Carrier SS Argon. The reason of their loss is unknown to us, but it is clear that these aren't random coincidences.

Someone has declared war on the world of shipping, trade, our economies, and way of life. We are yet unsure to what caused these disasters that have killed hundreds so far. It may be a submarine, mine field, sabotage, or anything.

We are calling on the world to help our small navy. We lost about 20% of our strength in the attacks and can't fight the evil perpetrators behind this, but before we hunt them, we must stop the problem. That means we find the submarine or minefield and clear it.

We are calling on all Naval superpowers to come and help patrol the Gibraltar region for the sake of the world economies. We will allow any nation in favor of helping trade continue the ability to establish a small naval base to support your forces in the area.

This is no small task for me and in fact it is insulting myself and my nation to need help, but we and the world are desperate. We don't have minesweepers so if there is a minefield we can't clear it, and we don't have submarines so our small surface fleet is in danger if there is a submarine to sink.

I am begging for the sake of the free seas for aid to come.

Somewhere off the French coast, approximately 60 feet below the ocean...

Captain Jonathan Pegham, CO of the DLS Lobo, a Wolf Class Fast Attack Sub, had just crawled into his bunk when news of President Johnson's speech came over the communications link. Pegham was awakened by his XO, Commander James Smitherson, to authenticate the orders which accompanied the news of Johnson's plea for help.
As Pegham read and verified the orders, he saw that his task would be difficult and would test his crew's capabilities. The President of Leroyovich had ordered that the Lobo escort and assist the minesweepers DLS Strike and Boom. This would require the Lobo to single-handedly protect these two ships in hostile waters where there is little distinction between terrorists and friendlies.
"Commander, make the new heading 285 and dive to 400 feet," the Captain said as he stepped onto the Bridge.
"Aye, sir. New heading 285. Diving to 400 feet. I have 5 degrees down on the dive planes."
"Sonar! Fire Control!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Sir?"
"Identify all possible hostiles and stand by to prepare firing solutions."
"Aye, sir."
At this time, Pegham stepped into the communications center to contact Strike and Boom, as well as request further instruction on Rules of Engagement from CinCAtlFlt.



Meanwhile in Leroyovich's National Military Command Center...

Orders are being sent to the ships DLS Strike and Boom to cease their exercises off the British Coast and proceed to the roundezvous point where the Lobo would meet them and then lead the way to the Strait to begin the clearing mission.

Somewhere off the French coast, approximately 60 feet below the ocean...

Captain Jonathan Pegham, CO of the DLS Lobo, a Wolf Class Fast Attack Sub, had just crawled into his bunk when news of President Johnson's speech came over the communications link. Pegham was awakened by his XO, Commander James Smitherson, to authenticate the orders which accompanied the news of Johnson's plea for help.
As Pegham read and verified the orders, he saw that his task would be difficult and would test his crew's capabilities. The President of Leroyovich had ordered that the Lobo escort and assist the minesweepers DLS Strike and Boom. This would require the Lobo to single-handedly protect these two ships in hostile waters where there is little distinction between terrorists and friendlies.
"Commander, make the new heading 285 and dive to 400 feet," the Captain said as he stepped onto the Bridge.
"Aye, sir. New heading 285. Diving to 400 feet. I have 5 degrees down on the dive planes."
"Sonar! Fire Control!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Sir?"
"Identify all possible hostiles and stand by to prepare firing solutions."
"Aye, sir."
At this time, Pegham stepped into the communications center to contact Strike and Boom, as well as request further instruction on Rules of Engagement from CinCAtlFlt.



Meanwhile in Leroyovich's National Military Command Center...

Orders are being sent to the ships DLS Strike and Boom to cease their exercises off the British Coast and proceed to the roundezvous point where the Lobo would meet them and then lead the way to the Strait to begin the clearing mission.


OOC: you should probably announce this to our government so we don't mistake it for a submarine that may be behind this

bump

The Tokarev Navy is sending ships to the Strait to help clear up the mess. Three Mikasa-class armored cruisers will escort eight T-AKR sealift ships.

sealift ships (http://www.njscuba.net/reefs/img/uss_algol_1b.jpg )

Also being sent are three dredge barges.

Dredge barges (http://www.ufs.ph/tinig/janfeb01/dredge.jpg)

bump

bump

bump

not bad for an august 2004 newbie.

not bad for an august 2004 newbie.
thanks.

The Dominion of Leroyovich offers the use of the DLS Lobo, a Wolf Class Fast Attack Submarine, and two Minesweeper Ships, the DLS Strike and Boom, to assist in securing and clearing the Strait of mines. If needed, Leroyovich can also provide air support from the Fifth Atlantic Fleet, currently en route to the Western Coast of Spain, to secure the site and prevent further disaster from overzealous merchant captains.

OOC: Thanks for the reminder...Knew I'd forget something in my first post.

OOC: Has anyone claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. If not, I could have sponsored the evil terrorists.

The Dominion of Leroyovich offers the use of the DLS Lobo, a Wolf Class Fast Attack Submarine, and two Minesweeper Ships, the DLS Strike and Boom, to assist in securing and clearing the Strait of mines. If needed, Leroyovich can also provide air support from the Fifth Atlantic Fleet, currently en route to the Western Coast of Spain, to secure the site and prevent further disaster from overzealous merchant captains.
thank you for the offer, we accept this great gift to the world trade.

OOC: Has anyone claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. If not, I could have sponsored the evil terrorists.
OOC: no one took it yet, you can if you want.

The minesweepers DLS Strike and Boom had just made contact with the Lobo at the rendezvous point 100 miles west of the Strait of Gibraltar when Captain Pegham received orders from the NMCC to establish communications with the BM and Tokarev Naval Groups for authorization to proceed with the clean-up/security operation…

“Commander, bring us to periscope depth and relay our orders to Strike and Boom.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Communications.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Raise the mast and contact the BM and Tokarev Naval Groups responding to the Gibraltar Incident. Let them know who and where we are along with our intentions. Inform them that we are the DLN Incident Response Group Leader.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Captain, Sonar!”
“Yeah, Chief.”
“Sir, there’s a lot of surface noise from the idling merchant ships. If there’s a hostile out there, it’s going be tough to find.”
“I know Chief, but I have faith in you and your men. Just keep them alert. Use a short shift schedule if need be.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Chief.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“We don’t want to be mistaken by the BM and Toke Groups as a hostile, so go active on the sonar when we get within 50 miles of the Strait. We’re keeping in touch with them about our locale, but I don’t want to take any chances in this cluttered environment. That should help with your tracking problem as well.”
“Well, Sir, that’ll make us an easy target for any hostiles…”
“Our radio emissions will give them a pretty good idea on their own. Going active should let your men see the hostile before it gets close enough to go after us. It should also aid in finding any mines if they’re out here.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Commander, hold your course to the Strait and keep in contact with the other Navies. Wake me when we reach 40 miles out. You have the bridge.”
“Aye, Sir.”
Pegham moved to his quarters to get some sleep before the operation began and his days would grow even longer than they already were. As he crawled into his bunk, his last thoughts were of the situation that his ship was moving into and his duties to his nation, his crew, and the world.

The LNG carrier actually steamed well by the 1st few mines in the Westbound lanes as she headed for Houston

The President of Dhabi would like to know if this is the same Houston that is our capital?

The President of Dhabi would like to know if this is the same Houston that is our capital?
If your capital is Houston, Texas (home of the Astros and Texans), then yes