Dark Seas (2025)

16/04/2024

The Destroyer Used as a Shield to Prevent a Colossal Defeat

On December 10, 1942, mere days after Pearl Harbor, the Pacific had quickly become the newest battleground of World War 2, where the Allies faced a new enemy: The Empire of Japan.

That day, Force Z, a British naval squadron in the South China Sea, aimed to deter Japanese expansion in the Far East. The group had a key player in their mix: HMS Electra. This E-class destroyer, led by Lieutenant Commander Cecil Wakeford May, quickly gained a reputation from Norway to Russia to the Pacific islands. Her lucky streak as a successful convoy es**rt earned her the nickname “Lucky ‘lectra.”

Without air cover despite their superior’s pleas, the Z group provided es**rt and anti-submarine defense. The Allies underestimated Japan's military capabilities at the time, assuming their longest-range torpedoes were ineffective.

Their mistake was quickly made evident when nearly 100 land-based and torpedo bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy surrounded the entire Z Force.

The stage was set for Lucky ‘Lectra to prove it still deserved that name…

09/02/2024

The Mysterious Threat the US Navy Never Expected to Face

USS Roper was closing in fast after U-85. The crew of the German Submarine surfaced to disappear at top speed, desperate to survive the night of April 13, 1942

Little did the submariners know that USS Roper had radar to track them down no matter where they went. Developed during World War 1, Roper had been updated; the old but reliable US Navy Wickes-class destroyer would not relent.

As U-85 broke the waves in the pitch-black darkness, its captain felt relieved, thinking they’d make it out of the North Carolina coast. Suddenly, Roper’s searchlights caught onto them.

The submariners rushed to the deck gun, risking their lives as the submarine prepared to crash-dive before a lethal salvo sank it.

The time had come for one last stand between an old destroyer and a modern Kriegsmarine submarine.

29/01/2024

The Most Haunted Japanese Ship from WW2

In the stillness of the Sunda Strait on February 28, 1942, the Japanese cruiser Mogami stood guard over a fleet of fifty transports at Bantam Bay, where a deceptive calm hung over the waters.

Suddenly, USS Houston and HMAS Perth, navigating through the darkness, unknowingly veered towards the Japanese fleet. Their unexpected arrival shattered the calm as they stumbled upon the transports. The Allied ships quickly unleashed a fierce onslaught, lighting up the night with the thunder of artillery.

The Japanese transports wailed the alarm, summoning reinforcements. Mogami and her sister ship, Mikuma, hurtled into the heart of the maelstrom, accompanied by a fleet of warships.

Mogami launched a deadly salvo of six torpedoes and scored five hits, each taking a ship to depths. But, not all of them bore Allied colors.

General Hitoshi Imamura had been on board the transport Ryujo Maru when it was hit and had spent 20 minutes in the water waiting to be rescued. As Commander Shukichi Toshikawa from Mogami approached Imamura's chief of staff to explain and make amends for the friendly fire incident, the Aide’s response was: (QUOTE) "Don't tell General Imamura. He thinks the American cruiser Houston did it. Let her have the credit."

Mogami had survived the night, but its luck would only get worse…

27/01/2024

The USS Warship Resurrected to Settle a Score

Sunlight painted a serene picture across the Pacific’s waters as sailors exchanged stories and laughs over morning ci******es. The tranquil scene was disrupted by a distant, growing hum — the unmistakable drone of approaching aircraft.

Pearl Harbor’s sailors could not have imagined the horror they were about to experience when their calm morning was abruptly torn apart. Metallic shrieks and the roar of exploding bombs thundered all around them.
The imposing USS West Virginia quickly found herself in the crosshairs, assailed by a barrage of bombs and torpedoes that ripped through her sturdy decks.

Ash-covered sailors fought bravely against the flames’ relentless advance. Water roared in through torn steel while desperate hands tried stemming the flood, their fingers raw and bloodied.

The pungent tang of burning salt water, oil, and seared flesh created a dreadful experience that would haunt the battleship’s survivors for the rest of their lives. Gunners fired skyward at the swarm of Japanese warplanes even as the West Virginia groaned and shuddered.

But, in the end, even her valiant resistance wasn’t enough. The once-proud West Virginia succumbed, settling mournfully into the harbor’s shallow embrace. But like the American spirit, the colossal warship would rise again. Before the war was over, it would bring vengeance to those who had sunk her…

24/01/2024

The Greatest Sea Weapon in the World

USS North Carolina, the lead ship of her class, emerged from the horizon, slicing through the waves with determination. Her nine 16-inch guns thundered, hurling 2,700-pound shells toward the distant enemy.
The Imperial Japanese Navy fleet approached without hesitation, her for the dominion of the Pacific. With her engines throbbing, North Carolina charged guns blazing to open a gap in the enemy lines.

North Carolina’s objective was easier said than done: protect the US Navy’s aircraft carriers at all costs. As both task forces clashed, her mission turned more difficult.

Japanese aircraft swarmed the US vessels, ready to strike them down with either conventional bombs or devastating kamikaze attacks. Still, North Carolina, in her protector role, did not flinch and opened fire with more than 40 guns from her secondary armament.

The sky soon turned into a deadly maze of anti-aircraft fire, smoke, and gunfire from American and Japanese fighters.

Despite the relentless Japanese waves, North Carolina's thick armor openly defied the enemy bombs and torpedoes, with her crew focused on safeguarding the task force from being scattered by the enemy.
USS North Carolina fired salvo after salvo until her barrels ran hot, fending off her attackers as the sun went down…

20/01/2024

How the US Sank the Most Rugged Warship of WW2

In early 1945, the skies roared as American aircraft set their sights on the very heart of the Japanese Navy at Kure: the battleship Haruna.

But, the base was not unguarded. Flying high and fierce, the Japanese fighter instructors took to the skies in their Kawanishi N1K-J "Shiden" or, as some whispered in awe, the "George" fighters.

Leading them was the mastermind behind the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, Minoru Genda. As the swift Japanese warbirds zoomed and danced, they proved superior in many ways to the revered American F6F Hellcat.

The Japanese fighters knocked several American adversaries from the heavens, shielding their homeland from the impending onslaught. Haruna, amidst this chaos, felt the sting of a single bomb on her starboard side. But, she stood resilient.

Yet, the U.S. Navy's Task Force 38, hungry for victory, planned the ultimate blow for that summer - a brutal series of aerial assaults to annihilate the last remnants of the once mighty Japanese Navy…

16/01/2024

The WW2 Ship that Took the Revenge the US Desperately Needed

Unleashed from Norfolk, Virginia in the wake of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet had one mission: race around the world to exact revenge on the Empire of Japan.

Her aircraft were instrumental in the Battle of Midway, a decisive conflict that shattered Japan's naval superiority and breathed new life into the Allied war effort.

USS Hornet was then tasked with another mission of utmost importance. She had to intercept and halt a Japanese task force before it could reach Guadalcanal, a move that could once again tip the balance of power in the Pacific. And so began the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

In the predawn hours of October 27, 1942, USS Hornet was at the heart of a furious Pacific storm. Little did she know that she would soon be facing the fire of her own es**rting destroyers…

12/01/2024

US Destroyer's Insane Payback Mission After Infamous Attack

In the port of Aden, Yemen, USS Cole was nearing the dock for what seemed like a routine refueling. Out of nowhere, a small boat laden with explosives made a beeline for the ship, tearing a 40-by-40-foot hole in its all-steel hull. Designed from the keel up with a focus on survivability, Cole's features were put to the ultimate test as the crew fought to keep their ship afloat.

The Guided Missile Destroyer USS Cole is one of the Arleigh-Burke class destroyers commissioned in 1991 to serve as the backbone of the U.S. fleet. After decades of service, many believed this pioneering guided-missile destroyer was gearing up for decommissioning as it neared its projected 35-year service cap by 2026.

However, far from retiring, the Arleigh-Burke class is slated for a new chapter of maritime dominance, extending its service life well into the next decade.

08/01/2024

The Huge Sinking Mistake that Changed the Entire War

Britain's Falklands operation hinged on one thing: HMS Hermes. Without it, Britain would be left with no base to wage war from.

Argentina had a simple, yet daunting strategy: take out the British carriers, and win the war. On Argentina's Independence Day, May 25th, two Super Etendards took to the skies. They carried their last three Exocets – lethal French missiles, designed to obliterate even the mightiest warships.

With raw speed and grit, these fighters blindsided the British Carrier Battle Group, launching their deadly cargo. Missiles struck, flames soared, and seawater rushed into the gaping hull.

But as the smoke settled, HMS Hermes stood unscathed. The Argentinians had obliterated British cargo ship SS Atlantic Conveyor instead. A grave blunder for Argentina; a severe blow for Britain. Major-General Moore dubbed it the "gravest loss of the war."

But rumors of a sinister twist emerged years later. Evidence hinted that HMS Hermes, known for numerous scandals, might have deliberately lured the missiles to the cargo ship, sacrificing her to save her own skin…

04/01/2024

The Most Punished WW2 American Ship That Refused to Sink

On March 19, 1945, the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, after enduring a fierce Japanese assault, was a smoldering wreck.

The ship’s captain, a fierce disciplinarian hated by many of his men, studied the damage done only miles away from the Japanese mainland.

Her flight deck, once bustling with aircraft, lay in ruins, consumed by fires and explosions. The hangar bays were now eerie chambers of charred ruins, and gaping holes marred her sides.

Amidst this devastation, the ship's survival seemed an impossible miracle.

With the large majority of her crewmembers gone, it was up to a small group of men to steer their beloved aircraft carrier home more than 12,000 miles under her own power.

From the Caroline Islands, then across the Pacific to Pearl Harbor, and then all the way to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, USS Franklin became the ship that wouldn’t sink.

02/01/2024

When N**i U-Boats Ambushed the American Coasts

On a cold January evening in 1942, a German U-boat surfaced in New York City's lower bay undetected. As her commander, Kapitänleutnant Reinhard Hardegen, stood on the bridge, the bright skyline of Manhattan lay before him.

To Hardegen's astonishment, though the U.S. had been at war for over a month, the East Coast sparkled undimmed from New York to Miami. It was as if America was untouched by the global conflict.

But this was about to change.

22/12/2023

The WW2 Doomed Ship Crushed by an Unexpected Foe

Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-19 took her time to approach her target, USS Wasp, one of the first and smallest aircraft carriers developed by the US Navy.

As Wasp recovered her aircraft and patrolled near Guadalcanal to thwart enemy reinforcements, I-19 advanced silently, remaining undetected.
USS Wasp, displacing over 19,000 tons due to the limits of the 1920s Washington Naval Treaty, was the first US carrier to be fitted with a deck-edge elevator for aircraft and radar. Still, she had to sacrifice these features for her armor, making the carrier extremely vulnerable to bombs and especially torpedoes.

The Japanese crew of I-19 were unaware of this but still proceeded with their mission. Once they were within range, the submarine launched four torpedoes in quick succession.

One of Wasp’s lookouts suddenly spotted them and shouted: (QUOTE) "Three torpedoes, three points forward of the starboard beam."
Wasp desperately put over her rudder hard to starboard to avoid the lethal salvo. The crew braced for impact.

Dark Seas