Post by Capt. Mackenzie Wagner, RN on Jun 11, 2017 1:14:49 GMT -5
....from the pre-assault briefing.....
(Cpl. Blackthorn) ......Commander Wagner, you and your teams will hit first is Molokai. Your objective is the Airport in Maunaloa. Once it is cleared out, you will then go to the island Lanai which the airport there is just outside of Lanai City......
....aboard HMS Liverpool, off the southern coast of Molokai...
Standing on the bridge of HMS Liverpool, dressed in full Actions Stations gear - helmet with her name and the ship's blazon visible, fire-resistant overalls on top of her No.4 working uniform, fire-resistant gloves and overboots - Commander Wagner kept a steady eye on things as the Type 42 destroyer maneuvered its' way into position on the western edge of the Kalohi Channel which separated Molokai from Lanai Island. "Skipper, we're in the lane," called out the navigator from his position in front and to the left of her.
"Turn into the wind and hold station," Wagner said, picking up the mast handset and dialing in the flight deck. "Flight Deck, launch the away birds."
"Aye, Captain, launching the birds," came the reply from Warrant Officer Ingle, the ship's Flight Deck Director; within moments, the first of the ship's two Westland Lynxs', each one carrying a section of Royal Marines. The two Lynxes would survey the ashore landing site, a road junction where Main Coral and Kaupoa Roads intersected in an right-leaning triangle, then drop their personnel and cargo (light machine guns, a heavy machine gun, two 81mm mortars and a Javelin AT rocket) at the road junction. Once secured, the second pair of helicopters aboard Liverpool - a pair of SH-60 Seahawks from the US Navy - would lift off carrying personnel of 8 Rifles, who would secure the nearby Hawaii National Guard armory; using it as a base of operations, the combined force would move north to Maunaloa, secure the airport and begin securing the area for resupply and reinforcement from Oahu....at least, that's the current plan, Wagner mused, thinking about the plans over and over again in her mind as she listened to the radio traffic between Liverpool and the Lynxs', coded Lynx 01 and Lynx 02.
Once she was certain the Lynxs' were on course, Wagner barked out her next set of orders. "Helm, turn us to course 005, make for one-quarter speed. Weps, spin up the Mark 8 and prepare to fire if necessary." The Mark 8, a 4.5-inch naval gun, was the ship's major naval gunfire support weapon (the other being the dual-paired 20mm cannons located just aft of the superstructure) and, until flight deck operations were secured, its' only naval gunfire support system. "Liverpool, this is Lynx 01. Feet dry, feet dry," came the crisp, cool words from Lt. Curtis onboard Lynx 01, signifying that the two Lynxs' had crossed the Molokai coastline and were over dry land.
"Copy 01, understand your Feet Dry; proceed to landing site," Wagner said over the radio, setting the handset down and staring down at the maps scattered across the bridge mast and thinking, Well, we're committed now...God save the Queen.
(Cpl. Blackthorn) ......Commander Wagner, you and your teams will hit first is Molokai. Your objective is the Airport in Maunaloa. Once it is cleared out, you will then go to the island Lanai which the airport there is just outside of Lanai City......
....aboard HMS Liverpool, off the southern coast of Molokai...
Standing on the bridge of HMS Liverpool, dressed in full Actions Stations gear - helmet with her name and the ship's blazon visible, fire-resistant overalls on top of her No.4 working uniform, fire-resistant gloves and overboots - Commander Wagner kept a steady eye on things as the Type 42 destroyer maneuvered its' way into position on the western edge of the Kalohi Channel which separated Molokai from Lanai Island. "Skipper, we're in the lane," called out the navigator from his position in front and to the left of her.
"Turn into the wind and hold station," Wagner said, picking up the mast handset and dialing in the flight deck. "Flight Deck, launch the away birds."
"Aye, Captain, launching the birds," came the reply from Warrant Officer Ingle, the ship's Flight Deck Director; within moments, the first of the ship's two Westland Lynxs', each one carrying a section of Royal Marines. The two Lynxes would survey the ashore landing site, a road junction where Main Coral and Kaupoa Roads intersected in an right-leaning triangle, then drop their personnel and cargo (light machine guns, a heavy machine gun, two 81mm mortars and a Javelin AT rocket) at the road junction. Once secured, the second pair of helicopters aboard Liverpool - a pair of SH-60 Seahawks from the US Navy - would lift off carrying personnel of 8 Rifles, who would secure the nearby Hawaii National Guard armory; using it as a base of operations, the combined force would move north to Maunaloa, secure the airport and begin securing the area for resupply and reinforcement from Oahu....at least, that's the current plan, Wagner mused, thinking about the plans over and over again in her mind as she listened to the radio traffic between Liverpool and the Lynxs', coded Lynx 01 and Lynx 02.
Once she was certain the Lynxs' were on course, Wagner barked out her next set of orders. "Helm, turn us to course 005, make for one-quarter speed. Weps, spin up the Mark 8 and prepare to fire if necessary." The Mark 8, a 4.5-inch naval gun, was the ship's major naval gunfire support weapon (the other being the dual-paired 20mm cannons located just aft of the superstructure) and, until flight deck operations were secured, its' only naval gunfire support system. "Liverpool, this is Lynx 01. Feet dry, feet dry," came the crisp, cool words from Lt. Curtis onboard Lynx 01, signifying that the two Lynxs' had crossed the Molokai coastline and were over dry land.
"Copy 01, understand your Feet Dry; proceed to landing site," Wagner said over the radio, setting the handset down and staring down at the maps scattered across the bridge mast and thinking, Well, we're committed now...God save the Queen.