The Madagascar Tribune
Prime Minister launches re-election campaign from deck of battleship
Maroantsetra - Today at the commissioning ceremony of the new battleship HMMS Hefina, Prime Minister Randriana officially kicked off the re-election bid for his Social Democrats. With the new warship's massive guns as a backdrop, the Prime Minister delivered a speech praising the Navy, and calling the decision to cut funds to naval spending to focus on welfare an "agonizing, but regrettably necessary choice", but stated that "I have never forgotten about the Navy, as evidenced by the existence of this magnificent ship, which was authorized and completed during my tenure". He went on to state that with things improving on the domestic front thanks to his party's reforms, it was now feasible to turn attention back to the Navy, promising to initiate a new building program in 1926, which would include designs of capital ships even more powerful, intended to compete with the latest designs in the world. He emphasized his belief in the peaceful role of a strong Navy in deterring conflict, and added that understanding between nations could also further that goal, something he hoped the planned Mobile Fleet Cruise would help accomplish. The move to kick off the campaign with promise for additional naval spending is intended to head off expected criticism from the Liberals that the SD government's neglect of the Navy has been to the detriment of national security. The Social Democrats are still expected to win the year-end election, though with somewhat reduced support.
Mobile Fleet Cruise begins
Antsiranana - This morning the 54 warships comprising the Mobile Fleet departed the Diego Suarez base on their planned cruise of the island territories and ports in neighboring nations. The fleet is divided into five squadrons to cover as much ground as possible, with most destinations being visited by only one squadron each. The cruise is intended not only to reassure island residents of the Navy's ability to defend them, but to boost Madagascar's prestige among neighboring nations, with visits planned at numerous ports up the African coast, including most notably the newly created Free State of Kenya. The visit to a communist nation has generated controversy in some quarters, though some also believe that the visit has a dual purpose as a both a gesture of goodwill and a warning against aggression, as Mombasa will be the only foreign port where the entire fleet will gather. The Navy released the following itinerary of the Fleet's planned route
Schedule
The cruise is widely being nicknamed the "Great White Fleet" after the American battlefleet that sailed around the world a generation ago for similar purposes, in large part because the ships participating in this cruise are also painted white for the purpose of the mission.
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Diego Suarez Naval Base, early November 1925 [somewhat unreal time]
It was a clear Spring morning over Deigo Suarez Bay, a magnificent natural harbour on the northern tip of Madagascar that served as the country's main naval base; as such, the vast harbour was a hub of activity with several bases around the bay, including the main naval facility on the north side of the bay which hosted the battlefleet, another base near the city of Antsiranana on the south shore, and a vast naval airfield on the Andrakaka peninsula in the middle of the bay, which was capable of hosting over a hundred aircraft including the Navy's reconnaissance zeppelins. Less visible were the numerous fortifications and coastal artillery surrounding the vast bay, which were said to be able to hold off an entire battlefleet. These emplacements were well camouflaged in the hills surrounding the bay, making it unlikely they would be spotted by an enemy fleet before they opened fire. Even if a fleet succeeded in neutralizing the heavy guns, any troops they sent ashore would have to brave heavily fortified beaches, all of which had numerous off-shore obstacles intended to ensnare landing craft before they reached the beach, and were overlooked by numerous pillboxes and bunkers whose occupants could slaughter all but the largest troop landings with ease. There was also a fortified line across the north tip of the island, several miles south of the bay, built for the event of a successful landing further south. The purpose of these numerous emplacements was all the same: keep the Navy safe at anchor so it could remain an effective "fleet in being".
As the sun rose high enough to illuminate the bay over the eastern hills, the comparatively tiny forms of over fifty ships converging from both north and south toward the bay's entrance were visible: Their freshly-painted white hulls reflected the orange-red hue of the morning sun perfectly, creating brilliant reflections on the calm waters and making them stand out easily from the even more numerous dark gray warships still in repose at their moorings. The spectale had attracted numerous observers on the shore, whom had arisen early just to witness this event.
Most visible among the flock of ships was the five large battlecruisers, which proceeded line astern in their usual squadron formation at a sedate ten knots: A properly placed observer with binoculars or telescope could easily make out the details and spot a common lineage in these five goliaths: all shared a few common features, including a low quarterdeck and a main battery of eight guns in four turrets, yet in other ways were rather different. At the rear was the unique
Sahisahy, Madagascar's first and oldest battlecruiser: Built in Britain, she bore a strong resemblance to that country's HMS
Tiger. The philosophy of her design seemed more German than British however, sacrificing firepower (she was armed with 12 inch guns where the British used 13.5 inch) for armor so she could stand in the battleline, an idea carried on in her descendants that sailed ahead of her. Despite being the smallest of the quintet, she was also the slowest, over a knot behind the newest and largest ships battlecruisers at the van, despite her engine upgrades. She also
looked the oldest, being the only ship in the quintet with a ram bow and more that two stacks. Next up were the newer and bigger twins
Haromotana and
Laza, both armed with 13.8 inch guns and weighing in at almost 34,000 tons. These two middle children, the first of their breed built in Madagascar, not only continued the German design philosophy, but they almost
looked German, with their slightly upturned vertical-edged bows: until one noticed the clearly British inspired turrets and superstructure. Finally, at the fore of the line were newest, biggest, and arguably best looking of the quintet, the
Voninahitra and
Valifaty. They had a graceful main deck gently curving upward toward the fore, running from the break with the low quarterdeck all the to their graceful clipper bows, which unlike the other ships did not have a "notch" cut out of the sides to fit the casemates for the secondary guns. Other subtle hints gave away their modernity, from their flat-roofed turrets to their aircraft hangar and catapult amidships.
Flanking them were the two squadrons of smaller cruisers. One column comprised six light cruisers, which were all a somewhat odd looking bunch; with a sleek, modern looking hull mated with a somewhat quint looking superstructure, with four of their guns in two turrets at either end, and the rest in casemates at the corners of the superstructure, similar to the American Omaha class; they came in two varieties, they two 10,000 tonner lead ships had eight 20 cm guns, the rest were 7,000 tons with twelve 14 cm guns. On the other side were the eight smaller scout cruisers. Built to be faster and cheaper than a light cruiser while still far more powerful than a destroyer, they had six 14 cm guns along the centerline, almost resembling a cross between a proper cruiser and a destroyer.
Finally were the destroyers; Far smaller than all the other warships, they comprised the majority of the fleets' number. Some of them came up from the southern base near the city, creating a chaotic sight as they merged with their northern comrades. Taken together, the destroyers were a rather varied collection indeed, weighing in between 1000 and 1700 tons, and armed with either 10 or 12 cm deck guns. Even among the five classes of these ships there were detail differences in such things as the depth charge outfit, the AA guns, the bridge...some ships even had one of their main guns replaced by a single stubby ASW howitzer. All the fifty-plus warships stayed in columns as they passed through the mile-wide channel linking the harbor to the Indian Ocean. After they were out to sea, the neat columns began to disintegrate and mingle as the fleet reorganized for the cruise. When the transformation was complete, the fleet had coalesced into five separate squadrons each centered around a battlecruiser, plus two or three smaller cruisers and seven destroyers. Silhoetted against the rising sun, these new squadrons then headed in different directions over the horizon as they each proceeded to their first assigned destinations in Madagascar's island territories: The Great White Cruise had begun.
[insert appropriate italian expletive of your choice] by your behaviour – we place orders for 48 of your miracle planes, and after three months, you tell us you can’t get them working because you can’t manufacture essential parts resilient enough!”
