Battle of the Tasman Sea

From Anarchopedia

Lasting from March 21st to March 25th, 2027, the Battle of the Tasman Sea was the first organized Harmony response to the Resistance Australia Campaign. The Resistance fleet attempted to stop the Harmony forces that had been massing in Papua New Guinea from reaching their destinations in Victoria and New Zealand. Finally, this battle is credited with wrecking much of the Great Barrier Reef, as at least three ships, their weapons payloads, and their petroleum-based fuels were sunk near the reef. Typical of many Harmony Battles, the name is slightly a misnomer, as much of the fighting occurred in The Coral Sea. To avoid confusion with the WWII battle of the same name, the engagement was refered to as "The Battle of the Tasman Sea."

Setup

Following the Resistance Seizure of Australasia, Harmony forces were quick to surround "Fortress Australia," by which they meant occupy Papua New Guinea and not much more. With large numbers of Harmony Troops pinned down in Papua New Guinea, with the Resistance Fleet preventing any progress out of the Gulf of Papua and across the Torres Strait into Queensland. A new Stratagem was devised, which would mobilize the Harmony Ships stationed on the American West Coast and in Hawai'i, hopefully trapping the Resistance Fleet in the Gulf of Papua, where it could be easily destroyed by coastal artillery, and leaving New Zealand and South Australia. largely undefended.

The Fleets

A Resistance Carrier, LaFayette Frigate, and Cruiser in the Coral Sea, sometime in Mid March, 2027

The Resistance fleet had grown by leaps and bounds since the Battle of Block Island Sound and now had some 26 Capital ships availible to fight in the Tasman Sea.

• 5 Aircraft Carriers*
• 3 LaFayette Class Frigates
• 4 Adelaide Class Frigates
• 1 Anzac Class Frigate
• 5 Aegis Capable Missile Cruisers
• 2 Burke class Destroyers
• 2 Collins II Submarines
• 2 Trafalgar Class Submarine
• 1 SeaWolf Submarine
• 2 Vanguard Class Submarines
• 2 Typhoon Class Submarines

• Four of the carriers were actually former US Navy Wasp Class Amphibious Assault ships, which would be considered carriers by almost any other Naval Fleet, capable of carrying a squadron of Hydras and numerous Helicopters.

The Harmony fleet was all the Harmony Ships avalible in the Pacific Ocean at that time.

• 4 Nimitz Class Carriers
• 1 Kiev Class Carrier
• 6 Ticonderoga Cruisers
• 8 Burke Destroyers
• 2 Luhu Destroyers
• 12 Perry Class Frigates
• 2 Halifax Class Frigates
• 7 Los Angeles Class Submarines
• 1 Shang Class Submarine

The Objectives

Harmony

1. The Destruction of the Resistance Fleet's Blue Water Fighting Capability
2. Destruction of the Resistance's ability to fight in Australia's Littoral Zones.
3. Softening of the Costal Defences of Queensland and Northern Territory, in order to prepare troop landings.

Resistance

1. Destruction of Harmony Forces positions in the South Pacific.
2. Delay Harmony Advances from New Guinea into Australia.
3. Destruction of all Harmony Carriers and Aircraft.

March 21

Shortly after midnight, a Resistance radio station in the Solomon Islands reports that it is under air attack. The transmission lasts seven seconds before it dissappears. In the half hour following, two radar stations in Vanatu report odd radar "ghosts" shortly before vanishing from the airwaves. The Large Resistance Radar Array in New Caledonia determines every Resistance Sailors fear has come true: The large Harmony Fleet that had been Massing in the Phillippine Sea was on the move South, on a course past the Solomon Islands, Vanatu, New Caledonia, and into the Coral and Tasman seas. Analysts formerly of the Inquisitor Detective Regiment conclude that the Radar "ghosts" are consistent with those of F-35 Lightning jets, and authorize the powering up of the latest generation radar and the arming of the S-400 Triumf and S-500 Samoderzhets SAM sites. These sites had been carefully hidden, deployed under excellent camoflage and Sattelite Image Scattering Screens, or inside the hangar decks of certain Resistance Ships. More importantly, both the S-400 and S-500 were capable of engaging stealth aircraft. By dawn, the Radar Array, the S-400 site and the Resistance Airfield and its 3 Hydras in New Caledonia have been destroyed, but at a cost of Harmony 9 F-35s and 5 pilots. As the Harmony fleet and carriers moved south, much of the Resistance fleet was moving Northwest to intercept. However, only the Major Carrier was moving northwest with it. Resistance Command had decided not to risk the majority of its Carriers and Hydra aircraft as it had plenty of Land based Australian F-35s and Hydras on air bases in Australia and on Islands scattered throughout the Tasman Sea to counter the air threat of the approaching Harmony fleet. As dusk fell, scatterred dogfights broke out in the expanse of ocean between the fleets; Harmony and Resistance Commanders simply waited for their ships to close to effective missile range.

March 22

The first ship to ship action of the battle begins shortly after midnight when six Resistance Fast Attack Craft operating from a secret base on Taratupa attack the rear of the Harmony Fleet, sinking one Ticonderoga Cruiser and damaging one of the Arleigh Burke destroyers sent in persuit. Five of the craft are sunk, presumably with all hands, and Harmony Aircraft locate and destroy the secret base shortly after dawn. The sixth vessel, FAC-73 is not located until well after the conclusion of the war, beached in Thailand, where the crew had been running a bar for several months. At approximately 0730, the advance elements of both fleets reach striking range of one another, missile and countermissile streak across the Coral Sea between the two fleets, and nearly immediately, both fleets encounter unexpected problems.

March 23

March 24

March 25

Outcome

Both fleets had suffered catastrophic losses, and little had changed. The Tasman and Coral Seas were still in Resistance Possesion. On the Harmony side, only one carrier was still capable of maintaining flight operations, but almost all of its jets had been lost, and 80% of its pilots were KIA or MIA. The Surviving ships could not contend with the remaining Resistance fleet nor land-based aircraft and limped northward towards safe ports in Taiwan, the Phillipines and Canton. The Resistance had lost its largest Aircraft Carrier, one of is Amphibious Assault Carriers all of its destroyers, most of its frigates and cruisers, and three of its submarines.

The Invasions of Queensland and New Zealand was postponed, and Harmony Forces began to look at Antartica launched Penguin landings into Gulf Saint Vincent and Perth. Unfortunately for both fleets, the Malacca Straits and The Sea of Timor would send many more ships and sailors to Davy Jones.