MV Bulolo, a former armed merchant cruiser now cruise ship, is on her last voyage in 1968 to Taiwan for her fate with the shipbreakers. However, fate itself has other plans for the formerly great Australian ship as she is sunk in a storm prior to he...
The drydocks were a hive of activity as Hornet (AL) and Thunderchild arrived with manjuus racing around to try and complete the conversion of Kasagi's ship from coal to oil and attempt to repair a vessel painted black with a white superstructure and yellow funnels. Its hull, superstructure and turret were wide for a warship of its size. Noteworthy was at the bow, it was longer below the waterline. While they were aware the dreadnoughts had similar, they didn't look like this.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(A/N: just imagine it damaged and in a drydock next to the now JDS Kasagi.)
Hornet (AL): So.... this your ram bow? Seems strange given the others don't have this.
Thunderchild: It was standard in my era on Royal Navy vessels. After an incident with the battleship HMS Victoria, the Admiralty felt ramming was still an effective weapon in combat so we were still built with them.
Hornet (AL): And the torpedo part?
Thunderchild: Two tubes below the waterline. They're currently folded.
Hornet (AL): Eh.... just like submarine.
Thunderchild: What's that?
Before Hornet (AL) could answer, a manjuu came up to her and went off to find someone. Thunderchild, completely confused with what she saw, just looked at the carrier with a blank expression on her face.
Hornet (AL): Shigure's (AL) ship got repaired. She'll be helping to relieve a force of ours beyond a gate not far from here. She'll be happy.
Thunderchild: How come?
Hornet (AL): Firstly, her ship suffered damage a week ago and second, Shigure (AL) and Ayanami (AL) are a couple.
Thunderchild: You've got to be kidding me?
Hornet (AL): No joke. Both are girlfriends. Right, let's get to making your battered hull seaworthy for a voyage under tow.
Thunderchild: I suppose you're right. Don't think I'll make a voyage, even under tow.
Out in the café, Shigure (AL) was with Yuudachi (AL), Yukikaze (AL) and Yuugure (AL), which was the quell the loneliness from being away from her girlfriend Ayanami (AL). All the same, she was happy for her ex-sister's conversion to a more modern hull.
Yukikaze (AL): That new hull of yours sure powerful. Pity no torpedo tubes.
Yuudachi (AL): It's a small price to pay with a newer, more modern hull but what it lacks in its torpedoes, it makes up for in firepower.
Shigure (AL): Yeah. Sure is powerful.
Yuugure (AL): We all did see it blow your old hull apart after it was stripped to an empty hulk.
Yuudachi (AL): Plus, on the bright side, some of that stripped equipment from my old hull was reused to repair your ship. Not all bad in the end.
Shigure (AL): (notices the manjuu coming) Oh... it's one of the manjuus at the shipyard. Nani? (listens) Really? Wonderful.
