Bay of Bengal Incident

Combatants| * The Free Atlantic States
	+ Communist Militarist Faction

Commanders| * Admiral Thomas Moorer
* Commander James Taylor (Commanding Officer of The ASN Penultimate)†

Casualties| * Atlantic States Navy Destroyer - D-126 "Penultimate"
* 234 Sailors
* Commander James Taylor
* 35 Sailors

The Bay of Bengal Incident is a small Skirmish between The Free Atlantic States and The Union of East Asian Soviets. The Event was staged by The Communist Militarist Faction of The Union of East Asian Soviets in order to spark a war against The Free Atlantic States. The attack began on the 9th June 1949 under the command of Admiral Hideki Mamoru , The Admiral of The UEASN Asia Mainland Fleet. The Commander of The FAS Navy in the Region was Admiral Thomas Moorer although he was not made aware of the attacks until 1513 roughly 30 minutes after the attack. The Main Commander on the Free Atlantic States Side was Commander James Taylor who was the commander of the ANS D-126 "Penultimate".

## First Day - 9th June 1949

### 1106 am

The ANS D-126 "Penultimate" under the command of Cmdr. J.Taylor moves into their operating region for the next week after two weeks of rest at INP Kalinga. The Destroyer is apart of The ASN Indian Command Fleet alongside a Indian Navy Coastal Fleet. The Crew of the ANS D-126 "Penultimate" proceed with Safety Drills.

### 1206 pm

Admiral Hideki Mamoru onboard his flagship the PNS Azuma , a Frontline Aircraft Carrier, orders a pre-emptive attack on Atlantic Navy Assets in the Indian Region. This involved a bombing of Major Indian Ports in the Bay of Bengal but this was never conducted due to a lack of Aircraft. He begins to move a taskforce of 3 Ships into Bay of Bengal.

### 1323 pm

Radar Scanners onboard the ANS D-126 "Penultimate" detect 3 Large Ships move into the Bay of Bengal. Scouting and Radar information believes the taskforce entering the region are 2 PNS Aircraft Carriers and 1 PNS Heavy Cruiser or Battleship. However officers onboard the ANS D-126 "Penultimate" do not report these movements due to the presence of UEAS Naval Ports in the region. Captain Taylor keeps the movements on record but is advised by other officers to not report the incident.

### 1356 pm

Admiral Mamoru launches 6 Torpedo Boats loaded with 2 Torpedoes and 2 Miniguns each from the PNS Azuma and PNS Nagasaki , a renowned battleship.

### 1422 pm

Radar Scanners detect 6 Small Craft approaching the ANS D-126 "Penultimate". The Crew of the Penultimate are put into Battle Ready Positions and prepare for an attack.

### 1443 pm

The Six PNS Torpedo Boats launch the attack on the ANS Penultimate. Four Torpedoes are launched by 3 of the Torpedo Boats but all miss. The Penultimate's 25mm Naval Cannon opens fire on the Torpedo Boats and one is sunk. 5 Sailors onboard the Penultimate were killed in the skirmish. 14 men are killed on the Sunken Torpedo Boat and 2 are killed on other boats.

### 1500 pm

The Officers onboard the Penultimate contact the INP Kalinga Command Office and report the attack. Indian Naval Officers then contact the FAS Indian Fleet commanded by Admiral T. Moorer

### 1513 pm

Word reaches Admiral Moorer who was in Pearl Harbour attending a Naval Meeting. He immediately orders a Carrier Force to be dispatched to the region. The Indian Navy is also called upon to respond to the attack.

### 1600 pm

Eisenhower is made aware of the situation and gives Moorer permission to use lethal force to rescue the Destroyer.

### 1609 pm

The Indian Navy dispatches a force to rescue the destroyer.

### 1635 pm

Cmdr. Taylor requests assistance again after an hour of silence

### 1700 pm

Admiral Moorer responds to Cmdr. Taylor's Requests and said that the Indian Naval Force would reach the Penultimate by 2300 hrs where the ASN QRF would arrive around 1300 on the 10th. He gave the order for the Penultimate too hold their position until the Indian Fleet arrives.

### 1845 pm

The ASN Penultimate detects 5 Torpedo Boats heading back toward their location.

### 1850 pm

ASN High Command is made aware that a second attack is imminent. Eisenhower is due to be addressed within the next hour

### 1900 pm

The 2nd Attack hits the Penultimate. The Penultimate's Naval Gun opens fire immediately and repels the first 2 Boats who wave off without launching torpedoes. The next 2 fire a torpedo each but these miss. The 5th Torpedo Boat opens fire on the deck with their Frontal and Rear Minigun. 6 ASN Sailors are killed in this attack and only 5 UEASN Sailors are killed from the 5 boats.

### 1910 pm

The 2nd Attack Ends and the 5 Torpedo Boats return to the Azuma. Mamoru is reprimanded by Kyuichi Tokuda and senior naval officers. The Azuma detects the presence of Indian Naval Forces and nearby fleets being redirected. He orders a third and final attack for 2315 hrs to sink the Penultimate.

### 1930 pm

The Indian Naval Fleet had been delayed by 2hrs and 30 minutes. The Fleet is dispatched and expected to arrive at the Penultimates' location by 0100 on the 10th.

### 2000 pm

Cmdr. Taylor is made aware of the delay and is forced to maintain his position. The Penultimates' radar has also detected the 3 Ships have now moved in aerial striking range of the Penultimate so a retreat is pointless.

### 2030 pm

Eisenhower is made fully up to date with the situation and the now 11 dead ASN Sailors. He declares he wants revenge for the loss of life caused by the UEAS and leaves to brief his Cabinet and Later the FAS Assembly. His goal is to pass a law allowing him to deploy combat troops to India and attack the UEAS Force in Bengal.

### 2200 pm

The FAS Assembly is quickly gathered. They allow Eisenhower to deploy naval assets to the Bay of Bengal to rescue the Penultimate. Eisenhower contacts Tokuda who responds with "This Incident is an Accident we are resolving". The FAS Assembly agree to assemble when the Penultimate is back and the situation can be assessed.

### 2245 pm

5 Torpedo Boats are again detected on the Penultimates radar. Cmdr. Taylor warns Admiral Moorer that this may be their final stand as they are running low on ammunition. Admiral Moorer tries to assist the Penultimate with intelligence on the attack's timings and locations but is unable to get aircraft in the area.

### 2300 pm

Three of The Torpedo Boats hit from the port side of the Penultimate. One Torpedo hits the stern, damaging the steering of the Penultimate. The Naval Cannon manages to sink a boat killing the crew of the boat.

### 2307 pm

Cmdr. Taylor broadcasts to the ASN Fleet that they are under attack. The Indian Fleet replies saying they will arrive at 0034 on the 10th. Two Torpedo Boats hit from the starboard side and one torpedo hits. This torpedo causes a fire below decks and kills 34 sailors in the original hit. From this Torpedo, the Bridge is damaged and many officers are killed and wounded. Cmdr. Taylor survives the initial blast.

### 2315 pm

The fire below decks becomes uncontrollable. Despite this, the gun crews still maintain their fire. 3 Torpedo Boats wave off and the two remaining boats are left to deal with the Penultimate. Cmdr. Taylor orders the abandoning of the ship.

### 2320 pm

The Fire manages to reach the ammunition store which explodes and rips a hole in the ship. The Bridge is entirely destroyed including Commander Taylor. The main gun is destroyed in the blast. The remaining officers organise an evacuation of the ship.

### 2335 pm

The hole from the ammunition explosion causes the ship to split in half. Many sailors are killed

## 2nd Day - 10th June 1949

### 0013 am

The ANS Penultimate had now fully sunk. 234 Sailors including Cmdr. Taylor are killed in total.

### 0100 am

The Indian Naval Fleet arrives at the Penultimates' last known location. They report to FAS High Command the Penultimate is nowhere to be seen.

### 0135 am

Mamoru's Task Force leaves the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Task Force reports this. ASN Fleets are concerned the ASN Penultimate has sunk after repeated attempts to contact the ship.

### 0200 am

Eisenhower and Admiral Moorer are made aware of the situation. Eisenhower orders a search and rescue operation.

### 0307 am

The remaining 66 crewmen are found in the water. An Indian Warship picks them up and delivers them to INP Kalinga.

## Aftermath

Eisenhower addresses the public about the attacks in the morning. He vows revenge will be taken and begins to invoke the Bay of Bengal Resolution allowing him to deploy Combat Troops and Naval Forces without the permission of The FAS Assembly to prevent another incident. There is a public uproar about the attacks and demanded revenge. In the Union, the Military became heavily divided into pro-war and anti-war groups. Tokuda's position was questioned as he allowed a rebel to provoke a war between the Union and Free Atlantic States.

In the Free Atlantic States as a whole, Commander James Taylor was recognised as a war hero and post-humously awarded the Medal of Atlantic Valour. James Taylor was mentinoned by Eisenhower as the 'Ideal Rolemodel Officer of the Atlantic States Navy'. The ASN named a 'Pacifica-Class' light cruiser ,the ANS James Taylor with the Class of Cruiser being named after Taylor's Hometown. The ANS James Taylor would be the first Post-War of Pacific Warship to be commissiond by the Atlantic States Navy.

By November 1949, The Bay of Bengal Resolution had been passed and 24 American Divisions were now in India ready for war. He mobilised over 200 Naval Warships poised to blockade Japan and had 5,000 Combat Aircraft to fight the Union. 32 Australian and New Zealand Divisions were mobilised for war. Carrier Strike Group 12 consisting of 4 "Atlantic-Class" Carriers were deployed to the Pacific and based at Hawaii. Two Battleship Support Groups were also sent to the region. The ASN and INS assets in the Pacific were heavily reinforced and garrisons were tripled. The Free Atlantic States was poised for war with the Union.

The Imperium and their allies expressed disappointment at The Union for this unjustified Attack and questioned Tokuda's Leadership. The Imperium almost joined the FAS in the war against The union but opted to support the FAS and embargo the Union instead. Public Support for Eisenhower had never been higher and it was seen as a chance to redeem themselves for the loss of The War of Liberation.

The Incident was a FAS Victory but at a heavy cost of life and would lead to the War of The Pacific which the Free Atlantic States and Union would both lose.