Rise of the Steel Fleet

by Storm Seas

The Battle of the Dragon Mark Straight (Part Two)

HEMS Schornhorse
Main Gunnery Director

Chief Gunnery Officer Muleheim looked calmly over his command group and over the figure that were plotted into the main gun director. They had them set in to system for a full twelve minutes, waiting, now the turret sensors matched the plot numbers and he waited with anticipation as the ship move close still to the wounded Equestria. The captain had a noble streak in him that might get the ship killed but Muleheim was going to make sure they got at least one of those Changeling bastards. He trained the director again on the leading super dreadnought and prayed that his carefully trained shell would rip the innards out of that ship.

“All Guns trained and ready sir!” he called into his com.

“Give them the what for!” The Captains steel voice answered.

“Open FIRE!”

Changeling Flagship

The Commander was pleased. He had sunk one of the Equestrian ships and now had the other on the run. His mission had been a success. They could now call in the transports and continue to Manehattan and capture that city. Though before that could happen that running ship had to be destroyed so as not to give away their approach to the rest of the Equestrian Navy.

“Do we have a range on that ship yet?” he asked

“Not the best sir, we have to use the aft director, the forward one has been knocked out.”

“I doesn’t matter, just get shells on that ship! Sink it NOW!” his voice shocked the underling who raced out of the bridge.

“Soon, just one more ship to sink, then…” he never finished the sentence.

Dragon Mark Straight

The Schornhorse was momentarily shrouded in dense gun smoke as she fired her first ever salvo in anger. Massive depressions formed alongside her hull from the blast of the guns as they spat one ton death out at speed nearing 900 meters per second. The distance was 34 km which was nearing the maximum range for her guns but totally out ranged both the struggling Equestria and the Changeling line of battle. Muleheim had done his job superbly as the first salvo straddled the leading elements of the changeling ships. Four rounds found ship while the rest plowed up towers of water.

The first round scored a lucky hit on the bridge of the Super Dreadnought leading the formation and killed everypony in a holocaust of fire. The second punched through the main armor belt with easy and tore a gash through the broadside turrets lower decks, scattering equipment and shattering the turrets ammunition hoist, spilling powder and ammunition into the lower decks. The shell continued punching through the ship for another four meters before it detonated, blowing the engine room into which it had penetrated, and causing a sympathetic explosion of the ruined turret which it had passed through. The resulting explosion tore a thirty meter chunk of the belt and threw it out along with the remains of the turret.

The other two shells couldn’t have been better aimed. One had punched into the second dreadnought’s forward turret through its massive forward armor and detonated inside. That caused the whole turret to blast open flinging shards of armor into the conning tower, severely impairing the forward gunnery director. The second shell punched a neat hole just below the waterline and detonated in the keel under the forward engine room of that dreadnought. The hull plates ruptured inward from the detonation causing tons of sea water to pour into the engine room, flooding it and the surrounding compartments in mere seconds. Although the damage wasn’t enough to cause the ship to list, it had the effect of stopping her dead in the water.

Changeling Superdreadnought

The new Changeling commander stood in shock as the Flagship was destroyed in a ball of fire and the dreadnought following slowed down and took a slight port heading on her remaining momentum. The Commander knew for a fact that the Equestrians couldn’t have made such astounding hits with their one weakened and fleeing dreadnought. He quickly snatched the binocular from a look out and trained them on the smoking horizon where the Equestrian Super dreadnought went down. There was no sign that’s she had survived so he swung his gaze to the fleeing dreadnought and saw that she was running and making so much smoke that it was obvious that she wasn’t going to re-engage. ‘Then were did those shell come from?!’He thought as he once again scanned the horizon.

HEMS Schornhorse

“Sir! We’ve taken out their leading element!” the gunnery watch officer announced to the bridge.

“Well Done Trotter!” I said into the com at my throat, “Do it again!”

“Waiting for the guns to reload, sir!” Trotters voice said.

“Well when they get reloaded target the next ships in line, same drill! One and Three take the leader and two and four take the follower.” I knew we were doing well but the problem now was the Canterlot’s smoke would make it impossible to judge the fall of our shells. We had to break out of it but in doing so we could expose ourselves to incoming fire.

“Bridge to Engineering, what the status of those hull plates mesh?”

“They’re holding sir, the Retention spells are doing their job but any major stresses will pop the plates again and the spells are only so powerful.” Her exhausted voice was heavy with breathing.

“Well I hope they hold for the next few minutes, I need you to give me full power on all shafts, can it be done?”

“I damn well will make it work, sir!”

“Keep it up Mesh!” I switched the com again to gunnery

“Trotter, we’re going to full speed here soon, plan accordingly.”

“Aye, sir!” he said and I closed that circuit down.

“Any word from the Equestria?” I asked the signalmare.

“No, sir. I think she might have lost the radio, sir.”

“Get on the wings and use the semaphores. Get me in contact with her now.”

“Aye, sir!” she saluted and rushed off the bridge to the signaling platform just aft of the main tower’s pylon.

I micro jumped out onto the forward lookout post, just behind turret two and raised my binoculars up and tried to focus on the shapes of the Changeling line through the smoke. The oily smoke made it hard to get any good view but I saw that the four ships of the line had altered course to try to pursue the Equestria, which gave us an excellent opportunity to hammer them at close range. If we could just get them to fully commit to that maneuver.

“Captain!” the signalmare came running around the armored con holding a sheet of paper, “The Equestria, she is trying to run to the east!” she paused as I took the paper and read.

‘Equestria to Schornhorse. Severe damage to starboard battery. unable to fire and ranges beyond 18 km. engines safe but lost half of main fuel reserve. Max speed down to 24 Knts. Advise intentions.’

“Tell them to keep running east; we’ll be the rear guard.” I told the mare who wrote it down quickly and galloped off.
I turned back towards the Changeling ships just as the Salvo buzzer blared out. I quickly dropped my binoculars into their case and covered my ears and waited.

Changeling Superdreadnought

The Commander had ordered a pursuit course to finally take out that remaining dreadnought. He was still puzzled by the single devastating salvo that he guessed came from that fleeing dreadnought. It was unlikely but it was the only explanation. He turned to re-enter the bridge when a lookout called out.

“New Contact! Port Side! Two points Forward the Beam!”

The commander spun in a circle and raised the binoculars again and trained them in the direction, practically amidships. He swung his gaze back and forth and couldn’t see anything resembling a ship. That is until a low slung and sleek shape punched out of the dense smoke. He stood there stunned for a few seconds as the whole ship came roaring out of the smoke and fired.

The Battle of the Dragon Mark Straight

The Schornhorse charged the Changeling line. The after-action report from the Captain of the Equestria said so in those words. She came barreling out of the smoke at nearly 34 Knts, which was four more then she should have had. Her gunnery was amazingly accurate but not as lucky as her first salvo had been. But at the range she was fighting, she didn’t have to be lucky.

The Changelings had been so surprised at the Schornhorse’ appearance that they didn’t return fire until she had closed the range from the 24 kilometers she had been hiding at to the 15 km that she stayed at to keep the changeling line from continuing their chase of the Equestria. The Schornhorse was in a very literal sense now the shield of Equestria. She proceeded to sink two more of the Changeling ships before they turned and disengaged, making smoke and running an almost due west course.

But her heroics were not to be without cost. She lost two hundred and eight crew and had another three hundred wounded when a Changeling 12 in round punched out turret four of the secondary battery which in turn caused the already damaged plates in the boiler rooms to rupture. The sudden loss in power and the eleven degree list help the Changelings to score four more hits on the Schornhorse before her own fire could drive them away.

After the retreating Changeling taskforce had run beyond the range of Schornhorse’ main guns she limped to the heavily damaged Equestria. Equestria’s damages were fatal. She had a heavy list to starboard and her engines were dead. It was at this time that the Schornhorse again lived up to her new nickname. Under careful direction of her skipper, she nudged up and lashed the crippled dreadnought to her and proceeded to sail with the Equestria attached to her side. They could only make ten knots but with the help of the cruisers Harmony and Honesty they made it to Manehatten harbor.

The Nation was stunned by the savagery that had destroyed the Canterlot and nearly taken the Equestria but those were secondary to the pride they felt in the new battleship Schornhorse. The public swooned over her and it was decided that she would not be and experimental design, that the Schornhorse was to be the lead ship in the new Schornhorse-Class Battleships, and that her design would be considered for newer ships. Within the week of the Schornhorse returning to Manehatten, her sister ship, the Gneighsenau, had her keel laid down in Slip 5 and construction begun in earnest.

HEMS Schornhorse

I stood on deck in full dress uniform along with Commander Heartstrings. The whole ship’s company was on deck for a Royal review. We had worked hard for three weeks now to repair our damages and still there was evidence of our battle, charred sections of hull, shell splashes on the turrets and the scaffolding the surrounded the Admiral’s bridge.
The Boson’s whistle trilled out the welcome to a royal as both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna cantered aboard. The lines of ratings saluted as the two sisters moved past. I bowed in formal greeting and Lyra did the same. We both stood there in silence. Then Princess Celestia took one step forward.

“Captain Seas, Commander Heartstrings, I wish to express my most profound and sincere thanks for your service to Equestria and for the gallant action against the Changelings. Your actions have spoken volumes of your courage and devotion to both your country and your companions, and I along with Princess Luna do present the Schornhorse with the Royal Medal of Honor.” She motioned to Luna who produced a single ribbon from magic. It floated there for a brief second before shooting off to the top of the main mast where it unfurled underneath the Equestrian Flag.

The new flag was a simple blue with a white stripe diagonally across a sun and moon. A set of three stars formed a triangle within the curve of the moon and a single red star on the bottom end of the white band finished the flag. The crew gasped as the flag unfurled and I was stunned. Not only had she just given the RMH to me and Commander Heartstrings a few days ago in Canterlot but she had just given the whole ship that same honor. I looked back to the Princesses and they smiled back.

“You have fulfilled our orders well, Storm Seas.” Princess Luna said

“And we hope you will continue to be Equestria’s Shield.” Princess Celestia added.

“Schornhorse, Immer Voran.” They said together.

“SCHORNHORSE IMMER VORAN!” I answered along with every mare and colt on board.

Author's Note:

Wow! There it is!
This has been an amazingly fun project to work on and well I plan on continuing! you haven't seen the last of the Schornhorse yet! Look forward to the next book!

Schornhorse Immer Voran!

Comments

[Legiondude]

3220284 We talking ocean Yamato or space Yamato?

Cause someone's writing a fic about the latter

[Lt Rainbow Slash]

3258166 I'm talking about the one with nine 18' inch guns, twenty five centimetre thick deck armour, and took twelve torpedoes and seven bombs to sink.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Yamato_Trial_1941.jpg

Thats 71,659 tons of total kick flank!

Scharnhorst was pretty good too but...well...Its the Yamato!

[Legiondude]

3259458 Well...Space Battleship Yamato is pretty much the sunken WW2 Yamato rebuilt and modified for space travel/combat

[APS]

Adventure:ok Alternate Universe: ok Human: isn't the human tag for when there is a actual human running around in the story ? Not only ~3 slight reference about them!

PS. I'm disappointed there's no Human's in the story when there is a human tag. you

[Duskmoon]

I really like this and Think it will go somewhere I cant wait for what will happen next

[Storm Seas]

Well the idea was to make a pony based warship, one that is their own and Schornhorse is a true pony based warship. She might look like a lot of things, but she is what she is. no misspelling, and no copying.

[KVFFour]

“Get on the wings and use the semaphores. Get me in contact with her now.”

Use exclamation marks instead?

“Bridge to Engineering, what the status of those hull plates mesh?”

Capitalize Mesh. Add 'are' between what and the.