Miles From Our Home: 2018 Canada ISOTed to December 1939

[redrobin65]

January 11th, 1941, Salisbury Plain, United Kingdom

The sound of helicopter rotors filled the air as the Canadian 7th Airmobile Division conducted training exercises.

The 7th Division had arrived in the United Kingdom back in November. With the exception of the 20th Light Brigade-Group (which had withdrawn from the Netherlands to absorb replacements), the formations of this division had yet to be committed anywhere.

Still, that didn’t mean that the 7th Airmobile was sitting around doing nothing. Intense training was undertaken as much as possible. Using Griffon and Chinook tactical helicopters the 21st and 22nd Brigade-Groups practiced air assaults that simulated landing deep behind enemy lines and securing key objectives. The 19th Brigade was an Airborne formation, and thousands of paratroopers jumped out of Hercules and Globemaster transports, advancing to secure their objective while blank rifle and machine gun rounds were fired over their heads.

Many of the helicopters used to move the 7th Division were converted civilian models. The Griffon was derived from the Bell 412, and many of these civilian helicopters were purchased or donated to the RCAF, later being converted into Griffon variants. Similar situations with the Chinook and Hercules occurred. New units were built by Bell and Bombardier.

As the exercise concluded and the mess halls began to fill up, many of the troops wondered: where are we going? Tens of thousands of Canadian troops had bypassed Britain and went straight to France and later Germany. Why was the 7th Division here? Where would they end up? Some felt that they would go the Rhine; others speculated that they would deploy to the Netherlands or Denmark.


Canadian paratroopers prepare to board a CC-130 Hercules.

January 16th, 1941, Wilhelmshaven Naval Base, Germany

“See anything?”

“Just guards, sir.”

“Alright, keep an eye out for when he comes,” said Major Jack Olson.

Gamma Squad of JTF2 had scurried up the beach near Neuharlingersiel, being deposited by the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi. They had hidden in the area surrounding Wilhelmshaven for more than a week, avoiding German patrols and slowly preparing to carry out their mission. A high ranking German general was supposed to inspect troops on the North Sea coast, and his first stop was Wilhelmshaven and the Heer company stationed in the naval base.

The twelve-man team was supposed to capture the general and take him to Britain, where he would be interrogated by CFIC and CSIS. Gamma had infiltrated the naval base in the dead of night, silently killing a few guards in their way.

A voice crackled over Olson’s personal radio. “Gamma One, this is Gamma Eight, we can see some staff cars coming up to the base.”

“Okay, hold position.”

Sure enough, a pair of staff cars pulled up in front of the base. After being inspected by a guard, the vehicles were let in without much fuss, where they drove up to the main barracks. Gamma was dispersed throughout (and outside of) the base, but Olson and four other men were hiding next to storage containers where they could see everything clearly.

The cars stopped in front of the barracks. An entire platoon of German troops, along with some sailors, was standing at attention. The door of the rear car opened, and out came
General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff for OKW.

“That’s him,” whispered Sergeant Al Surviana.

Olson spoke into his radio. “The Air Force should pull through, and then we make our move. Understood?”

A chorus of whispered acknowledgements followed.

The commandos watched as Jodl inspected the platoon, followed by its commander along with the commander of the naval base and a few more staff officers. Suddenly, the familiar roar of jets reverberated through the air. Wilhelmshaven had been bombed before, as the wreckage in the harbour showed. German troops hit the ground, expecting to be blown up…

…But the CF-5’s didn’t bomb the base. Instead, they struck the rail station south of Wilhelmshaven. However, the sounds and vibrations from the attack, along with the explosions that could be seen from the base, distracted the Germans enough for JTF2 to make their move.

“Alright, Gamma. Go!”

Sniper rifles cracked as tear gas canisters were thrown at Jodl and the other officers, who had been crouching near a car. Olson and two other men burst out of their hiding places, running towards the car. Other commandos fired at the German platoon, killing and wounding several as they dove for cover.

Olson grabbed the coughing Jodl and pulled him up, dragging him towards Gamma’s exit point. Most of the team was running towards a gap in the fence, occasionally trying to supress German guards.

By now, the shock had worn off, and the Germans were giving chase to Gamma Squad. The Canadians ran out of the base, jumping into a pair of “liberated” cars. German troops fired at them as they drove through Wilhelmshaven and towards their extraction point, wounding one commando.

The Germans were attempting to organize, and the forces still in the Naval base, prepared to call in reinforcements, but they would never sort themselves out in time. Three CF-18s roared in, dropping JDAMs on the base, killing hundreds of soldiers and sailors and ensuring that Wilhelmshaven would not be operational for a very long time.

Gamma Squad drove up to the coast at Neuharlingersiel, dragging Jodl out of one car. Two commandos had stayed behind to guard the rowboats that they had entered with. The team and their prisoner rowed away from the coast, rendezvousing with HMCS Chicoutimi shortly after.

The mission was a huge success. Not only was an important officer able to be captured, documents from the naval base had been seized as well. One interesting document detailed the locations and patterns of German mines, making the job of Allied minesweepers significantly easier.

[lordroel]

Apr 19, 2019 2:44:26 GMT redrobin65 said:

January 11th, 1941, Salisbury Plain, United Kingdom

The sound of helicopter rotors filled the air as the Canadian 7th Airmobile Division conducted training exercises.

The 7th Division had arrived in the United Kingdom back in November. With the exception of the 20th Light Brigade-Group (which had withdrawn from the Netherlands to absorb replacements), the formations of this division had yet to be committed anywhere.

Still, that didn’t mean that the 7th Airmobile was sitting around doing nothing. Intense training was undertaken as much as possible. Using Griffon and Chinook tactical helicopters the 21st and 22nd Brigade-Groups practiced air assaults that simulated landing deep behind enemy lines and securing key objectives. The 19th Brigade was an Airborne formation, and thousands of paratroopers jumped out of Hercules and Globemaster transports, advancing to secure their objective while blank rifle and machine gun rounds were fired over their heads.

Many of the helicopters used to move the 7th Division were converted civilian models. The Griffon was derived from the Bell 412, and many of these civilian helicopters were purchased or donated to the RCAF, later being converted into Griffon variants. Similar situations with the Chinook and Hercules occurred. New units were built by Bell and Bombardier.

As the exercise concluded and the mess halls began to fill up, many of the troops wondered: where are we going? Tens of thousands of Canadian troops had bypassed Britain and went straight to France and later Germany. Why was the 7th Division here? Where would they end up? Some felt that they would go the Rhine; others speculated that they would deploy to the Netherlands or Denmark.

View Attachment
Canadian paratroopers prepare to board a CC-130 Hercules.

January 16th, 1941, Wilhelmshaven Naval Base, Germany

“See anything?”

“Just guards, sir.”

“Alright, keep an eye out for when he comes,” said Major Jack Olson.

Gamma Squad of JTF2 had scurried up the beach near Neuharlingersiel, being deposited by the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi. They had hidden in the area surrounding Wilhelmshaven for more than a week, avoiding German patrols and slowly preparing to carry out their mission. A high ranking German general was supposed to inspect troops on the North Sea coast, and his first stop was Wilhelmshaven and the Heer company stationed in the naval base.

The twelve-man team was supposed to capture the general and take him to Britain, where he would be interrogated by CFIC and CSIS. Gamma had infiltrated the naval base in the dead of night, silently killing a few guards in their way.

A voice crackled over Olson’s personal radio. “Gamma One, this is Gamma Eight, we can see some staff cars coming up to the base.”

“Okay, hold position.”

Sure enough, a pair of staff cars pulled up in front of the base. After being inspected by a guard, the vehicles were let in without much fuss, where they drove up to the main barracks. Gamma was dispersed throughout (and outside of) the base, but Olson and four other men were hiding next to storage containers where they could see everything clearly.

The cars stopped in front of the barracks. An entire platoon of German troops, along with some sailors, was standing at attention. The door of the rear car opened, and out came
General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff for OKW.

“That’s him,” whispered Sergeant Al Surviana.

Olson spoke into his radio. “The Air Force should pull through, and then we make our move. Understood?”

A chorus of whispered acknowledgements followed.

The commandos watched as Jodl inspected the platoon, followed by its commander along with the commander of the naval base and a few more staff officers. Suddenly, the familiar roar of jets reverberated through the air. Wilhelmshaven had been bombed before, as the wreckage in the harbour showed. German troops hit the ground, expecting to be blown up…

…But the CF-5’s didn’t bomb the base. Instead, they struck the rail station south of Wilhelmshaven. However, the sounds and vibrations from the attack, along with the explosions that could be seen from the base, distracted the Germans enough for JTF2 to make their move.

“Alright, Gamma. Go!”

Sniper rifles cracked as tear gas canisters were thrown at Jodl and the other officers, who had been crouching near a car. Olson and two other men burst out of their hiding places, running towards the car. Other commandos fired at the German platoon, killing and wounding several as they dove for cover.

Olson grabbed the coughing Jodl and pulled him up, dragging him towards Gamma’s exit point. Most of the team was running towards a gap in the fence, occasionally trying to supress German guards.

By now, the shock had worn off, and the Germans were giving chase to Gamma Squad. The Canadians ran out of the base, jumping into a pair of “liberated” cars. German troops fired at them as they drove through Wilhelmshaven and towards their extraction point, wounding one commando.

The Germans were attempting to organize, and the forces still in the Naval base, prepared to call in reinforcements, but they would never sort themselves out in time. Three CF-18s roared in, dropping JDAMs on the base, killing hundreds of soldiers and sailors and ensuring that Wilhelmshaven would not be operational for a very long time.

Gamma Squad drove up to the coast at Neuharlingersiel, dragging Jodl out of one car. Two commandos had stayed behind to guard the rowboats that they had entered with. The team and their prisoner rowed away from the coast, rendezvousing with HMCS Chicoutimi shortly after.

The mission was a huge success. Not only was an important officer able to be captured, documents from the naval base had been seized as well. One interesting document detailed the locations and patterns of German mines, making the job of Allied minesweepers significantly easier.

Another great update redrobin65

[stevep]

   Redrobin65

   Another good update and this will have the Germans worried given the success of the raid.  Although given the air attack and number of dead it could be difficult to get an accurate picture of what happened.

  IIRC Jodl  was pretty much a toady but in fairly high favour with Hitler so he can probably tell them a lot, albeit having to trawl through a lot of bluster and self-justification I suspect.

  So definitely something planned for the 7th Airmobile.  Would be ironic if their seizing and holding a key location until relieved by the 7th Armoured, if that formation has been formed TTL.   Denmark would seem logical for helping to liberate that country and opening the Baltic.  Could be taking some key area in terms of crossing the Rhine although its air mobile status would suggest something deeper behind enemy lines.  Have to see what you come up with.

  Steve

[pyeknu]

Hi, everyone! I'm another refugee from AH.com who got tired of the mods being tyrants, so I've come over here to see how things run at this place.

Here's the first of two side stories I wrote for this timeline that I'm bringing over.

Enjoy!

****

Side Story: The Beaver and the Rising Sun

Tōkyō, Japan, the Imperial Palace, Friday 12 April 1940, 10:00 AM JST (Ottawa time: Thursday 11 April 1940, 8:00 PM EST)...

"So you presented credentials like this to my son in your time period?"

Ambassador Ian Burney chuckled as he bowed politely to his host. "Indeed I had that honour, Your Majesty," the experienced foreign affairs officer who had been appointed as Canada's senior diplomat to a much different Japan in 2016 stated before rising to gaze upon the Heavenly Sovereign with his most charming smile. "This is as much of a strange experience to myself as I'm more than sure it is to you and your government, sir. Still, it is the wish of our government and our people that relations between our nations be maintained. Much that we do understand your people's needs in this time — as we have the hindsight of history to fall back onto — we also hope that we can avert a tragedy if your government continues on its current path, especially with its current alliance with Herr Hitler and his friends."

That made the man who would have been known in Burney's time period simply as "Shōwa Tennō" grimly nod after the translator got finished interpreting the "new" Canadian ambassador's words. "I can see your young Prime Minister's point, Mister Burney," he said. "Given what we've learned over the last months since the Kami saw to it your country was shifted back in time to our obviously sad era in history, your willingness to make friends even with whom your grandfathers saw as blood enemies speaks highly of your hearts and souls. Noting what your people were able to do to persuade Prime Minister Mussolini to break his alliance with Chancellor Hitler has made many of my ministers think we should follow suit."

Out of the corner of his eye, the McGill alumnus of the Class of 1985 was quick to see the agitated looks on the faces of several of the ministers and military officers who insisted on attending the ambassador's trip to visit the Son of Heaven to official present his credentials. Among them were those who would be declared war criminals after the end of the Greater East Asia War: General Hata Shunroku (the Minister of War) and General Tōjō Hideki (Inspector-General of Army Aviation and former Vice Minister of War). Fortunately for Burney, many others who supported a more peaceful approach to affairs with other nations — not to mention opposed the creation of the proposed Tripartite Pact between Berlin, Rome and Tōkyō — were also present: Admiral Yonai Mitsumasa (Prime Minister), Vice Admiral Yoshida Zengo (Minister of the Navy), Arita Hachirō (Minister for Foreign Affairs)...and the biggest potential ally of all to peace in the Pacific region Canada could ask for: Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the current commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

"While we in Canada will not judge how you view the internal affairs of Your Realm, Your Majesty, we understand — and in fact, highly agree to — the idea of containing the type of communism General Secretary Stálin and General Secretary Zhāng's successor as leader of the communists in China want to spread worldwide," Burney stated. "We also understand your desire to not be forced to bow down to attitudes and customs that are not your own. While there are certain standards of behaviour that are universal among the peoples of the world, forcing you to accept such things at gunpoint — as look what happened in China in the previous century, to say anything of what happened here after Commodore Parry forced the Convention of Kanagawa on your late great-grandfather in the First Year of Ansei — is certainly NOT the proper and civilized thing to do, especially when one deals with such an ancient culture as your own, sir."

As many in the room brightened on hearing that compliment from the ambassador (after it was translated for those who didn't understand English), the Heavenly Sovereign smiled. "We gladly applaud the willingness of the Dominion of Canada to help create a true equal family of nations worldwide," the spiritual descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu declared with a firm nod. "Indeed, all the Kami of the world — both yours and ours — willed this to happen." He then sat back in his chair in the Chōwaden that served as his main reception hall for foreign dignitaries. "I knew it the instant I saw your new national flag, Mister Burney."

That made the ambassador blink. "Our flag, sir?"

"The beautiful simplicity of it in comparison to the old British ensign your predecessors used," the Son of Heaven stated. As many in the room nodded on hearing that — even those like Hata and Tōjō who would only wish for these interfering gaijin to go away and allow them to push the Empire forward in the way that THEY saw was best — the raven-haired thirty-something amateur marine biologist added, "The same colours we use on our own flag, with a simple maple leaf in the centre and bars on the side. A 'Canadian pale', your frigate's commanding officer described to Admiral Yamamoto here when Regina came to Yokosuka delivering you and your staff to our shores. It is good that Canada was able to flower as it did in the wake of the valiant sacrifice of so many during the recent world war."

"Something many Canadians also understand, Your Majesty."

Silence fell as the Heavenly Sovereign considered what to ask next, then he sighed. "How many in the end?"

"Sir?"

"How many of Our Subjects died in your history?"

Burney sighed. "Estimates made by the government in our time ranged from two-and-a-half million to over three million dead, Your Majesty," he declared with a bow of his head. "Four percent of your country's total population."

That made eyes go wide as people absorbed that message...

To Be Continued...?

[pyeknu]

Another side story based on some discussions Red Robin and I have had about future fleet capabilities:

Side Story: Expanded Naval Capabilities

Note: A sequel to Part 30 of the main story.

Saint Catharines, Ontario, the Port Weller Dry Docks, Monday 8 July 1940, 10:10 AM EDT...

"Here's to bloody wars and sickly seasons..."

Snorting as he quoted the famous toast concerning the guaranteed way for an officer to be promoted up the ranks, Rear Admiral Casper Donovan could only chuckle as he gazed on the large printouts of various warship designs that had been proposed as a way of beefing up the Royal Canadian Navy to far more workable levels that would not only see them through the remainder of this unexpected replay of the Fifth Edition of the Great European Free-For-All — as some historians had come to nickname the Second World War — but allow the naval service to be a credible force in the post-war era.

Unfortunately, there were a tonne of problems to get to that point.

The biggest one, the recently-promoted Director General Future Ship Capability — who had been ordered at the end of Saturday's meeting by Admiral Ron Lloyd to take operational charge of new fleet construction — was the complete LACK of decent shipyards big enough to handle not only the orders for new vessels that had been decided at the new headquarters of the Royal Canadian Navy on Saturday...but the many proposals for the postwar fleet!

However, there had been some strokes of luck...

When he had been ordered to expand the Naval Reserves to include effective mirrors of the active fleets on both coasts, recently promoted Rear Admiral Michael Hopper was authorized to establish reserve fleet maintenance facilities (for areas that had access to navigable waterways) and fleet maintenance groups (for inland areas) across Canada that could help with both new construction and maintenance of the growing fleet. Given the flood of immigrants coming in from the United States and other nations — among them, a considerable group of skilled shipyard workers who decided that trying their luck in a land that didn't have Jim Crow laws was the best thing for themselves and their families — a total of nineteen FMFs and seven FMGs had been established from Argentia in Newfoundland to Nanaimo in British Columbia. The FMFs had been given full authorization to build their own dock space if required and if there was land available to establish a dry dock big enough to take on any naval ship, then construction of same would be authorized on a priority basis; inland-based FMGs would serve as both training facilities and deploy personnel to assist in construction wherever required.

Fleet Maintenance Facility Niagara had lucked out somewhat.

The Port Weller Dry Docks were located on the eastern shore of the Welland Canal, opening into the basin about Lock One on a patch of land that bordered neighbouring Niagara-On-The-Lake. The dry dock here had been built when the fourth version of the waterway connecting the two lower Great Lakes had been built in the early part of the Twentieth Century to serve as a maintenance facility for the lock gates; it would be turned into a fully-fledged ship construction and maintenance facility after the end of the Second World War "Round One". PWDD had been owned by Upper Lakes Shipping and had seen the construction of many a Seaway-max laker until merged into a new company in 2007 organized by the Toronto-based shipping company, which only lasted until bankruptcy hit six years later. Since that time, the space had been used for temporary repair work and winter storage of vessels by the company that bought out Upper Lakes' fleet in 2011, Algoma Central.

When the Shift occurred, the company had gladly allowed the facility to be taken over by the Royal Canadian Navy and transformed into what was now called the Port Weller Naval Annex, under administrative control of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Queenston, the Niagara Region's recently-commissioned naval reserve division.

RAdm Donovan paused to gaze on the opposite wall of his new office overlooking the two ship-wide dry dock where the skeletons of four modified oil rig support vessels were being put together by very enthusiastic maritime engineers, both civilian and military, Canadian and foreign-born, up-timer and down-timer alike. There hung the new crest of the division whose name would have been used for one of the new joint support ships being assembled in Vancouver hadn't the Navy brass decided to recycle the names of Canada's old auxiliary oil replenishment vessels Provider, Protecteur and Preserver. Remembering the heraldic description for Queenston's effective coat of arms — Azure, a base wavy argent charged with a barry wavy azure, a cliff face vert from which Brock's Monument rises proper — and the new division's motto Surgite, the man in charge of building the new Royal Canadian Navy could only smile at the efforts many "armchair admirals" across the country had poured in both via "snail mail", e-mail and social media when the new Naval Reserve units were commissioned on the anniversary of the service's inauguration two months ago.

Right now, FMF Niagara had the tasking to help build a proper minesweeper force that would take up from where the Kingston-class ships would leave off. Much that the little ships that had been originally hailed as "mine countermeasures vessels" on construction — only to be effectively used in both inshore and offshore patrol work — had some advantages and had been designed from the start to do both mine sweeping and mine hunting, the hulls were getting close to twenty-five years of age and the sudden imposition of a SECOND replay of World War Two necessitated a new class of mine warfare vessels. And while a tonne of designs had been suggested by various foreign naval attachés who had been swept up by the Shift and were now volunteering their services to the RCN, someone had suggested reviving an off-the-shelf modified civilian design.

Given the number of oil rigs lying off Newfoundland that were now pumping in loads of oil for the country to use, this was all the more ironic...!

Back around the time of the end of the Cold War — Oh, wasn't THAT a more innocent time? Donovan mused — the-then Maritime Command had taken charge of two oil rig supply vessels built in Vancouver, Jean Tide and Joyce Tide, then modified them into auxiliary minesweepers Anticosti and Moresby. The two MSAs served primarily as training platforms for the Naval Reserve's new tasking towards mine warfare and coastal defence until sometime after Kingston was commissioned in 1996; the Anticosti-class were returned to mercantile use at the turn of the millennium.

While Anticosti was still afloat — Moresby, renamed Ramco Express, had been in the Baltic when the Shift happened — the old rig support ship-turned-research vessel was over FORTY years old, ensuring she'd never get a second career in the Navy.

But the basic design itself was always sound, senior architects at PWDD/FMF Niagara claimed when they proposed this idea to Donovan as a way of warming up the yard for more intensive work in the future. An ocean-going vessel who could take the worse the Atlantic and the Pacific could throw at her, possessing TWICE the range of the Kingston-class, fitted with a nice long quarterdeck/cargo deck that could house both mine sweeping and mine hunting gear depending on need. All that was needed was good armament — a Mark 38 Typhoon Weapons System forward that would have gone on the Harry DeWolf-class ships using the same M242 Bushmaster 25 millimetre chain gun used on the Army's LAV III armoured vehicles with a pair of "Ma Deuce" Browning M2 .50 calibre machine guns for close-in anti-personnel defence — and proper command, control and communications equipment to allow the NEW Anticosti-class mine warfare vessels to merge seamlessly into either the Atlantic or Pacific fleets.

Donovan smirked. Oh, yeah, Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax cried foul when it was decided to end construction of the AOPVs at the second ship...though they immediately started to salivate when Adm Lloyd promised the contracts them FOUR of the new Halifax-class frigates to come as soon as dockyard space was available, the future Bathurst, Trois-Rivières and Laval; Seaspan's Vancouver yards would get contracts for Hamilton, Abbotsford and Burlington as soon as Protecteur was launched and Chantier Davie in Lévis across from Québec City would start design work on the Tribal-class destroyers — now seen as a beefed-up Halifax-class with VLS systems and more guns — with construction on the new Iroquois and Huron to start as soon as possible after Obelix was clear of the yards.

Once other FMFs got new dock space available, Donovan could authorize allowing Royal Navy, Marine Nationale and other allied nations' ships to come across the Atlantic for some VERY long-overdue refits.

Having visited HMS Hood once when he flew over to England to make the necessary arrangements for such extended refits with Third Sea Lord Vice Admiral Bruce Fraser and his counterparts...!

Shuddering as he recalled that inspection of the "pride of the Royal Navy" — it had been a definite court martial offence to run down that old girl like that since she had been commissioned in 1920! — Donovan hummed as he gazed on the proposal the Spanish naval attaché had passed on to him concerning a submarine class to replace the Victoria-class boats...

To Be Continued...

[pyeknu]

For everyone's information, here is the list for the Anticosti-class MCMVs:

ATLANTIC FLEET
MCMV-712 NCSM Anticosti
Division de Renforcement des Réserves Navales - HAVRE-SAINT-PIERRE, Québec (NCSM Jolliet)
Quartier Maritime de Navire - BAIE-COMEAU, Québec
MCMV-715 HMCS Baffin
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - IQALUIT, Northwest Territories (HMCS Qikiqtaaluk)
Ship's Home Port - ARGENTIA, Newfoundland and Labrador
MCMV-716 HMCS Manitoulin
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - GORE BAY, Ontario (HMCS Wanapitei)
Ship's Home Port (Summer) - Fort William Naval Annex, THUNDER BAY, Ontario
Ship's Home Port (Winter) - SYDNEY, Nova Scotia
MCMV-717 HMCS Akimiski
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - TIMMINS, Ontario (HMCS Troyes)
Ship's Home Port (Summer) - Fort William Naval Annex, THUNDER BAY, Ontario
Ship's Home Port (Winter) - TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Québec
MCMV-722 NCSM Îles de la Madeleine
Division de Renforcement des Réserves Navales - CAP-AUX-MEULES, Québec (NCSM Cap d'Espoir)
Quartier Maritime de Navire - CAP-AUX-MEULES, Québec
MCMV-723 NCSM Île Saint-Jean (1)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division/Division de Renforcement des Réserves Navales - CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (HMCS Queen Charlotte)
Ship's Home Port/Quartier Maritime de Navire - CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island
MCMV-724 NCSM Île Royale (2)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division/Division de Renforcement des Réserves Navales - SYDNEY, Nova Scotia (HMCS Unama'kik)
Ship's Home Port/Quartier Maritime de Navire - SYDNEY, Nova Scotia
MCMV-725 HMCS Avalon (3)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - SAINT JOHN'S, Newfoundland and Labrador (HMCS Cabot)
Ship's Home Port - ARGENTIA, Newfoundland and Labrador

PACIFIC FLEET
MCMV-713 HMCS Moresby
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - MASSET, British Columbia (HMCS Chatham)
Ship's Home Port - Digby Barracks, PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia
MCMV-714 HMCS Graham
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - MASSET, British Columbia (HMCS Chatham)
Ship's Home Port - Digby Barracks, PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia
MCMV-718 HMCS Kitlineq (4)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - INUVIK, Northwest Territories (HMCS Sombak'è)
Ship's Home Port - Digby Barracks, PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia
MCMV-719 HMCS Ellesmere
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - COBOURG, Ontario (HMCS Otonabee)
Ship's Home Port (Summer) - OSHAWA, Ontario
Ship's Home Port (Winter) - Whalley Naval Annex, SURREY, British Columbia
MCMV-720 HMCS Tatlurutit (5)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - PETERBOROUGH, Ontario (HMCS Otonabee)
Ship's Home Port (Summer) - OSHAWA, Ontario
Ship's Home Port (Winter) - Whalley Naval Annex, SURREY, British Columbia
MCMV-721 HMCS Shugliaq (6)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - CORAL HARBOUR, Nunavut (HMCS Burntwood)
Ship's Home Port - Digby Barracks, PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia
MCMV-726 HMCS Banks
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - FORT SMITH, Northwest Territories (HMCS Sombak'è)
Ship's Home Port - Digby Barracks, PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia
MCMV-727 HMCS Quadra (7)
Naval Reserve Augmentation Division - Canadian Forces Base Comox, COMOX, British Columbia (HMCS Bastion)
Ship's Home Port - Newcastle Island Naval Arsenal, NANAIMO, British Columbia

As an aside, the Naval Reserve Augmentation Division (NRAD) - In French, Division de Renforcement des Réserves Navales (DRRN) - is a dedicated group of Naval Reservists who are assigned to augment the ship's company both in peacetime and war. The ship name noted with the location of an NRAD is the "stone frigate" from where such personnel would be drawn up. Also, since mine warfare would be dedicated mostly to the Naval Reserves, these ships would be based close to where their NRAD are headquartered.

Notes:

(1) Name taken from the old French name for Prince Edward Island; allows provincial name to be used in the future.
(2) Name taken from the old French name for Cape Breton Island; prevents confusion with FMF Cape Breton in Esquimalt.
(3) Name taken from the Avalon peninsula on the Island of Newfoundland; HMCS Avalon was the RCN shore base in Saint John's during World War Two IOTL.
(4) Name taken from the Inuktitut name for Victoria Island in the Canadian Arctic; chosen to prevent confusion with attack submarine HMCS Victoria (SSK-876).
(5) Name taken from the Inuktitut name for Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic; chosen to prevent confusion with heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire (C39).
(6) Name taken from the Inuktitut name for Southampton Island at the north end of Hudson Bay; chosen to prevent confusion with light cruiser HMS Southampton (C83).
(7) Named in honour of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra (1743-94), the Spanish officer who first explored Vancouver Island in the 1790s; chosen to prevent confusion with destroyer HMCS Vancouver (FFH-331).

Also note that the reason some of the class have two home ports listed, the summer home port is within the Great Lakes while the winter home port would be out on the ocean to ensure the ships are ready to deploy when necessary.

[stevep]

Apr 19, 2019 10:45:19 GMT pyeknu said:

Hi, everyone! I'm another refugee from AH.com who got tired of the mods being tyrants, so I've come over here to see how things run at this place.

Here's the first of two side stories I wrote for this timeline that I'm bringing over.

Enjoy!

****

Side Story: The Beaver and the Rising Sun

Tōkyō, Japan, the Imperial Palace, Friday 12 April 1940, 10:00 AM JST (Ottawa time: Thursday 11 April 1940, 8:00 PM EST)...

"So you presented credentials like this to my son in your time period?"

Ambassador Ian Burney chuckled as he bowed politely to his host. "Indeed I had that honour, Your Majesty," the experienced foreign affairs officer who had been appointed as Canada's senior diplomat to a much different Japan in 2016 stated before rising to gaze upon the Heavenly Sovereign with his most charming smile. "This is as much of a strange experience to myself as I'm more than sure it is to you and your government, sir. Still, it is the wish of our government and our people that relations between our nations be maintained. Much that we do understand your people's needs in this time — as we have the hindsight of history to fall back onto — we also hope that we can avert a tragedy if your government continues on its current path, especially with its current alliance with Herr Hitler and his friends."

That made the man who would have been known in Burney's time period simply as "Shōwa Tennō" grimly nod after the translator got finished interpreting the "new" Canadian ambassador's words. "I can see your young Prime Minister's point, Mister Burney," he said. "Given what we've learned over the last months since the Kami saw to it your country was shifted back in time to our obviously sad era in history, your willingness to make friends even with whom your grandfathers saw as blood enemies speaks highly of your hearts and souls. Noting what your people were able to do to persuade Prime Minister Mussolini to break his alliance with Chancellor Hitler has made many of my ministers think we should follow suit."

Out of the corner of his eye, the McGill alumnus of the Class of 1985 was quick to see the agitated looks on the faces of several of the ministers and military officers who insisted on attending the ambassador's trip to visit the Son of Heaven to official present his credentials. Among them were those who would be declared war criminals after the end of the Greater East Asia War: General Hata Shunroku (the Minister of War) and General Tōjō Hideki (Inspector-General of Army Aviation and former Vice Minister of War). Fortunately for Burney, many others who supported a more peaceful approach to affairs with other nations — not to mention opposed the creation of the proposed Tripartite Pact between Berlin, Rome and Tōkyō — were also present: Admiral Yonai Mitsumasa (Prime Minister), Vice Admiral Yoshida Zengo (Minister of the Navy), Arita Hachirō (Minister for Foreign Affairs)...and the biggest potential ally of all to peace in the Pacific region Canada could ask for: Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the current commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

"While we in Canada will not judge how you view the internal affairs of Your Realm, Your Majesty, we understand — and in fact, highly agree to — the idea of containing the type of communism General Secretary Stálin and General Secretary Zhāng's successor as leader of the communists in China want to spread worldwide," Burney stated. "We also understand your desire to not be forced to bow down to attitudes and customs that are not your own. While there are certain standards of behaviour that are universal among the peoples of the world, forcing you to accept such things at gunpoint — as look what happened in China in the previous century, to say anything of what happened here after Commodore Parry forced the Convention of Kanagawa on your late great-grandfather in the First Year of Ansei — is certainly NOT the proper and civilized thing to do, especially when one deals with such an ancient culture as your own, sir."

As many in the room brightened on hearing that compliment from the ambassador (after it was translated for those who didn't understand English), the Heavenly Sovereign smiled. "We gladly applaud the willingness of the Dominion of Canada to help create a true equal family of nations worldwide," the spiritual descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu declared with a firm nod. "Indeed, all the Kami of the world — both yours and ours — willed this to happen." He then sat back in his chair in the Chōwaden that served as his main reception hall for foreign dignitaries. "I knew it the instant I saw your new national flag, Mister Burney."

That made the ambassador blink. "Our flag, sir?"

"The beautiful simplicity of it in comparison to the old British ensign your predecessors used," the Son of Heaven stated. As many in the room nodded on hearing that — even those like Hata and Tōjō who would only wish for these interfering gaijin to go away and allow them to push the Empire forward in the way that THEY saw was best — the raven-haired thirty-something amateur marine biologist added, "The same colours we use on our own flag, with a simple maple leaf in the centre and bars on the side. A 'Canadian pale', your frigate's commanding officer described to Admiral Yamamoto here when Regina came to Yokosuka delivering you and your staff to our shores. It is good that Canada was able to flower as it did in the wake of the valiant sacrifice of so many during the recent world war."

"Something many Canadians also understand, Your Majesty."

Silence fell as the Heavenly Sovereign considered what to ask next, then he sighed. "How many in the end?"

"Sir?"

"How many of Our Subjects died in your history?"

Burney sighed. "Estimates made by the government in our time ranged from two-and-a-half million to over three million dead, Your Majesty," he declared with a bow of his head. "Four percent of your country's total population."

That made eyes go wide as people absorbed that message...

To Be Continued...?

Pyeknu

  Welcome aboard and some interesting comments.  From rebrobin's likes I presume he's agreed in advance of your contributions.

  Some big naval changes coming.  Hope [and expect] that the RN got full information on what happened to both Hood and later the Pow& Repulse to help avoid such losses.  Although doubt there will be an encounter in Denmark Straits in TTL.

  I'm rather doubtful that you will get a peaceful resolution of the situation with Japan.  While news of the future might avoid all but the most hot-headed seeking war its still both a very militaristic regime with the military having a lot of power and very little restraint - as assorted assassinations showed - and a brutal empire in Korea, Manchuria and what its doing in China.  Also the words about the threat from communism, while they will go down well in Tokyo are not going to help Stalin's paranoia, which could make things more complex and bloody in Europe.  [If only because it means he continues economic support of the Nazis to the end and possibly makes grabs for other buffer regions before the allies win their primary battle.

  However two very interesting additions to the MfoH universe and looking forward to seeing more.

  One personal request, as a 'senior' member of the site.  Your font looks a bit small, is it possibly to use a slightly larger one please?  The eyes aren't as good as they used to be - like other parts - and I'm finding it a bit of a strain to read.

  Steve

[pyeknu]

Apr 19, 2019 11:48:51 GMT stevep said:

Apr 19, 2019 10:45:19 GMT pyeknu said:

  One personal request, as a 'senior' member of the site.  Your font looks a bit small, is it possibly to use a slightly larger one please?  The eyes aren't as good as they used to be - like other parts - and I'm finding it a bit of a strain to read.

  Steve

LOL!  No problem, my friend.  Will update now.

[pyeknu]

To stevep:

Just edited.  Is that better?

[lordroel]

Apr 19, 2019 10:45:19 GMT pyeknu said:

Hi, everyone! I'm another refugee from AH.com who got tired of the mods being tyrants, so I've come over here to see how things run at this place.

Here's the first of two side stories I wrote for this timeline that I'm bringing over.

First welcome onboard pyeknu , second if redrobin65 has no problem with you posting these good orbats in his thread then i am also okay with it as my policy is that the OP has the last word and when he ore she says No, then we respect it, also why not create a Miles From Our Home: 2018 Canada ISOTed to December 1939 Orbat thread for this, we can discuses everything you have made for this great timeline, but that is simple a suggestion from me.

[pyeknu]

Apr 19, 2019 13:13:39 GMT lordroel said:

Apr 19, 2019 10:45:19 GMT pyeknu said:

First welcome onboard pyeknu , second if redrobin65 has no problem with you posting these good orbats in his thread then i am also okay with it as my policy is that the OP has the last word and when he ore she says No, then we respect it, also why not create a Miles From Our Home: 2018 Canada ISOTed to December 1939 Orbat thread for this, we can discuses everything you have made for this great timeline, but that is simple a suggestion from me.

No problem, my friend.  Glad to be aboard here.  BTW, was the listing of the Anticosti-class MCMVs a little too much?  That's what got me kicked off AH.com for a week.

[lordroel]

Apr 19, 2019 13:34:15 GMT pyeknu said:

Apr 19, 2019 13:13:39 GMT lordroel said:

First welcome onboard pyeknu , second if redrobin65 has no problem with you posting these good orbats in his thread then i am also okay with it as my policy is that the OP has the last word and when he ore she says No, then we respect it, also why not create a Miles From Our Home: 2018 Canada ISOTed to December 1939 Orbat thread for this, we can discuses everything you have made for this great timeline, but that is simple a suggestion from me.

No problem, my friend.  Glad to be aboard here.  BTW, was the listing of the Anticosti-class MCMVs a little too much?  That's what got me kicked off AH.com for a week.

Why would it be to much, as i have said if the OP has no problem, then neither do i, there are plenty of threads with plenty Orbats on this forum.

[pyeknu]

Apr 19, 2019 13:48:59 GMT lordroel said:

Apr 19, 2019 13:34:15 GMT pyeknu said:

Why would it be to much, as i have said if the OP has no problem, then neither do i, there are plenty of threads with plenty Orbats on this forum.

That's what got me kicked off for a week by the mods at the Alternate History website.

[pyeknu]

Anyhow, the next side-story for this timeline:

Side Story: The Pride Is Renewed!

London, Buckingham Palace, Monday 21 October 1940, 11:05 AM (Ottawa time: 6:05 AM)...

"My honest congratulations and thanks, Admiral Lloyd! You as well, Air Chief Marshal..." Here, the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy caught himself before giving an apologetic smile. "Sorry, General Meinzinger!"

Chuckling, the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force smiled as he shook Sir Dudley Pound's hand. "It's an understandable mistake, sir," the recently-promoted General Al Meinzinger chuckled as he turned to shake the hand of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Portal, his opposite number as the leader of the United Kingdom's "junior service". "People are STILL unsure as to what to exactly address Her Excellency as when they see her badge of rank!"

The three senior British military officers — atop Admiral Pound and Marshal Portal, there was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir John Dill — laughed as they reached over to pat the shoulders of their Canadian counterparts. Given how numerically smaller the Canadian Forces were when compared to His Majesty's Armed Forces or the armed forces of France, it was understandable that senior service officers from the Dominion would just be "four-leaf" officers once mobilized for war and "three-leaf" flag officers in peacetime. While Ron Lloyd was embarrassed that he had been given a fourth maple leaf on his shoulders while he didn't have much of a fleet to command, it was necessary. Given how status-conscious the senior staff of the Royal Navy could be at times, treating a mid-level flag officer with the same level of respect as a First Sea Lord struck them rather odd. Fortunately, Parliament in Ottawa had been happy to oblige.

Exchanging looks, the three senior British officers smiled.

With the secret approval of Parliament in Canada and the quick assistance of a local jeweller who had been happy to help out, His Majesty and Her Excellency had prepared a special surprise for the Canadians' top commander.

"Gentlemen."

Everyone — including the new commander of the Canadian Army, General Jean-Marc Lanthier and the commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command Overseas, General Paul Wynnyk — perked on hearing that voice, then braced themselves as the Master of the Horse came into the outer reception room. "Gentlemen, His Majesty, Her Majesty and Her Excellency await you now," the tenth Duke of Beaufort, Henry Somerset, bade as he turned to wave them through the double doorways.

Straightening themselves, the seven senior officers walked into the ballroom of the palace, which had been arranged for a special investiture. Awaiting them atop His Majesty was Canada's senior military officer, General Jonathan Vance, who was now to the right rear of Her Excellency the Governor General. Also there, much to the Canadians' delight, were Her Majesty the Queen and her two daughters, the elder of which had been their head-of-state back in their old timeline. Of course, both the King and the Governor General were in uniforms, he as a field marshal of the British Army and she in her special Canadian Army uniform with the crowned lion holding up a maple leaf insignia on her shoulders. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also present, as was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Gentlemen," the King bade as the newcomers bowed their heads. His voice was strong and steady thanks to years of treatment under Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue; Wynnyk had gladly volunteered some medical personnel from 1 Canadian Forces Theatre Hospital now quartered with the rest of CJOC's overseas staff at Regent's Park Barracks two kilometres north of the Palace, though His Majesty had been quick to refuse such a very kind offer.

"Your Majesty," the newcomers declared in return.

"Please join us," the second son of the late King George V — who had been forced onto the Throne because his elder brother refused to turn away from marrying Wallace Simpson four years ago — bade as he indicated the chairs laid out beside the knee pad that had been put before the lectern. "We're quite glad to welcome you again to the Palace to express Our Realm's eternal thanks for the recent mission off Norway that removed the last major sea threat from the enemy."

Lloyd and Meinzinger blushed, nodding their thanks as people in the room applauded. The former had already given the order relayed from Julie Payette to "splice the mainbrace" and have a special ration of old-fashioned rum served to the crews of Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver and Charlottetown for their participation in the sinking of the last major surface ships in the Kriegsmarine the previous Friday, including battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The latter had got subordinates in country to get hold of bottles of said rum so CP-140 crews from 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron could share in the celebrations. Of course, said celebrations would be muted given the sheer scale of German casualties and the obvious fact that Bismarck, Eugen and their flotilla had been tossed away at Adolf Hitler's orders on a suicide run of all things!

Remembering that, the Governor General — who was keeping a very close tab on military operations despite the fact that she really had no operational control of the Armed Forces — turned and proposed a moment of silence for the enemy dead. Everyone did same, then a prayer was made by the Right Reverend Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Once that was done, the King and the Governor General exchanged knowing looks, then the former called out, "General Vance, will you please attend us here."

Surprised, the CDS moved to take his place before the King. "Sir."

"Much that We would gladly knight you and your subordinates for your stellar actions thus far since God forced the Dominion of Canada back in time to this sorry age that your grandfathers had endured, a certain resolution Madame Payette reminded me of that was passed in 1917 by the Parliament of the Dominion forbids that," His Majesty then stated, which elicited laughter from the crowd. "However, with the Advice and Consent of the Senate and the House of Commons of the Dominion of Canada, a modification to Section 21 of the National Defence Act allows another reward to you specifically, Marshal of the Forces Jonathan Vance."

Much to the amusement of everyone in the room, the Kingston native's jaw dropped in understandable shock...!

****

The War Office on Whitehall, 2:10 PM...

"You deserved it, Jon."

Jon Vance scowled as he gazed on his senior commander in country. "Watch it, Paul! You're going to be next," the former infantry officer warned as he wagged a finger at the former engineer from Edmonton.

Paul Wynnyk cringed as the officers who invited the senior Canadian commanders to the Admiralty's operations room deep within the basement levels of the War Office chuckled. "Oh, don't be so sad about it, Jon," Dudley Pound said as he waved his now-equal over towards the office he normally used when here. People in the room — mostly British with the odd scattering of Canadians — perked on seeing the specially-crafted marshal's baton in the Ontarian's right hand, then immediately snapped to attention.

A smiling captain then came over. "Marshal Vance, welcome to the Operations Centre," he called out, bowing his head to the Canadian; since no one had headdress, no hand salutes were made. "Congratulations on your promotion. Minister Singh passed on the excellent news."

The now-FIVE maple leaf general officer — the five gold leaves on his Number 1 uniform had been expertly put into place by Princess Elizabeth and Margaret once the warrant of his promotion had been read out by Julie Payette — sighed as he raised the hand holding the baton. He then stopped before scowling. "Good God! How the hell do I salute with this thing?!" he then asked.

Laughter broke out in the room, which earned some of the people a scowling look from the captain that just greeted the visitors. "Oh, enough, Shepard!" Pound stated, which made the native of Gerrards Cross jerk. "Much that I'm sure Marshal Vance would have preferred to remain primus inter pares with Admiral Lloyd, General Lanthier, General Meinzinger, General Rouleau and General Wynnyk, the necessities of this dratted war demanded otherwise. In the meantime, what's the news from off Norway? Did the good lads and ladies of 413 Squadron manage to get all the survivors of Lütjens' force out of the water and ashore?"

Jonathan Shepard nodded as he waved over to the main plotting table. "We just got the message from Commander 49 Wing at Valley. The last search carried out by 413 was finished earlier this morning," he explained as he indicated where the last major surface force of the Kriegsmarine had been sunk. "Sadly, neither Admiral Lütjens or any other senior officer were recovered." He then gazed at Al Meinzinger. "My compliments to you and the RCAF as a whole, General. Those search and rescue technicians have saved a tonne of lives since they deployed here with Three Air Division. My son among them; he was one of the Swordfish gunners that were shot down on Friday before the Harpoons went in."

"Where was he on, Captain?" the commander of the RCAF asked.

"He flew off Ark Royal, part of 810 Squadron..."

"Excuse me, Captain..."

Everyone turned as a pretty second officer of the Women's Royal Naval Service — the equal of a navy lieutenant in the RCN — came up with a sheet of computer print-out. "What is it, Miss Davis?" Shepard asked.

"We received a flash message from Montréal, sir," Anne Davis reported before she gazed on Ron Lloyd. "She just signalled us that there was an engineering accident on Hood." She then handed the printout to the chief of operations.

Shephard scanned the note there, thankful that the commander of the seventh Halifax-class helicopter frigate didn't make use of those maddening abbreviations inherited from the Americans in their timeline when it came to what was going on. After a moment, he winced before handing it to Pound. "She threw two screws and one turbine's completely stripped, sir." As the First Sea Lord looked things over, Shephard gazed on Lloyd. "No fatalities, but Hood can only make about fifteen knots right now." He indicated the position of the only Admiral-class battlecruiser on the main map of the North Atlantic.

The Canadians looked. "How far from Halifax?" Wynnyk asked.

A caliper was handed over, then Shephard did a speed estimate according to the map's scale, mentally calculating the travel time. "Four days, General. That is IF there's not another engineering casualty, sir."

"Irving couldn't take a ship like that, Ron," Jean-Marc Lanthier noted.

"What's Obelix's status, Ron?" Vance wondered.

"She's out of the dock and getting a final fit-out before trials start, sir," the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy declared as the British personnel present all gaped. "The Naval Replenishment Unit's raring to go."

"Can that dry dock take Hood?"

Lloyd grinned. "The Champlain Dock is 351 metres long by nearly 37 metres wide, General." He then flustered, though the CDS waved him down. "Fully flooded, she takes over fifteen metres of water."

Davis nodded. "Hood is a little over 262 metres long, has a beam of almost 32 metres and draws almost ten metres of water fully loaded," she explained, earning her surprised looks from Shephard and Pound, making her blush. "Since the Canadians use metric terms, Admiral, I felt it necessary to memorize all the proper dimensions for the older capital ships given Admiral Donovan's offer to Admiral Fisher to have them refitted at fleet maintenance yards in Canada."

Pound gaped. "Jon, I have no words...!"

"Save it, Dudley," Vance said as he waved him down. "Lieutenant Wynter!"

A pretty female naval lieutenant came over. "Yes, General?" Dana Wynter asked.

"Flash traffic to Montréal and IMF Lauzon, with all the necessary side messages to the applicable parties," the Ontarian infantry officer ordered. "Hood is to be welcomed at IMF Lauzon and put into dry dock. Get those engines and everything else looked over on that ship; I remember Admiral Donovan's little rant about that how badly run down she was. Any further upgrades to her system will have to be negotiated between ourselves and our hosts, but I'm sure Ms. Charron can make the right arrangements with Admiral Fraser. I'll brief the Prime Minister."

"Aye-aye, sir!" the younger officer said as she turned back to her part of the room.

A wide-eyed Davis came over as the senior brass began discussing what could be done. "That was gracious, Dana," the native of Glendalough in Ireland's County Wicklow — she had been born before the start of the Easter Rebellion in 1916, her family moving to London after the Irish Free State was established six years later — whispered as the Canadian officer began typing away on her machine to compose the right messages to the parties that need to be contacted about this.

"Were you ever briefed on what happened to Hood and ships like her in our history, Anne?" the native of Saint John in New Brunswick — she was a reserve intelligence officer brought to Class C service from HMCS Brunswicker, the province's first naval reserve division — wondered as she watched the letters appear on her screen, her fingers dancing over the keyboard.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, when Hood encountered Bismarck in the Denmark Strait in May of '41, she was hit by a shell in her aft four-inch magazine...which is right next to the aft fifteen-inch magazine on that ship."

Davis winced. "She would have gone up like a Roman candle!" she hissed.

"In our history, she did," Wynter warned. "Only THREE survivors of a crew of over fourteen hundred."

People listening to this all cringed on hearing that...

To Be Continued...

[lordroel]

Apr 19, 2019 17:31:00 GMT pyeknu said:

"Flash traffic to Montréal and IMF Lauzon, with all the necessary side messages to the applicable parties," the Ontarian infantry officer ordered. "Hood is to be welcomed at IMF Lauzon and put into dry dock. Get those engines and everything else looked over on that ship; I remember Admiral Donovan's little rant about that how badly run down she was. Any further upgrades to her system will have to be negotiated between ourselves and our hosts, but I'm sure Ms. Charron can make the right arrangements with Admiral Fraser. I'll brief the Prime Minister."

Doubt HMS hood is going to get here original planned refit/upgrade but gets a little bit more i guess.

Here is what was planed for HMS Hood refit in OTL had she not encountered Bismark ore check this out: HMS Hood's Proposed 1942 Large Repair

- New internal machinery and improved subdivision. It was desirable to upgrade and relocate engines and boilers. Alternatively, at a minimum the boilers would be replaced.

- Rearranged/remodelled torpedo bulges and side armour. Most likely the side bulges would have been extended to the top of the 7" armour belt rather than to the top of the 12" belt.

- Improved deck armour/protection over vital areas.

- Removal of armoured conning tower and the 5" side armour.

- New superstructure and masts fore and aft. Most notably, the forward superstructure would have been a "block" type similar to that of Renown, the Queen Elizabeths or the King George Vs (KGV).

- New funnels. These would have been something similar to those on Renown as KGV funnels would have been too small.

- Addition of a catapult, dual hangars and Walrus seaplanes. 

- Improved antiaircraft (AAA) protection. This would include the removal of all existing weaponry and replacement with a total of 6 Mark M eight-barreled pom poms and lastly, the addition of either 12-16 x 5.25" guns (same type as KGV) or 16 x 4.5" (same type as Renown). Of course, the ship would likely have also received updated 0.5" machine guns and multiple 40mm mounts.

- Upgraded fire control. She would have received updated radar, fire control tables, comms, directors, etc.

- Extended forecastle deck. Hood's stern was notoriously wet due to her overweight condition. An extension was considered for the simple fact that it might help keep the quarterdeck a bit drier. The extension would retain the rough "V" shape but would instead, extend to "X" turret.