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mr-camhed · 9 months

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The Spangler Heavy Industries Model 65 Super Heavy Breakthrough Tank, also known as the Persuader Tank, is a prototype Super Heavy Breakthrough Tank designed and manufactured by Spangler Heavy Industries for the Brabazonian Federal Army in the later years of the Second Atlantide War.

It was made as both side of war slows down and fortifies against each other's attack instead of the more assault and counterassault focused battles with lighter, faster strategies and equipments before the grueling siege of Mayne where the Brabazonian Industrial center beaten back several waves of Atlantide raids with heavy fortification and firepower, and even though the Federal Army's newer heavy artillery, tanks, bomber aircrafts and warships are sufficient for the Federal military's counteroffence against Atlantide fortifications, the army believed that their current main tank, the Stepper Hunter Type 6 medium tank(a design combination between US T14 Heavy tank, Canadian Ram tank and Argentinian DL-43 Nahuel tank) and National Machinery model 33 Union heavy tanks(a combination between Hungarian 44M Tas, soviet T-43 and German Tiger tanks), is insufficient in the fear factor against atlantide forces in comparison to the Navy's new Federation class super Battleships(based on Montana-Class, HMS Devastation in WOWS and Japanese A150 Class Battleships), Homeland class fast battleship(based on Iowa-class, Bismarck-class and Vanguard-class battleship) and Blizton class Aircraft Carriers(supercarrier/battlecarriers based on Federation class Battleship hulls) and the Air Force's Federation avionics Retaliatior 400 six propeller heavy bomber(based on Boeing B-54 And Junker Ju 390 Amerikabomber), and Collins Model 44 Bulwark quad jet fast Bombers(based on Arado Ar 234 Blitz and North American B-45 Tornado), while the high casualty rate of the Army's soldiers and equipment due to Atlantide forces' zealous and resilience despite their inferiority in ranged weaponry that also tipped the public opinion against their favor.

And with the Persuader tank, they're looking to build a rolling bunker with an extremely powerful 203 milimetre howitzer as the main gun to punch through enemy fortifications, and multiple smaller but still rather effective auxiliary Guns, including a 88mm anti tank gun mounted in the front of the hull to the right of the driver's seat, two 90mm infantry support gun in the sponsons in both sides of the tanks, and dual 20mm autocannons that serves as the coaxial and hatch mounted gun that can provide cover fire for accompanying units and deterrent against aerial enemies. Its heavy weight and armor which would reach the thickness of 250 milimetres would allow it to plow through enemy defensive measures and laugh at enemy fire. It was also powered by an upscaled version of their 16 Litre diesel V16 engine used in regular tanks, which is now at the displacement level of 36 Litres and supercharged, making 1800 kilowatts of power, which was transmitted to the sprocket wheels via a novel electric drive system to power a pair of 1.5m width twin tracks to dissipate the weight and increase grip on loose surfaces such as gravel and mud, allowing it to achieve a considerably high top speed. The 20 meter long, 8 meter wide(10 meter counting the sponsons that housed the 90mm guns) and 4.5 meter tall 200 ton metal behemoth was manned by a crew of twelve, including a commander, four gunners and loaders for the four guns each, a driver, an observer who also serves as a mechanic, and a radio operator that also serves as an observer.

However, the prototype of the tank was found to be rather unsatisfactory. It was still rather slow, the massive size makes it an easy target, the massive weight means that it can't go over many bridges, be transported by rail or roll on paved surfaces without completely tilling it, and the tank would shake extremely violently when going over uneven surface which makes the crew almost impossible to operate the vehicle, and the 88mm gun would be easily damaged when breaking through enemy defense due to a lot of its barrel sticking out and often taking the brunt of whatever it hit. Thus, the Persuader tank was rejected by the Federal Army, its role was replaced by Maynesburg Heavy Machinery's famous and perennial Minister series heavy main battle tanks(based on IS Series and T29/T30/T32/T34/M26 Pershing heavy tanks), And with the war also prematurely ended after the sinking of the floating city of Atlantide, the development on Persuader Tank and a "tank destroyer" variant (based on T28 Super Heavy tank destroyer and is basically a large armored dome on tracks) were both halted and the Persuader tank was left in a museum's storage space while the "tank destroyer"'s unfinished chassis was dismantled and scrapped.

However, some 40 years later, while Talon Corporation is pitching sales of the Federation's surplus military equipments to the nations of the New Land, one of the most frantically willing customers, a fascist Monarchy in possession of vast frozen arctic and subarctic tundra, finds many of their heavy and superheavy tanks, while effective and deadly in combat against most of other forces of the new land, was somewhat lacking in the factor of intimidation due to their "compact" size in comparison to the difference of light and heavy equipment of other services such as the Navy and the Air force(where Talon Corporation assisted them in construction of massive rigid airships with the firepower, defense capability and the aircraft carrying capacity of of Two Federation class battleships and a Blizton class SuperCarrier combined), as most super heavy tanks were barely one and half times the size of the more advanced Centaur(Similar to the EE-T1 Osorio main battle tank and French AMX-30/40 MainBattle tank) and TBT-3(based on the Vickers Main Battle Tank series, Italian Ariete Main battle tank and South African Olifant Main Battle Tank) Main Battle Tanks and barely larger than the Ferma-Chandler Heavy Main Battle tank(a combination between the Conqueror Heavy tank, M103 Heavy tank, T-95 Main battle tank and M1 abrams series Main Battle tank) used by Talon Corporation Mercenaries. And without missing a beat, the sales representative of Talon Corporation produced a picture of the Persuader tank in comparison of a Minister-9 heavy MBT(the final model of the Minister series, based on the T-10/IS-8, M103 And M46 Patton, and was in active service as late as early black tide crisis), which almost immediately caught the eye of the Imperial Nobilitys' eye, and they immediately ordered one to be sent to the Imperial territory for evaluation. And to better sell the tank, the company that had acquired Spangler, Utility Automotive Commercial(UAC, commercial subsidiary of the Brabazonian automotive Juggernaut Utility Automotive/UA) set out to vastly improve and modernize the Persuader Tank. They reinforced the structure and armour of the tank with stronger materials and internals, the supercharged V16 diesel Engine was replaced with a pair of 18 liter twincharger 8 cylinder engines driving the sprockets together, making over twice the power, and that can even potentially be replaced with a miniature Magnussen Reactor to make it even more powerful, the suspension were improved to make the cabin more stable, and the 88mm anti tank gun is now capable of retracting back into the hull when the vehicle is rolling through obstacles, and the equipments were also all upgraded and thus better suits the needs. The improved Persuader tank was almost immediately loved by the Imperial Nobility and the Tsar, and they ordered it without hesitation. It's yet unknown if any more Persuader tank were being manufactured or where they were manufacturing them, though there had been many claims of these super heavy vehicle spotted in different places.

#fictional worldbuilding #Fictional vehicles #Super heavy tank #Breakthrough tank #Talon Corporation

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alchemistc · 2 years

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journey's end in lovers meeting 1/1

Note: By ao3's count I haven't published a fic in four years, so it figures gay middle aged pirates would be the thing to get me back into it. I'm fucking gone for these fuckheads.

Ed/Stede post-finale, 4.6k words -

The whispers go like this:

There’s a crew of ghosts haunting the West Indies, sailing up and down the trade winds, causing havoc.

Only two deaths have been reported, both considered to be accidents - though no one is forthcoming in explaining how a keelhaul and a beheading can be considered accidental.

These ‘ghosts’ apparently are set for revenge, though no one seems quite certain what they are vengeful about. Would be a useful tidbit to know, but no crew who’s run afoul of them can provide more detail than that.

They’ve sunk twelve ships in two months, captured three more, and every account of the ship they’re sailing on is different.

One of the ghosts has a lovely singing voice.

read on ao3

It takes three months for Blackbeard to compile a comprehensive list of the whispers - rumors of what Blackbeard recognizes as a possible nemesis in the art of a good fuckery. That first month the traitorous Ed keens and fights back against all the murder in Blackbeard's heart, but then…

Stede Bonnet is dead. He’d seen the grave and everything. Pirates don’t bury their treasure, but Ed’s treasure is beneath the ground all the same. He’d spent a night tracing the lines of his name, stabbing the dirt around the headstone and sobbing into a bottle of rum, had to be carted away near sunrise by an ever more resigned Izzy Hands.

He’d stared at the purple clouds clotting the sky and thought it was fitting, really, that Stede abandoned life with the same aplomb he abandoned everything else.

Blackbeard had locked himself in the cabin for a week and been pissed with himself for tossing every-fucking-thing of Stede’s away already - he wanted to smash all the fine china to the floor, and rip into the fancy fabrics, and burn every last memory just so Stede would fucking leave his head.

The auxiliary closet stays closed, and Blackbeard and Ed have a nice chat about how neither of them is worthy of it, and then Ed hands over the reins and lets Blackbeard drag them kicking and screaming back into the land of the living.

Another week and he starts to hear the whispers. He dismisses them, at first - a haggard looking crew tells tall tales about their ship being haunted for a full week before they’d all been so terrified they’d abandoned it, taking meager supplies and hauling away in the dinghies to row to Charleston; then a merchant ship full of silk is boarded by a raiding party but the merchants can’t describe a single member of the enemy crew; a Spanish warship is scuttled and the ghosts ignore the gold in the hold in favor of a set of teaware and the captain’s first edition Don Quixote.

More whispers haunt Blackbeard across every port they land in, and Blackbeard grows - curious. The whispers go like this:

There’s a crew of ghosts haunting the West Indies, sailing up and down the trade winds, causing havoc.

Only two deaths have been reported, both considered to be accidents - though no one is forthcoming in explaining how a keelhaul and a beheading can be considered accidental.

They’ve sunk twelve ships in two months, captured three more, and every account of the ship they’re sailing on is different.

One of the ghosts has a lovely singing voice.

Blackbeard doesn’t believe in ghosts - not any of them, not a single kind, not even the ones that scratch at his walls and sound suspiciously like Lucius when they scoff at him, not the ones that force him to curl into himself and stare at the untouched auxiliary closet with tears streaming down his cheeks, not the ones that tell him to chase a ship stocked with fine tea, and sigh prettily when he orders the ship blown out of the water before they board it.

What Blackbeard does believe in is shitheads who’ve heard enough of his last few months to make a mockery out of him. Whoever they are, they’re always one step ahead of Blackbeard, one port away, and Blackbeard isn’t chasing them, but he isn’t not chasing them either.

It’s infuriating, if he’s being honest. It’s exhilarating, too, though only the ghost of Ed is ever honest about that.

---

Nassau is abuzz with the latest gossip when Blackbeard settles himself into a chair at the nicer brothel in town, candlelight blazing in his eyes as he yanks the rum out of Iz’s hands and drinks right from the bottle. He pretends not to be listening, but he hears it all the same.

– Scuttled the Katherine near Charleston, seized the Ranger , and left Charles Vane and his crew to row their merry way to land –

– No, that’s not right, they were in Abaco and the ghosts merely traded with Vane –

– Ghosts don’t trade , fuckhead, they sunk the Ranger and the Katherine and now they’ve made their way out to open waters to find their next victim -

– Victim of what , they just take a few worthless trinkets and send them all on their way, seem like shit ghosts to me -

Blackbeard sees him stomping his way across the room - Vane would probably prefer another term but to Blackbeard it just looks like stomping - and before he really cottons on to what’s happening Vane has a hand around his throat and is slamming him sideways into the table.

The whispers die down - disappointing, really - and Izzy’s got a blade to Vane’s throat, and Blackbeard wonders if he’s finally about to be blissfully freed of this fucking miserable life.

I haven’t died yet, have I? Maybe we just try that.

“Kinky,” he says, and Vane growls. “I like it.”

“Shut the fuck up, Teach.” His voice still has that raspy hiss to it that Blackbeard has always admired, and while the exact circumstances of Charles Vane slamming him into a table escape him, he feels a bit of a grin edging up on his face. This is fucking interesting.

“Oh, I go exclusively by Blackbeard, now.” Izzy looks like he might fucking blow his top, vibrating with excitement as the knife digs into the skin of Charles’ neck. “Fuck off, Iz, just a bit of foreplay.”

Vane tosses him back, and Blackbeard lets himself be tossed, rolling his head a little as his spine slides along the table, Vane snarling even as Iz lowers the blade, and Blackbeard fucking laughs, laughs like it’s the greatest fucking thing in the world.

He knows his face is streaked with black smudges, caked into the creases around his eyes and crusted into his beard. Probably looks like shit, he hasn’t been sober in a month and he’s been drinking rum straight out of the bottle like it’s water since long before they actually made it to this fine establishment.

Edward nudges something inside of Blackbeard, and Blackbeard shuts it down, considers hopping up and smashing his face into Vane's just to see if he can get them both seeing stars.

“What’s your fuckin’ problem, mate?” Blackbeard says instead.

“My problem is a bunch of lunatics stole my fucking ship and bade me send regards to Edward fucking Teach in return for sparing my whole crew and sending us off in a fucking dinghy off the coast of Charleston two weeks ago.”

Blackbeard is still clutching the neck of the rum bottle - he doesn’t do much more than lift his head up enough to take a swig. “Sounds like you need a better crew.”

“Fuck you , Ed.”

He huffs, wipes at his mouth. “Get in fucking line.” It’s bitter, even to his own drink muddled brain, and it reeks of Edward. Edward, who fancied himself deserving of fine fabrics and tea with a dollop of milk and seven sugars served in ornate little teacups, deserving of tender touches and soft kisses and the warmth of Stede Bonnet’s smile.

It’s all blurred up inside him, the line between Blackbeard and Edward Teach, jagged edges of them both rubbing and crashing and tearing up his insides.

Vane reaches for the neck of the bottle in Blackbeard’s hands, yanks it from him, and takes a few heavy swigs before he settles into the chair Iz had vacated.

They stare at each other for a while. Well. Vane stares at Blackbeard and Blackbeard struggles to think of what to do with his hands without the bottle of rum to hold when Vane plops the rum in between his legs and gives him a squinty-eyed once over.

“You ever heard of a scavenger hunt?” Vane says after a long, bleak silence, and proceeds to tell Blackbeard the most unlikely tale of the lot.

---

Stede Bonnet is dead. Dead as a doornail. Dead and rotting.

He’d visited his fucking grave . Considered digging it up just so he could salt and burn Stede Bonnet’s rotting fucking corpse.

Jim reads over the clipping three times before they turn their face up to Blackbeard. “Hm? What does it say?”

“It’s fucking bleak.” Jim says, and they eye him like he’ll lose his fucking shit over the contents.

“I’m fucking Blackbeard!” he yells, and ignores the ghost in the walls who chuffs out a laugh that Jim does a shit job of ignoring. “Fucking read it!”

Jim sighs and does as they’re told and then fucks off at the maniacal grin curling on Blackbeard's face.

He can’t read the fucking thing, but when he curls up next to the large window, the ledge stripped bare of it’s soft sheets and softer mattress, he presses his fingers into the ink and thinks of the crew of ghosts who stole onto the Ranger in the dead of night, overpowered the deadly crew of Charles fucking Vane, and promised to leave the ship waiting, anchored in Blind Man's Cove in a fortnight so long as Charles brought the newspaper and the treasure map to Edward Teach.

Survived the initial attack by a feral jungle cat, emerging bloody and victorious, only to be run over by a carriage - perhaps might have lived to see another day if not for the piano that crushed his skull.

Blackbeard laughs, and Edward cries, and the ghost in the walls doesn’t console him because they’re maybe crying a bit, too.

It’s a fuckery, alright. A fucking Theater of Fear.

When he settles enough that the tears and hiccups of laughter subside, Blackbeard gathers himself, wiping the backs of his hands over the ruddy black mess, and shoves across the room to open the auxiliary closet.

---

They don’t make it to Blind Man’s Cove. Barely make it out of the hurricane alive, and then they’re becalmed for more than a week while they make repairs. Izzy makes a comment about missing rations on day four that the crew side eye each other about, shuffling suspiciously, and Blackbeard tells Izzy it’s him taking the extra water and oranges, and if he has a problem with it he can say goodbye to another three toes.

The ghost in the walls mutters annoyed thanks, and Blackbeard tells the ghost to fuck off.

On day seven he chucks the leather jacket in favor of one of the dark linen shirts in the auxiliary closet and wishes he had been stealing extra rations - it’s so fucking hot, and the rum doesn’t appeal when his mind’s already fuzzy with lack of water.

On day twelve they wake to a gentle breeze. Blackbeard sets a course even though he knows they’ll be too late, Izzy throws a nice tantrum there on the deck, and Fang knocks him out cold with a paddle. They both get tossed into the ball room for their trouble, the door guarded by a confused Jim, and Blackbeard can hear the ghost in the walls cackling when Izzy’s voice gives out from all the yelling he does.

The Ranger isn’t moored in Blind Man’s Cove when they reach it, and though he sends Frenchie and Ivan off to check, he doesn’t expect them to find anyone. He’s not looking for people.

Stede had told him about scavenger hunts, once. They’d been sitting in the crows nest after a long day of Ed teaching him about pirating, giggling over the way Ed had made the Dutch merchant cry and piss himself, and the conversation had ebbed and flowed, as it always seemed to with them.

“...and we could devise a scavenger hunt for the crew!”

“What’s that then?”

“You’ve never had a scavenger hunt?”

“...obviously not.” Ed had been a little embarrassed, which was stupid, because Stede delighted in teaching Ed things.

“Well, it’s a game. Sort of like hunting for treasure!”

“No one hunts for treasure, mate.”

“Be that as it may - the designer of the hunt leaves a trail of clues for the hunters to follow. The clues could be an object, or a puzzle, a piece of trivia or a riddle. And the hunters follow the trail of breadcrumbs until they find the prize at the end of the hunt!”

Ed doesn’t really want to admit it, not with Izzy glaring daggers at Stede from the helm, but, “Could be fun,” he mutters, kicking out a leg. “Only we’d need to spice it up a bit. They’re pirates, not fancy rich kids looking for a laugh.”

Stede hums, and Ed thinks he’s made a mistake, wants, for a moment, to turn and soothe the furrow he can imagine on Stede’s forehead.

“I suppose we could throw in a cleverly disguised raid, or a harrowing ghost story to liven it up. Perhaps a witch could make an appearance.”

“There could be a daring rescue when the raid goes wrong.” Ed says, turning away from Izzy’s hard stare to watch the grin shift up on Stede’s face.

“Perhaps a fabricated death and a reunion after the last clue is discovered.”

“Sounds positively Shakespearean,” Ed says, returning the grin, and Stede frowns just a bit at that.

“Well, they mostly die for real in Shakespeare’s work, so perhaps not.”

Ed, who has already discovered he’d do practically anything to keep Stede grinning, thinks hard on the summed up versions of Shakespeare’s plays he’s wheedled out of Stede on warm nights when the fire is banked low in the captains cabin.

“We’ll end it with a shipwreck,” he says, and Stede’s brow raises. “Not a real one, but - strand them on a beach somewhere - I’ll be disguised as a beautiful damsel -”

“Why a damsel?”

Ed pushes on rather than answering the question. “And you’ll be a duke, rescuing the crew and leading them to their destiny.”

It’s quiet. Quiet for longer than Ed is comfortable with. Quiet enough that he looks up, and catches Stede’s eye, and sees something in his gaze that makes Ed think, just for a moment, like he might reach for Stede’s hand.

Then below them the deck erupts into chaos as Izzy stumbles over a pile of misplaced rope and threatens to disembowel the next idiot who leaves it laying about.

When Frenchie clambers back up on deck and deposits half a petrified orange in Blackbeard’s hand, he feels something break inside of him, and then feels the torn edges of Ed and Blackbeard start to heal over each other.

“We have our heading, gentleman,” he tells the curious crew, pocketing the orange, the grin on his face more Ed than Blackbeard.

St. Augustine is still land, something Blackbeard has never really been a fan of, but he huffs and puffs his way through the trees anyway, following behind Jim as they take him down paths he doesn’t remember, until he finds himself crossing a field of grass towards an abandoned homestead and a dead orange tree.

Jim hands him the shovel in silence, glaring just a little to make their thoughts known, and it’s likely just the surprise at being allowed off the ship that has left Jim in a not murdering mood. Blackbeard digs, and digs, and digs, and for an awful moment wonders if he’d misunderstood the fucking clue. He takes a moment of despair to wonder what he’ll do if he doesn’t have a breadcrumb to follow from here.

The shovel thunks against something buried in the ground below.

It’s a wooden chest. It’s a locked wooden chest, and Blackbeard could probably just break the thing open, but what if the clue is delicate, and the wood shatters, and he can’t keep chasing. It’s a chase, in a sense, even though this whole thing has been put together for him. It might be a test, Blackbeard thinks, turning the chest over, tilting it side to side. It takes him three turns to make out the cross etched into the bottom.

Jim’s Nana greets them with a smile, shuffles them both in, and Jim flies by in a flash just as Blackbeard spots the man sitting at the table, fingers tapping impatiently. Blackbeard averts his gaze to give the reunited couple a moment.

The nun in front of him is eyeing him with suspicion, but after an intense stare down she sighs softly and reaches into her wimple to draw out a length of simple cord with a key tied to the end. She mutters something in Spanish - Ed catches a curse, and something adjacent to love, and then he’s settling himself on the floor and staring reverently at the wooden chest for a moment before he presses the key into the lock.

Ed’s breath catches in his throat when he tilts the hinge and catches sight of familiar red silk.

---

They don't tell Izzy Olu is back, and when they finally let him out a week later (Fang had been given a warning and let out the day after the incident for good behavior) he stares at Olu for a long moment and then lets out a resigned sigh.

Olu steers them towards New Providence.

In the intervening weeks, Blackbeard decides to give it a rest. He scrubs his face of weeks (months, years) of darkness, and tucks the bit of silk next to his heart, where he’s kept Edward safe all these years, and he stares in the mirror until he doesn’t hate the man staring back at him.

“Oh thank fuck,” the ghost in the walls says, and Edward Teach greets Lucius with a grin and a bottle of the nice brandy when he tumbles out of the auxiliary wardrobe ten minutes later.

---

Lucius Spriggs is a resilient motherfucker. Batshit, too, but Ed’s always respected that in a man. Black Pete greets him tearfully in New Providence, and Lucius bends him backwards with the force of the kiss they share. Izzy makes a noise like he means to say something truly rotten, and only stops at the stern glare Ed gives him.

Lucius tosses a middle finger into the air in Izzy's general direction regardless, and Pete manages to give Ed the silent treatment for three whole days before Lucius cajoles him into revealing the clue he’s been left with.

The Revenge sits in still waters for a week while Ed tries to work it out.

He’s settled in for another night of wracking his brain to sort it.

What can be broken, even if you never pick it up?

My fucking heart, Ed thinks, and takes a swing of the rum in his hand.

He’d tucked himself under the stairs hours ago, let the crew settle in for a night of quiet chatter, but he’d grown restless at some point, and unfurled himself from his hiding spot to lounge against the rail - he’d managed a good five minutes there before the soft lap of water against the hull began to grow too relaxing and he’d been in danger of falling asleep.

Now he paces, listening to the crew tossing riddles back and forth - not the ones he needs answered, of course, and slightly mocking, if he’s not mistaken.

“What paces back and forth on the ocean floor,” Lucius mutters, eyeing Ed as he paces only slightly above the ocean.

“A nervous wreck!” Pete says, and Ivan and Frenchie both laugh. Ed does not gut them, but it’s a near thing.

Its a stupid fucking riddle, is the problem. There are too many answers to it, and not enough time for Ed to figure out which is the right one. Could be a bone, or a wave, or a -

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches sight of Jim, remembers the story of their disguise, and the ensuing near-death experience they’d had when they’d been caught at it.

A fucking nose?

---

Spanish Jackie greets him at knifepoint with a scowl, and Ed had been prepared to break another nose jar, but thankfully she just points a finger in towards a corner, where Wee John and the Swede are both waving awkwardly. Buttons is with them, but he’s not even looking Ed’s way.

Ed settles into the open seat at their table.

“Gents.”

“‘Ello, Captain,” Buttons says, still staring determinedly at the table.

“What’s his fuckin’ deal?”

“You did maroon us and leave us to die,” Feeney tells him, but there’s not much fire in it.

“Not afeared of death,” is Buttons answer. “Just think its unjust, makin’ Captain chase. S’not right, when Captain’s the one should be chasin’.”

It takes Ed a moment to wrap his head around that.

The thought hadn’t crossed his mind - that Stede should be the one doing the chasing. It’s been thrilling, following the trail of crumbs Stede’s left behind, proof that the moments they’d shared had left as much of a mark on Stede as they had on Ed.

“Captain said it was romantic,” the Swede says.

Wee John nods like he agrees, glaring at Buttons, but Buttons clicks his tongue and shakes his head.

“Nothin’ romantic about Ocracoke Island.”

Wee John reaches out and smacks Buttons across the shoulder. “We weren’t supposed to say!”

---

The Swede hands him a book once they’re all aboard, and Ed waits until most everyone has gone to bed. The games been ruined, but the clue is still a piece of Stede he’d left for Ed to find. There’s gold leafing around the edges of the cover, and an illustration of a beach littered with broken bits of ship, and a crudely drawn map with an X over the spot Ed knows there’s a lighthouse on Ocracoke.

He waits until everyone is asleep before he creeps across the deck to Lucius. He knows which book it is, but he asks Lucius all the same, when he wakes from his dead sleep and lets out a muffled scream from under the hand Ed has pressed to his mouth.

“It’s Twelfth Night, you lunatic!” he tells Ed, and when Ed returns to his cabin he places it softly on the bookshelf, next to the petrified orange half and the bundle of lavender he’d nicked off a woman in Bath.

---

They sight the British navy as the sun is cresting the horizon - the sloop blocking the inlet where Stede had - where Stede -

He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t think, Blackbeard roars in his veins, seized by the terror of losing Stede, and Ed lets him roar. He’s barking orders before he’s done so much as breath, trying to recall everything he knows of the layout of Ocracoke, anything that might give him some sort of fucking edge - it’s a well laid trap, no escape if the British have timed it right.

Izzy’s in his ear, shouting over the din to belay Ed's command, to turn back, to end this now before he gets them all killed, but all Edward can think of is Stede, out there all alone with no one but Roach for company.

No one but…

The crew all look at him expectantly. Knowingly. Ed knows this island well enough to know you can’t man a ship through these shoals with one fucking crew member. Even a master sailor couldn’t do it, and Stede is anything but.

“Stand down,” Ed tells them, and Izzy looks pleased.

---

They wait. Far off, cannon sounds, and wood rends, and the sounds of battle plague Ed and Blackbeard equally, even as he tells himself that Stede has schemed this all up.

The worry eats at him, moments turning into hours as they drop anchor far enough out from the British to miss them entirely when the navy returns. They lower the flag, and position themselves with the wind, just in case.

The naval ship passes them by two days later. Ed only hears about it well after they're gone - by that time he’s drunk enough to sink into the walls and become the ship, he thinks.

They tell him about the head mounted to the bowsprit, and Ed thinks of the way Stede looked in the moments before he kissed him.

The fake heads idea wasn’t bad.

Stede Bonnet is a raving madman.

The crew has steered around to the far end of the island, and they row to shore within the hour. Ed laps them the moment they reach the shoreline, hiking up the slope of the beach until he hits forest, crashing through the underbrush, unheeding of anyone left behind by the British.

He crests the hill at the highest point of the island, eyes casting about while his blood thrums in his veins and his lungs struggle to sustain his pace.

“Ed!”

Ed stumbles at the sound. His knee gives out, and he nearly tumbles, only - those are hands catching him round the elbows, hands with arms, arms attached to shoulders - Ed hits the solid wall of a chest and his breath rushes out of him.

“You’re a fucking lunatic,” he manages to say, voice muffled against a warm, freckled throat, and then he’s laughing, arms reaching up, around Stede’s back, dragging himself up by sheer force of will. “And I love you.”

---

Stede watches him survey the damage. The blood, the smoke, the complete fucking chaos Stede managed to create. He’s got beard burn all up his neck and there’s a bruise forming behind his ear right at the spot Ed's mouth had made him whimper, and even now his face is flushed red.

Blackbeard’s dead.

Attacked by the navy on a crisp November morning, Blackbeard and his men had put up a valiant fight, but they’d been no match for Captain Maynard. Throat sliced, shot, stabbed, head cut off.

Blackbeard’s dead.

Blackbeard curls up in Ed’s chest and takes a well deserved fucking nap.

Ed hasn’t let go of Stede’s hand, even when it’s been a bit inconvenient. They’ve had to navigate fallen logs and narrow pathways and they’ve tripped and stumbled over each other a hundred times on their walk back across the island, but Ed holds tight and Stede - Stede doesn’t let go.

“Bit presumptuous,” he tells Stede, turning into him. Stede cocks his head, smiling a smile so warm it could burn the whole world. “Faking my death without even asking.”

“Are you terribly upset with me?”

“Oh yeah. Fucking livid, mate.” It’s not entirely a lie. He’d forgiven him the moment he’d first seen that stupid fucking orange, but there’s some latent anger there that’s going to make for some fantastic fights somewhere down the line. Ed leans in, presses a kiss to Stede’s forehead.

He feels like he could float right away when Stede’s fingers curl into the hair at the nape of his neck. Wants to vomit rainbows.

“I’ll endeavor to repent every day for the rest of my life.”

“The rest of it?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Oh I’ll fucking have you,” Ed says, as a bit of the broken ship cracks behind them, and Stede flushes redder than before.

---

The whispers say the English wiped out piracy, the day they mounted Blackbeards head in Chesapeake Bay. At least, that’s what the folks in town chatter about, the day an odd man in a fancy jacket purchases the farm up in the hills.

James Baker swears the two gentlemen who live there remind him of someone, but no one pays him much mind - they’re sweet men, even if they are a tad strange.

Mr. Duke is always quick with a well placed compliment for the milliners, and Mr. Viola is a kind gentleman always willing to lend a hand when the fishing boats need mending.

Their visitors are an eclectic bunch: sailors, an author, a singer, a fine lady and her family who rent a carriage and stay for a month.

They work the land and sell their wares at the market, and no one in town cares too much when they hold hands and smile at each other like they've hung the stars in the sky.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ed x stede #our flag means death fic #edward teach #blackbeard #stede bonnet #edward teach x stede bonnet #ofmd fic #blackbonnet fic #ofmd fanfic #do you ever just look at them and go a little feral #do you ever want to bask in a love story and die

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nebris · 1 year

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Operation Hailstone (Japanese: トラック島空襲, romanized: Torakku-tō Kūshū, lit. 'airstrike on Truk Island'), 17–18 February 1944, was a massive United States Navy air and surface attack on Truk Lagoon, conducted as part of the American offensive drive against the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) through the Central Pacific Ocean during World War II.

Prior to Hailstone, the IJN had used Truk as an anchorage for its large Combined Fleet. The coral atoll surrounding Truk's islands created a safe harbor, where the few points of ingress and egress had been fortified by the Japanese with shore batteries, antiaircraft guns, and airfields.

American estimates of Truk's defenses and its role as a stronghold of the Japanese Navy led newspapers and military men to call it the "Gibraltar of the Pacific", or to compare it with Pearl Harbor. Truk's location in the Caroline Islands also made it an excellent shipping hub for armaments and aircraft moving from Japan's home islands down through the South Seas Mandate and into the Japanese "Southern Resources Area".

By early 1944, Truk was increasingly unsustainable as a forward base of operations for the Japanese. To the west, American and Australian forces under General Douglas MacArthur had moved up through the Southwest Pacific, isolating or overrunning many Japanese strong points as part of Operation Cartwheel. The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Army, under the command of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, had overrun the most important islands in the nearby Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands, and then built numerous air bases there.

As a result, the Japanese Navy had to relocate the Combined Fleet's forward base to the Palau Islands, and eventually to Indonesia, and the fleet had begun clearing its major warships – carriers, battleships, and heavy cruisers – out of Truk before the Hailstone attack struck.

Nevertheless, the Hailstone attack on Truk caught a good number of Japanese auxiliary ships and cargo ships in the harbor, as well as some smaller warships. Between the air attacks and surface-ship attacks over the two days of Hailstone, the worst blow against the Japanese was about 250 warplanes destroyed, with the concurrent loss of irreplaceable experienced pilots, and 17,000 tons of stored fuel. Also, about 40 ships – two light cruisers, four destroyers, nine auxiliary ships, and about two dozen cargo vessels – were sunk.

Considerable damage was inflicted on the various island bases, including dockyards, communications centers, supply dumps, and its submarine base. Truk remained effectively isolated for the remainder of the war, cut off and surrounded by the American island-hopping campaign in the Central Pacific, which also bypassed important Japanese garrisons and airfields in the Bismarck Archipelago, the Caroline Islands, the Marshalls, and the Palaus. Meanwhile, the Americans built new bases from scratch at places including the Admiralty Islands, Majuro, and Ulithi Atoll, and took over the major port at Guam.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hailstone

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blueiskewl · 2 years

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The Russian Navy's Humiliating Defeat 117-Years Ago 'The Battle of Tsushima'

Since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine in late February, a heavily outnumbered and outgunned adversary has handed the Russian navy several high-profile losses.

The Russians have lost at least five Raptor-class patrol boats, one Tapir-class landing ship, one Serna-class landing craft, and most notably the Moskva, a Slava-class guided-missile cruiser that was also the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.

The losses themselves are not catastrophic for the Russian navy and are unlikely to alter the course of the war or the balance of power in the Black Sea, but they are blows to Russian prestige and come a little over a century after another historic debacle for Russia: the Battle of Tsushima, the last time a Russian navy flagship was sunk in combat.

The Japanese and Russian empires fought in the waters between Korea and southern Japan on May 27 and 28 in 1905. The battle cemented Japan's rise as an equal to Western powers and had a lasting impact on both empires.

Competing empires

Japan's overwhelming victory in the Sino-Japenese War in 1895 had stoked tensions between the Japanese and Russian empires.

Japan, equipped with an organized, modern army, pursued ambitions in Korea and China that brought it dangerously close to Russian interests, especially in Manchuria and Korea.

Of particular importance to Russia was Port Arthur — now Dalian, China — which it leased and was the Russian Empire's only warm-water Pacific port. Port Arthur became the headquarters of Russia's Pacific Fleet and the government had plans to connect it to Russia via the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Negotiations between Japan and Russia over the future of the region went nowhere, and on February 8, 1904, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the main part of the Russian Pacific Fleet at Port Arthur, formally declaring war hours later.

Japan gained a naval advantage relatively quickly. It fought off an attempt by the main part of the Russian Pacific Fleet to break the blockade of Port Arthur and largely defeated Russia's Vladivostok-based squadrons at Chemulpo Bay and Ulsan — victories that allowed Japan to effectively dominate the Pacific.

Unwilling to concede defeat, and with Japanese ground forces beginning a siege of Port Arthur itself, Russia's Tsar Nicholas II ordered the creation of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, which would be made up of ships from the Baltic Fleet.

Commanded by Vice Adm. Zinovy Rozhestvensky, some 40 ships — including 11 pre-dreadnought battleships, nine cruisers, and nine destroyers — composed the 2nd Pacific Squadron.

Sailing from the Baltic in October 1904, they were supposed to relieve the Pacific Fleet at Port Arthur, destroy any Japanese ships they encountered, and cut the supply lines between Japan and mainland Asia.

Russia's doomed fleet

Russia's navy had been modernized in during the latter half of the 1800s, but while the 2nd Pacific Squadron appeared strong on paper, it was not a first-rate naval force. Some of the warships were new and untested, but many were old and bordered on obsolete. Others were little more than auxiliary ships with guns mounted on them.

Russian Navy leadership was also of low quality. Many of its officers came from wealthy and connected families who simply bought their commissions. The rank-and-file sailors were not much more professional, as many of them were inexperienced conscripts.

These issues were on full display during the seven-month, 18,000-mile journey to the Pacific.

While in the North Sea near England, the fleet opened fire on British fishing trawlers, somehow thinking they were Japanese torpedo boats. The mistake killed two fishermen, injured one, and sunk one trawler while damaging four others. In the chaos, some of the Russian ships even fired on each other, causing casualties and damage.

Diplomatic maneuvering managed to prevent the British from joining the war on the side of Japan, but the Russian fleet's troubles were only beginning.

Most of the fleet sailed around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal. The longer journey took a toll on the crews, who had never experienced such a different climate or such a long time at sea. The ships themselves were also under considerable strain. During gunnery practice with a mock target towed by a cruiser, the only thing the fleet hit was the cruiser.

With no allies, the Russians couldn't dock in friendly ports, and so they had to take on more coal while at sea. Conditions on the ships deteriorated, and disease and respiratory issues killed a number of sailors.

By the time the fleet was in Madagascar in January, Port Arthur had fallen. Their mission was then changed: They were to meet the remnants of Russia's Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok before engaging the Japanese in a decisive battle.

Slaughter at Tsushima

When the Russian ships finally reached the Tsushima Strait on the night of May 26, 1905, Rozhestvensky attempted to slip through unnoticed. Unfortunately for him, a patrolling Japanese vessel had spotted one of his ships.

Even more unfortunately, the Russian ship mistakenly believed the Japanese vessel was a lost Russian ship and signaled that more Russian ships were nearby.

With the location of his enemy confirmed, Japanese Adm. Tōgō Heihachirō's Combined Fleet — which included four modern battleships, over 20 cruisers, 21 destroyers, and 43 torpedo boats — set out to meet them.

On the morning of May 27, the fleets made contact. Before the firing began, Tōgō hoisted a signal flag that conveyed a predetermined message to his fleet: "The Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty."

The ensuing battle was a slaughter. In addition to better training, discipline, and experience, the Japanese were equipped with modern armor-piercing rounds that tore the Russian ships apart.

By the end of the day, the Japanese had sunk four Russian battleships. Imperator Aleksandr III sank with its entire crew of over 700 sailors, while Borodino sank with all but one of its more than 800 crew members.

The flagship, Knyaz Suvorov, sank with all but 20 officers, while about half of Oslyabya's crew went down with the ship. The Japanese sunk a number of cruisers and destroyers as well.

As night fell, the survivors attempted to make it to Vladivostok under cover of darkness. Tōgō's destroyers hunted them down, picking off two more battleships and several other warships. By the following afternoon, most of the survivors surrendered.

Lost prestige

Russian losses were immense: 21 ships sunk or scuttled, and seven captured. Only three ships reached Vladivostok, though six others made it to neutral ports in China, the Philippines, and Madagascar.

The Japanese killed over 4,000 Russian sailors were killed and captured almost 6,000. The Japanese lost only three torpedo boats with just 117 killed and about 500 wounded — including a young Isoroku Yamamoto, mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor, who lost two fingers in the battle.

The Russian navy's prestige never recovered after Tsushima. It saw little major action in World War I, being unable to rebuild to the same grand scale. The Soviet Navy also only saw limited action in World War II and never truly proved itself during the Cold War, though Soviet submarines were a constant concern for NATO navies.

Today, the Russian navy boasts a smaller, more modern fleet that focuses on green-water operations rather than high-seas campaigns, but its surprising losses against Ukraine show it has yet to regain the dominance it lost a century ago.

By Benjamin Brimelow.

#The Russian Navy's Humiliating Defeat 117-Years Ago 'The Battle of Tsushima'#The Sino-Japenese War #japan #russia #ukraine #battle #fighting #naval battle #naval ships #long reads

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usafphantom2 · 2 years

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Indian Navy officially receives aircraft carrier "Vikrant"

Diego Alves By Diego Alves 08/04/2022 - 15:00 in Military, War Zones

The Indian Navy made history by receiving the "prestigious" Aircraft Carrier (IAC) 'Vikrant' from its builder Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi.

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) of the Indian Navy and built by CSL, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Navigation (MoS), the aircraft carrier was named after its illustrious predecessor, India's first aircraft carrier to play a vital role in the 1971 war. Coinciding with the celebrations to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India's independence 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the reincarnation of Vikrant is a true testimony to the country's zeal and fervor in the search for capacity to increase maritime safety.

The 262-meter-long aircraft carrier has a total displacement of about 45,000 tons, much larger and more advanced than its predecessor. The ship is powered by four gas turbines totaling 88 MW of power and has a maximum speed of 28 knots. Built at a total cost of about Rs. 20,000 Crs (US$252MI), the project progressed in three phases of a contract between MoD and CSL, concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019, respectively. The ship's keel was "beated" in February 2009, followed by launch in August 2013. With about 76% of local technology, Vikrant is a perfect example of the country's search for "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat" and provides a boost to the Indian government's 'Make in India'.

The Vikrant aircraft carrier leaves Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, India, after its launch on August 12, 2013. Reuters Photo

The Vikrant was built with a high degree of automation for machine operation, navigation and survivability, and is designed to accommodate a variety of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. The ship is capable of operating an air wing composed of 30 aircraft composed of MIG-29K fighters, Kamov-31, MH-60R multifunction helicopters, as well as advanced light helicopters (ALH) and domestically manufactured light combat aircraft. Using a new mode of operation for aircraft launch known as STOBAR (Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing), the IAC is equipped with a "ramp" for launching aircraft and a set of 'retention cables' for their recovery on board.

The ship has a large number of locally manufactured equipment and machines, involving the main industrial companies in the country. The efforts also led to the development of auxiliary industries, as well as the generation of employment opportunities and reinforcement of the return effect on the economy.

Vikrant during the tests at sea in September 2021. Photo Cochin Shipyard Limited

A major offshoot of this is the development and production of treated steel, for use on warships through a partnership between the Navy, DRDO and the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), which allowed the country to become self-sufficient with respect to the steel used on the ship. Today all the warships that are being built in the country are being manufactured with 100% local steel.

Several design iterations, including the use of 3D Virtual Reality models and advanced engineering software, have been used by the Naval Design Directorate to shape the design of the aircraft carrier. CSL has also updated its shipbuilding infrastructure, as well as improving productivity skills during ship construction.

Photo of the delivery ceremony. Photo MoD India.

The delivery of Vikrant was marked by the signing of acceptance documents on behalf of the Indian Navy by the Designated Commander of Vikrant, representatives of the Naval Headquarters and the Warship Supervision Team (Kochi), and by the President and Administrative Director on behalf of Cochin Shipyard Ltd., in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard.

Vikrant was delivered to the Indian Navy by CSL after extensive user acceptance tests carried out between August 2, 2021 and July 20, 2022, during which the ship's performance, including hull, main propulsion, auxiliary equipment, aviation facilities, weapons and sensors, as well as the maintenance and maneuvering capabilities at sea, proved satisfactory according to the test protocols and system parameters.

Indian Navy service members with representatives of Cochin Shipyard on the flight deck of Vikrant. Indian Marine Photo.

The delivery of Vikrant is the culmination of a long phase of design, construction and testing, during which the Indian Navy and CSL had to overcome a multitude of unprecedented technical and logistical challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the altered geopolitical scenario. The successful delivery of the Indian aircraft carrier, in addition to an important activity and a historic event, testifies to the dedicated efforts of a large number of stakeholders in the Indian Navy, shipyard, industry, OEMs and M SMEs for more than two decades.

The aircraft carrier will soon be commissioned into the Indian Navy as Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant, which will strengthen India's position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by consolidating the Indian Navy as a local and global leader.

Tags: INS VikrantIndian NavyWar Zones - India/Pakistan

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bookloversofbath · 1 year

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German U-boat Commanders of World War II: A Biographical Dictionary :: Rainer Busch & Hans-Joachim Roll

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the-jam-to-the-unicorn · 2 years

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Joint statement of the International Crimea Platform Participants

One year ago, on 23 August 2021, we gathered in Kyiv to establish the International Crimea Platform, based on the non-recognition of Russia’s illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which constitutes a violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as a direct challenge to international security.

We, the Participants in the International Crimea Platform, remain committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, extending to its territorial waters. We reiterate our resolve to maintain pressure on Russia to end the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol without delay to restore Ukraine’s control over its territory.

We condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion and its war of aggression against Ukraine, and notably its use of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula and Ukrainian territorial waters for its war against Ukraine. We strongly condemn Russia’s extensive use of military aircraft and warships for missile strikes and attacks affecting civilians and Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. We also condemn the use of Crimea for aggression against and military invasion of southern Ukrainian regions. All perpetrators of war crimes should be brought to justice.

Recalling the resolution ES-11/1 of the UN General Assembly adopted on March 2, 2022, we call on Russia to ensure an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.

We regret that against this backdrop the situation in temporarily occupied Crimea has further deteriorated.

We are deeply concerned about the increase in repressive measures by Russian occupying authorities, including abuses of human rights of the indigenous Crimean Tatars severely threatening their ability to fully enjoy their human rights, maintain and develop their culture, education and identity.

We are equally concerned with the aggressive imposition of education in the Russian language, of Russian curricula and education materials and with efforts to use the education system for the propaganda of service in the armed or auxiliary forces of the Russian Federation among children.

We call on the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, to immediately and unconditionally release Ukrainian prisoners unjustly detained in Crimea and the territory of Russia, including Nariman Dzhelyalov, the First Deputy Head of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people, and to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice of April 19, 2017 to refrain from maintaining the ban on the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and provide full and unimpeded access to Crimea for established regional and international monitoring mechanisms.

We condemn the continued practice of illegal conscription of Crimean residents into the Russian Armed Forces and their reported forced involvement in Russia’s offensive military actions against Ukraine.

We also condemn Russia's resettlement of its citizens to the Peninsula seeking to forcibly change the demographic composition of Crimea in a blatant attempt to deepen its occupation and control.

We are also deeply concerned by numerous reports of forcible transfer by the Russian Federation of Ukrainian citizens, in particular civilians and prisoners of war, including Crimean Tatars, from the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine to Crimea and Russia.

We equally deplore Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov and in Kherson, which has impeded the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms and maritime traffic in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, contributing to global food insecurity. We are further concerned about the massive transportation of heavy weapons and personnel through Crimea, which is aggravating the ecological consequences of Russia`s temporary occupation of Crimea since 2014.

We recognise that the increasing militarization of the Peninsula by the Russian Federation continues to have a negative impact on the security situation in the Black Sea region.

We condemn Russia’s reported attempts to trade in stolen grain and metallurgy from Ukraine.

Furthermore, we condemn Russia’s attempts to forcefully integrate parts of the Ukrainian territory currently under the control of invading Russian armed forces as a result of their illegal invasion. Any attempts to redraw Ukraine’s borders by force are a clear violation of international law, including the UN Charter and of Ukraine’s Constitution, they further undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and will not be recognised.

We stand firmly with the people of Ukraine as they bravely face Russia’s military aggression and express our solidarity with those in Crimea and other Ukraine’s territories under Russia’s temporary control who continue to speak up at great personal risk against Russia’s temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and Russia`s ongoing military invasion.

In this context we express our determination to continue our support of Ukraine, including political, economic, humanitarian and/or security assistance.

We express our determination to continue working together within the International Crimea Platform on ending the Russian Federation’s temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol for the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

We confirm the need to continue implementing the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation.

We reiterate our commitment to maintain pressure on Russia to end its temporary occupation of Crimea and to restore Ukraine’s control over the territory of the Peninsula.

This would create a solid basis for the restoration of the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It would also contribute to improving security and stability in the region and global food security, as well as allowing bringing perpetrators to justice.

We express our readiness to consider or to join further political diplomatic and restrictive measures towards the Russian Federation should its actions so require and in line with the respective procedures and legal jurisdiction of each Participant.

We stand by Ukraine as it defends its territorial integrity and sovereignty against the Russian aggression.

We invite other states and organizations to consider joining the International Crimea Platform.

#ukraine #war #russia

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jayanthitbrc · 1 month

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Analyzing Growth Drivers and Market Dynamics Shaping the Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants Industry Landscape through 2033

Overview and Scope Naval vessels and surface combatants are a kind of naval warships equipped with armaments for fighting on the water's surface. These are employed to hinder the enemy from moving military forces and, if required, to confront them. Sizing and Forecast The naval vessels and surface combatants market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $38.04 billion in 2023 to $39.97 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. The naval vessels and surface combatants market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $48.48 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9%. To access more details regarding this report, visit the link: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/naval-vessels-and-surface-combatants-global-market-report Segmentation & Regional Insights The naval vessels and surface combatants market covered in this report is segmented – 1) By Type: Aircraft Carrier, Battleship, Cruiser, Destroyer, Frigate, Destroyer Escort, Other Types 2) By System: Marine engine system, Weapon launch system, Sensor system, Control system, Electrical system, Auxiliary system 3) By Application: Search and rescue, Combat operations, Mine countermeasures (MCM) operations, Coastal surveillance, Other Applications North America was the largest region in the naval vessels and surface combatants market share in 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the naval vessels and surface combatants market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. Intrigued to explore the contents? Secure your hands-on sample copy of the report: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/sample.aspx?id=8729&type=smp Major Driver Impacting Market Growth Increasing maritime security threats are expected to propel the growth of the naval vessels and surface combatants market going forward. Maritime security threat refers to any breach of vessel security, both inside and externally. Naval vessels and surface combatants aid in the defence of the country's sovereignty against potential threats in the oceans and abysses by safeguarding accessible resources and coastal areas. Key Industry Players Major companies operating in the naval vessels and surface combatants market report are Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., General Dynamics Corporation, Damen Shipyards Group, Naval Group, BAE Systems plc, Navantia SA. The naval vessels and surface combatants market report table of contents includes: 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Characteristics 3. Market Trends And Strategies 4. Impact Of COVID-19 5. Market Size And Growth 6. Segmentation 7. Regional And Country Analysis . . . 27. Competitive Landscape And Company Profiles 28. Key Mergers And Acquisitions 29. Future Outlook and Potential Analysis Contact Us: The Business Research Company Europe: +44 207 1930 708 Asia: +91 88972 63534 Americas: +1 315 623 0293 Email: [email protected] Follow Us On: LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/the-business-research-company Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbrc_info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBusinessResearchCompany YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC24_fI0rV8cR5DxlCpgmyFQ Blog: https://blog.tbrc.info/ Healthcare Blog: https://healthcareresearchreports.com/ Global Market Model: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/global-market-model

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world-of-news · 6 months

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certainrebelarbiter · 8 months

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Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants Market Share, Size 2030

The global naval vessels and surface combatants market size was valued at USD 429.10 billion in 2022. The market is projected to grow from USD 460.38 billion in 2023 to USD 674.81 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.6 % during the forecast period.

The naval ship market is witnessing growth due to increasing utilization of armament systems and advanced ICT for surveillance, communication, and information gathering purposes. Fortune Business Insights presents this information in their report titled "Global Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants Market, 2023–2030."

Major Players Profiled in the Report:

BAE Systems (U.K.)

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (India)

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) (India)

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (HHI) (South Korea)

FINCANTIERI S.p.A. - Via Genova (Italy)

General Dynamics Corp NASSCO (U.S.)

Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (India)

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/naval-vessels-and-surface-combatants-market-102695

COVID-19 Impact

Delayed Deliveries due to Supply Chain Disruptions During Pandemic Hindered Market

The shipbuilding industry was profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a substantial decline in the delivery of surface combatants. The market experienced adverse effects as a result of reduced ship orders, disruptions in supply chains, and delays in the delivery of naval vessels.

Russia-Ukraine War Impact

Maritime Capabilities Drive Increased Investments in Warships and Equipment

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to a heightened demand for naval vessels and surface combatants in the region as both sides seek to enhance their maritime capabilities. Russia's increased naval presence and substantial investments in its fleet further contribute to the rising demand for warships and related equipment.

Segments:

Destroyers Segment to Witness Rapid Growth Owing to Versatile Applications

By ship type, the market is segmented into destroyers, corvettes, submarines, amphibious ships, frigates, auxiliary vessels, and others. The destroyer’s segment is projected to be the fastest-growing in the market during the projected period, driven by its diverse applications in anti-submarine warfare, long-range attacks, and escort missions.

Marine Engine System Dominates due to Growing Demand for Key Components

By system, the market is categorized into weapon launch system, sensor system, marine engine system, control system, auxiliary system, electrical system, and communication system. The marine engine system segment dominates the market, driven by increasing demand for various components such as stern gear sub-systems, steering gear, thrust blocks, propulsion shafting, and stabilizers in the maritime industry.

Emerging Countries' Focus on Domestic Shipbuilding Drives Line Fit Segments’ Expansion

By solution, the market is bifurcated into line fit and retro fit. The line fit segment is projected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period, driven by the emphasis on domestic shipbuilding in emerging countries.

Naval Forces' Active Engagement in Global Exercises Fuels Combat Operations Growth

By application, the market is classified into combat operations, search and rescue, Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations, coastal operations, and others. The combat operations segment dominates the market, driven by the increasing participation of naval forces in various naval exercises globally.

From the regional ground, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Report Coverage

The research report for naval vessels and surface combatants presents a comprehensive market examination, emphasizing crucial elements, including leading companies, different platforms, systems, and applications. Furthermore, the report provides valuable observations on market trends and significant industry advancements. Apart from the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses numerous variables that have bolstered market expansion in recent times.

Drivers and Restraints

Advanced Technologies Revolutionize Naval Vessels Driving Growth in Maritime Operations

The adoption of advanced technologies in naval vessels, including integrated electric propulsion, renewable energy systems, and robotic production processes, drives the naval vessels and surface combatant market growth by enhancing the production capabilities of maritime operations.

However, the naval vessels and surface combatants market growth is hindered by the significant development costs associated with building these naval vessels.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific Spearheads Growth with Strong Defense Expenditure

Asia Pacific is anticipated to capture the highest naval vessels and surface combatants market share, owing to the increased defense expenditure of countries such as China, India, South Korea, and others in the region.

North America experienced significant regional growth in the naval vessels and surface combatants’ market, driven by its substantial investments in naval vessel procurement and efforts to strengthen its naval capabilities.

Competitive Landscape

Industry Leaders’ Focus on Innovation and Collaboration to Drive the Future of Maritime Defense

The market for naval vessels and surface combatants is characterized by a fragmented landscape, with multiple players involved in their development. OEMs have introduced cutting-edge technologies such as 3D printing, integrated electric propulsion, and robotics to enhance the design and construction of naval vessels.

Key Industry Development

April 2021 - Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding signed a contract worth USD 107 million from the U.S. Navy for modification and long-lead-time material and advanced procurement activities for amphibious assault ship LHA 9.

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