What If? The Final Countdown II

Sailor.X

Cold War Veteran
Founder
In the year 1990 while steaming at sea the Mighty Battleship Wisconsin encounters a strange storm......

450px-USS_Wisconsin_%28BB-64%29_underway_at_sea%2C_circa_1988-1991_%28NH_97206-KN%29.jpg


After exiting the storm Wisky tries to hail Navsta Norfolk to relay what has just happened. They get radio silence. figuring something might have happened to the comms antenna they do some troubleshooting. They soon learn that all of their equipment is functioning normally. Not sure what is going on they set course for Norfolk. When they get close to shore they get the shock of their lives. All of the scenery has changed and the only vessels traveling about are old style sailing ships similar to what was seen in the early 19th Century.

It takes a while but after gathering some intel by landing a Seal Team onshore they realize they have traveled back in time. They had traveled back to the year 1812 right at the beginning of the war. The Captain however is not as shocked by the report as the other officers thought he should be. He then relates to his Wardroom that back when he was a you officer on the Nimitz they had a similar incident happen to them. They were sent back to just before the Pearl Harbor attack. And that the Storm took them back before they could prevent the attack.

Sometime later they get a radar blip that is of concern. A massive British Naval Fleet is headed for the US coast. A fleet that was larger than what was recorded in the history books. Judging by the size of the fleet and the size of the current US fleet. They realize that if that fleet is not turned back the US Navy will be annihilated. So after much discussion the Mighty Wisconsin will move in to engage the British fleet. Not to change history so much as to try and preserve it.

On the British side reports of a metal monstrosity have been reported in US waters. They have no idea what it is but intend to take it for the British Crown. What happens from this point forward can the timeline be preserved or will history change drastically?

Special Note: By act of ROB the storm that brought the Wisconsin to the War of 1812 will not return until 3 months later. The Wisconsin is fully fueled and fully armed and can stay on site for the full duration of the time they will be there. The crew is all onboard with the plan and no dissent is in the crew.
 
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bintananth

behind a desk
Does the crew know they're stuck for three months? If they don't, they're going to run out of fuel if Wisky uses her "yeet speed" for any great length of time.

I don't know how much 16"HE those things carried in 1990. The 16"AP, OTOH, is "ridiculiously oversized solid shot" in this scenario because the fuse probably won't notice going through a wooden hull. The 12x 5"/38 are also one-shot overkill.

The larger-than-historical RN fleet in this TL isn't after the USN. It's got to be an invasion fleet is packed with Redcoats pulled from Europe (i.e.: they're not containing a dangerous French nuisance named "Napolean").

If they're hell bent on capturing you ... convince them to chase you all the way to the coast of the British Isles before vanishing in the night when the storm comes back.

The RN can't catch Wisky cruising at 15kts so the Captain can tell the Engineer to run only enough boilers to hit that if something somehow manages to get too close undetected (hah!).

Stay close enough to keep them interested but don't fire unless the Brits get bored and lose interest. Make sure they do get close enough early on to see the US flag so they won't lose interest.

Try to keep them chasing you at non-optimal points of sail while heading towards Europe.

That should mostly preserve the timeline.
 

Sailor.X

Cold War Veteran
Founder
I'm assuming that's what you meant?
Thanks I was kind of tired when I was writing it.

Does the crew know they're stuck for three months? If they don't, they're going to run out of fuel if Wisky uses her "yeet speed" for any great length of time.

The Crew knows that the storm will return soon they just don't know how long it will take. Because their Captain and a few Sailors and Marines that were on the Nimitz during the first incident informed them. So they will be conserving how much food they will be eating for a little while just to be on the safe side.
 

Bacle

When the effort is no longer profitable...
Founder
Wisky could simply use her speed to stalk the fleet, hit them at night from over the horizon with 16 inch or from mid-range with the 5 inchers, and retreat beyond their view before sunrise.

Rinse repeat, and the Brits can be whittled down as much as wanted or needed.

Then Wisky can go and annex Hawaii a bit earlier than OTL.
 

bintananth

behind a desk
The Crew knows that the storm will return soon they just don't know how long it will take. Because their Captain and a few Sailors and Marines that were on the Nimitz during the first incident informed them. So they will be conserving how much food they will be eating for a little while just to be on the safe side.
You said 3mo for this TL. The movie takes place over the course of less than a week.

Whisky's oil fired. At 15kts her bunkers run dry in 41 days. She'll be pushing her other stores to the limit and might need to raid the market of a large-for-the-day port the old fashioned way using boats because the ship's safe is not filled with gold and silver.
 

Sailor.X

Cold War Veteran
Founder
You said 3mo for this TL. The movie takes place over the course of less than a week.

Whisky's oil fired. At 15kts her bunkers run dry in 41 days. She'll be pushing her other stores to the limit and might need to raid the market of a large-for-the-day port the old fashioned way using boats because the ship's safe is not filled with gold and silver.
You forgot the part where the ROB is involved. They are not gonna run out of anything. They just don't know that yet.
 

kclcmdr

Well-known member
The 1990 USN BB Wisconsin 's radar guided or mark-one eyeball scopes' twin mounted 5in. cannons can lay waste to the British invasion Fleet from even five miles away, no????

If so.. then this initial assaulting BEF fleet will/should suffer great HE explosive hits upon their wooden hulls..
 

bintananth

behind a desk
The 1990 USN BB Wisconsin 's radar guided or mark-one eyeball scopes' twin mounted 5in. cannons can lay waste to the British invasion Fleet from even five miles away, no????

If so.. then this initial assaulting BEF fleet will/should suffer great HE explosive hits upon their wooden hulls..
"Mostly preserve the timeline." is an objective. A storm of 5"HE hellfire doesn't really do that.
 

The Whispering Monk

Well-known member
Osaul
Egad...I just put myself in the head of the poor bloody Brit sailors...

Night time with cloud cover so there's very little ambient light. Lanters are lit around the deck. Then you hear it. The rush of water moving against something...maybe the sound of something moaning (engine noise). You move to the port side rail to investigate when you see something racing towards you. Some great mass closing with your ship. You shake yourself out of your panic and turn to sound the alarm, but you're too late.

The world shatters around you as your vessel is struck amidship. You're flung overboard into the cold waters, their chill embrace the only thing keeping you conscious. You're able to surface and gasp for air as you hear the screams of your mates and the sound of water rushing in to embrace both halves of your once proud ship. Then you feel the water pull you underneath the huge ship which just destroyed your home at sea. You try to push off of the hull and realize it's metal! However, this knowledge does you little good as your body it churned underneath its hull. The air is forced from your lungs and you gasp the ocean till darkness closes in.
 

Spartan303

In Captain America we Trust!
Administrator
Staff Member
Founder
Osaul
I love the Brits. But I love America more. That fleet is going under with a quickness. Back in those days they were conquering for keeps. The Wisconsin essentially ends the threat of the Royal Navy in 1812. Thus the war goes radically different. Rather than the US simply surviving, they absolutely win which is a huge boost in prestige for the young nation. There will be no sacking of Washington DC or any major defeat. Another consequence is that the Canadian Territories fall to the US invasion and become American states some time later.

That's not going to be a popular thing here with some of the Canadian members, but given the scenario its more than a likely outcome.
 

Sailor.X

Cold War Veteran
Founder
I love the Brits. But I love America more. That fleet is going under with a quickness. Back in those days they were conquering for keeps. The Wisconsin essentially ends the threat of the Royal Navy in 1812. Thus the war goes radically different. Rather than the US simply surviving, they absolutely win which is a huge boost in prestige for the young nation. There will be no sacking of Washington DC or any major defeat. Another consequence is that the Canadian Territories fall to the US invasion and become American states some time later.

That's not going to be a popular thing here with some of the Canadian members, but given the scenario its more than a likely outcome.
The Fall of the British Navy would make a certain small Corsican man grin from ear to ear. England is in for a anal raping in the Napoleonic Wars and the Lube has gone missing.
 

Val the Moofia Boss

Well-known member
Can cannons pierce the hull plating of a modern battleship? If not, then the only possible threat to the Wisconsin is being boarded by dozens and dozens of boats on all sides. Hopefully the Wisconsin has a lot of ammunition for small arms stored to fend off an army of sailors.
 

The Whispering Monk

Well-known member
Osaul
Can cannons pierce the hull plating of a modern battleship? If not, then the only possible threat to the Wisconsin is being boarded by dozens and dozens of boats on all sides. Hopefully the Wisconsin has a lot of ammunition for small arms stored to fend off an army of sailors.
British cannons will just bounce off the Whisky's hull.

And With the speed the Wisconsin can go, and it's sheer mass (58,000 tons) they can't stop her. There's enough 5" guns on it, that she won't even need to fire the 16" guns to destroy the British fleet if she wants to.
 

Captain X

Well-known member
Osaul
She could probably blast a few of them with the big guns without them even seeing her. Wonder if that would be enough to put them off.
 

Sailor.X

Cold War Veteran
Founder
Can cannons pierce the hull plating of a modern battleship? If not, then the only possible threat to the Wisconsin is being boarded by dozens and dozens of boats on all sides. Hopefully the Wisconsin has a lot of ammunition for small arms stored to fend off an army of sailors.
Even if they could board Wisky (which they can't) They would run into a little thing call the US Marine Corps ship defense force. The last thing those poor boarding teams will hear is

OORAH THE CORPS!!!!!
 

ATP

Well-known member
If they have enough fuel,then ramming british ships without firing guns would be better option.
3 months - that enough to change History permanently.If they leave blueprints for technology,then - USA rules from,let say,1850,not 1945.
Probably,considering that with 1812 tech it is easier to build 1920 plane then 1920 battleship,they would start with carriers and do not bother with battleships at all.
 

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