Icepick

Icepick
Vessel Profile
TypeWarShip
ClassLola III

History[edit]

As of 3061 the Lola III-class destroyer Icepick (also spelled "Ice Pick" in at least one instance[1]) was serving as the CGB Icepick within the Clan Ghost Bear touman as a part of the Ghost Bear flexible naval reserve alongside a sister ship of the same class, the CGB Blizzard.[2] The Icepick remained an active part of the Ghost Bear touman for the next six years;[3] in May 3067 the Icepick was involved in the second naval battle for Alshain, a Trial of Possession initiated by forces from Clan Nova Cat for the Leviathan-class battleship CGB Rasalhague, which was undergoing construction in the Alshain shipyards at the time.[4]

The Trial was devastating for both sides, with half the Ghost Bear fleet destroyed and similar losses on the part of the Nova Cats; the Trial was initiated by the Nova cat Transcendent Naval Star, but the local commanding officer of the Ghost Bear naval forces refused the Nova cat batchall and ordered an immediate attack. As a result, a Star of Ghost Bear WarShips led by the Nightlord-class battleship CGB Ursa Major supported by the Blizzard, Icepick and two Essex-class destroyers, the CGB White Claw and CGB White Fang, went into battle against the Transcendent Naval Star.[4]

As the battle began a second Nova Cat Star, the Vision Naval Star arrived, while a second force of heavy Ghost Bear WarShips began moving to support the Ursa Major and the four-strong destroyer group. Star Admiral Leroux of the Transcendent Naval Star managed to convince the commander of the second Ghost Bear force that the Trial was a legitimate and honorable trial, effectively splitting the Trial into two separate naval engagements; as a result, the Trial didn't degenerate into a mass brawl, but it still devastated both the Ghost Bear and Nova Cat fleets. The commander of the destroyer group supporting the Ursa Major made a critical mistake in underestimating the skill of the Nova Cat crews, and as a result all four Ghost Bear destroyers were lost including the Icepick, and the Ursa Major took heavy damage. Two ships from the Transcendent Naval Star survived: the Aegis-class heavy cruisers SLS Blade and SLS Vision Quest.[4]

The Ghost Bears were the victors in the Trial, but the losses taken on both parts made the victory a pyrrhic one at best.[4]

References[edit]

  1. Trial of Retribution
  2. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 86, "Naval Assets"
  3. Field Manual: Updates, p. 60, "Naval Assets"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 81, "The Second Naval Battle of Alshain"

Bibliography[edit]