|
Clash in the Caribbean Newswire |
|
seeking further information, but so far the only military source commenting has been the Tyrian fleet, which reports that two of its P-3s engaged two Mariners submarines. According to the Tyrians, an Akula class submarine crashed into the bottom while attempting to evade the P-3, while a Seawolf class submarine escaped a torpedo attack. The Tyrians claimed that they had “proof that only a few sailors were killed” aboard the Akula, and announced at they will not attack any unarmed ships sent to rescue the survivors. They reserved the right to attack armed vessels sent into the area. Mariners officials have neither confirmed nor denied the report of the loss of the Akula, and there is no information regarding any pending rescue operations.
Naval Forces on Full Alert Lucy Biers 15 March 2008 BLUEFIELDS, Colombia (WNN) — The Mariners fleet, based in Bluefields, went on full alert this morning as tensions in the region reached a boiling point. Yesterday, the Tyrian Fleet released photographs purporting to show a boarding party escaping after sabotaging a super tanker, and a surfaced submarine meant to recover the party. Accompanying the photographs was a declaration of war, effectively ending any hope left for preventing a violent confrontation in the region. The Mariners have denied any involvement in piracy. Crews of merchant ships called in to report that they observed docked submarines being loaded with what they thought were Tomahawk cruise missiles. The base was later closed to merchant traffic until arming operations are completed. Foreign governments were quick to condemn both sides. “We don’t know who is responsible for the attacks on merchant shipping,” said Kristen Bradley, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., “but we feel that the rhetoric on both sides needlessly escalated the situation.” Foreign governments have cancelled all military training operations in the southern Caribbean and are pulling their forces out of the way. Merchant traffic continues throughout the region, although several shipping companies have expressed reservations. “It’s a difficult decision,” said Matt Bruno, a representative of Ajax Shipping, Inc. “We don’t want to put our crews at risk unnecessarily, but the regional economies—and our salaries—depend on trade. We’re hoping this whole thing blows over, or failing that, that the belligerent navies watch what they’re shooting at. In this day and age, we would hope they could tell the difference between a cargo ship and a warship and hit what they aim at.” |
|
Breaking: Missile Attack Thwarted, Akula Submarine Claimed Sunk Lucy Biers 15 March 2008 BLUEFIELDS, Colombia (WNN) — Just hours after being deployed, Mariners ships were photographed firing surface-to-air missiles at cruise missiles headed for Bluefields. There were no reports of any missiles reaching shore. The Tyrians confirmed that 12 SLAM-ER missiles were fired at military facilities, and that they believed that those missiles had been destroyed. Mariners officials declined to comment. For the residents of Bluefields, the concern about the attempted missile attack was quickly overshadowed when rumors spread about the loss of a Mariners submarine just offshore. Families of Mariners submarine crews have been contacting military officials and news agencies |
|
Covenas Residents Awaken to Damage, Debris Matthew Doral 16 March 2008 COVENAS, Nicaragua (WNN) — A missile attack came a bit too close to home for many Covenas residents in the early hours of the morning. At about 3 A.M., a flight of an unknown number of Tomahawk cruise missiles approached the Tyrian naval base, where they were engaged by air defenses. The missiles approached from over land, and were attacked by surface to air missiles as they overflew a commercial district. Debris from several missiles littered the streets, while fragments from the SAM warheads pelted several stores. No injuries were reported, and the Tyrian fleet declined to comment on if any missiles hit their base. |
|
Tyrians Take Panama Canal; 23 Civilians Dead Matthew Doral 16 March 2008 COVENAS, Nicaragua (WNN) — After a deadly battle, Tyrian forces took possession of naval facilities at the entrance to the Panama Canal this afternoon. Some combat took place with Mariners forces, however, it appears that civilian shipping took the worst of it. The first ship to be hit was the freighter Mikhail Kholov, a small Venezuelan-flagged vessel carrying chemical products to Europe. The Kholov was in front of the Tyrian fleet advancing on the Canal when it was rocked by a tremendous explosion that was felt several miles away on the Danill Bodlev. The crew of the Bodlev managed to rescue three survivors of the Kholov out of a crew of 23. The survivors were evacuated to a Panamanian hospital where two are listed in serious but stable condition. The source of the explosion is unknown, but the crew of the Bodlev believes that the explosion was probably underwater. This, combined with the observation of a Tyrian P-3 antisubmarine |
|
aircraft intensely searching the waters very near where the Bodlev sank, has fueled speculation that the Bodlev was torpedoed by a Mariners submarine attempting to intercept the Tyrian fleet. A Mariners spokesman acknowledged the presence of a submarine with orders to stop the fleet, but denies that any weapons were actually fired. The spokesman went on to say that the Tyrians shot down one of their aircraft, and that the submarine in the area surfaced to rescue the downed crew and was attacked by missiles fired from Tyrian aircraft. The sub reportedly sank with the crew still aboard. The next ship hit was the Florida bound Pure Car Carrier (PCC) Ceaspray, an American-flagged merchant under contract with Toyota. No fewer than five missiles struck the Ceaspray, causing the massive ship to sink in less than 30 minutes. Six out of the sixteen crew members were killed. The source of the missiles remains a mystery, although there is some indication that they may have been Tyrian. Fisherman in the vicinity of the approaching fleet reported seeing missiles fired from the Tryian warships at about the same time as the Ceaspray was hit. However, survivors from the Ceaspray believe they were hit from missiles approaching from the north, while the Tyrian fleet was to the east. Defense analyst Richard Bass of WorldWideSecurity.org also commented that the photographs of the stricken PCC show damage far greater than the Harpoon or Standard missiles carried by the Tyrian ships are capable of, suggesting that the larger Tomahawk antiship missile was more likely to have sunk the Ceaspray. United States Secretary of State Mary Roslyn will be holding a press conference on the American government’s reaction to the sinking of the Ceaspray and Bodlev later this evening.
We have also received an update to this morning’s report on the missile attack against the Tyrian base at Covenas. They Tyrians report that 16 missiles were fired on the base, of which 14 were intercepted and 2 struck unspecified targets. The Tryians expressed faith that the damage would be quickly repaired, however.
|
|
Panama Canal Port Feared Mined; Trade Cut Off Lucy Biers 17 March 2008 PANAMA CITY, Panama (WNN)— After the sinking of a third merchant ship hours after all combat near the Panama Canal had ceased, the Tyrians released a statement claiming that the harbor had been mined by a Mariners submarine. International shipping companies responded by banning shipments to the port. The Panamanian navy is holding all traffic through the canal until it is declared safe, but officials felt confident that no mines would be found in that area and that traffic would resume quickly.
The Tyrian press release implicated the minefield in the sinking of the Kholov, and attributed the sinking of the Ceaspray to an attempted Mariners missile strike against the Tyrian fleet.
United States Secretary of State Mary Roslyn held a press conference on the conflict last night. In her statement, she criticized the Tyrians for not warning the public that the area had been mined after the loss of the Kholov. “The Tyrians selfishly kept this a secret so that their shipments would continue. Those twelve lives weren’t the Tyrians’ to risk.”
Secretary Roslyn also addressed the Ceaspray incident. She announced she had contacted the Mariners directly and established a dialogue about the incident. Her outlook was less than optimistic, however, because the Mariners had initially claimed that their submarine at the canal carried no Tomahawk antiship missiles, but then admitted that the weapons were carried when asked to accept an inspection team to verify the claim. When asked if she had been lied to, she attributed the reversal to “an innocent clerical error.” “Unfortunately, this leaves us back at square one,” the Secretary commented. “ When they first told us that no missiles were carried by the submarine, we thought we would be able to rule the missile attack theory out. Now, it remains the most likely among several theories we have to investigate.”
In another conference, Secretary of Defense James Adama announced that a cruiser-destroyer group was being diverted from damage control training at Guantanamo Bay and sent into the warzone, but also said that no decision had been made as to providing for escorts for merchant shipping. |