Kestrel Fleet
- "To all the brave souls that survived, I congratulate you ... But we must not waver in our resolve to fight, to reclaim peace between the two nations."
- ― Captain Nicholas A. Andersen to the fleet[1]
The Kestrel Fleet[2] was a short-lived coalition fleet comprised of rogue Osean and Yuktobanian warships that resisted their warmongering countrymen in the final days of the Circum-Pacific War. The fleet's namesake was its flagship vessel, the Osean aircraft carrier Kestrel, which was serving as Razgriz Squadron's base of operations.
History
- "Sorry. My eyes are just tearing up looking at our new fleet."
- ― Hans Grimm[1]
The Kestrel Fleet's impromptu alliance was formed on December 29, 2010, when the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet encountered a large Yuktobanian armada in the Ceres Ocean. Shortly after 1721hrs, naval gunfire erupted after the Yuktobanian frigate Pitomnik refused the fleet commander's order to sink the Osean vessels and kill Prime Minister Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor, who was aboard the Kestrel at the time. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Yuktobanian defectors—Gumrak, Chuda, and Dub—eluded hostile fire and assumed a battle formation several hundred meters ahead of the Osean fleet.[1]
During the engagement, Razgriz Squadron defended the new coalition fleet from hostile Yuktobanian warships. When a second, Osean fleet approached from the west, Captain Nicholas A. Andersen, the Kestrel's commanding officer, reluctantly requested assistance. However, the Oseans, who had been eavesdropping on their communications, branded them traitors for allying with the enemy and opened fire. The Razgriz consequently sank the hostile Osean vessels as well, sparing the Kestrel Fleet from utter annihilation.[1]
The following day, the Kestrel Fleet relocated to several hundred nautical miles off the west coast of Osea. Sometime between midday and the early evening hours, the Kestrel was struck on its starboard side by two Yuktobanian sub-launched cruise missiles.[3] The Kestrel was lost, though no crew members are known to have died. The crew abandoned ship and were rescued by the OFS Andromeda and other nearby coalition ships, which ultimately sank the hostile Yuktobanian submarine.[4]
After the war's official end on December 31, the fleet was likely disbanded, and its constituent vessels returned to service in their respective navies.
Vessels
At the height of its brief existence, the Kestrel Fleet included five Osean[5] and five Yuktobanian[2] warships.
Osean Marine Defense Force:
- Hubert-class aircraft carrier
- OFS Kestrel (Flagship)
- Raleigh-class landing ship / intelligence vessel
- Hatakaze-class guided-missile destroyers
Yuktobanian Navy:
- Sovremenny-class destroyers
- Unspecified/unknown classification(s)
Trivia
- Some fans believe that "Kestrel Fleet" is an alternate name for the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet. However, in previous missions such as "Narrow Margin" and "Rendezvous", radio chatter from non-named vessels is labeled "Osean Fleet", whereas the chatter in "Sea of Chaos" is labeled "Kestrel Fleet",[2] which indicates that it is separate from the main Osean fleet.
- Although there are only three Yuktobanian warships marked as allies by the mission's IFF, the friendly Yuktobanians' radio chatter states that two more vessels—the Bystry and Budusheye—had decided to join the coalition fleet.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sea of Chaos, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Radio chatter during Sea of Chaos, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. Recorded at Acecombat BBS MISSION 26 混迷の海. Retrieved October 19, 2005.
- ↑ Cutscene 25, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 26, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Radar signatures in the cutscene prior to Sea of Chaos, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- Military Units
- Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
- Naval Fleets