Excerpt from the Encyclopedia Obsidiana.
Battle of JP-NN 3497/Gliese 258
The Battle of JP-NN 3497/Gliese 258 was a major space engagement between forces of the Terran Federation and the Council of Iwakuni contesting the hyperspatial jump-point between the NN 3497 and Gliese 258 systems and was the first major battle of the Earth-Iwakuni War. Beginning on 13 February 2104, the three-day battle saw an Iwakuni assault force annihilated in an attempt to break the Terran blockade of the jump-point in NN3497, a Terran counter-assault across the jump-point to Gliese 258 that inflicted massive losses on Iwakuni forces maintaining their own defensive blockade, the pursuit of retreating Iwakuni ships, and an Iwakuni counterattack that inflicted losses sufficient to force Terran forces to withdraw from Gliese 258. Tactically indecisive as the Iwakuni failed to break the Terran blockade and the Terran counter-offensive was repulsed, scholarly consensus nevertheless regards the battle as a Terran victory given Iwakuni material losses, the maintenance of the Terran blockade, and the unopposed transit when Terran forces returned to Gliese 258 three years later.
Background: Subsequent to the Yuri Gagarin Incident that initiated hostilities, Terran Fleet Command ordered blockade of JP-NN 3497/Gliese 258 by rotation of its two active battle groups as construction and training of two, new state-of-the-art battle groups and their craft complements proceeded. On 26 May 2103, Battle Group B, commanded by Rear Adm. Scottie Rouleau (commander, 2nd Expeditionary Fleet) and centered around the dreadnought Xiang Yu (DN-002) and carrier Australia (CV-004), took up station eight days after survey ship Yuri Gagarin's (SS-001) destruction, and after deploying a scout through the jump-point, detected the presence of a large Iwakuni fleet in position to defend against transit. Three Iwakuni ships probed the jump-point in response, but were not fired upon. The Terran scout likewise transited back to the Terran side of the jump-point.
On 16 June, Battle Group A, commanded by Rear Adm. Geraldine Spriggle (commander, 1st Expeditionary Fleet) and consisting of Sun Tzu (DN-001), Asia (CV-003), Brazil (D-005), Pakistan (D-006), Julu (F-005), Cannae (F-006) and their craft complements, relieved Battle Group B of blockade duty. Spriggle, who had commanded the battle group responsible for the destruction of the House of Monkey fleet two decades earlier and who was then the sole recipient of the U.N. Star of Valor, was given wide operational discretion by Terran Fleet Command. When a 67,400 ton Iwakuni ship of class designated Moyote transited the jump-point on 23 August 2103, Spriggle ordered its destruction, thus forestalling any prospects of a negotiated peace. Salvager Group B arrived after several months to exploit the wreckage of the Moyote.
Action of 13 February 2104: A 2,700-ton Iwakuni ship of class designated Metcate was detected on approach vector. Adm. Spriggle detached destroyers Brazil and Pakistan to intercept. As the destroyers closed on the Metcate and after they had withdrawn from the range at which they might support the rest of the battle group, fifteen Iwakuni ships transited the jump-point: a lone 18,400 ton Guajolote; a lone 9,200 ton Molcajete; a pair of 27,600 ton Malacatos; and a primary formation of two 18,400 ton Olotutos, two 18,400 ton Coates, two 9,150 ton Chiquitos (later identified as Aran Fawddwy class), and five 9,200 ton ships of Chocoloto, Petaca, and Zenzontle classes. Sun Tzu and Asia launched their combat craft, the missile-armed strikecraft targeting the larger hostile contacts, as Sun Tzu also launched anti-craft missiles (ACMs) against remaining untargeted contacts that appeared to have used their own jump engines rather than the jump-gate, and the initial Terran missile attack damaged all targets. Vectors of several Iwakuni ships suggesting Salvager Group B as a target, the battle group rendezvoused with the salvagers to provide defensive cover, all vessels firing at the most proximate Iwakuni targets. After suffering extensive losses, remaining Iwakuni ships attempted to maintain distance beyond the range of interceptor railguns, only to quickly lose more ships to the longer range of Sun Tzu's, Julu's and Cannae's laser batteries, finally breaking off the attack entirely only to be pursued and destroyed. The entire engagement at the jump-point transpired in under the course a minute. The detached destroyers subsequently destroyed the Mecate, shuttles were launched to recover Iwakuni lifepods, and all elements of Battle Group A rendezvoused again at the jump-point.
Action of 14 February 2104: A Terran recon craft deployed through the jump-point to Gliese 258, although almost immediately destroyed, detected only five Iwakuni vessels defending against transit: three ships of class designated Papolete, a Tocale, and a Cacale. Recognizing an opportunity to secure unopposed transit for a future attack force by holding the Gliese 258 side of the jump-point, Rear Adm. Spriggle ordered flash-transit of the battle group to Gliese 258. Upon the battle group's entry, the Cacale and Tocale moved to intercept while the Papalotes retreated. After recovering from jump shock, destroyers launched ACM attacks against the Papalotes and the battle group closed with the two attackers, engaging the Cacle with laser batteries. The frigate, Cannae, suffered the complete loss of its shields and sustained superficial damage before massed laser fire destroyed the attacking Cacale, the Tocale destroyed by a combination of missile strikes and laser fire. Asia launched its interceptors in pursuit of the damaged Papalotes, which they destroyed. Search and rescue of Iwakuni survivors were conducted, the battle group maintained station at the jump-point, and a scout craft was dispatched towards the wreck of Yuri Gagarin.
Action of 15 February 2104: In the six-o'clock hour Battle Group A was unsuccessfully attacked by missiles from undetected platforms and the craft exploring the line to Yuri Gagarin was diverted to scout for the attackers. Two 18,400-ton ships of Zoqueto class were subsequently detected at the edge of Sun Tzu's 403.2 million km sensor range and craft of the dreadnought's strike squadron sortied against the targets. Other Iwakuni ships were quickly detected: a 27,600-ton ship designated Chante, three 9,200-ton ships designated Tecotecale, and a single unidentified contact of 9,200 tons. The battle group successfully defended against another two missile attacks within the hour and launched it's carrier strike wing against the three Tecotecales, the Chante, and the unknown. Short range ASMs from Sun Tzu's strike squadron damaged the Zoquetos and Sun Tzu deployed its five interceptors to the continue attack. In order to maintain sensor contacts in support of strikecraft operations, Battle Group A moved off jump-point station keeping. The Tecotecales were damaged by strikecraft ASM attack and Asia deployed its interceptor squadron to continue the attack. C/A-5A 007 was destroyed by the counterattacking Tecotecales' ASMs and the strikecraft flight expended the last of its ASMs against the active sensor source, Tecotecale 001, destroying it. By 13:13 interceptors had destroyed an additional two Zoquetos and two Tecotecales, at the cost of three C/F-6 Fer-de-lances.
At 15:45 Battle Group A sensors detected a highly dispersed barrage of 448 missiles in a single wave of 112 targetable groupings at a range of 475,000 km, exceeding total fleet anti-missile capacity. The battle group took evasive action and launched all powered craft as a precaution against the destruction of their motherships. Point-defense batteries engaged the incoming missiles to insufficient effect and both Sun Tzu and Asia were destroyed. Rear Adm. Fidel Delmonte, commanding the destroyers and frigates, ordered all remaining combat vessels to withdraw to NN 3497 via jump-gate, tasking SH/RS-3 Rasbora shuttles with the retrieval of survivors and the refueling of orphaned combat squadrons. During the course of these operations, two new contacts of class designated Acalte and another designated Azetale were detected, both powerful active sensor sources. By an hour past "midnight", on 16 February 2104, the withdrawl from Gliese 258 was completed, thus ending the battle.
Aftermath: Apprised of the loss of Sun Tzu and Asia via ansible, Fleet Command organized Antarctica (CV-002), China (D-002), India (D-002), United States (D-004) and Indonesia (D-004) as the Emergency Relief Group, which embarked from Earth to recover orphaned craft. Battle Group B, under 2nd Expeditionary Fleet commander, Rear Adm. Scottie Rouleau, embarked from NN 3380-A II to relieve the remnants of Battle Group A from blockade duty.
Battle Group A maintained the blockade of JP-NN 3497/Gliese 258, twice repelling Iwakuni tests of the jump-point on 20 and 24 February 2104, until relieved by Battle Group B later on the 24th.
For the action of 13-16 February, Fleet Stars were awarded to Rear Adm. Fidel Delmonte (Brazil), Fleet Capt. Maureen Douthitt (who survived destruction of Sun Tzu), Fleet Capt. Catherine Hokenson (Cannae), Fleet Capt. Russel Norfolk (Julu), and Fleet Capt. Ralph Zozaya (Pakistan); Exemplary Service Crosses to Capt. Ray Radigan, Capt. Freddie Lionberger, Capt. Periwo, Capt. April Lickliter, Cmdr. Alex Margosian, Cmdr. Kyle Hehn, Cmdr. Marty Big, Cmdr. Long Bookout, Cmdr. Perla Flannagan, Cmdr. Asmoro Herawati, Lt. Ravati Ahmed, Lt. Shi Tian Lin, Lt. Mondli Mhaule, and Lt. Shao Bao Hui; Auxiliary Service Medals to Lt. Kelley Mcclean, Lt. Hengameh Zirakzadeh, Lt. Bhikkhuni Poddar, and Lt. Wiji (senior officer, Salvager Group B); posthumous commendations to Fleet Capt. Rudolph Gaton (Asia) and Cmdr. Kanika Murugi. Rear Adm. Geraldine Spriggle declined her approved Fleet Star.
Battle Group A, reassigned to 2nd Expeditionary Fleet, continued blockade rotations, as Battle Group R after construction of new ships prompted Fleet reorganization in March 2105, with first Antarctica (CV-002), then Africa (CV-001), replacing Asia as carrier.
1st Expeditionary Fleet transferred its flag to Earth and assumed the planning for full-scale offensive in Gliese 258 space. Bound to administrative duties as she convalesced from injuries sustained in her evacuation from Sun Tzu, Rear Adm. Spriggle returned to operational duty in early December 21041, but retired from active service in early 2105 to allow her to consult with the Federation government, where she advocated, and helped secure funding, for the refitting of recent and current Fleet builds to improve missile defense and early warning capability before any attack on Gliese 258, delaying eventual operations by only four months. Spriggle later became an Academy director and continued consulting with Fleet planners until preparations for what would become the Battle of Gliese 258 were finalized in late March 2107. Spriggle later received the Federation Assembly's highest honor for her contributions to the war effort both in and out of service and she was regarded as one of the chief architects of later Federation successes against the Iwakuni by contemporary observers.
Analysis: The Battle of JP-NN 3497/Gliese 258 challenges definite tactical conclusions given its progression. As a successful maintenance of the Terran blockade, it can be characterized as a decisive Terran victory despite the loss of two of the Federation's most important warships; by contrast, the Iwakuni fleet lost twenty-seven combatants in excess of 9,000 tons, nearly half in excess of 18,000 tons, including several in the 27,000-ton range. That characterization, however, tends to minimize the Federation shift in objective to holding the Gliese 258 side of the jump-point, which the 1st Expeditionary Fleet's lone battle group was unable to accomplish. Characterized as a withdrawal to NN 3497 in Federation reports, the description of it as an organized retreat is equally valid, but at the time was a characterization espoused almost exclusively by critics of the war. As discovered records indicated, the Iwakuni certainly seized on the retreat of Federation forces to declare victory, but as the Federation learned when it returned to Gliese 258 in 2107, the Iwakuni effectively conceded control of the jump-point to the Federation by declining to again defend it, and combined with massive Iwakuni material losses, this explains the scholarly consensus that the battle was an unequivocal Federation strategic victory.
Federation Fleet review of the battle concluded that current sensor technology was inadequate to defend against small, missile-armed craft and suggested that anti-missile defenses might be inadequate even with improved detection. New doctrines advocated by Geraldine Spriggle, and eventually employed by Vice Adm. Ezequiel Maner, thus called for capability improvements to the ships that would comprise the two new battle groups slated for the Gliese 258 offensive and operational changes within the Federation Fleet, namely the combination of battle groups into multi-carrier and dreadnought task forces such as the three-battle group task force Maner commanded in 2107.
The review board recognized Spriggle's anticipation that Iwakuni capabilities might have exceeded those of her battle group and deferred criticism of her decision to move off the jump point after Iwakuni major combatants proved to be less dangerous than feared. The press, however, noted that had Spriggle remained at the jump-point as she had originally intended, Sun Tzu and Asia could have evaded the missile attack which destroyed them by jumping to NN 3497.
The SH/RS-3 Rasbora rescue shuttle proved so extremely versatile as an emergency craft tanker, that rather than completely replace it with the SH/RS-4 Ratfish and its doubled cryo-berth capacity, the Federation Fleet commissioned an improved model that traded top speed for an active sensor, allowing it to potentially support interceptor escort of strike squadrons.