Battle of Cape Alava

Battle of Cape Alava
Part of the Atmoran Campaign of the Third Voshan War
Date 29 November 1943 Location Cape Alava Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Atmoran Confederation Mizuhese Royalists	Atmoran Republic
Commanders and leaders
Jan-Pieter van Hossen Maurits Sievering† Sietse Priem van Morrenhof	Herman Buitenhuis Boudewijn van Liedenbaum
Strength
Total: 53 warships 2 aircraft carriers 6 battleships 4 battlecruisers 5 heavy cruisers 9 light cruisers 27 destroyers c. 210 carrier aircraft	Total: 56 warships 1 aircraft carriers 2 battleships 3 battlecruisers 4 heavy cruisers 6 light cruisers 23 destroyers 17 Corvettes c. 86 carrier aircraft
Casualties and losses
3 battleships sunk 1 battlecruiser sunk 2 heavy cruisers sunk 1 light cruiser sunk 8 destroyers sunk 76 aircraft destroyed 5,678 killed	1 aircraft carrier 2 battleships sunk 2 battlecruiser sunk 3 heavy cruisers sunk 4 light cruiser sunk 7 destroyers sunk 8 corvettes sunk 47 aircraft destroyed 4.971 killed

The Battle of Cape Alava (Dutch: Slag bij Kaap Alava) was a naval battle off the coast of Cape Alava in which High Queen Katherine I and her staff fled from Westend evacuating to Asvarre. The battle was marked by a series of royalist last stands against Rijkskrijgsmarine Admiral Herman Buitenhuis's Atmoran Home Fleet. Such as Kaptein-ter-Zee Floris-Jan Fortuin made a last stand by ramming battleship RMS Graaf Moltke along with sinking light cruisers RMS Asperen, RMS Arnemuiden, and RMS Blauwenhoek. Admiral Prince Jan-Pieter van Hossen's Atmoran Royalist Fleet succesfully crossed the Halkeginian Sea allowing the formation of the Free Atmoran Forces.

Aftermath

Survival of the royalists

The III Battle Squadron under Schout-bij-nacht Maurits Sievering drew Viceadmiraal Chiel Vinkers's IX Battle Squadron away from the High Queen in the XVI Battle Squadron. Schout-bij-nacht Sievering in a last stand together with his destroyer flotilla under his command intercepted and destroyed the IX Battle Squadron killing Admiral Vinkers in the naval action. Sievering with his ship dead in the water and sinking after the battlecruiser RMS Anholt chose to go down with his ship. Sievering's squadron sank another battlecruiser RMS Colmont, and four destroyers at the cost of Sievering's HMS Leeuw, destroyers HMS Reinalda and HMS De Ridder, and the battlecruiser HMS Héroïne badly damaged. The actions of Sievering managed to buy time for Admiral Hossen and Admiral Priem to defeat Admiral Buitenhuis with the destruction of his only carrier the RMS Vernietiging. For his heroic actions in the battle of Cape Alava, Katherine would posthumously promoted Sievering to the rank of Vice Admiral and awarded the Military Order of Alexandra. Along with that of the captains of the HMS Reinalda and De Ridder, the III Battle Squadron was further awarded the unit award of the Military Order of Alexandra.

Order of battle

Royalists

• Grootadmiraal Jan-Pieter prins van Hossen
  • Four battleships: HMS Henrietta de Grote, HMS Triomfantelijk, HMS Frederik IV, HMS Prinsesse Winter
  • Three heavy cruisers: HMS Vineta, HMS Draak, and HMS Groote Liefde
  • Nine destroyers:
• Admiraal Sietse Priem van Morrenhof
  • Two aircraft carriers: HMS Invencible and HMS Onverzoenlijk
  • Two battlecruisers: HMS Prins van Wolf and HMS Zegepralend
  • Ten destroyers:
• Schout-bij-nacht Maurits Sievering
  • Two battlecruisers: HMS Leeuw and HMS Héroïne
  • Four destroyers: HMS Thies Salvera, HMS Reinalda, HMS De Ridder, HMS Mathies Veltmans
• Schout-bij-nacht Hendrik K.G. Geursen
  • Two battlecruisers:
  • Four destroyers:
• Schout-bij-nacht Matsuzaki Yoshimune
  • Two heavy cruisers: HMMS Saien and HMMS Tsugaru
  • Four light cruisers: HMMS Yura, HMMS Isuzu, HMMS Jintsu, and HMMS Takasago
• Schout-bij-nacht Michiel Wietten
  • Five light cruisers:

Republicans

• Admiraal Herman Buitenhuis
  • Two battleships: RMS Walchmarken and RMS Voorhoede
  • Nine destroyers:
• Admiraal Boudewijn van Liedenbaum
  • One aircraft carrier:
  • Two heavy cruisers:
  • Five destroyers:
• Viceadmiraal Chiel Vinkers
  • Three battlecruisers:
  • Six destroyers:
• Schout-bij-nacht Reinier ten Hermsel
  • Two heavy cruisers:
  • Four light cruisers:
• Schout-bij-nacht Lourens van Dorland
  • Two light cruisers:
  • Three destroyers:
  • Two corvettes:
• Commandeur Jeroen Wastenecker
  • Seven corvettes:
• Commandeur Barend Willemse
  • Eight corvettes: