Battle off the Hemari Archipelago

Battle off the Hemari Archipelago
Part of the Western Theater of the Siduri War
RS Forlorn is hit amidship
Date 22 May 1935 Location 30 kilometers east of the Hemari Archipelago, Nuadan Ocean Result Cacertian victory
Belligerents
Cacertian Empire	Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Desiderio Massa	Goran Rukavina  †
Units involved
Andria Fleet	Syaran National Fleet
Strength
1 heavy cruiser 3 cruisers 3 light cruisers 12 destroyers	2 heavy cruisers 2 cruisers 2 light cruisers 10 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 cruiser sunk 1 light cruiser sunk 2 destroyers sunk 1 heavy cruiser damaged 2 cruiser damaged 2 destroyers damaged	1 heavy cruiser sunk 1 cruiser sunk 4 destroyers sunk 1 cruiser damaged 1 light cruiser damaged 2 destroyers damaged

The Battle off the Hemari Archipelago was a naval engagement between the Cacertian Empire and the Republic of Syara on 22 May 1935 during the Siduri War. The battle took place roughly 30 kilometers east of the Ossorian archipelago of Hemar between two task forces of cruisers and destroyers from the Cacertian Andria Fleet and the Syaran National Fleet.

The Nuadan Campaign had begun in October 1934 and was categorized by frequent naval engagements by both Common Axis and the Inner Sphere over transits of merchant marines and naval operation designed to limit the strategic reach of each other's naval forces. Although the Cacertians had entered the conflict with the larger fleet, they were forced to operate out of their remote post in the Andria Protectorate, which had been attacked by the Syarans in October 1934 as part of Operation Charybdis. The following Battle of the Mansuri Sea had denied ports in Mansuriyyah to the Cacertians, forcing the Cacertian Royal Navy to rely on an elongated supply chain across the Varuna Ocean until repairs were completed at Andria.

In an effort to keep pressure on the Navy of the Syaran Republic the Cacertian Admiralty dispatched flotillas of destroyers, cruisers, and battlecruisers to disrupt Inner Sphere efforts in the Western Theater. On 15 May Rear Admiral Desiderio Massa was dispatched from Andria for the purpose of hunting Syaran raiders in the Sabri Sea. The Syarans were unaware of Cacertian intentions until 19 May when Syaran float planes dispatched from the battlecruiser Absolute Savior, which radioed the position of the Cacertian task force. The Absolute Savior was unable to participate due to a shortage of fuel, and instead Senior Captain Goran Rukavina was tasked with engaging the Cacertians to prevent them from entering into the "Nuadan Triangle", an area of the Nuadan Ocean beyond the immediate reach of the Syaran National Fleet.

Rukavina was aboard the Svajec-class heavy cruiser Splendid Efforts and was supported by the Bloodied Spirit, the Nemtya-class cruisers Quiet Lament and Promised Devotion, the Tavrita-class light cruisers Lasting Memories and Lively Passions, and 10 destroyers. Massa had under his command the heavy cruiser HMS Avidura, the cruisers Kavadari, Geralani, and Dapetra, the light cruisers Sidora, Colleria and Amida, and 12 Vera-Class destroyers. Rukavina sailed south starting on 20 May, made aware of Cacertian movements via Syaran signals intelligence. Rukavina hoped to pounce on the Cacertians undetected as they moved north-east away from Hemar, but during the night of 20-21 May the Syarans lost contact with the Cacertian fleet, which at the time was still unaware of the Syaran intentions.

It wasn't until early morning on 22 May that the two sides regained contact, this time with Cacertian radar picking up the Syarans at extreme range. At this point the two task forces were roughly 30 kilometers east of Hemar and less than 20 kilometers apart. The Cacertians opened fire first, just as the Syarans had established that they were facing the Cacertian task force. The Kavadari, leading the task force, opened fire with her 150mm guns at extreme range. The Syaran light cruisers Lasting Memories and Lively Passions responded with their own 155mm guns. The Syarans scored the first hits, damaging the Geralani. Both sides unleashed torpedo attacks, but failed to score any hits. As the two groups closed both ordered hard turn, the Syarans to port and the Cacertians to starboard, in order to bring their broadsides to bear while also bringing forward their destroyers for more torpedo attacks.

Both sides exchanged sustained shellfire upon one another. At 0720 the first ship was lost; the Lira-class destroyer RS Atlas was hit thrice by the Kavadari and sank with the loss of her entire crew. Rukavina's own ship, the Spendid Efforts, was hit twice and began to list slightly. The Syarans managed to damage the destroyer Petronilla, but less than eight minutes later the Quiet Lament was hit and caught fire. Faced with increasingly accurate Cacertian fire the Syarans turned north, then swung back south while the Cacertians were still sailing east in order to launch a second wave of torpedoes. This time the Syarans found their mark, as Massa had ordered the fleet to steer north to keep with the Syarans. The Colleria was hit in the bow and sank within 15 minutes, taking 313 of her crew with her as she foundered.

The Syaran maneuver however placed the Syaran ships where they were only able to fire part of their armaments, while the Cacertians were free to deliver most of their ordinance. The destroyer Forlorn was hit amidship and broke up, and the Lively Passions was hit twice. Rukavina ordered a hard turn to starboard, sailing west to get away from the Cacertian zone of fire. Massa followed suit, keeping fire on the Syaran rear as they sailed before Rukavina ordered another turn to port and the Syarans steamed south, still being chased. Massa followed suit by turning south-west and then pivoting straight south, closing the distance between the two fleets. Intense fire from both sides erupted with devastating results.

Promised Devotion was the first to go. She was struck four times by shells from the Dapetra, and then thrice more by the Amida. Her magazine detonated in a fireball that split the ship in two and killed everyone on board. Splendid Efforts was hit six times in as many minutes, her distinct silhouette providing the Cacertians a focal point for their gunners. The final salvo blew apart her bridge and killed Rukavina and his command team. She foundered just four minutes later. The Cacertians fished 16 survivors from the water out of a complement of 750. Desparate now to get away the Syaran destroyers surged forward, firing off wave after wave of torpedoes while the rest of the Syaran flotilla swung back north and tried to make a break for it.

The action cost the Syarns the destroyer Forgiven and Ascent, but the attack did its job. Geralani was hit twice, the first failed to detonate but the second blew apart her stern. Despite frantic efforts to save her she sank in 18 minutes. The destroyer Laelia was also struck, but her slow rate of sinking allowed most of her crew to survive. Less fortunate was the Sentia; she was hit twice by shellfire and exploded in a fireball that claimed all but four of her crew. By 0915 the Syarans had broke contact and were withdrawing, and Massa declined to pursue; his own ship was leaking oil and two his cruisers were damaged. The Cacertians turned south and returned to Andria on 25 May.