Battle of the Vanadzor Coast

Battle of the Vanadzor Coast
Part of Zemplen War
Smoke rises from the Szabó, as viewed from the Pious Predicant
Date 5 August 2008 Location Kunhegyes Distrct, Ruvelka Result Syaran victory
Belligerents
Syara	Ruvelka
Commanders and leaders
Anja Margetić	Raphael Kassouni
Units involved
Southern Fleet	Southern Flotilla
Strength
Total: 31 vessels 2 missile cruisers 6 destroyers 7 frigates 8 corvettes 8 submarines	Total: 11 vessels 3 destroyers 2 frigates 3 corvettes 6 submarines
Casualties and losses
1 frigate sunk 1 corvette sunk	1 destroyer sunk 2 frigates sunk 3 corvettes sunk 1 submarine scuttled

The Battle of the Vanadzor Coast was a naval engagement bewteen Ruvelka's Southern Flotilla against the Syaran Southern Fleet during the Zemplen War, fought approximately 65 kilometers from the port city of Aszód on the Vanadzor Coast. It was the only major naval battle to occur during the conflict.

Although hostilities between Ruvelka and Syara had been ongoing since May, both sides had refrained from major naval action as negotiations occurred throughout the summer. Following the breakdown of talks in mid-July, diplomatic pressure from Ossoria and Cacerta had forced both Zovahr and Debrecen to agree to refrain from any naval operations in the Sundering Sea so as to not threaten trade and shipping in the vital sea route. Although implications were made for western Siduri, no official agreement was made due to Ruvelka's much smaller south-western coastline, with the city of Aszód the only major Ruvelkan port in the area. Following the launch of the August Offensive and the beginning of full scale hostilities, the Syaran Commonality Navy was ordered to sail south and eliminated the Ruvelkan southern flotilla as part of a general strategy to destroy the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka.

The Southern Fleet, led by the two Iani-class missile cruisers Faithful Shephard and Courageous Spirit, set sail at 0400 on 5 August 2008, intending to catch the Southern Flotilla while it was still in port. Ruvelkan intelligience learned of Syaran intentions through signal-intercept and warned the Ruvelkan Admiralty, who deduced that the outmatched flotilla would not be able to withstand the assault. Without active coastal anti-ship missile batteries in place, and with all availible aircraft diverted to the unfolding events in the Ruvelkan interior, the order was given for the flotilla to set sail for open waters and avoid battle. Syaran airstrikes against military communication centers in the Aszód District prevented the message from reaching the Flotilla's commander, Admiral Raphael Kassouni, until 0625. By 0935 the Flotilla had left their stations along the Vanadzor Coast and began moving west, hoping to lose the Syarans in open ocean. Ruvelkan attempts to avoid detection failed when Syaran reconnassiance drones spotted the flotilla at around 1100, with the Syarans opening fire shortly afterwards.

Missiles fired from the Syaran cruisers hit the Ruvelkan frigates Csonka and Szabó, sinking the Csonka within a few minutes, but the missile that struke the Szabó failed to detonate, allowing the frigate to initially escape. The Ruvelkan sumbarine Rioni managed to answer back by torpedoing the Syaran frigate Fervernt Courier, but depth charges dropped by the Syaran fleet forced the Rioni to surface, though her crew managed to scuttle her before she was captured. More Syaran missiles struck the Szabó, causing her to founder around noon. Subsequent Syaran missile strikes sank the destroyer Szolnok and all three Ruvelkan corvettes. At around 1300 the Syaran corvette Transcendence was hit by two missiles and sunk, and the Syarans broke contact shortly afterwards, having sunk over half of the flotilla.

The Syaran fleet ended up returning to port by nightfall the same day, fearing the threat of Ruvelkan fighter aircraft stationed near the coast. Although the Ruvelka Flotilla had been destroyed as a coherent fighting force, the threat of Ruvelkan coastal batteries and aircraft prevented further Syaran naval action along the southern coast for the remainder of August, while five of Ruvelka's nuclear submarines, and two of her destroyers managed to escape into open waters. The Southern Fleet would ultimately form a blockade of Ruvelka's southern coast during the Siege of Aszód, while Ruvelka's submarine fleet would eventually sail around Siduri and return to Ruvelkan ports along it's northern coast. The Battle of the Vanadzor Coast would go down as the only major naval action to occur during the Zemplen War.