Great Nuadan Raid

Battle of the Sabri Sea
Part of the Nuadan Campaign in the Western Theater of the Siduri War
Syaran transport ship sinks in the Nuadan Ocean
Date 4-23 November 1935 Location Nuadan Ocean Result Common Axis Victory
Belligerents
Common Axis Cacertian Empire Tennai	Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Nemetoria Lagorio Ariberto Scime Driti Bontha Koothai Praemika	Hristijan Rajcevski
Units involved
1st Combined Battlecruiser Task Force	Navy of the Syaran Republic
Strength
4 battlecruisers 4 light cruisers	2 battleships 1 battlecruiser 2 heavy cruisers 2 cruisers 12 destroyers 8 submarines 5 auxiliary cruisers
Casualties and losses
1 light cruiser sunk 2 battlecruisers damaged 2 light cruisers damaged	7 destroyers sunk 19 cargo ships sunk 4 auxiliary cruisers sunk 2 submarines sunk 1 heavy cruiser damaged

The Great Nuadan Raid was a series of attacks launched against Inner Sphere convoys by Common Axis commerce raiders in November 1935 during the Siduri War. The operation lasted from 4 to 18 November and resulted in the loss of 19 cargo ships and 7 convoy escorts. The raid was a joint operation between the Cacertian Royal Navy and the Royal Tennaiite Navy in the Nuadan Ocean as part of the Nuadan Campaign in the Western Theater.

Because of the distance between the front lines and the main industrial centers in the Republic of Syara, the Common Axis faced difficulties in targeting the manufacturing and logistical base of the Inner Sphere. One method of doing so was using commerce raiders to attack Syaran and Shirvani merchant marine fleets, which transported raw materials and supplies from neutral countries to Syaran and Shirvani ports. Because of the distances and risks involved this required the usage of warships capable of long range independent operations. After Operation Winter Phantasm had exposed the threat posed to smaller groupings of ships, the combined Common Axis Admiralty deduced the need for larger flotillas capable of standing on their own in the face of counter-raiding forces put to sea by the Syara.

The result was the formation of the 1st Combined Battlecruiser Task Force using ships from both the Cacertian Empire and Tennai. This consisted of two Lucrezia Quintilian-Class Battlecruisers, the HMS Lucrezia Quintilian and Veronica Quintilian, and two Satyaratha-class battlecruisers, the RK Yaudheyi and Devakirideva. Additional support was derived from four Kolaribetta-class light cruisers, the Kolaribetta, Makurni, Hecuba, and Kattadadu. The ships converged at Joint Operations Command, Andria on 25 October 1935 before steaming north-west through the "Nuadan Triange" (the waters between the Ossorian islands of Hemar, Trebêran, and West Aotearoa).

The task force intercepted its first convoy, ST-144, on 4 November, approximately 400 kilometers south-west of the coast of Æþurheim. ST-144 consisted of six cargo ships, two destroyer escorts and the auxiliary cruiser Sea Spirit. Shellfire from the Yaudheyi and Veronica Quintilian sank both destroyer escorts and crippled the Sea Spirit. The convoy scattered but the Task Force succeeded in sinking all six vessels. The distress signal sent out by the convoy notified the Navy of the Syaran Republic of the presence of the Task Force, and dispatched ships to search for them. The Task Force then sailed west before looping back around after being informed that another convoy was en route.

The next intercept took place on 11 November against ST-339 (Syaran convoy designations were random rather than iterative), consisting of seven cargo ships, two destroyer escorts, and two auxiliary cruisers, the Worried Prayer and the Faint Melody. The intercept took place amid rough seas and poor weather, but the Task Force was able to employ their onboard radars to augment their gunnery skill and compliment fire control systems. After an hour engagement all escorts and cargo ships had been sunk, but the Lucrezia Quintilian was hit by a torpedo fired by the destroyer Needless. Damage control teams and watertight compartments prevented major flooding, though the ship had to reduce speed by three knots after counter-balancing the compartments failed to rectify the issue.

Having lost two convoys full, the Syaran Admiralty immediately dispatched the battleships Dawn under Heaven and Purveyor of Hope to track down the Task Force, supported by the heavy cruisers Intrepid Wanderer and Unbroken Spirit. The first Syaran ship to make contact however was the battlecruiser Resolute Absolution, which itself had been hunting Common Axis merchant ships in the Nuadan. The Syaran battlecruiser exchanged fire with the Task Force for over 30 minutes on 12 November. but neither side recorded any hits. The Task Force was later shadowed by the submarine Ghastly, which launched two torpedoes though neither hit. It was later sunk by depth charges from the Makurni.

Still being chased by the Syarans, the Task Force intercepted its third convoy on 15 November. ST-405 consisted of 12 cargo ships escorted by three destroyers and two auxiliary cruisers, the Chain Breaker and the Great Refusal. Despite sinking another six cargo ships, the interception was less successful. Fortunate fire from the Chain Breaker destroyed the radar system onboard the Devakirideva, while the destroyer Machination torpedoed the Hecuba. Rapid intervention by the crew prevented her from sinking, but intermittent fire from the other escorts allowed the rest of the convoy to escape. During the night the commanders of each battlecruiser met aboard the Yaudheyi to discuss their options.

Captain Driti Bontha of the Yaudheyi favored withdrawing; the Task Force had sunk numerous enemy ships, rendering the operation a success, while further action risked being isolated and cut off from escape; a repeat of Operation Winter Phantasm seemed unlikely. Captain Ariberto Scime of the Lucrezia Quintilian favored remaining on station for a few more days, as another Syaran convoy was expected to arrive. Captain Nemetoria Lagorio from the Veronica Quintilian and Captain Koothai Praemika of the Devakirideva however agreed with Bontha. A number of factors favored withdrawal; after repeated engagements the ships were beginning to run low on ammunition and the repairs were needed. Remaining too close to Syaran waters increased the risk of eventual confrontation, while continued operations would also likely degrade the condition of the battelcruisers further, making an eventual battle with Syaran capital ships increasingly risky.

The four Captains eventually agreed to withdraw back to Andria, concluding that the sinking of over 70,000 tons of Inner Sphere shipping and warships was enough to mark the operation a success. The Task Force began sailing south to evade detection, but on 16 November the fleet was spotted by the submarine Lancer, which managed to report the location of the Task Force before it was sunk by gunfire from the Kolaribetta. Hopes to avoid further contact were dashed around noon on 17 November when Lucrezia Quintilian detected two Syaran battleships on radar, approximately 300 kilometers north-west of the Trebêranese Islands. The Tennaiites opened fire first with their 410mm guns, but fire from the Devakirideva was noticeably less accurate without the benefit of radar.

Torpedoes from the Intrepid Wanderer and three supporting submarines forced the Task Force to evade, disrupting the line of fire and allowing the Syarans to close the distance. Shells from the quadruple turrets of the Syaran battleships found their mark early on; the Devakirideva was hit aft of the superstructure which damaged her rear guns and disabled her third turret closest to the stern. Fire from the Purveyor of Hope struck the Lucrezia Quintilian, destroying three of her 150mm guns. Dawn under Heaven then fired and hit the Kattadadu, which exploded and sank quickly. The Syarans recovered 155 of her crew out of the water.

Trying to take pressure off their sister ships, the Veronica Quintilian began firing on the Purveyor of Hope while the Yaudheyi focused on the Dawn under Heaven. The Task Force would answer back with fire from the Kolaribetta and Makurni, which struck the Intrepid Wanderer and detonated her forward magazine. A fireball erupted above the heavy cruiser and she had to pull out of line; the hasty maneuver forced the two Syaran battleships to alter course to avoid a collision with the stricken heavy cruiser. Faced with a chance of escape the Task Force took, pushing to their maximum allowed speed to try to break contact. The Syaran battleships eventually reoriented themselves and continued engaging the Task Force, but neither side scored any more hits during the rest of the engagement, which lasted until dusk. The Syarans continued to shadow the Task Force into 18 November, but failed to do any more damage. By 0900 on 18 November the Syarans had broke off pursuit and the Task Force was free to return to Andria unhindered. The battlecruisers pulled into port on 23 November.