Kvist Catastrophe
| Kvist Catastrophe | |
|---|---|
| Part of Third Kopen Uprising | |
 Picture of the RFN Kvist shortly before it's scuttling, taken by members of the Stonish Coast Guard in Umudīn. | |
| Location | Whitestone Strait,  Flatstone-45.856684, 44.669248 |
| Commanded by | Upper-Lieutenant Jak Pejdeson (MIA) |
| Date | 1907/7/23 08:30 – 12:50 (UTC +3) |
| Outcome | - Sinking of RFN Kvist - Disappearance of Crew |
| Casualties | 95 Missing |
The Kvist Catastrophe is a formerly classified military documentation of an unnatural event supposedly having taken place in the Whitestone Strait during the Third Kopen Uprising on board the RFN Kvist, a destroyer belonging to the Royal Stonish Navy. According to historical records, the ship was under the command of Upper-Lieutenant Jak Pejdeson, at the time on patrol in cooperation with the Stonish Coast Guard, which had been tasked with maintaining order in the Whitestone Strait and combatting piracy during the Third Kopen Uprising that had sparked in the start of the twentieth century as a result of religious prosecution.
In the Hours Prior
At approximately 830 hours, Anker Pedersen arrived at the Royal Navy base in Kumonlān in order to assume the role of captain of the Kvist. Just an hour after his arrival, the ship and its crew of 95 would depart from Kumonlān, heading to the city of Umudīn where it would briefly stop in order to refuel before it was scheduled to patrol the Whitestone Strait. At 1130 hours the ship would inform the members of the Stonish Coast Guard stationed in the Royal Navy Port of the destroyers arrival, utilizing both flags and flares to assert that the ship was alone, and that it would be docking shortly. The ship would spend little more then an hour in the port, departing at approximately 1250 hours after it had finished refueling. This would be the last time that the crew of the Kvist would have any form of contact with members of either the Stonish Coast Guard or Royal Navy.
Disappearance and Subsequent Discovery
The ship was scheduled to return from its first routine patrol sometime within the next two days; However, the ship wasn't reported missing by the Stonish Coast Guard until a week after it's disappearance. This is likely because the Kvist was not the only ship dispatched by Flatstone to participate in the quelling of the Third Kopen Uprising, many ships did not return to their posts for days past their scheduled date of return for a variety of reasons, including sustaining damage during routine patrols and being forced to relocate to shipyards with the necessary equipment in order to undergo repairs. It wasn't until after the Kopen uprising had ended two weeks after that the coast guard managed to find the Kvist. Upon further investigation it was found that the ship, half-submerged under the water, was without its crew. None of the original ninety-five crew members, or their bodies, were found aboard the ship. For the most part, all on the ship was in order, the ship hadn't ran out of fuel, drinkable water, food reserves, or sustained any major damages aside from those caused by the flooding in the ships stern that had been left unattended by the absent crew.
It was theorized that the Kvists crew disappeared days before it was reported missing, as was evident by the fact that the ship had sustained minor damages to its hull, likely caused by the ship being thrown around by the waves of the Sunadic and being dragged through the harsh currents of the Whitestone Strait. The personal belongings of the crew were found to be still present on the ship at the time of its discovery, the majority of which were collected by members of the coast guard and returned to the families of their respective crew member. No large-scale investigation of the ship, or how it ended up in the state that it was found, was ever conducted by the coast guard or royal navy out of fear that the ship was cursed. Efforts were made by the coast guard to float the ship back to shore where a proper examination could be conducted before its inevitable scuttling, however, it eventually became clear that their efforts were futile and it was instead decided to scuttle it immediately. The ships interior was swept three times by three separate parties of coast guard in order to collect anything of value; The ship was subsequently scuttled by the Stonish Royal Navy shortly after the last search-party exited the ship.
Theories
Information pertaining to the ship wasn't made accessible to the public until the 1960's when government documentation of the incident was released to the public by the republican government of Flatstone that had recently seized power through a bloody coup against the crown. Throughout the 60's, 70's and later 80's, a variety of theories would arise as to what happened on the fateful day that the Kvist and its crew disappeared. Some have claimed it to be proof of aliens, some have claimed it to be a government cover-up, however the most popular theory that remains today is the following:
The ship was captured by Kopen pirates participating in the Third Kopen Uprising, leading to the execution of its crew and the abandonment of the ship.
Efforts have been made by King Dag Von Stone of Flatstone to suppress internet theories regarding the Kvists Disappearance, however these attempts have only lead more to believe that the incident is the result of a government cover-up, or potentially something far more sinister. Regardless, no efforts are actively being made by any Stonish authorities to investigate further into the incident despite the developing restlessness of the victim's relatives and descendants. This is likely because there is little to go off of in terms of evidence, considering that there was no investigation conducted at the time and thus no solid records of the incident.