Meet the ship girl: Nevada

Nevada

USS Nevada, sir! First super-dreadnought of the U.S. Navy, sir!

The equipment? Yeah, it’s old. So what? If it works, it means I can fight.

To begin, I was the first of many things. First in the USN to use fuel oil. First to use “all or nothing” styled armor, and my turret scheme will become the standard for all future American battleships years to come. The navy learned a lot from me. We had both successes and failures, and I entered service in 1916. Nothing much else need to be said.

Nearly thirty years later, that day. I remembered it pretty well. Yeah, I took a couple of bombs and torpedoes, but I stll fought. I only got beached because they thought I was going to block the strait. As if! I may be old, but I’m no pensioner. When they fixed me up, I went right back to fighting. Was at Normandy. I fought the Nazis at Toulon. Shelled the Japanese at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Those guys didn’t scare me one bit, so let’s see how tough the Abyssals really are.

STEC notes that the historical Nevada was a ship that performed admirably in her supporting roles. On D-day, USS Nevada was capable of suppressing German strongpoints up to 31 kilometers away, yet she fired with an accuracy that was capable of distinguishing friend from foe within a mere 600 yards. This accuracy remains a consistent hallmark of her shooting, and is demonstrated repeatedly across all her engagements wth the abyssal fleet to date. Small wonder that the other ship girls go to her for shooting advice.

Humble, tough, brave, STEC recommends Nevada to receive modernization at the earliest convenience. Her shelling accuracy is absolutely devastating – especially in context of her outdated equipment – and deserves immediate priority for modernization.

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Excerpts from the Admiral’s office.

I see that your equipment is mentioned as “outdated”. Could you clarify for us what this assessment is?

It is exactly what it says on the tin, sir. The fairies down at the shop are working hard, but much like my historical counterpart, these “older” 14”/45s have a tendency to throw off each other’s aim when they fire together. Now, they ain’t too bad against the abyssals, being such huge targets and all. But it’s something that’s been noticed, and we’re hoping to correct the flaw very soon.

Thank you. You don’t need to call me “Sir” at this point. Would you say then that what you carry is “historical” in nature, then? Can we pin your equipment down to a specific date or instance?

You know that’s just chasing after semantics. You want stats, go ask someone like Mahan. Even if this thing end up becoming a perfect copy of the Mk X mod Y of gun Z, it sure as hell ain’t acting the same way as a real gun. Do I look like the type to be carrying thousand-plus pound munitions in my pockets?

Speaking of munitions, how do your turrets work? Are they … real?

What do you mean “real”? Have I taken one apart myself and see how the fairies themselves operate the thing? Yes. Is this exactly how a real battleship turret operates? Kinda. Can I manually adjust my own weapons and fire them personally? Yes. That detailed enough?

Reading your comments above, what do you mean when you say, “I”?

Let me guess. This is the million dollar “are you a ship or are you a girl” question, ain’t it? Well, every girl’s going to have a different take. Here’s mine. When I say “I”, I mean it. It’s like I was there myself. But who “I” am is a very complicated thing to explain. Let me use my memories of D-Day as an example.

When I say I was there, I mean it. I remember plotting projectile trajectories and seeing the flashes and explosions on shore. That memory’s holistic. It’s as if I was the ship. I remember pacing the decks and relaying orders furiously, because the fate of the European theater may very well depend on it. That memory’s as if I was the XO of the ship. Then, you know, I remember the adrenaline. I remember the heat and the sweat at those turrets as the USS Nevada belched out round after round of fire. That perspective? The loader and artillery-men of the USS Nevada’s turrets. Even now I can tell you everything there is to know about them as if that’s who I am. That make enough sense to you?

Do you think your fairies have something to do with your “history”, if we want to call it that?

Absolutely.

I mean, specifically, *those* fairies?

Which?

Whichever ones that shot at me when I came into your room.

You didn’t knock.

But the door was open!

You still gotta knock, sir. Besides. You know this part of the base seldom get visitors in the first place. They’re not the smartest thing on the planet, you know? Not only do fairies tend to keep to themselves, but between easily startled, stranger danger, and simple-mindedness, I’m surprised you didn’t earn yourself a trip to the med bay.

Either that or they’re getting bored at shooting mosquitoes. There’s only so much maintenance they can do on equipment, after all.

Are you saying you’d prefer the abyssals hit base so they have something bigger to shoot?

No, er, not at all!

Look. You want a real answer? I think you’re right with the part about being bored. Thing is, admiral, remember. Ivy division. Screaming eagles. Both are highly disciplined troops. They were, and still is, some of our best. You think the fairies here – and I think they’re what they think they are – don’t know what to do? With the exception of duty I haven’t seen a single one of them even take a step out of the little shoebox “home” that I’ve made ’em.

Of course they’re messing with you. They’re fairies.

But why place them on top of the dresser?

Overwatch. You see that keg in the corner of my room? As a responsible adult I need to make sure that thing stay out of the hands of minors. I’m pretty sure all the Kazes are underage.

Wait, Nevada, how old are you?

Admiral, you do NOT ask a girl how old she is.

No, no, no. I mean, you look really young –

You calling me a kid?

No, uh, I – uh, well, see, if we JUST met, I’d –

You do realize that there is no standardized biological marker for age, right?

Really?

Sir, do you even read half the stuff the STEC biological and biomedical sciences division throw your way?

…Er, no?

Good. I don’t either. C’mon. It’s dinner time. I think Langley’s cooking popcorn shrimp.