March 20, 1942 - Galveston Naval Base, Galveston, Galveston County, Republic of Texas
The day of departure had finally come. A month ago, Karl had hoisted his flag aboard TNS San Jacinto and set about arranging the final details of his fleet’s structure and mission. Now he looked out from San Jacinto’s flag bridge into the pre-dawn gloom as the leading destroyer division filed out of the harbor entrance.
Standing nearby was his new Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral James Richardson, USN. Richardson, like Karl’s friend Chester Nimitz, had been a Texas Navy cadet attending the U.S. Naval Academy in the early 1900’s when the Social Progress Party gained a majority in the Texas Congress and cancelled the exchange program. Like Nimitz, he had requested and received a transfer to the U.S. Navy, earning his commission upon graduating and eventually becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Knowing that he was likely going to be working closely with the Americans throughout the course of the war, Karl had asked Nimitz to recommend someone to serve as a liaison officer. Nimitz unhesitatingly recommended Richardson. “The man got canned over the fleet’s deployment to Pearl Harbor, Karl. He told the President and Admiral Stark it wasn’t safe to base the fleet at Pearl, and I understand the argument got more than a little heated. Then not even a year later, exactly what he predicted happened.”
Karl liked what he saw when they met at the von Stahlberg ranch. Richardson had impressed him with his knowledge of Japanese military culture and doctrine. He had identified the swords displayed behind Karl’s desk as genuine antiques, something that had surprised Karl.
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“You do realize those swords are antiques, don’t you, sir? From the look of them, they pre-date the Meiji Restoration by at least two hundred years.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Captain Takeda sent them to me in reciprocation for the silver-plated spurs I had made and sent to him as a thank you gift for his help off France in ‘37. Same with the bullwhip, that came from Captain Godoy of the Argentinian battleship Moreno. There’s a note that came with the swords, but I never got around to having it translated.” Karl handed the note to Richardson, who looked it over, translating in his head.
“That’s exactly what this says. ‘These swords came into my possession when I was asked to close the estate of a distant relative who had died without heirs. As there was no-one in my own family who needed them, I was given leave to dispose of them as I saw fit. I was pleased to find a home for them with a brave and skilled warrior.’ It’s signed, ‘Takeda Moriji, Captain, His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Ship Ashigara.’ The rest of this,” he waved the pages, “are instructions on how to care for the swords. If you’d like, I’d be happy to translate that for you as well.”
“Thank you, Admiral, I’d appreciate that. So, tell me what happened when you were relieved as Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet. Just in general terms, I wouldn’t expect you to reveal anything said in confidence.”
“Ah, Pearl Harbor, sir. The President, CNO, and Secretary of the Navy had all agreed that the Pacific Fleet should be moved to Hawaii so it was closer to the Philippines. After inspecting the available facilities there, I recommended against this as the defenses were nowhere near adequate.”
“That’s all, Admiral? That in itself doesn’t seem to be a good reason for firing you.”
Richardson hung his head. “Well, being perfectly honest, sir, I let myself get carried away arguing against the idea. While I still think I was correct in my reasoning, I was wrong in how I presented my arguments. I said things I really shouldn’t have, and I torpedoed my career in the process.”
Karl nodded his head, holding his best poker face. What Richardson had said agreed with what Nimitz had told him. “I see. While I can understand vigorously debating an idea, once the civilian authorities have made the decision, it’s time for men like us to say ‘Aye aye, sir’ and carry out our orders.”
“Yes, sir. I understand that now. Unfortunately, it’s not likely I’ll ever be trusted with any serious duty again.”
“Well, as it turns out, you were right about what would happen in Hawaii. But you’re wrong about never being trusted again.” Karl’s poker face turned into a grin. “I’d like for you to be my new Chief of Staff. For some reason, every time I get a Chief of Staff broken in, or they get me broken in, however it works, they keep getting promoted. My last one, Jonathan Black Horse, is now a Commodore commanding one of my cruiser divisions. I seem to lose Sailing Masters and Flag Captains the same way. Strange.”
Richardson returned the grin, surprised at Karl’s offer. He had only expected to be a liaison officer. “Thank you, sir. And please, call me Jim.”
“Welcome aboard, Jim. I’ll warn you though, while I expect you to give your honest opinions, I also expect you to avoid letting your mouth run away on you.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
Copyright 2024 D.A. Brock
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