The Battle of the Thermometers
The Battle of the Thermometers was a small-scale naval conflict involving several nations, but principally involving Gruenberg, Kjata Major and McKagan. The battle was fought over the claim of a shipping area by Gruenberg, which was interpreted by others to be illegitimate, as it violated UN Resolution #74, 'The Law of the Sea'.
RESOLUTION #74
The Battle of the Thermometers was initiated by the controversial interpretation of UN Resolution #74 by the Gruenberg State Department for UN Affairs. The first operative clause of this piece of legislation lays out mechanics for maritime claims, specifically stating that 'all areas of sea more than 20 kilometres from an internationally recognised settled landmass or scientific research station are described as international waters'.
Given the importance of the fishing business to Gruenberg's economy, Gruenberg attempted to extend its sovereign waters beyond the standard 20 km areas in the Bays of Abzhan-Rejak and Solitude by use of the provision for claiming waters within 20 km of any scientific research stations. This had been thought by some UN members to be an impractical loophole to exploit, given the prohibitive expense of funding a network of such installations. However, as the Resolution does not define what constitutes a scientific research station, Lori Jiffjeff, the legal attache to Gruenberg's UN delegation, convinced the State Department of the Merchant Navy that any form of scientific equipment, no matter how basic, could constitute such a station.
As such, Gruenberg announced to the international community that it was establishing of network of National Scientific Research Stations (NSRS). In practice, this merely involved the designation of thermometers on various marine installations, including the Blankard Oil Well and the 401 Gas Terminus. The State Department for the Merchant Navy then declared an area of some 120 km, all of which did indeed fall within a 20 km radius of an NSRS, to be a Federal Reserved Trade Area (FRTA), reserving the waters for the Gruenberger fleet and announcing that all foreign vessels entering the FRTA would be obliged to conform to Gruenberger maritime law and, more importantly, pay a Shipping Privilege Contribution (SPC). The effective annexation of international waters was always likely to cause controversy, a likelihood further exacerbated by the doubts cast on the validity of Jiffjeff's interpretation by other UN nations, including the Yeldan UN Mission.
Sure enough, shortly after the State Department for UN Affairs issued a press release outlining its plans, Shildonia denounced Gruenberg's interpretation, arguing that since the stations were not 'internationally recognised', Gruenberg's claims were void. Shildonia declared its intention to continue transit of the disputed waters, adding that any infringement on this right would constitute an act of war.
THE CONFLICT UNFURLS
Both nations refused to stand down at this point, and the situation grew tense as Shildonia released the frigate PRSS Dauntless from its duties escorting the PRSS Pogey Carrier Battlegroup, assigning it new orders to enter the disputed waters. A message was dispatched to Gruenberg that any interference with the Dauntless would be considered an act of aggression. Admiral Mellwen, commander-in-chief of Gruenberg's High Seas Fleet, ordered Commodore Schmeitzer, the highest ranking officer on active duty at that time, to assemble a battlegroup to meet, observe and, if necessary, engage the Dauntless. Schmeitzer was relatively young, with no prior combat experience, and his selection seems to have been one forced on Mellwen. Nevertheless, continuing to allow the situation to escalate with only a very inexperienced field commander has been judged by many naval historians to have been highly reckless.
The HSS Permanent, HSS Reel, HSS Confucius and Schmeitzer's own ship, the HSS Greenface, assembled at a point around 100 km from Gruenberg's coast, and around 10 km from the 609 Gas Terminus. None of the four ships had seen battle before, and were all in reasonably poor repair. However, the battlegroup constituted just about the limit of the resources Gruenberg could afford to expend. Evidence of nerves striking Mellwen came as he repeatedly tried to convince the Dauntless to stand down. Shildonia confirmed that any attack on the Dauntless would result in war, and began monitor Schmeitzer's movements with the aid of satellite tracking devices, enabling the Dauntless to adopt a more favourable position.
At this point, Kjata Major entered the fray. Their Foreign Affairs Minister informed Gruenberg that the annexation of international waters would be damaging to the Kjatan economy, and that in the interests of economic self-preservation, Kjata Major would be willing to engage in a military conflict with Gruenberg to restore the waters to international control. The Minister also posited a faintly unlikely figure of $20 bn. as the cost of Gruenberg's actions to Kjatan shipping in import delays and increases in fuel costs. The sum was in all probability merely an exaggeration designed to convey Kjata Major's extreme fury at Gruenberg. Gruenberg, perhaps unwisely, chose to stick to its policy, and insisted that all Kjatan shipping would be subject to the SPC, whilst somewhat weakly denying any grievance with the Kjatan people.
Kjata Major's choice of commanding officer was also constrained by other factors. With General Minerva conducting operations in Van Luxemburg, General Muramasa returning from a conflict with Greater Mactopia, and General Masamune on the Peacekeeper, General Hein (sometimes known as 'The Grim Reaper') was assigned. Hein had a history of illegal activity, and rumours of use of nuclear, biological and chemical agents have dogged his career.
72 hours later, the Dauntless arrived at the edge of Gruenberg's disputed waters. Two more advanced 'Badger' class vessels, each bearing a complement of some 50 High Sultanic Navy Special Forces troops, had arrived to strengthen Schmeitzer's battlegroup. By now, the Dauntless was heavily outgunned, and the decision was evidently taken to stand down, remaining at a point just outside the range of Gruenberg's claims. Hein, however, despite attempts by Carl Piper, Shildonian Minister for Defence, to convince him otherwise, continued on into Gruenberger waters, leading a force of three Bora-class Guided Missile Corvettes, rapid-response ships armed with ship-to-ship missile technology, and rumoured to use Sarin and other chemical agents.
One of the Kjatan Bora-class vessels used in the battle
With the ships of both Gruenberg and Kjata Major now readying for battle stations, McKagan announced their entry into the fray, intending to demonstrate their willingness to protect international shipping lines. The Illusion Class Frigate RMV Defiant was dispatched to follow the Dauntless, and then continue into Gruenberger waters.
THE BATTLE OF THE THERMOMETERS
In the event, the actual naval confrontation was a relatively brief affair. The Greenface fired three warning shots over the bow of the Dauntless. This was interpreted as an opening salvo by General Hein, and the order to return fire was given. The Permanent and Confucius were destroyed, and the Reel damaged beyond repair. The Twinkletoes, Grievous and Greenface all opened fire, the latter badly damaging the LCAC Amphibious Bay of the Defiant, which duly launched a barrage of missiles, destroying the Greenface. At this point it is believed Commodore Schmeitzer gave the order to abandon ship. The Twinkletoes and Reel were sunk by a secondary wave of missiles.
Gruenberg's hardware losses were total: all six ships were damaged beyond repair. The personnel losses were no less devastating: of the 428 officers and men assigned to the battlegroup, only 47 were eventually rescued. Admiral Mellwen was forced to confirm a surrender. Survivors were arrested, including Schmeitzer, who was taken into a decontamination chamber on the Defiant along with 19 fellow Gruenbergers, while the remainder were picked up the Kjatan vessels, which, being capable of moving at over 50 knots at top range, were able to arrive quickly enough to decontaminate those Gruenbergers affected by the chemical agents deployed in Hein's second strike.
At this point The Silver Sky attempted to intercede on Gruenberg's behalf, thus becoming the first and only member of the international community to so endorse their actions. A fleet was dispatched to render assistance. At this point, however, the Gruenberg State Department of Foreign Affairs issued a release confirming that they had renounced all claims to waters beyond 20 km of their coasts. A formal apology to the nations of Shildonia, Kjata Major and McKagan was also offered, and The Silver Sky's fleet returned to its base.
AFTERMATH
The Battle of the Thermometers had few international repercussions, given its small scale. All Gruenberger Prisoners of War were returned to an agreed drop-off point near to Merlefurt, and hostilities proceeded no further. Schmeitzer later testified at a court-martial that he and his men had been treated with 'the most civility' by their captors. Schmeitzer himself was expelled from the High Sultanic Navy for gross incompetence and cowardice in the line of fire. His current location is not known.
Gruenberg has not attempted to repeat its claims to marine territory beyond the scope of the 20 km limit imposed by Resolution #74.
