The Encounter with the Garmillas Dimensional Submarine[1] was an ambush of the UNCN battleship Yamato by the Greater Garmillan Empire's Dimensional Submarine UX-01, that happened late into the Great Garmillas War.
Prelude[]
In the previous month Yamato had it destroyed the Garmilas base on Pluto, turning the tide of the war, and it had survived numerous encounters with enemy forces inside and outside the Solar System. It had become clear to Leader Abelt Desler that this ship was going to be no small problem. Gremdt Goer's incompetent command of the Milky Way theater led Desler to recall the venerated Elk Domel from the frontlines. Assigned to take over from Goer, Domel set about planning the Earth ship's end, starting with requesting the use of UX-01 as his "hound." This advanced spec-ops ship was able to conceal itself in subspace, rendering it nearly impossible to see or attack, and could launch torpedoes from safety. This ship's use was deemed controversial by some officers, as it was done without Desler's personal approval as well as the unpredictable reputation of its captain Flakken.[2]
Ambush[]
Yamato hides from the dimensional submarine
Having predicted Yamato's course, UX-01 held position nearby a proto-star surrounded by a dense asteroid field and waited. Once the battleship was sighted, the submarine launched a torpedo, catching Yamato completely by surprise and striking its port side seemingly from nowhere, leaving a gaping hole. Admiral Okita ordered the ship to take cover in the debris field and hide in the crevice of a planetesimal. Over the course of several hours, torpedo after torpedo impacted random asteroids in the area, but the submarine grew no closer to finding its prey; the "noise" of the debris field masked the signatures of battleship's wake and engines so long as it kept still. At the same time, Yamato could not discern the enemy's location either. The battle became a long, tense standoff as each side waited out the other.[2]
The subspace sonar is activated
The situation aboard Yamato turned grave when Okita collapsed and was rushed to surgery, adding further tension to the situation. XO and technical officer Sanada took the helm, having theorized UX-01's trans-dimensional travel capabilities. Not long after, Yamato's radar picked up a departing Garmlias signature, but tactics officer Kodai warned of this being a decoy, which turned out to be the case. Two plans were formed to test if the submarine was still nearby: using the warp engine's subsystems to enact a trans-dimensional active sonar "ping" or sending out a SC-79 Seagull plane to patrol with subspace sonobuoys. Both carried risks: the ping would also reveal Yamato's position while the debris field endangered any pilot flying in it. The former option, supported by Lieutenant Kaoru Niiimi, was decided on by Sanada, firing the ping and moving Yamato out of cover as the submarine came up to firing depth. Two more torpedoes fired as Yamato maneuvered to evade them, one narrowly missing and the other exploding just off the port side and dealing significant damage. Although Yamato knew its enemy was still nearby, there was no way to fight back.[2]
Kodai departs in the Seagull
However, recalling a talk he had previously had with Okita, Kodai had decided to depart in the Seagull with the buoys, deploying them and relaying emergence point data of the next pair of torpedoes, allowing Yamato to safely intercept them. He did so with the help of botswain Enomoto and two of his subordinates. Thanks to their effort Kodai also managed to spot UX-01's periscope probe at Yamato's 4-o'clock and directed a shock cannon volley that successfully destroyed it, blinding the submarine. Flakken was forced to let the Earth ship warp safely away, planning to pick up the trail again later.[2]
Aftermath[]
Yamato again escaped destruction, thanks to the quick-thinking and adaptability of its crew. Okita's emergency surgery was successful, with the admiral regaining consciousness shortly after the ship's escape and returning to duty after recovering. Despite Kodai's ignoring his superior officer Sanada's order against carrying out the patrol with the Seagull, the XO sought no major disciplinary action against the Lieutenant on account of his bravery beyond temporary suspension.[2]
The emergence of this threat from subspace lead to heightened security measures to prevent another surprise attacks, such as increased long-ranged scout flights with subspace sonar.[4]
Years later in 2202, at the eve of the Yamato Revolt, Sanada recalled his inhability to properly defend Yamato during the battle. He believed he could not be the right person to take command of the battleship for her journey towards Terezart and thus decided to name Kodai interim commander.[3]
References[]
Japanese language information[]
ガミラス次元潜航艦と会敵 Gamirasu jigen senkō-kan to kai teki