Boston Standoff

The blockade of the New England coast by the then United Socialst States of America - or Boston Standoff - was a militarized effort to shut down trade into New England and force the rebelling region to lay down its arms and rejoin the Union. However, the event was the first marker in a war that enveloped the North American continent, thereby starting the Second North American War. A conflict which ultimately summoned the attention of the Spanish and a great deal of other allies in an attempt to put the US down and secure the soveriegnty of the newly formed NER

The blockade that started the standoff began in earnest on May 14, 1971. The blockade closed for an extended period major commercial trade and fishing ports such as Boston and Portland.

Background
Declaring independence on May 11, 1971 from the USSA the infant NER was shocked to hear that the US was willing to let the Republic go peacefully. With the news presented to them on the 13th the newly formed Republic stepped down its limited terrestrial defences at the news and the revolutionary government was beginning to gather to plan for the Republic's future, fashioning themselves as the true United States of America, fashioning themselves as the true US in the face of what they percieved to be the Socialist mockery in the south.

Though, as opposed to blocking off the nation President Fernandez ordered a general blockade, believing the young nation would not last long in the face of being cut off from vital exports and general supplies. An element of this having been the mobilization of naval assets in the Atlantic ocean to severe the nation's vital maritime links to the outside world, in addition to aerial patrol by USSA aircraft to patrol and oversee the Canadian-New Englander border to track traffic.

New England ultimately caught wind and realized the thread late on May 17, 1971.

Over the days and weeks following a number of powers would take turn to notice. Fernandez and Robert Holland regularly postured themselves throughout the blockade, publically defending their position and aggresive attacking the other in speeches made against each other in an attempt to keep public support and keep morale high.

The speeches though and continued blockade only served to raise tensions on the situation. Coupled with the gripping realities of being a new state President Robert Holland reached out to the Canadians - both Canada and the North West Coalition - in a proposal that lead to the creation of GNAU on May 25.

Spain
Recognizing the impact of a new independent state in North America as a tool against the fight of socialism, the Spanish made moves to contact both Boston and Ottawa to draw a alliance between the nations as a front to counter American socialism in North America and to stomp out what they percieved as a great fault in Spanish policy to combat spreading socialism.

A Spanish fleet would be detached for the US with the explicit orders to end the blockade. The fleet reached hailing distance of the fleets on June, 1.

Chinese Action
Though silent and uninvolved through the conflict and the ensuing war, China maintained a observationist perspective of the conflict. Hou directly corresponded to President Fernandez urging wise choice of action when approaching New England, in hopes that if New England could rejoin the nation, it would not make a side appear evil.

NWC Action
Being close allies with Canada, the NWC was capable of scrambling aircraft to get an eye on the situation. The NWC used this to feed supplies to the New Englanders.

The Standoff
The physical standoff and battle of the Boston Standoff began on June 1st at 1345 local time. Having sailed across the Atlantic, the Spanish fleet as commanded by Admiral Santiago Jalon Hidalgo Santin hailed down the American fleet outside of Boston as commanded by newly ranked admiral Kailen Hawkins. Over open radio broadcasts, the Spanish navy demanded that the US navy break up and disembark from what they recognized as New English waters.

Declaring the waters vaguely restricted, admiral Hawkins radioed his reply to the Spanish demanding they pull back and return to Spain. The Spanish response was not friendly and admiral Santiago ordered a warning volley to be fired shortly after. The United States followed suit, firing their own guns in their own response, formalizing their position to not move from their position.

NWC Intervention and Stance
For reasons best explained as military agreements between Canada and the NWC the North West Coalition mobilized a observational fleet to the site of the Spanish-American engagement. Headed by the Grizzly Class carrier the NWS Rans their expressed mission was to observe and organize a settlement between the two clashing sides. Their orders stood even while the first shots were being fired, going so far as to be ordered between the two fleets and press the urgency of negotiations.

Canadian Intervention and Stance
During the later course of the blockade the Canadian Navy mobilized assets as a response to the American blockade to nurture positive relations between them and the NER in the hopes that they may use New England as a spring board to later cut the US down. At 1420 the Canadian ships sailed on the American blockade with orders to engage and break the American navy to open NER waters.

The presence of the Canadian fleet acted to embolden the NWC who while sailing between the navies declared their allegiences to the Spanish, promising their guns to Admiral Santiago.

Battle
The declared allegience of the NWC and staunch American aggression who began manuevers to drive the Spanish fleet back. Shortly after the formation of the joint West Canadian-Spanish coalition flotilla they steamed north to their position, issuing several volleys worth of cautionary warning shots which Santiago did not care for.

The Spanish admiral responded to the threat by declaring the Spanish fleet to pullback, ordering they sail in double-staggered formation out deeper into the Atlantic in the hopes of tempting the Americans further out. In their false-retreat, Santiago ordered the navy's guns to the south-west to where the American navy was.At his order, the Spanish opened the first formal volley, before staggering their fire. Santiago hoping that they could gode the US to abandon their posts and enter open waters. These shot formally opening war between the USSA and Spain, and effectivly begining the Second North American War in earnest.

The attack prompted an aggressive response from admiral Hawkins who ordered all guns to fire on the retreating Spanish and mobilizing every F-15 avaible to the fleet. Contact was made with Washington informing them of the war that had opened with the Spanish.

Giving their support to the Spanish, the Western Canadians provided additional fire power to the stand-off by ordering bombing runs over the American carriers present using a napalm-like substance. Their hopes being that the liquid fire would handicap the carriers and to present takeoffs from them. The NWC continued to follow the Spanish as their fleet left the contested waters, they themselves scrambling their own fighters to engage the Americans at long range.

The US ships failed to follow the Spanish ships in full, and when reported they had gone beyond their range Hawkins ordered that the ships return to the saftey of the contested water, but near enough to keep a watch on the Spanish navy.

All the while, the Canadian fleet under radio silence made for the American lines, still intent on working past them while their command was focused on the Spanish and West Canadians.

Conclusion
The conflict ended on June 2nd when the US Congress passed a vote recognizing the New England Republic as a sovieriegn nation and requested the president step down the blockade on the NER ports. Pulling out from the battle, the US Ships returned to port in New York and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast.

Both sides suffered some degree of minor damage. Spanish ships reported minor damages while NWC craft carried their own brand of cosmetic damages to their hulls. The USSA and Canadians had come to suffer the worst damage, with the US losing several smaller vessels in the course of the trade of fire, and the Canadian fleet that had been silently moving through the US ranks - surprisingly without being noted - recieving the worst through friendly fire by Spanish and West Canadian ships; in this case, the Canadian navy was ordered into a full retreat after the Spanish navy and to return to port in Canada.

The Canadian admiral was notably sour over the affair, and in an effort to get back for damages wrought on him ordered a shot to be fired on the NWC navy, but not to directly hit them.

In a sense, the Spanish had achieved their primary objective and had gained entry to Boston's harbor. Though, not by force of their own arms.

The battle though would be significant in that it's a marker for the begining of the Second North American War.

Of OOC note
Aaron: On reading through the old posts it's come to my mind that the significance and power of the North Western Coalition is something to question. Of the main priority being the existence of the "GH-1" aircraft, which Vilage has agreed is an aircraft that could be decanonized for being significantly ahead of its time. The prominance and power of the Grizzly class carriers and a number of other NWC-mounted weapons could also be put on the table for early-canon cleanup.