Battle of Haaoy

 

Battle of Haaoy
Part of the Crostenian Theatre of the Great War
Mestran aircraft carrier MNS Audunborg under heavy air attack by Onshokoese dive bombers and torpedo bombers, September 18th, 1941
Date 17th-18th, September 1941 Location Crostenian Ocean, Isle of Haaoy Result Onshokoese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Mestra	Empire of Onshokostan
Commanders and leaders
Jakobsen Noss Aleksander Gulsvig Oscar Amdahl	[Chigusa Yoritoki] [Hino Morihiro]
Strength
2 fleet carriers 3 battleships 5 heavy cruisers 2 light cruisers 17 destroyers ~92 carrier aircraft	4 fleet carriers 1 battleship 7 heavy cruisers 4 light cruisers 20 destroyers ~280 carrier aircraft
Casualties and losses
1 battleship sunk 1 fleet carrier severely damaged 2 heavy cruisers sunk 1 light cruiser damaged 3 destroyers damaged 56 aircraft destroyed 8 aircraft damaged 1,079 killed	2 aircraft carriers damaged 1 battleship damaged 1 light cruiser sunk 16 aircraft destroyed 46 aircraft damaged 129 killed

The Battle of Haaoy, from September 17 - 18, 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Onshokostan Navy and Royal Mestran Navy, taking place in the Northern Crostenian Ocean of The Great War. The battle was the first action of the war where both sides did not establish a direct line of sight, instead attacking each other with aircraft carriers, it was also the first action involving multiple aircraft carriers.

To strengthen their position in the Crostenian Ocean, the Onshokoese decided to launch an invasion and occupy the Mestran-controlled Tromstadt Isles, to eliminate both the threat of Mestran air and sea attacks and secure a vital port to further better themselves in Sule. The planning phase of Operation Tr started in mid 1941, but Onshokoese Army generals refused to land troops on the islands unless the defenses where completely destroyed and the Navy had complete air and sea control. A precursor operation, Operation Ha, was drawn up and approved, this would be the first of 6 planned "raids" on the islands, aimed at destroying or severely damaging military installations on the chain. The Admiralitet learned of this through code breaking, and sent an extra fleet carrier and escorts, under the overall command of Jakobsen Noss.

On September 16th, at roughly 06:00, the Onshokoese fleet had come 100 nmi to the Tromstadt's, and where detected by a Mestran submarine unknowingly. Noss had been notified quickly and sailed from the main base, which was the expected target. Over the course of the day, Noss had made an attempt to close in on the Onshokoese fleet, but was unsuccessful, and disengaged. The next day, after the Onshokoese strike on Harstad Harbour, Noss had correctly estimated, with help from the isles shore based aircraft, where the fleet would go next and launched a strike on the Onshokoese ships. The Onshokoese had spotted the Mestran fleet following the Mestran air attack and launched their own attack, missing the Mestran ships due to a storm. The following day, the Mestran fleet would come under heavy air attack twice, with the fleet carrier MNS Audunborg being severely damaged by dive bombers. Noss' fleet would launch another air attack at dusk, managing to sink a light cruiser in exchange for heavy losses.

Both sides took aircraft losses and damaged carriers, with Noss's fleet carriers effectively de-planed, resulting in both sides leaving the area. Because of the damage sustained to 2 of the 4 fleet carriers of the Onshokoese Navy, it was decided to scrap Operation Ha, resulting in a postponement of Operation Tr.