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Damon v. Oriskany: Royal Navy in the South China Sea (Modern Naval Combat)

February 9, 2022

Join Damon and Oriskany Jim as they sit down to a game of “Naval Command” by Rory Crabb.

Today’s game is “Singapore Showdown,” an imagined near-future scenario where the UK’s Royal Navy comes to blows with the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea. Singapore was once a key part of the British Empire, vital to British interests in the Pacific. Even now, the UK keeps a close watch on international developments in the region.

This is especially true given the strategic importance of the shipping lanes between the Persian Gulf and the heavily-industrialized economies along the Pacific Rim. Recent Chinese militarization in the nearby Spratly Islands has naturally caused a heightening of tensions in the region.

In today’s hypothetical game, a British “merchant ship” RMS Emerald Trident (in reality an electronic surveillance vessel) has been discovered eavesdropping on Chinese naval message traffic. A Chinese air strike has hit and damaged the vessel, which now limps south under pursuit by Chinese intelligence vessels intent on boarding her.

Chinese warships have also been sortied, and a Royal Navy destroyer and two frigates have been sent to cover Emerald Trident’s escape. A

n “international incident” is inevitable.