Battleship training range

As the heavy hitters of Yokosuka do their daily practice session which is being headed by two prominent battleships for the Japanese would be the Legendary Pre-Dreadnought battleship Mikasa being assigned in teaching the battleships on fleet operations and battle line tactics while for the Americans are being schooled by the training battleship USS Utah BB-31, As the others practice Maryland, Arizona, and Sodak entered the training range for battleships has garnered the attention of the other battleships primarily the members of Battleship row but the USN's fast battleships were equally interested at the sight of the new ship girl among them.

Maryland joins her sister West Virginia on the side and then Arizona then spoke up.

Arizona: Alright everyone that is a American ship girl huddle up! she barked, Okay i want you all to meet the newest member of the fleet, go on introduce yourself and don't be shy were all battleships here.

Sodak: Hello everyone USS South Dakota BB-49 here ready to serve with you all i hope we can get along together she said with a slight shade of red on her face and a smile.

West Virginia: South Dakota as in our supposedly to be successors?

Sodak: Yes the class of Super Dreadnoughts that's suppose to surpass the Colorado class and the pinnacle of the standard type battleships.

West Virginia: Well i'm glad to have you back little cousin as she ruffles Sodaks greyish silver hair.

Pennsylvania: Well its great to have you with us uhm forgive me for asking but how should we call you since you have someone else here has the same name as you *she points to South Dakota BB-57*

Sodak: Well its easy to be honest but what do you guys call her?

Nevada: Well me and Okie here just call her South for simplicity.

Arizona: Well me and Pennsy and the Tennessee sisters just call her South Dakota in all as well as other American ship girls but some also calls her Battleship X

Sodak: I see well then call Dakota or shorten my name to Sodak for simple reasons and please no need to be formal with me all the time, just show me respect and i'll gladly return it.

At that the American ship girls just nodded and then Admiral Roberts along with Langley arrived at the Practice range.

Pennsylvania then noticed the Admiral and shouted "Admiral on deck!"

As the rest of the American ship girls stood and attention and saluted the admiral as he returns it.  

Adm Roberts: At ease ladies i just came here to see how would our new dreadnought would fair on water and practice which you can i assume?

Sodak: Not at all admiral just give me a second to summon my equipment and rigging if you would.

As she stood near the waters edge she summons her rigging her main battery turrets were split in to two pairs on each side there would be a super firing pairs over the other forming her main battery of 12 x 16 inch (406 mm) main battery on both of her arms forms miniature twin mounted 5 inch (127 mm) 38 cal Dual Purpose cannons and on her waist and on her shoulders sits her Anti aircraft suites which comprises of the quad 40 mm Bofors and the twin and single mounted 20 mm Oerlikon auto cannons, as well below her arm is a catapult system that she could use to launch her OS2U Kingfisher scout plane as the AA mountings would be manned by her fairy crew, on her head she wears her Range finders, Gun directors, and finally her Radar.

As she now adorn her full rigging the others are impressed by the standards array of weapons radar and gun directors.

Adm Roberts: I have to say you look in your full rigging is very impressive array of weapons as well as i can see it, it would be your configuration in 1944 if you were built and by that time and refitted.

Sodak: It would seem so admiral, well i'm ready now as she jumps off to the water she suddenly said USS South Dakota BB-49 weighing anchor all crews man battle-stations and prepare for fleet exercises all guns load practice shell one color marking blue! she ordered to her fairy crews

Sodak: Alright boys i have something for you all to raise your morale she said to her fairy crew as she looked at her fairy captain which nodded and suddenly her PA systems played a tune to help raise the morale of everyone of her crews.

https://youtu.be/MHYIGxPdsMg

Arizona: There she goes and she's playing anchors aweigh while doing that impressive, i wonder how does she do it?

Pennsylvania: Its understandable since this is the first time she is on water, *She then turned towards the admiral* Hey Admiral uhm where would you put her in which Battleship division will she go to?

Adm Roberts: As of right now she'll be assigned to Battleship Division two under West Virginia and Maryland and the Tennessee sisters, Colorado is set to join then as soon as she arrives two days from now with her escorts of cruisers and destroyers to join us from pearl so this will be a surprise for them he said with a smile.

At that Pennsy nodded at the answer of her admiral.

As Sodak maneuvers to the target she started to bark orders.

Sodak: All guns Traverse to the Starboard side and adjust elevation range 500 meters and closing prepare to fire a volley!

Sodak: All Main guns Fire!

*Bang!* As the deafening sound of 12 16 inch guns roared  and hit their targets clean and precise thanks to her gun directors and radar guided main guns but then aerial targets appeared in the shape of training and target aircraft launched by Utah.

Kongou: Wow Amazing this is a good show of firepower for the yanks! she yells enthusiastically

Hiei: Sugoi! Kongou-neesan i didn't know this american has this much firepower

Kirishima and Haruna were just looking with Awe to the American as she beats the target to a pulp. 

Sodak have a determined look on her face she then ordered.

Utah: OK South im gonna be launching some target planes for your AA guns!

Sodak: All Dual Purpose guns load Flak shells all AA weapons open fire! she barked

Soon the air was covered in the ever so familiar black clouds that is known as Flak and her tracer rounds coming from her 20 mm oerlikons her 40 mm bofors were doing short work of the incoming aircraft from her port beam 

Ise: Sugoi!, i didn't know that the old American dreadnoughts has some fearsome AA capabilities.

Hyuuga: Well she is an American, and American Battleships whether they're the older dreadnoughts or the newer fast battleships are known to their exceptionally good AA defenses. 

Then Finally came the smaller surface targets in the form of destroyers and cruisers she then barked new orders to her guns

Sodak: All main battery guns load Practice 2 16-inch AP shells!, And adjust accordingly and focus on those cruisers, All secondary guns load Practice 3 5-inch HE shells and focus those destroyers!

As soon Sodak neared her targets she then cuts loose on salvo after salvo turning what was basically targets into nothing but heap of scraps.

Adm Roberts: Well done Sodak you've already shown good capabilities during combat even though this your first time, now show me what you can do with fleet maneuvers! , West Virginia and Maryland, Tennessee, California join your division mate there and show us what you five can do with fleet maneuvers.

"Right!" The four said in unison

As they came up to Sodak who is waiting for them.

West Virginia: Well you sure have a lot of firepower and on par with my current configuration too, good for you little cousin she said with a smile.

Maryland: That's soooo coool there especially your AA capabilities which rivals even those of the fast battleships heck your main battery is quite fearsome having twelve of them she said with enthusiastically, while i only had eight you know i'm quite envious that you get four more guns than me she said with a pout

California: Hahahahaha Mary your saying your jealous of your cousin because she has four more guns than you she said with a laugh.

Tennessee: Don't be jealous Mary, you at least get eight sixteen inch guns than me and my sister, heck we only have fourteen inch guns at least you get a higher caliber weapon so do me a favor don't be jealous alright.

Sodak: Hehehe don't worry too much about it Mary besides don't worry of being out gunned all the time since were now division mates.

West Virginia: Well that's that now lets do some fleet formations.

Sodak: Wilco!

Maryland: Roger that!

Tennessee: Affirmative!

California: Got it Flagship!

As the five completes the course of fleet maneuvers they're now ordered by the admiral to the launching chambers to stow their rigging.

Sodak: Wow that was a tiring training exercise right guys?

Maryland: Yeah its like fleet problems exercises again right Weevee?

West Virginia: Yeah its like the good old times again back in the 30's those were good times she said with a smile.

Sodak: Well i dunno about you two but i'm kinda starving here lets go to the mess hall guys c'mon.

Maryland: Sure why not i'm kinda famish as well what do you say weevee?

West Virginia: Sure i'm with you gotta grab me some those sweet ice creams that serves as well.

Maryland: How about you two gonna come as well to the mess hall?

Tennessee: Nah its fine me and Cali here gonna hang out with Pennsy and Okie today, you guys just go on without us.

West Virginia: Alright have fun then.

As the trio of standards made their way to the mess hall they were soon joined by the other ship girls of other classes.

As they entered it the sight of ship girls eating lunch is quite apparent scene as well as Sodak made her way to the line being given with a wide variety of food selection ranging from your very well known western style cuisine or the more traditional American lunch to traditional Japanese food selection.

Sodak opted to go with the traditional American lunch consisting of ten triple stack cheeseburgers, some Kentucky made fried chicken, and couple Hot dogs keeping with the fact that when a ship girl eats they eat a lot of food, As for Maryland she opted for your traditional American Barbecues and Fried chickens, for West Virginia she opted for the same as her sister but with her four scoop sundae.

Soon lunch was finished and the ship girls resumed they're normal duties while Sodak and her division mates are excluded to the days activities to help Sodak tour the base and help her settle in and bring her to her dorm which was the the room of the Colorado sisters since they two large bunk beds  and Sodak opted for the top while below her sleeps Maryland while on the other side is for West Virginia and Colorado.

They soon left the dorms and began touring the base they soon also stopped by Mamiya's cafe to let Sodak try some of her famous Large Parfaits and Sodak loved it every moment she's spent with her cousin class of dreadnoughts and friends as well soon the girls went for the mess hall to eat dinner when it rolled around as they've finished eating dinner and as dusk settles in the ship girls began to make their way to their respective dorms and Sodak joining the two Colorado sisters on their shared room.

Sodak: Hey Mary does this dorm has any washrooms?

Mary: Yeah they're just at the end of the hall can't miss it.

West Virginia: You gonna take a bath Sodak?

Sodak: Yep i gotta clean myself first before i go to bed i kinda have a stench in this uniform already even though we bought a couple of new clothes earlier from the NEX but i gotta get this uniform to laundry so i can wear it since I've gone quite fond of it since its also my original too.

Maryland: Alright lets go then.

As the trio make their way to the bathrooms they were also greeted by the other American ship girls soon the girls were finished what they were doing by 2100 hours everyone now is back to their dorms. 

and by 2200 hours everybody is asleep and the base finally settles in for slumber.

================================================================================Chapter-04: First Sortie and Deployment

A/N: There you guys have it chapter 3 i manage to cram this chapter with my schedule and it quite gave me the trouble but all is good since I'm quite fond in writing this fic but anyways hope you guys like this chapter and be on the look out for the next chapter catch you all later.