Sinking of the Biternion

The sinking of the M/V Biternion occurred 12.XIII.1735 in the northern waters of Shire Sea, approximately 12 nautical miles outside the Natopian reserve zone from Port Nider. The Shirerithian-flagged luxury liner, owned by Imperial Yardistani Cruises, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Apollonian Shipping Company, was carrying 2,548 individuals, including 1,940 crew and staff members. Most of the passengers attended the annual Congress of the Rics which was being held on the ship. Most of these attendees were also members of the Order of the Holy Lakes.

At 03:37 local time, the Biternion experienced a sudden impact on its starboard side. The ship began to list heavily to starboard and sank within 23 minutes of the initial impact. Only 210 people survived, most of them being crew who were awake during the impact. Notable among the passenger-survivors was Prince Ivar of Akhidia.

The recovery of survivors was coordinated by the Coast Guard of the Arboreal Guard, with the first patrol vessels arriving within a twenty kilometres radius of the Biternion by 23:45 on the same day, directed towards an oil slick and debris field identified by Arboreal civil aviation assets diverted into conducting observation flights over the area at the moment of the first distress call.

A Shirerithian investigation began immediately. Preliminary findings indicated that the ship had been hit by a torpedo, and blamed the Benacian Union for the sinking of a nonmilitary ship and, accordingly, accused the Benacian Union of a war crime.

The Commission for War, whilst not claiming responsibility for the sinking, issued a short statement asserting its absolute entitlement to engage and destroy any vessel flying the Shirerithian flag that was so incautious as to venture onto the high seas without escorts whilst not sailing in convoy.

If a U-boat of the Benacian Union had been responsible for the sinking, the BUDF would likely be quite contented with the feat. The Biternion, now sunk, was unavailable to the Imperial Navy of Shireroth to serve as a troop transport taking Jing auxiliaries across the Shire Sea from Kildare to the Guttuli. At the same time, the vessel took with it an appreciable segment of the Shirerithian nobility down into the deep, occasioning further satisfaction.

All the same, the confidence with which the Shirerithians announced their preliminary findings before the vessel had even been raised or properly examined by a diving team occasioned much mockery in the Benacian press and via Humanist media sources internationally.

A Hurmudan auxiliary cruiser, sailing from Reunion, arrived at the scene in the final month of 1735.