Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 7.8.2014

UL-7I8 System, Catch region. On the 7th of August Providence Bloc and HERO Coalition clashed for a second time over the control of the system, with entities such as N3, Stain-Wagon Coalition and Pandemic Legion getting involved as well in the fighting.

The first engagement saw an eighty pilot strong Harbinger class Battlecruiser fleet fielded by Providence Bloc, engage a similar sized HERO Coalition force in Moa class Cruisers, on the G-AOTH gate in the UL-7I8 system. The fight did not go well for Providence Bloc, as the loss of Fleet Commanders and logistics ships quickly forced them off the field, leaving the system in order to re-ship and re-group.

At the same time, Stain-Wagon Coalition entered the system, in a fifty pilot Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. As with the previous battle in the system, Stain Coalition and Providence Bloc forces agreed to hold a mutual ceasefire so long as HERO Coalition forces were present in the system. This force effectively cut off HERO Coalition reinforcements in the form of a mixed Fraternity(dot) and The Unthinkables allainces gang, some thirty strong and mainly consisting of Ishtar and Cerberus class Heavy Assault Cruisers. As the two forces ran head first into each other on the ERVK-P gate in the UL-7I8 system.

While Providence Bloc forces were regrouping, scouts reported a sharp hostile spike in the D-GTMI system in the Providence region, which is under the control of Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance. With Pandemic Legion Alliance Fleet Commanders logging into the game it became clear that a hot drop was only a matter of time, as an Erebus class Titan was reported showing on the directional scan in the system. Within moments a cynosural beacon was reported in the UL-7I8 system, and a force of around sixty pilots, in assorted Strategic Cruisers, bridged into the system.

The force, comprising of both Northern Coalition(dot) and Pandemic Legion pilots, proceeded to brawl with the HERO Coalition force, quickly decimating a good chunk of their ships before they managed to disengage. After a short stay in the system, the Strategic Cruiser force departed. Providence Bloc took the opportunity and entered the system, focusing on the Sovereignty Blockade Unit located on the G-AOTH gate and erecting defensive bubbles around it. HERO Coalition attempted to brawl with the fleet a couple of times, but found themselves lacking in fire power, with each engagement ending with a few losses, while Providence Bloc forces took almost little to no damage.

A couple attempts were made to corner the HERO Coalition force, but with little tackle and almost no Interdictor class Destroyers, it was impossible for the heavier, slower Harbinger fleet to catch up to the nimbler and faster Moa fleet. Thus, it was decided to focus on the strategic objective, and trust Stain Wagon with keeping watch over the Infrastructure Hub.

After a while HERO Coalition received reinforcements from ERVK-P system, swelling its numbers to almost a hundred pilots. Emboldened by their new numbers, they attempted to engage Providence Bloc forces several times, however, Providence Bloc ships held under the fire, and instead it was the HERO Coalition ships who broke, with Moas and Scythes volleyed left and right. As the engagements lengthened, Stain Wagon forces joined in as well, trapping HERO Coalition on both sides and forcing it to disengage.

This ritual continued a few times, with HERO Coalition at one point attempting to to land on top of the Providence Bloc logistics wing, in order to re-create the scenario from the previous battle. However, this time the logistics ships were kept much closer to the fleet, and the Moas found themselves in the unenviable position of fighting close range with the Harbingers. Taking another bruising, the HERO Coalition fleet attempted at this point to harass the Stain Wagon forces, who kept on the field, helping Providence Bloc forces. Though they managed to destroy several of the Stain Wagon ships, the grid was strewn with wrecks, allowing Providence Bloc to warp on top of the HERO Coalition fleet and once more apply damage. Again, Moas and Scythes were destroyed in increasing numbers, slowly decimating HERO Coalition’s effective damage and logistics.

After a continuation of this cycle, HERO Coalition forces seemed to have been spent, allowing Providence Bloc to safely remove the Sovereignty Blockade Unit and effectively making the Infrastructure Hub invulnerable again. This meant the system’s sovereignty was safe, remaining firmly in Providence Bloc’s hands. The HERO Coalition fleet, failing its goal and suffering heavy casualties, chose to retreat. Without much tackle, Providence Bloc forces declined to chase, instead turning their attention to the Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the ERVK-P gate.

This turned to be a mistake, as this gate was not the site of much fighting, and lacked much in wrecks. Worse off, Providence Bloc was light on tackle, and had no more anchor-able bubbles to put a defensive perimeter against bombers. Within minutes, a bomber wing belonging to HERO Coalition performed a bombing run which was easily tanked by the Harbingers. However, after that another bombing run was performed, managing to destroy at least five Harbingers. Before Providence Bloc forces could rally or warp off, a third bombing run, this time carried by Northern Coalition(dot) was performed. This third run basically obliterated a large percentage of the Harbingers, forcing Providence Bloc to retreat in order to muster more ships and pilots.

Returning after a quick reform, Providence Bloc forces found the system mostly empty, with only a few opportunistic hostiles remaining in the system. Stain Wagon forces having left the system after the bombing run, when it was made clear that HERO Coalition forces were not going to re-group, choosing instead to schedule a low priority fleet later that night. Providence Bloc took the opportunity to lock down the system, eliminating many of the pirates around the system and quickly taking the other Sovereignty Blockade Unit down. This marked the end of large scale hostilities in the system, as well as insured it remained in Providence Bloc’s hands.

Though the second battle of UL-7I8 was both a strategic and tactical success for Providence Bloc, it is still too early in the campaign to say whether or not HERO Coalition’s expansion to Northern Catch is doomed to failure, or whether Providence Bloc will falter in its defense. What is certain though, is that the Northern Catch pocket is going to see a lot of action in the coming weeks.

The original battle report can be found here.
The fixed battle report can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 5.8.2014

UL-7I8 System, Catch region. On the 5th of August, forces belonging to Providence Bloc and HERO Coalition clashed in the system for four hours, over the Infrastructure Hub’s reinforcement timer.

Providence Bloc forces formed early for the timer, in a sixty pilot fleet comprised mainly of Rupture and Caracal class Cruisers. They were met by a ninety pilot Moa class Cruiser fleet fielded by HERO Coalition. As both forces entered the system, a battle developed on the OXIY-V gate. However, with the strong logistics backing of HERO Coalition’s fleet, and the clear lack of damage from Providence Bloc’s side, Providence Bloc decided to concede the field and re-ship.

The second attempt was made with a seventy pilot Prophecy class Battlecruiser fleet. As it entered the system, it was accompanied by a thirty Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser gang belonging to the Stain-Wagon Coalition. Contact with the Stain-Wagon Fleet Commander was established earlier when they caught wind of HERO Coalition’s movement. A decision was made to hold a mutual truce, so long as HERO Coalition forces were in the system, however, both fleets acted independently of each other during the rest of the battle.

With the entry of the two fleets, HERO Coalition opted to engage once more. Yet, with the better tank of the Battlecruisers and the Ishtars kiting and applying pressure as well, HERO Coalition was forced to retreat, especially after Providence Bloc forces called two Triage Archon class Carriers into the field to bolster their logistics capability. Emboldened by their victory on the OXIY-V gate, Providence Bloc forces warped to the Sovereignty Blockade Unit anchored by the G-AOTH gate, and attempted to remove it.

However, HERO Coalition forces were not giving up, and warped on top of the Providence Bloc logistics. At the same time, a HERO Coalition bomber wing executed a bombing run of its own. With these events occurring, Providence Bloc found itself in a bad position, and it was soon evident that the fire exchange will only go HERO Coalition’s way. Thus the order to retreat was given, with the core of the Providence Bloc fleet managing to extract out of the system.

A third attempt was made, with Providence Bloc re-shipping to an eighty pilot Zealot class Heavy Assault Cruisers. However, a quick sortie on the OXIY-V gate convinced Providence Bloc it lacked the logistics backing to sustain a prolonged engagement, and once more was forced to retreat.

Though another attempt was under way to dislodge HERO Coalition from the system, scouts reported that the Infrastructure Hub was pushed to its final reinforcement mode, and thus the the fleet was disbanded. Stain-Wagon Coalition itself remained in the system for a time, harassing HERO Coalition forces and re-shipping once more, but overly did not fare much better than Providence Bloc.

Though Providence Bloc took a heavy beating, losing more than a hundred ships in the engagement, HERO Coalition itself came out bloodied, losing approximately seventy ships, half of the ships they fielded during the battle. It is certain though, that on the tactical and strategic levels, Providence Bloc did lose, even if it did manage to postpone the reinforcement of the Infrastructure Hub by four hours.

The fixed battle report can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 3.8.2014

UL-7I8 system, Catch region. On the 3rd of August, the system saw a large battle between forces of the CFC, HERO Coalition, The Unthinkables Alliance and Providence Bloc, without a clear decisive winner.

The battle flared up when a Providence Bloc fleet, a hundred and ten pilot strong in Vexor class Cruisers entered the UL-7I8 system after reports of Sovereignty Blockade Units anchored by Brave Collective Alliance were received. Upon discovering the Sovereignty Blockade Units, the Providence Bloc force attempt to remove them, but was interrupted when a cynosural beacon was spotted in the system, allowing a HERO Coalition Harpy class Assault Frigate force, a hundred pilot strong, to bridge into the system.

Providence Bloc forces decided to retreat to a safe tower within the system, in order to assess the situation. Doing so allowed them to observe The Unthinkables Alliance Tengu class Strategic Cruiser fleet, around eighty pilots, enter the field. Both hostile fleets did not engage each other for the duration of the battle. Instead, they turned their attention to a CFC force, two hundred pilot big, in Harpy class Assault Frigates as well, which entered the system afterwards. At that point the system housed more than four hundred pilots.

With the entry of CFC forces, the battle flared on the ERVK-P gate, with both HERO Coalition and Providence Bloc performing bombing runs, albeit on different targets. After the bombs were dropped, the CFC and HERO Coalition, along with The Unthinkables started a sortie, with Providence Bloc forces entering the fray as well, and engaging The Unthinkables fleet, which they deemed the most dangerous of the three.

However, as the battle progressed, CFC forces decided to disengage, probably unhappy with the progress of the fighting, as The Unthinkables fleet did not seem to break, although the HERO Coalition fleet did lose most of its support. With the CFC opting out of the battle, Providence Bloc forces would not stand a chance against the combined might of the HERO Coalition and The Unthinkables fleet, and thus chose to retreat back to the safety of their tower instead.

Due to the nature of the fight, it appears that little losses were incurred to either side, as is evident in the battle reports.

This marked the end of large scale hostilities in the system, though several attempts later were made by Providence Bloc to dislodge the Sovereignty Blockade Units, with little success, due to the presence of HERO Coalition bombers. Thus the Infrastructure Hub in the system was made vulnerable, and later pushed into reinforced mode.

Original battle report can be found here.
Fixed battle report can be found here.

special thanks to Ristlin Wakefield, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance, for supplying the AAR

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 29.7.2014

UL-7I8 system, Catch region. On the 29th of July, Providence Bloc fought two long battles in order to secure the system from HERO Coalition forces, backed up by The Unthinkables Alliance.

The first engagement took place near the ERVK-P gate, where Providence Bloc forces, numbering around a hundred and sixty pilots in Vexor class Cruisers, were taking down one of the Sovereignty Blockade Units deployed by Brave Collective Alliance in the system. HERO Coalition itself arrived in a one hundred and ten Moa class Cruiser fleet, and a fight developed.

While the two forces exchanged fire, and the fight was leaning ever more steadily towards Providence Bloc’s victory, The Unthinkables Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser gang, numbering fifty ships, joined the fray on HERO Coalition’s side, and quickly set to work destroying Providence Bloc’s logistics wing. With their logistics gone, Providence Bloc forces started losing ground, and a decision was made to retreat in order to re-ship and re-supply.

The fixed battle report can be found here.
The summary of the battle can be found here.

Upon returning to the system, Providence Bloc forces discovered it was nearly empty, with only a hostile bomber gang around to harass them. However, information was received that The Unthinkables were planning a return to the system, re-shipping to Tengu class Strategic Cruisers, alongside HERO Coalition forces. In order to counter this threat, Providence Bloc forces decided to change their fleet composition and retreat from the system. After a second re-form, Providence Bloc returned to the system in a one hundred and thirty Prophecy class Battlecruiser fleet, only to find the enemy already waiting in it.

The decision was made to engage the enemy regardless, and Providence Bloc entered the system through the OXIY-V gate, where the second battle soon flared up. In order to help in the work of logistics, two Thanatos class Carriers were brought into the system by Providence Bloc. With the battle raging on the gate, Providence Bloc forces found themselves losing ground again, their Carriers tackled. The Unthinkables Tengu fleet, backed up by HERO Coalition’s Moa fleet, managed to destroy the two Carriers, leaving the Providence Bloc without the backbone of its logistics capabilities. Thus, the Providence Bloc fleet was quickly decimated.

The fixed battle report can be found here.
The summary of the battle can be found here.

This second battle saw the end of hostilities in the system, allowing Providence Bloc forces to remove the Sovereignty Blockade Units using bombers, thus securing the system again. All in all, it is estimated that Providence Bloc lost more than a hundred and ten ships, and received a total of twelve billion ISK in damages. This is in some ways a repeat of the T-RPFU battle, in which the strategic objective was secured, but at the cost of two tactical defeats.

This battle joins a long list of engagements in which Providence Bloc found itself outnumbered by HERO Coalition and The Unthinkables team up, which in turn led many people within Providence to criticize HERO Coalition, calling it an extension of the N3 Coalition.

Though HERO Coalition and N3 Coalition are diplomatically neutral, sources within HERO Coalition have confirmed collaborations between certain Fleet Commanders in Brave Collective Alliance and N3 entities, calling them abnormalities and laying the blame at the feet of those Fleet Commanders, whom they claim, are not in any way representing of HERO Coalition’s diplomatic stance.

Regardless, this battle, alongside the T-RPFU engagement a few days before it, seem to be souring HERO Coalition’s reputation in the Providence region, and making many wonder at what the future may hold for the two coalitions.

Providence Fight Club: T-RPFU 26.7.2014

T-RPFU system, Providence region. On the 26th of July the system saw large scale engagements from no less than four different entities, culminating in an hour long battle with more than six hundred participants, and resulting in five hundred ships destroyed, and at least thirty billion ISK in damages.

The battle was prompted when Sovereignty Blockade Units belonging to Brave Collective Alliance were deployed in the T-RPFU system, forcing Providence Bloc to organize a Call to Arms (CTA) fleet, managing to muster a hundred and sixty pilots in Rupture class Cruisers with some logistics backing. Racing to the system in order to remove the Sovereignty Blockade Units before they online, Providence Bloc forces were expecting to meet a Brave Collective fleet, instead reports of a RvB Zealot class Heavy Assault Cruiser force, some two hundred pilots large with strong logistics backbone (Nearly a quarter of the fleet) were received.

Realizing that the RvB fleet was headed to the system, and that it would interfere with the removal of the Sovereignty Blockade Units, Providence Bloc forces prepared to engage the hostile force on the D-GTMI gate. The initial exchange looked promising, as the Providence Bloc fleet was able to destroy almost twenty percent of the enemy’s Logistics ships. However, with mounting casualties and the enemy’s ability to handle the incoming fire, Providence Bloc forces decided to retreat from the fleet, preserving more than half their fleet and re-forming for a second attempt.

During the fight, the system saw more than three hundred and thirty-four pilots, with Time Dilation reaching twenty-eight percent.

The original battle report can be found here.
The fixed battle report can be found here (Due to EVE Kill Report Repair Tool, most of the RvB fleet cannot be shown due to settings).
The summary of the battle can be found here.

Image of the fighting on the D-GTMI gate between RvB and Brave Collective Alliance

After a quick reform, and with more hostiles getting into the system, a temporary cease fire was struck with The Unthinkables Alliance, who promised to aid Providence Bloc forces with their seventy pilot Tengu class Strategic Cruiser fleet, as well as securing neutrality from the Brave Collective Alliance’s one hundred and ten Harpy Assault Frigate fleet for the duration of the engagement with RvB. With those promises in mind, Providence Bloc went in for a second engagement, this time choosing to warp directly on top of the RvB fleet.

At this point the system hosted more than six hundred and eighty-nine pilots, with four major fleets assembled as well as assorted gangs and bomber wings. While Providence Bloc forces engaged the RvB fleet, The Unthinkables, true to their word, warped in to aid, but Brave Collective did not hold their fire, but instead engaged Providence Bloc, taking down all the Fleet Commanders off the field. Thus, Providence Bloc fleet quickly fell apart, with each new member stepping up to take charge of the fleet only to be instantly destroyed by Brave Collective forces, prompting members of Providence Bloc to level allegations of espionage at Brave Collective Alliance.

The
fixed battle report can be found here (Due to EVE Kill Report Repair
Tool, most of the RvB fleet cannot be shown due to settings).
The summary of the battle can be found here.

With the fleet decimated, Providence Bloc forces retreated back to their staging system in order to re-form a second time, switching to Vexor class Cruisers. By the time Providence Bloc forces re-entered the T-RPFU system, most of the hostiles have already extracted, allowing Providence Bloc forces to safely destroy the Sovereignty Blockade Units and removing the threat from the system.

Though Providence Bloc achieved the strategic objective, securing the system again, it is indisputable that in both rounds of fighting it definitely lost, with the last one proving to be a crushing defeat.

Many have questioned whether or not the deployment of Sovereignty Blockade Units was done deliberately to draw a fight by Brave Collective, or was it the work of rogue elements in the employ of RvB within the Alliance, as their fleet made way to the T-RPFU system directly after its form up. Regardless, no official response was given by Brave Collective Alliance’s leadership until time of publication.

Providence Fight Club: V-3YG7 24.7.2014

V-3YG7 system, Catch region. On the 24th of July, a large scale battle took place on GE-8JV gate in the system between HERO Coalition, The Unthinkables Alliance and Providence Bloc, which saw more than two hundred ship lost and at least twenty billion ISK in damages.

Providence Bloc mustered a hundred and sixty strong Navy Issue Vexor class Cruiser fleet, with adequate logistics support, and made its way to the Catch region. The fleet arrived to HERO Coalition’s new staging system, GE-8JV, where it set a camp on the station and harassed HERO Coalition forces, as well as a thirty strong Honorable Third Party Alliance Talwar class Destroyer gang. While waiting on the station for HERO Coalition to form up, news came of The Unthinkables fleet, some seventy pilot strong, mostly in Navy Issue Apocalypse class Battleships with light logistics support, holding in the V-3YG7 system on the GE-8JV gate.

After a few minutes when it became clear that the enemy was not going to jump into the system, Providence Bloc forces decided instead to take the fight to The Unthinkables, jumping into the V-3YG7 system and re-approaching the GE-8JV gate, when The Unthinkables force landed at range and a fight developed, during which The Unthinkables lit Cynosural beacons and brought into the field two Archon class Carriers, which immediately went into Triage mode in order to supply logistics for The Unthinkables fleet. At the same time, a large HERO Coalition force, a hundred and thirty pilot strong, mainly in Moa class Cruisers jumped into the system as well and joined the fray.

Video of the engagement can be viewed here.

What started as a possible victory for Providence Bloc forces over The Unthinkables fleet quickly turned into defeat as HERO Coalition threw its might alongside The Unthinkables, targeting the Providence Bloc ships. Against the combined might of the two fleets, Providence Bloc forces could not stand, yet they attempted to fight until the last ship, however, with most of the Fleet Commanders removed from the field, and mounting casualties, the remnants of the fleet attempted to extract back into GE-8JV, where a secondary battle between Yulai Federation Alliance bomber wing, led by the Oscura Simmetria Corporation and Honorable Third Party Alliance was raging on the V-3YG7 gate.

Original battle report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.
Fixed battle report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.
Summary of the V-3YG7 battle can be found here.

Though the Yulai Federation force managed to destroy the Honorable Third Party fleet in a successful bombing run, it was itself later destroyed by HERO Coalition forces, as smaller skirmishes developed across the two systems between stragglers and remnants of the fighting fleets. Though HERO Coalition forces and The Unthinkables fleet exchanged brief fire on the GE-8JV gate, it seems both fleets decided to disengage, thus ending hostilities for the day.

Original battle report for the GE-8JV system can be found here.
Fixed battle report for the GE-8JV system can be found here.

It is estimated that the losses throughout the battle amount to twenty-six billion ISK in total, with more than two hundred and fifty ships destroyed, as V-3YG7 system saw more than four hundred and thirty-nine pilots in its peak. Though most of these pilots were concentrated on the grid of the GE-8JV gate, Time Dilation did not play any factor in the fighting and no noticeable slowdown was recorded.

Special thanks to Einstei9 Gengod of The Silent Few, The Volition Cult Alliance for supplying the video of the fight.

Providence Fight Club: T-RPFU 22.7.2014

T-RPFU system, Providence region. On the 22nd of July, Providence Bloc forces suffered defeat by CFC forces in a protracted battle on the D-GTMI gate.

Providence Bloc forces were organized in an eighty-two strong Rupture class Cruiser fleet, and were preparing to move towards the V-3YG7 system in Catch, when information of two Harpy Assault Frigate fleets in the Providence region was received. As it turns out, both fleets were allied, with the first, smaller force, some eighty ships in total, headed by Circle-of-Two Alliance, a member of the CFC, and the other force, at least a hundred and twenty ships strong belonging to the greater CFC and including alliances such as Ev0ke, Tactical Narcotics Team and GoonSwarm Federation. All in all, the number of hostiles was estimated at more than two hundred ships.

However, since both fleets seemed to act independently, it was decided to attempt and engage them one at a time, in which case Providence Bloc forces stood a fair chance, with it being clear that taking both fleets at the same time would be impossible with the current fleet numbers. As Providence Bloc forces made their way to intercept the first of the two fleets, headed by Circle-of-Two, they were disheartened to learn that two fleets have combined in the D-GTMI system.

Deciding to stand their ground, Providence bloc forces retreated from the D-GTMI system, and instead set themselves in the T-RPFU system, on the D-GTMI gate, in order to inflict some losses on the enemy fleet, while hoping for two separate engagements rather than a one combined assault.

This seemed to be the case at first, with the Circle-of-Two fleet committing to the attack and the CFC fleet remaining behind in the D-GTMI system and maintaining its position on the T-RPFU gate. Only having to contend with one fleet, Providence Bloc forces were able to effectively engage the enemy, and were on the verge of winning the battle and breaking the enemy’s force, though suffering casualties of their own, when the CFC fleet jumped into the system.

Faced with overwhelming odds, Providence Bloc forces attempted to fight on, but after a while, and with their logistics wing obliterated, it was obvious that the battle was lost. The signal to retreat was sounded, and the remnants of the Providence Bloc retreated, making their way back to their staging system in order to re-form.

Though not the first defeat suffered by Providence Bloc forces, it seems to have sparked quite a few condemnations from members of the Providence Bloc, mainly due to what some have considered cowardice on the part of alphastarpilot, of THORN Syndicate, Circle-of-Two Alliance, the Fleet Commander of the first Harpy fleet, who they believe called the CFC reinforcements once the battle’s tide turned against him. Whether this is true or not, it is certain that many will not view this battle as a “Good Fight”.

Original battle report can be found here.
Fixed battle report can be found here.
Summary of the battle can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: 9UY4-H 20.7.2014

9UY4-H system, Providence region. On the 20th of July, Providence Bloc forces successfully engaged two fleets in the system, resulting in more than a hundred and fifty destroyed ships, and twenty billion ISK in damages, including two Carrier class Capital ships.

The first engagement was fought between a hundred strong Providence Bloc Battlecruiser class ship fleet and a wormhole dwellers coalition fleet, numbering seventy pilots, mostly in Gila class Cruisers and Rattlesnake class Battleships. The force was reported in the I9B-8X constellation, more commonly referred to as the Shintaht Pocket by local residents.

Providence Bloc forces quickly raced to the 9UY4-H system in order to intercept the hostile force on the H6-CX8 gate, which is the only entrance way into Providence proper from that part of space. This battle proved disastrous for Providence Bloc, as the enemy force quickly dispatched the lead Fleet Commander, as well as most of the Logistic class Cruisers, while jumping in two Chimera class Carriers in order to supplement its own logistics need before Providence Bloc could online their Mobile Cynosural Inhibitor. Suffering mounting casualties and unable to break the tank of the enemy’s ships, Providence Bloc forces beat a hasty retreat in order to re-form.

The summary of the battle can be found here.

This time a longer form time was given, with Providence Bloc switching from Battlecruiser class ships to Battleships, specifically fitted with Energy Neutralizers. Care was taken to beef up the number of Logistic class Cruisers as well as overall fleet numbers, reaching more than a hundred and sixty pilots. While there was some concern that the hostile force would leave Providence region without a second engagement, thankfully, a pilot error in the hostile fleet caused the two Chimera class Carriers to remain stranded in the 9UY4-H system, still in their position on the H6-CX8 gate, forcing the enemy fleet to remain in the vicinity.

A second engagement quickly flared up, as Providence Bloc forces bridged into the system and tackled the two Chimeras. The hostile fleet quickly responded, jumping into the Providence Bloc force in order to save its Capital ships. However, Providence Bloc counter dropped the enemy fleet, lighting a cynosural beacon and jumping four Dreadnaughts and two Carrier class Capital ships, which concentrated their fire on the enemy Capitals. With their logistics backbone quickly dispatched, The enemy’s Fleet Commander made the only available choice in that situation and called for a full retreat. Regardless, Providence Bloc forces managed to decimate a third of the hostile fleet before it could escape, netting fourteen billion ISK in damages while suffering only minor damage themselves.

The fixed battle report can be found here.
The summary of the battle can be found here.

During the second fight, the system saw more than two hundred and thirty-four pilots in local, with Time Dilation kicking in and reaching sixty-five percent at the height of the battle.

While this could have served as a good end for the night’s hostilities, a second hostile fleet, belonging to RvB was reported in the Providence region, prompting Providence Bloc forces to re-ship a second time, switching to a Rupture class Cruiser fleet, a hundred and twenty-nine strong, against RvB’s sixty-nine Harpy class Assault Frigate fleet. Providence Bloc forces were already present in the H6-CX8 system, with RvB forces moving through ZQ-Z3Y system in the Catch region and jumping into the 9UY4-H system. As the hostile force landed on the H6-CX8 gate, a quick decision was made by Providence Bloc forces to jump into the 9UY4-H system, fearing the RvB fleet would decide to retreat rather than jump into the H6-CX8 system, where it will be at a great disadvantage.

Thus, for the third time that night, the H6-CX8 gate in the 9UY4-H system bore witness to a large brawl, with Providence Bloc forces engaging the RvB fleet and destroying it almost to the last ship, though taking minor casualties as well.

The fixed battle report can be found here.

With this engagement won as well, Providence Bloc forces returned to their staging system and stood down, marking it the last large engagement in the Providence region for the day.

Special thanks to Boomer Nakrar, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult Alliance for supplying the battle reports and statistics, and to Chitsa Jason, of Narwhals Ate My Duck(dot), Narwhals Ate My Duck Alliance, for giving an interview.

News: Providence Bloc Loses a Tower in the ERVK-P System to HERO Coalition Forces

ERVK-P System, Catch region. In the early hours of the 20th of July, a Tower belonging to Curatores Veritatis Alliance is destroyed along with a relief force by a fleet belonging to HERO Coalition.

The tower may have been a remnant of when the system was under the control of the Providence Bloc, before Darkness of Despair Alliance wrestled control of it in a bloody struggle in September of 2013. Since then the system has changed hands, with HERO Coalition taking sovereignty over it after the collapse of Darkness of Despair Alliance. Though there were talks of the system being returned to Providence Bloc peacefully, the reinforcement of the remaining Providence Bloc infrastructure would indicate otherwise.

As the tower was exiting reinforced mode at 8:00 EVE Standard Time, a relief force of forty pilots, mostly in Battleship class ships was organized by Providence Bloc, and made its way to the system in haste, only to encounter an overwhelmingly strong HERO Coalition fleet, some hundred pilots strong. Reinforcing that fleet was a HERO Coalition Capital ship wing, comprising of five Dreadnaughts and three Carrier class Capital ships, all present on and around the tower.

Providence Bloc forces made an attempt to fight the HERO Coalition fleet on the tower, but suffered significant losses, losing their entire logistics wing as well as a quarter of their fleet before being forced to retreat. With Providence Bloc forces extracting, HERO Coalition continued unmolested in the removal of the tower and its modules.

The original battle report can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: T-RPFU 19.7.2014

T-RPFU system, Providence region. On the 19th of July, the system saw two large scale engagements between Providence Bloc forces and HERO Coalition, as well as RvB fleets, resulting in more than a hundred and fifty ships destroyed and six billion ISK in damages.

The first engagement was between a ninety-eight pilot Rupture class Cruiser fleet fielded by Providence Bloc and a large mixed HERO Coalition fleet of Moa class Cruisers and Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruisers, estimated at a similar size. The two fleets met in the SV5-8N system in the Catch region. However, due to HERO Coalition’s superior logistics capability, Providence Bloc forces declined a head on confrontation, instead retreating to the F9E-KX system, luring HERO Coalition forces to pursue them. As HERO Coalition’s fleet jumped into the F9E-KX system, it was greeted by Providence Bloc’s fleet positioned at optimal range of the SV5-8N gate. After a couple of volleys, Providence forces warped off and retreated again, this time to the D-GTMI system.

This pattern of hit and run attacks was replicated in the D-GTMI system, as Providence Bloc forces continued their retreat to the T-RPFU system, where on the D-GTMI gate they decided to make their final stand. As expected, HERO Coalition forces, though bloodied, kept to the hunt and jumped into the system. What unfolded was a large brawl, with Providence Bloc forces able to decimate the attacking HERO Coalition fleet, though taking some losses themselves.

The original battle report can be found here.
The fixed battle report can be found here.

It has been claimed that the HERO Coalition fleet actually split after entering the system, with the Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruisers warping to a jump bridge present in the system, expecting Providence Bloc forces to attempt an extraction through it. This led to HERO Coalition’s damage and logistic to be halved, thus becoming ineffective against the suddenly numerically superior Providence Bloc force. However, there has yet to be confirmation of this claim.

Still recovering from the engagement and hunting stragglers, reports came in of a RvB gank fleet, one hundred and twenty strong, mostly in Cruiser class ships, with a moderate logistics wing. In order to combat this new threat, Providence Bloc forces quickly extracted from the T-RPFU system and raced to their staging system in order to re-ship. A quick re-form was made, with Providence Bloc forces exchanging their Rupture class Cruisers for a one hundred and four strong Battleship and Battlecruiser class fleet, with moderate logistics support.

The reformed fleet raced to intercept the RvB fleet, and managed to stop it on the D-GTMI gate in the T-RPFU system, sparking a second battle on the gate. The fight itself saw around two hundred and fifty pilots on grid, with Time Dilation kicking in at sixty-six percent. However, it was clear that Providence Bloc had the advantage, as the logistics backbone of the RvB fleet was wiped out in the first minutes of the engagement.

With their logistics gone and unable to break the tank of the Providence Bloc Battleships, the RvB fleet quickly attempted to retreat from the Providence region, with Providence Bloc forces in hot pursuit. The fight quickly spilled from T-RPFU to 4B-NQN and 9-F0B2 systems, all the way to the Assah system in the Derelik region, which serves as one of the main entrance way into Providence.

The fixed battle report can be found here.

With no other large hostile fleets reported in the vicinity of Providence, Providence Bloc forces chose to stand down, thus ending large scale operations for the day.