News: Providence Bloc Captures the UL-7I8 System

UL-7I8 system, Catch region. On the 18th of October, Providence Bloc took the last system that was lost to it in the start of the war, defeating HERO Coalition forces in a frontal confrontation that lasted four long hours.

The battle started at 23:00 EVE Standard Time, when Providence Bloc forces, in a hundred and twenty Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, entered the system and warped to the Infrastructure Hub, which was exiting its final reinforcement timer.

Providence Bloc forces started shooting it when two HERO Coalition fleets entered the system, a twenty pilot Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet fielded by Test Alliance Please Ignore, and a hundred and forty Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet manned by the rest of the coalition.

The two fleets warped to perches above the Providence Bloc fleet, when for some unexplained reason, the Ishtar fleet warped to zero on the Providence Bloc fleet. This allowed the Providence Bloc force to quickly dispatch of the Ishtars, who were quickly tackled and overwhelmed by the Tengus. The HERO Coalition fleet for its part warped to a sniping position and a fight flared up between the two coalitions, with both forces maintaining a considerable distance from one another.

Providence Bloc, however, seemed to have had the upper hand, and soon HERO Coalition Logistics ships were dropping at a rate of four a minute. With much of its Logistics wing annihilated, the HERO Coalition fleet attempted to maintain its distance, with Providence Bloc closing in each time. However, once it was made obvious the HERO Coalition fleet was merely stalling for time, Providence Bloc switched targets and fired at the Infrastructure Hub which quickly succumbed to the volleys.

With the Infrastructure Hub gone, Providence Bloc decided to go after the Territorial Claim Unit next, instead of attempting to force HERO Coalition into a full confrontation, which they seemed to decline. Once setup on the Territorial Claim Unit, Providence Bloc forces were continuously harassed by both the main HERO Coalition fleet, and by reinforcement fleets. The first was a twenty-five pilot Caracal Cruiser gang which managed to land next to Providence Bloc’s Logistics wing. Losing quite a few Logistic ships, Providence Bloc managed to destroy the gang before returning its attention to the Eagle fleet which kept drawing it away from the Territorial Claim Unit.

After the Caracal gang, a Cormorant Destroyer fleet of thirty-seven pilots came next in an attempt to disrupt Providence Bloc Logistics. They managed to destroy one before once more being overwhelmed, only able to destroy some of the Interceptors and Frigates that accompanied the main fleet.

View from HERO Coalition’s Cormorant gang

By this time the Providence Bloc commanders realized that HERO Coalition was in no position to dispute their control of the battlefield and decided to concentrate their efforts on the Territorial Claim Unit, instead of wasting time on chasing the elusive Eagle fleet. Their focused fire quickly dispatched the Territorial Claim Unit, and allowed them to anchor their own on a Tower that was prepared beforehand.

HERO Coalition forces attempted to destroy the Providence Bloc Territorial Claim Unit a few times but could not contend with the tower and stood down. Providence Bloc forces on their part extracted from the system, and on the 19th of October, 10:18 EVE Standard Time claimed the system as their own.

Fixed Battle Report for the UL-7I8 system can be found here.

During the fighting both forces kept reinforcing their fleets, with HERO Coalition attempting to seal the system and yet leaving an opening to the OXIY-V system, which allowed Providence Bloc a steady stream of reinforcements during the fighting.

Time Dilation did not play a noticeable part in the fighting and local peaked at around two-hundred and eighty pilots at the beginning. Two hundred and nineteen ships were destroyed during the battle, for fifteen billion ISK of damages, the lion share HERO Coalition’s. No third parties were present in the system.

With this conquest, Providence Bloc has regained all the systems it lost in the beginning of the war and is now looking to conquer the G-AOTH and ERVK-P systems, completing the occupation of the Northern Catch pocket.

At this point, the war that HERO Coalition started to reclaim the Northern Catch pocket seems to have backfired on it, and yet, the tables may turn once more, as the Phoebe patch looms ever closer.

Special thanks to corebloodbrothers, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult, vyshnegradsky and Hidetoshi Rushd, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance for granting interviews.

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.