COMM ID:Lieutenant Commander William Tamworth, Battleship James. TARGET ID:Fleet Headquarters SUBJECT:Loss of LLS-Clearwater ENCRYPTION:High PRIORITY:High
James here.
Approximately fifteen minutes ago we received a distress signal from the Logistics ship, Clearwater, travelling through Virginia. Clearwater's Commanding Officer [Database: Lt. Hartman, Jane.] reported the ship was being pursued by a pair of Xeno fighters and in need of assistance. Data packets sent with the transmission indicated the Bison-Class transport had suffered shield system failure, as well as moderate damage to other minor systems. Watch-standers reported the Clearwater entering our engagement envelope seven minutes after the initial call, with two Xeno fighters and a friendly Siege Cruiser in pursuit.
By this time, Clearwater had taken significant structural damage, and we were unable to raise it on comms. Some five to ten seconds after entering our envelope, the Clearwater exploded. Escape pods ejected from the vessel both shortly before and briefly after the detonation. Records indicate the ship was carrying a larger then usual reserve of H-Fuel, and I'm told that if shields were disabled conventional weapons fire may have been sufficient to detonate it. At the time of the Bison's destruction, a second Siege Cruiser jumped in from Texas. Pirate forces broke contact shortly after.
Shuttles have been dispatched to search for survivors, and a few that made it to pods have been taken to Med Bay on board the James. Ships from the sixth gunboat squadron have been mobilized to assist in recovery, with the Clearwater carrying a known twenty crew plus a five man marine complement. At the time of transmission three have been retrieved [List attached.]. No injuries we can't treat on-board at this point in time, but if we do recover severely wounded personnel they'll be transported to Richmond Academy for treatment. Estimate we'll have a list of recovered individuals within a standard day.
In the meantime, the Logistics Division have managed to recover a few guncam shots from the Clearwater. They've been attached to this message.
![[Image: icthMHY.png]](http://i.imgur.com/icthMHY.png)