Santa Catalina

Warning this article contains spoilers through Deadly Shores and River of Bones.

SS Santa Catalina was a civilian freighter damaged while transiting to the alternate Earth through the squall.

She was identified as being like the Black Hawk who's original name was Santa Catalina she is not the same ship. Author Taylor Anderson gives his reason for made up ships thus on his Discussion Blog http://www.taylorandersonauthor.com/blog/discussions/ On January 06, 2015 he wrote   :

"... I would personally prefer to “add” a destroyer to the list of those involved for the same reason that I have always used ships with no wartime record: Any ship actually there would have had an actual CREW of real people, and I would–personally–feel uncomfortable with shanghaiing their lives, so to speak.  I’ve come close a time or two, in a manner of speaking, with Santa Catalina (Blackhawk) and Amerika, both of which DID have “post divergence” records, but the way I used them, they are NOT the same ship.  I may even IMPLY that some . . . mysterious ship could be a well-known one, leaving it to the imagination of the reader to decide, but that’s as far as I’ll go.  Even Surcouf is an analog.  They CALL it Surcouf, because that’s what she looked like, but . . . wherever she came from, either that was not her name, or she was one of the other planned vessels of the same design.  This is a rule I’ve always tried to keep, and I mean to continue doing so in this series. Maybe it’s because I grew up with so many veterans of WW2 and the inter-war years. I have known too many of them to change their service records.

Distant Thunders:
After coming to the alternate Earth through the squall. Santa Catalina ended up on swampy land near Chill-chaap; Under duress, Rasik-Alcas led Jim Ellis and the crew of Dowden on a recovery mission. Her former crew's fate are unknown. Rasik was then killed by Aryaalain marines who lost family due to Rasik's actions led by corporeal Koratin.

Rising Tides:
Salvage expedition led by Captain Russ Chapelle of 'USS Tolson. ' Ben Mallory's first thought to make a runway and fly the P-40s to Baalikpan, but it was decided to repair ''Santa Catalina. ''The inhabitants of the swamp, "mare lizards," attacked during the night to recover their home but, were defeated. The hull temporarily repaired Santa Catalina was sailed to Baalikpan under command of Lt. Micheal 'Mikey' Monk.

Firestorm through Iron Gray Sea:
In dry dock repairs continued with modifications and arms to turn the freighter into a Protected Cruiser she becomes USS Santa Catalina CA-P-1. During conversion, she is fitted with;

- Armor protection over the engineering spaces, and other critical areas.

- A fire control platform.

- An aft mounted catapult for a PB-1.

- A 10" cannon recovered from the Amagi on the forecastle.

- 4* 5.5" cannons in a central armored casemate located around the base of the funnel.

- 2* 4.7" DP cannons in armored tubs at the bow and stern.

Storm Surge:
Finally completed USS Santa Catalina CA-P-1 under Russ Chapelle goes to war as Jim Ellis's command ship. During the Second Battle of Madras she pounds it out with the Grik battleships that were able to escape Madras, directly sinking one with the 10", and indirectly sinking at least one other with the 5.5s after it is rammed by another battleship that had its steering disabled. In the process the Santa Catalina received significant damage even with the extra two inches of armor. Jim Ellis is fatally wounded during this fight.  Chief Engineer Dean Laney gives a poor performance during the battle incurring Captain Chapelle's wrath. Following this confrontation the Santa Catalina hunted down and destroyed the surviving Grik cruisers that had previously screened the battleline.

Deadly Shores:
She remains in Madras completing repairs.

Straits of Hell:
Arrives in time to shell the Grik under General Ragak formerly Regent of Sofesshk.

River of Bones:

Sunk and used as a bulwark against oncoming Grik forces in Africa.

Place at bottom held for large illustration do not remove.