The Polinkerec Crisis

Mid Ninth Era

Also known as the MAN-JAR Naval Crisis and the First Triad War.

Not to be confused with the Seige of Polinkerec, the Storming of Polinkerec, or the Battles of Polinkerec.

The Polinkerec Crisis was an armed conflict fought at sea and the climax of an international dispute between supporters of the Advanced Triad-South Popugrazian Trade Line. Fighting broke out between Gwiffish and Raphalan ships in the Gulf of Polinkerec over the right to protect Ellenasian convoy's travelling through the busy shipping lane. To this day, it is a mystery who started the conflict. Both sides accused the other of piracy and claimed to be protecting the Ellenasian convoys from a legitimate threat. However, neither side had reported detecting pirates to their high command before the incident.

At the opening of the Rexmatolus archives just weeks into the 12th Era, it was exposed that the Gwiffish government ordered it's sailors to seek escalation with Raphaelonia. However, this is not concrete proof that the Raphalans were not planning their own surprise attack, as they blockaded the Gulf of Polinkerec with early U-boats suspiciously quickly.

The first escalation was at night and forced Gwiffish ships to retreat. By the end of the following day, the entire MAN faction had signed a protocol to send a combined, but mostly Navthanian-built fleet, led by Gwiffiindor's high Admiral, to Svjarvic waters to "Protect the whole pact of the Three Triads from ultranationalist pirate forces threatening our prosperity by blockading the port of Polinkerec." JAR had also mobilised within twenty-four hours.

Eventually, JAR would defeat MAN by using small flotillas as bait. The campaign took weeks, but eventually, the MAN fleet was encircled and forced to surrender after losing two battleships. JAR also succeeded because the Gwiffish underestimated Ashevian torpedo aircraft, which they believed were outdated and as such were unprepared for surprise attacks from above, which would destroy the Preston's Pride, the flagship of Gwiffindor's southern fleet and the second of the two MAN battleships lost. This was the final nail in the coffin, that forced MAN forces to withdraw from Svjarva.