News: Providence Bloc Defeated in 9UY4-H

Disclaimer: Due to scarcity of reports, the numbers in the article are evaluations only. The events transcribed are based on the few witness accounts given, apologies in advance for any and all inaccuracies.

9UY4-H system, Providence region. On the 26th of June, at 18:00 EVE Standard Time, forces belonging to Providence Bloc clashed once more with Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] in the system, leading to a ruinous defeat.

[NC] forces had deployed Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, in an attempt to provoke a fight from Providence Bloc. This worked, as Providence Bloc organized an Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, estimated at 120 pilots.

The force arrived in the system and worked on removing Sovereignty Blockade Units from the gates, managing to destroy one before [NC] forces showed, bridging a Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet into the 4B-NQN system next door, estimated at 60 pilots with Triage Carrier support.

The [NC] force jumped into the 9UY4-H system, the Triage Archons de-cloaking first before the rest of the fleet. The [NC] fleet however, was greeted by Providence Bloc, who had reports on it and already prepared in advance on the gate.

The battle started with Providence Bloc managing to volley off a couple of Battleships before the [NC] fleet could anchor up properly. Once it did, it managed to stabilize, the Triage Carriers doing their job properly. 

In contrast, the Providence Bloc fleet was hemorrhaging ships. An attempt to warp off the field and back at zero on the [NC] fleet in order perhaps, to get below the Battleships guns and negating their tracking, miserably failed - Resulting in slaughter.

Quickly, the Isthar fleet decided to warp across the system, forcing the much slower Battleships to give chase, at the same time a Stealth Bomber wing was working diligently to remove one of the Sovereignty Blockade Units, thus securing the system.

To aid in buying time, Interdcitors kept the Triage Carriers under interdiction probes, sacrificing ships to force them to stay in place. Since the Triage Carriers were the backbone of the Logistics team of the [NC] fleet, this delayed their attempts to re-engage.

Managing to destroy the second Sovereignty Blockade Unit and thus secure the system, Providence Bloc retreated, conceding the field to [NC]. Thus, [NC] forces returned to the 4B-NQN gate in order to guard their last remaining Sovereignty Blockade Unit.

However, this was not the end of hostilities for the night, as the Providence Bloc fleet reshipped to Naga Battlecruisers and returned to the field. A second battle flared up, with Providence Bloc warping to the [NC] fleet on the 4B-NQN gate in close range an opening fire, managing to volley off Battleships but trading many Naga Battlecruisers in return.

As damage output decreased due to losses, Providence Bloc was unable to break the tank of the Battleships and once more retreated, leaving the field for [NC] to hold. Having gotten the fight they wished for, [NC] forces extracted safely, ending hostilities for the night.

Battle report for the 9UY4-H system can be found here.

The battle lasted nearly an hour, with the system hosting less than 300 pilots in local and Time Dilation not reported as a major issue.

Providence Bloc lost 84 ships including 29 Battlecruisers and 24 Isthars for a total of 12.38 Bil ISK. [NC] lost 13 ships including 4 Battleships for a total of 2.45 Bil ISK.

Providence Bloc managed to secure the system, its strategic objective, but at a cost. [NC], on the other hand, got the fight it wished for and managed to hold the field. 

As the two entities continue to fight, it remains to be seen how this war concludes. The EVE Scribe will keep you up to date on developments.