UNITED EARTH OCEANS ORGANISATION
PERSONNEL FILE #20-452-71/3
BARRATT, JOHN J.
Full Name:
John Jacob Barratt
Born:
August 25th, 2008, Honolulu, Hawaii
Parents:
Laura Barratt, schoolteacher
Rev. Richard Barratt, Baptist preacher
Rank:
Commander
Posting:
Executive Officer, UEO Excalibur ASV 7100
Career history:
Attending UEO Academy 2025 � 2029, Barratt graduated with high honours, ranked 18 of 332. His first assignment was aboard the UEO Condor, where he served as a Navigation Officer. After an uneventful 13-month tour, the Condor was decommissioned, and Barratt transferred to the UEO supply hauler Aries, under Captain Oliver Hudson. Barratt matched his captain�s desire to find the missing sub seaQuest, and was on the Aries when Macronesian forces attacked Nexus Colony in mid-2032, and stayed with the hauler after Hudson took command of seaQuest shortly after. His skills as Chief Nav Officer earned him a promotion to Lieutenant Commander in 2033, and later that year, Barratt transferred to the UEO Potemkin, to serve as Second Officer and Chief Nav Officer. Barratt served aboard the Potemkin with distinction for three years, earning the respect of the crew and the senior officers. During his time aboard, Barratt aided in the rescue of the UEO Mars mission Ares 4 when the re-entry module splashed down in the middle of the Indian Neutral Zone. The Potemkin was the only ship in the area, and managed to recover the module, preventing a major international incident in the process.
Barratt saw action in the brief skirmish off Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in 2036, which saw the Potemkin heavily damaged, and its captain and first officer killed. Barratt assumed command, and, in a daring move, jettisoned the sub�s engines, detonating them amidst the Macronesian attackers. The Macronesian forces, heavily depleted, fled, and Barratt was praised for his quick thinking and ingenuity. He was recommended for a command post, and, in September of 2036, Barratt received a promotion to Commander, and was assigned to command the FASV UEO Yorktown. The Yorktown aided Chau-Di refugees attempting to escape Macronesia�s invasion of the Hegemony, following the signing of the Ceylon Accords in 2037. Barratt�s diplomacy skills were enough to defuse the situation, and prevent a Macronesian cruiser from crossing the border in pursuit of the refugee craft. The Yorktown was one of the first ships to arrive at New Cape Quest after the attack by �rogue� Macronesian assets. Barratt ordered the FASV into pursuit of the attackers, and managed to disable one of the fleeing craft, allowing the UEO to identify the fleet groups responsible.
2038 saw the Yorktown rotated out to the Pacific, assigned to patrol the UEO\Macronesian border. In March of that year, Barratt succeeded in locating a raider group that had been harassing UEO shipping in the area for several months, tracking them back to their base, and arresting those responsible. Numerous aggressive encounters with Macronesian forces were dealt with using diplomacy and skill, which was in sharp contrast to the attitudes of other captains on the same patrol. Shortly after the mysterious disappearance of the seaWolf that year, Barratt inexplicably took the Yorktown off her patrol station to assist in the search for the downed sub, disobeying direct orders from UEO Command for all border ships to remain on station to detect any hostile actions that may have been initiated by Macronesia. Barratt received a reprimand for his actions, and requested a leave of absence, which was granted. After his two months� leave, Barratt returned to the UEO a changed man. Reassigned to command the Yorktown, Barratt now aggressively pursued his border patrol duties, and soon became known for his ruthlessness in dealing with Macronesian incursions into UEO territory.
In 2039, the Yorktown was rotated back to the Atlantic, and Barratt�s attitudes seemed to improve. Although his dealings with Macronesia remained extreme, he created a strong command style, which earned him many supporters. As a result, Barratt was placed on the shortlist for command of the new Advanced Submergence Vessels. However, the command board felt, upon interviewing the commander, his style was not suited for command of a seaWolf-class ship at that time. His extreme attitude towards the Macronesians, in particular, raised some concerns.
The command board eventually decided to assign Barratt to the UEO Sao Paulo, as CO. However, Secretary General McGath requested the commander as XO of the Excalibur.
Initially opposed to what he saw as a demotion in favour of Michael Warren, whom he considered to be less than the prodigy others saw him as, the ship�s maiden voyage made him re-evaluate his opinions of the young captain. He and Warren eventually resolved their differences, and soon became friends. Barratt will no doubt be a vital asset to the Excalibur as tensions with the Macronesians increase.
Personal:
John Barratt has long been considered by his peers to be a highly dedicated and skilled officer. Although his command ability has been called into question in recent years, his posting aboard Excalibur has been seen by many as a wise move by Secretary General McGath, as his experience and skills will undoubtedly compliment those of his captain, and help Captain Warren become a better CO.
Barratt�s surprising change of attitude towards the Macronesians suggests some sort of psychological trauma surrounding the loss of the seaWolf prototype, but the commander has refrained from discussing the subject.
He has an established friendship with Excalibur second officer Daniel Smith, and his relationship with the rest of the Excalibur command crew is as warm. Like Warren, he believes that this familiarity will create a more efficient working environment.
