United States Navy
A detailed list of confirmed characters that are in the United States Navy as of October 1940.- Historical Domain Character: Many of the characters in that appear in Changing Destiny are taken from real historical footnotes and their depictions here and in story are based on historical evidence. Skywalker_T-65 has also said that if he does not find enough information on a certain historical figure, he will create original characters or personalities for that historical to suit the story.
- Moe Anthropomorphism: Due to the concrete nature of KanColle and the way they interpret the ship-girls memories of WW2, this trope is a concrete foundation of the story.
Rear Admiral James Thompson
Rear Admiral James Thompson is the commander of Carrier Division 1 of the United States Pacific Fleet and his flagship USS Saratoga (CV-3), and is considered the main protagonist of Changing Destiny, since he got teleported back to 1940 from the modern day. He is considered a Carrier Admiral in the pre-WW2 US Navy (alongside Halsey) and is one of the youngest Admirals in the US Pacific Fleet in the alternate timeline.
- The Atoner: Constantly struggles to admit that he will be harming the Japanese ship-girls and hopes he could apologise to them by the time the Abyssal War comes around.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Quite literally, since he was an Rear Admiral and Commander of the Combined Japanese-American Shipgirl/Kanmusu fleet in Yokosuka before the whole teleportation business.
- The Strategist: He is constantly trying to find his way around the pre-WW2 USN, which was, back then, dominated by the so-called 'Battleship Admirals' and was severely behind naval strategy, technology and doctrine.
Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
Vice Admiral William Frederick 'Bull' Halsey is the commander of Carrier Division 2 of the United States Pacific Fleet and his flagship USS Enterprise (CV-6), and he is the first person in the WW2 US Navy to find out that ship-girls exist after Enterprise reveals herself to him. Like Thompson, he is also considered a Carrier Admiral.
- Four-Star Badass: He, historically, commanded Big E and Jersey in WW2, isn't that enough?
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He finds out about the existence of ship-girls by himself, but doesn't write off Thompson as insane or crazy when the latter tells him about it. He also doesn't report it to Admiral Richardson, at first.
- The Smart Guy: Halsey knows that something is off about Thompson's explanation why are the radios on every ship in Pearl Harbor are malfunctioning, as he traced the problem right back to Thompson and his flagship Saratoga as the radio problem seemed to go away every time Thompson left with Sara.
- He also is suspicious of the radio communications on Enterprise, and this driven him to personally monitor the radio set with a radio operator for anything suspicious. After receiving several messages from a unknown source, he manages to conclude that a ghost existed on Enterprise (which turned out to be Enterprise herself).
Admiral James O. Richardson
Admiral James O. Richardson was/is the Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet (CINCUS) in 1940-41, Halsey's and Thompson's superior reporting officer, and, historically, really sceptical of basing the US Pacific Fleet at Pear Harbor, saying it was neither practical and very vulnerable to air attack. He was historically dismissed in February of 1941 and replaced by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, but he was proven right in our timeline. He is the third person in the WW2 US Navy to find out about the existence of ship-girls, when Commander Jackson revealed the existence of Utah to him.
- Genre Savvy: He, historically, made his life's work on studying the Imperial Japanese Navy and its strategies and realised that they would attack Pearl Harbor first in a hypothetical war with the United States. Historically, he had no such luck in convincing the US Navy as he was dismissed and replaced with the now-infamous Admiral Kimmel, but this time around he has the support of Thompson and Halsey to support his case.
Vice Admiral Russell Willson
Vice Admiral Russell Willson was/is the commander of Battlship Division 1 of the United States Pacific Fleet and his flagship USS Arizona (BB-39), and was historically the last commander of Bat Div 1 before the start of World War 2. Willson is considered to be a leading Battleship Admiral, and is constantly pushing against the Carrier Admirals, led by Halsey and Thompson, on how to lead the Pacific Fleet in the future conflict.
- Incurable Cough of Death: It is suspected that Willson has this, due to not taking Thompson's and Halsey's carrier reforms well.
- The Rival: To Thompson, as Willson (as a advocate for Mahan's battleship doctrine) is a constant opponent of Thompson's carrier doctrine, where Carriers are the main force while Battleships are in support. Willson (and by extension the Battleship Admirals) thinks it is the other way around; with Battleships are the main force while Carriers are in support.
Chief Engineer/Commander Joseph 'Joe' Jackson
Chief Engineer/Commander Joseph 'Joe' Jackson is the Chief Engineer and de facto Executive Officer of USS Utah (BB-31), a Florida-class battleship turned target ship. He is the second person in the WW2 US Navy to find out about the existence of ship-girls pretty much by accident after finding Utah crying near her turrets.
- Accidental Discovery: His discovery of the personification of USS Utah was basically this in a nutshell. He found Utah crying under one of her turrets and thought she was a civilian. When she said she was Utah, he immediately reported it to Admiral Richardson.
- Old Soldier: He has been the Chief Engineer of USS Utah for many years, and he is described as being a "short, grizzled man", his face holding several scars and having a "gruff, no-nonsense tone".
Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach
Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach is a US Naval Aviator and the commander of Fighting Squadron 3 (VF-3) of USS Saratoga (CV-3) and, historically, one of the main naval air strategists for the US Navy in World War 2. He pioneered the Thach Weave
and later in the war, the "big blue blanket" anti-kamikaze system. In the alternate timeline, he was the test-man for Thompson's tactics from Saratoga, and manages to execute the wave perfectly.
- Ace Pilot: Historically, he was credited with 6 enemy kills in the Pacific Theater and creating new dogfighting strategies that are still used today.
- Historical In-Joke: Historically, he made the Thach Weave to combat the Japanese Zero. In this alternate timeline, he was taught the tactic by Admiral Thompson, and grumbles that was something he would do.
- The Strategist: He managed to coordinate his fighters to combat Yorktown's fighters during Fleet Problem XXI, historically the last ever Fleet Problem before WW2. Thach managed to tie up the fighter long enough for the dive bombers to knock out Yorktown, but the the faulty Mark 14 torpedoes came into play and they all failed.
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
The personification of USS Enterprise, she is a quiet, but excited ship-girl determined to please her older sister, Yorktown.
- Shout-Out: Her outfit and design is clearly inspired from her Pacific design, but with notes from her Warship girls design. Halsey comments on it too.
- "Well Done Sis!" Girl: She suffers hard from this, and she wants to prove her worth to her older sister and cousins.
USS Arizona (BB-39)
The personification of USS Arizona (BB-39), she is a young, but eager ship-girl that is the pride of Battleship Division 1, being their flagship. Also, she knows that carriers are the future, despite her Admiral saying that it isn't.
- Badass Adorable: She gushes like a schoolgirl when she's able to finally get some much needed attention from someone who's not another ship. But she's still a battleship carrying twelve fourteen inch rifles.
- Shout-Out: Like Enterprise, her outfit and design is also inspired by her Pacific rendition, but really tones down the Woobieness factor, since this is pre-Pearl Harbor Arizona we are talking about here.
USS Utah (BB-31)
Kriegsmarine
A detailed list of confirmed characters that are in the Kriegsmarine as of December 10, 1940.- Historical Domain Character: See above.
Admiral Gustav Schreiber
Admiral Gustav Schreiber is the current flagship commander of the German Battleship Bismarck, and was the former commander of the Blucher, who he lead with distinction during the Norwegian campaign. He is revealed to be the second time-travelled admiral from the Abyssal era (after Thompson), and plans to save Bismarck no matter what the cost.
- Nerves of Steel: He is very proficient at this tactic. Unfortunately, he had to use it against Adolf Hitler himself. Which nearly lead him to kill Hitler right there and then.
- Parental Abandonment: His father was arrested by the Stasi when he was a child.
Kapitän zur See (Captain) Ernst Lindemann
Kapitän zur See (Captain) Ernst Lindemann was/is the captain of the German Battleship Bismarck and historically her only captain before she was sunk. Historically, he and Admiral Lütjens, led Bismarck on Operation Rheinübung, where they managed to sink HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. However, Lindermann died during Bismarck's final battle against the Royal Navy on May 27, 1941.
Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Günther Lütjens
Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) Günther Lütjens was the historical Admiral of Bismarck during Operation Rheinübung, where along with Captain Lindemann sank HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. He died on May 27, 1941 when Bismarck sank during Bismarck's final battle against the Royal Navy, alongside Lindemann. However, he is captured by the Royal Navy in the alternate timeline when Gneisenau, Lütjens flagship at that point in time was sunk by HMS Repulse on October 28, 1940, when Scharnhorst and Gneisenau tried to break out to the Atlantic to do commerce raiding.
