Batle of Laroc Sea - Action at Lindisfarne Strait

Ra'easharn escorts gallantly engage 
Kiivar Task Force 34. What was that about 
'crossing the T'?

As the Kiivar Task Force 34 moved to head off any enemy force coming through the Lindisfarne Strait, Ra'esharn's  starboard escort column (RNS Charun and R21) had sped ahead in an effort to clear the way. Bursting through the strait, they saw at once ahead of them the formidable Kiivar warships. The larboard column, RNS Choronzon and R22, were slightly more distant, just about to round the Petosi point, the east end of the Petosi Island group. At once the starboard column came under fire from all three Kiivar vessels.

Saabia Task Force 7 spots not only part of the Invasion Group
Escort group, but also, far to the north, another 
enemy battle group. 

Meanwhile, the Saabian Task Force 7 not only observed the larboard escort column rounding Petosi point, but spied far to the north the smoke betokening the approach of another column of Ra'esharn warships. Leaving the destroyers to deal with the escort ships, the battleship SNS Hakawai and cruiser SNS Sarimanok turned onto a 330-degree heading to meet the unidentified distant force. The aircraft having just shortly before returned from their air attack, it would be some time before they would be available for another sortie.

As SNS Cockatrice crawls badly wounded to the south, 
the rest of TF1 moves westward. Made aware of 
the enemy carrier group, SNS Gullinkambe, followed by
destroyers S11 and S12, turn to face them...

To the east, the Ra'esharn Carrier Strike Force was just rounding the last of the Guanocanal Island group. Observing their approach, the submarine SU47 let fly with its bow torpedoes against the battleship RNS Bushyasta. Both torpedoes missed - possibly on account of the battleship's heading (not that I have any differentiating rule); but now the presence of the submarine was known to the escorting destroyers. This was not going to be SU47's lucky day. 

Submarine SU47 lets fly with its bow torpedoes...

Such were the developments just as the gunnery battle began near the Lindisfarne Strait. And this is how it went:

Kiivar:

Battleship KNS Harrier 

•     Primary armament vs Cruiser RNS Charun: medium range, 9xD6 roll: 1,1,1,2,2,3,6,6,6 => 3 hits
•     Secondary armament vs Destroyer R21: battle range (3 hexes), 6xD6 roll: 1,3,4,6,6,6 => 3 hits (good shooting!)

Cruiser KNS Heirax

•     Primary armament vs Charun, long range, 6xD6 roll: 1,2,3,3,4,6 => 1 hit 
•     Secondary armament vs R21, battle range, 6D6 roll: 2,2,3,5,5,6 => 1 hit

Destroyer K43:

•     Guns vs R21, battle range, 2D6 roll: 3,4 => no hits
•     Torpedoes vs Charun: battle range, 3D6 roll: 1,5,5 => no hits

Ra'esharn:

Cruiser RNS Charun:
Owing to the angle of approach, this cruiser could engage only with its forward guns:

•     Primary armament vs Destroyer K43: battle range, 4D6 roll: 1,5,6,6 => 3 hits!

Destroyer R21:

•     Guns at battle range vs K43: 2D6, roll: 3,4 => no hits

Already in torpedo range, R21 let fly with its sole bow tube at KNS Harrier - a forlorn gesture, perhaps?

•     Torpedo at battle range vs battleship: 1D6, roll: 6 (!!) => 1 hit, 6FP damage. A superb shot!

Results of the opening exchanges:

Ra'esharn:

• Cruiser RNS Charun - 4FP of damage
• Destroyer R21 - 4FP of damage, and must now attempt to withdraw from the action.

Kiivar:

• Battleship KNS Harrier - 6FP of damage
• Destroyer K43 - 3FP of damage. Just able to continue the action. One of its starboard torpedo batteries expended.

Action around the Petosi Island group

The action ended not there. Just as Destroyer R22 rounded the Petosi Island group, it was to discover that a Saabian submarine (S77) was lurking not far off the point. Fortunately, for the destroyer at any rate, the submarine's aim was off: no hits. 

As the battle was raging just south of the Lindisfarne Strait, the air attack launched by the Ra'esharn escort carrier, RNS Angra Mainyu, two squadrons, one carrying bombs, the other, torpedoes, struck at the already wounded Harrier. Up came the flak; down went a third of the bombers.

 

• Battleship AA: 4D6 roll: 1,5,6,6 => 2 bomber FP shot down.

There remained the bombing attack:

• 4 FP remaining, 4D6 roll: 1,1,4,5 => no hits! The chagrin of the Ra'esharn aircrew may be imagined!

Air attack against KNS Harrier

I reckon that's enough excitement for this posting. More to come later. For the rest of the action I took rather fewer notes (unfortunately) so there will be a deal less of the blow by blow accounting of strikes and hits. Suffice to say here, though, the action was just beginning. A considerable surface action was developing around the Petosi Island group. Far off to the east, south of Guanocanal, the gun armed ships of Task Force One were throwing themselves into the path of Carrier Strike Force, as it was making its best speed westwards...

To be continued -