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 -

Ship Building - Aside

 

KNS Pteranodon - heavy cruiser

I don't really think I have any kind of obsessive compulsive (convulsive??)  disorder, but I simply had to build one of these: a heavy cruiser. The smallest navy - Kiivar - gets it; a desperate measure, perhaps, in the face of the vastly superior Ra'esharn cruiser fleet. From start to finish to make: the course of an afternoon and evening, off and on.

Serial 83

It dimensions are pretty much the same as those of all the other cruisers in the three fleets, but this fellow, KNS Pteranodon, has nine primary guns in three triple turrets - half as much again the firepower of the 6-gun cruisers. I reckon into the bargain I'll give it 15FP (Flotation Points) instead of the standard 12.

Below are comparative pictures, top to bottom: battleship, battle cruiser, heavy cruiser.

The comparison is clearer from this overhead photo. 

Itch scratched: I don't reckon I'll be making any more of these...

Battle of Laroc Sea - Saabia's counterblows

The Ra'esharn air attacks upon the Saabian Task Force 1 having badly wounded the cruiser SNS Cockatrice, it was the turn of Saabia to mount their own attacks. Minus the fighter squadron, the entire bomber complement of SNS Bahamut took off to attack the enemy Carrier Striking Force. A hot reception awaited them.

Attack on the Carrier Strike Force

Having held back their fighters, Ra'esharn were able to match two-thirds of the incoming bombers. One squadron of bombers went after SNS Achlys (11). Half the Ra'esharn fighter intercepted them.
Fighters' attack roll: 2,2,4 => no effect
Bombers' defence roll: 2,4,5 => no effect
The bombers are neutralised.
Now came the flak: 
Destroyer: 1, 6 => 1 hit
Battleship: 2,3,4,6 => 1 hit
Carrier: 1,1,1,5 => no hits.
The bombers lose 2FP

Right here it is starting to become plain that the flak ought not to have been directed at a bomber squadron that had, in effect, been driven off. At the time the thought didn't cross my mind - and worse was to happen!

Attack on Carrier Strike Force

Two squadrons directed their attentions upon SNS Azi Dahak (14). One was intercepted by the fighters:
Fighters' roll: 4,5,6 => two hits on the bombers
Bombers' roll: 1,3,3 => no hits on the fighters
So, one bomber squadron neutralised: 
Now for the flak:
Destroyer: 3,6 => 1 hit
Cruiser: 2,3,4,6 => 1 hit
Carrier: 1,3,6,6 => 2 hits!
Four hits on the surviving bombers. That would have wiped out the last of the bomber squadrons, and the total force lost 8 out of 9 FPs (or, if you like, 32 out of 36 aircraft).

As it happened, I wrote down, I discovered later, a careless note that suggested the whole bomber force was wiped out. 

Attack on Carrier Strike Force

This was phenomenal shooting by the Striking Force, but I think the effect was somewhat overkill. The first two squadrons having been intercepted, they would have been driven off, jettisoning their bomb loads into the ocean and returning to their Task Force. The third squadron having made it through to the ships would have been shot out of the sky. Note that the battleship, Carrier 11 and the larboard column destroyer would have been out of range of their AA weaponry. 

So, according to the combats above, the Saabian bombers would certainly have lost more than half their complement (4FP remaining out of 9FP). The Task Force would still have had a bomber strike force in being.

At about the same time, Task Force 7 was conducting it own air attack, this one against the invasion convoy. The whole aircraft complement of SNS Bake-kujira struck at the troopships and the light carrier RNS Angra Mainyu. 

Attack on Invasion Convoy

As the carrier was the top priority target, the fighters escorted the squadron to which that target was assigned. Sure enough, the carrier launched its fighter squadron, the escort engaged it, neither side lost aircraft. That gave the bombers a free run - give or take the flak. The results were as follow:

Attack on MS Mangla (rear of larboard column). As it happened, I gave the transports no air defence of their own. Probably they ought to have at least 1AA point, possibly 2, per ship. 
Versus MS Mangla: 

    Bomber rolled: 2,3,5 => all missed, no effect
Versus RNS Angra Mainyu: 
    Flak rolls: 1,2,4,5 => no hits.
    Bombing run: 2,2,6 => 1 hit, 6FP of damage!
Versus MS Barracuda:

    Flak from overflown cruiser Charonzon: 2,4,4,4 => no hits
    Bombing run: 1,2,4 => no hits.

Attack on Invasion Convoy

Well, that was moderately disappointing for the attackers - just the one hit on the carrier. Following my previous posting Martin Rapier remarked on the desirability of striking carriers that were in the process of refueling and rearming aircraft that have returned from their own sorties. During this action, the thought did cross my mind that aircraft in a damaged ship might have taken some hurt, but that one I let go for examination later. Had the carrier taken further damage, the aircraft would certainly have remained out of the battle, unable to have been launched.

As it happened, these aircraft were soon to mount a strike of their own...

Battle of Lindisfarne Strait - Invasion fleet escorts take on
the Kiivar Task Force 34.

Shortly after this air attack, the Kiivar ships of Task Force 34 were approaching the other end of the Lindisfarne Strait through which the invasion convoy was about to pass. The starboard escort column, R21 and the cruiser, RNS Charun burst through the strait, just as the larboard column swung off to pass around the Petosi Point. This effected something of a surprise, as upon sighting the opposing forces were already in fairly close range. 

Two destroyers and two cruisers were hardly a match for battleship cruiser and destroyer, but two bomber squadrons (unescorted) from RNS Angra Mainyu were already on their way. Better yet, realising it had the range, however long, R21 launched its single forward torpedo - a hopeless gesture...

To be continued: a building surface fleet action