Battle of the Maunch - continued (2)

 

Invasion begins!!

Operation 'Archduke' underway!

Great Naval Clash off Azurian Coast!!

Fighting along the beaches continues!

From Our Special Correspondent

"The Special Project meticulously planned and undertaken by our gallant soldiers and sailors has at last been set in train. The Maunch has been successfully crossed by our Grand Fleet, and, reports indicate, the army has effected a landing. However, the Azurian Navy made yesterday a determined effort to interfere with or halt the operation. 

So far, the outlook is obscure. Word so far received varies between a Disaster to Our Navy, to a Great and Glorious Victory! The situation ashore is no clearer. Although the Headquarters of General B.L. Montregard has remained quiet - whether owing to interrupted communications or a natural and wise reticence - such indications as we have received are that the day's objectives have not been quite met, and the landed troops have scarcely got off the beaches. It is widely apprehended that the whole operation might have to be abandoned, and the troops evacuated. Hope, considerably mingled with disquiet, prevails..."

Patrolling several nautical miles west of the beach landing objective, 1st Battle Squadron were on the southward leg of their beat when the smoke of approaching ships appeared upon the western horizon. No great powers of deduction were required to determine that this was the Azurian Oceanic Fleet - or at least a major part of it - come to oppose the landing.  Heading on a northeast bearing, it seemed that the Azurians might pass astern of the Ruberian battle squadron. This might well have suited Vice-Admiral Doughty - placing the Azurian fleet between himself and 2nd Battle Squadron, far to the north.

Such was not, however, the Azurian plan. Theirs was to force open a passage through which the gunboats, Phlegeton and Styx, might drive towards the landing beaches and to shoot up the invasion fleet. As the Azurian battle line turned in line ahead to a course paralleling the Ruberian, their torpedo boats made a sudden early sortie, TB1 and TB2 making straight for RNS Endymion. That light cruiser having surged forward to intercept the gunboats, the torpedo boats intercepted it. Releasing a torpedo, TB1 scored a lucky hit, the damage being almost sufficient to drive Endymion right out of the battle.

First salvoes and torpedo attacks. Endymion (lower left) took 
a torpedo that left it badly damaged; R2 slams one 
into Charles Martel.

First blood, then to the Azurians. Not a good beginning for 1st Battle Squadron, which, on their own, were no real match for the whole Oceanic Fleet. Three battleships to five; three torpedo boat destroyers to 4 torpedo boats, and a nearly crippled light cruiser against two gunboats - the Vice-Admiral had to hope for the timely arrival of Admiral Jellibene and 2nd Battle Squadron to redress the balance.

Not that 1st Battle Squadron was going to wait upon the Fleet Admiral. The Azurian Fleet was there, there was where it would meet its demise if Doughty and his tars could bring it about. Doughty by name, doughty by nature, he was going to sink his teeth like a bulldog into the enemy. 

As the pair of torpedo boats returned to the battle line, the first salvoes roared out, just as the Ruberian destroyers made their own torpedo run. All three leading Azurian battleships received gunfire hits, as did all three Ruberian. But the torpedo boat R2 scored the sole torpedo hit. ANS Charles Martel, Amiral Génépi's flagship, came out of the turn seriously wounded: half its portside secondary weapons knocked out, the bridge hit - though the ship was able to stay in the battle line - and a large hole beneath the water line on the port side. 

Battle log, early action.
I really ought to have planned this better

The Ruberian destroyers returned to the shelter of the battle line as the gunnery duel raved on. Somehow the Ruberian battle line had head reached upon the Azurian, which tended to leave Marceau and Amiral Ganteaume able to offer limited supporting fire to the leading three ships. On the other hand, the gunboats ventured to prolong the line forward, to bring their own big guns to bear. Gaulois got the better of the duel with Sans Pareil, two serious strikes for one trifling hit in return. But the puny Thunderer was dealing out considerable hurt upon Charles Martel. Two critical hits affected the latter's  steering, and put paid to what remained of its secondary armament.

Meanwhile, its speed reduced, Endymion was circling out of the action, with the view to rejoining astern of the main battle line, where were the destroyers. The Azurian torpedo boats were withdrawing from the action to prepare a possible renewal of their torpedo attacks. At the rear of the group, TB1 caught two 6-inch shells and went down - the first vessel sunk in the battle.

So far: no sign of the 2nd Battle Squadron. The situation was becoming critical. All three of his battleships had taken serious damage, though he was satisfied that the enemy had hurts to show. ANS Gaulois's stern main gun turret astern was not firing, and there seemed to be some problem with the Azurian command and control. Sure enough, early in the action a 12-inch shell from Thunderer had struck the bridge of  Charles Martel, partially knocking out the ship's command and communications. But overall, Doughty had reason to believe his squadron might not last much longer. 

How Doughty would have liked to have drawn the Azurian fleet northward onto Jellibene's more powerful squadron. But that would have left open a way through to the invasion fleet, and the Azurians would surely have taken it. So the battle was trending towards the coast, none too distant now. Maybe the bold decision Doughty now undertook was unnecessarily risky. He ordered the line of battle onto a southwesterly course - to close the range and, it seemed likely, to 'cross the T' of the Azurian battle line.

As the lines of battle converged, the gunboat Styx had joined the head of the Azurian, some distance astern of Phlegeton. There it came under the notice of Admiral Hood. Two 13.5-inch shells slammed into the fragile craft, followed quickly after by a torpedo. Badly damaged, the gunboat began to pull out of the line, escorted by its sister vessel. For the rest, the Ruberians were still managing to engage the head of the enemy line. The rear vessels, Marceau and Amiral Ganteame had to content themselves with ineffectual gunnery against the Ruberian destroyers.

The shortening range also brought on once more attacks from the respective torpedo boat flotillas. All three Ruberian destroyers survived to launch their torpedoes, but only R25 scored a hit. Gaulois took the damage, and more from a 12-inch shell from Thunderer, but maintained its station. Incoming defensive fire, however, was enough force all three Ruberian destroyers - albeit still afloat - out of the battle.

The Azurian TB3 and TB4 did far more damage, decisively so, and placed 1st Battle Squadron in desperate condition. Badly holed from TB3's torpedo (4SP damage), and taking two heavy shells from Gaulois, Thunderer could no longer maintain its station, and began to sag out of the line. More drastic was the fate of Sans Pareil. Fires raging fore and aft (6SP damage) reached the forward magazine. With a flash, a roar and clouds of smoke, Sans Pareil disappeared. 'Methinks we're on our own, Chatfield,' the Admiral, aboard Admiral Hood, was heard to murmur.

(Note: the critical hit damage card for Sans Pareil indicated an upper hull hit below the main 16-inch turret. This meant a potential magazine hit. On a die roll of 6, the magazine would blow. I rolled a 6.)

Apart from his own flagship, that left Doughty with only the badly damaged Endymion, still thrashing its way at reduced speed back into the action. As he altered course to engage the enemy more closely, and Endymion brought the Azurian battle line under fire, flashes on the northern horizon were followed by huge fountains of water erupting at the rear of the Azurian column.

2nd Battle Squadron arrives with 12th Flotilla. 
Agamemnon and Commonwealth open fire at 
long range.

Admiral Jellibene and 2nd Battle Squadron had arrived at last.

A note on torpedo attacks. 

I really think I might have to revisit this aspect of the game. Now, my own approach is that torpedo attacks take place after gunnery, and the boat has to survive gunfire in order to launch its torpedoes. As it turned out the gunfire - usually secondary, the main guns being reserved for enemy capital ships - was pretty ineffective in driving off torpedo boats. On the other hand, torpedo attacks, especially on the Azurian side, were very effective indeed. I had made one change from Bob Cordery's original rule set: a torpedo hit (3 dice rolled, 6 required) led to a die roll to determine damage (1-6).

Now the odds of scoring a torpedo hit (rolling at least one 6) with 3 dice, is 91/216 - a shade over 42%. That seems to me a bit on the high side. With just one die, the odds are (to the nearest whole number) 17%. 

I also departed from the original rules (I'm not sure why) in giving TBs 5SPs and destroyers 6SP. That I think was a mistake (it might even have been absent-mindedness. Instead one fewer SP for each type would have made them more vulnerable and torpedo attacks more risky.

I'm still not sure what to do about the torpedo attacks themselves. I like to make them much more chancy but a deal more damaging... more frighteningly uncertain. My thoughts right now suggest 1 die per torpedo, 6 required to hit, roll 2D6 for damage.

 There is another approach, that keeps the 3 dice idea, and that is to make the TBs operate as flotillas of 3 vessels. The number of dice rolled is the number of surviving boats. This idea is only half-formed at the moment, and may require considerably more thought - and probably more torpedo boats! 

Finally, I discover I made a little bit of a boo-boo with my first ever battleship torpedo attack. The launcher being fixed has an 'arc of fire' much more limited than I allowed. That launch ought to have awaited the 'crossing of the 'T', whence it might have been more effective!

To be continued...
How did 2nd Battle Squadron fare against the Azurian fleet? Will the latter succeed in cutting off (or cutting out) the beach landings?