BB Hiei, Kirishim and Mutsu currently. They're all quite fast from what I can see. Again, I don't know very much about Japanese units. In about 10 days I also get Yamato which I'm told is quite good..:) Regardless of how old they are, they can still frighten the hell out of the Marines on Guadalcanal. That's going to be their main duty for just now.

The cruisers all seem quite capable, though. And I've got a lot of them now.

19th Ausgust.

The Bridge of I-123, south-east of the Solomons..very early on a misty morning...the sun has broken through the thin cloud and patches of warming light dapple the ocean...able Seaman Nakata is standing watch. He is a good sailor, but at times like this his mind turns to cheese sandwiches....just as he is enjoying thinking about the relative pleasures of sliced cheese versus grated, something hovers into his view. It seems ghostly, from this distance; ethereal in the quiet dawn.

He lowers his binoculars and reaches inside his pocket for a set of the cheat cards Combined Fleet sent out to all the submarine before he left. He looks at one, the one that says 'Do not attack this you dummies because you will die,' his finger tracing the thick, black lettering. reading has never really been his strongpoint and he mouths the words soundlessly as he reads. He swaps the card, the one that says 'Sink this you dummies.' For a second he stands and stares at the card blankly, then, slowly, he looks back towards the shadow in front of the sub. it has thickened, he realises, thickened into something real; a steel island rising from a long, flat deck. it takes a moment or two for the importance of what he is seeing to strike home and another moment for him to call to the watch officer who disappears into the conning tower to bring Commander Nakasawa up from his breakfast. By the time he arrives, other shapes are appearing through the mist. Nakasawa wastes no time and orders them down.

From his periscope he lines up a quick shot on the American carrier, and gives the order to fire. They won't have long, he knows, but maybe...just maybe....

As the last of 4 torpedoes leaves the tubes the veteran skipper takes his boat down deeper. From the safety of the depth, crawling at one knot, the thunderous roar of a detonation reverberates through the hull. One out of four, he thinks. Not enough to put her down but a blow all the same....
He turns to the expectant faces of his crew and says, " Well boys, we'll be having ham salad rolls the night!" and they cheer quietly, excited but fearing a depth charging that never comes.....


Enterprise (or so my intel suggests,) got hit by I-123. CCIP seems to be moving ships back into the Solomons again. My carriers are inbound. Things could get very interesting. The combat report claims the Big E is burning, which is never a good sign, but whether she took enough damage to put her in port I don't know. I doubt it. Sometimes you get lucky.....I've retasked several other subs in the area to swarm towards her and her possible escape routes. Now all I can do is see how it develops.

Elsewhere, 1-168 takes a couple of hits from a destroyer near Luganvilla. Possible an escort from a larger TF although I don't have enough information to be certain.

Given the reappearance of US carriers I've ordered the fast transports hold short at Shortlands until I get a better picture of what's developing. It also gives me time to bring a minesweeper forward from Rabaul.

In the air, A couple of Havoc raids came of second best to my all-star zero duo on Lae. really, I'm going to have to buy these two guys a beer - if the live long enough.

EDIT:

I've just looked over the combat report. it claims that the Enterprise suffered an Ammo storage explosion...That can be bad, very bad. and by bad I mean totally good! :D

The Hiei and Kirishima are both upgraded WWI battlecruisers and the Mutsu is a fairly powerful post-WWI battleship. They should all be faster than most US battleships, and should be able to pretty effectively fight with the non-modern ones too.

I've always been a fan of the Japanese heavy cruiser classes. Not only are they powerful, they also look awesome.

Aye me too Raptor.

Oh wow, Egan, that is amazing news! I can't wait to see what CCIP writes about it in his AAR :D :O: . But really, even if she doesn't go under, your hit might just take her out of the scenario completely. Good job!

At best, it's a lucky hit, but a very, very welcome one. I've been checking up and the consensus is that an ammo storage explosion on a carrier isn't a mortal wound. It isn't a magazine explosion, although can still cause some serious damage.

I saw no sign that her air groups had flown off else where so she may still be able to launch attacks. However, I am guessing she's going to need shipyard time and that her top speed is much reduced. If that's the case I can maybe get her as she clears out. There is likely to be too much between KB1 and the Big E so let's hope the subs do what they're paid to.

Just got the next turn from CCIP - he never said anything. Playing it cool, I see....well....I hope he's playing it cool s it would be quite disheartening if the Enterprise never even noticed.

20th August

Quieter today. The Enterprise has either cleared off at decent speed or is remaining with her task force. I-168 (now the unluckiest boat in the fleet,) get depth charged by a destroyer again near Luganvilla. I suspect this is the Big E trying to get to a safe port but I cannot be sure. There are other units in the area:

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/7207/aftermathm.jpg

The TF nearing Noumea could be her but if she's got the speed to do that distance she probably isn't damaged enough to have to go top port.

KB1 is continuing south in a lazy way. She has several task forces trailing behind her just now. Once they get closer to the Solomons the Battleship division will separate off and KB1 will take up her station to cover any prospective actions.

No Bettys flew - weather scrubbed missions once again.

Thoughts

Well, I don't think I can let myself think that Enterprise was too badly damaged. An ammo storage explosion should be pretty heavy but until I know for a fact where she is and what sort of state she's in I'll continue to believe the crew of the I-123 were merely after a Ham salad roll.

20th August

A quick one before I go to watch TV.

Not a great turn. My Fast transports got battered - again - as they approached Shortlands. Some carrier divebombers appeared out of nowhere and sunk two, damaging a third. I'm well annoyed as no one seems to have picked up any carriers in the vicinity. The intel boys are claiming they were seagulls attracted to bread crusts or something. Very unhappy.

Also discovered that one of the support TFs with the carriers were carrying the slowest ship on earth. It has been sent home to think about what it's done in slowing everyone up. Hopefully they'll get a move on now and actually sink something.

Oh yes, my Bettys decided that the weather was just about right for a quick flight today and they hit an xAP near Tulagi. Unfortunately nobody told the fighter jocks that there was a mission on and the Bettys got mauled, losing six to CAP.

They can jolly well look after themselves for the rest of the night. Admiral Yamamoto is well browned off and has retired to his bunker to watch 'Bored to Death' and 'The Big Bang Theory' for a bit with a glass of scotch. Can somebody tell CCIP I am very displeased with his magic aircraft carrier shrugging of a superbly worked bit of torpedoing when all my ships go under as soon as they see a sea bird.

Does anyone know the Japanese for 'meh'? :shifty:

Maa might be the closest. :O:

What Dowly said.

Seems like your accidental losses will be the death of you Egan. Gotta tighten your grip on your troops. Deny them cheese sandwiches for a while

Well stop sinking mine then!!! :nope:

Yeah, sloppy play on that front. The Bettys i don't mind so much as air coordination has often been a complex and mysterious mechanic that seldom quite works the way you expect.

Now, the fast transports fiasco was my fault, both times. I've been thinking, though about the distances his divebombers can fly. They have a fairly short max range. Maybe as low as six. I'm skiving at work just now so i can't check.

Now, given the ranging for the attack on the transports, CCIP would have to either bring his carriers into tge shallow waters or base the aircraft in land. Would he pull an air group ftom a functional carrier, i wonder? Could thet be from Enterprise?

Ah, i'm just thinking out loud anyway. I figure it might make me look like i know what i'm doing even thougj i dont. The damage to my transports has forcwd me to make a decidion, though. I'll use KB1 to cover resupply by normal xAKs to Tassaforonga. Not the besr situatuon but manageable. Operation near Moresby have been put on hold for the time being.

They're always doing stuff like that, those allied sorts. Thouroughly unsporting.

Well, you can just give them to me. Then I wouldn't have to sink them...

If that means 'petty minded man-child who blames everybody else for his mistake' than it's remarkably accurate.

If you'd just bring out your flat-tops to play and place them within easy reach of my NAS and just happen to neglect to send up any CAP, oh, and don't build any more ships until 1947 then I'll give you all my cruisers! :yep:

21st August

Better today. Nobody died through stupidity. At least not on my side.

Sea wars

I-174, prowling the waters east of Tulagi, stumbles onto a Allied task forces. She goes to periscope depth as the USS Astoria sails into torpedo range. The skipper puts three fish into her. The sub goes deep and the crew listen with a curious mixture of delight and horror as the sound of her hull breaking up fill the cramped interior of the boat. Escorts throw depth charges into the ocean but the sub takes only one hit and escapes relatively unscathed.

The remains of the fast transport group are half way between Rabaul and Tulagi but the ship that took the most damage is suffering badly and he crew are working around the clock to keep her afloat. I think she'll make it back but will probably have to be sent to Tokyo for major repairs. She's out of the campaign because there is no way she'll be able to even leave Rabaul, let alone reach Japan, for months.

Supply convoys are making there way towards Rabaul. Within a few days I hope to have the Zero units back up to something like full strength. I'll have to be careful, though, as I may need some of those replacement aircraft for the Carrier groups.

Air War

Very quiet, a few B-17 raids but nothing much. I notice there are now aircraft at Gaudalcanal. Dive bombers I believe. Using an island as a 'dirt carrier' is a deeply sneaky, evil thing to allow, and it's exactly the sort of thing I like to do..:) I'll have to be careful.

I've checked the range of his Dive bombers. They can fly 8 hexes and not 6 which would just about allow them range to hit shipping south of Shortlands. Swings and roundabouts here, though: my Carrier fighters have greater range than his, but my carrier bombers have shorter range. Something to bear in mind.

Thoughts

The Astoria is gone, no doubt about that. I also note that the USS Enterprise has now appeared in the 'Ships Sunk' list. I'm still wary that I actually got her because the points for sinking her haven't actually been added to my total. Even if she has gone under I'll have to watch because CCIP still has at least two carriers out there - Saratoga and Wasp - and they both still pack a hell of a punch. my own Carriers are slightly understrength (two CV and a CVL,) but have plenty of fighters.