The Manchurian War

Today we stepped into the new world (for us) of Night Battles, and what a step it was. As in our previous games, we started at a basic level and will add more as we play future games.

This first-up battle was a partial replay of the night action of the Battle of Java Sea.  The Allied player wanted to get some experience with the eclectic mix of light cruisers that form the major part of Allied surface heavies. While some Japanese destroyers were historically present, they only arrived after the main fight was over. The Allies had the De Ruyter, Java, Houston, and Perth while the Japanese had Nachi and Haguro. Torpedoes and 8” guns were heavy on the Japanese side while the Allies had a lot of 6” and more ships. 

Rather than use the historical set-up, each side secretly decided where on the table edge they would enter and their initial course. Both sides chose to arrive near the southern edge of the table, the Japanese moving generally ENE while the Allies were generally NW, both at 15Kts. Range started at 24000m and slowly closed during the first half hour. 

2330 (T4). At 16000m the Japanese acquired the lead Allied ship. The Japanese ships remained undetected. 

2336 (T5). Having acquired the Allied force, the Japanese increased speed to 20kts and turned 4 points to northeasterly course. The intent was to gain a favorable torpedo attack position. The Japanese ships remained undetected. 

2342 (T6). The Japanese cruisers still hadn’t reached an optimum launch position, so continued to hold fire while increasing speed to 25kts and turing an additional 2 point so they were now headed due north. All the officers on the bridge kept their eyes on the approaching Allied ships for any indication that they had been spotted. The Allies continued to sail on unaware of the cruisers approaching.  

2348 (T7). Range was 10K. Finally achieving the optimum launch position, the launch order was given and sixteen Type 93 torpedoes silently leaped into the water. The cruisers had worked up to 30kts and the enemy was 10k away, still closing at 15kts. There was no sign that the Japanese ships had been spotted.

2354 (T8). The stop watches on Nachi indicated that the first torpedoes should have reached the lead enemy ship, yet nothing was seen or heard. Cursing under their breath, they wondered what they had miscalculated. Suddenly there was a flash and an explosion against the lead enemy cruiser. Haguro obviously had done a better job in calculating their launch. The lead ship turn to port (starboard on the enemy ship) and was burning. There were no other explosions. After launch, the Japanese cruisers turning 16 points to starboard to both open the range and to prepare their port torpedoes for launch.

2400 (T9). Range was ~9.3K. The Allied line was surprised. De Ruyter skewed out of line to starboard, allowing Java and the following Allied cruisers to avoid the burning warship. Three compartments had flooded and the crew was battling the fires. Java decided to maintain course expecting more torpedoes. The captain had decided that combing the wakes was the best option given the uncertainty of the situation. Java and Houston spotting torpedoes off their port side, but to Perth they were headed right for her. Perth’s captain aimed his ship at the gaps in the spread and breathed a little easier when the torpedoes passed his ship on both sides. Both sides began firing starshells. The Japanese cruisers opened fire on the burning De Ruyter and scored two hits, taking out Turret 2 and its single 5.9 inch gun. The Allied cruisers missed.

2406 (T10). Range was ~8.5k. The Allied line worked upon to 20kts and maintained its course still fearing torpedoes. The Japanese cruisers launched their second set of sixteen torpedoes. These were just launched in time as the Allied cruisers fired back. Haguro took two 8” hits losing Y Turret and one torpedo mount, which Nachi took four 6” hits setting a floatplane on fire and also losing a torpedo mount. Two 6” shells didn’t penetrate. The Japanese shifted fire to Java and Houston. Java took three hits (two 1/2 hulls and A Mount) while Nachi missed Houston. De Ruyter was still burning and moving away at 10kts. 

2412 (T11). Range was ~8K. The Allied line decided to turn into the Japanese torpedoes once again, and once again all the torpedoes missed. De Ruyter was able to control her fires and continued to limp away from the action. Perth launched her three portside torpedoes hoping for a hit. The Japanese turned 2 points to port while the Allies turned three points to port. This kept the two lines parallel to each other as they exchanged fire. The Japanese appeared to have lost the range as all their fires went wide. Perth was in rapid fire mode, scoring three hits on Nachi, one knocking out some secondaries but the other two failing to penetrate. Java also hit Haguro twice, damaging a torpedo mount that starting a fire and a hull hit that failed to penetrate. 

2418 (T12). Perth’s torpedoes were still running but had yet to reach the Japanese ships. The Two Japanese cruisers executed a 16 point turn to starboard, opening the range. The Allies executed a three point turn to port, slowing trying to close the range. These maneuvers threw both sides off and no hits were scored. Haguro’s crew was still fighting the fire. 

2424 (T13). The Japanese cruisers had basically outrun Perth’s torpedoes. With their starboard side tubes reloaded, the Japanese launched another twelve torpedoes at the Allied line. The Allied line turned three point to starboard, once again paralleling the Japanese line. Straddles still eluded Nachi’s gunners, but Haguro’s gunners got two hits on Perth, one starting a fire at the catapult and a hull hit. Java and Perth both scored one hit. Unfortunately one didn’t penetrate and the other failed to explode.

2430 (T14). The Allied line turns away to avoid the torpedoes, which they once again succeed in accomplishing. The Japanese maintain their course. Perth puts out its fire while Haguro does not. Java takes another hull hit while Perth loses a turret and two more hull hits. But payback came as Java, Houston and Perth each score two hits. Fortunately none are serious with the already wrecked catapults, searchlights, torpedo and secondary gun mounts taking a beating. One hull hits was scored. 

2436 (T15). Both sides decide to break off. While the Japanese ships are still in good condition hull wise, they had lost nearly half their main armament and most of their torpedo tubes. The Allies had De Ruyter badly damaged and limping away, while Perth had lost half her main guns. The parting shots were hard on the Japanese. Houston scores six 8” hits on Nachi. The cruiser loses one turret, another torpedo mount, and a hull hit. One hit is a dud but the sixth is a magazine. The crew is able to flood it, saving the ship but losing another turret. Perth also scored a hull hits that doesn’t penetrate and another turret hit.

This was a enjoyable fight. We made a few errors in the night battle rules, but nothing major that seriously skewed the outcome. Perth’s ability to rapid fire was challenge for the Japanese go deal with. The Allied basically out shot the Japanese during most of the battle, the heavier armor of the two cruisers mitigating that to a limited extent. Out of 32 Japanese torpedoes fired, there was only one hit. Historically that wasn’t that bad, but the surprise attack at the beginning hopefully would have generated more. The game did generate some questions that will be asked on the Old Dominion Game forum.