Battleship Divisions One, Two and Four (less Colorado) of the Pacific Fleet in 1941.
These are repaints of the models from the ‘Tribute to Valor Pearl Harbor Series’ Battleship Row set. They are approximately 1/2650 scale and say ‘Legacy of Valor’ on the bottom.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Second World War naval game using the Seekrieg 5 rules. The scenario was fictional, but included ships present near Leyte Gulf on 25 October 1944.
US:
Battleships West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Cruisers Louisville, Portland, Minneapolis, Indianapolis
Transport ships of the Leyte invasion fleet were present nearby and provided a potential target for the Japanese.
The models are 1/2400 scale GHQ and CinC. Seven players participated.
The US ships start at 5 knots, with the cruiser line on the engaged side.
The Japanese are in three columns, and will take some effort to deploy.
Color-coded play aids help explain the ship data.
The US cruisers turn to close the reported enemy, but the battleships are not allowed to react immediately.
Careful maneuvering avoids collisions as the Japanese deploy.
The Tone has blown up.
US cruisers reverse course to avoid land, but damage limits the turning ability of Minneapolis.
We played seven turns in about 4 hours. Of the US battleships, only Pennsylvania was hit and took one tier of damage. Portland took two tiers of damage. Minneapolis took one tier and lost a primary turret. The two Japanese battleships took little or no damage. Kongo took two tiers of damage and lost a primary turret. Haruna three tiers, an engine room, a boiler room, a primary gun and all primary fire control. Chikuma had significant damage and fires. Tone blew up.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWI naval game using the Seekrieg 5 rules.
May 15 1916, 07:30 Western Gulf of Finland
The Russians launch a heavy raid against the German patrols/ blockade of St Petersburg. The Russians sail from St Petersburg just before dusk on the 14th. At dawn both sides are sighted. Clear good weather. Visability starts ar 18,000 yards, increases to 24,000 yards by turn 5 as the morning haze lifts.
Russian:
BB Petropavlovsk
BB Gangut
CA Bayan (II)
CA Rurik
CL Jemtchug
Speed 14 knots. Course 270.
Germans:
BB Helgoland
PBB Deutschland
PBB Schlesien
PBB Hannover
CL Berlin
CA Roon
Speed 8 knots. Course 090. Initial direction to the Russians determined randomly.
Victory is based mostly on damage inflected. The Russians need to avoid a lot of damage. They cannot replace their ships, and badly damaged ships will find no safe harbor for repair. The Russians would like to “run” the Blockade to get into the German merchant shipping, but have to be only lightly damaged for that.
Mines: The Gulf of Finland has been mined by the Russians, but the Germans have prevented the Russians from maintaining the minefields. Some mines have broken loose and wandered. The mines have a low chance of contact (<5% / column of ships / turn). Slower ships can better avoid them. Only the lead ship of a column is at risk. The Russians have out of date maps, giving them some knowledge of where the mines are. Mines should influence tactics but not dominate the game. If ships stay in column there is about a 48% chance of one mine explosion in an 8 turn game.
Fire opens between the lead ships at the then maximum visibility of 18,000 yards.
The German force.
Both sides led with light cruiser to take any mine hits. None occurred. Both sides turned to the north to bring their batteries to bear. With the rear ships out of range, the early turns pitted the two Russian dreadnoughts against the dreadnought Helgoland, while the armored cruiser Roon targeted the light cruiser Jemtchug. After 8 turns the Helgoland was a wreck (8 tiers of damage, two fires and only one remaining damage control team). No other ships had been significantly damaged. We called the game as a Russian victory.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWII naval game using the Seekrieg 5 rules. The scenario was based on the First Battle of Guadalcanal, with reductions in the number of ships to accommodate the players available.
The game started with no models on the table. The GM determined visibility and provided sighting reports as needed. Rain squalls appeared at random on the east edge of the table and moved west during play.
The strangely empty sea. Rain squalls are outlined with string.
The Cushing is spotted by the Japanese, but the US ships have only vague radar contacts.
US and IJN DDs fire starshell to try to find the opposing forces.
Atalanta is illuminated by starshell.
DDs on both sides launch torpedoes. One from the Cushing finds Kirishima. CLs Nagara and Atlanta take damage.
The results after about 4 hours of play were:
CL Atlanta Destroyed.
Cushing (DD) and a Japanese DD crippled.
Two tiers (20%) damage on Kirishima (BC) from torpedo damage.
About 2 tiers (20%) damage on the lead Japanese DD and the Nagara (CL).
Torpedoes in the water would have threatened the San Fransico as we ended the game.
Victory conditions:
CL Atlanta (1 VP), Cushing (0.125 VP)=1.125 VP for the Japanese.
Crippled Japanese DD (0.125 VP), damage to Kirishima (0.1 VP), damage to the lead Japanese DD (0.03 VP), damage to the Nagara (0.05) = 0.295 VP for the US.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a WWI naval game using the Seekrieg 5 rules. The year is 1906. The British have just completed a new battleship. Navel experts claim it makes every other battleship obsolete. HMS Dreadnought and two British pre-dreadnoughts take on six German pre-dreadnoughts.
There is land off the bottom of this photo, so both forces will need to reverse course. The initial range is about 24,000 yards.
The Germans: three players with two ships each.
The British: two players with one commanding the Dreadnought and one commanding the two prdreadnoughts.
The British turn away to keep the range from falling.
Turning to avoid the land.
The Germans attempt to shorten the range at the expense of masking their after turrets.
The Pommern falls behind after hits from Dreadnought reduce her speed.
Braunschweig falls behind when two engines take temproary damage. Dreadnought’s speed falls to 17 knots due to boiler damage.
Deutschland is slowed by engine and boiler damage.
After about 4 hours of play and 20 game turns (40 minutes) we called the game. Damage results:
ncc1717.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.