Savo Island
7-8 August 1942 (expanded)
The forces involved are taken from TSC Savo Island start scenario but with the addition of the destroyers guarding the anchorages at Laguna Point and Tulagi. In addition, all transports, cargo carriers, mine layers and APDs are also included.
I’ve placed additional command control limits on the Allied Forces involved with little hope of recreating the actual mind set of the commanders involved.
- All Allied ships are assigned a duty station and must remain on station until an Admiral orders them otherwise or they actually acquire an enemy ship(s).
- If ordered to do something else. That becomes their new duty station until the parameters of 1 are met again.
- Ships that make contact may report that contact to their superior.
- A commander (force leader or admiral) receiving a report must make their morale (1-5 on a D12) in order to react to that report.
- Non admirals receiving a contact report may only further that report to an admiral.
- Admirals who make their morale upon receipt of a contact report may issue orders to their subordinate commands that specify a destination, course, and speed.
- Only ships, commanders or admirals that have actually acquired an enemy ship(s) may do as they please.
Allied Duty Stations
- Northern Force (Reifkohl-Captain): CAs Vincennes F, Astoria & Quincy; DDs Helm & Wilson. Diamond shaped patrol box (8,000 yards per), top north, midway between Savo and Florida Islands. Roll for direction. Odd clockwise Even counterclockwise
- Southern Force (Bode-Captain): CAs Chicago F & Canberra; DDs Bagley & Patterson. Race track patrol box-oriented NW to SE, 20,000 yards long, 12,000 yards SW of NF patrol box. Roll for start. 1-2 top, 3-4 middle & 5-6 bottom.
- Eastern Force (RAdm Scott): CLs San Juan F & Hobart; DDs Monssen & Buchanan. N-S race track patrol box, 28,000 yards from Laguna Point to Tulagi anchorages. Roll as SF for start position.
- DD Jarvis at anchor 4,000 yards S of Savo Island. 2 ½ hull boxes damaged, no torps, wireless, radar or TBS.
- DD Blue West Picket, E-W race track patrol box 14,000 yards long, 8,000 yards NW of strait between Savo and Guadalcanal Islands. Roll as per SF for start.
- DD Ralph Talbot East Picket, E-W race track patrol box 14,000 yards long, 8,000 yards NE of strait between Savo and Florida Islands.
- Commands all the above (RAdm Crutchley) CA Australia F at anchor 6,000 yards N of Laguna Point.
- Tulagi Point Anchorage (under RAdm Turner): APs Neville, Zeilin, Heywood & President Jackson at anchor; APDs Colhoun, McKean, Little and Gregory at anchor.
- Tulagi Anchorage Patrol: DDs Dale, Dewey & Farragut in N-S race track 8,000 yards long, 3,000 yards from anchorage.
- Laguna Point Anchorage (RAdm Turner): APs McCawley F, American Legion, Barnett, Hunter Liggett, Crescent City, President Adams & President Hayes; Aks Bellatrix, Libra, Alchiba, Fomalhaut, Betelgeuse & Alhena. All at anchor.
- Laguna Point Patrol: DDs Selfridge, Henley & Mugford in N-S race track 8,000 yards long, 3,000 yards from anchorage.
Note: RAdm Turner in overall command and in direct command of both anchorages.
Additional Allied Problems
- Australia, Canberra, Chicago & Hobart do not have TBS, must use wireless.
- Captain Bode in Chicago is behind Canberra and they must reverse course to get into line ahead.
- US torpedoes whose hit resolution die roll is even are duds as are any odd results divisible by 3 including 3.
- Allied acquisition rolls of 12 or higher result in no detection regardless of the CRT.
Morale
Allied: Green 1-5 IJN: Veteran 1-10
Star Shell
Each time you fire a star shell roll a D12 to determine if it functions correctly.
IJN 1-9 works
RAN 1-8 works
USN 1-6 works
A dud result still causes a 2 column shift left for acquisition.
IJN OOB
8th Fleet: VAdm Mikawa
CA Chokai FF
6th Cruiser Squadron: RAdm Goto
CAs Aoba F, Kinugasa, Furutaka & Kako
18th Cruiser Squadron: RAdm Matsuyama
CL Tenryu F & CL Yubari
DD Yunagi
Set Up
Mikawa’s force enters in a column 20,000 yards north of the picket DDs at 2357 hours.
IJN Float Planes
The IJN may have 2 FP aloft with 2 flares each. Flares dropped in Iron Bottom Sound do not constitute a contact and the Allies may not react to them at all.
For each flare dropped roll a D12. 1-5 on target, 6-7 500 yards short of target, 8-9 500 yards beyond target, 10 same as 6-7 but 1,000 yards, 11 same as 8-9 but 1,000 yards past target, 12 flare did not ignite.
Victory Conditions
IJN Major Victory: Allied VP damaged or sunk are 10 x more than IJN VP with a minimum of 22 Allied VP sunk.
IJN Tactical Victory: Allied VP sunk or damaged are 5 x more than IJN VP with a minimum of 20 VP sunk.
IJN Marginal Victory: Allied VP damaged or sunk are 2 x more than IJN VP with a minimum of 15 Allied VP sunk.
Draw: Allies suffer more VP damaged or sunk with a minimum of 10 Allied VP sunk.
Allied Marginal Victory: Allies have more VP damaged or sunk but their VP sunk are less than 10.
Allied Tactical Victory: IJN VP damaged or sunk exceed Allied VP damaged or sunk.
Allied Major Victory: IJN
VP damaged or sunk are 2 x more (or more) than the Allied VP damaged or sunk with at least 15 IJN VP sunk.
Do not count AP, AK or APD for VP total. Rather for 5 AP, AK or APD sunk add 1 to the die roll below.
IJN Campaign Victory: If at least 8 AP, AK or APD are sunk roll a D12 and modify the result with the modifier above. A result of 9 or more gives IJN victory in the campaign as Henderson Field has fallen.