Cooking with Emerald
DTMB GT3 16-31 January O Dark Thirty Hours
RAdm Palliser (RN) sipped on a cup of tea the steward had brought him to keep his hands busy. The war with Japan in the Pacific was about a month and a half into its course. Palliser was in command because Admiral Phillips had gone down with Prince of Wales and Repulse trying to stop a landing at Kota Bharu-Singora shortly after the war began. Nothing had gone right to date. The Japanese not only landed at Kota Bharu-Singora, they had repeated that feat thrice now and were doing it again if the Intel Types were to be believed. But they had done more than that. The Japanese since 8 December had taken Miri, Kuching and Jesselton on Borneo and were after Sandakan and Endau at this moment. But Palliser could only deal with one invasion at a time and he was trying to prevent the fall of Singapore (where his ships were based) and that meant stopping the landing at Kota Bharu-Singora.
Palliser had gathered up every ship he could. That included pirating Emerald from convoy duty and jerking Mauritius out of the dockyard (her lousy degaussing system was at it again). And all of this was why Palliser at the head of a scratch force of cruisers and destroyers was steaming north along the East coast of the Malayan Peninsula at 25 knots.
Palliser was under no illusion that he stood a chance in the light of day. The Japanese LBA out of French Indo-China had proven that on the bones of the RN’s capital ships. But besides that, his force was totally outclassed by the Japanese heavy cruisers of the WAF. Palliser liked a challenge but six eight-inch guns to 60 or 70 eight-inch guns wasn’t a challenge; it was suicide and the Navy had rules against that. What Palliser had was torpedoes and lots of them.
Palliser’s idea was to use the usual early morning fog in the area to get in close and feed those Sons of Nippon some 200 plus fish to go with their morning rice. Then it would be gun time.
The wind was Force 4 at 15 knots from the NE. There were squalls but no sea haze as of yet. No plan survives the weather dice. There were two layers of clouds and the sky was cloudy. The Moon State was new and the night was dark without a star in sight.
The WAF under VAdm Ozawa was escorting the invasion convoy. The British Intel Types were wrong and the convoy had not arrived yet. So, the idea of torpedoing hapless transports at anchor was a no go from the start. The Gods of Gaming were already having fun with Palliser’s plan.
The WAF was led by DesFlot 3 under RAdm Hashimoto (who in the early 70s would achieve comedic fame briefing Kamikaze pilots in a Cheech & Chong album) in Sendai. Sendai was centered on the four DesDivs (11, 12, 19 & 20) who were 3,000 yards behind in divisional columns and arrayed in numerical order from port to starboard. 3,000 yards behind the DesDivs and centered on them was Chokai, VAdm Ozawa’s flagship followed at 3,000 yards by Cru Sqdn 7 (4 Mogami) under RAdm Kurita. 3,000 yards behind the cruisers was 12 APs in three four ship columns that were 3,000 yards apart. And behind all that was the AV Kamikawa Maru. The WAF was steaming at 11 knots and heading due West. The force totaled 5 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 14 DDs, 12 APs and an AV, but no Partridge or pear tree.
Palliser’s force was led by his most modern destroyers (Electra, Express, Encounter & Jupiter) in line abreast. They were followed at 3,000 yards by Palliser’s 1st Cru Div (Exeter, Mauritius & Emerald) with Palliser’s flag in Exeter. The 2nd Cru Div (Danae, Dragon & Durban) followed the 1st by 3,000 yards. The DesDiv of 4 S&T class (Scout, Stronghold, Tenedos & Thanet) were in column 3,000 yards to port of the cruisers as a flank guard inshore where Palliser mistakenly though the threat would be. Palliser would trust to radar to give warning to starboard.
Palliser’s first indication that all might not be according to plan was when Jupiter made contact on a bearing dead ahead at 20,000 yards (apparently that same sharp operator). The change in bearing indicated an Eastwardly course. The contact was almost 40,000 yards from where Palliser thought the anchorage was and he had not expected to find anything further out than 20,000 yards. Oh bugger.
Palliser ordered his leading DesDiv into line ahead which required a 90 degree turn to port. But Palliser wanted to turn seaward to avoid being sandwiched (Earl or no) between this seaward force and what ever was in the anchorage. Palliser had not figured out that the convoy was still at sea (I know because I rolled and I exceeded his morale). Palliser ordered everything to flank and turned the cruisers and old DDs 45 degrees to starboard on a heading of 45 degrees and informed the other three divisions of the newer DDs maneuver to lessen the chance of fratricide (and it worked because they all made their morale). Palliser wanted the newer DDs back in front of his formation but that would take a while and some further risk of fratricide.
Meanwhile, back at the convoy the WAF and its ducks continued West at 11 knots (no one rolled under a two for acquisition and thus could not see beyond 12,000 yards) while Palliser went looking for a Maru.
By now Exeter had also made radar contact but Mauritius’ operator was on par with operators of the three E class DDs and saw nothing. Then Exeter got a second contact following the first (the port column of DDs) and was followed by yet more contacts behind it and all were heading due West towards the Anchorage. Palliser started to get an inkling that this just might be the convoy and that his expectation to find it at anchor was probably not going to be realized. Palliser concluded from the lack of reaction from his radar contacts to his presence that the Japanese (they couldn’t be British as all British ships in the theater were with him) could not see his force. He turned 45 degrees to starboard and was now on a reciprocating course to the enemy.
Palliser wanted to his older DDs within 10,000 yards (their range limit at night) and illuminate the enemy ships, but wanted Jupiter and E class back in front of cruisers before he did that. Maybe having the cruisers at 29 knots (the D class’s max) was not a good idea after all. He ordered the cruisers back to 24 knots. Then he made radar contact with ships trailing what he thought might be cruisers (contact size) and he asked himself; Is that the convoy?
Jupiter and her consorts had gotten into position by now (0100 hours) without getting shot by their own side of the enemy. Palliser’s force was now arrayed with destroyers fore (new) and aft (old) that was 3,000 yards closer towards the enemy than his cruisers were. Palliser turned the whole shebang 45 degrees to starboard with the intention of turning back when his DDs were within 10,000 yards of the enemy ahead. His DDs would then fire star shell and illuminate as much of the enemy as possible. Then he would let go with every torpedo in arc, turn the cruisers about and fire their other broadside, make smoke and run for home. He ordered the cruisers back to 29 knots.
The fact that all this would be at long range would require aiming a good deal in front of their targets and that it was a very low odds attack could not be helped in Palliser’s opinion if he was to preserve his force. And he was only going to get this one shot. He would have to return Emerald and there would a terrible row with Adm Somerville if he dented her. No, if this didn’t work it was time to scurry off to the Yanks and Surabaya.
At 0106 hours the destroyers and cruisers turned back onto heading of 90 degrees with more than half of that move on the 90-degree heading. The destroyers fired star shell and got star shelled in return. Oh, bad show, I think they see us. Who said, these Sons of Nippon are near sighted.
Scout illuminated a light cruiser with both her star shell. Stronghold illuminated a destroyer and had a dud as did Tenedos. Both of Thanet’s star shell worked and she illuminated a destroyer. Electra’s fired a couple of duds as did Express. Encounter got one and one and illuminated a cruiser. All of Jupiter’s star shell worked and she illuminated two cruisers and a AP. But light cruiser and the three destroyers illuminated all the S&T class. And the heavy cruisers illuminated Jupiter and the E class.
0109 hours the S&Ts fired off eight twin mounts (2 each) at the light cruiser and the three destroyers following her. The D class fire off their port side TT (6 triple mounts) at the Illuminated cruisers (2 each). Exeter, Mauritus and Emerald targeted the AP with Exeter’s and Mauritius’ mounts (2 triples) aimed well ahead and Emerald’s (2 quads) just in front of her. For some reason Jupiter and the E class held fire (I forgot to plot them).
The cruisers reversed course to uncover their starboard side arcs. The Japanese sped up but continued on course. The RN destroyers again fired star shell but by now Jupiter and her consorts realized there were additional APs steaming into the illumination of the star shells Jupiter had fired.
0112 hours Jupiter and the E class fired their TT off (1 quintuplet and 3 quads) at the APs and turned away under smoke. The light cruiser and her trailing destroyers fired at the S&T class but the range was extreme and they missed. The heavy cruisers secondaries opened on Jupiter and company with same negative results. The S&T class fired star shell again and illuminated the heavy cruisers.
0115 hours The D class and the other cruisers fired off their Starboard TT at the heavy cruisers and turned away under smoke as did the S&T class.
0118 hours. Sendai failed to evade and took a torpedo hit from Scout. The rest of the S&T torpedoes missed or were evaded. Chokai failed to evade and took a torpedo hit from Danae. The rest of the D class missed all together. Mauritius hit the leading AP with a torpedo. Exeter and Emerald missed.
Sendai suffered two hull and a fire. Chokai suffered 5 hull and a damaged engine. The AP (Maru Who?) suffered 3 hull and a fire in a cargo hold.
0121 hours Jupiter hit an AP once. The E class all missed. The AP suffered a bulkhead and a fire.
0124 hours The D class missed as did the other cruisers.
Chokai would fix her engine after a couple of attempts. Sendai burned for 6 minutes before she put her fire out and suffered another hull damage. The first AP’s crew failed morale and abandoned ship (counts as sunk). The second AP fixed her bulkhead, but burned for 6 minutes and suffered another hull.
The damage to the APs aborted the convoy and saved Singapore for a mid-February fall.
WMC
