8 replies to this topic

[W. Clark]

Savo Island

7-8 August 1942 2300 hours

Allied OOB

Northern Force Cruisers

Vincennes flag, Astoria & Quincy (New Orleans class) in column line ahead

Northern Force Destroyers

Helm & Wilson (Bagley & Benham classes) abreast as a sub screen leading cruisers

 

Southern Force Cruisers

Canberra (RAN) & Chicago flag (Kent & Northampton classes) in column line astern

Southern Force Destroyers

Bagley & Patterson (Bagley class) abreast as a sub screen leading cruisers

 

Eastern Force Cruisers: Rear Admiral Scott

San Juan flag & Hobart (RAN) (Atlanta & Apollo classes) in column line ahead

Eastern Force Destroyers

Monssen & Buchanan (Benson & Bristol classes) abreast as a sub screen leading cruisers

 

Picket Destroyers

Ralph Talbot (east picket) & Blue (west picket) (Bagley class)

 

Laguna Point (Guadalcanal) Anchorage: Rear Admiral Turner

Destroyer Patrol

Selfridge (Porter class) Mugford & Henley (Bagley class) in column line ahead

Transports & Cargo Carriers: all at anchor in three columns

APs MaCawley flag, Hunter Liggett, Fuller, American Legion, Barnett, Crecent City, President Adams & President Hayes.

AKs Bellatrix, Libra, Alchiba, Fomalhaut, Betelgeuse & Alhena

Cruiser: Rear Admiral Crutchley RAN

Australia flag (Kent class) at anchor

 

Tulagi Anchorage

Destroyer Patrol

Hull, Dewey (Farragut class) & Ellet (Benham class) in column line ahead

Transports & Other at anchor in 3 columns

APs Neville, Zeilin, Heywood & President Jackson

APDs Colhoun, Little, McKean & Gregory

MS Hopkins, Trevor, Zane, Southard & Hovey

 

Damaged Destroyer: at anchor

Jarvis (Bagley class) no torpedoes, radio, TBS or radar. 2 ½ hull boxes of damage.

Allied Set Up

Per the scenario map:

Northern Force in the formation out lined in their OOB is located in Zone 3A in a diamond shaped patrol box oriented to the North. Northern Force is restricted to Zone 3A until it acquires an enemy ship(s) or receives an order from an admiral to leave that zone.

 

Southern Force in the formation out lined in their OOB is located in Zone 3C in a race track patrol pattern that runs NW to SE. Southern Force is restricted to Zone 3C until it acquires an enemy ship(s) or receives an order from an admiral to leave that zone.

 

Eastern Force in the formation out lined in their OOB is located in Zone 4B in a race track patrol pattern that runs N-S. Eastern Force is restricted to Zone 4B until it acquires an enemy ship(s) or receives an order from an admiral to leave that zone.

 

Ships in anchorages may not leave that zone (4A & 4C) except for Australia. Destroyer patrols are in race track patrol patterns that curve around the anchorage. They may not leave their patrol pattern unless they acquire an enemy ship(s). AP, AK, APD & ML are at anchor and may not move at all. Australia may up anchor and get under way normally (5 knots acceleration per turn) if she acquires an enemy ship(s) and may move as she pleases. Australia may get under way if she makes radar contact and then rolls 1-5 on a D12. In that case she may not leave Zone 4C.

 

Jarvis is located in Zone 3B and may only get underway if she acquires an enemy ship(s). In that case she counts as having failed morale and must attempt to withdraw.

Australia as an option (if both sides agree) may set up with Southern Force as flagship.

 

Allied ships start at 12 knots.

Allied Command & Control Limitations

Allied ships must have acquired an enemy ship(s) if they want to do what they want to do. Radar contact is not considered acquisition. If a private ship makes radar contact it may report that contact up its chain of command (to it’s Force Flagship). That’s it. A picket or Force flagship that makes radar contact may report the contact up the chain of command. The reporting ship may only investigate the contact if it rolls 1-5 on a D12. The investigating ship(s) may not leave its zone unless it acquires an enemy ship(s).

An admiral receiving a radar contact report may only respond if he rolls a 1-5 on a D12 and he may only roll once per contact report. An admiral that rolls 1-5 may order a Force to leave its patrol zone. His orders must specify a zone as the investigating Forces destination.

A Force ordered to a new zone upon arriving there has that zone as its new patrol zone with all the same earlier restrictions until it acquires an enemy ship(s) or receives a new order.

Flares, flashes and explosions do not give a force leave to respond. And Allied ships can only see in the zone they are in.

Additional Allied Limitations

USN torpedoes that hit are duds on an even result or any odd result divisible by three including three.

Australia, Hobart, Canberra and Chicago do not have TBS and must rely on wireless.

Allied acquisition and detection rolls that are made with two D12s and a 12 or higher result do not detect or acquire regardless of the range.

Allied bridge hits disable all radar.

Land Shadow halves all radar detection, FC radar and acquisition.

Use of the Map

Movement from Zone to Zone at 30 knots is 2 tactical turns. At 20 knots its 3 turns and 4 at 10 knots. Also, you must enter a zone via a line and not at a corner.

The Allies can only see in the Zone they are in.

The Japanese for situational awareness can see into adjacent zones but not acquire.

Initiative

For map movement purposes both sides roll a D6 every turn and the low result moves first.  The IJN wins all ties.

IJN OOB

8^th Fleet: Vice Admiral Mikawa

Flagship Chokai (Takao class)

6^th Cruiser Squadron: Rear Admiral Goto

Aoba flag, Kinugasa (Aoba class), Furutaka & Kako (Furataka class)

18^th Cruiser Squadron: Rear Admiral Matsuyama

Tenryu flag & Yubari (attached) Tenryu & Yubari classes)

Destroyer Division 29 (-)

Asanagi (Kamikaze class)

Set Up

Mikawa’s force enters in Zone 2A or 2E (his choice) in a line ahead column of Flagship, CS6, CS18 & DD29.

Furutaka’s Engineering Problems

Furutaka operates normally at 20 knots or less. If she exceeds 20 knots roll a D12. If the result is 1-10 then continue normally. If an 11-12 then she con not turn until she repairs (1-5 on a D12).

IJN Night Vision

The IJN ships can see in the zone they are in as well as adjacent zones.

Mikawa may have two spotter a/c with two flares each. Roll a D12 for each flare dropped.

1-5: on target              6-7: 500 yards prior to target             8-9: 500 yards after target

10: 1,000 yards prior to target           11: 1,000 yards after target   12: Dud

Morale

Allied morale is green

IJN morale with Mikawa is veteran. With another admiral (if Mikawa is lost) regular and green when all admirals are gone.

Victory Points

The IJN receives ship value for each Allied ship sunk and half value for each Allied ship crippled. The IJN also receives ship value for each of its ships that exits the map by 0300 hours.

The Allies receives ship value for each IJN ship sunk and half value for each IJN ship crippled.

The IJN receives double ship value if it sinks all the AP, AK, APD or ML in an anchorage. Provided that it exits at least one of its ships.

Ships are crippled when they have lost all their guns and/or half their hull rounded down.

Victory Conditions

IJN major victory: If IJN victory points are 10 times Allied victory points and the Allies lose at least 22 victory points.

IJN tactical victory: If IJN victory points are 5 times Allied victory points and the Allies lose at least 20 victory points.

IJN minor victory: If IJN victory points are 2 times Allied victory points and the Allies lose at least 15 victory points.

Draw: If IJN victory points are less than Allied losses and the Allies lose at least 10 victory points

Allied minor victory: Allied victory point loss exceeds IJN losses but the Allies lose less than 10 victory points.

Allied tactical victory: Allied victory points exceed IJN victory points

Allied major victory: Allied victory points time 2 or more than IJN victory points and the IJN lose at least 15 victory points.

Designer’s Notes

My advice to the IJN is do not get acquired. Torpedoes do not shift acquisition two columns left, gunfire does. Also, pay attention to Allied movements in adjacent zones. If they are leaving zones then their admirals are starting to get their ducks in a row. If you are still in the sound when they get their ducks in a row you will never leave and your iron will line the bottom.

 

[W. Clark]

Ok, the map did not attach. I'll try it again.

[W. Clark]

I'm not sure why I cannot seem to attach the map, but I'll try again.

 

WMC

[W. Clark]

I give up.

 

WMC

[Kenny Noe]

Bill,

 

The forum doesn't allow a direct copy paste of an image into the thread.  This is a known issue and we are hoping with the next site upgrade to fix this.

 

In order for images to be displayed you need to upload them somewhere like dropbox or to the ODGW Gallery.  Then provide a link in the forum thread.  The thread will display the link as the image.

 

Hope this helps

[W. Clark]

OK, I'm just not getting this. So, if anyone wants the map, email me at wmc2424yahoo.com and I'll attach the map to the reply. That, I know I can do.

 

WMC

[Dave Franklin]

I guess I'll give uploading the map a try...

Attached Files

•  Battle_of_Savo_Island_map_-_areas v3.pdf   128.33KB   3 downloads

[W. Clark]

I forgot to screw the Allies on one more thing. None of the USN CAs have fleshless powder and illuminate themselves every time their fire their MB.  This does not apply to Australia and Canberra.

 

WMC

[W. Clark]

Morrison places Australia in a racetrack patrol pattern that is oriented NE to SW just to the NW of the transport anchorage at Lunga Point. I forget where I found her listed as at anchor just outside the anchorage (back in the 80s when I first started running this scenario) but I remember preferring the idea of her being anchored and went with that. But in all fairness, I would leave the choice of where Australia is at the start to the Allied player(s) as a choice between anchored and patrolling in that area. The other option to have her with the Southern Force presupposes that Turner's conference went off on time and Crutchley was able to get back to his station before it got so late, requires the consent of the Japanese player(s).

 

You can certainly make changes to the scenario as you see fit in order increase the replay ability of the scenario. But be careful; the Allies if able to bring their numbers to bear rate to annihilate Mikawa's force and I doubt that you'll find many takers to play the IJN if you make it a suicide run. On the other hand, while it is impossible to recreate the mindset of the bulk of the Allied commanders, you should not make an Allied response impossible for the same reasons.

 

The guy playing Mikawa has a lot of advantages. But he also has the need to preserve his force. Japan will not complete any 8-inch cruisers during the war. So, what you've got is what you're going to get.

 

Savo Island is a very difficult scenario to balance and still be playable. But it is so iconic that I don't see how to pass it up. So, happy hunting and may the force be with you when you leave Iron Bottom Sound.

 

WMC