mack2
Posts: 243
Joined: 6/29/2007
Status: offline
|
AAR: Gauntlet, Small Opposed NATO Transit.
Nato Forces: 2 Merchant "Countess, Valor", 1x Type 22/2 "Brave", 1x O.H. Perry "Boone".
Orders: Frigate Group to Escort Merchants to Port Narvik. Time Frame 1 day, 4 hours.
Possible Enemy OOB: Intel suggests a flight of attack fighters, a squadron of Fast Attack Ships and possible diesel Submarine contacts.
Start
Time Remaining: 1 day, 4 hours.
My first orders were to tighten the formation somewhat, and change the course of the ships to move closer to the shore. I ordered both Frigates into the 2nd ring.
I also launched a SH-60B Seahawk, which would light it's radar after moving away from the formation. I ordered the 2nd Seahawk to change to Ferry loadout, which would improve it's loiter time when ready. The Groups speed was set to 9 knots, which should hopefully improve the detection of sonar against any potential sub attack. Emissions Control is in effect, no radar or sonar is active.
Time Remaining: 1 day, 3 hours.
approximately 50 minutes passed, at which point I set the Seahawk to Hover at Medium Altitude, and illuminate it's Radar. The 2nd Seahawk become ready at this point, and I had recalled the Lynx ASW from it's patrol, the 12 sonobouys simply don't last long enough and it has no dipping sonar.
Time Remaining: 1 day, 1 and a half hours.
Another hour passed, the Seahawk reaching bingo and returning to ship, I sent a Lynx up instead of the 2nd Seahawk, hoping to catch a contact with the smaller helo and then send up the Seahawk for a longer period.
Time Remaining: 1 day, 1 Hour.
It was at this point I realised that the Lynx had a very poor sea search radar and not enough range. I recalled it, and decided to wait some time before launching the 2nd Seahawk again, as it was unlikely any ship would move into detection range where the 1st Seahawk had swept with it's radar.
I ordered the surface group to increase speed to 20 knots and adjusted it's course. I also increased the game time magnification to 10 minutes.
Time Remaining: Approximately 23 Hours.
I then blundered into a submarine. Multiple torpedo contacts were detected at a range of about 10 nautical miles, which I thought should be far enough to avoid. I turned tail as much as I could (being jammed into the coastline) and launched both Anti-Sub Lynx at the location of the localised torpedo contact and a Search Seahawk (in 2 separate groups), and ordered the 2nd Seahawk to rearm to Anti-Sub.
Split the 2 FF's into their own groups which enabled them to move away at or near 30 knots.
The Lynx helo's closed on the position where the torpedoes were first fired, dropping a few sonobouys on the ingress route of the torpedoes, before closing on the location where the submarine would be. I manually dropped sonobouys on the area, and the 2nd set gained a solid contact on a Soviet Victor III SSN, which was a quality of opponent I had not been expecting. One of the Lynx helo's dropped both it's torpedos practically on top of the Victor III.
Time Remaining: Approximately 23 Hours.
The first brace of Torpedos homed in quickly, as they were dropped very close to the contact, one miss and one hit, which caused catastrophic flooding and sunk the Victor III.
A short time later Narvik detected a flight of 6 small planes, quickly identified as Mig-23 Floggers, which would be expected to be in ground attack mode, making a beeline towards my surface group, I would think they would be at their maximum possible range, but they could quite reach the group. The Soviet torpedoes closed into 7 miles. No surface contacts from the aloft AEW Seahawk.
Time Remaining: 22 Hours.
The Floggers ignored Narvik, and I hesitated in recalling the aloft Seahawk as I underestimated both the speed and missile range of the Floggers and the bad speed of the helo. It cost the crew their lives, and my small fleet one of it's main detection assets as it was shot down by an AA-7A Apex Missile, the Floggers then turned back, avoiding the SM1 launcher of the Perry despite being nominally in range. I hoped the torpedoes had run out of fuel.
Time Remaining: 21 Hours
The Floggers had returned past Narvik, and I had put the formation back together and proceeded at 20 knots towards Narvik, and returned to Sonar and Radar off. I then launched the last Seahawk to check ahead of the Surface Group and armed the Lynx with Sea Skua missiles. Hopefully our group had seen the last of Submarines, if not it might end badly. The torpedoes would have run out of fuel by now.
Time Remaining:: 20 Hours, 30 Minutes.
As the Seahawk came to it's patrol location, it detected 2 Nanuchka "Rocket Cutters" at extreme range with it's ESM, then with it's radar lit it located the contacts at a range of 140nm from the Surface Group, smack bang where I wanted to go, moving at 32 knots with it's radar's lit up.
Time Remaining: 19 Hours.
The groups moved closer, to within 100nm of each other, with still no launch of Floggers from the Soviet Airbase. I wanted to attack the ships with Lynx and Sea Skua, but the threat from the Floggers was simply too great to launch at the current range. I recalled the Seahawk, hoping that the ships would still be at a large enough range that I would still have the advantage when it was ready again. As a result I lost contact with the Enemy Group. I also realised it was still in "Anti-Sub" and wasted another half an hour waiting for it to rearm to external fuel tanks.
Time Remaining: 17 hours, 15 minutes.
In the time without radar coverage, the 2 groups had managed to move within 40nm of each other, well within missile range of both groups, but thankfully outside the Naunchuka's radar range. I launched the 2 lynx and sent them to attack, whilst moving my group the other way, to increase space and time between us.
Time Remaining: 17 hours.
The Lynx moved into their target, an launched all 8 missiles against a single ship, as I would rather overkill one of the ships instead of not killing any if I launched 4 at each. Also, I may have entered defensive SAM range if I tried to attack both ships at the same time. 5 missiles hit the enemy ship and it sank without giving any defensive fire. The Lynx returned to ship.
Time Remaining: 16 hours, 40 minutes.
2 Harpoon missiles powered towards the 2nd Naunchuka, with one hitting it amidships and annihilating it. The Seahawk was sent forward and cleared the area near Narvik, and moved back and to the side to check the groups flank. The Floggers remained at their base.
Time Remaining: 15 hours.
The Surface group continued towards it's destination. The Seahawk cleared the flank and returned to base. The Floggers remaining in-base.
Time Remaining: 10 hours, 30 minutes.
The group proceeded towards Narvik Harbour, with the Seahawk sweeping for surface groups. The Floggers refused to attack, presumably due to the lack of any location on the surfact group, with that the Convoy moved to safety and I received the victory message.
Mission Completed Successfully.
Status:
Nato:
Casualties/Damage:
1 Seahawk shot down by 1x AA-7 Apex from Mig-23 Flogger.
Expended - 2x Stingray Torpedo, 2x Harpoon Missile, 8x Sea Skua Missile, Aproximately 7 loads of Helo Fuel.
Soviets:
Casualties/Damage:
1x Victor III SSN by 1x Stingray Torpedo from Lynx HAS.3
2x Nanuchka Rocket Cutter, 1 sunk by 5x Sea Skua hits, 1 sunk by 1x Harpoon Missile hit.
Expended - 2x AA-7 Apex Missile, 3x Type 65 Torpedo, Aproximately 6 loads of Jet Fuel.
|
Printable Version
AAR: Gauntlet, Small Opposed NATO Transit. - 
. 
Harpoon Classic Scenarios - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread