Yamato hugger
Posts: 5475
Joined: 10/5/2004
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quote:
ORIGINAL: irrelevant
More ships will always have more AA. "Less efficient" just means that ships #16-25 will not contribute their full power, as ships #1-15 did. Why would 25 ships have less AA effect than 15?
Well thats easy to answer. Typical deployment vs air attack was to put the important ships in "the core". Core could only accomidate 3 - 4 ships, usually CV/CVLs, but sometimes BBs would be included in the core. 6 - 8 ships around "the core" were the screening units, usually 3000 yards out. The remainder of the forces were beyond this range usually deployed in the direction an air attack was expected from. Over 50% of AA shoot downs were credited to 40mm and lesser guns. What this means in game terms is that 10 ships maximum should get 100% (that would be the 4 core units and the 6 ships facing the side the attacking a/c are comming from). Any ships further away than this from the bombers target simply could not fire its 40mm and lesser guns. Its a matter of range and effectiveness of the weapons. Its physics. Only about 12% of AA shoot downs were credited to long range 5" fire (and the vast majority of those where the attackers were directly approaching the guns and after the prox fuse was used and these are for the whole war, so while the early war lack of prox fuse would make the 5" less effective, the latter war versions should be better).
AA is a point defense, and only a limited number of ships can bring their weapons to bear. Any ships outside the 8 - 10 in core and screen should lose their 40mm and less (thus cutting their AA fire to 50% at best) simply because the enemy is out of range.
This is of course just the AA that would shoot prior to bombs being released. After dropping, the attackers would fly out through the least amount of AA fire, which of course would be the backside where only 2 or 3 ships would typically be. Keep in mind also that any given ship can only bring about 75% of its AA weapons to bear in any given direction.
At Coral Sea, there was a ring of 7 vessals around the carriers (in each TF), and the remaining ships were deployed to the north of the TF to shoot at incomming A/C. They scored no hits. At Midway, the same pattern was used and they scored minimal damage. As the war went on, they did a little better, but was never truely effective. Realistically, only 12 or so ships should be able to fire, based on something as minor as history. 
Edit: By "scored no hits" I am refering to the ships outside the immedate "screen". Also something I noted in my research, 70% of all prox fuses failed to detonate. I found that facinating, and it also explains why they didnt use them anywhere near land. Too easy for the enemy to find a dud, and take it apart.
So for example 2 CVs, 7 CAs, and 6 DDs in a TF. The 2 CVs and possibly 1 CA would be in the core, with the remainder of the CAs in a circular screen 3000 yards from the carriers. The DDs would deploy ahead searching for subs during movement and deploy in a ring 2000 to 3000 yards from the screen on the side that air attack is expected from in a battle formation, 6000 yards from the ships in the core (or a little over 2.5 miles from the carriers you would have us believe they get 100% of their fire to protect).
< Message edited by Yamato hugger -- 6/8/2005 6:15:36 AM >
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