engineer -> RE: Defensive Minefields (6/16/2009 8:17:45 PM)
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Historically, the Japanese had minefields with 15000 to 25000 mines in the straights around the Home Islands and Tokyo Bay. One other point about your minefields is the need to maintain them. Minefields at a friendly port will erode 1% per day so, for example, Yamato Hugger's basic minefield of 5000 mines will erode to 4660 mines after a week (5000 x 99%^7). This plays into your calculations about the aerial balance at your position. If the trend will be for the enemy to acquire an increasing edge in air power, you might want to really build up your minefield before you lose local air superiority and then send your minelayers further back to work on the next barrier of defenses. For example, a minefield that starts at 30,000 mines will attrit down to about 5000 mines after six months. Also, if you start to go hog wild with mega minefields of tens of thousands of mines, you will begin to pick up "friendly fire" casualties where you own ships will run over and detonate one of your own mines. It's a rare event, but I've seen it happen. Also, there is a whole nuisance campaign of submarine minelaying. Subs can load up a few mines and then lay them secretly at an enemy port. If you mine an enemy port, your lines will attrit at 10% per day, but you might get lucky and hit an AK or warship. This is why the OOB has all those little MSW's all over the rear of the theater so you can do periodic minesweeping runs against the devil dog opponent who doesn't mind inflicting a death of a thousand cuts on your side. If your port is mined by an opponent's subs, you won't know about it until either a ship blows up or a minesweeping capable ship (destroyer, DE, minesweeper) detects the minefield.
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