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=FC=Gorgon -> AAR: Car Carrier Convoys (12/21/2009 1:25:55 AM)
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I know this one has been played probably a million times but I'm going to write an AAR anyways. :-) I played Harpoon a decent amount in the '90s and decided to get back into it; so I went out and bought the latest version a few weeks ago. I am playing the Cold War set and have done the first 2 missions. I only kept notes on the 2nd one, Car Carrier Convoys.
I am still playing on average difficulty. I'll probably do 1 more on average, then a hard one and then back to Full Reality. But I am also trying to re-acquaint myself with the game and the tactics so I think playing the first few on average is a good way to do that. :-)
So, Car Carrier Convoys is an ASW mission. I see it as a learning mission to teach you how to use your ASW surface assets to detect a Goblin and then use your air assets (mainly helicopters) to attack the target. Mission Objective is to escort merchant assets into the port of Hiroshima. Here is the OOB:
F005: Lewis B. Puller (FFG O.H. Perry)
F006: John A. Moore (FFG O.H. Perry)
D008: Hiei (DDH Haruna)
D009: Kurama (DDH Shirane)
D026: Merrill (DD Spruance) (flagship)
M010: Echo (LNG Tanker)
M011: Bravo (LNG Tanker)
M012: Foxtrot (ULCC)
M013: Alpha (VLCC)
M014: Delta (Fishing Vessel)
M015: Charlie (Fishing Vessel)
Total available aircraft:
2 x P-3 Orion Update II
10 x SH-2F Seasprite helicopters
Sorry, no screenshots.
So my initial setup was to group Puller and Alpha into a group and set it to head North towards the West channel. Kurama and Bravo are grouped and also head towards the West channel. Merrill, Foxtrot and Charle are grouped and head towards the West channel. Moore is set to head East to catch w/ Delta and Echo and then to head to the East channel. I leave Hiei in reserve since it doesn't have great ASW sensors. It can move towards contacts and launch helos to prosecute. I setup Orion ASW patrols at the mouth of each channel.
I start the mission:
0224: A036 seasprite recon turns on radar and spots Goblin on surface. Moves to attack.
0233: Goblin identified as Echo II. On surface to seasprite cannot fire! Hiei heads at Flank to cut off the Echo II; just in case.
~0234: Merrill fires 2 x Harpoons at EchoII (S-018) and at least 1 hits. S018 appears heavily damage. Seasprite hangs around to make sure it sinks.
0241: Merrill detects Goblin-429 SSW of it's position.
0249: Echo II, S-018, sinks.
0250: Send Hiei NE @ creep. Send Hiei to help detect Goblin-429. Already launched Seasprite from Kurama to do same.
0301: MAD from Kurama Seasprite seems to narrow detection of G-429; launch Mk46. Looks like Mk46 missed. No report.
0321: Merrill detects Goblin-431 ENE of its position (right near Hiei). Hiei launches Seasprite to prosecute.
0338: G-431 is ID as Kefal [Victor I] by Moore. Contact is then lost. Already have a Seasprite heading to check it out.
0343: G-429 launches 6 x Malakhit [Siren] @ Bravo; even though I got 2 choppers right on top of him.
0344: 1st Hiei Seasprite reaches bingo fuel so launches a Mk46 and heads to the barn.
0345: Bravo gets hit by all Sirens and sinks. Also detect more sirens from G-429 but seem to be heading towards Bravo which is sunk.
0347: Kurama picks up S-441 SE of its position. Uh oh, a SAG too? It's near where Bravo was but I thought it sunk?
o Later, S-441 must be Bravo.
At this point I realize I'm a complete idiot. When I setup the groups, I setup helo patrols knowing they would drop sonobuoys. Same with the Orions. Yet when I got the Seasprites on station to G-429, I was just using MAD to isolate the Goblin. As soon as I remembered they could drop sonobuoys, I started doing that.
I also started breaking up the groups at this point. The units were too far apart at the beginning and it was taking too long for them to get into position. So I had ASW assets going too fast for too long and thus sonar range was greatly decreased. I started navigating the units manually making sure I always had at least 1 ASW asset in the area going at creep speed.
0354: Get a decent shot at G-429 and shoot Mk46.
0355: S441 is ID as Bravo.
0356: Mk46 seems to miss. First Seasprite is out of ammo so launch another from Kurama.
0406: 2nd Kurama Seasprite launches Mk46
0411: G-429 is hit. G-429 course is North towards Kurama.
0415: Launch another good Mk46 @ G-429. It's still been moving North.
0416: Hit and G-429 lost. :-)
0448: Contact by Moore: G-445 SSE of Moore. Gonna investigate w/ Seasprite already on station near Echo.
0500: Get solid detection of G-445. Moving in with chooper and Moore lanuches one too.
0509: 2nd Mk46 seems to hit and G-445 contact is lost.
Bravo blip is still hanging around. Becomes a reminder of failure and how H3 does not simulate S&R. I mean don't you think that a massive S&R effort would be going on to pick up any survivors?
Launch a helo from Hiei and Kurama to act as scouts. Go 6860m and turn on radar and just sit there. BTW, Orion missions have radar on too.
0918: a Seasprite dies b/ I'm an idiot and it ran out of fuel.
roughly 0930: I am cautiously moving units through both channels. West group is slower and just getting towards channel at 1030.
Wow. At 1359 I have units at the port but I lose b/ of Bravo. Damn!
My Losses:
1 LNG Tanker
1 Seasprite
Expenditures:
15 LOFAR
166 DIFAR
2 Harpoon IB
7 LWT
3 DICASS
56 SSQ-77 VLAD
USSR Losses:
1 ??? [Echo II]
1 Scat-M [Charlie II]
1 Kefal [Victor I]
Expenditures:
8 Malaknit [Siren]
3 2nd Generation Acoustic Decoy
A little pissed. Orders said "with minimal losses". Not 'zero losses'.
I am quite confident I could have won if I had not spaced and forgotten about the sonobuoys. But I do consider this a training mission so lesson has been learned. Not a bad mission IMHO. The enemy comes at you early with some fairly noisey subs but I was paranoid and kept expecting something else to pop up. Maybe there was and I just missed it.
M
PS Also posted on GameSquad
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