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FatR -> RE: The PERFECT WAR Mod: What is the Vision? (9/2/2011 4:39:37 PM)
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No comments on sub construction?
Anyway, to finish the fleet proposal...
Amphibious Ships
0)Navy retains the overall control over construction and and maintenance of amphibious ships. They are staffed by IJN personnel and carry Navy's weapon models. Their operational use is regulated by a special Army-Navy agreement.
1)LSDs Shinshu Maru, Akitsu Maru and Nigitsu Maru. IRL Shinshu Maru was supposed to have floatplane tender capabilities, but never carries floatplanes IRL (this ship was owned by the Army, so it is not clear what it was even supposed to operate). Akitsu Maru and Nigitsu Maru had flight decks, but could serve only as aircraft ferries, until upgrades in 1943, which allowed them to operate Ki-76s and autogyros. In the game Shinshu Maru has no aircraft capacity, and the latter two operate floatplanes. Unfortunately, it is not possible to restrict a carrier to using certain types of aircraft. The last two ships confound me somewhat. On the first look fitting them with flight decks seems almost pointless, but Japanese seemingly saw them as valuable.
Anyway, I propose building Shinshu Maru as IRL, and Akitsu/Nigitsu Maru as its direct successors, with actual capability to use floatplanes (as IJN actually owns these). Maybe development of float fighters is given somewhat higher priority to hopefully give this amphibious force some teeth. Kumano Maru is reconstructed along the same lines later in thw war.
2)Historical ships Mayasan, Tamatsu, Kibitsu, Hyuga, Settsu and Tokitsu Marus are added to construction queue as LSDs (we already added some of them in RA). Another RL landing ship apparently missing from stock, Takatsu Maru is added as an AP or APA.
3)Let's build a series of dedicated Type 0 APDs, capable of deploying landing barges, both to serve as a vanguard of ambitious operations, and to supply island garrizons if control of seas around them is temporarily ceded during a protracted campaign. Build 10-12 of them, using a simplified Shiratsuyu-class destroyer hull and an engine half as powerful. Half should be available before the opening of hostilities. The experience gained should also allow to start production of Type 1 APDs much sooner (mid-1943).
4)I thought about adding a pair of special-project 11 000-ton LSDs as a part of pre-war auxilary construction program, mentioned in the submarine proposal above. But I'm going considerably past the RL budget here. In fact, we do that with #3 above. And #3 is more important. So, while there are provisions for greater Japanese economical capabilities in this alternative, I'm reluctant about this.
Mine Warfare Ships
1)Okinoshima and Tsugaru are replaced by converted Tenryu and Tatsuta as fast minelayers.
2)I noticed that four-ship Hatsushima class of cable/net/minelayers is absent from the base DaBabes scenario. They weren't that useful for mine warfare, but let's include them.
3)W-classes minesweepers are not completely repurposed as escorts. Instead remove both their aft and amidships 120/45 guns, around 1943, replacing them with Y-guns, but keep sweeps.
EDIT: IRL these ships were repurposed as escorts, because the Allies did not put much effort into the mine warfare until the aerial mining campaign against Home Islands in 1945. In the game Allied players usually are much more active with offensive or defensive mining, or both. I personally forbit mid-war upgrades to W-clases DMSs, which turn them to Es.
As a side note, I don't know if it is possible to simulate ineffectiveness of traditional minesweeping methods against late-war US mines. Does a mine's Accuracy stat impacts its ability to hit a sweeping ship first?
4)No late mid-1943 give a serious thought to simplifying and streamlining mine warfare vessel production, bringing it in line with measures already taken to make destroyers and so on more affordable. Start laying down the equivalent of maximally simplified Kamishima-class CMs in autumn of 1943 (available in late spring of 1944) and use the same basic hull to construct AMs as well. Stop construction of W-19 class DMS past W-30, and instead build these cheap AMs in numbers.
EDIT: As Type 4 and Type 93 mines are not interchangeable, we need two versions of the same type, carrying one or another.
5)I also really think that a small production run of fast DMs, similar in dimensions and propulsion to the above-described Type 0 APDs would be really nice, but again, this is just adding ships from nowhere, particularly if done before the war. And I don't think IJN can afford to cut the destroyer production for this. Maybe we instead can take a half-dozen of old Momi/Wakatake destroyers, and instead of conversion into P.51 escorts, as described in the destroyer proposal, expand their mine load (they could carry mines in the initial design), but I'm not sure their speed will be enough to operate on the frontline, instead of escorting ships on inner communications.
Torpedo Boats
Built in greater numbers, instead of midgets, as in RA. One thing we overlooked there was Shinyo boats - as the naval combat model does not include ramming, I propose modelling them as low-accuracy CD guns, rather than ships. And their units as CD units, accordingly.
Cargo Ships
The first program of standard-type merchants construction is started in autumn of 1940 by Transport Ministry, and first it honestly doubles as the state-sponsored program of ensuring independence of Japan from foreign shipping, in case of breakdown of relations with the westen powers. Second War Standard Program is adopted in November of 1941, immediately after the decision to fight the war is made, thanks to the general assumption of a prolonged war. As the result, there are more cargo ships in the queue.
Also, AA armament of the most valuable large cargo ships and tankers is increased in 1943-44, with ineffective 13.2 MGs gradually replaced by 25/60 singles.
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