Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (Full Version)

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soulsilver -> Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 1:30:01 PM)

I have a question that will hopefully prompt some discussion. In what roles do you guys use your AMCs in? I'm aware that their technical role was as a surface raider or escort, but do you guys have any other useful ways of using them? I often have ended up using them as fast transports for high priority items like aircraft (if I lack AKV) or early naval invasions of SW pacific islands like luganville (as japan). I've tried using then as surface merchant raiders but I haven't been very sucessful partly due to most allied convoys being well escorted. Any suggestions or anecdotes are appreciated.



GetAssista -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 1:54:02 PM)

Amphibious support. They are like gun-bristling AKs, helping to suppress shore batteries. Not much else IMO, they are too brittle to use as raiders.



Sardaukar -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 2:46:46 PM)

If you have nothing else to escort with, they also prevent easy surface attacks by subs.



mind_messing -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 3:25:27 PM)

You've got it about right - they do poorly in the raider role because of how naval combat in AE works, as well as the fact that their slow speed and lack of armour tends to mean they get shredded by even the lightest of escorts.

Some other potential roles:

Minelaying - some classes of Japanese AMC can carry and deploy naval mines, which gives them a little extra utility beyond the escort/fast transport roles mentioned below.

There are also a few that carry floatplanes, which lets you use them as deep ocean pickets with some search capability, but that's something of a waste for them IMO. Flagship for large resource/oil/fuel convoys is another potential role.



Kull -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 4:52:55 PM)

As Japan, the key thing is they come with the amphibious unload bonus, and you don't have a lot of ships which offer that.



Knavey -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 5:08:04 PM)

IIRC, and my memory may be wrong on this because my opponent and I have had this game going for about 11 years. When his subs were off the coast of Oz in large quantities at the beginning days of the war, I would send single ship armed merchants into the areas I knew he had subs. Again, its been a while, but I think I lost a couple to his subs. It didn't work out as I had hoped. I thought a single ship might attract surface combat from the sub, but I think they just torpedoed my ships anyway and went on their merry way.

I thought it was a sound strategy...but don't think it worked out in my favor.




jdsrae -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/14/2020 11:34:17 PM)

I sent two AMCs in separate single ship task forces about 6 hexes apart to raid the Cape Town to Perth convoy route in my current pbem and it worked well.
About six months later I sent the same two ships to raid off the west coast of India. After a contact near Karachi one was sunk by a RN CL/DD task force but the other escaped.

I found that using them in amphib task forces just gets them sunk. They act as a CD gun magnet if you don’t put something bigger in the task force, ideally a BB to soak up any hits.

Their current use is classified.



RADM.Yamaguchi -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/15/2020 1:05:02 AM)

I've been using AMCs in Fast Transport TFs for amphibious landings and evacuations. They seem ideal. Am i wrong?



RangerJoe -> RE: Uses for Armed Merchantmen? (12/15/2020 2:52:45 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

I've been using AMCs in Fast Transport TFs for amphibious landings and evacuations. They seem ideal. Am i wrong?


No. But make sure that they have escorts including armoured cruisers.

If they have AV support, they can also disband in port and provide some air search coverage.



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