Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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7/7/42 A massive sea battle at Oosthaven goes very badly (very, very badly) for the Allies. This will have interesting repurcussions on multiple levels, but before I get into that, I'll give you pertinent excerpts from the combat report. Bear in mind that Oosthaven is a strongly held Allied base with a CAP of 600+ fighters and many CD guns. Seeing the approaching combat TF, I reconfigured my combat ships there this turn - consolidating three combat TFs into two stronger TFs under the command of officers with very good ratings. It wasn't enough.... Round One: Night Time Surface Combat, near Oosthaven at 48,96, Range 8,000 Yards Japanese Ships BB Kirishima BB Fuso, Shell hits 4 CA Maya, Shell hits 2 CA Haguro CA Mogami CA Mikuma CA Suzuya, Shell hits 3, on fire CL Sendai CL Naka, Shell hits 2 CL Yura CL Abukuma DD Tokitsukaze DD Hagikaze DD Asashio DD Natsugumo DD Yudachi DD Hibiki DD Yugiri DD Yayoi DD Nokaze Allied Ships BB Mississippi, Shell hits 28, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk BB Resolution, Shell hits 18, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 4, on fire CL Newcastle, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CLAA Van Heemskerck, Shell hits 2, and is sunk DD Clark, Shell hits 1 DD Stuart DD Voyager, Shell hits 1 DD Stronghold DD Tenedos DD Norman, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk Round Two: Japanese Ships BB Kirishima BB Fuso, Shell hits 26, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Maya CA Haguro CA Mogami CA Mikuma CA Suzuya, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CL Sendai, Shell hits 1 CL Naka CL Yura CL Abukuma DD Tokitsukaze DD Hagikaze DD Asashio, Shell hits 1, on fire DD Natsugumo DD Yudachi DD Hibiki DD Yugiri DD Yayoi DD Nokaze Allied Ships BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 25, Torpedo hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Exeter, Shell hits 1 CL De Ruyter CL Adelaide, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk CL Enterprise, Shell hits 2, on fire CL Dauntless, Shell hits 1 DD Stewart, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Arrow DD Electra, Shell hits 8, and is sunk DD Jupiter, Shell hits 1 Round Three (IJ ships expend more ordinance): Japanese Ships BB Kirishima CA Haguro CA Mogami CA Mikuma CL Sendai CL Naka CL Yura CL Abukuma DD Tokitsukaze DD Hagikaze DD Asashio, on fire DD Natsugumo DD Yudachi DD Hibiki DD Yugiri DD Yayoi Allied Ships PT TM-10 PT TM-11 PT TM-12 PT TM-13 PT TM-14 PT TM-15, Shell hits 1, and is sunk Round Four: Japanese Ships BB Kirishima, Shell hits 1 CA Haguro CA Mogami CA Mikuma CL Sendai CL Naka CL Yura CL Abukuma DD Tokitsukaze DD Hagikaze DD Asashio DD Natsugumo DD Yudachi DD Hibiki DD Yugiri DD Yayoi Allied Ships BB Resolution, Shell hits 24, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 8, on fire DD Stronghold, Shell hits 1 DD Tenedos Round Five (more IJN ordinance expired, which hurts them later): Night Naval bombardment of Oosthaven at 48,96 - Coastal Guns Fire Back! Allied aircraft no flights Allied aircraft losses B-25C Mitchell: 2 destroyed on ground P-40E Warhawk: 9 destroyed on ground P-39D Airacobra: 3 destroyed on ground Hurricane IIb Trop: 1 destroyed on ground B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground Kittyhawk IA: 1 destroyed on ground Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed on ground F4F-4 Wildcat: 3 destroyed on ground 139WH-3: 1 destroyed on ground L-212: 1 destroyed on ground L-18 Lodestar: 1 destroyed on ground 65 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Japanese Ships BB Kirishima CA Mikuma, Shell hits 1 CA Mogami CA Haguro CL Abukuma CL Yura CL Naka CL Sendai Allied ground losses: 54 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled Airbase hits 15 Airbase supply hits 1 Runway hits 67 Round Six: Japanese Ships BB Kirishima, Shell hits 9 CA Haguro, Shell hits 1 CA Mogami, Shell hits 2, heavy fires CA Mikuma, Shell hits 3, heavy fires CL Sendai CL Naka CL Yura, Shell hits 2, on fire CL Abukuma DD Tokitsukaze DD Hagikaze DD Asashio DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 1, on fire DD Yudachi DD Hibiki, Shell hits 1 DD Yugiri DD Yayoi Allied Ships CA Exeter, Shell hits 26, heavy fires, heavy damage CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 1 CL Dauntless, Shell hits 2 DD Arrow, Shell hits 17, heavy fires, heavy damage Butcher's Bill: Allied Ships Sunk or Very Badly Damaged: BB: Mississippi, Resolution, Prince of Wales CA: Exeter CL: Newcastle, Adelaide, Van Heemskerk DD: Norman Stewart, Electra, Arrow Japanese Ships Sunk or Very Badly Damaged: BB: Fuso CA Suzuya (with Mogami and Mikuma afire) Repurcussion Level One: This is a big naval victory for Japan. Repurcussion Level Two: And, yet, Japan suffers further attrition to capital ship lineup. I think this makes at least four IJN BBs and three CAs (plus the CVL and CVE) sunk in the DEI. The Allies have now lost four BB and several CA. So, this IJN victory is perhaps analogous to the British victory at Guildford Courthouse in the American Revolution (the one in which the British commander noted that "another such victory" would ruin him). Japan can't afford to lose any capital ships now. Repurcussion Level Three: This battle, following closely upon the recent battle in which another IJN BB was sunk at Oosthaven, leaves the Allies very short of capital ships in the DEI at the moment. I have one BB at Cocos Island and a separate TF flagged by CA Salt Lake City. The ships damaged in that previous action just made Colombo and will need anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in the yards. In three weeks, the Allies will be able to put alot more power on point, but until then the Japanese have a window in which they can assert naval dominance in the DEI. Will Steve strike? Ordinarily, I'd say no. But he may be emboldened by this victory. On the other hand, he's now going to lament having so many battleships (Yamato and others) committed to Little Vietnam (Pago Pago). Repurcussion Level Four: The Allies are short of battleships in the DEI. At one time we could put eight on point. Now we've lost four (New Mexico was lost in the recent battle) plus Ramillies has been at Capetown for months, with another 45 days to go. We still have three, though two need some yard time. I'm probably going to send North Carolina and Warspite this way from CenPac. That will leave me Pennsylvania in NoPac and four BBs in West Coast shipyards - all four of them coming back online over the next four to six weeks.
< Message edited by Canoerebel -- 9/8/2011 10:38:00 AM >
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