WWII Micronaut Ship Data Logs

[Donald M. Scheef]

“WWII Micronauts: The Gameâ€￾ is openly (and properly) described as intended for scenarios using GHQ’s Micronauts miniatures. In looking through the ship data logs, I noticed a discrepancy between the game and the available miniatures.

The following ships have a data log in the game but no Micronaut model available:
• German destroyer Z23 class (with single 5.9â€￾ gun forward)
• German motor torpedo boat S38 class
• Italian destroyer Maestrale class
• Italian destroyer Freccia class
• Italian destroyer Folgore class
• Italian destroyer Oriani class
• Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 501 type
• Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 526 type
• Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano
• Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho
• Japanese aircraft carrier Chitose class
• Japanese aircraft carrier Shinyo class
• Japanese merchant seaplane tender
• Japanese seaplane tender Akitsushima
• Japanese seaplane tender Nisshin
• Japanese seaplane tender Mizuho
• Japanese light cruiser Kuma class (unconverted)
• Japanese light cruiser Kuma (TTCL conversion, 1944)
• Japanese light cruiser Nagara class
• Japanese light cruiser Katori class
• Japanese light cruiser Oyodo
• Japanese heavy cruiser Mogami (1943 seaplane carrier conversion)
• Japanese heavy cruiser Maya (1944 modification)
• Japanese destroyer Shimakaze class
• Japanese destroyer Akatsuki class
• Japanese destroyer Kagero class
• Japanese fast transport Minekaze class
• Japanese fast transport Momi class
• Japanese fast transport Wakatake class
• Japanese destroyer/fast transport Mutsuki class
• Japanese submarine B1 class
• Japanese submarine Sen Toku class
• Japanese transport “Maruâ€￾ (no specific class or ship)
• Japanese torpedo boat Chidori class
• Japanese torpedo boat Otori class
• Japanese gunboat Hadashe class
• Japanese escort Shimushu class
• Japanese escort Etorofu class
• Japanese escort Mikora class
• Japanese escort Ekuru class
• Japanese escort Type C class
• Japanese escort Type D class
• Japanese minelayer Itsushima class
• Japanese minelayer Tsugaru class
• Japanese minelayer Okinoshima class
• Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka class
• Japanese submarine chaser Ch13 class
• Japanese landing ship T-1 class
• Netherlands destroyer Tjerk Hiddes class
• Netherlands submarine K XIV class
• UK light cruiser Southampton class
• UK destroyer A class
• UK destroyer A class leader
• UK destroyer B class
• UK destroyer C class
• UK destroyer D class
• UK destroyer F class
• UK destroyer E&F class leaders
• UK destroyer G class
• UK destroyer I class
• UK destroyer L & M classes
• UK destroyer M class (alternate armament)
• UK destroyer O class
• UK destroyer P class
• UK destroyer Q class
• UK destroyer R class
• UK destroyer S & T classes
• UK destroyer U & V classes
• UK destroyer W & Z classes
• UK destroyer V & W (unconverted) classes
• UK destroyer V & W (fast escort conversion) classes
• UK destroyer V & W (long-range escort conversion) classes
• UK escort destroyer Hunt type 1
• UK escort destroyer Hunt type 3
• UK escort destroyer Hunt type 4
• UK Admiralty class leader (convoy escort conversion)
• UK Shakespeare class (convoy escort conversion)
• UK submarine U class
• UK tanker Wave class
• UK tanker Ranger class
• UK motor vessel Brisbane Star
• UK motor vessel Clan Ferguson
• UK motor vessel Deucalion
• UK motor vessel Dorset
• UK motor vessel Empire Hope
• UK motor vessel Glenorchy
• UK motor vessel Melbourne Star
• UK motor vessel Port Chalmers
• UK motor vessel Rochester Castle
• UK motor vessel Waimarama
• UK motor vessel Wairangi
• US aircraft carrier Midway class
• US escort aircraft carrier Long Island
• US escort aircraft carrier Commencement Bay class
• US escort aircraft carrier Bogue class
• US escort aircraft carrier Sangamon class
• US destroyer Somers class (1943)
• US freighter C3 type
• US freighter C2 type
• US freighter C1 type
• US tanker T2 type
• US tanker Ohio

Perhaps these are indications of future releases planned by GHQ. Although I am more interested in surface warfare than in aircraft carriers, I’ll admit that Shinano versus Midway is an interesting concept. Except for the leaders, the British A through I class destroyers were similar in appearance. Likewise, the O through Z class destroyers were also similar in appearance.

The following ships have Micronaut models available but no ship data logs:
• French battlecruiser Dunquerque (FRN1)
• French battleship Richelieu (FRN2)
• French battleship Lorraine (FRN3)
• French destroyer Le Fantasque class (FRN4)
• French destroyer Aigle class (FRN5)
• French light cruiser La Galissonniere class (FRN6)
• French heavy cruiser Suffren class (FRN7)
• French heavy cruiser Algerie (FRN8)
• French destroyer Le Hardi class (FRN9)
• French aircraft carrier/transport Bearn (FRN10)
• German battlecruiser Scharnhorst class (GEN1)
• German light cruiser Konigsberg class (GEN2)
• German destroyer Karl Galster (Z 1936, Z-17 type) class (GEN3)
• German battleship Schleswig-Holstein (GEN8)
• German light cruiser Emden (GEN10)
• German light cruiser Nürnberg (GEN11)
• German light cruiser Leipzig (GEN12)
• German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin (GEN13)
• German battleship H design (GEN15)
• German supply ship Altmark (GEN16)
• German submarine type IX C (GEN18)
• Italian battleship Doria class (RMN2)
• Italian light cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi (group V) class (RMN5)
• Italian light cruiser Capitani Romani class (RMN7)
• Italian light cruiser Cadorna (group II) class (RMN13)
• Italian armored cruiser San Georgio (RMN16)
• Italian aircraft carrier Aquila design (RMN18)
• Italian light cruiser Bari (RMN19)
• Japanese submarine I-19 class (IJN29)
• Soviet battleship Gangut class (SUN1)
• Soviet destroyer Grevnyi (project 7) class (SUN02)
• Soviet heavy cruiser Kirov class ( SUN03)
• Soviet destroyer leader Leningrad class (SUN04)
• UK battleship Warspite (UKN1)
• UK heavy cruiser Improved Birmingham class (UKN12)
• UK transport Gran (UKN14)
• UK corvette “flowerâ€￾ class (UKN18)
• UK minelayer Abdiel class (UKN19)
• UK battleship Valiant (UKN24)
• UK light cruiser Arethusa class (UKN26)
• UK battleship Barham (UKN32)
• UK heavy cruiser Norfolk class (UKN33)
• UK light cruiser Bellona class (UKN34)
• UK aircraft carrier Courageous class (UKN35) [use Furious ship data log?]
• UK light cruiser Edinburgh class (UKN36)
• UK aircraft carrier Hermes (UKN37)
• UK heavy cruiser London (UKN40)
• US battleship Massachusetts (USN02)
• US battleship Alabama (USN3)
• US aircraft carrier Lexington class [early war] (USN18)
• US fast minesweeper Hamilton class (USN41)
• US fast transport Kane class (USN42)
• US escort destroyer Butler class (USN46)
• US tank landing ship LST (USN55)
• US landing ship dock (USN56)
• US seaplane tender Curtiss class (USN69)
• US battleship Indiana

If I have some spare time over the next several months, I will try to develop some of the missing ship data logs. (Of course, the results will be my personal opinion. If GHQ or anyone else objects to my values, they are welcome to provide their own.) In addition to the ships in the list above, there are numerous ship classes for which there are neither Micronaut figures nor ship data logs in WWII Micronauts: The Game. These may be developed further down the line.

The ship data log for the British battlecruiser Renown class gives it 5.25â€￾ x 20 secondary armament. Neither Repulse nor Renown carried 5.25â€￾ guns. Renown had twenty 4.5â€￾ guns. Repulse had 4â€￾ guns (the number varying – increasing with time).

I have one reservation about the existing ship data logs. I don’t see the massive increase in US (and British) long-range anti-aircraft effectiveness that I would expect from the introduction of variable-time (radar proximity) fuses. Either the early war values are too high or the late-war values too low. Based on comparison with German and Japanese equivalent ships, I think the late-war values are too low. Another possibility is that the VT fuses are part of the increased medium-range AA effectiveness. I thought that this was due more to the massive increase in the number of 40mm Bofors.

This is a quibble: The ship data log for the tanker Ohio describes it as a T-2 type. The Ohio was a pre-war ship, not one of the standardized Maritime Commission designs. It was similar in appearance (as were almost all large tankers of the day) but slightly smaller than the T-2s.


My thanks to nuts4ships, who pointed out that I had missed the Soviet ships. Thanks also to hussar62, who pointed out that some of the "missing" ship data logs are in the free rules section available on line. This reduced the number of missing ship data logs, but greatly increased the number of ships with data logs but without GHQ models. I intend to incorporate this list into my Micronaut wish list compilation.

Don S.

[cbovill]

According to rule 3.7 on page 14, they say that the information needed to create these ship logs is in the rules in various places. I haven't finished reading the rules yet myself, but I do know that I have a bunch of ship logs I need to create ASAP for a convention on 4/19. So I've got a lot of work to do to get these done right and quick.

Chris

[hussar62]

I think some of the ships you don't have a log for in the hard copy of the game can be found in the PDF file in the free rules section.

As far as making you own ship logs for those not covered in either the rules book or the on line PDF file it looks relatively easy to do. Looks like the designers were using Conways all the Worlds ships to get the tonnage and dividing the tonnage by 500 for number of Hull hits.

Played the game this week-end with 3 others and all of us liked the how the game played. Seems to be half way between the extreamly detailed rules and the overly simple rules.

I think the game system as designed has room to grow. Some of the extra detail I would like to see is in the gun tables. All guns of the same size are not equal, for example the 16"/50 is a bit more powerful than the 16"/45, yet the range and damage is identical for both of these on the gun table. An easy modification to account for this may be to use the range and to hit numbers on the 18" gun line for the 16/50, keep the damage number for the 16" guns as listed. This kind of adjustment could also account for guns of poorer quality than average by adjusting their range and hit numbers down. A good example would be a British 15"/42 on some of the old BB's that were not modified prior to WWII

I would also like to see the armor penetration number at the extreame ranges increase for the heavy guns allowing for penetrating deck hits at these ranges. As is there are several BB class ships that can never receive a penetrating deck hit even by 16-18" guns.

The only other quible I had based on the 1 play is the radar gunnery ranges are about 1/2 of what the sources I've read indicate. To be fair the ranges I've seen are usually stating they are gained against BB size targets. What I think I'll do here is double the ranges for size class 3 or greater, and leave them as written for 2 and lower.

[nuts4ships]

Don,

I am suprised from your list that you didn't mention any Soviet ships.

There are SSLs for the ships you have mentioned and a few more. They are being finalised to be included on the webiste in the near future. As far as the SSLs included with out the miniature, that's something GHQ will have to work on.

[nuts4ships]

...but I do know that I have a bunch of ship logs I need to create ASAP for a convention on 4/19. So I've got a lot of work to do to get these done right and quick.

Chris[/quote]

What exactly are you looking for? I think I can help
Email me your list.

[cbovill]

Thanks Russ, I just sent you the e-mail.

Chris