Yamato versus the Royal Navy

[Donald M. Scheef]

I am pleased that some of the naval gamers are planning to run this kind of a scenario. If I could get a bit more time off work, I would try to attend one of these sessions.

Has anyone tried Scenario 7 in WWII Micronauts? This has Yamato, Musashi, Nagato, Kongo and Haruna up against West Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, and Pennsylvania. To me this seems strongly weighted in favor of the Japanese.

While any of the US ships should be able to defeat Kongo and Haruna in a straight-out gun battle, these two Japanese ships have superior speed. We would have to suppose some sort of confined battle ground (as existed at Suriago Strait) to force them into battle.

Nagato is a close match for the US battleships. I would call this one even.

This leaves three US battleships of the WWI era to face off against Yamato and Musashi. I don't think the US ships would stand much chance in this one.

To better balance this I would suggest replacing the Japanese ships listed with Nagato, Mutsu, Ise, Hyuga, Fuso, and Yamashiro. This gives six warships of similar capability for each side.

Going in the other direction, consider replacing some of the US ships with Iowa, South Dakota, or North Carolina class ships.

Don S.

[hussar62]

Finished our refight of the Yamato vs RN. (Hood, Renown, Repulse, Nelson, Rodney, Royal Sovereign). We had a total of 4 players and used the new Micronauts rules. None of us have played these rules prior to today. Brits devided into three groups (squadrons)

1st Squadron: Hood, Renown, Repulse in line ahead formation in the order listed

2nd Squsdron: Rodney & Nelson in line abreast

3rd Squadron: Royal Sovereign (on her own set up between 1st and 2nd squdrons)

Lead ships all started 45kyrds from Yamato. Japanese player set Yamato up so a full broadside could be fired.

Battle started with 2nd & 3rd squadron attempting to close their max spedd of 23 & 21kts, while the 1st squadron veered slightly to port at 30kts hoping to cut Yamato off. On the 2nd turn Yamato hit Hood at just over 40kyrds. British fire against Yamato was seriously degraded due to the multiple ships firing at a single target. Yamato continued to concentrate on Hood until she turned away with Renown taking the lead for the 1st squadron. Unfortuately I can't give a turn by turn account of the hits scored but the end result was:

Yamato: Sunk (all main turrets were out of action at the end) She had a total of 154 boxes on her hit chart marked off)

Hood: 2 main turrets out of action speed reduced to 28kts

Renown: All main turrets out of action speed reduced to 15kts due to engineering critical

Repulse: 2 main turrets out of action speed reduced to 22kts from accumulated damage

Nelson: No Damage

Rodney: 1 main turret out of action

Royal Sovereign: Minor hull damage due to 2 self inflicted critical hits

Combined the Brits accumulated 168 hits on their ships so Yamato dished out a little better than she got on a per hit basis.

While I did not expect Yamato to survive I thought she would have taken out at least 2 Brits. Yamato did what she could to keep the range long and keep the slower Brit ships out of the action. Accumulated damage and an engineering critical slowed her up enough to to keep her in range of all the Brit ships. The fact that she shifted fire several times no doubt saved the Brits from potentially lossing a ship. Due to the severe to hit penalties for over concentration the Brits generally limited their main battery firing to 3 ships per turn until the the battle cruiser squadron closed the range. Yamato once she took her engineering critical assisted in closing the range with the battle cruisers by turning into them.

We thought we'd have time to run the same set up using Command at Sea, but were not able to due to time. Since we were all new to the rules it took us approx 5 1/2 hrs to play through this engagement.

[av8rmongo]

For those in No. VA: I have a confirmed tables at the Chantilly Game Parlor for this Saturday starting at 3:00 PM. Anyone interested is welcome. I'll bring a varety of WWII BBs and we can see what Yamato can do. Bring yours if you have a favorite. The playing surface is 4' x 8' so I think the initial ame will be a Surigao Strait setup and we'll go from there.

Hussar62:

Great report! My prediction is that my trial will run much the same as yours with maybe one Allied BB being sunk. Any ship takingon 4 or 5 or 6 to 1 odds is a recipe for disaster. Even if rounds don't penetrate they still do a significant amount of damage and will quickly render their opponent useless. We'll see what happens Saturday.

Paul

[av8rmongo]

Okay, I ran a couple of scenarios with Yamato and Musashi at the Game Parlor in Chatilly yeserday. First let me say thanks to The Game Parlor for giving me a table on a busy gaming night. I had a couple lookie loos but no other players showed up, which was actually okay because my aggressive painting schedule came up short and most of my ships were still only wearing primer - so no pictures either.

Anyway, the first trial I ran was akin to a Surigao Strait scenario. Night, quarter moon IJN BBs tasked with maneuvering through the strait in order to disrupt the allied landing forces. The smaller forces present in the real battle were ignored since this was a BB v. BB test. The time frame used for the first trial was "early war" (up to 1942) before Yamato was fitted with radar.

The Japanese sluggers were in line ahead with Yamato in the lead Musashi 2,000yds astern they were travelling along the long axis of the table. The RN forces were in a blocking position along the short axis of the table formed in two divisions. The first division consisted of BBs Wrspite, KGV and Valiant. The second division consisted of BCs Renown, Hood and Repulse. Divisions were in line ahead with 2,000yds between ships and 4,000yds between divisions. The six ships took up nearly the entire width of the table which would cause problems for me later on.

The two forces were intially placed 25nm apart based on the longest detection range of RN radars. [Note: I was using an older set of paper Command at Sea rules which didn't have all the updates. With no other players I didn't fire up my laptop with the most current changes. Some of the data therefore skewed the specific results but I think the overall concepts would be borne out with any set of rules. Also, I was playing solo so I maneuvered with more of a "god's eye' view than the average player might have had.]

The RN gained detection with radar immediately. At 48kyds they were out of range and given that it was night and the IJN had no radar there was little chance of being counter detetcted beyond 10-12kyds the RN boldly wheeled their divisions on parrallel courses toward the enemy to close the range. With the two navies on nearly reciprocal courses it didn't take long to close the distance. Here's where I ran into a little touble as fleet commander by not thinking ahead. Wanting to unmask all batteries I had to wheel the two divisions back to a line ahead formation. If I merely resumed the previous course I would run out of room along the short axis of the table and would have to countermarch almost as soon as I opened fire which would have played havoc with the gunnery. If I turned both divisions to the reciprocal of the first heading I would gain three or four turns maybe before I would have to start a countermarch, better but not by much. In the end I compromised, which caused its own issues. The BB division turned to the reciprocal of the original course along the short axis of the board giving them the most open room. The second division of BCs veered off slightly to port. They were still proceeding basically toward the Japanese but would pass essentially starboard to starboard at a range of 10kyds for the closest ship (Renown). Then I realized that this formation masked the farthest two BCs from firing on Yamato and partially masked them from firing on Musashi. It was a stuation that I never fully resolved.

Firing commenced at a range of about 22kyds with the three RN BBs opening up full broadsides. Over the next 15min (5 turns) each of the RN ships hit the super battleship at least twice. The Yamato never detected the RN ships beyond seeing the muzzle flashes which made her return "to hit" fire about 40% less effective - she never hit anything. The specific results of this trial are a little problematic for me because the data annexes, which as I said, are not the most current available, had much higher penetration and damage values and lower armor values than the current ones. Some of the penetrating shots would not have penetrated but still would have caused significant topside damage. Ultimately the end the result would have been the same even with the updates, it might have taken a few more turns and she may have causd some return damage but given her tactical disadvantage she wouldn't have survived. At that point I called it quits because Yamato was on fire and DIW having lost 2/3 of her damage points, Musashi was undamaged but had not yet visually detected the RN BBs (except for gun flashes) or the BCs. She would be sailing into one division of (undamaged) BBs that were "Capping her T" and she had another division of BCs that could have capped the T or raked her stern if she maneuvered to unmask her aft battery at the BB division. I had unwittingly created a perfect hammer and anvil geometry for the RN. There was no way out for Musashi.

The tactical key was obviously the Royal Navy's ability to get an early detection and then gain the best firing position possible before revealing themselves. The Japanese failed here because they had the best optics in the world but still couldn't "see".

Trial #2 would see how much progress was made by late 1944...

Paul

[John Drye]

Has anyone tried Scenario 7 in WWII Micronauts? This has Yamato, Mushashi, Nagato, Kongo and Haruna up against West Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, and Pennsylvania. To me this seems strongly weighted in favor of the Japanese.

Don S.

Don;

In a word; "yes". Three times, actually.

Most recently at "Eagle and Empire" in Newington, Virginia last month. Time constraints prevented us from finishing the action, but we had a fun game. Most ships had lost multiple turrets.

Result:

Yamato, Mushashi lost one and two turrets, respectively; but still in the fight.
Nagato severely damaged and withdrawing.
Kongo, Haruna continuing to engage two of the 14" ships.

WV and MD (the 16" ships) both pounded by the "big two" and withdrawing.
The 14" ships all damaged but continuing to engage.

In this version, the Yamato and Mushashi decided to close in order to counter the US Radar advantage. Afterwards, the consensus was that they ought to have kept the range open. Even straddling less often than the Americans, their shells would penetrate armor where the American ships would not.

Japanese do have an advantage in this scenario, but the key appears to be the conclusion above: keep the range open with the big ships.

Full disclosure requires me to admit that I’m one of the “WWII Micronautsâ€￾ co-authors.

Of course, the “realisticâ€￾ version of the scenario complicates things by including those pesky destroyers and a few cruisers. But, what fun is that?

John Drye

[John Drye]

Has anyone tried Scenario 7 in WWII Micronauts? This has Yamato, Mushashi, Nagato, Kongo and Haruna up against West Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, and Pennsylvania. To me this seems strongly weighted in favor of the Japanese.

Don S.

Don;

In a word; "yes". Three times, actually.

Most recently at "Eagle and Empire" in Newington, Virginia last month. Time constraints prevented us from finishing the action, but we had a fun game. Most ships had lost multiple turrets.

Result:

Yamato, Mushashi lost one and two turrets, respectively; but still in the fight.
Nagato severely damaged and withdrawing.
Kongo, Haruna continuing to engage two of the 14" ships.

WV and MD (the 16" ships) both pounded by the "big two" and withdrawing.
The 14" ships all damaged but continuing to engage.

In this version, the Yamato and Mushashi decided to close in order to counter the US Radar advantage. Afterwards, the consensus was that they ought to have kept the range open. Even straddling less often than the Americans, their shells would penetrate armor where the American ships would not.

Japanese do have an advantage in this scenario, but the key appears to be the conclusion above: keep the range open with the big ships.

Full disclosure requires me to admit that I’m one of the “WWII Micronautsâ€￾ co-authors.

Of course, the “realisticâ€￾ version of the scenario complicates things by including those pesky destroyers and a few cruisers. But, what fun is that?

John Drye

[ed*b]

The basic concept here was interesting, but I had to put together a scenario that would be fun as well (rather than the Yamato just running away). We have a 7' x 20' gaming surface (long axis is east-west for this game), so I created a scenario where the British are trying to slow/sink the Japanese so as to exit two ships off the west edge with at least a 5 kt speed advantage over the fastest Japanese ship. Yamato and Musashi enter from the NNE, Hood, Renown and Repulse from the SE, Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Resolution, Revenge and Malaya from the SSW and Kongo and Haruna from the west.

RN ships must exit the south edge if speed reduced to 10 knts or 75% damage accumulated. Day action with visibility just under 24Kyrds and the forces starting about 25Kyrds apart. The reconstructed QE's, Hood and Renown have Type 284 gunnery radar, which is only effective out to 20 Kyrds. Rules used are Supremacy at Sea.

We had seven players and ran the scenario twice in five hours. One the first try, the UK BC squadron turned away to stay out of range while the BB closed in. The Japanese BC closed on the RN BB squadron, while the Malaya was detached to try and hold off Kongo and Haruna. Yamato and Musashi closed to try and cripple several of the BB hopefully without taking too much damage.

Due to both BB forces closing, the QE's and R's were able to get within belt penetration range (13Kyrds) of the Japanese on the 3rd turn (5 minute turns). Meanwhile the Resolution got a lucky critical hit on the Kongo that left it dead in the water. Another lucky hit on Musashi jammed a turret, even though it was not penetrating.

However, at that close range the 18" shells, even with their slower rate of fire, started putting on serious damage. Resolution was Yamato's target for those three turns, and sank from points damage at the end of the third turn. QE was Musashi's target and lasted only another two turns before sinking.

Yamato, after disposing of Resolution, shifted target twice, once to Valiant, knocking out a turret, and then to Hood which had finally come within range. In two turns of fire Hood was 1/3 sunk and speed reduced to 24 kts.

Malaya continued to pound the stopped Kongo, and in return was pummelled by Haruna. The UK BC squadron split up, with Hood closing into the battle and Renown and Repulse trying to work around it, hopefully able to fulfil the victory conditions. On the 5th turn, Hood came within range of Kongo and the combined fire of Hood and Malaya put the Kongo down, but Malaya finally succumbed to damage from the Haruna. Musashi lost another turret to a penetrating belt hit from Valiant.

On the seventh turn, we ended the scenario with a clear RN victory.

Final results:
Yamato 90% sunk, 7 kts
Musashi 75% sunk, A turret only, 19 kts
Kongo sunk
Haruna minor damage, 1 turret out, 27 kts

QE sunk
Valiant 60% sunk, 1 turret out, 22 kts
Malaya sunk
Resolution sunk
Revenge virtually untouched (it was fired at by Haruna once)
Hood 1/3 sunk, 24 kts
Renown and Repulse untouched

The second run through, the Yamato and Musashi fell back as much as was allowed (assumed to be land to N/NW). The UK BC squadron closely in aggressively from the start.

By the end of 10 turns, the situation was:

Yamato, Musashi, Kongo, Haruna - all sunk
Resolution, Revenge, Malaya - all sunk
Valiant - retreating due to more than 75% damage
QE - 1/3 sunk, 13 kts, limping towards the convoy
Hood and Renown - sunk
Repulse - 2/3 sunk, 22 kts, 1 turret out

A pyhric victory for the RN.

[ed*b]

Oops, a key fact: Our scale is 6" = 2000 yrds. 1 kt = 1/2" movement per turn, 1 turn = 5 minutes.

[Schwerepunkt]

...I know these engagements have been between capital ships only but given the superiority of Japanese torpedoes and the large numbers carried, I think if screens were used and torpedo attacks launched, the RN would not come out nearly as successfully.