Scenario

This is a solo replay of Battle Scenario 2 " Savo Island " . A recreation of a famous Japanese Victory. In this scenario , the Japanese have to finish 100 vp ahead of the Allies (each cruiser is worth approx 25 vp) and the Allies have to score at least 25 vp and avoid Japanese victory conditions. It is night and raining so visibility is severly limited.

The Forces

It pitches 5 Japanese Heavy Cruisers (CA) (Kako, Furutaka, Aoba, Chokai, Kinusaga), 2 Japanese Light Cruisers (CL) (Tenyru , Yunari) and 1 Destroyer (DD) (Yunagi) vs 5 Heavy Allied cruisers (Astoria,Quincy,Vincennes,Chicago, RAN Canberra ) and 7 Destroyers (Helm, Wilson,Bagley,Patterson,Blue, Ralph Talbot and Jarvis).

On paper the forces are evenly matched perhaps even a slight allied advantage as the 2 Japanese Light Cruisers are hardly better armed than destroyers themselves.However the Allied cruisers are mostly torpedoless whilst the Japanese cruisers are armed with the deadly Long Lance Torpedos. Furthermore the US forces are scattered whilst the Japanese task force is concentrated.

The Battle

The battle begins with the DD Jarvis blundering through the dark and rain into the Japanese task force where it is immediately sunk under a hail of fire (this is the set up there is nothing the US player can do about this, vp 9-0 to Japan ).There follows a series of manouvres in the dark during which the US player was successfully able to concentrate his forces.

The night sky is lit with a hail of gunfire as the two fleets find and fire at each other. So as to avoid confusion over targeting the Japanese spread there gunfire whilst the US concentrates its firepower on the Japanese Flagship Chokai despite the confusion this causes amongst the gunners (if more than one ship fires at the same target its firepower is halved).

DD Bagley has all it guns and importantly its Torpedo mount knocked out , the CA Chicago, CA Astoria and DD Helm suffer damage. In return the Chokai has several guns knocked out, but it is the Canberra which does the real damage its powerful 8" Guns scoring a critical hit on the cruiser Kinugasa which is left heavily damaged and almost dead in the water.

The Sea is now full of Torpedos as the Japanese cruisers release their most deadly armanent. It is a massacre , because of the night the fleets dont spot each other until they are at Torpedo range and the Japanese fully exploit it. Vincennes, Quincy, Astoria and Chicago are all hit .All explode and capsize except Vincennes which is listing badly and on fire but still steaming. The Japanese suffer loss as well, The DD Helm hits the Chokai which is now badly damaged and slowing significantly, the Kako is also hit but the worst is, DD Wilson Torpedos the near crippled CA Kinugasa who's back is now broken and begins to sink. ( Japanese lead now 80vp to 26).

The dynamic of the battle has now changed as the US has decided to make a run for it whilst the Japanese player pursues.

In a further exchange of gunfire the Japanese concentrate on late arrivals DD's Ralph Talbot and Blue fearing their torpedo's . The Ralph Talbot is badly damaged but somehow survives ploughing on firing its torpedos and hitting the Chokai ! but sadly it turns out to be a dud bouncing harmlessly off the hull. The rest of the retreating US fleet fire with the Canberra taking out another Chokai gun.

The Japanese have had enough the slowing CA's Chokai, Kako , CL Yunagi and useless DD Yunagi are withdrawn from battle. The remaining ships CA Furutaka, CA Aoba ,CL Yubari and CL Tenyru continue too pursue the retreating US fleet.

They catch and sink DD Helm (89 vp - 26) whilst scoring further hits on the badly damaged CA Vincennes. However it is the undamaged Canberra which saves the day. Sheparding the Vincennes and other damaged allied ships away whilst pouring fire on the pursuing Japanese ships.The still battling DD Ralph Talbot knocks out Tenryu's thinly armed guns, and the Canberra scores further hits on the Furutaka knocking out its remaing guns.

With the Japanese fleet given a bloody nose in the pursuit and the RAN Canberra having merely lost some tertiary 4" guns the remaing Allied fleet is able to slip away into the night and the Japanese pursuers give up.

Game post mortem

I gave up at that point as most of the remaining US ships had got away , the Aoba and Yubai could still pursue the Canberra but the firepower on both sides was almost equal now and even if they sunk the Canberra it wouldnt be enough for a victory and besides whivh I had developed a soft spot for the virtually unscratched Canberra and thought she deserved to survive. Final points score after adding on hull hits vp , the score was Japan 94 US 37 . A mere 57 point lead and a significant US win (in scenario terms).

You wouldnt buy WAS games like SOPAC for the tactical battle system which is pretty basic. Nonetheless I enjoyed playing this little battle as there are enough decsions to be made during this slugathon to make the scenario interesting and of course you cannot help but become attached to these little ships as they fire away at each other.An enjoyable game.

Losses - US Cruisers Quincy, Astoria, Chicago and Destroyers Helm and Jarvis. With CA Vincennes and DD Ralph Talbot lucky to survuve.

Japan Losses CA Kinugasa , with CA Chokai, Kako and Furutaka all badly damaged.

Historical footnote

In the actual battle the allies lost Canberra, Quincy , Vincennes and Astoria. Both sides had a number of other ships damaged but no Japanese ships were lost.