Victory at Sea

2

Credits

Victory at Sea

Contents 2

The Turn

4

Movement Phase

5

Attack Phase

7

End Phase

10

Special Actions

11

Special Traits

12

Advanced Rules

13

Scenarios

19

Historical Scenarios

26

Campaigns

39

The Fleet Lists

46

Ian Belcher

The Royal Navy

47

Playtesters

The Kriegsmarine

59

The US Navy

66

Imperial Japanese Navy

76

The Italian Navy

84

The French Navy

88

Civilian Ships

95

Matthew Sprange

Editor

Nick Robinson

Cover

Chris Quilliams

Producer

Alexander Fennell

Miniature Gaming Manager Ian Barstow

Publications Manager Richard L. Bax, Agis Neugebauer, Erik Nicely Wulf Corbett, David Manley

Special Thanks

Peter Swarbrick of www.shipspictures.co.uk and David Page of www.navyphotos.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

Author

Victory at Sea (C) 2006 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All significant art and text herein are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. This material is copyrighted under the copyright laws of the UK. Printed in China.

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Introduction Victory at Sea is the game of naval combat during the Second World War. Throughout 1939-45, the nations of the world duelled across the oceans of the world, only to discover the fundamental nature of naval warfare changing in the face of developing technologies. Now these confrontations can be played out on the tabletop with entire fleets drawn from the Royal Navy, the US Navy, Kriegsmarine or any one of the many other nations featured in Victory at Sea. From skirmishes involving single destroyers hunting down merchantmen to the clashing of Allied fleets against implacable enemies, Victory at Sea is the ticket to exciting battles that take place on the oceans of World War II.

Victory at Sea

This game is divided into several chapters each of which will seem to contain a lot of rules to remember. No need to worry, the game is far easier than it looks! The core rules of Victory at Sea are detailed in the following chapters: The Turn: A short description of how players take turns moving and attacking with their ships Movement Phase: Describes how ships move on the ocean Attack Phase: Once a player’s ships have moved into positions of advantage, he will want to know how to target his enemies and sink them! Special Actions: Ships need not only manoeuvre and fire – there are a whole range of Special Actions that players can choose from to enhance their tactics. Special Traits: Many ships and weapon systems have special rules that make them different from the norm – these are described in this chapter.

Introduction

These chapters contain all the necessary information to begin playing Victory at Sea, though players need only consult Special Actions and Special Traits as references, rather than try to memorise them from the outset. Once players are familiar with the basics, they can proceed to the Advanced Rules and beyond to experience the full dynamics of naval combat in the Second World War.

What Players Will Need

As well as this book, there are several other things required in order to play Victory at Sea properly. A minimum of two players are required, each with his own fleet of ships (players can readily use the counters included with the book, though if the players have miniatures, keep on reading). Players will also need a flat playing surface – the kitchen table will do, though the scenarios included in this book assume a playing surface of six feet by four feet in size. In addition to this, players will also need pens and scrap paper to jot down notes, a measuring device marked in inches and several six-sided dice. That is everything players need to begin fighting on the oceans of the Second World War.

Scale

Though counters for many ships used in World War II have been provided with this book, veteran players may possess entire fleets of miniatures. Regardless of the scale of players’ miniatures, they can be used freely in Victory at Sea. However, we have assumed that miniatures of 1/6000-1/2000 scale will be used for most of the battles featured in this game. All distances in Victory at Sea are measured from the very centre of a counter or ship miniature and are measured in inches.

Re-Rolls

Some special situations may call for a player to re-roll a die. This simply means the player ignores the first result he rolled and rolls again. The player must always accept the result of the second roll, even if it is worse than the first – re-rolls can be used to get out of a tricky situation but they are never guaranteed! A player may only re-roll a die once, no matter what the circumstances.

Pre-Measuring

A player is never allowed to pre-measure distances and ranges in Victory at Sea. Captains and admirals of the Second World War did not have sophisticated fire computers tied into radar and satellite surveillance to rely upon, trusting instead to their own judgement – players will have to do the same when trying gauge just how far they can move or the range to the nearest enemy vessel.

Movement & Firing

Every ship in Victory at Sea has a number of firing arcs, all of which are marked out on the Fire Arc Counter. These are the areas that various weapons can fire into, as noted in their descriptions. Fore Turrets (A and B) – Forward, Port and Starboard Arcs Q Turrets – Port and Starboard Arcs Anti-Aircraft Weapons – All Round Submersible Torpedoes - Forward or Aft

Aft Turrets (X and Y) – Aft, Port and Starboard Arcs Secondary Weapons – All Round Torpedoes – Port or Starboard

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Ships in Victory at Sea

No doubt new players have already breathlessly flicked through the fleet lists of this book and seen all the different ships available to play in Victory at Sea. Every ship in the game is defined by its roster sheet, though players will also find plenty of information in the fleet lists covering its general statistics, history and the tactics involved in its use. A ship’s roster looks like this – the example given here is of HMS Warspite, one of the stalwarts of the Royal Navy, and a vessel with a renowned history dating back to the Great War.

Name:

HMS Warspite

Class

Queen Elizabeth

Speed:

5

Priority Level:

Battle

Turning:

1

Command:

4

Target:

4+

In Service:

1915

Armour:

5+

Aircraft:

—

Damage:

34/11

Special Traits:

Aircraft 2, Torpedo Belt

Crew:

47/15

XP Dice:

0

Range 33 33 33 33 14 5

AD 2 2 2 2 4 8

DD 3 3 3 3 1 —

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Ship Name: What a ship is called is up to the player, but it has been noted in our playtesting that ships with names always seem to last longer! Many players may prefer to use names of ships that actually existed in history but this is not a requirement. Speed: This is the maximum distance in inches a ship can usually move in a single turn. Turning: As described in the Movement Phase chapter, this reflects how quickly a ship can turn to come about on its enemies. Target: Large or particularly cumbersome ships are much easier to hit than small nimble ones. This is the base number needed to score a hit on this ship. Armour: The higher the value here, the better armoured a ship will be to withstand incoming fire. Damage: The first figure shows how many points of damage a ship can withstand before being destroyed. The second marks the point at which the ship becomes Crippled. In the example above, once the Warspite takes 23 points of damage, reducing it to 11 overall, it becomes Crippled. Crew: Much the same as Damage, this shows how many Crew are on board the ship. The second figure shows how far the Crew can be depleted before they become a Skeleton Crew. In the example above, once the Warspite loses 32 Crew, reducing it to 15 overall, it is crewed by a Skeleton Crew. Class: This is the actual type of ship, as shown in the fleet lists. Priority Level: Every ship has a Priority Level ranking which is used to construct fair-sized fleets to meet in battle, as described in the Fleet Lists chapter. Command: The average figure here will be four, which denotes a military-grade crew and captain on board. This can vary to reflect especially green or elite crews, or very capable captains. Until players start using the fleet lists, use a score of four by default for Crew Quality. In Service: The year in which the ship came into service and thus when it can be used. This is important for campaign games and some scenarios. Aircraft: A few ships carry aircraft on board, normally fighters. Any aircraft carried standard will be noted here. Special Traits: Many ships have special rules that allow them to perform actions impossible for others. The Warspite has the traits Aircraft 2 and Torpedo Belt, which are defined in the Special Traits Chapter on page 12. XP Dice: In the campaign game ships can improve over time. This is represented by XP dice, which are described in the Campaigns chapter on page 42. Weapons: Every warship will have multiple weapon systems, all of which will be detailed here. Every weapon is defined by its Range, the number of Attack Dice it uses, and the Damage Dice dealt when a hit is scored. Some weapons also have Special Traits, as defined in the Special Traits Chapter on page 12, which further influence their effect in the game.

Introduction

Weapon A Turret (2 x 15 in) B Turret (2 x 15 in) X Turret (2 x 15 in) Y Turret (2 x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA

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The Turn During each turn of Victory at Sea, players will make many tactical decisions and ships will move and then launch devastating attacks upon one another. Due to the huge range of options and strategies available, each turn is split into four distinct phases to make the process of naval combat a lot easier. Players will run through each phase together and, when each turn is complete, every ship on each player’s side will have had a chance to act and affect the outcome of the battle. The four phases are played in order – Initiative Phase, Movement Phase, Attack Phase and End Phase. When the End Phase has been completed, the turn ends and the next one begins with the Initiative Phase.

Initiative Phase

The Initiative Phase is used to resolve any actions that do not require players to make any choices and to decide who will have the initiative for the turn – in other words, who has gained a position of tactical advantage. At the start of each turn, both players roll for initiative using 2d6. Any ties are re-rolled.

If a fleet has any civilian shipping, it will suffer a –1 penalty to its initiative roll. If a fleet is comprised entirely of civilian shipping, it will suffer a –2 penalty.

The Turn

Movement Phase

The player who wins the Initiative Phase by rolling higher than his opponent will decide whether to move a ship first or force his opponent to do so. Players then alternate moving their ships. First, a player nominates one of his ships and moves it, then his opponent nominates one of his own and moves that. This continues until all ships have been moved. Note that a particularly large fleet may still have ships to move after its enemy’s ships have finished moving. In this case, the larger fleet will carry on moving ships until they have all had a chance to move.

Attack Phase

Once ships have been moved into position, they are allowed to fire their weapons in an effort to destroy their enemies. Players then alternate firing their ships. The player who wins the Initiative Phase nominates one of his ships and then attacks with it, immediately resolving all damage dealt. His opponent then nominates one of his ships and attacks. This continues until all ships have attacked, or had a chance to attack. Note that it is not compulsory for a ship to attack, even if it has a viable target. The player may simply nominate it and choose not to fire. However, he may not select it again within the same turn and choose to fire – he must make the decision to attack then and there, and not hold back!

End Phase

The End Phase is used to ‘tidy up’ the battlefield and make sure all players know what is happening. This is the time Damage Control and other book-keeping tasks are performed. Once the End Phase is complete, a new turn begins.

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Movement Phase The ability to manoeuvre a ship into a position of advantage is vital. By outwitting an opponent, a player will gain the chance to keep his ships at optimum range for their weaponry while keeping out of his opponents’ most dangerous fire arcs. Once it has been determined who has the initiative for the current turn (see last chapter), players take turns to move their ships. A ship may only be nominated to move once in every turn and every ship must be nominated. Players are not allowed to skip ships, even if it means they will have to move into a position of disadvantage!

Moving Ships

When nominated to move, every ship must be moved a distance in inches up to its Speed score. Unless the ship has had its Speed reduced to zero due to damage, it must move at least one inch. All movement must be in a forward straight line. Once a player’s ship is in motion, he will at some point want to change the direction of its movement. All ships have a Turning score, which rates how quickly they can turn. A ship may only turn once in each Movement Phase and it can only do so when it has moved at least half its Speed in a straight line. This means no ship can simply turn on the spot – warships are extremely heavy and despite having very powerful engines, inertia will carry them forward before their immense bulk can be redirected. At any point thereafter, a player may opt to turn either left or right (port or starboard to nautical types).

A ship is never required to turn the maximum number of points its Turning score allows – it can turn at any lesser rate as well. Ships may never be stacked on top of one another. A player may never end his movement ‘on top’ of another ship. Those are all the rules players will need to know in order to move ships and begin attacking with them. However, there are a range of Special Actions players can attempt instead of moving normally, from forcing an enemy ship to surrender to cranking up the engines in order to increase speed. See the Special Actions Chapter on page 11 for a list of these Special Actions.

Movement Phase

A player should place the Turning Counter next to his ship on the side he wishes to turn. He may then move the bow (front part) of his ship a number of ‘points’ equal to its Turning score. Obviously, the higher the Turning score of a ship, the more points it can turn to face and so the tighter it can turn.

Aircraft

Fleets with aircraft (such as fighters or torpedo bombers) operate in a slightly different initiative order. All ships are moved in initiative order as normal. Once the ships of all fleets involved in the battle have been moved, the player who won the initiative must then choose whether to move his Aircraft counters first or force his opponent to do so. Once this decision has been made, all counters of aircraft of the same type in a fleet are moved at the same time. The opposing fleet then does the same with its aircraft. This is done to reflect the relative freedom of movement aircraft have in battles involving huge warships and also keeps things quick and easy in battles featuring many aircraft. Further details on using aircraft can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter.

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Movement Phase

Figure 1: HMS Ajax is in a position to attack the battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

Figure 2: Ajax moves forward half her move (three and a half inches for a Leander class cruiser).

Figure 3: Using the Turning Counter Ajax then turns 2 points to line her up on a parallel course to the Scharnhorst.

Figure 4: The Ajax moves forward finishing her move and allowing her to unleash her full armament, including her torpedoes.

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Attack Phase Now that players have moved their ships, no doubt they will be wanting to unleash their raw firepower and reduce their opponent’s ships into sinking chunks of burning metal! From the torpedoes of fast attack boats to the immensely powerful main guns found on board the largest battleships ever to sail the oceans, there are dozens of different ways in which a player can destroy his enemy. As described on Page 4, players alternate firing their ships, calculating all damage and resolving its effects before moving on to another attacking ship. This, of course, can make gaining the initiative very important in some turns. Once a ship has been nominated to fire, the player follows this process: • • • •

Nominate targets for each weapon that will be fired Check ranges Resolve firing Resolve damage

Eligible Targets

For a target to be attacked successfully, two conditions must be met. First, it must lie in the appropriate fire arc of the weapon that will be firing at it, as shown on the attacking ship’s roster. Second, it must be within the range of the weapon, as also shown on the ship’s roster. A player must nominate a target for every weapon he intends to fire from his ship at the same time, before any attacks are made. In addition, all targets must be nominated before he checks whether they are indeed within the correct fire arc and within range – players are not allowed to check or pre-measure beforehand!

Unless a ship has rules to the contrary, a player may fire each weapon system once during every turn. Ships do not block the line of sight of other ships in Victory at Sea. It is assumed that ships will have enough time to manoeuvre sufficiently to get a clear shot.

Attack Phase

Players must always measure from the centre point of their ships to the centre point of their targets when checking for both range and whether a target lies in an appropriate fire arc. If players are using miniatures, pick a point common to all ships (such as the bridge) and use that as the centre point instead.

Firing

Each weapon listed on a ship’s roster has an Attack Dice (AD) score listed. This is the number of dice rolled every time the weapon is fired. When Attack Dice are rolled, the resulting number on each die is compared to the target’s Target score. For every Attack Die that equals or beats the Target score, a hit has been scored. However, each Attack Die will be modified as follows. Extreme Range (target is more than 30 inches away) –2 Long Range (target is more than 20 inches away) –1 Fast Moving Target (target moved more than 7 inches in the current turn) –1 Large Silhouette (target has its beam facing attacker) +1 A ‘1’ is always considered to be a miss. However, a natural ‘6’ is not always considered to be a hit. Once a player has scored an amount of hits on a target, it is time to see what damage he has caused. Every weapon has a Damage Dice (DD) score listed. This is the number of dice rolled for every Attack Die that successfully hit the target. When Damage Dice are rolled, the resulting number on each die is compared to the target’s Armour score. For every Damage Die that equals or beats the Armour score, one point of damage is deducted from the target’s Damage score. Any roll of six may also cause a critical hit. If a player rolls a six, he must immediately roll the die again. If he then rolls a four or higher, in addition to causing damage as normal, he will also have scored a critical hit! More details on critical hits are given below. A natural ‘6’ is always considered to cause damage, whereas a natural ‘1’ is always considered to simply bounce off the target’s armour.

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Long and Extreme Ranges

Weapons fired at ranges of greater than 20 inches have a penalty applied to their Attack Dice, as described above, as faraway targets away are far more difficult to hit. However, shells fired at these ranges do not travel in a straight line to their target – instead, they are fired upwards and travel in an arc to dive down upon their target. This usually means shells fired in this way do not strike the thick hull armour of a ship but tend to plough down towards its much weaker deck armour. Weapons fired at long or extreme ranges gain a +1 bonus to their Damage Dice.

Weapons

Attack Phase

There are several types of weapons used in Victory at Sea, though not all ships will possess all of them. Main Guns: These are the main turreted weapons that made battleships famous. They are noted in the ship descriptions as being mounted on turrets, though their actual names and types may vary. Main guns use the Fire Arc template in order to decide whether a target is in view. Secondary Weapons: These represent the multitude of smaller weaponry that ships commonly carry. They may be used to attack any target in range on any heading. Note that smaller ships may possess only secondary weapons and no main guns – while these smaller weapons may, technically, be the ship’s primary weapons, they are counted as secondary for the purposes of these rules. Anti-Aircraft Batteries: Also known as AA guns, these weapons are the only defence a ship has against aircraft. Anti-aircraft batteries may target any aircraft within range and fire at the start of the Attack Phase before players get a chance to do anything else. The use of these weapons is described in the Advanced Rules chapter. Torpedoes: Mounted mainly by submersibles and fast attack craft, as well as some aircraft, torpedoes are designed to attack ships below the waterline, where they are most vulnerable. Torpedoes are launched from the port or starboard of a vessel, or from the front if it is a submersible. Full details of torpedo use can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter. Depth Charges: The only weapons capable of attacking a submerged vessel, depth charges use the same fire arc as rear-mounted turret guns. Full details of their use can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter. Bombs: Carried by aircraft, some bombs are capable of smashing right through armoured decks to explode within a ship’s most vulnerable areas.

Splitting Fire

Only secondary and anti-aircraft weapons may split their fire. Such weapons with multiple AD are allowed to split their dice between different targets. This is done when targets are being nominated. The amount of AD allocated to each target must be declared before any firing takes place.

Damage

If a ship’s Crew score is reduced to zero, it is considered to be Abandoned. The ship may not move for the rest of the game. If a ship’s Damage score is reduced to zero, it is considered to be destroyed and sinking. It may be removed from the battlefield.

Crippled Ships and Skeleton Crews

Both Damage and Crew scores have secondary figures, as noted on each ship’s roster. For example, the HMS Warspite has Damage 34/11. This means that it can take 34 points of total Damage, but when it has been reduced to 11 points, a threshold has been reached.

Crippled

If the Damage score is brought to this threshold level, the ship is considered to be Crippled. Turning will be reduced to one point and Speed will be permanently reduced by half. In addition, the AD of the ship’s secondary and anti-aircraft weapons will be halved (rounded down). Roll a die for every main gun turret and every special trait the ship possesses. On a 4+ the turret or trait is destroyed. A Submersible that has become Crippled must rise to the surface in its next turn. It may not submerge again for the rest of the battle.

Skeleton Crew

If the Crew score is brought to this threshold level, the ship is considered to be running on Skeleton Crew. No Special Actions may be attempted and only one weapon system may be fired in each turn. In addition, the ship will suffer a –2 penalty to all Damage Control checks.

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Critical Hits

If a critical hit is scored, roll 2d6 on the table below to determine exactly what has been hit. 2d6 2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12

Critical Location Vital Systems Crew Engines Weapons Vital Systems

Once the location of a critical hit has been determined, roll on the appropriate table below. The special effects of critical hits are not cumulative but players should note each critical hit scored, as each must be repaired separately during Damage Control. For example, if a ship suffers both the Turbine Damaged and Props Damaged critical hits, its speed will drop by –2 (the effect of the props being damaged being more severe than that of the turbines). However, once the props are repaired, the ship will still suffer a –1 penalty to speed, as the turbines will still be damaged and thus still in effect. Critical hits often cause extra hits to Damage and Crew, as noted in their descriptions in the tables below.

Crew d6 1-2 3-4 5 6

Damage +0 +0 +2 +1d6

Crew +2 +3 +5 +2d6

Effect Fire starts 1d6 fires start — 1d6 fires start

Area Turbine Damaged Props Damaged Fuel Systems Ruptured Engines Disabled

Damage +1 +1 +2 +3

Crew +1 +1 +2 +3

Effect -1 Speed -2 Speed -3 Speed, fire starts Speed to zero, no Special Actions allowed, Target score drops by one

Engines d6 1-2 3-4 5 6

Attack Phase

Area Fire Multiple Fires Hull Breach Multiple Explosions

Weapons d6 1-2 3-4 5 6

Area Anti-Aircraft Weapons Damaged Secondary Weapons Damaged Turret Destroyed Magazine Explosion

Damage +1 +2 +3 +4

Crew +1 +0 +4 +6

Effect AA weapons lose -1 AD Secondary weapons lose -1 AD Random turret destroyed, fire starts No weapons can fire for 1d3 turns, 1D6 fires start

Damage +0 +2 +2 +3 +1d6 —

Crew +1 +1 +4 +4 +1d6 —

Effect No Special Actions permitted No turns are permitted No Damage Control permitted Each weapon system may only fire on a roll of 4+ 1d6 fires start Damage score to zero, ship sinks

Vital Systems d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Area Bridge Hit Rudder Engineering Fire Control Secondary Explosions Catastrophic Explosion

Note that Vital Systems and destroyed turrets cannot be repaired through Damage Control (see page 10 for details).

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End Phase Once all players have moved and attacked with all their ships, the End Phase is played out to complete the turn. The End Phase is used to complete any bookkeeping needed for special rules, as well as a to provide a vital chance for players to repair any damage their ships have sustained from critical hits.

Damage Control

During the End Phase, players can repair their ships through Damage Control. The player who won the initiative during the turn does this first, for all of his ships that have been damaged. Many critical hits have special effects that further debilitate a ship beyond the raw damage they cause. Weapons can be put out of commission, sections can be flooded and propellant fires from burning magazines can cause terrible harm. These special effects are the only things Damage Control can repair – it cannot be used to restore Damage or Crew points. A player may only attempt to repair one critical hit on each of his ships in a turn. To repair a critical hit by Damage Control, select one effect a ship is currently suffering from and roll 1d6, adding the ship’s Command score. On a roll of nine or more, the effect has been repaired and the ship can continue to operate normally. If less than nine is rolled, the effect persists until the End Phase of the next turn, when the player may try again to repair it. Critical hits to Vital Systems may never be repaired.

End Phase

Fire

Lethal in the enclosed environment of a warship, uncontrolled fires are capable of sweeping through decks rapidly, creating an inferno that is impossible to survive.

Certain critical hits will start fires in addition to other damage they cause. In each End Phase, roll 1d6 for each fire currently raging on a ship, adding the ship’s Command score. For every score of seven or more, one fire will be extinguished. For every fire a player fails to extinguish on a ship, he will lose two Crew. The fire will remain and the player will have another opportunity to extinguish it in the next End Phase.

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Special Actions Special Actions are a vital part of Victory at Sea, as they permit players and their ships to do some extraordinary things, much like many crews did in real life. Whether it is bracing for impact against inevitable attacks or attempting to evade torpedoes, Special Actions greatly increase the tactical options available for all players.

Performing Special Actions

When a ship is nominated to move, a player can also choose to perform a Special Action. Some of these are automatic, while some require a Command check for success. Each ship may only attempt one Special Action in every turn, though any number of ships may attempt them every turn. A Special Action must be chosen and attempted before the ship begins to move. A Command check is performed by rolling 1d6 and adding the ship’s Command score. If the total matches that listed in the Special Action’s description, the action is successful. If the check is failed, the ship moves as normal. The range of Special Actions that may be attempted are described below.

All Hands on Deck!

Command Check: Eight Effect: The captain orders the entire engineering section to alert. If successful, the ship gains +1 modifier when attempting Damage Control and can attempt to repair any number of critical hits in this End Phase.

Create Smoke!

Command Check: Automatic Effect: Burning oil, the ship begins to belch thick clouds of black smoke, cloaking the entire area. Place a Smoke Counter on the ship, with its leading edge on the centre point so it trails behind the vessel. No attacks that draw a line through this counter may be made at all except for ships equipped with Radar (see Radar in the Advanced Rules Chapter). The Smoke Counter is removed in the End Phase. This Special Action may not be performed in Bad Weather.

Special Actions

Come About!

Command Check: Nine Effect: Pushing the ship’s rudders to maximum deflection, the captain orders his ship to turn hard to gain a position of advantage. The ship adds +1 to its Turning score for this turn.

Evasive!

Command Check: Eight Effect: Turning hard, the ship tries to throw an attacker off-guard, causing weapons to miss simply by not being where it was predicted they would hit. If successful, all attacks (including those from aircraft and torpedoes) which hit the ship in this turn must be re-rolled. However, all attacks the evading ship makes which are successful must also be re-rolled.

Flank Speed!

Command Check: Automatic Effect: Straining the engines, the captain orders his crew to make best speed. The ship adds +50% to its Speed for this turn. All Attack Dice of weapons fired from this ship suffer a –1 penalty.

Rig for Silent Running!

Command Check: Nine Effect: In an effort to avoid detection, the captain of the submersible orders his engines to be throttled right back and all other systems made silent. Vessels attempting to detect the submersible suffer a –1 penalty for this turn. The submersible may only move a maximum of half its full Speed and may not make any attacks.

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Special Traits In Victory at Sea, Special Traits are applied to both ships and weapons. Special Traits are special abilities that in some way alter the core rules of the game. For example, an Agile ship will prove very nimble at sea, able to literally run rings around clumsier vessels. In the same way, there are weapons that are exceptionally powerful compared to others and those that are markedly less effective.

Special Ships

Special Traits

Ships with Special Traits can affect the game in all kinds of ways, including movement, firing and the ability to resist damage, as well as wholly new effects that can take place outside of normal combat. Special Traits are one of the ways that vessels from different fleets distanced themselves in the ongoing technological race throughout the Second World War.

Agile: Some ships are very manoeuvrable, either by virtue of speed and size or advanced rudder systems. An Agile ship may turn twice during its movement. The first turn must take place once the ship has moved half of its Speed in a straight line. The second turn must take place at the end of the ship’s movement once the ship has moved its full Speed. Aircraft X: Though not proper carriers in the true sense, many ships carry a small number of aircraft that are launched from short catapults or slings, to be used as observation and reconnaissance craft. These observation aircraft are detailed in the Advanced Rules chapter. Armoured Deck: The ship has reinforced armour lining its deck. Attackers firing upon this ship do not get the +1 bonus to their Damage Dice at long and extreme ranges. In addition, aircraft dropping bombs on the ship suffer a –1 penalty to their Damage Dice. Carrier: The ship is an aircraft carrier and serves as a mobile airbase. It may launch or collect two flights per turn so long as it does not perform any Special Actions. See the Advanced Rules chapter for more details. Radar: The ship is fitted with a surface radar system that allows it to operate effectively at long ranges and at night. See the advanced rules for the use of radar. Silent: This submersible is exceptionally quiet, making it hard for surface ships to detect. A roll of five is required to locate this vessel while submerged, rather than a four. Sub-Hunter: A few ships have upgraded ASDIC/sonar systems that allow them to hunt submersibles with great effect. The ship gains a +1 bonus when attempting to detect a Submersible. The ship may also engage in Long-Ranged Detection (see page 17). Submersible: Submersibles have the ability to render themselves all but invisible to their enemies when submerged. A ship with this trait may use the Submersible rules detailed in the Advanced Rules chapter. Torpedo Belt: A thick reinforced layer of armour, often supplemented with sections of gas or water, lays beneath the waterline of this ship. This layer is capable of minimising the effects of a torpedo hit. Any Damage Dice from a torpedo that affects this ship may be re-rolled, at the discretion of the player who’s ship has been hit.

Special Weapons

The Special Traits used for weapon systems typically revolve around the capabilities of the weapon itself and what it can do in battle. Some weapons are made vastly more superior by these traits, while others have their effectiveness reduced. AP: These armour-piercing weapons are adept at blasting through the thick armoured hulls of warships to do great damage to the decks below. Add +1 to the rolls of all Damage Dice made for these weapons. One-Shot: This trait normally is only possessed by weapons carried on aircraft. Ammunition or payload is limited for these weapons and so once they are used, they may not be used again for the rest of the game. Slow-Loading: Some weapons take an inordinate amount of time reload. These weapons may only fire every other turn. Super AP: Among the most powerful weapons found in Victory at Sea, these will literally shred the armour of warships. Add +2 to the rolls of all Damage Dice made for these weapons. Twin-Linked: These weapons are mounted in pairs or even quads, concentrating the available firepower. The hail of fire these weapon systems can unleash is awesome to behold and very difficult to avoid. Any Attack Dice for these weapons that do not successfully strike their target may be re-rolled. Weak: Due to small shell size or design, some weapons are simply not as powerful as others. All Damage Dice rolled for these weapons suffer a –1 penalty and cannot cause critical hits.

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Advanced Rules Once players have got the rules in the previous chapters under their belts, it is time to expand for them to expand their games to include the advanced rules in this chapter. These rules will add a lot more depth to Victory at Sea and allow players to simulate the full range of Second World War engagements on their tabletops.

Aircraft

The appearance of aircraft changed the face of warfare forever and nowhere was this more true than at sea. With an aircraft carrier, a fleet gained the ability to strike at targets hundreds of miles away with relative impunity. Despite the advance of anti-aircraft weaponry and the presence of defending fighters, aircraft spelled the doom of the battleship. A fleet may have supporting aircraft directed to its position from land-based airfields, or it may possess its own aircraft carrier. If any flights of aircraft are bought individually from the fleet lists (that is, they did not come free with an aircraft carrier), they are considered to be land-based for the purposes of these rules, though they could also conceivably have been launched from another aircraft carrier far from the battle. In theory, an entire ‘fleet’ could compose of nothing but aircraft (and battles of this nature certainly took place in the Second World War). Each scenario in this book will detail whether players can use land-based aircraft and also how many aircraft carriers present may have in the air at the start of the game. All aircraft used from land-based airfields will, of course, start the game in the air. An aircraft carrier may always start the game with at least one flight in the air, regardless of the scenario rules. These flights may be placed anywhere in the deployment zone.

Aircraft Flights

The player who wins the Initiative chooses who moves a ship first. Players alternate in moving all ships. The player who wins the initiative chooses who moves his aircraft first. The player chosen moves all flights of the Fighter type. His opponent(s) move(s) all flights of the Fighter type. The first player moves all other flights. His opponent(s) move(s) all other flights.

Advanced Rules

An aircraft’s flight is represented by an Aircraft counter of the appropriate type. As described in the Movement Phase chapter, all flights in a fleet are moved at the same time, after all ships on the table have been moved, as shown below.

A flight can move in any direction, taking as many turns as it wishes, reflecting the relative manoeuvrability even the slowest bomber has compared to a surface-bound ship. Ships with the Carrier trait may launch or recover two flights every turn, as long as the ship is not crippled. For this to happen, the ship must move in a straight line without turning and may not choose any Special Actions. The two flight counter models are placed in the forward arc of the ship, touching the ship counter or model. The flight can be moved later in the same turn, when all other flights of the same type are moved.

Aircraft Types Many types of aircraft were used at sea in the Second World War, but the following types are used in Victory at Sea. Fighter: Dedicated to gaining air superiority by annihilating an enemy’s air force, fighters are tasked with defending the fleet. They may be capable of carrying bomb loads, but these will be too small to have much effect in Victory at Sea and so are ignored. Bomber: Covering a multitude of aircraft from attack planes to full-blown heavy bombers, these aircraft pose a great threat to any fleet. Dive-Bomber: First fully exploited by the Luftwaffe but quickly finding favour across the world, dive-bombers use speed and height to gain phenomenal accuracy as well as impart enough kinetic energy to their bombs so they are capable of piercing armoured decks. Torpedo-Bomber: Perfected by submersibles, it was inevitable that these destructive weapons would also be mounted on aircraft. However, the technology of the Second World War had trouble catching up to the task and air-launched torpedo attacks were notoriously difficult to use effectively.

Attacking with Aircraft Only aircraft armed with bombs or torpedoes may attack ships. Rules for using torpedo-bombers can be found later in this chapter. Only three flights (of any type) may attack a single ship in the same turn. All attacks made by aircraft, be it by bomb, torpedo or dogfighting (see below) are made at the same time in a turn. A player may nominate all his aircraft to attack instead of a ship at any point in the Attack Phase.

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Advanced Rules

Figure 1: Three flights of Japanese aircraft encounter an American picket, a Clemson class destroyer with two flights of P-39s on Combat Air Patrol. The destroyer has already moved.

Figure 2: The Japanese player has initiative so moves his flight of Zero fighters into contact with one of the American fighters, engaging it in a dogfight.

Figure 3: The American player can now only move his second flight of fighters and does so, choosing to attack one of the dive bomber flights.

Figure 4: With only one of the Kate dive bomber flights being able to be moved the Japanese player uses it to attack the American destroyer, placing it adjacent to the ship’s counter. Now that every aircraft flight has been moved all combat (both dogfights and the dive bomber attack on the destroyer) will be resolved simultaneously.

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To use bombs, an Aircraft counter must be moved into contact with the target ship. Roll Attack and Damage Dice as normal to resolve the attack. The usual modifiers to Attack Dice are not used for aircraft. Instead, if an aircraft is noted as being a bomber, a -1 penalty is applied to its Attack Dice, representing the inherent inaccuracy of such attacks. Dive-bombers, while avoiding this penalty, are much easier for antiaircraft fire to track and so any anti-aircraft attack made against a dive-bombing aircraft attacking a ship in the same turn gains a +1 bonus to its Attack Dice.

Shooting Down Aircraft Aircraft may only be attacked with AA weapons or in dogfights with other aircraft. If a flight is hit by an AA weapon, it may try to dodge the attack by rolling one die equal or greater than its Dodge score for each hit. If successful, the attack is completely ignored. Aircraft have far less armour than ships, however, and so any successful hit will automatically remove a point of Damage from a flight. Most ships have some form of defence against aircraft in the form of AA weaponry, as listed on their rosters. If enemy aircraft are in range, a ship’s AA weapons are fired automatically at the beginning of the Attack Phase before anything else happens. This happens outside of the normal turn sequence because the ship’s crew are expecting battle and aircraft will rarely have an easy time trying to attack a ship. AA weapons may freely split their fire among multiple targets if necessary, but they may never fire into a dogfight.

Dogfighting Once one Aircraft counter moves into contact with another, they are said to be dogfighting. Neither may move until its enemy has been destroyed and it is no longer in contact with an enemy. Every flight in contact with an enemy flight must engage in dogfighting. Both players roll one die each and add their flights’ Dogfight scores. The winner of this roll deducts a point of Damage from the enemy flight.

Observation Aircraft Ships often carried small numbers of observation and reconnaissance aircraft to effectively extend their eyes and ears over an ocean. Any vessel with the Aircraft X trait will carry a number of aircraft indicated in its roster. These observation aircraft are launched in the same way as described on page 13 but cannot be recovered during a battle – the process takes too long, as the plane either lands on floats next to its parent ship or else ditches in the sea and has to be winched back on board.

Advanced Rules

If the dogfighting roll is a draw or if the enemy survives the attack, both flights are left in place. They are locked in the dogfight and may not move next turn. A flight that is dogfighting may not drop bombs or torpedoes.

Observation aircraft provide a +1 bonus to the Attack Dice of the ship’s main guns so long as it is within 6 inches of the target being attacked. This bonus only applies to the ship that launches the observation aircraft and the effects of multiple observation aircraft do not stack. In addition, a fleet with at least one observation aircraft in the air at the start of a turn will gain a +1 bonus to Initiative. While there were many different types of aircraft used in this capacity, many were very similar and as they represent just one aircraft instead of an entire flight, all observation aircraft in Victory at Sea use the following profile. No weapons are carried. Type: Special Speed: Seven inches Target: 5+

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: Will be destroyed automatically in a dogfight. Damage: One

In Service: All periods.

Bad Weather

Churning seas, heavy rain and high winds will all cause a problem for warships, greatly reducing their ability to fight effectively. Many admirals have lamented not having control of the weather. In Victory at Sea, weather is defined as either Good or Bad. Up to now, the rules assume players will be fighting in Good Weather. However, if a scenario calls for Bad Weather, the following changes are made. All attacks made by both ships and aircraft suffer a –1 penalty to hit, in addition to other modifiers. A –1 penalty is also applied to all Command checks. Submarines are additionally affected by bad weather if they are on the surface, they will be unable to fire any weaponry other than their torpedoes as they were very unstable firing platforms. In addition, Bad Weather affects visibility, giving rise to the possibility that a ship will not spot an enemy until it is too late. Ships at extreme range may not be attacked at all in Bad Weather. Those at long range must be Spotted before they can be attacked.

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Once an enemy ship is within long range of a friendly vessel, make a Command Check (as described on page 11) with a target number of eight. Success means the enemy ship has been spotted and may be attacked normally by any friendly ship within long range, as its location will be communicated to allies. Once a ship has been spotted, it will remain so until it moves to extreme range once more. Ships that fire turret guns will automatically be spotted.

Command

By default, all ships are considered to have Military-Grade crew (Command 4) on board. However, players may like to try variant Command scores in order to reflect a force of green recruits being thrown into the fire of war, or a ship of battle-hardened veterans able to take on several other vessels with ease. Variant Command scores are used most often in campaign games but are summarised below. Crew Elite Veteran Military-Grade Conscript Green

Crew Quality Score 6 5 4 3 2

Multiplayer Games

When players begin creating their own scenarios, it may cross their minds to have more than one fleet present in the same battle. Perhaps the Royal Navy, Italian Navy and Kriegsmarine are all fighting over the same Mediterranean island. Maybe the Kriegsmarine decided to aid the Japanese against an American attack. Whatever the reason, players may find it exciting to try a game with three or more players.

Advanced Rules

In order to introduce additional players, very few changes are required to the standard rules. During the Initiative Phase, players roll for initiative as normal, re-rolling any ties. Play can then begin in this order, with multiple players simply taking their turns. For example, suppose in an Initiative Phase the US Navy player scored seven for initiative, the Kriegsmarine player six and the Royal Navy player nine. The Royal Navy player has the choice of whether to move first or wait his turn. If he declines the first move, the same choice is presented to the US Navy player. If he too declines the first move, the Kriegsmarine player will be forced to move first, followed by the US Navy and finally the Royal Navy. Each moves one ship after the other, before it is the Kriegsmarine player’s turn to nominate another ship to move. Play continues in this pattern. In the example above, the Royal Navy player would nominate a ship to attack first, and the US Navy player and the Kriegsmarine would do the same before the Royal Navy player would get to choose a second ship to attack. Players will find it much easier to create multiplayer scenarios if they either have very strongly defined objectives for each fleet or if fleets are allied into two separate forces, with the fleets on each side pursuing the same objective. In this way, players will avoid the natural inclination to instantly ’gang up’ on a single fleet and thus remove it from the game quickly.

Night Battles

The time and place of a battle is not always suited to an admiral’s best wishes and many duels at sea have taken place at night. Far from land, it can be difficult to appreciate just how dark the night at sea is or the effect of darkness on battles. If a scenario is set at night, the following changes are made: All attacks made by both ships and aircraft suffer a –1 penalty to hit, in addition to other modifiers, such as for range and Bad Weather. In addition, ships at extreme and long ranges may not be attacked at all at night. Those at closer ranges must be Spotted before they can be attacked. Once an enemy ship is within 20 inches or less of a friendly vessel, make a Command Check (as described on page 11) with a target number of eight. Success means the enemy ship has been spotted and may be attacked normally by any friendly ship within 20 inches, as its location will be communicated to allies. Once a ship has been spotted, it will remain so until it moves more than 20 inches away. Ships that fire turret guns will automatically be spotted.

Radar

A new development for World War II, the use of radar quickly spread to the sea where it was used to locate enemy ships at great ranges and direct the fire of turret guns, enhancing their accuracy. Radar also made fighting battles at night or in bad weather a little easier. A ship with the Radar trait will detect any enemy ship placed on the table on a roll of three or more. Once detected, an enemy ship will remain so.

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If an enemy ship has been detected by radar, the ship that detected it may launch attacks against it at any range up to its normal maximum, regardless of visibility conditions for Smoke, Bad Weather or Night. If an enemy has been detected by radar in Good Weather and during the day, the penalty for attacking it at long ranges is ignored, while the penalty for attacking it at extreme ranges is reduced to –1. A ship that is detected at Night or during Bad Weather will automatically be spotted by the ship that detected it as soon as it moves into spotting range. Note that a ship that detects an enemy ship with radar may not pass this information along to other ships to allow them to fire at it – all ships must detect the enemy for themselves before they may attack.

Squadrons

In larger fleet engagements, admirals will often place several ships together in the same squadron in order to concentrate firepower and allow tactical objectives to be decided with greater speed. Players may also find combining ships into squadrons a good way of playing huge battles involving dozens of vessels. If squadrons are used, players must organise any ships into them before a scenario begins. Up to six ships may be placed in a squadron, though they need not all be of the same type. However, as players will quickly find, some ships complement each other better than others, so be prepared to experiment! Once ships have been placed into a squadron, they must always remain within four inches of at least one other ship in the squadron, unless they become Crippled or are destroyed. If either of these events happen, the ship automatically drops out of the squadron and is treated as a single ship. Players may also choose to split the squadron apart at any time, simply by moving the ships independently instead of as a whole squadron.

While in a squadron, all ships are moved and fire at the same time. In effect, a player nominates the entire squadron to move or fire, rather than just one ship. Players are under no restrictions to use the same Special Orders or target the same enemy ships with the entire squadron – the only requirement is that all ships are kept within four inches of each other at all times and make every effort to maintain this formation if they are ever split up. By the same token, enemy ships will still choose one ship as a target for their weapons, rather than selecting the squadron as a whole.

Submersibles

Scenarios

Ships use the highest Command score of all ships within the squadron for all purposes. It is assumed the highest ranking commanding officer will be issuing all sorts of orders and ‘suggestions’ to his lesser captains in an effort to make the squadron operate as efficiently as possible.

Submarines began to affect the way fleets were deployed during the First World War, but it was during the Second World War that they truly came into their own. From midget submarines to the roving Wolf Packs of the Atlantic, the proliferation of submersibles served to bring an end to the dominance of the battleship as much as did the widespread use of aircraft. Submersibles require some new rules to properly reflect their role on the oceans of the Second World War. All vessels capable of using these rules will have the Submersible trait, as described on page 12.

Deployment Submersibles may be deployed as normal with the rest of a fleet, but players may find it more advantageous not to. Instead, divide the table up into squares of 24 x 24 inches. Secretly record which square each submersible is within (any number of submersibles may be placed in one square). A player may reveal a submersible at the start of any Movement Phase, placing it anywhere he wishes within its square. He may not take any action with the submersible until it is revealed.

Movement Phase Once a submersible has been revealed, the player may decided whether each submersible in his fleet is submerged or on the surface. Players will quickly find that submersibles on the surface of the ocean usually move much quicker and can use any weapon they possess but those submerged are far harder for surface vessels and aircraft to attack. Before a player moves a submersible, he may choose to either bring a submerged vessel to the surface or push a surfaced vessel beneath the waves. A submersible performing either of these actions may not attack or choose any Special Actions during the same turn. Submersibles have two Speed scores. The first is used while the vessel is travelling on the surface, the second while it is submerged. Place a Submerged counter next to any submersible beneath the waves as a reminder of its position.

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Attack Phase While a submersible is on the surface, it is treated as a normal ship in all respects. While submerged, a submersible may only attack using its torpedoes. However, other ships may only attack it with depth charges and then only once the submersible has been detected. In order to detect a submerged submersible, a ship must be within eight inches of it. A single die is rolled before the ship declares its attacks. If the die rolls a four or higher, the submersible has been successfully detected and any friendly ship with depth charges may attack it freely. Players may place a Detected counter next to the submerged vessel as a reminder, though this must be removed during the End Phase – players will have to detect the submersible once more in order to attack it next turn.

Depth Charges The only weapon that may be used to attack a submerged vessel is the depth charge. By the same token, a depth charge may only be used to attack a submerged vessel. Depth charges use the same fire arc as a ship’s rear main guns but, as will become apparent, their range is much shorter. Attacks are performed in the same way as for any other weapon but Attack Dice are never modified by any bonuses or penalties.

Long-Ranged Detection Ships with the Sub-Hunter trait may try to detect any submersibles that have not yet been revealed. Whenever a Sub-Hunter ship moves into a new square on the table, roll a die. On a six, all submersibles within that square will automatically be revealed. The submersible player will place the submersible anywhere within the square as normal.

Crash Dive A submersible can try to fill its ballast tanks quickly if an enemy approaches, in an effort to hide under the waves. If an enemy ship or aircraft approaches within 10 inches of a submersible while it is on the surface, it may try to crash dive. Make a Command check with a target score of nine – if it is successful, the submersible immediately submerges.

Scenarios

Tactical Withdrawals

Any ship may choose to retreat from the battleground by simply moving off a table edge. By doing so, the ship escapes safely but the opposing player will receive one quarter of its normal Victory Points at the end of the game. Note that some scenarios may have restrictions on which table edges may be exited safely. If one of these edges is not chosen, the ship that goes over it will count as destroyed and thus give up it full Victory Points.

Torpedoes

Used as unguided underwater missiles, torpedoes are unusual weapons in that they are fired in salvoes and operate a little differently from other attacks. However, their effects upon a ship can be devastating. A torpedo attack is declared in the same way as any other. When a torpedo attack is made, place a Torpedo Spread counter in contact with a single target vessel that is within 10 inches and in the attacker’s torpedo arc, as appropriate. The counter should be placed along the target’s beam (against the side of the ship) only if the vessel making the torpedo attack would normally be making beam attacks against it. In the End Phase, roll Attack Dice for the torpedo spread. These Attack Dice do not use the normal modifiers detailed on page 7. Instead, a +1 bonus is granted if the Torpedo Spread counter is placed on the target’s beam. Damage Dice are then rolled as normal and the effects of the hit are worked out accordingly.

Air-Launched Torpedoes Aircraft noted as being Torpedo Bombers use torpedoes in the same way as described above. However, using torpedoes from the air is notoriously difficult. The torpedo will only have a range of four inches. In addition, aircraft intending to make a torpedo attack must declare this after they have moved. AA weapons attacking an aircraft that is using air-launched torpedoes will gain a +1 bonus to their Attack Dice.

Critical Hits If a torpedo attack scores a successful critical hit, the attacking player may choose to re-roll one of the 2d6 rolled to determine what has been affected.

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Scenarios Rarely do two fleets happen to meet on the ocean and begin taking pot shots at one another. More likely, each will have its own tactical or strategic objective to meet, handed down from its High Command. Fighting a battle in Victory at Sea is about far more than simply annihilating the enemy. Players have to be cunning, cautious and able to keep their own objectives in mind even as the enemy accomplishes his.

Using Scenarios

These objectives are represented in the game by playing scenarios. Each scenario detailed over the next few pages provides a comprehensive list of objectives that each player must meet in order to claim victory. Whether it is an initial clash of patrols at the start of a war or a desperate attack on a convoy, players will have to think carefully about which ships they will use and how they will manoeuvre them to gain victory.

Players may simply agree to play any selected scenario listed in this book, or they may roll for one randomly on the table below. It is suggested that first time players try the Victory at Sea scenario. This is designed to get players fighting as quickly as possible with balanced forces that use as many or as few advanced rules as players wish. Players generally have five Fleet Allocation Points with which to choose their forces (though some scenarios may offer one side fewer points, or restrict one or both sides in how these are spent). The use of Fleet Allocation Points is described in detail on page 45. The Priority Level of a particular scenario is either determined randomly (see page 40) or can simply be chosen and agreed upon by all players. Each scenario has a number of entries that describe how players should approach it. These entries are covered below.

Scenarios

Fleets: Some scenarios may impose limitations on one or both fleets in a battle. For example, one scenario may require that fleets have a certain Fleet Allocation Points value, while another may require a player to take certain types of ships. Pre-Battle Preparation: This entry covers everything players need to do before play begins, including how to set up the battlefield and where fleets should be deployed. All scenarios in this book assume the game will be conducted on a standard six by four foot table. Aircraft: Defines what role aircraft can play in battle. Conditions: Lists whether the battle uses the Bad Weather or Night Battle rules. Scenario Rules: Defines some very special scenarios that may have unique rules not covered elsewhere in these rules. Game Length: Specifies game length. While most games will continue until one side gains victory, some scenarios have strict time limits. Victory and Defeat: Lists the conditions required for players to win the scenario.

Victory Points

Many scenarios use Victory Points in order to determine who has won. Victory Points can be earned in many ways specific to each scenario but, unless otherwise stated, they are always gained for damaging an opposing fleet. Specifically, Victory Points (VP) are earned for the following.

Destroying an enemy ship: Gain VP equal to the value shown on the Victory Point Table For each enemy ship that executes a Tactical Withdrawal: Gain VP equal to one quarter of the ship’s value on the Victory Point Table, rounding up For each enemy ship that is Crippled or reduced to a Skeleton Crew: Gain VP equal to half of the ship’s value on the Victory Points table, rounding up Note that a player can only gain VP from an enemy ship once. If a player reduces an enemy ship to a Skeleton Crew and then Cripple it, he will gain half VP once, not twice.

Attacking and Defending

Many scenarios require the players to decide who is the attacker and who is the defender. If players do not want to decide between themselves who is who, they should roll one die each, re-rolling ties. The highest scoring player will be the attacker. Scenario Type 1d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Scenario At All Costs Blockade Carrier Clash Convoy Duty Supply Ships Victory at Sea

Victory Points Difference in Priority Level of Ship and Scenario Ship is same Priority Level as scenario Ship is one Priority Level higher than scenario Ship is two Priority Levels higher than scenario Ship is one Priority Level lower than scenario Ship is two Priority Levels lower than scenario Ship is three Priority Levels lower than scenario Ship is four Priority Levels lower than scenario

Victory Points 16 25 50 8 4 2 1

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At All Costs For those safe in the headquarters of High Command, wars at sea are slow, studied affairs, a far cry from the terror and unleashing of mighty guns that make up the typical battle. There have been times in history, however, when the raw emotion of the fight has worked its way up to the highest levels. During these times of total war, it is not enough that a strategically important objective be taken. Nothing less than the total and utter destruction of the enemy will do, to wipe their fleets from the map and annihilate their ports with mass bombing. Fleets: Players are free to decide on a points value for the battle and choose their fleets freely. Roll one die – on a roll of a four or more, land-based aircraft may be used by either fleet. Pre-Battle Preparation: Roll for Initiative as normal – the losing fleet will be forced to set up first. The fleets are deployed anywhere in their own deployment zones as shown on the scenario map. Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to half their flights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may be used as normal. Conditions: Roll a die. On a five or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the battle takes place using the Night Battle rules. Scenario Rules: None Game Length: The game continues until the victory conditions have been met

Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: For the fleets involved in this battle, damage sustained by their own ships is of little importance so long as the enemy suffers more. This battle will continue until all ships on one side have been destroyed. The winner is the fleet with at least one ship remaining on the table.

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Blockade Rather than take the time and trouble to bring the enemy to battle, a large fleet will often simply blockade a port or other strategically important target. Forcing the enemy to run through this blockade, the fleet will have the chance of destroying its enemy piecemeal. For their part, the blockade runners have the chance of defeating the blockade and making their way through without engaging the larger fleet in a full-scale battle. Fleets: The attacking player (blockader) has five Fleet Allocation Points but may not use land-based aircraft. The defender (blockade runner) has two Fleet Allocation Points of which no more than one point may be used on land-based aircraft. Pre-Battle Preparation: The blockader deploys his fleet first. For every ship or squadron he places, he must go through the following system: He places the ship anywhere on his left hand short table edge, up to 24 inches away from his long table edge. He then rolls one die and multiplies the result by 12 inches. The ship must be moved to the right this many inches. He may deploy the ship anywhere within six inches of this final position. This must be done for all ships and squadrons and, when complete, all ships must be facing in the same direction. The blockade runner will move all his ships and aircraft from anywhere along the opposite long table edge in the first turn. Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to two of their flights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may be used as normal. Conditions: Roll a die. On a five or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the battle takes place using the Night Battle rules. Scenario Rules: The blockade runner has one ‘free’ turn at the beginning of the battle. In effect, he may move and attack with his ships normally but the blockading fleet may do nothing – its ships may not move, fire, take Special Actions or perform Damage Control. They must simply take any damage dealt during this turn. After this first turn, initiative is rolled normally.

Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins. The blockading player scores Victory Points normally. The blockade runner player only scores Victory Points for moving ships off the blockader’s long table edge. He gains the full point value of every ship moved off the table in this way, regardless of its condition. The blockader’s long table edge and the two short table edges are considered to belong to the blockader for the purposes of tactical withdrawal. The opposite long table edge is considered to belong to the blockade runner.

Scenarios

Game Length: The game continues until the blockade runner has either been destroyed or has left the table

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Carrier Clash Costing millions of dollars, aircraft carriers became some of the most valued components in a fleet during the Second World War. Forming carrier groups with several escorting vessels, their captains were expected to be able to win entire battles by themselves. To become the captain of a carrier is to gain a position of immeasurable trust and responsibility and only the most tactically astute can ever hope to be rewarded in this way. When two carrier groups meet in battle, observers will be treated to some of the most exciting action possible in naval combat. Fleets: Players have five Fleet Allocation Points. Both fleets must have at least one aircraft carrier as defined in the fleet lists. All other ships in the fleet must be of equal or lower Priority Level than the scenario. Neither fleet may use land-based aircraft. Pre-Battle Preparation: Roll for Initiative as normal – the losing fleet will be forced to set up first. The fleets are deployed anywhere in their own deployment zones as shown on the scenario map. Aircraft: Carriers may start with all of their flights in the air at the start of the game. Conditions: Roll a dice. On a five or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Scenario Rules: None Game Length: 10 turns

Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins. The short table edges are considered to belong to the player who has his deployment zone there for the purposes of tactical withdrawal. The long table edges are considered to be neutral.

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Convoy Duty These two words can often fill a captain with dread, for he is likely to look forward to nothing more than days or even weeks of mind-numbing boredom, shepherding a group of slow moving merchantmen across the ocean. However, civilian ships are vital during war time, for they are used to carry supplies, weapons and even troops between battle zones, and their safe arrival may be imperative to the overall effort. Fleets: The defending player has five Fleet Allocation Points. In a Priority Level: Patrol game, he will also have four civilian ship points chosen from the Civilian Shipping chapter. For every increase in Priority Level above Patrol, he receives another four civilian ship points. A Priority Level: War fleet would therefore have 20 civilian ship points in the convoy. The attacker has three Fleet Allocation Points. Neither fleet may use land-based aircraft. Pre-Battle Preparation: The defending fleet is placed in the deployment area marked on the map. The attacker does not start on the table. Instead, he may move his ships on from either long table edge during any turn he chooses. He is not required to move all his ships on from the same table edge, nor is he required to move them all on in the same turn. Both fleets may start the game with no more than four aircraft counters in the air. Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to two of their flights in the air at the start of the game. Conditions: Roll a die. On a five or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the battle takes place using the Night Battle rules. Scenario Rules: None Game Length: The game continues until all the civilian convoy ships have either been destroyed or have left the table.

DEFENDER’S EXIT EDGE

Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points in order to determine who wins. However, the attacker will gain a five point bonus for every civilian ship point he manages to completely destroy. The defender gains a five point bonus for every civilian ship point he manages to move off the exit edge marked on the map. For the purposes of tactical withdrawal, the short edges are considered to belong to the defender while the long table edges belong to the attacker.

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Supply Ships Supplies and logistics win wars, not superior tactics and firepower, as anyone in High Command knows. The protection of supply ships is therefore of the utmost importance in any war and the destruction of an entire supply fleet is considered a great coup. Fleets: Players have five Fleet Allocation Points and choose their fleets freely. In a Priority Level: Patrol game, the defender will also choose five civilian ship points from the Civilian Shipping chapter. For every increase in Priority Level above Patrol, he receives another five civilian ship points. A Priority Level: War fleet would therefore have 25 civilian ship points. The attacker has three Fleet Allocation Points. The defending fleet may use land-based aircraft; the attacker may not. Pre-Battle Preparation: The defending player deploys his entire fleet. The attacker then deploys his entire fleet in the surrounding area. Aircraft: Carriers in the attacker’s fleet may start with all of their flights in the air at the start of the game. Carriers in the defending fleet may start with only one of their flights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may be used as normal. Conditions: Roll a die. On a five or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the battle takes place using the Night Battle rules. Scenario Rules: None

Scenarios

Game Length: 10 turns. Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins. The attacking player gains a five point bonus for every civilian ship point he destroys. The defending player gains a five point bonus for every civilian ship point that survives the battle. If the civilian ships make a tactical withdrawal, they are considered to be destroyed with regards to Victory Points – if the attacker manages to force the ships out of the area, he will have done a great deal of damage to the defending player’s logistics in that region of the globe.

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Victory at Sea Every war has its first shots fired. At sea, this often happens when two fleets have been put on high alert and hostilities are expected. Many patrols are sent out to gain intelligence on the enemy and when two opposing patrols meet, though neither are likely to ask questions. The war begins with the small clash of these patrolling ships. Fleets: Both players have five Fleet Allocation Points and choose their fleets freely. However, players might like to experiment with far larger or smaller forces in this ‘general battle’ scenario. Land-based aircraft may be used. Pre-Battle Preparation: Roll for Initiative – the losing fleet will be forced to set up first. The fleets are deployed anywhere in their own deployment zones as shown on the scenario map. Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to half their flights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may be used as normal. Scenario Rules: None Game Length: 10 turns Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins.

Scenarios

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Historical Scenarios Once players have played a few of the scenarios in the previous chapter, perhaps matching up enemies that never met in real life, they will be dying to try the historical scenarios presented here. These will give players a chance to fight in some of the most famous naval battles in history and perhaps prove that they could have been better captains or admirals! From early battles such as that which took place at the River Plate to later engagements like Leyte Gulf which sealed the fate of whole nations, players can take part in these engagements and gain a small measure of appreciation of the tactics and capabilities of the navies involved.

Historical Scenarios

Each of the scenarios presented here is laid out in much the same way as those of the previous chapters. The main changes are that players will have set fleets of specific ships and, often, will start in set positions on the battlefield. However, once players have played through an historical scenario they may choose to alter it slightly and play out a number of ‘what-if ’ scenarios. For example, players might like to play around with the Sink the Bismarck scenario. How would things have changed if the Royal Navy had different ships at its disposal? How would the Kriegsmarine have fared if the Scharnhorst had been present instead of the Bismarck? Or, in a really fanciful scenario, how would the Yamato have performed were it in the Bismarck’s position? There are many different possibilities to be played out, even if they could never have really happened in history. At the end of the day, the whole point of playing Victory at Sea is to have fun!

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Battle of the River Plate The first major naval engagement of the war, the Admiral Graf Spee had been successfully raiding merchant ships in the South Atlantic but the Royal Navy’s South American Division was closing in. On December 13th, 1939, three British cruisers engaged the pocket battleship – on paper, they were hopelessly outgunned. However, the German captain, Langsdorff, came to believe there was a far greater British force close by and ran for port at Montevideo. Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with one Deutschland-class pocket battleship (the Admiral Graf Spee). The Royal Navy player begins with two Leander-class cruisers (HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles) and one York-class (HMS Exeter). Pre-Battle Preparation: The two fleets are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. The Admiral Graf Spee is placed in the centre of the table, 24 inches away from the nearest short edge. The Ajax and Achilles are placed within 18 inches of one long table edge and the Exeter is placed within 18 inches of the other long table edge. No Royal Navy ship may be placed more than six inches from the nearest short edge. Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy may use aircraft in this scenario, but the Kriegsmarine may not. Game Length: the game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Alternatively, the game ends when the Admiral Graf Spee leaves the table from the opposite short edge from which it started, as shown on the map. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other or force a tactical withdrawal, it will gain victory. If the Admiral Graf Spee leaves the table from the opposite short table edge, victory will go to the fleet that caused the most points of total Damage to the other fleet’s ships.

Historical Scenarios

Historical Note: The Graf Spee managed to escape the British cruisers and reached Montevideo. Both the Exeter and the Ajax were heavily damaged but Langsdorff, told that he must leave the neutral port, scuttled his ship rather than face inevitable destruction against a superior enemy he mistakenly believed awaited him at sea.

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Battle of the Denmark Strait In May of 1941, the Bismarck and the escorting Prinz Eugen finally broke out into the Atlantic and were free to begin their commerce raiding cruise. Just two ships of the Royal Navy stood in their way. The resulting battle would prove to be disastrous to the Royal Navy and lead to one of the most greatest confrontations at sea the world had seen. Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with one Bismarck-class battleship (the Bismarck) and one Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser (the Prinz Eugen). The Royal Navy player begins with one Hood-class battlecruiser (HMS Hood) and one King George V-class battleship (HMS Prince of Wales). Pre-Battle Preparation: The two fleets are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy player has the Initiative in the first turn. No aircraft are used. Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Optional Rules: The HMS Prince of Wales was a new ship with civilian technicians still on board when she engaged the Bismarck. If a 1 is rolled on an AD for the main 14” armament, roll a 2nd d6. If a second 1 results, a gun has failed in that particular turret. Reduce the turret AD by 1. The gun may not be repaired during the course of the scenario.

Historical Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other or force a tactical withdrawal, it will gain victory. Historical Note: Eleven minutes into the battle, a salvo from the Bismarck penetrated the Hood’s armour and caused a massive explosion. Splitting in two, the Hood sank, taking all but three crewmen with her. The Prince of Wales was badly damaged before the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen managed to shake her off, ending the battle.

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The Final Battle Having destroyed the HMS Hood, for twenty years the pride of the Royal Navy, the Bismarck could not be permitted to survive and every warship that could reach the area was dispatched to hunt her down. Though the Bismarck’s commander, Admiral Lutjens, had been cunning enough to shake the radar-assisted pursuit of the Royal Navy, the Prinz Eugen had left his ship and he could not outrun Fairey Swordfish launched by the Ark Royal. Their attack, miraculously, managed to score a lucky hit that seriously damaged the Bismarck’s rudder, effectively immobilising it. As the British approached, Lutjens gave one last address to his crew: ‘Ship unable to manoeuvre. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer.’ Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with one Bismarck-class battleship (the Bismarck). The Royal Navy player begins with one Nelson-class battleship (HMS Rodney) and one King George V-class battleship (HMS King George V). In addition, two Norfolk-class cruisers (HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Norfolk) will appear during the battle. Pre-Battle Preparation: The two fleets are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy player has the Initiative in the first turn. No aircraft are used. The Bismarck has a maximum speed of one inch and may only make turns to the left. The HMS Norfolk will join the battle at the position indicated on the map on turn two and the HMS Dorsetshire will make an appearance on turn three. Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other or force a tactical withdrawal, it will gain victory.

Historical Scenarios

Historical Note: This battle was a foregone conclusion before it began. The Bismarck was, inevitably, sunk but its crew fought valiantly against the Royal Navy’s best ships before their own vessel succumbed.

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Clash of the Giants On their first sorties, the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau achieved little except the destruction of the Armed Merchant Cruiser Rawalpindi. In April 1940 they put to sea again, this time as part of the naval force covering the invasion of Denmark and Norway. After parting company with the rest of the force, the two battlecruisers headed northward to the Arctic Circle. Conditions were poor, with heavy seas making life difficult for smaller ships. During a brief break in the weather, the battlecruisers were sighted by HMS Renown, which closed the range and opened fire as soon as she was able. In the ensuing action, gunnery radar aboard the German ships conferred an advantage which was countered by the bigger guns of the British battlecruiser. The German force was not inclined nor required by its mission to fight a British heavy warship, and after an exchange of fire in which Gneisenau was damaged, increased speed to escape under cover of the heavy weather. So bad were conditions that the battlecruisers suffered flooding of the forward turrets and some hull damage in their flight. Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with two Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers (the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau). The Royal Navy player begins with one Renown-class battlecruiser (HMS Renown). Pre-Battle Preparation: The two fleets are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy player has the Initiative in the first turn. German ships are caught unawares and may not return fire until turn two. No aircraft are used. The battle takes place in bad weather.

Historical Scenarios

Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, or the German player manages to withdraw off the indicated map edge, that side will gain victory. If either German ship is Crippled, the Royal Navy player may claim a partial victory. Historical Note: The battlecruisers were able to make their escape and continue their mission, albeit with some damage.

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Arctic Skirmish After their brush with HMS Renown, the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had various adventures including the sinking of the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, a raid into the Atlantic and an incredibly cheeky dash for safety through the English Channel. Although damaged several times and suffering from various defects in her machinery, Scharnhorst was considered a lucky and happy ship. Her luck ran out on Christmas Day 1943. Making a sortie into the Arctic to disrupt the Allied convoys to Russia, Scharnhorst was initially accompanied by five destroyers which due to heavy weather conditions played almost no part in the forthcoming events. While searching for the convoy, Scharnhorst encountered three British cruisers (HMS Belfast, HMS Norfolk and HMS Sheffield), which opened fire. Caught unawares, the battlecruiser attempted, by steering south-east and using her excellent speed, to evade the Royal Navy. Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with one Scharnhorst-class battlecruiser (the Scharnhorst). The Royal Navy player begins with one Edinburgh-class cruiser (HMS Belfast), one Southampton-class cruiser (HMS Sheffield) and one Norfolk-class cruiser (HMS Norfolk). Pre-Battle Preparation: The two fleets are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy player has the Initiative in the first turn. German ship is caught unawares and may not return fire until turn two. No aircraft are used. This battle takes place at night and in bad weather. Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed.

Historical Note: Although hit and damaged, the German battlecruiser was able to make her escape and continue the mission. This led to a second encounter with heavier forces and her ultimate demise.

Historical Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side will gain victory. If the Scharnhorst makes a tactical withdrawal, the game is a draw.

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Death of a Giant After escaping a British cruiser group the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst continued her mission to harass Allied convoys to Russia. However, alerted by reports from the cruisers, a heavy British force centred on the battleship Duke of York was on its way to intercept. Meanwhile, the cruisers had astutely placed themselves between Scharnhorst and the convoy they were protecting. The action re-opened just after noon, when HMS Belfast detected Scharnhorst on radar and opened fire soon after. Although it scored some hits on the British cruisers, Scharnhorst again attempted to break contact. This move brought her into range of the British force’s heavy guns. Caught between two enemy forces, Scharnhorst fled eastward with the British in pursuit. As the range gradually opened, it seemed that Scharnhorst might again be lucky and escape. Fleets: The Kriegsmarine player starts with one Scharnhorst-class battlecruiser (the Scharnhorst), which does not have access to radar in this battle. The Royal Navy player begins with a force of one Edinburgh-class cruiser (HMS Belfast), one Southamptonclass cruiser (HMS Sheffield) and one Norfolk-class cruiser (HMS Norfolk) and a second force of one King George V-class battleship (HMS Duke of York) and one Fiji-class cruiser (HMS Jamaica). Historically, several British destroyers were present but these played little part in the action until the very end, at which point Scharnhorst’s fate was sealed. Pre-Battle Preparation: The German ship and both British forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below.

Historical Scenarios

Scenario Rules: The Royal Navy player has the Initiative in the first turn. The Scharnhorst may not change course until turn two. No aircraft are used. This battle takes place at night and in bad weather. Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side will gain victory. If the Kriegsmarine player manages to withdraw off the indicated exit point without suffering any speed loss, he will win. Historical Note: Desperately outnumbered and outgunned, Scharnhorst fought back valiantly and was able to draw away from pursuit for a time. Eventually she was slowed and crippled by damage, at which point she was finished off by torpedoes from the British cruisers and destroyers.

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Prelude to Matapan: Part One The Italian Navy was powerful and equipped with modern warships, but lacked aggressiveness and resolve. At Hitler’s insistent urging, a sweep into the eastern Mediterranean was undertaken in March of 1941 by a force comprising one battleship and a heavy cruiser squadron. Warned by naval intelligence sources that something was afoot, the Royal Navy was at sea and looking for a fight. The result was the battle of Cape Matapan. The main action was preceded by two smaller clashes. First contact was made between part of the British force, four cruisers and four destroyers, and the cruiser Trieste which was a little behind the rest of the Italian formation. The main British force was supposed to be in close support but had been delayed. Nevertheless, the British cruisers increased speed to close the range and then, when they were certain they had been sighted, withdrew in the hope of drawing the Italians into a trap. A stern chase then developed as the faster Italian cruisers gave chase, firing on the fleeing British. Fleets: The Italian player starts with a force of three Trento-class cruisers (Trieste, Bolzano and Trento) and three destroyers. Other Italian forces were in the area but were not involved in this stage of the action. The Royal Navy player begins with a force of two Leander-class cruisers (HMS Ajax and HMS Orion), one Perth-class cruiser (HMAS Perth) and one Gloucester-class cruiser (HMS Gloucester), plus four J, K and N-class destroyers. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Italian and British forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Italian player has the Initiative in the first turn. Game Length: Six turns

Historical Note: The Italian force, despite its advantage in gunpower, was reluctant to close to decisive range. Eventually the Italian admiral became uneasy about the situation and reversed course before his cruisers entered the gun range of the supporting British force. The situation was then reversed, with the Italians fleeing westward and the British in pursuit.

Historical Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. If the British player has any ships afloat after six turns and has sunk at least as many ships as he has lost, he is assumed to have reached the support of the main force and escaped.

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Prelude to Matapan: Part Two After pursuing the fleeing British cruiser squadron for a time, though without achieving a decisive exchange, the Italian cruiser force fell back on the support of the battleship Vittoro Veneto and began to withdraw. Unaware of the presence of a capital ship, the British gave chase. Everything seemed to be going well for the British until the Italian battleship appeared on the horizon and 15-inch shells burst around the pursuing vessels. Fleets: The Italian player starts with a force of three Trento-class cruisers (Trieste, Bolzano and Trento) and three destroyers, plus a separate force of one Littorio-class battleship (Vittorio Veneto) and four destroyers. A third force of five cruisers and six destroyers was in the vicinity but took no part in this stage of the battle. The Royal Navy player begins with a force of two Leander-class cruisers (HMS Ajax and HMS Orion), one Perth-class cruiser (HMAS Perth) and one Gloucester-class cruiser (HMS Gloucester), plus four J, K and N-class destroyers. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Italian and British forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The Italian player has the Initiative in the first turn. Game Length: Eight turns

Historical Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. If the British player can survive for eight turns, he may claim a partial victory if he has sunk or damaged at least as many ships as he has lost. Historical Note: The British cruisers made smoke and fled rapidly southwards with the Italians in pursuit. The Italian admiral was unwilling to press his pursuit and broke off, at which point the British cruisers rejoined the main force and began advancing once again.

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Battle of Cape Matapan After a certain amount of to-and-fro skirmishing, which proved entirely without result despite the disparity in vessel power involved, the Italian fleet withdrew northwards with the British force in pursuit. The Italian fleet was much faster and had every chance to escape. However, the British were able to slow the Italian force with an air strike. Despite air attacks by Blenheims flying out of Greece and Albacore torpedo bombers from HMS Formidable inflicting some minor damage it looked as though the Italian force would escape. As the daylight (along with any hope of bringing the enemy to action) was fading, six Albacores from HMS Formidable made a final attack. The cruiser Pola was hit and brought to a stop. Thinking that the British were far away and expecting Luftwaffe air cover in the morning, the Italian admiral left the cruisers Fiume and Zara to stand by Pola, taking the rest of his force homeward. The pursuing British made contact with the Pola and her consorts by radar. While part of the British force continued to pursue the retreating main Italian group, the battleships and their escorting destroyers moved in to the attack. Fleets: The Italian player starts with three Zara-class cruisers (Fiume, Pola and Zara) plus four destroyers. The Royal Navy player begins with three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships (HMS Valiant, Barham and Warspite) plus nine destroyers. A British cruiser group was nearby but took no part in the action. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Italian and British forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The British player has the Initiative in the first turn. The Italian cruiser Pola has damaged engines and cannot move at all. This battle takes place at night. The Valiant has been equipped with the Special Trait: Radar.

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. If the Italian player can get any ship off his exit edge, he may claim a partial victory for salvaging something from a truly appalling situation. Historical Note: Although the Italian battleship had escaped, this part of the action was a total success for the British. Caught unawares, the Italian cruisers were engaged at almost point-blank range by a force of capital ships. None of the Italian cruisers fired a shot before being wrecked or sunk. The Italian destroyers made a gallant attempt to fight back with torpedoes, but were met by their opposite numbers.

Historical Scenarios

Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed.

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Cruiser Action off Guadalcanal As the fighting on Guadalcanal dragged on, Japanese ships made nightly supply runs into the island through the ‘The Slot,’ a narrow passage between Savo Island and Cape Esperance. Along the way Japanese destroyers bombarded American positions on Guadalcanal. Determined to put an end to the so-called ‘Tokyo Express,’ the United States Navy put to sea in October 1942 with a force of cruisers and destroyers. By coincidence, the Imperial Japanese Navy was also at sea in force. US and Japanese forces did not detect one another until they were very close. US spotter aircraft found the Japanese first, but both sides were surprised and some confusion reigned. The battle was short and savage, with the Japanese force mauled and forced to flee back up the Slot. Fleets: The Japanese player begins with a force of two Aoba-class cruiser (Aoba and Kinugasa), one Furutaka-class cruiser (Furutaka) and two Fubuki-class destroyers. The US player begins with a force of one New Orleans class cruiser (USS San Francisco), one Pensacola-class cruiser (USS Salt Lake City), two Brooklyn-class cruisers (USS Helena and Boise) and five Fletcher-class destroyers. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Japanese and US forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The US player has the Initiative in the first turn. This battle takes place at night. Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed.

Historical Scenarios

Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. Historical Note: Although both sides were surprised, the Americans were less so and managed to open fire first. One Japanese cruiser, Furutaka, and the leading destroyer were sunk. US forces accidentally fired on one another, resulting in the loss of a destroyer, while Boise was badly mauled by Furutaka before she was sunk.

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Bombardment of Guadalcanal As the situation on Guadalcanal worsened for the Japanese, it was decided that drastic action must be taken. In November, 1942, a large force aboard eleven transport ships was assembled, for the ground campaign, Japanese High Command assigned two battlecruisers, a light cruiser and fourteen destroyers to escort them and bombard US positions. Warned by intelligence sources, the US Navy planned to intercept this force with a battle group centred on two powerful new battleships and another containing an aircraft carrier. In the event, nothing went according to plan for either side. The Japanese forces became lost in bad visibility and almost missed the target, losing some of their destroyers in the process. The heavy US forces were still some hundreds of miles out of position when the Japanese reached The Slot, leaving the defence of the islands in the hands of a cruiser force. Led by two heavy cruisers, the US force moved to intercept the Japanese and might have inflicted serious damage under other circumstances. However, the Japanese became aware through radio intercepts of the US forces bearing down upon them. Action was opened at the point-blank range of just two miles, and in the chaotic action that followed, US ships fired upon one another as well as the enemy. Fleets: The Japanese player begins with a force of two Kongo-class battlecruisers (Hiei and Kirishima), one Nagara-class cruiser (Nagara) and , five Kagero-class destroyers and six Fubuki-class destroyers. The US player begins with a force of one New Orleans class cruiser (USS San Francisco), one Portland-class cruiser (USS Portland), one Brooklyn-class cruisers (USS Helena) and two Atlanta-class cruisers (USS Atlanta and Juneau) in company with eight Fletcher-class destroyers. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Japanese and US forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below.

Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. Historical Note: In the resulting melee, the US force was roughly handled by the Japanese battlecruisers and their escorting destroyers. During their retreat, the surviving US cruisers ran afoul of a submarine and Juneau was torpedoed. However, the Japanese suffered as well. Hiei was hit by over 80 shells, and although her armour protected her well she was heavily damaged. She was sunk by bombers flying out of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal before she could reach safety.

Historical Scenarios

Scenario Rules: The Japanese player has the Initiative in the first turn. This battle takes place at night.

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Guadalcanal Finale After suffering at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Navy off Guadalcanal, the US Navy was determined to reverse its fortunes. Two powerful new battleships were moved into the battle area, and when the Japanese came back for another attempt they were intercepted and brought to battle. Even now, fortune was against the US. One of the two battleships, South Dakota, suffered an electrical failure that rendered her unable to shoot just as the action opened. She regained power after a time and was able to join the action. Fleets: The Japanese player begins with a force of one Kongo-class battlecruiser (Kirishima), two Takao-class cruisers (Takao and Atago) one Nagara-class cruiser (Nagara), one Sendai-class cruiser (Sendai) and , eight Fubuki-class destroyers and one Kageroclass destroyer. The US player begins with a force of one North Carolina class battleship (Washington), one South Dakota class battleship (South Dakota), and four Fletcher-class destroyers. Pre-Battle Preparation: The Japanese and US forces are positioned on the battlefield as shown on the map below. Scenario Rules: The US player has the Initiative in the first turn. This battle takes place at night.

Historical Scenarios

Game Length: The game continues until either fleet has withdrawn or been destroyed. Optional Rules: Each time the South Dakota rolls an Attack Dice for her primary armament or attempts to use her Radar (makes a Detection roll), on a roll of a 1, roll a second d6. If another 1 is rolled, the South Dakota suffers a massive electrical failure. Her Radar may not be used and her primary and secondary armaments suffer a -1 to their Attack Dice for the remainder of the battle. Victory and Defeat: If one fleet manages to destroy the other, that side may claim victory. Historical Note: Although South Dakota was hit hard and damaged, US forces had the advantage of radar and were ultimately able to drive off the Japanese force after a hard-fought action at close range. Kirishima was wrecked and had to be scuttled.

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Campaigns By now, players should be familiar with all the rules used in Victory at Sea and will have played through many of the scenarios presented in this book. Players will now be ready to embark on an entire campaign, a set of scenarios that depict the war for an entire region of the world, where every battle can have a profound effect upon the next, and heroes can be created among players’ own crews. There is little more exciting in Victory at Sea than playing through an entire campaign. Players will find it far more engaging than a single scenario as they will always be aware that a defeat in their current game could spell disaster down the road. In addition, players will have a chance to watch their ships and crews grow with battle-hardened experience, yank desperate victories out of the jaws of utter defeat and have the satisfaction of booting their enemy clean out of the sea!

Beginning the Campaign

Before beginning a campaign, players need to do several things. First off, at least two players with complete fleets are required, though the campaign system here can support many more – an entire club can involved in a world-sweeping campaign! Every player should have at least 10 Fleet Allocation Points worth of ships (whether using counters or miniatures) chosen at Priority Level: Battle. Ideally, every fleet should be different, so the Royal Navy, Kriegsmarine, IJN and so on may be represented, but it is okay to have the same type of fleet on differing sides, with one representing a rogue faction of their government, perhaps. Players then choose the campaign map showing the area all the players are attempting to control. These comprise a number of Strategic Targets, which are considered important by the invading fleets. In this rulebook, we present two campaign maps, one covering the Mediterranean and the other the Pacific, though players are welcome to create their own covering other regions of the world. In addition, new campaign maps will also appear in our magazine, Signs & Portents, along with new rules, ships and fleets for players to add to their games.

A Note on Authenticity

Campaigns

Unlike other games, the campaign system in Victory at Sea does not use a map for fleet movement, with each Strategic Target linked to one or more others. Fleets are highly manoeuvrable and, given time, have the ability to strike almost anywhere within the region. In theory, the available Strategic Targets could be listed on a scrap piece of paper, playing an entire campaign using nothing more elaborate. However, players like to see what they are fighting for, so the campaign maps presented in this rulebook should serve as valuable visual aids to what is happening in the games. Players will enjoy crossing off their enemies name from Malta, for example, when they win the island, placing their own flag on the map. They will also get the feeling that they have accomplished something with each target they acquire in battle.

It should be noted that by using these campaign rules ‘as is,’ players may run into situations that simply never happened during the Second World War. For example, two players using the Mediterranean campaign map may well choose Italian and Royal Navy fleets. However, once more players show up to join in, American, French and Japanese ships may enter the campaign as well. Players can limit things, of course, by grouping the players into teams and assigning them the same fleets. However, we suggest players go ahead and play ‘what if ’ type battles, especially if they have a player in the group (and there is always one!) who is just dying to see what the Yamoto (or whatever ship) is really made of!

Starting Fleets

Every player creates a fleet roster (one is available to download at www.mongoosepublishing.com) and generates a fleet, using 10 Fleet Allocation Points worth of ships chosen at Priority Level: Battle. However, an admiral can never be sure exactly what he is getting when he requisitions vessels from the High Command and the worth of many fleets is not in their ships but in their crews and officers. To this end, players must randomly roll for the Command score of every ship in their fleet on the table below. 2d6 2 3-4 5-8 9-10 11-12

Crew Green Conscript Military-Grade Veteran Elite

Command Score 2 3 4 5 6

Players are allowed to swap Command scores between two of their ships – this allows them to have a decent crew on whatever they will regard as their flagships. Other than this, players are stuck with the crew they roll for, though they will have a chance to improve during the campaign. All carrier-borne aircraft counters have the same Crew Quality scores as their parent ships. Land-based aircraft have their Command scores rolled for each wing purchased from the fleet list. Once the players are gathered, the fleets ready and the campaign map chosen, it is time to start the campaign.

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Campaigns

The Campaign Turn

Just as with normal games in Victory at Sea, campaigns have turns that are divided up into phases, each of which must be played out before the next can begin. By the end of each campaign turn, it is quite possible that every player would have fought a battle (sometimes more than one!) and several Strategic Targets are likely to have changed hands. Each Campaign Turn consists of the following phases. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Initiative Select Targets Generate Scenario Fight Engagement Ship Experience Repairs and Reinforcements

Once every player has performed the Repairs and Reinforcements phase, a new Campaign Turn begins, with players ready to fight a new round of battles in an attempt to dominate the campaign map.

Initiative

As with the main game, initiative is rolled for by using 2d6, re-rolling all ties. However, a –1 penalty is applied to a player’s initiative roll for every Strategic Target he currently holds. Possessing a Strategic Target brings all sorts of benefits but also requires the fleet dedicate a certain portion of its resources to maintaining patrols and security watches on the facilities, which in turn makes it less flexible in responding to the actions of the enemy.

Select Targets

The player who wins the Initiative phase selects any one Strategic Target that he does not currently possess. If this target belongs to another player, he moves to the next phase, fighting a battle with that player’s fleet.

Once it has been decided what the player who won the initiative is doing, the next player in initiative order chooses a Strategic Target and follows the same process. He may not choose a Strategic Target that has already been nominated by a previous player in a turn. In this way, a Campaign Turn may be fairly light in combat if most players choose to occupy spare Strategic Targets and do not challenge one another much. On the other hand, a player may find himself having to fight multiple battles in the same turn if the other players all turn against him and launch attacks on several Strategic targets he possesses!

Campaigns

If the target is currently unoccupied, the next player in the initiative order may also decide to occupy it, in which case, both players move to the next phase in order to fight a battle. If the second player chooses not to occupy a target, the choice falls to the next player in the initiative order, and so on. If the attacking player is not challenged in this way, he gains the Strategic Target automatically without a fight!

Before planning an ocean-spanning offensive, however, there is one golden rule to bear in mind. Every ship on a fleet roster may only take part in one engagement during every Campaign Turn. Once ship has been used it in one engagement it may not be used in another during the same turn. This means as the campaign draws on and casualties increase, players will have to be very careful about who they fight and with what.

Generate Scenario

Once it has been determined that two players will fight, the player who nominated the Strategic Target to be fought over must roll on the table below to determine which scenario will be played. During this scenario, he will be regarded as the attacker. 1d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Scenario At All costs Blockade Carrier Clash * Convoy Duty Supply Ships Victory at Sea

* If either fleet lacks a suitable aircraft carrier, re-roll this scenario.

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The Priority Level of the scenario is also randomly decided, using the table below. However, both players may influence the result of this roll if they wish. Before rolling, each may secretly mark down a modifier from –3 to +3 on a scrap piece of paper. Once the die is rolled, both players reveal their modifiers and apply them to the die roll for a final result. 2d6 4 or less 5-6 7-8 9-10 11 or more

Priority Level Patrol Skirmish Raid Battle War

As usual, each player has five Fleet Allocation Points to spend, though the specific scenario may force alternate points values. Players choose ships from their fleet rosters to use in the scenario but may not take a fleet that has a greater value than that rolled for. Players should also be warned that if they are fighting multiple battles in a turn or have a battered fleet after several losses, they may not be able to field a large enough force to use all their Fleet Allocation Points. In this case, a smaller fleet will be taken to the battle and will have to fight that much harder! Players are never required to field a fleet that uses all their Fleet Allocation Points, even if their opponent does. One player should roll a die – on a five or more, the scenario will be fought using the Bad Weather rules. This roll cannot be modified in any way, as players do not have control of the weather! However, they can influence when the battle is fought. If one player wishes to fight at night but the other does not, both roll a die. If the one hoping for night rolls higher, then the Night Battle rules are used. If both players wish for a Night Battle, it occurs automatically.

Fight Engagement

Campaigns

Once it has been decided who is fighting whom and which scenarios are being used, it is time to hit the tabletop and begin playing Victory at Sea. If players find that they are waiting for a battle because their opponent is currently fighting someone else, take the opportunity for a break and a quick snack or, alternatively, start heckling the others as they play! Every player will get to fight soon enough. . . The victor of the battle will either retain or gain the Strategic Target over which he and his opponent were fighting. This is immediately added to his fleet roster and may be used in later phases of the same turn. If a battle ends in a draw, the Strategic Target remains in the possession of the player who possessed it originally (or remains unoccupied if no player had it on his fleet roster). Any ships destroyed during the battle are crossed off the fleet roster. All existing damage (including effects of critical hits) are also noted on the fleet roster. Players should collaborate to form a strong narrative for the campaign – it is all very well rolling up scenarios and Strategic Targets randomly but it is much more fun devising reasons why fleets are fighting at any one particular time. For example, a Kriegsmarine fleet may have decided to attack a Royal Navy-held harbour at Gibraltar. Generating a scenario results in a Raid level Blockade. After a brief discussion, the two players may decide the Kriegsmarine are attempting to stop all supplies to the main fleet in Gibraltar and it is vital that several Royal Navy warships, loaded with food and ammunition, break through the blockade to enable the rest of the fleet to continue fighting. If they fail, the rest of the fleet will go be forced to conserve food and ammunition and the harbour will have to be relinquished to the Kriegsmarine as an alternative supply post must be found. Once players get into the swing of the campaign, they will find it relatively easy to continually come up with reasons for fleets to fight, no matter what scenarios are generated. Once all battles have been fought and won, it is time for the victor to enjoy the spoils and for the loser to count the cost.

Ship Experience

Battle is a crucible through which crews learn or die and the greenest crew may become battle-hardened veterans before the campaign is through. During every battle, ships will acquire Experience Point (XP) Dice for various actions they successfully perform. These actions are summarised in the table below.

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Action Destroys enemy ship of lower Priority Level Destroys enemy ship of same Priority Level Destroys enemy ship of Priority Level one higher Destroys enemy ship of Priority Level two higher Destroys enemy ship of Priority Level three higher Destroys enemy ship of Priority Level four higher Crippling an enemy ship Reducing an enemy ship to a Skeleton Crew Being on the winning side in the battle Being on the losing or drawing side in the battle Being reduced to a Skeleton Crew

XP Dice Gained 1 2 3 4 5 6 Half XP Dice for destroying it (round down) Half XP Dice for destroying it (round down) 2 1 -2 (and lose one point of Crew Quality)

To destroy an enemy ship, a ship must deliver the killing blow – the attack that actually destroys the enemy vessel. By the same token, to gain XP Dice for crippling an enemy ship or reducing it to a Skeleton crew, a ship must have delivered the attack that caused this to happen. A ship may earn XP Dice for both crippling an enemy ship and reducing it to a Skeleton Crew. It may not earn XP Dice for both this and destroying the enemy ship. In this case, only the XP Dice for destroying the ship are gained. However, it is perfectly possible for one ship to gain XP Dice for crippling an enemy ship, and another gain the full XP Dice reward for destroying it in a later attack. A ship may never be reduced to less than zero XP Dice. XP Dice may be saved for future Campaign Turns or they may be spent immediately as shown below. A ship may only benefit from its own XP Dice and the effects may never be applied to another ship.

Increase Command

Repair Ship

Any number of XP Dice may be expended trying to apply makeshift repairs to a ship, making it battle worthy once more. Roll any number of XP Dice and multiply the result by five. This is how many Damage points can be recovered on the ship. Note a ship’s Damage points cannot be increased to above their original number. Ships which have been Crippled may not use XP Dice in this way and must await fullscale repairs, as detailed below.

Campaigns

Players may spend one XP Dice in an attempt to improve the Command score of a ship. Roll the XP Dice. If the score is higher than the player’s current Command score, it will be raised by one point. Players may only attempt this once every Campaign Turn for each ship on their fleet rosters.

Tactical Judgement

Any number of XP Dice may be kept aside, ready for use in future battles. Each XP Die spent allows a player to re-roll one die that directly affects the ship. This may be an Attack Die (either fired by or at the ship), a Damage roll, a Command check – anything that may directly affect the ship expending XP Dice. The rules governing re-rolls may be found on page 2.

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Refitting

An experienced crew instinctively knows how to get the best performance out of their ship, how to requisition the best materials and how to improve upon a basic design. For every two XP Dice a player expends, he may roll once on the table below. This may be done any number of times, so long as the player has enough XP Dice. Effects are not cumulative (for example, a +2 bonus cannot be applied to Command checks by getting Superior Rudder Control twice). If any results cannot be applied to a ship for any reason, re-roll them. 1d6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Refit Reinforced Superstructure: The ship gains an additional point of Damage for every 10 points of Damage (round down) it already possesses. Radar: The ship gains the Radar Special Trait. see the Radar rules in the Advanced Rules chapter. (German ships who receive this advantage that already have Radar are no longer limited by the German Special Rules for Radar.) Improved Anti-Aircraft Batteries: The ship’s Anti-Aircraft weapons gain an additional one AD. Additional Weapons Fitted: The ship’s Secondary Weapons gain an additional one AD. Superior Rudder Control: Add a +1 bonus to any Command checks made during a Come About! action. Auxiliary Hanger: The ship immediately gains Aircraft one (or +1 if it already possesses the trait).

Other Duties

An experienced crew can usually be assured of getting the best missions when not in direct battle – ‘sweet’ or ‘plum’ assignments, they are called. For every two XP Dice expended, player may roll once on the table below. This may be done any number of times, so long as the player has enough XP Dice. Effects are not cumulative (for example, a New Captain cannot twice gain more than two Special Actions in a turn). If any results cannot be applied to a ship for any reason, re-roll them. 1d6 1

Campaigns

2 3 4 5 6

Other Duty New Captain: A new Captain takes command of the vessel – a highly decorated, even legendary Captain. Once per battle, the ship may attempt to take two Special Actions in the same turn. Now You See Me. . .: This ship has been conducting scouting exercises all over the region, forcing other fleets to chase it as it gathers crucial information. Player gains a +2 bonus to his Initiative for the next Campaign Turn. Commerce Raid: A successful strike at an enemy’s supply convoy nets good results. Choose one enemy fleet. He immediately loses 1d6 RR points. Diverting Strike: Launching a lightning attack, the ship strikes at the heart of an enemy’s territory, causing him to draw ships away from his main force. Choose another player’s fleet. In its next battle, it has one less Fleet Allocation Point available. Elite Engineers: The elite engineering officers of another ship have been assigned to serve aboard this vessel. Add a +1 bonus to any Command checks made during Damage Control. Assistance Rendered: A timely rescue mission to an Allied ship in distress is well rewarded. Player may immediately add any one ship of his choice of Raid level or less to his fleet roster. This ship may be drawn from a fleet list other than his own, either Axis or Allies, as appropriate.

Repairs and Reinforcements

Even after just one battle, players are likely to have several badly damaged, maybe even crippled warships in their fleets. After a few more campaign turns, a fleet is going to begin looking more like a floating junkyard!

This, of course, will never do and players will be interested in keeping their ships as battle worthy as possible. They will also look to reinforce their positions in the campaign by bringing in entirely new ships and, potentially, expanding their fleets beyond their original size. During this phase, every player will automatically receive 10 Repair and Reinforcement (RR) points, which will be used to repair damaged ships, replace lost crew and call for reinforcements from the High Command. The total number of RR points each player will receive is modified by the events listed below. Event Player captures a new Strategic Target this turn Player loses a Strategic Target this turn For every Strategic Target the player possesses

RR Points +10 -15 +10

These RR points may be spent in the following ways. It is not compulsory for a player to spend all his RR points every turn, and they may be saved for spending in future turns.

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Repairs

Each RR point may be expended to replace five lost Damage points from any ship in the fleet. A ship that has been Crippled must have an additional five RR points spent on it before any repairs may be performed. Two RR points may be spent repairing any critical hits to vital systems. Other critical hits will cost one RR point to negate. In addition, a player may voluntarily send a ship back to the High Command for complete repairs, no matter what its condition. The ship will be out of commission for a two full Campaign Turns but after this period, it will be returned to its fleet roster as normal, fully repaired of any damage.

Recruiting

Each RR point may be expended to replace 10 lost Crew points from any ship in the fleet. If a ship has been reduced to a Skeleton Crew, the player may recruit crew for it as normal but it will have its Crew Quality score permanently reduced by one, as many experienced officers and ratings will have been lost.

Reinforcements

A player may purchase new ships for his fleet roster by spending an amount of RR points shown on the table below. Players may only purchase ships from the same fleet list that was originally selected. Priority Level of Ship/Wing Patrol Skirmish Raid Battle War

RR Points 5 10 15 20 25

Gather all flights of aircraft lost in battle and roll a die for each one. On the roll of a four or more (five or more for the player who lost the battle in which the flight was destroyed), the flight was only damaged and/or driven away. It can be re-added to its fleet roster immediately. Players may also purchase flights as normal in order to replace losses their aircraft carriers might suffer. A carrier may never take on more flights than it started the campaign with, and so any ‘spare’ flights from a player’s purchases must be kept ‘spare’ until he suffers more losses and can use them.

Campaigns

Aircraft

Furthermore, a player can use flights based on aircraft carriers as land-based aircraft where allowed, reflecting that a carrier need not be with a fleet in order to support it with aircraft – it can be many miles away. Players need not take the aircraft carrier itself in a fleet but instead use flights of aircraft as if they were land-based, taking three flights of Swordfish from the HMS Ark Royal, for example, as a Patrol level choice, rather than the entire carrier as a Raid level choice.

Victory and Defeat

After many battles have been fought and won, it will be time for one fleet to claim victory over all others.

The winner of the campaign is the player who can capture all available Strategic Targets first. He can lord it over his fellow players and boast that he will do twice as well in the next campaign. A player automatically loses the campaign if every ship on his fleet roster is destroyed. We suggest he just slink away and hope no one notices him. . .

Special Strategic Targets

Some Strategic Targets on our two example campaign maps have special properties. Rather than being simple harbours or ports, they have some greater value to the fleet that possesses them. When creating personalised campaign maps, players may place similar Strategic Targets or create new ones with their own special rules.

Home Port: This port belongs to the listed fleet at the beginning of the game and represents, if not its actual homeland, its main base of operations in the area. This port is extensively defended and is likely to be garrisoned by thousands of soldiers, making it quite impossible to capture during the time frame of the campaign. A Home Port may never be taken from the owning player unless his fleet has been completely destroyed. Supply Line: This Strategic Target forms a vital link to the wider world outside the campaign map, allowing the possessing fleet to bring in supplies far more easily. The fleet that holds this Strategic Target will earn a bonus 1d6 RR points in the Repairs and Reinforcements phase of every campaign turn.

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The Fleet Lists This book details all the ships available to the various fleets of the world, as well as the fleet lists by which players can pick fair and balanced forces for the scenarios in this book. Though players are not restricted to using these fleet lists for their own games (they may want to reenact a battle from history, for example), when using them they can be reasonably certain that every fleet in a game has a reasonable chance of defeating any other.

Priority Levels

Every ship detailed in this book has a Priority Level, which is derived from how powerful the ship is in game terms and for what engagements the vessel is commonly used. Ships with heavier armour, greater speed and more weapons have a correspondingly higher Priority Level. In the Royal Navy fleet list, for example, a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship is Priority Level: Battle while a Southampton-class cruiser is Priority Level: Raid. This means that, all else being equal, a Queen Elizabeth is twice as capable as a single Southampton. When playing a scenario, such as those detailed in this book, players will need to decide on a set number of Fleet Allocation Points that every fleet is allowed to spend. Players may buy ships at their listed cost but their total may never exceed this fixed value. The default number of Fleet Allocation Points given in this book is five, though players are free to experiment with larger or smaller forces in their games. In addition, the type of engagement can have a profound effect on the types of ships available. After all, no navy will send a huge battleship on routine patrols around home waters. Such vessels are expensive to construct and run, and will never go to battle unless supported by a fleet of escorts. The chance of losing such a mighty ship to a freak accident or attack is just too great.

The Fleet Lists

There are five Priority Levels in Victory at Sea. They are, in ascending order, Patrol, Skirmish, Raid, Battle and War. Each Fleet Allocation Point will buy one ship of the same Priority Level as chosen for the scenario. However, players may also purchase ships of a higher Priority Level (though they will have fewer of them) or ships of a lower Priority Level (and thus have more), or any mix of the above. The Fleet Allocation table demonstrates how many Fleet Allocation Points may be spent on purchasing ships of different Priority Levels to the scenario being played. A ship more than two Priority Levels higher than the scenario being played can never be purchased.

Fleet Allocation Difference in Priority Level Ship is same Priority Level as scenario Ship is one Priority Level higher than scenario Ship is two Priority Levels higher than scenario Ship is one Priority Level lower than scenario Ship is two Priority Levels lower than scenario Ship is three Priority Levels lower than scenario Ship is four Priority Levels lower than scenario

Points Cost One per ship/squadron Two per ship/squadron Four per ship/squadron One point buys two ships/squadrons One point buys three ships/squadrons One point buys four ships/squadrons One point buys six ships/squadrons

The Fleet Lists

Once the Priority Level of the scenario has been decided, players can start choosing ships from the relevant sections of their fleet lists. When choosing ships, players should make sure they can represent each one properly on the tabletop, whether they are using counters or miniatures. There is nothing worse than a player finding out that the Kirisima he was about to attack is, in fact, supposed to be the Yamoto.

Command

The fleet lists included in this book assume that all ships have a Military-Grade crew – that is, a Command score of four. However, players might like to experiment with random Command scores, as detailed in the Campaigns chapter. This will lead to far more realistic battles and should be the natural choice of all advanced players.

In Service Dates

Every ship within the fleet lists has an In Service Date, a range of years during which the ship can be used. As an optional rule, players might like to decide on a specific year for each scenario or campaign.

Squadrons

Once players have chosen their fleets for the upcoming scenario, they are free to organise two or more of their ships into squadrons. Using squadrons allows players to move large numbers of ships quickly and tends to concentrate firepower in specific parts of the battlefield. The full rules for using squadrons are covered in the Advanced Rules chapter.

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The Royal Navy The Royal Navy of Great Britain was the world’s greatest navy at the outbreak of World War II, as might be expected from an island power with a far-flung empire. As a result of the Treaty of Washington, which restricted the size and numbers of new-built capital ships, Britain went to war with mainly World War I-vintage vessels, plus those subsequently curtailed by the Washington Treaty built in the post-war naval race. With interests in every part of the world, Britain needed large numbers of ships to cover her trade routes and her foreign territories. One reason for the Washington treaty was to curb the increasing spending on naval assets that would eventually lead to ruin. In the wake of the treaty there was little money for new ships. Since the Royal Navy already possessed many powerful units, construction of the most modern designs was very limited, and upgrades were not possible for all those vessels required to soldier on. Among other things, this meant that at the outbreak of World War II Britain had far more battleships than most other nations, but they generally had smaller guns than those built to the most recent design. Many ships were also somewhat slow. These old and slow ships were not up to combat against a first-line modern naval force, but they did perform sterling service in some areas. For example, old battleships were sometimes included in the escort force for Atlantic convoys. Since German surface raiders had standing orders not to engage any convoy including a vessel that could seriously harm them, i.e. a battleship, the presence of these aging warriors may have saved many convoys from otherwise devastating attacks.

In addition to the battleship forces, the Royal Navy maintained a handful of fast battlecruisers – some of them quite old – and aircraft carriers. These were backed by a strong cruiser force and light forces including destroyers, motor torpedo boats (MTBs) and motor gunboats (MGBs).

The Royal Navy

Despite budget restrictions the Royal Navy had, where possible, updated its ships to eliminate weaknesses discovered during World War I and to incorporate advances in propulsion and communications technology. Anti-Aircraft armament was somewhat lacking at the outbreak of hostilities, and British ships lacked fire control radar. These deficiencies were steadily eliminated as the years went by.

British submarine forces were fairly strong, and were deployed with some success, mainly against naval targets rather than in commerce raiding. Despite the experiences of the First World War and the expectation that British submarines would perform sterling service in the Second, anti-submarine forces were inadequate at the start of the war. Not counting Commonwealth units, the Royal Navy deployed over 3,300 ships of all types during World War II. The main battle force was kept concentrated in home waters, mainly at Scapa Flow and Rosyth, with lighter forces further south and strong destroyer and MTB/MGB flotillas on the English Channel. Task forces were assigned to many distant areas, often in response to raids or a crisis in the region, but the Royal Navy could not be strong everywhere. Lone cruisers and small destroyer squadrons, or Commonwealth forces, were all that were available to cover many areas. Although badly stretched, the Royal Navy lived up to its traditional ‘can do!’ ethos, fighting hard in all theatres. Many actions were critical but less than glorious, such as the endless antisubmarine operations of the convoy routes. These were affairs for corvettes, escort carriers and even armed trawlers, and are not the stuff of glorious legend – yet it was here that the Second World War might well have been lost. As the war went on, aircraft carriers became increasingly important, and air defences were steadily improved on all ships; however, the big guns of the battleships and cruisers played a vital role in all theatres of war. British capital ships saw action in the Arctic and the Atlantic against German commerce raiders, in the Mediterranean against Italian forces and ventured into the Pacific in an ill-fated attempt to stem the Japanese advance. Cruisers and destroyer forces fought worldwide, mainly against submarines and aircraft but also in surface actions against their own kind and larger vessels.

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The great fleet actions planned for and desired by the architects of the Royal Navy did not materialise during World War II, but the Royal Navy adapted well to the war it was destined to fight, and emerged with great honour.

The Royal Navy Fleet List

The following forms the entire fleet and aircraft list for the Royal Navy: Priority Level: Raid Ark Royal-class aircraft carrier Edinburgh-class cruiser Fiji-class cruiser Gloucester-class cruiser Norfolk-class cruiser Southampton-class cruiser

Priority Level: Patrol J, K and N-class destroyer S-class submersible Tribal-class destroyer Fairey Fulmar squadron (three flights) Fairey Swordfish squadrons (four flights) Grumman Martlet (three flights – use Wildcat on page 74) Hawker Hurricane squadron (two flights) Supermarine Seafire squadron (two flights)

Priority Level: Battle Queen Elizabeth-class battleship Renown-class battlecruiser

The Royal Navy

Priority Level: Skirmish Leander-class cruiser Perth-class cruiser T-class submersible York-class cruiser Bristol Beaufighter squadron (three flights) Illustrious-class aircraft carrier

Priority Level: War Hood-class battlecruiser King George V-class battleship Nelson-class battleship

Ark Royal-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Ark Royal One of the most famous carriers of the war, the Ark Royal received many battle honours in its service. The first enemy aircraft shot down by the Fleet Air Arm was with one of her Blackburn Skuas, while her bombers sank the German cruiser Konigsberg, the first example of a capital ship being sunk by an attack from the air. Better remembered is the Ark Royal’s role in the sinking of the Bismarck, where her Fairey Swordfish launched a torpedo attack that damaged its rudder, leaving it vulnerable to the rest of the fleet. In 1941 she was struck by a torpedo and sank while under tow. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 29/9 Crew: 63/21

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 800 ft.

Special Traits: Carrier In Service: 1938 Aircraft: Six flights of Fairey Swordfish and four flights of Fairey Fulmars Range 14 5

AD 4 10

DD 1 —

Displacement: 28,143 tons

Speed: 31 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 1,580

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Edinburgh-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Belfast, Edinburgh Designed to displace 10,000 tons standard, these ships exceeded their original specifications. The aft turrets were raised, giving the ships an unusual appearance. HMS Belfast was out of service from November 1939 to October 1942 due to mine damage while HMS Edinburgh was seriously damaged by submarinelaunched torpedoes (her stern broke off as a result of the damage), but survived long enough to repulse an attack by destroyers three days later, sinking one of them. She had to be scuttled as a result of damage sustained in this action, however. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 34/11

Length: 579 ft.

Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 3 5 2 2

Displacement: 12,675 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 850

Fiji-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Bermuda, Ceylon, Fiji, Gambia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius, Newfoundland, Nigeria, Trinidad, Uganda

The Royal Navy

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) X Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Radar In Service: 1939

Of compact design, Fiji class cruisers were considered to be the way forward for light cruisers in the early 1940s. The ‘X’ turret was deleted from some ships in late 1941 and from all by 1944. HMS Fiji survived being torpedoed but was sunk some months later by bombs. HMS Trinidad is famous for managing to torpedo herself, though she survived this. Both HMS Kenya and Newfoundland survived being torpedoed and HMS Uganda, though out of action for more than a year, managed to make port after a guided bomb wrecked her aft engine room. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 11/3 Crew: 39/13

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) X Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 538 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2, Radar In Service: 1940 Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

Displacement: 10,450 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Speed: 31.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 980

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Gloucester-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Gloucester, Liverpool, Manchester Enlarged versions of the Southampton class, these ships were designed to have better protection for the main armament in particular and better armour in general. HMS Gloucester was lost after being hit by several (probably four) large bombs and HMS Manchester was put out of action for nine months by a torpedo hit and returned to service only to be hit again. The second time she had to be scuttled. HMS Liverpool’s bow was blown off by an internal explosion after being hit by a torpedo but she survived this and another torpedo hit in 1942 which put her out of action until the very end of the war.

The Royal Navy

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 12/4 Crew: 35/11

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) X Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 558 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1938 Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 11,650 tons

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 883

Hood-class Battlecruiser Ships of this class: Hood At one time, the HMS Hood was possibly the most famous ship in the entire world. It was certainly the largest afloat and represented supreme British seapower. With 15-inch main guns, she also remained one of the fastest warships on the sea though this came at the expense of armour. During the Second World War the Hood remained attached to the Home Fleet and also took part in the sinking of the French fleet at Oran. She was sunk by the Bismarck in May 1941 during one of the more controversial naval engagements of the war. Accurate shelling from the German ship caused a massive explosion on the Hood, which sank within minutes, leaving only three survivors. Theories continue to be explored as to why this happened but many believe a high-trajectory shot from the Bismarck pierced the thin deck armour of the Hood to explode its magazines. In any event, it was certainly one of the more spectacular deaths of any capital ship. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Damage: 41/13 Crew: 59/19

Weapon A Turret (2 x 15 in) B Turret (2 x 15 in) X Turret (2 x 15 in) Y Turret (2 x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 860 ft.

Special Traits: Torpedo Belt In Service: 1920 Range 33 33 33 33 14 5 10 10

AD 2 2 2 2 4 7 2 2

DD 3 3 3 3 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 46,680 tons

Speed: 31 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 1,477

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Illustrious-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Formidable, Illustrious, Victorious Designed as the next generation of advanced carriers, the Illustrious-class were shorter than the Ark Royal but displaced a similar amount. Greater armour meant a small hanger, however, and so less aircraft could be carried. The Illustrious is best known for her part in the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, where her Fairey Swordfish disabled or sunk their targets with great success. After celebrated service in the Mediterranean, the Illustrious was later to see service with the Eastern Fleet and then the Pacific Fleet. With the cessation of hostilities, she took part in the initial deck-landing trials for jet aircraft. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 29/9 Crew: 50/16

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Range 14 5

AD 1 11

Displacement: 28,661 tons

DD 1 —

Speed: 30 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 1,250

J, K and N-class Destroyer The role of the destroyer in a fleet is to keep pace with other longranged warships and provide them with an effective screen against small, short-ranged attackers. The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the Tribal class that emphasized guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, eight each of ships with names beginning with J-, K- and N-.

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 7/2

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 357 ft.

The Royal Navy

Length: 753 ft.

Special Traits: Armoured Deck, Carrier In Service: 1940 Aircraft: Three flights of Fairey Swordfish, one flight of Fairey Fulmars and three flights of Wildcats (called Martlets)

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1938

Range 12 4 10 3

Displacement: 1,690 tons

AD 1 1 5 4

DD 1 — 4 2

Speed: 36 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 183

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King George V-class Battleship Ships of this class: Anson, Duke of York, Howe, King George V, Prince of Wales Built to defend Britain in the war that was clearly coming, the King George V-class of battleships compromised only with their main armaments, which were reduced to 14-inch guns to fulfil treaty obligations. However, by mounting 10 of them, the King George V could pack a fearsome punch. They were also very fast for such well armoured ships. The King George V served successfully in many campaigns, including the invasions of Sicily and Italy and finished the war in the Pacific fleet. The Prince of Wales was deployed with the Repulse along the Malayan Coast where she was sunk by Japanese aircraft in what has widely become known as one of the heights of Imperial British arrogance. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+ Damage: 39/13 Crew: 76/25

The Royal Navy

Weapon A Turret (4 x 14 in) B Turret (2 x 14 in) Y Turret (4 x 14 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 745 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2, Armoured Deck, Radar, Torpedo Belt In Service: 1939 Range 39 39 39 16 5

AD 4 2 4 5 12

DD 2 2 2 1 —

Displacement: 44,650 tons

Speed: 27.5 kts.

Special AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,900

Leander-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Achilles, Ajax, Leander, Neptune, Orion With an Empire and trade commitments that spanned the entire globe, the Royal Navy had a clear need for small, light cruisers that could be produced in large numbers. Though displacing more than their intended 6,500 tons, the Leander-class fulfilled this requirement admirably. Perhaps the most famous examples of this class were the Ajax and Achilles which, together with another cruiser, out-manoeuvred the Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. Despite it being a victory won more by bluff and guile rather than effective gunnery, the scuttling of the Graf Spee was welcome news. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 27/9

Weapon A Turret (2 x 6 in) B Turret (2 x 6 in) X Turret (2 x 6 in) Y Turret (2 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 554 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Aircraft 1 In Service: 1931

Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 9,144 tons

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Weak Weak Weak Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 680

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Nelson-class Battleship Ships of this class: Nelson, Rodney Oddities among other capital ships of the Royal Navy, the Nelson-class ships had a triple configuration of turrets to the fore in front of the bridge structure and no rearward facing main guns. They were also the only British battleship to be armed with 16-inch guns and though they could not fire aft, having nine of these massive weapons to the fore negated any tactical disadvantage. A more painful disadvantage was the ship’s slow speed and though the 16-inch guns of the Rodney played a part in the final destruction of the Bismarck, this was only possible because the German ship had lost her ability to manoeuvre. Both ships survived the Second World War and though they always seemed ungainly in appearance, they proved to be solid warships. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Torpedo Belt Damage: 35/11 In Service: 1925 Crew: 66/22

Length: 710 ft.

Range 40 40 40 18 5 10

AD 3 3 3 4 5 1

Displacement: 37,780 tons

DD 3 3 3 1 — 4

Speed: 23 kts.

Special AP AP AP Weak — AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 1,640

Norfolk-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Norfolk, Sussex

The Royal Navy

Weapon A Turret (3 x 16 in) B Turret (3 x 16 in) Q Turret (3 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes

The HMS Norfolk spent almost the entire war serving as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic. However, she participated in the search for the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, and helped track the Bismarck with radar. The Norfolk was the first ship to make visual contact with the Bismarck after the destruction of HMS Hood and aided in her destruction the same day. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 15/5 Crew: 38/12

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 633 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1, Radar In Service: 1931

Range 31 31 31 31 14 5 10 10

Displacement: 14,600 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special

Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 950

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Perth-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Hobart, Perth, Sydney Somewhat similar to the Leander class, the Perth class cruiser featured two self-contained machinery rooms, giving greater survivability. These ships were built for or transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. Perth was lost in action in the Sunda Strait against a vastly superior Japanese force, while Sydney’s loss is somewhat controversial; she engaged in a point-blank gun and torpedo duel with the German raider Kormoran and was last seen on fire and listing badly. Hobart survived a torpedo hit in 1943 but was under repair for the next year and a half.

The Royal Navy

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 27/9

Weapon A Turret (2 x 6 in) B Turret (2 x 6 in) X Turret (2 x 6 in) Y Turret (2 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 522 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1, Agile In Service: 1934 Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 9,275 tons

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Weak Weak Weak Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 680

Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship Ships of this class: Barham, Malaya, Queen Elizabeth, Valiant, Warspite Designed for battle in World War I, the Queen Elizabeth class of battleships were described as ‘the most perfect example of the naval constructor’s art put afloat.’ They were the first fast battleships to mount 15-inch guns and, at the time, were among the most advanced warships in the world. Despite numerous refits, the remaining ships were beginning to show their age in World War II but still they achieved distinguished service. Perhaps the most famous was HMS Warspite, which saw action during the battle of Jutland and was deployed in the Mediterranean against the Italian fleet, where she gained the record for the longest ranged hit against a moving target – over 14 miles! The Warspite was hit by German fighter-bombers during the evacuation of Crete and, after repairs, was seriously damaged by radio-controlled bombs during the Allied landings at Salerno in Italy. Limping home, the Warspite was repaired once more and served in the Normandy landings, though she hit a mine soon afterwards. Within two months, she was back in action. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 2, Torpedo Belt Damage: 34/11 In Service: 1915 Crew: 47/15

Weapon A Turret (2 x 15 in) B Turret (2 x 15 in) X Turret (2 x 15 in) Y Turret (2 x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 645 ft.

Range 33 33 33 33 14 5

AD 2 2 2 2 4 8

DD 3 3 3 3 1 —

Displacement: 36,821 tons

Speed: 24 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,184

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Renown-class Battlecruiser Ships of this class: Renown, Repulse These ships joined the Royal Navy after the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and were completely re-modernised for combat to serve again in time for the Second World War. Radar and additional anti-aircraft weaponry were added and, uncommon among capital ships, the torpedo tubes were retained. In 1940, the Renown fought an engagement with the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau but battle was inconclusive as the two German battlecruisers were able to pull away, despite accurate fire on the part of the Royal Navy. The Renown later saw action in the Mediterranean and the Far East before being scrapped in 1948. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 4+ Special Traits: Aircraft 2, Torpedo Belt Damage: 34/11 In Service: 1916 Crew: 48/16

Length: 794 ft.

Range 33 33 33 14 5 10 10

AD 2 2 2 3 4 2 2

Displacement: 36,750 tons

DD 3 3 3 1 — 4 4

Speed: 31.5 kts.

Special AP AP AP Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 1,205

S-class Submersible

The Royal Navy

Weapon A Turret (2 x 15 in) B Turret (2 x 15 in) Y Turret (2 x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Ships of this class: Sealion, Seawolf, Sea Rover, Seraph, Sirdar Designed for use in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, Sclass submersibles were manoeuvrable with a noted ability to crash dive extremely quickly. Combined with a large salvo of torpedoes, this was a successful design of pre-war years that was soon updated and put back into production. Speed: 3 in./2 in.

Armour: 2+

Turning: 3 Target: 6+

Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes

Length: 217 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1942

Range 7 1 10

Displacement: 990 tons

AD 1 1 3

DD 1 — 4

Speed: 14/10 kts.

Special Weak, Slow-Loading — AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 48

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Southampton-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Southampton The five ships of the Southampton class were fitted with slightly different AA armament at various times in their careers but, overall, they were regarded as tough ships. HMS Southampton was disabled by two or three 550lb bombs and had to be abandoned, while HMS Glasgow, Newcastle and Birmingham were all torpedoed and HMS Sheffield was damaged by a mine. All survived – Glasgow’s back was broken and she took nine months to repair, but was able to make 16 knots even with her damage.

The Royal Navy

Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 12/4 Crew: 33/11

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) X Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 558 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2, Radar In Service: 1937

Range 26 26 26 26 14 5 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 11,350 tons

Speed: 32 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 833

T-class Submersible Ships of this class: Tabard, Taurus, Thorough, Tiptoe, Tapir Constantly improved throughout the war, the T-class had a very powerful torpedo armament and were designed for long-ranged patrols. Their relatively small size was due to pre-war treaty obligations but these vessels still carried an impressive fuel load which was supplemented with external tanks when operating in the Pacific. Speed: 3 in./2 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes Aft Torpedoes

Length: 273 ft.

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Special Traits: Submersible In Service: 1942

Range 12 3 10 10

AD 1 1 4 1

DD 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 1,575 tons

Speed: 15/9 kts.

Special Weak, Slow-Loading — AP, Slow-Loading AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 61

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Tribal-class Destroyer More correctly called the Afridi-class destroyer, this vessel began the tradition of gunnery over torpedoes. However, the class had a frightening lack of anti-aircraft defences, especially against dive-bombers. The Tribal destroyers were the Royal Navy’s most advanced escorts of the time, and saw action in nearly every theatre. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 8/2

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 377 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1936

Range 12 4 10 3

AD 2 1 2 4

Displacement: 2,559 tons

DD 1 — 4 2

Speed: 36 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 190

York-class Cruiser The Royal Navy

Ships of this class: Exeter, York A product of the Washington Treaty that restricted the number of vessels a navy could have above 10,000 tons, the York-class fulfilled the cruiser duties required by a navy whose responsibilities stretched across the globe. The York took part in the Norwegian campaign but was later sunk by Italian motor boats in the Mediterranean. The Exeter famously took part in the Battle of the River Plate but was seriously damaged in the engagement. She was later repaired and took part in the Battle of the Java Sea but was shortly thereafter sunk by Japanese gunfire and torpedoes. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 11/3 Crew: 25/8

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 575 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1, Agile In Service: 1928

Range 31 31 31 14 5 10 10

Displacement: 10,490 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 — 4 4

Speed: 32 kts.

Special

Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 630

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Aircraft

The following forms the air support for the Royal Navy:

Bristol Beaufighter

Based on the Beaufort, this aircraft was used as a long-ranged heavy fighter. However, it was also to see service as a night fighter, torpedo bomber, anti-shipping and ground attack aircraft by both the Fleet Air Arm and the RAF.

Type: Torpedo-Bomber Speed: 22 in. Target: 4+

Dodge: 5+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 2

Weapon Torpedo

AD 1

Range 4

DD 4

In Service: 1943

Special AP, One-Shot

Fairey Fulmar

At first rejected by the RAF, the Fulmar fulfilled the Fleet Air Arm’s requirement for a fighter with the same firepower as a Spitfire or Hurricane. Though inferior to a dedicated single-seat fighter, the Fulmar was reliable and long-ranged, making it suited for carrier operations. However, it was to be replaced halfway through the war by the much more capable Seafire.

The Royal Navy

Type: Fighter Speed: 19 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +2 Damage: 1

In Service: 1940

Fairey Swordfish

Arguably already outdated when it first entered service, the Fairey Swordfish nevertheless managed to cover itself in battle honours during the war, despite being outclassed by almost every enemy it encountered. It was Swordfish who sank much of the Italian fleet at Taranto and it was also Swordfish who disabled the Bismarck, enabling it to be caught and sunk. Type: Torpedo-bomber Speed: 13 in. Target: 5+ Weapon Torpedo

Range 4

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 1 AD 1

DD 4

In Service: 1936

Special AP, One-Shot

Hawker Hurricane

The Hurricane served throughout the war, but as the war progressed, it was slowly outclassed as a frontline fighter but was adopted other roles such as ground attack and tank busting. The Sea Hurricane was an important development, but it rapidly fell out of favour for carrier operations.

Type: Fighter Speed: 25 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +4 Damage: 1

In Service: 1937

Supermarine Seafire

Officially known as the Sea Spitfire, this was the naval version of the RAF’s Spitfire. Though short-ranged, it retained much of its cousin’s speed and agility, as well as hard-hitting firepower, making it a superb choice for fleet defence. It was upgraded throughout its life to add folding wings, a Griffon engine and contra-rotating prop. It stayed in service through the Korean war.

Type: Fighter Speed: 24 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +5 Damage: 1

In Service: 1942

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The Kriegsmarine The German Navy had to be rebuilt virtually from the ground up after the First World War. Forbidden to own capital ships and submarines, Germany nibbled away at first one clause of the Treaty of Versailles, then another, until it had a powerful force of destroyers and submarines. At the outbreak of World War II, relatively few capital ships and no aircraft carriers were in commission. Had war come according to Hitler’s original timetable, more battlecruisers and battleships, including some of extremely large size, and an aircraft carrier would have been available. There was never any prospect of matching Britain in terms of capital ship numbers, but the qualitative advantage of the proposed super-battleships might have made a considerable difference. In any case, the Kriegsmarine was not a navy designed to tackle a major fleet head-on in fleet engagements. Instead, it was a commerce raiding force, a tactic that has always been the preferred course of weaker navies. The Kriegsmarine possessed excellent tools for its role. Relatively primitive submarines had inflicted massive losses on British merchant shipping in World War I; the U-boats of World War II were capable of longer patrols and consequently greater damage to the enemy. They were even, as events would show, capable of entering a defended harbour and sinking a major warship moored – supposedly safely – there.

The Kriegsmarine also had at its disposal several powerful cruisers. Some, like Prinz Eugen, were conventional designs, others, such as the Graf Spee, were ‘pocket battleships’ mounting heavier guns than ships of their displacement normally would. German cruiser forces operated mainly in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and against the Atlantic convoys to Russia after the early months of the war, which saw the famous early cruises of the Pocket Battleships. German capital ships caused relatively little direct damage. Even the most active capital ships, the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, sank relatively little tonnage. However, the main effect of the big ships was as a threat. The Tirpitz tied down several British and American battleships that were needed elsewhere simply by the threat that she might sortie. The Allies could not risk such a mighty vessel getting loose among their convoys, and had to maintain sufficient forces to destroy her on station, even if she was doing nothing.

The Kriegsmarine

The destroyers (often referred to as ‘Torpedo Boats,’ but worlds away from what the Royal Navy meant by that term) of the German Navy were excellent vessels; they were large for their size and powerful compared with those of other nations. Ship for ship they were a match for any destroyer afloat. German destroyers mainly operated in the North Sea and English Channel, where they fought running battles with British light forces throughout the war. They also gave good account of themselves in the invasion of Norway and against the Arctic convoys to Russia. Fortunately for the Allies there were not very many of them.

The mere rumour that Tirpitz might be about to leave port caused the British Admiralty to order convoy PQ17 to scatter, allowing it to be carved up by aircraft and submarines at leisure. The famous Atlantic sortie of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen resulted in a desperate scramble involving dozens of ships; the devastation that two such powerful vessels could wreak was too awful to contemplate. German capital ships were built according to principles tried out in World War I; internal compartmentalisation and damagecontrol measures made them very difficult to sink, whilst their efficient powerplants ensured a good top speed – essential in a raider. Coupled with excellent fire control and big guns to go with it, these vessels were extremely potent weapons. It has been said that Hitler never really understood naval warfare; be that as it may, the Kriegsmarine suffered from a lack of funding and materials, and from the internal politics of the Nazi leadership. Among its greatest detractors was Herman Goering, who connived constantly to ensure resources for ‘his’ Luftwaffe to the detriment of the navy. Major warship projects suffered from constant stops and starts as resources were allocated then redistributed to other projects. Eventually, as the tide of war turned against Germany, Hitler gave up on his navy and transferred guns originally intended for ships to the coastal fortifications along the Atlantic Wall. The Kriegsmarine continued to fight on with dwindling resources. Uboats and destroyers remained a menace to Allied shipping to the very end of the war. It is interesting to speculate how the Kriegsmarine might have served under a different master.

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The Kriegsmarine Fleet List

The following forms the entire fleet and air list for the Kriegsmarine: Priority Level: Raid Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser Deutschland-class pocket battleship Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier

Priority Level: Patrol Type-VII U-boat Type-IX U-boat Zerstörer 1936-class destroyer Junkers Ju-87 (three flights) Messerschmitt Me-109 squadron (two flights)

Priority Level: Battle Scharnhorst-class battlecruiser

Priority Level: Skirmish K-class light cruiser Type-XXI U-boat Focke-Wulf Fw-190 squadron (three flights)

Priority Level: War Bismarck-class battleship

Special Rules

The following special rules are applied to fleets of the Kriegsmarine:

The Kriegsmarine

Improved Rangefinders: The Kriegsmarine was noted for the training of its gunners and the optics it used. All Kriegsmarine ships gain a +1 bonus to all Attack Dice rolled for main turret guns against targets at Long or Extreme ranges. Radar: German radar lagged somewhat behind that of the British at the start of the war and, as their technology progressed, operating procedures started to hamper its use later on. Radar on Kriegsmarine ships will only detect enemy vessels that are within the ship’s forward arc.

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Admiral Hipper-class Heavy Cruiser Ships of this class: Admiral Hipper, Blucher, Prinz Eugen, Seydlitz The Prinz Eugen first came to notoriety as she escorted the Bismarck into the North Atlantic and engaged the Royal Navy in the encounter which saw the destruction of HMS Hood. After the battle, Prinz Eugen left the Bismarck to sail to Brest, where she remained inactive for several months. Later, she was deployed in Norwegian and then Finnish waters while the Eastern Front collapsed. After the war, the Prinz Eugen entered the US Navy, where she was used in nuclear bomb tests until her hull gave way. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 19/6 Crew: 64/21

Length: 681ft.

Range 37 37 37 37 13 8 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3

Displacement: 18,750 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special

Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 1,600

Bismarck-class Battleship Ships of this class: Bismarck, Tirpitz

The Kriegsmarine

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Radar In Service: 1937

Examples of one of the most renowned classes of ships to be launched, the Bismarck and Tirpitz have become legendary. The Bismarck sank the HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, causing Winston Churchill to order her sunk at any cost. The Royal Navy set sail with no intention of letting her live and she was finally cornered and sunk by the might of the Home Fleet. The Tirpitz, now Germany’s most powerful warship, was to spend the war in port where she was the target of increasingly obsessive attacks by the British. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+

Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Radar, Torpedo Belt Damage: 43/14 In Service: 1939 Crew: 84/28

Weapon A Turret (2 x 15 in.) B Turret (2 x 15 in.) X Turret (2 x 15 in.) Y Turret (2 x 15 in.) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 823 ft.

Range 40 40 40 40 17 8

Displacement: 50,956 tons

AD 2 2 2 2 5 6

DD 3 3 3 3 1 —

Speed: 30 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 2,092

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Deutschland-class Pocket Battleship Ships of this class: Admiral Graf Spee, Admiral Scheer, Lutzow The launch of the Deutschland class of warships marked a turning point for the Kriegsmarine and Germany as a whole. These ships were designed specifically to get around the rules imposed upon Germany in the Treaty of Versailles. Though still relatively small in size, they were well armoured and carried the type of armament traditionally seen on battleships. It quickly became apparent that only a battleship or battlecruiser could successfully defeat one in open combat and so the term ‘pocket battleship’ was coined to describe this new breed of cruiser. Despite Germany’s protestations of the defensive role of these vessels, their size and armament were clearly designed to make them superb commerce raiders. The Admiral Scheer successfully plied the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, disrupting merchant shipping wherever it went, the Admiral Graf Spee was famously cornered during the Battle of the River Plate and scuttled herself soon after.

The Kriegsmarine

Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 17/5 Crew: 40/13

Weapon A Turret (3 x 11 in) Y Turret (3 x 11 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 610 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1931

Range 40 40 17 8 10 10

AD 3 3 3 2 2 2

DD 1 1 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 16,020 tons

Special

Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Speed: 28.5 kts.

Crew: 1,001

Graf Zeppelin-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Graf Zeppelin Though her keel was laid down and the hull launched before the start of the war, the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was never completed or commissioned, and she never saw action. She is included here for Kriegsmarine players to experiment with and try ‘what if?’ scenarios involving her use. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 29/9 Crew: 70/23

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 820 ft.

Range 17 8

Special Traits: Carrier, Torpedo Belt In Service: 1943 Aircraft: Four flights of Me-109 and three flights of Ju-87

AD 6 5

DD 1 —

Displacement: 28,090 tons

Speed: 34 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 1,760

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K-class Light Cruiser Ships of this class: Königsberg, Karlsruhe, Köln, Leipzig, Nürnberg Sometimes called the Königsberg-class, these vessels were built to limits specified in the Treaty of Versailles. However, this had an impact on the structural integrity of the ships, and they did not endure long-distance voyages as well as had been hoped. The unusual triple three-gun turret design was also the result of keeping within the weight limits specified by the treaty but clever positioning of the rear turrets virtually eliminated any drawbacks. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 8/2 Crew: 27/9

Weapon A Turret (3 x 5.9 in) X Turret (3 x 5.9 in) Y Turret (3 x 5.9 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Range 26 26 26 8 10 10

Displacement: 7,700

AD 1 1 1 1 3 3

DD 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 682

Scharnhorst-class Battlecruiser Ships of this class: Gneisenau, Scharnhorst While serving as commerce raiders, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were responsible for sinking over 105,000 tons of Allied shipping in a single cruise. During the Allied retreat from Norway, the Scharnhorst sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and two destroyers, and though torpedoed and attacked by aircraft from HMS Ark Royal, she returned safely to Kiel. In 1943, while intercepting a convoy, the Scharnhorst was attacked by the cruisers HMS Norfolk, Belfast and Sheffield, escorted by four destroyers. Hit several times before increasing range, the Scharnhorst was struck by a shell fired at a range of more than 18,000 yards (more than 10 miles), which plummeted into her boiler room, reducing her speed. The Royal Navy destroyers were then able to close distance and torpedoed the Scharnhorst until she exploded and then sank. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+ Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Radar, Torpedo Belt Damage: 35/12 In Service: 1936 Crew: 70/23

Weapon A Turret (3 x 11 in) B Turret (3 x 11 in) Y Turret (3 x 11 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 770 ft.

The Kriegsmarine

Length: 570 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1927+

Range 45 45 45 17 8 10 10

Displacement: 38,900 tons

AD 3 3 3 5 5 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 31.5 kts.

Special

Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 1,754

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Type-VII U-boat

Highly manoeuvrable, the Type-VII spawned several variations and was to become the workhorse of the German U-boat fleet. Armed with four forward torpedo tubes and an 88mm deck gun, the Type-VII was an effective submersible that was deployed in most areas of the war. The most famous example is U-96, featured in the movie Das Boot.

Speed: 3 in./1 in. Turning: 3 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes Aft Torpedoes

Length: 211 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1936

Range 9 1 10 10

AD 1 1 2 1

DD 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 1,070 tons

Speed: 17/7 kts.

Special Slow-Loading, Weak — AP, Slow-Loading AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 52

Type-IX U-boat

The Kriegsmarine

A long-ranged submersible, one variant, the Type-IXb, was the most successful U-boat version of the war, with each vessel sinking an average of over 100,000 tons. One , U-107, made the most successful patrols of the war, with nearly 100,000 tons of shipping sunk around Freetown in Africa. The latest variants of this design were capable of ranges of more than 23,000 miles, allowing them to rove far in search of convoys, while their heavy load of torpedoes allowed them to keep pace with a convoy, attacking night after night.

Speed: 4 in./1 in. Turning: 3 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes Aft Torpedoes

Length: 251 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1939

Range 12 1 10 10

AD 1 1 2 1

DD 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 1,430 tons

Speed: 18/7 kts.

Special Slow-Loading, Weak — AP, Slow-Loading AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 56

Type-XXI U-boat

Incredibly advanced for its time, it has been said that this vessel might have won the war for Germany, had they appeared two years earlier. Also known as the Electroboat, the TypeXXI had better facilities for crew, was actually faster when submerged than on the surface and had a hydraulic torpedo loading system that allowed they to reload extremely quickly after firing. Increased electrical power gave the vessel superb range underwater, though they lacked a deck gun.

Speed: 3 in./3 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+ Weapon AA Forward Torpedoes

Length: 251 ft.

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Special Traits: Agile, Silent, Submersible In Service: 1943

Range 1 10

AD 1 3

DD — 3

Displacement: 2,100 tons

Speed: 15/17.2 kts.

Special — AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 60

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Zerstörer 1936-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Z23 through Z39 A much improved design of destroyer, this class was based on earlier designs and, like them, had trouble in heavy seas. They were a much more capable vessel overall though, and their range and armament offset a lot of their problems. Speed: 8 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 4/1 Crew: 13/4

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 363 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1930+

Range 12 5 10 3

AD 2 1 4 3

Displacement: 3,605 tons

DD 1 — 3 2

Speed: 37.5 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 330

Aircraft

The following forms the air support for the Kriegsmarine:

Continuing the Me-109’s legacy, the Fw-190 soon gained the attention of Allied pilots in Europe as it cut a swathe in the sky. A big, radial-engine fighter, the Fw-190 was capable of using brute force to hurl through tight turns without a significant loss of speed, giving rise to its superior flight characteristics. Type: Fighter Speed: 31 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +5 Damage: 2

In Service: 1941

The Kriegsmarine

Focke-Wulf Fw-190

Junkers Ju-87

One of the most famous aircraft of the war, the Stuka was the instrument of Blitzkrieg, allowing airpower to take a direct effect in battles on the land. Against other aircraft, the Stuka was quickly dispatched but it continued to play a strong role in anti-shipping and anti-tank duties throughout the war.

Type: Dive-Bomber Speed: 18 in. Target: 5+ Weapon Bombs

Range —

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 1 AD 1

DD 3

In Service: 1938

Special AP, One-Shot

Messerschmitt Me-109

Made famous by the Battle of Britain, the Me-109 was constantly upgraded throughout the war to remain competitive, though it was to be outclassed by the Fw-190. At the start of the war, however, it was a fearsome fighter, and a suitable counterpart to the Spitfire.

Type: Fighter Speed: 31 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +4 Damage: 1

In Service: 1937

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The US Navy Although the US spans a vast area of land, almost all of its allies and trading partners are overseas, and overseas interests require a powerful navy to support them. The US Navy fielded over 2,100 vessels of all kinds during the Second World War, fighting in two oceans at once. The US Navy possessed some of the largest and most modern battleships in the world at the outbreak of World War II, and despite losses in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour was able maintain a powerful presence in the Pacific. However, in the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean the battleship was no longer the king of battle. It was fortunate for the Allies that the handful of aircraft carriers then in service with the US Navy escaped destruction; given later events it is doubtful that a battleship force could have defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a matter of necessity more than choice, the aircraft carrier became the main US naval asset during the Pacific war, which was very much a conflict between the air assets of opposing fleets or based on the many islands of the Pacific. US carrier forces were hard-pressed early on but as the industrial might of the US was brought to bear, new carriers and air groups for them were deployed in such numbers that the enemy simply could not match their strength.

The US Navy

US battleships did engage in some dramatic surface actions, though for the most part their role was that of escort for the carriers and naval gunfire support for troops fighting on the many islands. Cruiser and destroyer forces were active as escorts for the carrier battle groups and among the islands, at turns supplying naval gunfire support and battling enemy surface forces, and light vessels such as PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats were found to be very useful among the islands and atolls. It is not generally appreciated that the US Navy, and not the Kriegsmarine, was the most prolific and successful raider of commerce during the Second World War. Japan imported vast amounts of necessary materials from her captured territories, making her vulnerable to attacks by submarines. Unlike the Allies, the Japanese never took adequate steps to defend their commerce, allowing merchant ships to sail alone or in convoys defended by totally inadequate escorts. The result was a massacre, especially as many US submarine commanders were willing to fight the destroyers rather than hide from them in order to gain a clear sea. They would then surface and sink the defenceless merchant ships with deck gun fire. Commerce raiding of this type was not as glamorous as the great carrier or big gun actions, but it contributed in a major way to the downfall of Imperial Japan. Americans have always been great innovators, and the US Navy was not afraid of technology. Radar-guided guns gave US battleships a major advantage over their Japanese opponents, especially in night actions. Radar was also critical in dealing with the air attacks that became common as the war progressed. US naval forces were primarily engaged in the Pacific, but some capital ships and large numbers of destroyers were deployed to the Atlantic theatre where their primary opponents were German U-boats.

The US Navy Fleet List

The following forms the entire fleet and aircraft list for the US Navy: Priority Level: Skirmish Atlanta-class cruiser Gato-class submarine New Orleans-class cruiser Pensacola-class cruiser Portland-class cruiser Grumman F6F Hellcat squadron (three flights) Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger squadrons (four flights) Curtiss SB2C Helldiver squadrons (four flights)

Priority Level: Patrol Clemson-class destroyer Fletcher-class destroyer Bell P-39 Airacobra squadrons (four flights) Curtiss P-40 Kitty Hawk squadron (three flights) North American P-51 Mustang squadron (three flights) Douglas SBD Dauntless squadron (three flights) Douglas TBD Devastator squadron (three flights) Grumman F4F Wildcat squadron (three flights) Vought F4U Corsair squadron (two flights)

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Priority Level: Raid Brooklyn-class cruiser Yorktown-class aircraft carrier

Priority Level: War Colorado-class battleship Iowa-class battleship North Carolina-class battleship South Dakota-class battleship

Priority Level: Battle New York-class battleship Essex-class aircraft carrier

Atlanta-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Atlanta, Juneau (1941), San Diego, San Juan, Oakland, Reno, Flint, Tucson, Juneau (1944) The Atlanta class were the smallest US cruisers of the era, intended to work with destroyers (perhaps as Destroyer Leaders) and anti-aircraft/anti-destroyer escort ships. Their 5-in. armament was light by cruiser standards but later ships (USS Tucson onwards) mounted additional AA armament and improved protection, though the increase in topweight became a problem. USS Atlanta and Juneau were lost in action in November 1942. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 9/3 Crew: 25/8

Length: 541 ft.

Range 12 8 10 10 3

AD 5 8 2 2 6

Displacement: 8,340 tons

DD 1 — 4 4 2

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 623

Brooklyn-class Cruiser

The US Navy

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Special Traits: Radar In Service: 1942

Ships of this class: Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Savannah, Nashville, Phoenix, Boise, Honolulu, St Louis, Helena In the wake of the London Treaty (1930), the construction of eight-inch cruisers was severely limited. The Brooklyns were therefore built on a design displacement of 10,000 tons and the same propulsion as an eight-inch heavy cruiser of the same displacement, but with six-inch armament and improved protection. Innovative features included a hangar sunk into the hull far aft and changes in the internal layout of the hull frame. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 35/11

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in.) B Turret (3 x 6 in.) Q Turret (3 x 6 in.) X Turret (3 x 6 in.) Y Turret (3 x 6 in.) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 600 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Radar In Service: 1938

Range 27 27 27 27 27 10 8

Displacement: 12,207 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 1 2 5

DD 1 1 1 1 1 1 —

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Weak —

Crew: 868

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Colorado-class Battleship Ships of this class: Colorado, Maryland, West Virginia The last of the Great War ships to be commissioned for the US Navy, Colorado-class battleships were actually not completed until 1920-1. Unfortunately, they came under the scrutiny of the Washington Treaty and so a fourth ship, the Washington (appropriately enough), was sunk as a bomb target. All three remaining ships were deployed in the Pacific theatres in a variety of support operations and survived the war, though they were all damaged by kamikaze attacks at some point. Speed: 4 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Torpedo Belt Damage: 36/12 In Service: 1920 Crew: 84/28

The US Navy

Weapon A Turret (2 x 16 in) B Turret (2 x 16 in) X Turret (2 x 16 in) Y Turret (2 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 624 ft.

Range 35 35 35 35 14 8

AD 2 2 2 2 4 8

DD 3 3 3 3 1 —

Displacement: 39,400 tons

Speed: 21 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 2,100

Clemson-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Clemson, Semmes, Graham, Goldsborough The Clemson-class was a redesign of the Wickes-class, and was the last preWWII class of flush-decker destroyers to be built for the United States. In all, 156 of these destroyers served with the US Navy after World War I and into World War II. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 5/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 314 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1919

Range 11 3 10 10 3

AD 1 1 3 3 6

DD 1 — 4 4 2

Displacement: 1,699 tons

Speed: 35 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 130

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Essex-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Bunker Hill, Essex, Hornet, Lexington, Wasp, Yorktown The Essex carriers were to see service in almost every major action within the Pacific, with 24 being commissioned. They were a step forward in US carrier design, with stronger armour and safer fuel-handling capabilities. The Essex carriers arrived as US Navy doctrine was changed deriving strength from numbers, with sometimes as many as six carriers working as a single group. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+ of

Armour: 3+ Special Traits: Carrier Damage: 33/11 In Service: 1942 Crew: 130/43 Aircraft: Six flights of Grumman Hellcats, six flights of Curtis Helldivers and three flights Grumman Avengers

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 820 ft.

Range 12 8

AD 4 10

Displacement: 34,880 tons

DD 1 —

Speed: 33 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 3,240

The US Navy

Fletcher-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Fletcher, Hudson, Picking, Taylor, Wren The name Fletcher class is almost synonymous with the word destroyer when used in context with World War II. Over 175 of these versatile destroyers were built throughout the war and the basic Fletcher provided the basis of numerous other destroyer designs. Speed: 7 in.

Armour: 2+

Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Damage: 3/1 Crew: 13/4

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 376 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Radar, Sub-Hunter In Service: 1930

Range 12 5 10 3

Displacement: 2,500 tons

AD 1 2 5 6

DD 1 — 4 2

Speed: 36.5 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 329

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Gato-class Submarine Ships of this class: Albacor, Dace, Darter, Finback, Growler, Wahoo Considered to be state of the art in the submersible world at the start of the war, the Gato-class was based on the previous Tambor-class. Many survived the war and can be seen as exhibits in parts of America. Speed: 4in./2 in.

Armour: 2+

Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes Aft Torpedoes

The US Navy

Length: 312 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1941

Range 10 1 10 10

AD 1 1 3 1

DD 1 — 4 4

Displacement: 2,410 tons

Special Weak, Slow-Loading — AP, Slow-Loading AP, Slow-Loading

Speed: 20.75/8.75 kts.

Crew: 74

Iowa-class Battleship Ships of this class: Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Wisconsin One of the largest battleships ever built, only the Japanese Yamato displaced more. Based superficially on the South Dakota-class, the Iowa’s had heavier armour and was 200 ft. longer. They were also incredibly fast, due to increased output from the engines, and their greater size allowed them to mount more anti-aircraft guns, making them a formidable prospect for attacking planes. Invariably used as flagships for task forces, Iowa-class ships were also supremely equipped to act as escorts for the fast carrier fleets of the Pacific. Speed: 7 in.

Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Armoured Deck, Radar, Torpedo Belt Damage: 49/16 In Service: 1942 Crew: 114/38

Weapon A Turret (3 x 16 in) B Turret (3 x 16 in) Y Turret (3 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 890 ft.

Range 43 43 43 12 8

AD 3 3 3 6 18

DD 3 3 3 1 —

Displacement: 59,300 tons

Speed: 33 kts.

Special Super AP Super AP Super AP Weak —

Crew: 2,858

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New Orleans-class Cruiser Ships of this class: New Orleans, Astoria, Minneapolis, Tuscaloosa, San Francisco, Quincy, Vincennes The New Orleans class represented a move towards a better protected class of eight-inch cruisers, as the capabilities of directed gunfire became apparent and hits at great ranges more likely. Three vessels were sunk in a single engagement off Guadalcanal, casting some doubt as to the effectiveness of the protective improvements, but other ships of the class fared better in action. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 35/11

Weapon A Turret (3 x 8 in) B Turret (3 x 8 in) X Turret (3 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 578 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Radar In Service: 1934

Range 32 32 32 10 7

AD 1 1 1 2 3

Displacement: 12,493 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 —

Special Twin-Linked Twin-Linked Twin-Linked Weak —

Speed: 32.7 kts.

Crew: 868

The US Navy

New York-class Battleship Ships of this class: New York, Texas These ships were very similar to the older Wyoming-class battleships, the main difference being that the main armament was upgraded to ten 14-inch guns. Both the Texas and the New York served in the North Africa and Normandy landings, before being redeployed to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The New York was slightly damaged by a kamikaze attack and was expended as an atomic target after the war. The Texas was preserved and remains as a memorial at Galveston. Speed: 4 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Torpedo Belt Damage: 31/10 In Service: 1912 Crew: 61/20

Weapon A Turret (2 x 14 in) B Turret (2 x 14 in) Q Turret (2 x 14 in) X Turret (2 x 14 in) Y Turret (2 x 14 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 573 ft.

Range 35 35 35 35 35 14 7

Displacement: 32,000 tons

AD 2 2 2 2 2 2 5

DD 2 2 2 2 2 1 —

Speed: 21 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,530

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North Carolina-class Battleship Ships of this class: North Carolina, Washington The first of a new generation of fast battleships for the US Navy, the North Carolinaclass mounted nine 16-inch guns and though they were a little slower than foreign equivalents, this was never seen as a major drawback. The Washington spent a brief period in the Atlantic escorting convoys, but both ships were in the Pacific theatre for the main part of the war. The Washington was renowned for having sunk the Kirishama during the Second Battle of Guadalcanal, though she was laid up soon after the war and finally scrapped. The North Carolina survived to become a war memorial. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Radar, Torpedo Belt Damage: 41/13 In Service: 1940 Crew: 85/28

The US Navy

Weapon A Turret (3 x 16 in) B Turret (3 x 16 in) Y Turret (3 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 729 ft.

Range 37 37 37 12 8

AD 3 3 3 6 10

DD 3 3 3 1 —

Displacement: 46,795 tons

Speed: 28 kts.

Special Super AP Super AP Super AP Weak —

Crew: 2,125

Pensacola-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Pensacola, Salt Lake City The Pensacola class ships were the first of the US ‘treaty’ cruisers. They were primarily intended to defeat destroyers and light cruisers, and were only armoured against five-inch weapons. The Pensacolas were not good seaboats and were modified before the war to add a deeper keel and remove the original torpedo mounts. Both ships survived the war and were sunk in 1948. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 12/4 Crew: 25/8

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (3 x 8 in) X Turret (3 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 570 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Radar In Service: 1930

Range 32 32 32 32 10 7

AD 1 1 1 1 1 2

DD 1 1 1 1 1 —

Displacement: 11,512 tons

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Twin-Linked Twin-Linked Weak —

Crew: 631

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Portland-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Portland, Indianapolis Originally conceived as a class of five ships, only two Portlands were built. The design was derived from the Northampton class, with some minor modifications, including somewhat improved protection. During development the class gained more light armament but lost their torpedo fit. USS Indianapolis was the last major US ship to be lost in World War II, sunk by the submarine I-58. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 32/10

Weapon A Turret (3 x 8 in) B Turret (3 x 8 in) Y Turret (3 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 592 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Radar In Service: 1932

Range 32 32 32 10 7

AD 1 1 1 2 4

Displacement: 12,775 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 —

Special Twin-Linked Twin-Linked Twin-Linked Weak —

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Crew: 807

The US Navy

South Dakota-class Battleship Ships of this class: South Dakota, Indiana, Massachusetts, Alabama The South Dakota class was designed to mount 16-inch guns and be well protected against 16-inch shellfire and underwater attack, as well as be as fast as the preceding North Carolina class – and all on a hull not exceeding 35,000 tons. They ended up weighing slightly over at 38,000 tons but, despite some cramping in the design, emerged as excellent warships. All four examples survived the war. Speed: 5 in.

Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Armoured Deck, Radar, Torpedo Belt Damage: 40/13 In Service: 1942 Crew: 90/30

Weapon A Turret (3 x 16 in) B Turret (3 x 16 in) Y Turret (3 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 666 ft.

Range 37 37 37 12 8

Displacement: 46,218 tons

AD 3 3 3 6 11

DD 3 3 3 1 —

Speed: 27.5 kts.

Special Super AP Super AP Super AP Weak —

Crew: 2,257

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Yorktown-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Enterprise, Hornet, Yorktown Built in a series of three, only the Enterprise survived the war, with the Yorktown sunk during the Battle of Midway, and the Hornet during the Battle of Santa Cruz. The Enterprise went on to become the most frequently decorated US carrier of the war, even earning the British Admiralty Pennant, the only ship outside of the Royal Navy to do so. She was finally put out of action in 1945 by a kamikaze attack that severely damaged her hanger deck. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 26/8 Crew: 88/29

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 761 ft.

Special Traits: Carrier In Service: 1937 Aircraft: Three flights of Grumman Wildcats, three flights of Douglas Devastators and six flights of Douglas Dauntless Range 12 7

AD 2 4

DD 1 —

Displacement: 25,484 tons

Speed: 32.5 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 2,200

Aircraft The US Navy

The following forms the air support for the US Navy:

Bell P-39 Airacobra

An early design, the Airacobra already looked lacklustre by the start of the war. Like most American aircraft, it was capable of sustaining heavy damage.

Type: Fighter Speed: 27 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +2 Damage: 2

In Service: 1942

Curtiss P-40 Kitty Hawk

One of the most prevalent designs of the war, the P-40 fought in the Pacific, the Mediterranean and on the Russian Front. Although not exceptional, the P-40 was tough and dependable.

Type: Fighter Speed: 25 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +2 Damage: 2

In Service: 1941

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Sometimes regarded as one of the worst aircraft of the war, the Helldiver was slow, hard to fly and delivered late. This was not to say it was not good at its main role but the overall design was responsible for the deaths of many US pilots.

Type: Dive-Bomber Speed: 21 in. Target: 4+ Weapon Bombs

Range —

Dodge: 5+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 1 AD 1

DD 3

In Service: 1942

Special One-Shot, Super AP

Douglas SBD Dauntless

Until replaced by the Helldiver, the Dauntless was the main dive-bomber of the US Navy. Its crowning glory was during the Battle of Midway, where it sunk four Japanese carriers and damaged two cruisers.

Type: Dive-Bomber Speed: 19 in. Target: 5+ Weapon Bombs

Range —

Dodge: 5+ Dogfight: +1 Damage: 2 AD 1

DD 3

In Service: 1940

Special One-Shot, Super AP

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Douglas TBD Devastator

A world leader when it was introduced into service in 1937, the Devastator quickly fell behind in terms of performance to the point where the aircraft was obsolete only four years later. Type: Torpedo-Bomber Speed: 15 in. Target: 4+ Weapon Torpedo

Range 4

Dodge: 5+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 2 AD 1

DD 4

In Service: 1937

Special AP, One-Shot

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Gaining Grumman a reputation for building tough aircraft, the Wildcat was never given an operational speed restriction. Barrelshaped and with stubby wings, it was a natural carrier-based aircraft.

Type: Fighter Speed: 24 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +2 Damage: 2

In Service: 1940

Grumman F6F Hellcat

Relatively easy to handle for a pilot, the Hellcat was built specifically to defeat the Japanese Zero, a role it excelled in. The Hellcat was to become the US Navy’s standard choice of carrier-based aircraft, projecting superior airpower in 1943 and 44. Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +3 Damage: 2

In Service: 1943

Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger

A blessed relief to Devastator pilots when it finally rolled off the production lines, the Avenger was a good torpedo bomber, though this duty took its toll even on purpose-designed aircraft. Type: Torpedo-Bomber Speed: 22 in. Target: 5+ Weapon Torpedo

Range 4

AD 1

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: +2 Damage: 2 DD 4

In Service: 1942

The US Navy

Type: Fighter Speed: 27 in. Target: 6+

Special AP, One-Shot

North American P-51 Mustang

A contender for the best fighter of the war, the Mustang was designed at the behest of the British, who were interested in obtaining a fighter from overseas to supplement the Royal Air Force. The final design was a superb amalgamation of American and British technologies which resulted in agile aircraft capable of long-ranged missions.

Type: Fighter Speed: 33 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +5 Damage: 1

In Service: 1941

Vought F4U Corsair

The bent-winged Corsair was an exceptionally good aircraft, sporting heavy armour, superb firepower and tremendous acceleration. Type: Fighter Dodge: 3+ In Service: 1943 Speed: 30 in. Dogfight: +4 Target: 6+ Damage: 2

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Imperial Japanese Navy Japan was graphically shown the power of modern warships in the latter years of the 19th century when an American armoured cruiser squadron bombarded port facilities which had only cannon firing stone shot to reply with. From then onward it was obvious that Japan would no longer be able to ignore the rest of the world. She needed technology, and as an island power, she needed a modern navy. Turning for assistance to Britain, then the world’s foremost naval power, Japan quickly created a powerful modern fleet, which fought successfully against Korea and Russia in the years that followed. It was this capable and confident navy that came out to fight the American Pacific Fleet and those of the Allies. Unlike some other navies, the Japanese understood the potential of air power and created an effective carrier arm. This was in part due to the limitations of the Treaty of Washington, which limited capital ship construction but allowed incomplete hulls to be finished as aircraft carriers. In this way the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) acquired fast carriers built on what had been battlecruiser hulls.

Imperial Japanese Navy

In addition to the carriers, the IJN possessed a powerful battleship force, which included the largest and most powerful battleships in the world, the Yamato and the Musashi. In truth these awesome ships were already obsolete when they were laid down, but the carrier aircraft had yet to show its potential. That potential was shown in the attacks on Pearl Harbour in 1941. Using armour-piercing bombs improvised from 14-inch shells, torpedoes and lighter bombs, Japanese aircraft inflicted tremendous damage on the US Pacific fleet as it lay at anchor. Had the US carrier force been present at the time of the attack, the war might have taken a different course. As it was, things were bad enough for the Allies. The IJN dominated the Pacific, sweeping aside the weak Allied cruiser and destroyer forces in the region while British capital ships were sunk with massed air attacks. At the time of the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942, the Allies had no functional capital ship within 10,000 miles. The IJN was at that point the third most powerful navy in the world, and for a time it seemed unstoppable. Although both the US Navy and the IJN had large numbers of battleships available, it was air power that turned the tide of the Pacific War. The Battle of Midway, lasting three days, resulted in the loss of several ships plus large numbers of planes and – more importantly – trained aircrew on both sides, but victory went to the Americans. The Japanese carrier fleet was crippled by its losses whilst the smaller US fleet was backed up by a larger industrial capacity and could make good its losses more easily. Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War, and from then on the IJN, though a powerful force, was unable to make any headway against the increasing carrier strength of the USN. Cruiser and battleship forces made several gallant efforts, and Japanese destroyers ran appalling risks to deliver men and supplies to the island battles, but in the end the matter would be decided by carrier air power – and in that vital area the Japanese Navy was falling ever farther behind. However, this was not the only factor at play. Japan had gained access to vast resources of vital materials by her conquests, but they needed to be transported by sea. The IJN never really grasped the concept of effective anti-submarine defence for merchant convoys, and over the course of the war the vital supply ships were steadily massacred by US submarines. The Imperial Japanese Navy did not take defeat lying down. Even at the end, with the victorious Allies pushing towards the Japanese islands, the IJN fought desperately to keep them at bay. Kamikaze aircraft and other suicide weapons were deployed in increasing numbers, and eventually the proud warships of the IJN made death-rides against the US forces. Most of these sorties were stopped by air attack long before they came in range of the enemy. This was the last hurrah for the battleship, and the heroic efforts of the Japanese Navy only served to prove beyond any doubt that the days of the large armoured warship were gone forever. If the world’s most powerful battleship, crewed by men expecting to die in the course of their mission, could not survive to reach gun range, no other ship would.

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The Imperial Japanese Navy Fleet List

The following forms the entire fleet list for the Imperial Japanese Navy: Priority Level: Raid Mogami-class heavy cruiser Shokaku-class aircraft carrier Takao-class cruiser

Priority Level: Patrol Fubuki-class destroyer Kadai-7-class submarine Aichi D3A Val squadrons (four flights) Mitsubishi A6M Zero squadron (two flights) Mitsubishi G4M Betty squadron (three flights) Nakajima B5N Kate squadron (three flights)

Priority Level: Battle Kongo-class battlecruiser Nagato-class battleship

Priority Level: Skirmish Aoba-class cruiser Furutaka-class cruiser Hei-Gata-class submarine Kagero-class destroyer Nagara-class cruiser Sendai-class cruiser Kawanishi N1K1-J squadron (three flights)

Priority Level: War Yamato-class battleship

Special Rules

Weak Sonar: Japanese sonar was never quite the equal of the Allied systems. Japanese ships require a 5+ to detect a submerged submersible, rather than the normal 4+. The Long Lance: The Japanese were responsible for some of the most accurate, long-ranged and powerful torpedoes of the war. Japanese ships (not submersibles) may either use the torpedo rules as normal, or they may choose to target an enemy ship up to 20 inches away. If they do this, however, the attack will be made in the next End Phase, with the Torpedo Counter moving with the ship if necessary.

Aoba-class Cruiser

Imperial Japanese Navy

The following special rules are applied to fleets of the Imperial Japanese Navy:

Ships of this class: Aoba, Kinugasa Essentially improved Furutakas, the Aoba class cruisers were designed to mount their eight-inch guns in dual turrets from the outset, and were also the first Japanese cruisers with aircraft catapults. Already over design displacement at 8,300 tons, they grew still further in 1938-40 refits, eventually going back to sea at 9,000 tons. Kinugasa was sunk off Guadalcanal by US carrier aircraft and Aoba was sunk in an air raid. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 25/8

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 582 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1 In Service: 1926

Range 33 33 33 12 7 20 20

Displacement: 9,476 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 3 3

DD 1 1 1 1 — 5 5

Speed: 34.5 kts.

Special — — — Weak — Slow-Loading, Super AP Slow-Loading, Super AP

Crew: 625

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Fubuki-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Shirayuki, Hatsuyuki, Miyuki, Murakumo When the first Fubuki appeared in 1928, she was the first destroyer to feature powered, weatherproof dual five-inch mounts and torpedo reloads. At the time, she was hands-down the most powerful warship for her size anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, she was also structurally unsound as a result of trying to cram too much weaponry into too small a displacement. Speed: 8 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 8/2

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 378 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1928 Range 12 5 20 3

AD 1 2 5 2

DD 1 — 5 2

Displacement: 2,050 tons

Special Weak — One-Shot, Super AP Slow-Loading

Speed: 38 kts.

Crew: 197

Furutaka-class Cruiser Imperial Japanese Navy

Ships of this class: Furutaka, Kako The Furutaka class were the first Japanese ‘treaty’ cruisers. They were flush-decked to save weight and initially mounted their guns in single gunhouses. In the late 1930s they were rebuilt with dual mounts for their eight-inch armament. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 25/8

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in.) B Turret (2 x 8 in.) X Turret (2 x 8 in.) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 580 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1 In Service: 1926 Range 33 33 33 12 7 20 20

AD 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 — 5 5

Displacement: 9,540 tons

Speed: 34.5 kts.

Special — — — Weak — Slow-Loading, Super AP Slow-Loading, Super AP

Crew: 625

Hei-Gata-class Submarine First constructed at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Kobe, the I-16 was involved in Operation Hawaii a year and a half after it was built. In a squadron with five other submarines, she was ordered to wait outside Pearl Harbour and engage any American ships that tried to escape the attack. Sometimes equipped with midget subs, the I-16 Class harassed merchant shipping and saw action at Guadalcanal. Speed: 5 in./1 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+ Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes

Length: 358 ft.

Armour: 2+ Damage: 4/1 Crew: 4/1

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1940

Range 12 1 10

AD 1 1 4

DD 1 — 4

Displacement: 3,561 tons

Speed: 23.5 kts./8 kts.

Special Slow-Loading, Weak — AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 101

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Kadai-7-Class Submarine Another ocean-going submarine and armed with six 533mm forward torpedo tubes, these vessels were also known as the KD-7 Class, and served in the South Pacific as well as the waters off Australia. There were 10 KD-7 submarines built overall, all of which were lost during the course of the war. Speed: 5 in./1 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes

Length: 346 ft.

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1942

Range 12 1 10

AD 1 1 3

Displacement: 2,602 tons

DD 1 — 4

Special Slow-Loading, Weak — AP, Slow-Loading

Speed: 23 kts./8 kts.

Crew: 88

Kagero-Class Destroyer Ships of this class: Kuroshio, Oyashio, Hatsukaze, Natsushio, Hayashio

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 10/3

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 388 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1928 Range 12 5 20 3

AD 1 2 5 2

Displacement: 2,490 tons

DD 1 — 5 2

Speed: 35 kts.

Special Weak — Slow-Loading, Super AP Slow-Loading

Crew: 240

Imperial Japanese Navy

Essentially an enlarged Fubuki, the Kagero hull design was scaled up to overcome the earlier design deficiencies. As a result, the Kageros were the equal of any of their contemporaries in other navies and superior to most. Only the initial lack of radar and continued poor quality of sonar equipment hindered their performance.

Kongo-class Battlecruiser Ships of this class: Kongo, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna The Kongo class, dating from 1912, was rebuilt between 1927 and 1931 and was thereafter re-rated as a battleship class. Armed with eight 14-inch guns in dual turrets and a secondary battery of sixteen six-inch guns, the Kongos were further rebuilt in the late 1930s. Hiei and Kirishima were lost off Guadalcanal, Kongo was torpedoed by a submarine and Haruna was sunk by an air raid on Kure. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 4+ Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Torpedo Belt Damage: 34/11 In Service: 1938 Crew: 57/19

Weapon A Turret (2 x 14 in) B Turret (2 x 14 in) X Turret (2 x 14 in) Y Turret (2 x 14 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 720 ft.

Range 39 39 39 39 16 8

Displacement: 36,601 tons

AD 2 2 2 2 6 5

DD 2 2 2 2 1 —

Speed: 30.5 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,437

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Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser Ships of this class: Kumano, Mikuma, Mogami, Suzuya With aluminium used in its construction, the Mogami were extremely fast, yet did not require many boilers and remained heavily armoured. Mikuma and Mogami were both caught by a US aircraft carrier at the Battle of Midway after they had collided with one another. Mogami survived and returned to face America at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where she was eventually scuttled.

Imperial Japanese Navy

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 14/4 Crew: 38/12

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) Q Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 656 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1 In Service: 1941

Range 33 33 33 33 33 11 7 20 20

AD 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3

DD 1 1 1 1 1 1 — 5 5

Displacement: 13,440 tons

Speed: 35 kts.

Special — — — — — Weak — Slow-Loading, Super AP Slow-Loading, Super AP

Crew: 951

Nagara-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Nagara, Isuzu, Natori, Yuru, Kinu, Abukuma Dating from the early 1920s, the Nagara class received aircraft in 1927. They mounted large numbers of torpedo tubes and six 5.5-inch guns in single mounts. Isuzu was converted in 1944 to an AA cruiser, with six five-inch guns and a heavier secondary/AA fit. Nagara, Isuzu and Natori were sunk by US submarines while Yuru, Kinu, and Abukuma were all crippled or sunk by US aircraft. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 6/2 Crew: 18/6

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 534 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1922

Range 15 7 20 20

AD 3 3 4 4

DD 1 — 5 5

Displacement: 5,832 tons

Speed: 36 kts.

Special — — One-Shot, Super AP One-Shot, Super AP

Crew: 438

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Nagato-class Battleship Ships of this class: Mutsu, Nagato The flagship of the Japanese fleet during the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Nagato was also the first battleship in the world to mount 16-inch guns. The Nagato continued to serve throughout the war and eventually returned to Japan as the US forces approached. The last active Japanese battleship the Nagato was used as a coastal defence boat until heavily beaten by waves of torpedo bombers and then boarded. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Armoured Deck, Torpedo Belt Damage: 40/13 In Service: 1920 Crew: 53/17

Weapon A Turret (2 x 16 in) B Turret (2 x 16 in) X Turret (2 x 16 in) Y Turret (2 x 16 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 738 ft.

Range 43 43 43 43 15 8

AD 2 2 2 2 7 3

Displacement: 46,356 tons

DD 3 3 3 3 1 —

Speed: 25 kts.

Special AP AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,333

Ships of this class: Naka, Sendai, Jintsu An early-1920s design, the Sendai class of light cruisers mounted seven 5.5-inch guns in single mounts on a 5,200 ton hull. They were completed with a hangar and a flying-off platform but did not carry aircraft until 1929. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 7/2 Crew: 18/6

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 500 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 1 In Service: 1942 Range 15 7 20 20

AD 3 4 2 2

Displacement: 7,100 tons

DD 1 — 5 5

Speed: 35 kts.

Special Weak — One-Shot, Super AP One-Shot, Super AP

Imperial Japanese Navy

Sendai-class Cruiser

Crew: 450

Shokaku-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Shokaku, Zuikaku The two ships of the Shokaku class were used extremely effectively in many engagements in the Pacific theatre. Starting at Pearl Harbour, these ships’ service included sinking the British carrier Hermes and aiding in the destruction of the Lexington and Hornet, among others. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 3+ Special Traits: Carrier Damage: 32/10 In Service: 1941 Crew: 66/22 Aircraft: Four flights of Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, four flights of Nakajima B5N Kates and four flights of Aichi D3A Vals

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 843 ft.

Range 11 7

Displacement: 33,039 tons

AD 4 7

DD 1 —

Speed: 34 kts.

Special Weak —

Crew: 1,660

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Takao-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Takao, Atago, Maya, Chokai An improved version of the preceding Nachi class, the Takao class of cruisers carried 10 eight-inch guns in dual mounts which could elevate enough to be useful against aircraft. Displacement at build was 11,350 tons against a published figure of 9,850, and refits in 1939-40 added bulges that brought this up to 13,400. Maya was damaged by air attack and rebuilt, only to be sunk at Leyte Gulf by US submarines. Atago went the same way, but Takao survived two torpedo hits on the same occasion - she was later sunk by British midget submarines. Chokai was also sunk at Leyte Gulf by a combination of destroyer and air attacks.

Imperial Japanese Navy

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 16/5 Crew: 31/10

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) Q Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 631 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1932

Range 33 33 33 33 33 11 7 20 20

AD 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 4

DD 1 1 1 1 1 1 — 5 5

Displacement: 15,490 tons

Speed: 35.5 kts.

Special — — — — — Weak — Slow-Loading, Super AP Slow-Loading, Super AP

Crew: 773

Yamato-class Battleship Ships of this class: Musashi, Yamato By a large margin, the Yamato and Musashi were the largest battleships ever built. They were twice the displacement of most Allied battleships and their 18-inch guns could out range anything in the Allied arsenal. It was the hope of the IJN that such characteristics would allow them to circumvent the Allies numerical superiority. However, when it came to war, it soon became clear that the submarine and, in particular, the aircraft, had greatly eroded the battleship’s role in the world. The Musashi was lost during the Battle of Leyte Gulf while the Yamato was sunk by 10 torpedoes and 23 bombs during a suicide run to Okinawa. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+ Special Traits: Agile, Aircraft 7, Armoured Deck, Torpedo Belt Damage: 54/18 In Service: 1940 Crew: 100/33

Weapon A Turret (3 x 18 in) B Turret (3 x 18 in) Y Turret (3 x 18 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 840 ft.

Range 46 46 46 20 7

AD 3 3 3 9 10

DD 4 4 4 1 —

Displacement: 69,990 tons

Speed: 27 kts.

Special Super AP Super AP Super AP Weak —

Crew: 2,500

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Aircraft

The following forms the air support for the Imperial Japanese Navy:

Aichi D3A Val

A naval dive bomber with many similarities to the German Ju-87 Stuka, the Val was armed with two fixed forward machine guns and two rear trainable ones. It carried a crew of two and a light bomb load. Used in the anti-shipping dive-bomber mode the Val was a mainstay of the Japanese carrier-based war effort. Type: Dive-Bomber Speed: 18 in. Target: 5+ Weapon Bombs

Range —

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: +1 Damage: 2 AD 1

DD 2

In Service: 1939

Special One-Shot, Super AP

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden

Known to the Allies as ‘George,’ the Shiden entered service in 1943. Designed as a land-based derivative of the Kyofu singleseat fighter, the Shiden impressed the IJN sufficiently that they adopted it. Armed with two .303 machine guns and four 20mm cannon, the Shiden outmatched the Hellcat and could compete with aircraft such as the Mustang and Corsair. Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +5 Damage: 2

In Service: 1943

Mitsubishi G4M Betty

A medium bomber armed with four machine guns and a 20mm cannon, the Betty was an important strike aircraft. In its landbased anti-shipping role it was used as a bomber but its large size and under-protected fuel tanks caused huge numbers to be shot down by anti-aircraft fire and fighters. Towards the end of the war, it was used as a kamikaze platform. Type: Torpedo-Bomber Speed: 19 in. Target: 4+ Weapon Torpedo

Range 4

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: +0 Damage: 2 AD 1

DD 3

In Service: 1941

Special AP, One-Shot

Imperial Japanese Navy

Type: Fighter Speed: 27 in. Target: 6+

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

The terror of the skies in the early phases of the Pacific War, the Zero and its exceptionally well-trained pilots could literally run rings around early American fighters. As time wore on, great efforts were made to build superior aircraft, but the Zero remained a viable fighter for the duration of the war. Type: Fighter Speed: 25 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +4 Damage: 1

In Service: 1940

Nakajima B5N Kate

The standard Japanese torpedo bomber and one of the main causes of damage at Pearl Harbour, the Kate was a rugged and dependable aircraft, easily superior to its American counterparts Type: Torpedo-Bomber Speed: 22 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 4+ Dogfight: +1 Damage: 2

Weapon Torpedo

AD 1

Range 4

DD 3

In Service: 1935

Special AP, One-Shot

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The Italian Navy At the time of Italy’s entry into World War II, she possessed a modern and – on paper at least – highly effective fleet. Four battleships and eight heavy cruisers were available, with four more battleships fitting out. There were no aircraft carriers, not least because the Italian Navy was intended to operate near friendly air bases in Italy and North Africa. As might be expected from a fleet intended to operate among the islands of the Mediterranean, Italian light forces were quite numerous, including 14 light cruisers, 128 destroyers and 62 motor torpedo boats, a weapon favoured by the Italians and well suited to local conditions. No less than 115 submarines were also available. The main Italian naval base was at Taranto, home of the battleship force. Lighter groups were based out of ports on the Italian mainland, Sicily and the Red Sea. The Italian Navy was primarily tasked with interrupting British logistics and trade through the Mediterranean, and with keeping the Axis nations’ links to North Africa open. Major actions with the Royal Navy were not desirable nor really necessary for this mission to be carried out. This defensive mindset was reinforced when British torpedo bombers attacked the Italian battle squadron in port, sinking one battleship and putting two others out of action for many months.

The Italian Navy

Efforts to interrupt Allied troop and supply movements were made by the Italian Navy, leading to the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941. After initial successes the Italian force began to withdraw, only to come under attack from British carrier aircraft. The attacks slowed the lone Italian battleship and crippled a cruiser, allowing the British surface forces to catch up with elements of the Italian fleet, sinking three heavy cruisers. The defeat at Matapan further dented Italian morale, and the surface fleet behaved very timidly throughout the rest of the war. Sorties were made, but these tended to evaporate in the face of resistance, allowing overmatched Allied vessels to see off Italian forces that should have destroyed them with ease. The long campaign to sustain and reinforce the island fortress of Malta resulted in bitter air/sea battles such as the Second Battle of Sirte. A powerful Italian force including a battleship and two heavy cruisers came out to cut Malta’s lifeline, and it fell to a force of cruisers and destroyers to prevent the massacre of the merchant ships. The response from the light British covering force was aggressive but should not have deterred a battleship force – the largest gun on the Allied side was of six-inch calibre, matched against the 15-inch and eight-inch armament of the battleship and cruisers. Yet the Italians would not press the issue, behaving as if they were the ones under attack by the destroyers and cruisers darting out of the smokescreen they laid to fire a few shots then vanish once again. A bold – cheeky, even – advance by the British destroyers, closing to attack with torpedoes, was perhaps the decisive factor. The Italian force opened the range and drew off, leaving the convoy unharmed but under heavy air attack. This behaviour was characteristic of the Italian Navy in World War II. Italian submarine forces operated in the Mediterranean and out of captured French ports against Allied shipping in the Atlantic. Some boats were specifically designed for commerce raiding, with more torpedo tubes but of lesser calibre than those of their peers. This allowed a larger salvo to be launched at a convoy, increasing the chances of a hit, while a smaller torpedo was quite adequate for sinking merchant vessels. The Italian Navy failed to achieve much more during the course of the war and eventually surrendered to the Allies at Malta. Its personnel were involved in actions against their former allies towards the end of the war, losing a little over 4000 men against Germany as opposed to just under 25,000 against the Allies. It is interesting to speculate what the Italian Navy could have achieved had it been better led or handled. Italian enthusiasm for the war was noticeably lacking, and this led to lacklustre performances in the air, on the ground and at sea. The resulting reputation for lack of nerve is not really deserved; Italian troops and ships at times fought bravely, especially for a commander or a cause they believed in, and in other wars of recent history there was nothing wrong with Italian courage or fighting ability. It seems likely that, had the personnel of the Italian Navy really believed in their cause, their excellent battleships and cruisers might have led them to glory. As Napoleon remarked: ‘Morale is to the physical as three is to one.’

The Italian Navy Fleet List

The following is the entire fleet list for the Italian Navy: Priority Level: Patrolrol Navigatori-class Destroyer Adua-class Submarine

Priority Level: Battle Ciao Duilio-class battleship Priority Level: War Littorio-class battleship

Priority Level: Skirmish Trento-class cruiser Zara-class cruiser

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Adua-class Submarine Ships of this class: Adua, Alagi, Axum, Durbo, Scire, Tembien The fourth subclass of the 600-series coastal submarines these were ideal vessels for the relatively shallow Mediterranean theatre. There were 17 vessels in the Adua class, but only the Alagi, which sank the Brithish cruiser HMS Kenya amongst others, survived the war. The most notable was the Scire, the submarine from which a successful manned torpedo raid on Alexandria harbour was launched. In that raid the battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth, along with a tanker, were sunk, although the battleships were later raised and repaired later in the war. The Scire was lost trying to launch a similar attack on Haifa harbour. Speed: 3 in./1 in. Turning: 3 Target: 6+ Weapon Secondary Armament AA Forward Torpedoes Aft Torpedoes

Length: 201 ft.

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 3/1

Special Traits: Agile, Submersible In Service: 1940

Range 12 1 10 10

AD 1 1 2 1

Displacement: 860 tons

DD 1 — 3 3

Speed: 14/7 kts.

Special Slow-Loading, Weak — AP, Slow-Loading AP, Slow-Loading

Crew: 46

Ships of this class: Caio Duilio, Andrea Doria Commissioned in 1916, these ships originally carried an armament of thirteen 12-inch main guns. Compared to contemporary foreign battleships, they were slightly faster, slightly underarmed (the 12-inch gun was rapidly being replaced by something larger in most navies) and not as well protected. From 1937 to 1940, both ships went through a total overhaul, transforming them into ‘fast’ battleships. The main guns were bored out to 12.6-inch, the island structure was modernised and speed was improved to 27 knots. During the Second World War, the Andrea Doria provided long-distance escorts for convoys to North Africa and attempted to intercept Allied convoys to Malta. It engaged in battle with British cruisers and destroyers on December 17, 1941. Caio Duilio was damaged by a torpedo during the Battle of Taranto and was towed to Genoa for six months of repairs. She participated in the First Battle of Sirte before being placed on the reserve in 1942. Both ships were inactive during the final 18 months of the Italian war due to major fuel shortages. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 1 Target: 5+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 1 Damage: 30/10 In Service: 1940 Crew: 61/20

Weapon A Turret (3x 12.6 in) B Turret (2x 12.6 in) X Turret (2x 12.6 in) Y Turret (3x 12.6 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 613 ft.

The Italian Navy

Caio Duilio-class Battleship

Range 33 33 33 33 15 6

Displacement: 29,374 tons

AD 3 2 2 3 3 6

DD 2 2 2 2 1 —

Speed: 27 kts.

Special — — — — Weak —

Crew: 1,523

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Littorio-class Battleship Ships of this class: Impero, Littorio, Roma, Vittorio Veneto The Littorio class was the first new battleship class for nearly a decade when design work began in 1930. Initially designed to remain within the 35,000 ton limit, the final displacement was just over 40,000 tons. As well as being good-looking ships, the Littorios included a number of new features including high-velocity guns. They were probably the first of the ‘fast battleships’ that would come to dominate capital ship design in the late 1930s and onward. Littorio was put out of action for six months by the famous Taranto air raid. Vittorio Veneto was damaged by an air-launched torpedo at the battle of Cape Matapan and later by a submarine-launched torpedo. She was also damaged by bombs, along with Roma, in an air raid in 1943. After the Italian surrender, Roma and Littorio (renamed Italia) were hit by German glide bombs; Roma was sunk. Impero was never finished and did not see war service.

The Italian Navy

Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+ Damage: 40/13 Crew: 82/27

Weapon A Turret (3x 15 in) B Turret (3x 15 in) Y Turret (3x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 735 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1940

Range 47 47 47 19 6

AD 3 3 3 4 7

DD 3 3 3 1 —

Displacement: 46,215 tons

Speed: 29 kts.

Special AP AP AP Weak —

Crew: 2,041

Navigatori-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Da Mosto, Da Noli, Da Recco, Da Verrazzano, Malocello One of many classes of Italian destroyers that served in the Mediterranean theatre these suffered heavy losses like much of the Italian fleet, with only a few surviving to the end of the war. After the Italian surrender in 1943 many destroyers served alongside the Allies against Germany and there was serious discussion amongst Allied leaders about using the Italian navy in the Pacific against Japan. Speed: 8 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 7/2

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 321 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1929

Range 12 4 10 3

AD 1 1 3 4

DD 1 — 3 1

Displacement: 2,657 tons

Speed: 38 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 173

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Trento-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Trento, Trieste (Bolzano) The first eight-inch gun cruisers built by Italy in the wake of the Washington Treaty, the Trento class was designed to be fast, and sacrificed armour protection to achieve this. They were originally designated light cruisers but were re-rated as heavy cruisers due to their superior armament. Trento was sunk by a British submarine in 1942, while Trieste was torpedoed (again by a British submarine) in late 1942 but was able to limp home – she was subsequently sunk by air attack. Bolzano is sometimes considered to be a member of the Trento class and sometimes classified as a unique design. She was torpedoed twice by submarines and finally sunk by explosives placed by Chariot mini-submersibles in 1944. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 14/4 Crew: 31/10

Length: 623 ft.

Range 31 31 31 31 12 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 2

Displacement: 13,548 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 36 kts.

Special — — — — Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 781

Zara-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Fiume, Gorizia, Pola, Zara

The Italian Navy

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1928

The Zara class heavy cruisers were designed to have improved protection over the Trento class, at the cost of speed. Originally designated light, then armoured, the Zaras were properly rated as heavy cruisers. They were intended to remain within the 10,000-ton limit of the Washington treaty but eventually crept up by more than 10%. Pola, Zara and Fiume were lost in action with British forces off Cape Matapan while Gorizia passed into German hands upon the Italian surrender and was sunk by Italian Chariot mini-subs. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 15/5 Crew: 34/11

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 547 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1931

Range 35 35 35 35 12 6

Displacement: 14,560 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 5

DD 1 1 1 1 1 —

Speed: 32 kts.

Special — — — — Weak —

Crew: 841

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The French Navy At the outbreak of World War II, the French Navy was a powerful force with modern battleships, which should have been a major asset to the Allied cause. However, the rapid fall of France and the creation of neutral Vichy France meant that these forces might be used against the Allies, something that could not be risked. Neither could the French government order its navy to join the Allied cause, nor the navy surrender its ships without orders. Thus British forces were forced to undertake the hateful duty of bombarding their former allies as they lay helplessly at anchor, effectively taking the French out of the war as a naval power. Some French units did remain at large and many of these came over to the Allied cause, fighting on as the Free French Navy alongside Free Poles, Dutch and other diehards. The Free French Navy initially consisted of one battleship, an auxiliary cruiser, four frigates and four submarines, plus smaller units. Other forces eventually managed to rejoin the Allies and served in all corners of the world, giving good service for the most part despite the distasteful events of 1940. Most of the remainder of the once-powerful French fleet was scuttled at Toulon in 1942.

The French Navy

It is interesting to speculate how the French fleet might have affected the course of the war, consisting as it did of eight battleships (with another under construction), an aircraft carrier, seven heavy and 11 light cruisers, 59 destroyers and 81 submarines. This powerful force was built up to support France’s traditional position as a maritime and colonial power, and was sufficient to influence events in any theatre. Some French battleships were rather elderly, being modernised World War I vessels. Others were of modern and quite unusual design, including the Fast Battleship Richelieu (and her planned sisters, Jean Bart and Clemenceau). These ships were unusual in that their main armament was all forward of the superstructure, with a heavy secondary armament aft. A similar arrangement was tried in some British ships, probably with the same rationale – more guns could be brought to bear while closing the enemy. Of course, this reduced firepower while steaming away, but neither the British nor the French fleets were particularly concerned with their ability to run away effectively! French vessels fought on both sides during the war. The battleship Richelieu served with the Allies, mainly in south-east Asia and with the British East Indies Fleet. Her sister Jean Bart, partially completed and with only one turret operational, was deployed to Casablanca where she saw action against US forces and was heavily damaged. A number of other French vessels were lost in the same action, attempting to prevent Allied landings in Algeria and Morocco. French vessel losses to combat and related causes included nine cruisers, 39 destroyers and 61 submarines over the course of the war.

The French Navy Fleet List

The following forms the entire fleet list for the French Navy: Priority Level: Battle Dunkerque-class battleship

Priority Level: Patrol Bourrasque-class destroyer Le Fantasque-class destroyer Dewoitine D.520 squadrons (four flights) Loire Nieuport LN.411 squadrons (four flights)

Priority Level: War Richelieu-class battleship

Priority Level: Skirmish Algerie-class cruiser Bearn- class aircraft carrier Duguay Trouin-class cruiser Duquesne-class cruiser Emile Bertain-class cruiser Jeanne d’Arc-class cruiser La Galissonniere-class cruiser Suffren-class cruiser

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Algerie-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Algerie This excellent cruiser was much more heavily protected than the preceding Suffrens, as it was intended as a counter to the Italian Zara class. Mounting eight 8-inch guns and torpedoes she was a formidable vessel, but was scuttled in 1942. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 14/4 Crew: 30/10

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 590 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1934 Range 33 33 33 33 12 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 2

Displacement: 13,461 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 31 kts.

Special — — — — Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 748

Bearn-class Aircraft Carrier Ships of this class: Bearn

Speed: 4 in. Turning: 1 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 29/9 Crew: 35/11

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 559ft.

Special Traits: Carrier In Service: 1927 Aircraft: Four flights of Dewoitine D.520 and four flights of Loire Nieuport LN.401 Range 20 6 10 10

AD 3 1 1 1

Displacement: 28,400 tons

DD 1 — 3 3

Speed: 21.5 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

The French Navy

In 1923 the decision was made to convert an incomplete Normandie class battleship to a carrier. Although obsolete, in 1943 she joined the Free French Naval Force before conversion to an aircraft transport.

Crew: 875

Bourrasque-class Destroyer Ships of this class: Bourrasque, Cyclone, Mistral, Orage, Ouragan, Simoun The French developed a number of smaller destroyer designs in the years before World War II. One the more successful was the Bourrasque class. Smaller than most of their contemporaries, and thus less heavily armed, the Bourrasque were originally intended for the calmer waters of the Mediterranean. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 3 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 6/2

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 347 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1930 Range 12 4 10 3

Displacement: 1,298 tons

AD 1 1 3 4

DD 1 — 3 2

Speed: 33 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 145

89

2

Duguay Trouin-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Duguay Trouin, Lamotte-Piquet, Primaguet Dating from 1922, this class of light cruisers was designed to use an existing 6.1-inch gun already in use by the French army. They were good seaboats and fast, able to maintain 30 knots at half power. The class was intended to carry 24 torpedoes, with 12 ready in the tubes and reloads carried in a magazine. Duguay Trouin was disarmed at the French surrender, but came over to the Allies in 1943. At that time she lost her aircraft and torpedo tubes but gained additional AA armament. Lamotte-Piquet served in the Far East and fought against Thai vessels in 1941. She was lost in 1945. Primaguet was given extra AA armament in 1942 but was beached later that year.

The French Navy

Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 23/7

Weapon A Turret (2 x 6.1 in) B Turret (2 x 6.1 in) X Turret (2 x 6.1 in) Y Turret (2 x 6.1 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 575 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1926

Range 28 28 28 28 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 1 3 3

DD 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 9,350 tons

Speed: 33 kts.

Special Weak Weak Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 578

Dunkerque-class Battleship Ships of this class: Dunkerque, Strasbourg The French obsession with speed resulted in the Dunkerque class being given less extensive protection - for this reason they are sometimes rated as battlecruisers. Protection and general design were determined with the German Deutschland-class pocket battleships in mind. The Dunkerques were unusual in that they mounted their entire main armament up front in two quadruple turrets. The secondary armament of 5.1-inch guns was carried alongside the superstructure and just aft of it, with two aircraft catapults carried further aft. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 5+ Special Traits: Aircraft 4, Torpedo Belt Damage: 34/11 In Service: 1937 Crew: 57/19

Weapon A Turret (4 x 13 in) B Turret (4 x 13 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 685 ft.

Range 46 46 16 6

AD 4 4 4 1

DD 2 2 1 —

Displacement: 36,380 tons

Speed: 29.5 kts.

Special — — Weak —

Crew: 1,431

90

2

Duquesne-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Duquesne, Tourville The Duquesne class was the first French design under the constraints of the Washington Treaty, and owed a lot to the preceding Duguay Trouin class. Like those ships, the Duquesnes could maintain 30 knots under half power and were seaworthy ships, though protection was rather light. Armament consisted of eight eight-inch guns in four dual turrets. Both vessels joined the Allies in 1943 and refitted in the US, receiving improved anti-aircraft armament while sacrificing their torpedo tubes. Both survived the war. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 24/8

Length: 607 ft.

Range 33 33 33 33 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 1 3 3

Displacement: 12,200 tons

DD 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 33.5 kts.

Special — — — — — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 605

Emile Bertain-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Emile Bertain

The French Navy

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1928

Originally planned to be a minelaying cruiser based on the Pluton concept, the single vessel of the Emile Bertain class became a very fast light cruiser armed with nine sixinch guns in addition to torpedo tubes. She served before the war as the flotilla leader for a large squadron of powerful destroyers and in 1940 was at Martinique. She later joined the Allied cause. Refitted in the US in 1944-5 she lost her aircraft and torpedo tubes but gained additional AA weaponry. Speed: 7 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 9/3 Crew: 28/9

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 547 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1934

Range 29 29 29 6 10 10

Displacement: 8,480 tons

AD 1 1 1 1 2 2

DD 1 1 1 — 3 3

Speed: 34 kts.

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 711

91

2

Jeanne d’Arc-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Jeanne d’Arc The single vessel of the Jeanne d’Arc class was designed to use the same guns as the Duguay Trouin class. She was a training vessel and not considered to require the speed or armour of a cruiser. Stationed in Martinique, she joined the Allies in 1943, receiving a refit in which her torpedo tubes and aircraft were deleted and improved AA armament was fitted. After 1943 she served in the Mediterranean. Speed: 5 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 9/3 Crew: 26/8

The French Navy

Weapon A Turret (2 x 6.1 in) B Turret (2 x 6.1 in) X Turret (2 x 6.1 in) Y Turret (2 x 6.1 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 525 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 2 In Service: 1931

Range 28 28 28 28 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

DD 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 8,950 tons

Speed: 25 kts.

Special Weak Weak Weak Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 648

La Galissonniere-class Cruiser Ships of this class: La Galissonniere, Jean De Vienne, Marsellaise, Gloire, Montcalm Based on the preceding Emile Bertain class, the six vessels of the La Galissonniere class were fast and well protected for their size. After the first two ships, the design was somewhat modified and reflected experience gained. Rated at 31 knots, all six vessels reported speeds of 35-36 knots in trials. La Galissonniere, Jean De Vienne and Marsellaise were scuttled in 1942. The others were refitted in the US in 1943 and lost their aircraft, gaining radar and additional AA armament instead. Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 3+ Damage: 10/3 Crew: 22/7

Weapon A Turret (3 x 6 in) B Turret (3 x 6 in) Y Turret (3 x 6 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 564 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 4 In Service: 1934

Range 29 29 29 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 2 1 1

DD 1 1 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 9,100 tons

Speed: 31 kts

Special Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak Twin-Linked, Weak — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 540

92

2

Le Fantasque-Class Destroyer Ships of this class: L’Audacieux, L’Indomptable, Le Fantasque, Le Malin, Le Terrible, Le Triomphant In 1930 France began constructing a new series of contre-torpilleurs, or destroyers, dubbed the Le Fantasque. Mounting a fairly pedestrian armament of five 5-inch guns and nine torpedo tubes, these large destroyers lived up to their names by sustaining speeds of no less than 42 knots, and even short bursts of 45 knots. Speed: 9 in. Turning: 2 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 9/3

Weapon Secondary Armament AA Port/Starboard Torpedoes Depth Charges

Length: 434 ft.

Special Traits: Agile In Service: 1930

Range 12 4 10 3

AD 1 1 4 4

Displacement: 2,569 tons

DD 1 — 3 2

Speed: 42 kts.

Special Weak — AP, One-Shot Slow-Loading

Crew: 220

The French Navy

Richelieu-class Battleship Ships of this class: Richelieu, Jean Bart Designed as a counter to powerful Italian battleships, the Richelieu class was protected against 15-inch shells and mounted eight 15-inch guns on a 35,000 ton hull. Neither ship was finished at the time of the French surrender. Richelieu, which was almost complete, escaped to Dakar and was damaged by the British strike. In 1942 she joined the Allied cause and after a refit in the US was deployed to the Far East to serve with the British fleet. Jean Bart was only three-quarters finished when France was overrun, but managed to escape to Casablanca. The unfinished ship opposed the Allied landings in North Africa where she was badly damaged and not again combat-capable until after the war.

Speed: 6 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 6+ Damage: 42/14 Crew: 78/26

Weapon A Turret (4 x 15 in) B Turret (4 x 15 in) Secondary Armament AA

Length: 794 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3, Armoured Deck, Torpedo Belt In Service: 1940

Range 46 46 20 6

Displacement: 48,950 tons

AD 4 4 3 3

DD 3 3 1 —

Speed: 30 kts.

Special AP AP Weak —

Crew: 1,946

93

2

Suffren-class Cruiser Ships of this class: Suffren, Colbert, Foch, Dupleix The four vessels of the Suffren class were based on the Duquesenes, though each was built to slightly different standards according to lessons learned from the preceding ship. Their hull form was sleek and graceful, taking a classic cruiser form. While the Duquesne lineage was apparent, the Suffrens had a much more modern look about them. Armour protection was somewhat better than the preceding class, though speed was reduced as a consequence. Suffren remained at Alexandria from 1940 to 1943, when she joined the Allied cause. The other vessels of the class were scuttled at Toulon.

The French Navy

Speed: 6 in. Turning: 2 Target: 5+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 13/4 Crew: 30/10

Weapon A Turret (2 x 8 in) B Turret (2 x 8 in) X Turret (2 x 8 in) Y Turret (2 x 8 in) AA Port Torpedoes Starboard Torpedoes

Length: 607 ft.

Special Traits: Aircraft 3 In Service: 1930

Range 33 33 33 33 6 10 10

AD 1 1 1 1 3 2 2

DD 1 1 1 1 — 3 3

Displacement: 12,780 tons

Speed: 31 kts.

Special — — — — — AP, One-Shot AP, One-Shot

Crew: 752

Aircraft

The following forms the air support for the French Navy:

Dewoitine D.520

With the distinction of having fought on both sides of the war, this aircraft could conceivably fight among the likes of the Me109 and Spitfire but mass production did not start until after the war had begun, thus limiting its effect on history. During the Battle of France, this aircraft claimed 108 kills and 39 probables, against 54 losses.

Type: Fighter Speed: 24 in. Target: 6+

Dodge: 2+ Dogfight: +3 Damage: 1

In Service: 1939

Loire Nieuport LN.401

With its distinctive gull-wing, the LN.401 was often confused by Allied pilots for the Ju-87 Stuka, leading to many French pilots becoming victims of friendly fire – in fact, the LN.401 was sometimes dubbed the French Stuka. Designed for hunting submarines, it suffered heavily in the Battle of France. Type: Dive-Bomber Speed: 18 in. Target: 5+

Dodge: 3+ Dogfight: +1 Damage: 1

Weapon Bombs

AD 1

Range —

DD 3

In Service: 1939

Special AP, One-Shot

94

2

Civilian Ships One of the main reasons to maintain a navy is to deny use of the oceans to the enemy, preventing the movement of industrial goods and materials, troops and supplies. Commerce raiding formed a critical part of the strategy for some nations, and indeed represented the Axis’s best hope for victory over Britain. That victory was almost achieved, whilst in the Pacific US submarines gradually starved Japan of raw materials by much the same methods. Preventing attacks on defenceless merchant ships is the other main role of a navy, and it was here that the war was fought, day in and day out, by the humble corvette, frigate and destroyer escort and later by escort carriers. These vessels battled the submarine threat for the duration of the war, and at times were forced to do what they could against a major surface raider, usually resulting in being sunk. There were, however, other ways to defend merchant ships, or to give them a measure of self-protection capability. Grouping ships into convoys meant that there was a lot more empty ocean out there; the hope was that a raider would not find the convoy. It also made escorts more effective, but in the event that a convoy was hit by a surface raider such as a heavy cruiser or battlecruiser, the concentrated target would be devastated in short order. Nevertheless, the convoy system helped a great deal.

Armed merchant ships could also function as raiders. Germany made extensive use of such vessels, with mixed success. Even less successful were Armed Merchant Cruisers created by adding thin armour plate and a few guns to a liner or fast merchant vessel. Big, slow and horribly vulnerable, such vessels were no match for a real warship but were deployed for lack of anything better. Other attempts to defend civilian vessels included CAM and MAC ships. CAM (Catapult Armed Merchantman) ships were capable of flying off a single fighter, which would then crashland in the sea or head for the nearest land once its job was done. CAM ships were mainly intended to allow convoys to deal with reconnaissance aircraft shadowing them, breaking contact before a submarine ambush could be set up on the convoy’s path.

Civilian Ships

Other measures included mounting a few light guns on merchant ships, often with army or navy reserve crews. While a couple of four-inch guns in open mounts would be no use against a serious warship, they might be able to deal with a submarine. Many submarine attacks were carried out on the surface, with guns, to save torpedoes. This practice became more dangerous as more merchantmen were armed and Q-ships were deployed. Revealing her armament at the last second, a Q-ship could quickly sink a submarine if it could be lured in close enough to the ‘defenceless’ merchant. This was one reason unrestricted submarine warfare was the only effective strategy.

MAC ships (Merchant Aircraft Carrier) were equipped with a flight deck and could fly off and land a handful of aircraft, giving the convoy they accompanied a measure of air defence or standoff antisubmarine capability. Overall, merchant ships were vital assets that had to be protected – or destroyed – as part of a warfighting strategy rather than combat assets. They might have been able to put up some antiaircraft fire or even engage a surfaced submarine with guns, but faced with any serious threat they were helpless. It fell to the escorting ships (usually destroyers or the occasional cruiser) to defend them as well as possible until either a heavy covering force came up in support or the merchants made their escape. Some of the most heroic, and most mismatched, actions of the war took place in defence of convoys of merchants or troop ships.

95

2

Liberty-class Cargo Ship The need to replace merchant tonnage lost to enemy commerce raiding prompted the design of the ‘Liberty’ ships. Simple and easy to build, these rather basic merchantmen were put together in large numbers and very quickly – which is exactly what was needed. The first was launched in 1941. The fastest construction of a Liberty ship (done as a PR exercise) was four days. Most took rather longer, but their simplicity and ease of production, coupled with the fact that they could be built in many locations to a standard design, meant that these workhorse vessels entered service at an impressive rate. At 11 knots the Liberty ships were not fast and they were certainly not pretty. However, they were there when the job needed doing. Each Liberty ship costs two civilian ship points. Speed: 1 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 7/2 Crew: 2/0

Weapon AA

Special Traits: None In Service: 1941

Range 4

Length: 441 ft.

AD 1

DD —

Displacement: 7,000 tons

Speed: 11 kts.

Special —

Crew: 70

Civilian Ships

Tramp Freighter Covering a multitude of individual classes of merchant shipping, tramp freighters can be found in every sea of the world, plying their trade while avoiding the larger political issues around them. In the Second World War, many tramp freighters were lucky enough to be escorted in convoys by warships, thus keeping them relatively safe from submarines and commerce raiders. Any such ship caught alone at sea by so much as a destroyer was utterly helpless. Each tramp freighter costs one civilian ship point. Speed: 1 in. Turning: 1 Target: 6+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 3/1 Crew: 1/0

Length: 408 ft.

Special Traits: None In Service: 1920

Displacement: 2,000 tons

Speed: 10 kts.

Crew: 18

Victory-class Cargo Ship From 1943 onward, the Allies perceived a need for faster transport ships. The desperate shipping crisis of the early Battle of the Atlantic had receded somewhat and emphasis could now be placed on improved quality and speed. The result was the Victory ships, capable of 15-17 knots and propelled by a steam turbine rather than a simple steam engine. Hundreds of Victory ships served as cargo vessels and attack transports for the remainder of the war. Each Victory ship costs three civilian ship points. Speed: 3 in. Turning: 1 Target: 4+

Armour: 2+ Damage: 16/5 Crew: 3/1

Weapon Secondary Armament AA

Length: 455 ft.

Special Traits: None In Service: 1944

Range 8 4

AD 1 2

DD 1 —

Displacement: 15,580 tons

Speed: 17 kts.

Special Slow-Loading, Weak —

Crew: 90

96

2

1

1

3

Leander-class Leander -class Cruiser T-class Submersible T-class Submersible

2

Leander-class Leander -class Cruiser Leander Leander-class -class Cruiser

4

Leander Leander-class -class Cruiser 2

Hood-class Hood-class Battle Battlecruiser cruiser

Perth Perth-class -class Cruiser

4 Renown-class Renown -class Battle Battlecruiser cruiser

3

S-class Submersible

Perth-class Perth -class Cruiser

3 T-class Submersible

Illustrious-class Illustrious -class Aircraft Carrier

T-class Submersible 1

2

3

1 York York-class -class Cruiser

Illustrious-class Illustrious -class Aircraft Carrier

York-class York -class Cruiser

Norfolk-class Norfolk-class Cruiser

Norfolk-class Norfolk-class Cruiser

Norfolk-class Norfolk-class Cruiser

Perth-class Perth -class Cruiser

4

3

2

Norfolk-class Norfolk-class Cruiser

4

2

1 S-class Submersible

2

S-class Submersible

Renown Renown-class -class Battle Battlecruiser cruiser

1

3

Illustrious-class Illustrious -class Aircraft Carrier

1

S-class Submersible

1

1 2

2

2

3

2

1

4

5

6

Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Seafire

1

3

2

Fairey Fulmar

4

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

5

2

3

4

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

1

2

3

4

Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet

5

Grumman Martlet

2

3

4

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

1

2

3

4

1

Fairey Swordfish

3

2

Spotter

Fairey Swordfish

Spotter

Grumman Martlet

5

Hawker Hurricane

5

Fairey Swordfish

4

Spotter

Bristol Beaufighter

5

1

Fairey Swordfish

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

1

6

Fairey Swordfish

5

Spotter

8

9

10

Supermarine Seafire

Supermarine Seafire

Supermarine Seafire

Supermarine Seafire

7

8

9

10

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

Fairey Fulmar

6

7

8

9

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighter

6

7

8

9

10

Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet

10

Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet

6

7

8

9

10

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

6

7

8

9

10

Fairey Swordfish

Fairey Swordfish

7

6

Spotter

7

Spotter

Fairey Swordfish

9

8

Spotter

Fairey Swordfish

Spotter

Fairey Swordfish

10

Spotter

Spotter

2

5

1

Edinburgh Edinburgh-class -class Cruiser

J,K & N N-class -class Destroyer J,K & N N-class -class Destroyer

6

J,K & N N-class -class Destroyer J,K & N-class N-class Destroyer

2

Edinburgh dinburgh-class -class Cruiser

J,K & N-class N-class Destroyer

2

6

Gloucester-class Gloucester-class Cruiser

King George V-class V-class Battleship

Nelson Nelson-class -class Battleship

1

Southampton Southampton-class -class Cruiser

4

Southampton Southampton-class -class Cruiser

Southampton Southampton-class -class Cruiser

2

Gloucester Gloucester-class -class Cruiser

Tribal Tribal-class -class Destroyer

Gloucester Gloucester-class -class Cruiser

4

3

3

King George V-class V-class Battleship

J,K & N N-class -class Destroyer

3

2

2

1 Tribal Tribal-class -class Destroyer

King George V-class V-class Battleship

Tribal-class Tribal -class Destroyer 3

4

2

5 Tribal Tribal-class -class Destroyer Southampton Southampton-class -class Cruiser

2

1

Tribal-class Tribal -class Destroyer

Nelson Nelson-class -class Battleship

1

3

Ark Royal Royal-class -class Aircraft Carrier

1

Tribal-class Tribal -class Destroyer

1

1

2

4

K-class Cruiser

1

3

1

Type VII VII-class U-boat K-class Cruiser

Type IX IX-class U-boat Type IXIX-class U-boat

4

Type IX IX-class U-boat Type IXIX-class U-boat

2

Type VII VII-class U-boat

3

Deutschland-class Deutschland-class Pocket Battleship

Deutschland Deutschland-class -class Pocket Battleship Deutschland-class Deutschland -class Pocket Battleship

Type VII VII-class U-boat

Type VII VII-class U-boat

2

6

5

Type VII VII-class U-boat

1

Graf Zeppelin Zeppelin-class -class Aircraft Carrier

2

Graf Zeppelin Zeppelin-class -class Aircraft Carrier

3 K-class Cruiser

2

K-class Cruiser

1

2

Bismarck ismarck-class -class Battleship

1

Scharnhorst-class Scharnhorst-class Battlecruiser

Admiral Hipper Hipper-class -class Cruiser

2

Admiral Hipper Hipper-class -class Cruiser

2

4

4

3 Type VII VII-class U-boat

Admiral Hipper Hipper-class -class Cruiser

Bismarck ismarck-class -class Battleship

3

Admiral Hipper Hipper-class -class Cruiser

Scharnhorst-class Scharnhorst-class Battlecruiser

1

2

1

1

2

3

2

1

Dewoitine D.520

Dewoitine D.520

4

Dewoitine D.520

5

Dewoitine D.520

7

6

Dewoitine D.520

Dewoitine D.520

9

8

Dewoitine D.520

Dewoitine D.520

10

Dewoitine D.520

Dewoitine D.520

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

11

12

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Focke-Wulf FW190

Focke-Wulf FW190

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

11

12

13

14

15

11

12

13

14

15

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

Messerschmitt Me-109

1

2

3

4

5

Junkers Ju-87

11

Junkers Ju-87

Junkers Ju-87

Junkers Ju-87

13

12

Junkers Ju-87

Spotter

Spotter

Junkers Ju-87

14

Junkers Ju-87

Spotter

Junkers Ju-87

Spotter

Dewoitine D.520

15

Junkers Ju-87

Junkers Ju-87

Dewoitine D.520

Junkers Ju-87

Junkers Ju-87

10

Dewoitine D.520

Junkers Ju-87

Dewoitine D.520

10

Junkers Ju-87

19

Junkers Ju-87

Spotter

Spotter

9

18

Focke-Wulf FW190

8

Spotter

8

17

16

Junkers Ju-87

Dewoitine D.520

7

6

Junkers Ju-87

Spotter

10

Junkers Ju-87

20

Junkers Ju-87

Junkers Ju-87

2

4

1 2

New Orleans Orleans-class -class Cruiser New Orleans Orleans-class -class Cruiser

3 4

New Orleans Orleans-class -class Cruiser New Orleans Orleans-class -class Cruiser

1 2

Fletcher-class Fletcher-class Destroyer Fletcher Fletcher-class -class Destroyer 5

Atlanta Atlanta-class -class Cruiser Clemson Clemson-class -class Destroyer

New York-class York-class Battleship

Iowa-class Iowa-class Battleship

6

6

5

Fletcher-class Fletcher-class Destroyer

Fletcher-class Fletcher -class Destroyer

Fletcher-class Fletcher -class Destroyer

Clemson-class Clemson-class Destroyer

Brooklyn-class Cruiser

Clemson Clemson-class -class Destroyer

New York-class York-class Battleship

Atlanta-class Atlanta -class Cruiser 2

4

1

3 Atlanta Atlanta-class -class Cruiser

North Carolina-class Carolina-class Battleship

Atlanta-class Atlanta-class Cruiser 4

4

2

1 Brooklyn-class Cruiser Fletcher-class Fletcher -class Destroyer

2

2

Brooklyn-class Cruiser

Iowa-class Iowa-class Battleship

3

3

North Carolina-class Carolina-class Battleship

1

Brooklyn-class Cruiser

1

1

2

2

3

1

3

Fiji-class Fiji -class Cruiser 2

Portland-class Portland-class Cruiser 2

Fiji-class Fiji -class Cruiser Fiji-class Fiji -class Cruiser

4

Fiji-class Fiji -class Cruiser

Portland-class Portland-class Cruiser Clemson Clemson-class -class Destroyer

Yorktown Yorktown-class -class Aircraft Carrier

South Dakota Dakota-class -class Battleship

1

4

3

Type XXI-class XXI-class U-boat

Type XXI-class XXI-class U-boat

Type XXI-class XXI-class U-boat

Clemson-class Clemson-class Destroyer

Gato Gato-class -class Submarine

Clemson Clemson-class -class Destroyer

1 Pensacola Pensacola-class -class Cruiser 2

Pensacola Pensacola-class -class Cruiser

Yorktown-class Yorktown-class Aircraft Carrier

2

2

1 Gato-class Gato -class Submarine

1

Gato-class Gato -class Submarine

Colorado-class Colorado-class Battleship

6 2

4

2

5 Gato Gato-class -class Submarine Type XXI-class XXI-class U-boat

2

2

Gato-class Gato -class Submarine

South Dakota Dakota-class -class Battleship

1

3

Colorado-class Colorado-class Battleship

1

Gato Gato-class -class Submarine

1

1

2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Devastator Devastator

Douglas TBD Devastator Devastator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

11

12

13

14

15

11

12

13

14

15

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Douglas TBD Devastator Devastator

Douglas TBD Devastator Devastator

Douglas TBD Dev Devastator astator

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Grumman F4F Wildcat

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Grumman FBF/ FBF/FB