Torpedoes Away! Night Action in The Slot

Sunday I decided to push Nimitz a bit and play a battle between two destroyer forces at night. When one considers how frequent these battles were in the Pacific, I'm surprised there is not a dedicated rules set for them.

I took the Battle of Cape St. George as inspiration. Two forces, each with 5 ships. The names aren't historically correct and the classes of Japanese destroyers aren't correct either. But I find Japanese destroyers rather confusing. The Japanese are divided into a Transport Force of 3 destroyers that had run reinforcements into Guadalcanal as part of the "Tokyo Express," and an escorting Covering Force of 2 ships.

As with my previous game, splash markers are tracking hits. Cotton puffs mark who is firing and explosions are for your benefit to show who is being sunk. All rather unnecessary for play, but I have the markers so I may as well use them.

In order to slow the damage down, I made all the destroyers armour 1, which reduced the results of the PEN table. Gunfire damage was still pretty bloody though, but I supposed quick firing 5" or 5.5" guns at close range will do that to you.

USN deployment area. DesRon1 leading. DesRon2 with  ships following.

DesRon2

DesRon1

The IJN won the Deployment roll so have the entire half of the table to set up on

Transport Force

Covering Force

Turn 1 maneuvers

USS The Sullivans is crippled by opening salvos. Even with only 2 guns that can come to bear, the Hayashiro gets a good PEN roll.

Turn 2. USN wins move-shoot first roll. Covering Force slows down to finish off The Sullivans. USS Nicholas maneuvers to flank the Covering Force and DesRon2 moves to concentrate US fire on Covering Force hoping to eliminate it.

The Sullivans gets some licks in but is sunk.

USS Nicholas in turn sinks Oyashio

Transport Force begins firing, distracting rear of DesRon2. Splitting DesRon1 to be able concentrate on one IJN ship has meant DesRon2 is now firing last

DesRon2 fires. 

Damage end of Artillery phase turn 1

Torpedo Phase. "FIRE ALL THE TORPEDOES!" Everyone has a firing solution on someone and no one holds back, launching all their torpedoes. DesRon2 moving at High Speed saves their bacon.

The warm Pacific night is shattered by exploding ships. Fletcher scores SIX hits on Hayashiro! Natsushio is hit 3 times, Nicholas and Hatsukaze twice. Fletcher, Chevalier and Kuroshio each take a hit and are crippled. Strong is lucky and is missed by all 8 torpedoes fired at her.

Turn 3. Fletcher and Chevalier limp away. Strong pursues Kuroshio who is trying to sneak away in the dark with only 1 hull box left.

Turn 4. A terrible stern chase in the dark! Kuroshio goes down, guns blazing in defiance, crippling Strong.

Yikes. The Emperor can't afford losses like this!

Oof. The Admiral is going to have some words to say.

I'm feeling more confident with the rules and I find them very quick and streamlined. Destroyers die pretty quickly but they can still do more than in Victory at Sea. 

I think by splitting the table, and using the Halsey campaign system, one could fight a big carrier battle fairly easily. 

Something to think about.