The Magnificiant Case of the CSA Siege Carriers AAR
Mar 29, 2020 11:03:25 GMT -6
klavohunter, wknehring, and 3 more like this
Post by lugesun on Mar 29, 2020 11:03:25 GMT -6
I had a scenario play out in my recent CSA experiment campaign (lots of weird ship designs) that saw BB/CV hybrids play a critical role that was too good not to share with everyone. (Also, of note, I am on Admiral settings so other than flagships and air wing attacks, I control very little else. Also the two ships focused on were entirely under AI control.)
The year is 1960, the United States Navy has managed to become the world's strongest naval power despite having never reconciled with their brethern in the southern states. The CSA has managed to keep hold of its Carribean holdings and even expanded to emcompass all French and most British holdings in the region. However, tensions have boiled over finally between the two Americas, resulting in a quiet lopsided affair in the Carribean. The USN has far more carriers, battle cruisers, and regular cruisers with the CSA only having a small advantage in Dreadnoughts (most pre 1930s vintage holdovers with numerous modernizations) and destroyers. However, the Confederate designers had anticipated this and attmepted to make ships that would catch their Northern foes off guard. Such ships include a class of 2500 ton destoryers armed with 18 3" autoloading DP guns that carry only HE to burn ships down or a still not completed torpedo battleship. Additionally, they channeled their inner Germany and built an impressive fleet of Battlecruiser and heavy cruiser raiders that, for the most part, were simply copies if the German Deutschlands. However, one ship class they designed were to catch the USN off guard unlike any other. Enter the States Rights class of Siege Carrier.
Siege Carrier you ask? Well, they are similar in concept to the Japanese Ise Kai BB/CVs but were specially designed for port assaults and invasions. Instead of simply being a half BB, half CV for escort missions, their role is to be heavy siege equipment for taking down islands. At 55,000 tons each, the two twin ships are able to provide an air wing of 10 figher and 10 bombers each for pinpoint longer range striking capability. Once in range of a target, the two can roar to life with their secondary battery of 4x3 8 inch autoloading turrets and their massive triple 20inch main turret. They also carry an incredible amount of armor protection for vital areas, making their citadels almost immune to enemy attacks. However, due to dock size weight restrictions, designers had to limit the area the thickest armor covered. Portions of the front and rear areas of the ship are all but paper but damage control teams assume they can limp the ships back to port if these non-vital areas are hit.
Come April 15th, 1960, the two Siege Carriers find themselves embroiled in a very large engagment for the Grand Bahamas, the port of Freeport to be exact. As the battle started ,the two SCVs found themselves stranded to the West of the island. The main CSA battleline had steamed northeast to engage a USN fastbattleship line and the CSA carrier force had sailed south of the islands for better land based fighter coverage. The only CSA group close enough to support the SCV's, the cruiser squadrons, had quickly fallen under the eyes of the main US battleship line and carrier air wings. Despite orders from the over all Confederate admiral to flee, the captain of States Rights decided to put his ship to the test in a desperate blocking move. The US battleline had slipped past the Confederate battlewagons and the CSA cruiser force was unable to halt the advance of the floating forrest of 16" guns towards the Confederate Carriers.
As the battle progressed, an alert came across the confederate lines from observers on Western tip of the Freeport island: the States Rights was GIVING CHASE to 3 USN battlecruisers as Chattahochee split these lead BC's off from their BB support. Despite the heroic antics of the two SCV's, the outcome was a forgone conclusion. 6 20" guns cant hope to eliminate 30+ 16" guns. Despite this, the two SCV's would fight valiantly. Chattahochee received little damage form enemy vessels or air power but managed to put her main guns to great use. She engaged the air power crippled USN battleship Saratoga (Chat's torpedo bombers had scored 4 hits earlier in the engagment) and the wounded Neson class-esk battleship Okahoma. With in only 3 salvos, a 20inch shell struck home on Oklahoma, pinning her mag and detonating the ship. As this happened, Chats 8inch guns peppered Saratoga, reducing her AA and allowing a CSA bomber flights from the carriers to finish the job. Chat disengaged and pulled back to the saftey of Miami that evening.
States Rights would not fair so lucky. She managed to stop and turn back the 3 USN BCs, savign the Confedertae Carriers, hwoever the USN was not to go home empty handed. Over the course of 1 hour and 3 minutes, she would sustain 20 hits from 16inch guns, 7 13 inch guns, and numerous 5inch guns. Finally fires from the 5 inch hits would make the ship a hellish nightmare, forcing the crew to abandon their ship. However it would take far longer for the ship to heel to the sea and sink. However, her 20" main guns had managed to cripple the control stations (conning tower and fire control radars) of 2 of her 3 opponents and had damaged one of their engines, allowing subsequent air attacks and a passing engagment with the confederate battleline to mortally wound two of the 3.
As States Rights finally sank below the waves, the two fleets headed home to lick ther wounds. The CSA had escaped with minimal losses to their capital ships, with only States Rights being sunk, however the Cruiser squadrons were all but decimated. The USN, on the other hand, lost 2 BBs, 3 BCs, and a handful of destoryers and cruisers. All but one of the capital ships had been sank due to the direct actions of the SCVs. The battle of West End would see a major propaganda vcitory for the CSA, with the United States suing for peace. However, hawkish members of the Confederate government would derail the peace talks. Additionally, during the month of April, CSA submarines would sink not 1 but 5, FIVE, civilian ocean liners..... France and Great Britain immediantly declared war on the CSA, rejuvinating the morale of the USN......
TL/DR: BB/CV hybrids work for the only time, ever, and then get screwed over strategically by torp happy subcommanders and insain politicians... 1861/10, would secede from the Union again.
The year is 1960, the United States Navy has managed to become the world's strongest naval power despite having never reconciled with their brethern in the southern states. The CSA has managed to keep hold of its Carribean holdings and even expanded to emcompass all French and most British holdings in the region. However, tensions have boiled over finally between the two Americas, resulting in a quiet lopsided affair in the Carribean. The USN has far more carriers, battle cruisers, and regular cruisers with the CSA only having a small advantage in Dreadnoughts (most pre 1930s vintage holdovers with numerous modernizations) and destroyers. However, the Confederate designers had anticipated this and attmepted to make ships that would catch their Northern foes off guard. Such ships include a class of 2500 ton destoryers armed with 18 3" autoloading DP guns that carry only HE to burn ships down or a still not completed torpedo battleship. Additionally, they channeled their inner Germany and built an impressive fleet of Battlecruiser and heavy cruiser raiders that, for the most part, were simply copies if the German Deutschlands. However, one ship class they designed were to catch the USN off guard unlike any other. Enter the States Rights class of Siege Carrier.
Siege Carrier you ask? Well, they are similar in concept to the Japanese Ise Kai BB/CVs but were specially designed for port assaults and invasions. Instead of simply being a half BB, half CV for escort missions, their role is to be heavy siege equipment for taking down islands. At 55,000 tons each, the two twin ships are able to provide an air wing of 10 figher and 10 bombers each for pinpoint longer range striking capability. Once in range of a target, the two can roar to life with their secondary battery of 4x3 8 inch autoloading turrets and their massive triple 20inch main turret. They also carry an incredible amount of armor protection for vital areas, making their citadels almost immune to enemy attacks. However, due to dock size weight restrictions, designers had to limit the area the thickest armor covered. Portions of the front and rear areas of the ship are all but paper but damage control teams assume they can limp the ships back to port if these non-vital areas are hit.
Come April 15th, 1960, the two Siege Carriers find themselves embroiled in a very large engagment for the Grand Bahamas, the port of Freeport to be exact. As the battle started ,the two SCVs found themselves stranded to the West of the island. The main CSA battleline had steamed northeast to engage a USN fastbattleship line and the CSA carrier force had sailed south of the islands for better land based fighter coverage. The only CSA group close enough to support the SCV's, the cruiser squadrons, had quickly fallen under the eyes of the main US battleship line and carrier air wings. Despite orders from the over all Confederate admiral to flee, the captain of States Rights decided to put his ship to the test in a desperate blocking move. The US battleline had slipped past the Confederate battlewagons and the CSA cruiser force was unable to halt the advance of the floating forrest of 16" guns towards the Confederate Carriers.
As the battle progressed, an alert came across the confederate lines from observers on Western tip of the Freeport island: the States Rights was GIVING CHASE to 3 USN battlecruisers as Chattahochee split these lead BC's off from their BB support. Despite the heroic antics of the two SCV's, the outcome was a forgone conclusion. 6 20" guns cant hope to eliminate 30+ 16" guns. Despite this, the two SCV's would fight valiantly. Chattahochee received little damage form enemy vessels or air power but managed to put her main guns to great use. She engaged the air power crippled USN battleship Saratoga (Chat's torpedo bombers had scored 4 hits earlier in the engagment) and the wounded Neson class-esk battleship Okahoma. With in only 3 salvos, a 20inch shell struck home on Oklahoma, pinning her mag and detonating the ship. As this happened, Chats 8inch guns peppered Saratoga, reducing her AA and allowing a CSA bomber flights from the carriers to finish the job. Chat disengaged and pulled back to the saftey of Miami that evening.
States Rights would not fair so lucky. She managed to stop and turn back the 3 USN BCs, savign the Confedertae Carriers, hwoever the USN was not to go home empty handed. Over the course of 1 hour and 3 minutes, she would sustain 20 hits from 16inch guns, 7 13 inch guns, and numerous 5inch guns. Finally fires from the 5 inch hits would make the ship a hellish nightmare, forcing the crew to abandon their ship. However it would take far longer for the ship to heel to the sea and sink. However, her 20" main guns had managed to cripple the control stations (conning tower and fire control radars) of 2 of her 3 opponents and had damaged one of their engines, allowing subsequent air attacks and a passing engagment with the confederate battleline to mortally wound two of the 3.
As States Rights finally sank below the waves, the two fleets headed home to lick ther wounds. The CSA had escaped with minimal losses to their capital ships, with only States Rights being sunk, however the Cruiser squadrons were all but decimated. The USN, on the other hand, lost 2 BBs, 3 BCs, and a handful of destoryers and cruisers. All but one of the capital ships had been sank due to the direct actions of the SCVs. The battle of West End would see a major propaganda vcitory for the CSA, with the United States suing for peace. However, hawkish members of the Confederate government would derail the peace talks. Additionally, during the month of April, CSA submarines would sink not 1 but 5, FIVE, civilian ocean liners..... France and Great Britain immediantly declared war on the CSA, rejuvinating the morale of the USN......
TL/DR: BB/CV hybrids work for the only time, ever, and then get screwed over strategically by torp happy subcommanders and insain politicians... 1861/10, would secede from the Union again.
