Post by genjeft on Aug 12, 2015 8:03:41 GMT -6
So I started a game as Austria thinking that choosing a small country in a small area of the world would be a good way to learn how to play the game.
Italy got aggressive right off the bat and started invading the neutrals in the Mediterranean.
Most of the Italian fleet were pushovers but for one single ship.
The Marco Polo...
(Of COURSE a ship by the name of Marco Polo has to be Italian...)
This thing true to its name would pop up, scream Marco at some poor DD or Merchant ship sending it to the bottom time and time again (thankfully I had a couple dozen destroyers). Time and time again it would be intercepted and it would either sink or badly damage the intercepting ships. In the two wars this ship sunk some 8 destroyers of mine and sent my one CA and two CLs back to port time and time again for repairs. Battle after battle after battle this went on and on. Until one fateful day, 2 years into the 2nd war, it ran into the Kaiser Karl IV once again.
Now the Kaiser Karl IV is my only CA... it is also a pile of absolute garbage. This ship's performance has been absolutely dreadful since the first day it was built (there is a reason why only one exists). It only managed 20 knots at the best of time (only matching the Marco Polo) and it got even worse after a refit where it could only manage 18 knots. Surprisingly this thing was good enough to sink a lot of destroyers that had the misfortune to end up in range, and those captains who stayed and fought were kinda stupid, granted one did nearly sink the Kaiser with a lucky torpedo hit. But this ship is terrible, it was suppose to be a fast cruiser but it cant even keep up with my battle fleet (my B's do 19 to 20 knots). Its under armed, underpowered, and under armored. I fully expected it to achieve nothing in this encounter since it had failed to sink the Marco Polo in over 10 battles so far.
But... there was a gale... and a speed limit of 18 knots...
And my fleet trained in gunnery.
So the fight begins.
The ships spot each other at about 10:00 AM and a running gun battle starts and goes on for hours. The Marco is unable to run away due to the gale and the two ships take up positions and start battering away at each other. The Marco starts off strong with the 4 8-inch guns giving her more firepower and better chances of hitting and slightly better rate of fire. But the shells land wide, the vast majority missing the target. Meanwhile the Kaiser's 2 9-inch guns start doing their dirty work. Shell after shell after shell has the good fortune with a well trained crew to plow into the Marco, they eventually start a fire that burns for over an hour.
The Marco starts to lose power, and with it speed. Dropping from 18 knots to 15 knots, then 10 knots, and finally 5 knots. She is unable to run. Most of her guns are disabled because of the unrelenting slow rain of 9-inch shells as shell after shell hits home. The stern turret is destroyed, secondary guns gone, superstructure a wreak of debris. Suddenly the 9-inch fire slacks! Has the Kaiser run out of ammo on the eve of triumph against the great foe? Kinda, the bow turret is out of ammo, the Kaiser maneuvers to give the stern turret a better shot and the 9-inch rain resumes.
The Marco is now dead in the water, no power, few functioning weapons, fewer men to man them. A heap of scrap is all that is left of the proud ship. Seeing this the Kaiser closes in to less to bring the secondary guns to bear. The Marco begins to take on water and slips under the waves, the last cry of Marco is heard. The reply heard from the Kaiser is a sorrowful Polo as the honorable foe sinks. The Marco Polo slips beneath the waves, never to be seen again.
News of the loss hits Italy. The Marco fails to return home, rumors spread. The government tries to cover it up but they know its futile, the great ship is gone. What is left of the Italian navy, just a collection of Bs and some MS that have not been caught yet are stuck in port, to fearful to leave. Austrian submarines and commerce raiders are free to do as they please (which in the case of the subs seems to be nothing at all). The blockade gets ever tighter. The news hits home, THE HEROIC MARCO IS SUNK! The people cry. The people take to the streets, government offices are stormed and burned, the Prime Minister executed. Italy collapses into a ball of fire and dispare. Harsh terms are forced on Italy. All colonies go to Austria, nothing is left.
But in the mind of the Italians burns "Remember the Marco!" and the Austrians watch and wait cautiously. Knowing one day the Marco may rise again.
Italy got aggressive right off the bat and started invading the neutrals in the Mediterranean.
Most of the Italian fleet were pushovers but for one single ship.
The Marco Polo...
(Of COURSE a ship by the name of Marco Polo has to be Italian...)
This thing true to its name would pop up, scream Marco at some poor DD or Merchant ship sending it to the bottom time and time again (thankfully I had a couple dozen destroyers). Time and time again it would be intercepted and it would either sink or badly damage the intercepting ships. In the two wars this ship sunk some 8 destroyers of mine and sent my one CA and two CLs back to port time and time again for repairs. Battle after battle after battle this went on and on. Until one fateful day, 2 years into the 2nd war, it ran into the Kaiser Karl IV once again.
Now the Kaiser Karl IV is my only CA... it is also a pile of absolute garbage. This ship's performance has been absolutely dreadful since the first day it was built (there is a reason why only one exists). It only managed 20 knots at the best of time (only matching the Marco Polo) and it got even worse after a refit where it could only manage 18 knots. Surprisingly this thing was good enough to sink a lot of destroyers that had the misfortune to end up in range, and those captains who stayed and fought were kinda stupid, granted one did nearly sink the Kaiser with a lucky torpedo hit. But this ship is terrible, it was suppose to be a fast cruiser but it cant even keep up with my battle fleet (my B's do 19 to 20 knots). Its under armed, underpowered, and under armored. I fully expected it to achieve nothing in this encounter since it had failed to sink the Marco Polo in over 10 battles so far.
But... there was a gale... and a speed limit of 18 knots...
And my fleet trained in gunnery.
So the fight begins.
The ships spot each other at about 10:00 AM and a running gun battle starts and goes on for hours. The Marco is unable to run away due to the gale and the two ships take up positions and start battering away at each other. The Marco starts off strong with the 4 8-inch guns giving her more firepower and better chances of hitting and slightly better rate of fire. But the shells land wide, the vast majority missing the target. Meanwhile the Kaiser's 2 9-inch guns start doing their dirty work. Shell after shell after shell has the good fortune with a well trained crew to plow into the Marco, they eventually start a fire that burns for over an hour.
The Marco starts to lose power, and with it speed. Dropping from 18 knots to 15 knots, then 10 knots, and finally 5 knots. She is unable to run. Most of her guns are disabled because of the unrelenting slow rain of 9-inch shells as shell after shell hits home. The stern turret is destroyed, secondary guns gone, superstructure a wreak of debris. Suddenly the 9-inch fire slacks! Has the Kaiser run out of ammo on the eve of triumph against the great foe? Kinda, the bow turret is out of ammo, the Kaiser maneuvers to give the stern turret a better shot and the 9-inch rain resumes.
The Marco is now dead in the water, no power, few functioning weapons, fewer men to man them. A heap of scrap is all that is left of the proud ship. Seeing this the Kaiser closes in to less to bring the secondary guns to bear. The Marco begins to take on water and slips under the waves, the last cry of Marco is heard. The reply heard from the Kaiser is a sorrowful Polo as the honorable foe sinks. The Marco Polo slips beneath the waves, never to be seen again.
News of the loss hits Italy. The Marco fails to return home, rumors spread. The government tries to cover it up but they know its futile, the great ship is gone. What is left of the Italian navy, just a collection of Bs and some MS that have not been caught yet are stuck in port, to fearful to leave. Austrian submarines and commerce raiders are free to do as they please (which in the case of the subs seems to be nothing at all). The blockade gets ever tighter. The news hits home, THE HEROIC MARCO IS SUNK! The people cry. The people take to the streets, government offices are stormed and burned, the Prime Minister executed. Italy collapses into a ball of fire and dispare. Harsh terms are forced on Italy. All colonies go to Austria, nothing is left.
But in the mind of the Italians burns "Remember the Marco!" and the Austrians watch and wait cautiously. Knowing one day the Marco may rise again.
