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“Think in Oceans. Sink on Sight”

A Scenario for DBSA

by

Peter Hunt

 

To implement his global vision for the Royal Navy Admiral Fisher built his fleet around three principles:

 

Find - Cruisers and Battlecruisers would scout ahead of the battlefleet to find the enemy’s main fleet.  These scouting forces would be strong enough to fight through the enemy screening forces.

 

Fix - Having found the enemy’s main body the scouts would transmit its position to their own battlefleet and lead the enemy on to it whilst preventing enemy scouts doing the same.

 

Fight - Based on the superior intelligence passed from his scouts the battlefleet commander would be able to deploy his force to the best advantage to destroy the enemy main fleet.

 

The Battle of Jutland was the acid test of these principles.  Although there were many failures with the British ships and systems that day, the circumstances of the battle fully vindicated Fisher’s doctrine.  Beatty’s scouts fought their way south through Hipper’s screen and located Scheer’s main force.  This was then led northward and just enough information was passed to Jellicoe to allow him to deploy the Grant Fleet across the High Sea’s Fleet’s route ~ “crossing the T” for the greatest tactical advantage.

 

This game attempts to test the doctrine using two equal pre-dreadnought fleets.  The game is played in two parts ~ the cruiser action followed by the fleet battle.  The events of the cruiser action will determine the deployment for the fleet battle.  The game takes place in the Mediterranean Sea at the turn of the century.  The Entente, (Britain and France) oppose the Triple Alliance, (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy).  Each side has an equal number of ships, points and squadrons.

 

The Cruiser Action

 

Only the three cruiser squadrons on each side one used in this part of the game.

 

The table is 126” x 84”.

 

Specify squadron formations and entering points on the short edges.  Up to two cruiser squadrons can enter each spell.

 

The cruiser action continues until:

 

Ÿ       The end of the 2nd Player’s spell when an uncrippled ship of one side is within 10” (4 cables) of the other side’s short edge.  If both sides have non-crippled ships within 4 cables of the enemy’s short edge the cruiser action is a draw.

     

Ÿ       The end of the 2nd Player’s 15th spell.  In which case the cruiser action is a draw.

 

It only one side has a ship within 10” of the opponent’s short edge it is presumed to sight the enemy battle fleet and its side has won the action.  Check the position of the leading, uncrippled, ship of each squadron, scouting points are then awarded for each squadron of both sides as follows:

 

Ÿ       Within 4 cables (10”) of enemy short edge                        :     5 points

Ÿ       Within 1 mile (25”) of enemy short edge                            :     2 points

Ÿ       On enemy side of table                                                        :     1 point

 

The Fleet Battle

 

Before the start of the game specify the formation and separation of squadrons.  There are three possible types of deployment.

 

Deployment Type One : “The Fog of War”

 

If the cruiser action was a draw.  Add one additional table to each end of the Cruiser action tables and the main battlefleets start to arrive next spell on the new short edges.  The cruiser action continues as part of the larger battle.

 

It the cruiser action was won by one side remove all the cruisers and re-arrange the tables.  The losing side’s battle fleet is deployed according to its instructions with the rearmost ship’s rear base edge touching the short table edge.  The cruisers play no further part in the game and are assumed to be continuing their own fight having led the battle fleets together.

 

The winning side now deploys his battlefleet according to its instructions in an arc up to 60o on the beam of the forward edge ships of the enemy fleet, no closer than 80” away.  Now compare the scouting points of the two sides as a percentage.

 

Deployment Type Two : “Enemy in Sight”

 

The scouting totals are not higher than 149% of each other.  The winning side takes the first spell.

 

Deployment Type Three : “Equal Speed Charlie London”

 

The scouting totals are 150% or more of each other.  The winning side may make two spells of normal movement using NIPs.  The losing side does not move.  Neither side may fire.  The winner then takes the first spell and the game proceeds as normal.  This represents Jellicoe’s position at Jutland brought about by better scouting and better judgement.

 

Victory Conditions

 

The first side to sink 120 points worth of enemy ships in both the cruiser action and battle fleet action wins.  Compare its own losses to determine the level of victory:

 

                     100 – 119 =    Phyric Victory

                        80 – 99  =    Marginal Victory

                        60 – 79  =    Decisive Victory

                            – 59   =    “The New Trafalgar”  

 

THE FLEETS

 

 

Entente

 

 

Triple Alliance

 

 

 

Pts

 

 

Pts

1st Cruiser Sq

Triumph

10

 

Brin

12

 

Hogue

9

 

Sardegna

10

 

Good Hope

9

 

Re Umberto

10

 

Monmouth

8

 

Garibaldi

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Cruiser Sq

Powerful

8

 

Varese

7

 

Arrogant

6

 

Pisani

6

 

Pegasus

5

 

Piemonte

6

 

Pelorus

5

 

Agordat

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd Cruiser Sq

Du Lome

9

 

Karl VI

9

 

Gravier

7

 

K. Augusta

6

 

Descartes

6

 

Aspern

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Battle Sq

Majestic

14

 

Brandenburg

14

 

Mars

14

 

Worth

14

 

Canopus

14

 

Weisenberg

14

 

Goliath

14

 

F. Wilhelm

14

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Battle Sq

Victoria

13

 

K. Freidrich

12

 

Sans Pariel

13

 

K. Barbarossa

12

 

Edinburgh

12

 

K. Karl d. Grosse

12

 

Collingwood

12

 

K. Wilhelm

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd Battle Sq

Nile

13

 

Ez Karl

14

 

Dreadnought

10

 

Wien

12

 

Inflexible

10

 

Monarch

12

 

Devastation

7

 

Budapest

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th Battle Sq

Bouvet

14

 

St Bon

10

 

Henri IV

11

 

Lepanto

9

 

Duperee

12

 

Italia

9

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Destroy Sq

6 x TBD

18

 

6 x TBD

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Destroy Sq

Dunois

3

 

6 x TBD

18

 

2 x TBD

6

 

 

 

 

4 x TB (I)

8

 

 

 

 

 

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