Greyh Seer
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| NjCo wrote: |
On the British side I'd probably take the following:
Warspite - for it's Long Shot 6 SA.
The Illustrious - for it's Torpedo Defense and Sneak Attack SAs.
2x Jamaica - for all the SAs this nice ship brings to the table.
2x Javelin - for the Smoke SA to help counter the extended range 6.
3x Swordfish - without subs you need torpedos to counter the expected BBs.
1x Halifax - for its ASW Pinpointer. |
Don't forget, the scenario takes place in 1940, leaving the Jamaica as an unusable option, though you could obviously change according to taste! 
| NjCo wrote: | | What ships did you use for your play test? |
We did many play tests. Here is one. I coppied this over too. This is a report from one of my playtest battles.
battle report from one of the "down to the last die roll" games from play testing Attack on Mer-el-Kebir:
Builds:
UK:
Hood
Exeter
Sydney
Javelin
Ark Royal
Swordfish x4
France:
Richelieu
Dunkerque
Gloire x2
Terrible x3
The Game:
The battle started with the French fleet moving up the sound with the battleships on the port flank and the cruisers/destroyers on the starboard. Early air attacks were met with fierce resistance as one squadron of Swordfish were forced to abort and the first casualties came from the UK as a second squadron was blown out of the air by the Dunkerque's AA attacks.
With the next turn it became apparent to the French that the British were content to let their air superiority continue attacks while their fleet waited patiently just outside the sound. This time the Swordfish were able to move in only having one squadron abort and two of their fishes found their mark! The Richelieu seemed to shudder as two huge explosions blossomed from her port waterline.
The next turn still found the British reluctant to commit (no doubt due to Hood's SA) and the French fleet also hesitated as the battleships moved up to the line. The Swordfish were unable to find their marks and the Dunkerque and Hood dueled it out. The Hood took a hit amidships and her own shots failed to find their mark splashing harmlessly between the Richelieu and the Dunkerque.
The following turn saw the British pushing full forward in an attempt to maximize their torpedoes and the Hoods guns at extreme close range. Knowing that British losses were far less important than preventing the French escape, the British admiral brought the entire armada to point blank range of the Battleships. The Hood was again smashed amidships with a well placed shot from the Dunkerque while the Richelieu, no doubt due to its listing and damage, found her shots overshooting her target. The Hood made good her fortune and placed a salvo into her superstructure causing a massive fire. Torpedoes from the Exeter and the Javalin failed to find their marks but the Sydney placed her torpedo into the bow of the Richelieu, crippling her.
The Secondary guns from the French battleships and the rest of the French fleet were not silent. The two Glories exchanged fire with the Exeter and the Javalin, combining enough fire to overwhelm the British ships, their crews jumping overboard as the ships sank. One of the French cruisers took damage during the exchange and a lucky shot from the Exeter penetrated the magazine of a Terrible and she broke in two and sank. The Sydney found herself the target of all of the French battleship secondary batteries and a massive explosion was all that was seen of her before she slid beneath the water.
The next turn saw the Ark Royal move in a vain attempt to cut off the French cruiser escape while her Swordfish were once again forced away from determined French AA. The Dunkerque had some excellent marksmanship as a round penetrated the weaker deck Armour of the Hood, causing a catastrophic explosion, sinking the British battleship. The Hood did not go quietly though, as simultaneous to this explosion she managed a shot that again hit the Richelieu, sealing her fate along with her own. The remaining French destroyers put their ships to flank speed and escaped the sound while the two cruisers laid enough fire into the Ark Royal to cripple her. She was not to last long, however as the Richelieu, despite her damage and the fact that she was minutes from sinking herself, managed to put a round directly at her waterline, forcing her inevitable fate.
One die roll: The last act of the Ark Royal was to fix her guns on the already damaged Gloire. Her final act crippled the cruiser. Despite the fact that no British surface fleet remained, the Ark Royal had managed to place the last point of damage forcing a British Victory. It may have been costly, but the French fleet that left port that day had taken on too much damage and they will undoubtedly find themselves lonely in port when they reach home.
Result: British Victory (Only Just!)
Hope you all enjoyed!
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