The Pursuit

 

On Sunday Dale (commanding the IJN and I (Royal Navy) were joined by Stephen (commanding the RN cruisers) and Geoff (commanding the destroyers) for a game of Broadsides: Empires of Steel. 

This was to be a 600 point game with the Pursuit mission.

The Pursuit

Admiral Gyokuro lowered his binoculars, swearing under his breath, he could now make out the low shapes of four destroyers now in pursuit of his squadron. Astern and also emerging from the fog bank were more enemy vessels, bigger then the destroyers, probably light cruisers. If this was all the Royal Navy could chase them with, his few battleships can deal with them. But still, no British commander would throw such small ships against his heavy squadron. 

The ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy were running in echelon. Admiral Gyokuro's flag was on the dreadnaught Kawachi, leading the line with the battleships Aki and Satsuma off to the port side. Further down the line were the armoured cruisers Kurama, Ibuki and Izumo.  At the far end the line the light cruiser Niitaka steamed at full speed. Yes, he was running, those British destroyers could be dangerous, but Gyokuro could handle them. But the question was, where were the enemy dreadnaughts?  

'Enemy in sight! closing to engage!' Admiral Earl Grey, RN, read the message from HMS Lightfoot the leader of his destroyer squadron. The Royal Navy had found the Japanese battleships. The three destroyers,  HMS Spitfire, Sparrowhawk and Shark, were lead by Lightfoot were closing on the right (starboard) of the IJN battleline, making straight for the battleships Kawachi and Aki. Yes their torpedos were a danger to the big capital ships, but they had to get very close indeed, and those big ships had a lot of guns. 
Far off to the port side of the destroyers, the three light cruisers, Dartmouth, Weymouth and Yarmouth charged forward attempting to chase down the liter ships trailing the Japanese line. The trap was set, but at sea, plans do not always work.

Things at the start of the action (mostly). The IJN ships must reach 'safety' at the end of the table by turn six. The RN destroyers are at the bottom right. The RN light cruisers will actually deploy on the far left of the table.   

Loose the hounds

With the enemy in sight the light ships of the Royal Navy drove headlong, spray flying over decks as the crews ready their guns and torpedos. The range between the two fleets shortened,  HMS Dartmouth was first to  engage. A Town Class light cruiser, Darmouth's forward six inch guns tried to range in on the Izumo, but her shots fell short.  The Japanese cruisers  answered back but failed to hit the oncoming British ships. Then it was HMS Yarmouth who's guns found their range and hit the Niitaka. The range was long, but the British kept up the fire and the six inch shells soon were scoring hit on both Niitaka and Izumo. 

Screws at full revolutions, HMS Lightfoot's destroyers bound though the swell at the big Japanese warships. At 21,833 long tons, the Kawachi out massed the destroyers over twenty time each. As they charged forward, the Kawachi, Aki and Satsuma readied their guns to show these destroyers that there would be a price for their insolence. 
Through this wall of fire Sparrowhawk and Spitfire raced towards the Satsuma and Aki. The Japanese battleships taking evasive action and bringing every gun to bare on the destroyers. The Japanese gunners started find their range and both destroyers were hit again and again, but on they came. In their dieing moments, the destroyers came about and loosed their torpedos and the big warships. With gouts of spray the Japanese battle ships heaved to port and then back again as the deadly torpedos raced past without a hit. With Spitfire and Sparrowhawk now burning wrecks, the crews of Lightfoot and Shark held fast in grim determination and plowed forward. 

The Royal Navy close to knife range, while the Imperial Japanese Navy fire every gun they have. 

Admiral Gyokuro watched has his ships hammered the British destroyers. The guns now turned on the remaining two. Then there was a shout form the forward lookout. 'Enemy dead ahead!' There, out of a fog bank emerged the deadly shape of  two British warships. Both with the distinctive tripod masts of capital ships. The Japanese fleet  had sailed headlong into the trap.

The big guns speak

HMS Thunderer, one of the first super-dreadnaughts of the Orion class steamed along side its smaller companion HMS Superb of the Bellerophon class of dreadnaughts. They had been receiving updates from a scouting airship high above the Japanese fleet and well knew the position of their prey.

Thunderer emerged for the fog, on her port side and point blank range, was the Japanese flag ship Kawachi. Thunderer's ten 13.5 inch guns now fired in unison, sending over six tons of shells at the hapless Kawachi. Several of Thiunderer's guns found their mark, smashing into the Kawachi, but the Japanese battleship could take this punishment.  Then it was HMS Superb's turn. Superb's guns also found their range, but still the IJN battleship came on. 

Do your duty

 Seeing the Japanese flagship engulfed in flame, the two remaining destroyers charged headlong into the chaos. The IJN battleships could still answer back and both destroyers were hit multiple times and were going down, but not before they go their fish away. Two torpedoes from Lightfoot struck Kawachi amidships, sending her to her doom. Shark  sent her torpedoes straight into the IJN Aki. Aki shuddered at these hits but limped on, but it was now her turn to face the fury of the Royal Navy dreadnaughts and in moments the Aki succumbed and rolled over a burning and shattered wreck. 

 As they watched their two main battleships go down and Admiral Gyokuro with them, the Japanese fleet now opened up on the British dreadnaughts with every gun available. HMS Superb was taking damage, as Japanese shells again and again slammed home. The British warship now tuned her guns on the next Japanese ship in line and with coordinated fire from Thunderer reduced the battleship Satsuma to a burning hulk.

It was then Ibukis' turn, still spitting defiance she too was reduced to wreckage under the dreadful pounding of the Royal Navy.

Superb and Thunderer continue the methodical destruction to the Japanese fleet.
Here, Ibuki come under fire.

The British light cruiser's were still at long range, but they added what guns and torpedos they could to the maelstrom engulfing what was left of the Japanese fleet. But now the fog banks that had enabled the British trap to work now shifted and enabled the Japanese cruisers to race to hiding and safety.   

The remnants of the Japanese fleet run for the fog bank.

The battle was over. 

As Yarmouth and Dartmouth looked for any survivors of the destroyer squadron, Admiral Earl Grey turned his ships for home.