AAR: Atlantic Convoys [SPOILER ALERT]

Looks like lot's of folks have been enjoying this scenario. Here's another AAR from a satisfied player:

Inspired by Frans I decided to replay the Atlantic Convoy Scenario, but from the Russian side. Some years ago after I made Atlantic convoy for NATO side, Herman took the scen, and created two Russia-playable sides; one 'easier' and one 'harder'. These scens were transformed to PDB and for the first time in years I decided to replay it

 

Scen: Atl_R1_1

Game: Harpoon 3.6.3

DB: PlayersDB

Designer: Herman Hum (based on my Atlantic/NATO)

 

Day one; November 26th

 

I have good intel of two convoys, and amphibious group all heading for Portsmouth and a CVBG somewhere in the Atlantic. I have a number of submarines already staked out on their projected route, a larger number in transit from the GIUK gap, two Bears on patrol, and some AGIs. Northern Fleet has promised a Backfire mission consisting of 9 planes every twelve hours or so; after they refuel in the North Atlantic I can take control to use them. Also some fighters may be available and a steady stream of Bears for recon are expected from the Kola bases.

 

I start by plotting my subs to go south at speed. I use my two Bears and the AGIs to scout the Atlantic, sniffing for ESM signals. Initial satelite passes show no enemy ships -- but indicate some safe area's for my Bears to use.

 

Soon I detect aerial radars, and am able to plot bearings on what I think are the CVBG and two convoys. The Bears go low and around the detected helo's and E2 for a cross bearing. This is rewarded with signals from a cruiser and soon I have the approximate posits of two convoys plotted. However 'approximate' does not cut it, I need precise course and speed for the convoys to plot good intercept courses for my subs -- which are way out of position and will need to race at 26-30 knots to catch up.

 

Meanwhile, 3 of my subs racing south from the GIUK gap detect enemy subs from their launch transient. Each makes a fast turn, goes to flank speed and fires a torpedo back along the bearing of the inbound. One of my subs is lost to the Mk48, and it seems none of my torps find targets. Soon after, one of my SSKs close to the Channel detects an aird dropped torp and is hit; two subs lost for no wins -- two-nil for the AI!

The situation improved though when a satelite pass revealed the exact location south of Newfoundland of a convoy of at least 30 ships. As the sat passed overhead the visual sensors ID'ed the escorts which was English and included Invincible and a US Bunker Hill class cruiser. I could vector two subs at full speed to this convoy; with an intercept location around 10 hours steaming away. The satelite also detected a lone AO tanker close to one of my racing subs, and I was able to torpedo her in the absence of escort.

 

The Bears went low and approached the other two convoys along their ESM tracks, and at 90 miles distance went to high alt and used its radar to plot the convoys location and speed. Both Bears were successfull, but both were intercepted by Harriers and by land based fighters from UK.

 

After a few hours of game time I thus had a good fix on all convoys, and multiple ESM tracks giving the the approximate location of the CVBG.

 

I ordered my remaining submarines to form 4 wolf packs ahead of the three convoys -- where the amphibious convoy closest to the Channel had 5 subs in range, the convoy south of Newfoundland 2 and the convoy in the mid-Atlantic two packs of 5.

 

While the packs raced to their intercept locations 9 Backfires arrived on station south of Iceland.

Topped up with fuel I calculated they could just reach the convoy south of Newfoundland and I moved one Tu22 ahead of the other 8 to act as radar Recce unit. Two Bears were available but I was not going to try getting them close to convoys with embarked fighters.

 

After nearly 4 hours transit the Backfires penetrated the fighter defences at low altitude, climbed to vHigh altitude, switched on their Downbeat radars and fired 27 Missiles at 9 ships. Most were intercepted by SAMs from the CG, but some came through and destroyed two ships -- far away from my viccond of killing 25.

On the way back to the refuel point the Backfires overflew one of my subs and spotted a P3 dropping a torp on her -- thankfully some miles away -- obviously dropped on an imperfect solution. My sub got away and my Tu22s all returned to base.

 

Fairly regularly over the next hours one of my racing subs were detected by Canadian or British patrol planes, and I learned these often dropped a torp in the hope of spooking me into flank speed. I learnt to wait until the torpedo's course was clear and indicated danger. I also managed to avade a few more US subs/torps.

 

Around 10 hours later my first Wolfpack of 5 subs was in an intercept position ahead of the amphibious group. A satelite pass revealed that the defences were very strong with helo's, two layer of escorts along the path of intended motion and North of the group. I decided to move a Victor-3 south, pass at creep speed south of the group and they try to attack from the rear. It looked that the speed of the group varied from 6 to 11 knots, so I felt an attack from behind was possible. The other four subs drifted ahead of the amphibs.

 

Now came a nerve-wrecking period in which clearly the escorts had some contacts with my subs. I plotted regular lines of sonarbuys and a number of times had to steer clear of air dropped torps, sometimes slow, sometimes at flank speed. After several hours, three of my subs ahead of the group were sunk within a short period; I had now lost 5 subs for only three ships sunk.

 

A second Tu22 raid became available with an escort of Flankers and I used these to organise a combined sub and bomber attack on the amphibs. The Flankers managed to kill four Tornado's and an E3, and opened the way for 9 Backfires to attack the convoy. One Destroyer was killed, but also the amphibs were localised and had to change course and my sub south of them managed to approach at 11 knots from the rear. This Victor in quick succession torpedoed 5 amphibious ships before managing to escape West. My viccond of killing the amphibs was now achieved. She was also one of only two of the 5-ship wolfpack to survive the attack!

 

One of the two subs which intercepted the British escorted convoy now tried to penetrate this 14 knot convoy from the front and was attacked by three torpedoes which all missed. Having been detected this Akula sub raced at 35 knots into the convoy, firing at any ship coming in range. This split the convoy in two and brought my sub in the convoys rear where she picked of 10 merchant ships and the Invincible before running out of torpedoes and escaping West.

 

The end of the first day thus saw the Russians having lost 6 subs, 3 Flankers, 3 Backfires, 4 Bears but having killed 12 merchant ships, 5 amphibs, and E3 and 4 Tornado's and a number of escorts.

 

My mission for the coming days is to inercept the remaining convoy to kill another 13 merchant ships without losing too many more subs (as that is also a viccond).

 

Later more!

 

Freek

At the end of day 1 two wolfpacks of 5 submarines each had managed to intercept the Amphibious group and a convoy. Both packs suffered the loss of three subs, mostly detected by helicopters along the PIM of the convoys. In each case one sub managed to penetrate the convoy, empty its magazines and escape to the West (rear) of the convoy. Two Backfire attacks by 9 planes each had scored some hits but I was clearly up against well defended targets!

 

At 00.00 on November 27th a RORSat satelite passed over the mid-Atlantic. The previous day I had positioned two Oscar class subs under the satelite track, and from numerous ESM tracks I knew a CVBG was close by. At midnight I brought the two Oscars to periscope depth, but the satelite pass did not reveal any surface ships -- jamming by the CVBG was probably too heavy even for the 400nm space based Radar Ocean Recon sat. My Oscars went back to deep.

 

A third Wolfpack of 5 subs was now in place of the second convoy, but as it had been nearly a full day since I last localised that group, I needed to know if they had changed course. My last Bear F approached the extrapolated path of the convoy at low altitude and rose to vHigh when I expected it to be within the 90nm range. The convoy HAD changed course, now being on a 55 degrees bearing at 14 knots and was around 60nm from my pack. A short sprint from my subs brought them straight ahead of the ships.

 

While this was going on, the 4 surviving subs from the two attacks on the amphibs and the convoy kept being detected by helicopters, and frequently had to avade air dropped torpedo's. At around 1am they managed to creep clear and set course back to the Gap, their torpedo's mostly expended.

 

The Wolfpack stalking the second convoy contained a Charley-class, and when I localised a ship doing 24 knots ahead of the convoy, I decided to take a chance on firing her 8 Sirens at this presumed ASW picket. This DDG/FFG (never found out) shot down all Sirens and pretty soon helicopters were dropping buoys not on the Charley but on an accompanying Victor which was quickly lost.

 

Half an hour later the lead Victor of my pack had 5 localised targets within torpedo range and fired. At the same time another of my subs got hit by an air-dropped torp just before coming into torpedo firing range. Almost immediately counterfire was detected (ASROC?) and my lead Victor raced into the ranks of the convoy which was splitting into two halves. Fire control on my older Victor was mediocre; the first salvo only got two hits but reloading was quick and she managed to sink 5 more ships in the next 20 minutes. Merchants racing away from the inferno of burning tankers and LPG-carriers came in range of my other subs around the convoy. One fired on two targets, then detected two air-dropped torps close in; and I quickly BOLed a salvo of 4 UUSET torps (figuring if my sub survived the torps she could take control of these wire-guided fish). Unfortunately my the two torps acquired my Victor and again only two of the 5 subs from the pack survived the pack attack. The UUSET did find targets though.

 

A quick tally indicated that I'd now lost 11 submarines -- and while I sank a large number of ships I was not sure if I'd achieved the 25 ship kill viccond. However my orders stated clearly that I could not afford to lose more submarines so seeing the convoy take time to regroup, I extracted both my surviving subs from this pack to the South and West of the group.

 

After saving and exiting I was awarded victory at 0236; November 27th.

Not an easy victory as I'd lost 10 nuclear subs and a Kilo, 3 Backfires, 3 Flankers and 4 Bears. I was very surprised all 4 of my AGI had survived!

 

NATO lost in those 26 hours: 7 amphibious ships (some must have sunk during the night), 25 Merchants, one helicopter carrier, one AEGIS class cruiser, 2 Spruances and a Burke; plus loads of embarked helicopters and Harriers and an E3 and 4 Tornado F3s in UK.

 

Thanks to Frans for stimulating me to replay this scen -- and thanks to Herman for crafting the missions when it was still DB2K and converting it to PDB (everything worked!). Yes and 3.6.3 proved rock-solid and fast on my 5 yr old machine.