Designed my own scenario based on a Sea of Dragons scenario between the Singapore Navy and Indonesian pirates.

 

2x Singapore Sea Wolf PGs vs a Fatahillah class FFL and a PB-57 and 2x pirate skiffs as per the excellent 2009 naval review. I used the many rules found here in playing pirate scenarios and adopted them for the Sea of Dragons scenario.

 

The scenario started as the Sea Wolves heading southeast at 20kn. the civilian tanker was stopped with 2x pirate skiffs alongside. Before the pirates captured the tanker the ships captain was able to sent off a distress signal. The Indonesian PB-57 which was collaborating with the pirates was 1000 yards off.

 

The Sea Wolves accelerated to 28knots to intercept. In the meantime, a Fatahillah entered from the southeast corner of the map heading NW. The Sea Wolves had radar radiating, every other ship was at EMCON.

 

Once the pirates captured the tanker, the tanker radiated its navigation radar and sped off to the southeast along with the PB-57 in attendence. One of the scenario conditions is that the Singapore navy must visually ID the Indonesian pirate vessels.

 

Here is where it begins to get interesting: The tanker, with data from its naviagion radar, was able to give the position of the Sea Wolves, and thus allowed the Fatahillah to launch a salvo of 2x MM38 exocet missiles RBL at the Sea Wolves. The missiles remained undetected as I was using engagement turns. (50%)radar pd

 

At 2nm, one of the Sea Wolves detected one of the missiles and fired its Bofors 57mm and destroyed it. The other missile missed: (40% ph) Small target signature with 2nd Gen J&D. vs a 2nd Gen SSM.

 

After this attack failed, an identical attack was launched by the Fatahillah with the same results. One missile destroyed and the other missed. After this, the Fatahillah ran out of Exocets to fire.

 

Now alerted, the Singapore navy retaliated. One of the Sea Wolves was armed with harpoon. One was launched down the bearing that the attack came from.. Even though the harpoon was detected by the Tanker nav radar and the position radioed to the Fatahillah , it did succeed in hitting the ship and thus received 45dp. The Fatahillah with 48 dp, was dead in the water. The PB-57 decided it was too much and beat a hasty retreat to the SE, while the Tanker surrendered to the Singapore navy. Scenario over.

 

Lessons learned:

 

SSMs must be launched in numbers in order to penetrate defenses. I thought that two MM38 exocets would be sufficient to overwhelm a few PGs. It does seem that electronic warfare modifiers are high: Small signature with 2nd Gen J&D vs a 2nd Gen SSM: (80% chance knocked down to 40%) Bad die rolls hurt the pirates too. One roll of 87 and the other 82!!!

 

Although the BOL harpoon did succeed in hitting its target. Small target signature with 2nd Gen D vs 2nd gen SSM (49% x .75) = 37%ph. Die roll of 22.

 

Gameplay questions:

 

Critical Hits: What happens when 45dp hit a ship with 48dp??? Ratio of 45/3= 15? 21-26 crits ?? This seems a bit excessive.

 

Smoke effects: I looked high and low through the rules and could not find anything. (I used to have FG&DN rules, maybe its in there?)

 

Target information: Would the firing ship know if its missile hit or not? If beyond the visual horizon? If played by referee, what info would he give?

 

Please feel free to give any feedback, or any gameplay mistakes I might have made.

 

thanks

It does seem that electronic warfare modifiers are high: Small signature with 2nd Gen J&D vs a 2nd Gen SSM: (80% chance knocked down to 40%) Bad die rolls hurt the pirates too. One roll of 87 and the other 82!!!

 

I've not time for searching data in this moment, we can search data about the Vietnam or Arab-Israeli wars and obtain a correlation between SAM missile (as example) fired and planes shot down.

At least in face of occidental allies forces, the success of the missiles fired against western planes is near none. I suposse the same thing in ASM (we can remember also Falklands/Malvinas, but it's a very particular and early case).

But we can reckon also about the near zero losses of western planes in Bosnia, Syria, Iraq (two times) or Afghanistan, sometimes I think that electronic warfare modifiers are very low

Cool scenario, thanks for sharing. Plausible too, given the high incidence of piracy in that part of the world and the potential for corruption among some (or all) militaries.

 

SSMs must be launched in numbers in order to penetrate defenses. I thought that two MM38 exocets would be sufficient to overwhelm a few PGs. It does seem that electronic warfare modifiers are high: Small signature with 2nd Gen J&D vs a 2nd Gen SSM: (80% chance knocked down to 40%) Bad die rolls hurt the pirates too. One roll of 87 and the other 82!!! Although the BOL harpoon did succeed in hitting its target. Small target signature with 2nd Gen D vs 2nd gen SSM (49% x .75) = 37%ph. Die roll of 22.

 

Often times I find myself conflicted about wanting to shoot just one (rather expensive) anti-ship missile at what appears to be a low value target (like a PG). But, given the uncomfortably large possibility that my missile might miss, be decoyed or jammed, or even shot down, I have to rethink and consider that if the shot does prove unsuccessful, I will have to shoot another (very expensive) missile and try again (with the same potential risks facing me) or shoot two more (for a total of three very expensive missiles) to make up for my lack of foresight.

 

As far as the EW modifiers go, I think you have to consider that the success of a decoy or jamming effort is in fact improved by the small signature of the ship. In other words, create a larger false target (either through clouds of chaff or deceptive jamming), and your smaller ship suddenly becomes a less attractive target to the incoming missile.

 

Critical Hits: What happens when 45dp hit a ship with 48dp??? Ratio of 45/3= 15? 21-26 crits ?? This seems a bit excessive.

 

As with all warships, the corvette Fatahillah packs a lot of combustibles into a very small space. A solid hit by a 500 lb explosive warhead - one that often detonates inside the ship - acting in combination with unburnt propellant and those combustibles, can be expected to create a huge mess. Best case scenario - most if not all of the ship's critical systems are knocked out and she is out of action. Worst case scenario - a conflagration begins and she is a total loss. What happened to HMS Sheffield, a much larger ship struck by a smaller missile, shows us what we might expect.

 

Smoke effects: I looked high and low through the rules and could not find anything. (I used to have FG&DN rules, maybe its in there?)

 

Good question. I will look for this myself.

 

Target information: Would the firing ship know if its missile hit or not? If beyond the visual horizon? If played by referee, what info would he give?

 

The launch platform would not typically receive any indication of a successful hit, beyond perhaps the following:

 

* target's radar possibly going off the air (though that could be a deception)

* its own radar contact on the target changing or disappearing (also a possible deception)

* a smoke column appearing in due course (yeah, ditto)

* or some other friendly getting a visual on the target

Thanks! So no rules provision for a SSM hit. That sounds realistic.

 

With Crits: I assume that more than one fire or flooding result can occur? Is there any maximum criticals that systems can take?

Target information: Would the firing ship know if its missile hit or not? If beyond the visual horizon? If played by referee, what info would he give?

 

The launch platform would not typically receive any indication of a successful hit, beyond perhaps the following:

 

* target's radar possibly going off the air (though that could be a deception)

* its own radar contact on the target changing or disappearing (also a possible deception)

* a smoke column appearing in due course (yeah, ditto)

* or some other friendly getting a visual on the target

 

 

Also, the ship may no longer move. Perhaps indicating she has lost an engine, or suffered worse. And players would be able to pick this up via their radar.

Also, the ship may no longer move. Perhaps indicating she has lost an engine, or suffered worse. And players would be able to pick this up via their radar.

 

Yes, I had considered that to be a change in the radar contact.

Smoke effects: I looked high and low through the rules and could not find anything. (I used to have FG&DN rules, maybe its in there?)

 

In the base H4.1 rules I can't find anything related to smoke effects. One could and probably should derive something logical from rule 4.5.5 thru 4.5.7 (Visual sighting rules).

 

Nice thought about FG&DN having some rules that would apply, let us know what you find please.

A ship on fire can be seen from three times as far away up to visual horizon. One would assume that smoke would fall under that.

A ship on fire can be seen from three times as far away up to visual horizon. One would assume that smoke would fall under that.

 

I would think that the visual horizon would be from the viewing ship height to low altitude, figuring smoke from fire would be about 1000 ft high.

Might be a case for a house rule there, actually.

A question along similar lines:

 

Regarding Radar: What type of info should be given if a helicopter picks up a large or small contact, should the size class be given?

 

Radar and land mass effects: What is the range that this rule should take effect? Sooner or alter all LOS will intersect some land somewhere

 

thanks

Hi Mike

 

A question along similar lines: Regarding Radar: What type of info should be given if a helicopter picks up a large or small contact, should the size class be given?

 

4.1.1 Sensor Media: Active Radar will give bearing and range only.

 

Radar and land mass effects: What is the range that this rule should take effect? Sooner or alter all LOS will intersect some land somewhere

 

4.2.5.2 Land Mass Effects: "A surface radar which has land on the line of sight of a potential contact can only detect it at 1/2 of its normal range."

 

Hope that helps,

 

Pete

Hi Mike

 

A question along similar lines: Regarding Radar: What type of info should be given if a helicopter picks up a large or small contact, should the size class be given?

 

4.1.1 Sensor Media: Active Radar will give bearing and range only.

 

Radar and land mass effects: What is the range that this rule should take effect? Sooner or alter all LOS will intersect some land somewhere

 

4.2.5.2 Land Mass Effects: "A surface radar which has land on the line of sight of a potential contact can only detect it at 1/2 of its normal range."

 

Hope that helps,

 

Pete

Yes, but the rule still does not answer the question at what range from shore this takes effect. If a ship is between a shoreline and another ship.

Yes, but the rule still does not answer the question at what range from shore this takes effect. If a ship is between a shoreline and another ship.

 

Mike, you might be looking too deep into the rule. I believe that the intent here is simply that if the target is between the searcher and a land mass, the searcher's radar range is halved. The distance of the target to the land mass does not come into play.

 

Hopefully others will chime in here to confirm.

 

Pete

I believe that the intent here is simply that if the target is between the searcher and a land mass, the searcher's radar range is halved.

 

I agree that this is the intent of the rule. Obviously if the shore is further than the range of the radar it doesn't matter.