After Action Report for 'Business as Usual'

A scenario by AJ Heredia (Juramentado)

 

'Business as Usual' is a new HCE scenario for the Westpac battleset. I played the scenario from the BLUE side using beta 2010.005 and the HCDB database.

 

Scenario Background

 

US forces consisting of medical, construction and civil affairs elements have been dispatched from the main city of Zamboanga to an outpost on Basilan Island. Providing humanitarian aid effort to win over the local populace is a critical part of the COIN strategy. If successful, the campaign will remove another base of support for anti-government forces. Securing Basilan opens the way to the rest of the island chain leading south to Sabah where numerous terror camps have started to pop up.

 

Orders

 

Intel reports formations at least ten (10) small boats between Zamboanga and Basilan, typically composed of small attack groups centered around a mothership. A group of stolen Indonesian Navy patrol boats is reported possibly south of Basilan.

A detachment of aid personnel and supplies is being shipped from Zamboanga to Basilan, aboard the Philippine Navy LSM P06. Also, local commercial traffic in the area is being subject to attacks by insurgents. I am directed to maintain local security and enforce freedom of navigation.

 

What Happened

 

The Maritime Enforcer Mk 2 maritime patrol aircraft situate at Zamboanga would prove an invaluable asset. Although not armed, its excellent surface search radar would give me an instant and wide ranging view of the area. This aircraft was immediately launched and sent out over the bay.

 

The Perry frigate USS McInerney (FFG-8), stripped of her Mk 13 guided missile launcher by some bureaucrat inside the Beltway, was plowing the waters to the south. In her company was the LSM P06, loaded down with personnel and supplies for the aid mission. Nearby was the commercial cargo ship Cheung Chan.

 

 

The Philippine Navy's own contribution of surface ships were further west and north, closer to Basilan and the objective zone. I elected to retain these in their current area of operations, that is, in the goal zone.

 

It wasn't long before the Maritime Enforcer began to detect surface contacts, including some mixed commercial traffic and what were undoubtedly groups of small, potentially hostile craft.

 

Aboard the McInerney were an MH-60S helo and an RQ-8 Firescout vertical takeoff and landing UAV. I launched the latter as soon as the MPA began to pick up surface contacts. The VTUAV would perform close inspection and identification of those contacts where needed.

 

The McInerney raced northwest, following the Firescout into what were likely to be hostile waters, and relying heavily on two advantages: the speed of her gas turbines and the range afforded by the 76mm Mk 75 gun mount.

 

It wasn't long before the Firescout encountered and confirmed a group of three Kakap (PB57) class attack craft. So, the intel reports were accurate. These were the fast attack gunboats looted (though perhaps with cooperation from an official willing to take a healthy bribe) from the Indonesian Navy.

 

Other suspected enemy ships now quickly altered course to converge on the racing Perry. Energizing her radars, the McInerney closed to within range of her 76mm, and turned to unmask the mount.

 

After a few ranging shots, she soon scored a hit on the Tongkol, damaging her rudder and reducing the group’s speed to just 8 knots.

 

Quite a dance of maneuvering ships soon followed, with the enemy flotillas closing the distance and then retreating, seemingly unsure of challenging the American frigate.

 

Meanwhile, to the north, the fishing boat Maria was racing west toward the safety of Basilan. Her skipper was given a vector for what would hopefully be a safe course through a maze of menacing pirates and insurgents. Fortunately, she managed to slip through most of the rapidly closing net, with only a group of Sibaru type gunboats continuing to move north in her direction.

 

To the south, the cargo ship Cheung Chan slowed her advance, hoping to find safety behind the US Navy frigate.

 

That Perry was quite busy. No less than eight enemy ships were closing on the McInerney from all points on the western side of the compass.

 

The Kakaps continued to close the distance, despite the damage inflicted upon Tongkol, and soon another member of the group, Barakuda, was punished for their folly. 76mm rounds plunged through her flimsy hull, and she was sunk. Despite this, Kakap and the damaged Tongkol continued to close.

 

Suddenly, a 'go fast' appeared, racing at 70 knots in the direction of the Perry. It was hard to imagine whether this guy was just foolhardy or oblivious to the danger, but he nevertheless strayed into close range. Rather than spend valuable 76mm shells, the McInerney elected to unleash the anti-surface capable Block 1B Phalanx. Zzzzzzippp! Boom! The 'go fast' disappeared in a smoky flash.

 

The battle was begun in earnest now, with small craft threatening the McInerney on three sides.

 

Exploiting her high speed and pushing the gun crew at a dizzying rate to keep those 76mm rounds coming, she sank a pirate launch, finished off the Tongkol and destroyed the Kakap, before scoring a damaging hit on the pirate dhow Pulau Mas. The dhow sustained heavy damage and began to burn fiercely, soon sinking.

 

Next to die were a pair of Sibaru patrol boats, the Siada and the Sibaru, followed by another pirate launch.

 

Tired of the jousting, however, the skipper of the McInerney elected for real glory, and drove deep into the midst of the surviving enemy vessels, her Mk 75 blazing. Three pirate launches and the Sibaru class patrol boat Suliman were sunk without the frigate sustaining as much as a scratch. (Except perhaps from all the spilled brass).

 

Minimum Victory was now achieved, with around 16:30 hours remaining.

 

No friendly forces had thus far been harmed.

 

Badly beaten, the remaining four enemy vessels turned tail and raced westward toward the open waters of the Celebes Sea.

 

Perhaps only in blood lust, the McInerney set off in hot pursuit.

 

Closing the distance, she sank a pirate launch.

 

Total Victory followed, at 0:15:59:59.

 

The Sibaru patrol boats Silea and Sigurot quickly followed their mates into the depths.

 

Closing on the last survivor, the pirate dhow Changco, the McInerney inflicted heavy damage with the 76mm before finally calling off the attack and returning to a close escort of the P06.

 

Someone had to live to warn others of the folly of piracy as long as someone had the will and the means to defend.

 

Comments

 

Congrats for a remarkably fun scenario. The gun work (without the whiz bang missiles and such) was refreshing and worked well within the confines of the scenario. You obviously spent some time researching the background and geography, and I always appreciate the effort behind that. Your scenario reminds me of the work typical of Mark Gellis, who always seems to excel at creating scenarios that are compact in scope and OOB, but remarkably large on reward. Well done! And thank you for sharing your efforts.

[This week I am in Madrid in a congress. Curiously this morning a speaker, speaking about the Abu Shayaf terrorist groups has showed this map, and another map closer to the scenario by Juramentado that I have not photographed.

Zamboanga City is in the right top corner of the showed map.

The real world USS McInerney (FFG-8) with a real FireScout is now operative against the narcos (and yes, yet without weapons, as in the scenario):

http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=112911

A bit late, okay REAL late but thank you for playing! It's a real joy and an honor to have the HaprGamers take a go at my scenarios. Hopefully, I'm back in the saddle with VMLite and start cranking out moe WhatIfs based on the recent flurry around the joint US-RP Balikatan exercises and the almost-dust up at Scarborough Shoal. The RL addition to the PN ranks of two Hamilton WHEC cutters is giving me some great matchup ideas...

Another LATE LATE reply, but the square he's pointing to is referred to as the Sulawesi Sea Triangle, the area between Malaysia, Indonesia and the RP. It's a marked zone of common maritime concern between the nations, and is also an area of interest by US Special Forces in support of AFP operations (Abu Saayaf, Al Qaeda in the Philippines, MILF offshoots).

 

[This week I am in Madrid in a congress. Curiously this morning a speaker, speaking about the Abu Shayaf terrorist groups has showed this map, and another map closer to the scenario by Juramentado that I have not photographed.

Zamboanga City is in the right top corner of the showed map.