This blog has been inactive for awhile. This is mostly because I simply have not done much gaming in the last year to report on. Like most the pandemic has cancelled many events in addition life has kept me busy as I prepared to retire from the Army after 30 years.
This past week I was invited by a friend to run Naval Thunder for a small group that has been gathering weekly to game while social distancing. Last week we met for the first time and I ran three scenarios for them to teach the mechanics of Naval Thunder and get them started. The three scenarios are classic battles from the rule book and great for teaching: Battle of River Plate, Battle of Denmark Straight, and 1st Guadalcanal. The three players had such a good time they asked me to come back this week and do it again.
This has given me the opportunity to go through the book and dig through my collection of WotC War at Sea miniatures to out together more scenarios. I have added Operation Catapult, Battle cruisers and war, and a Mediterranean brawl.
I addition, I decided to dig out my Pre-Dread collection. I own the complete Russo-Japanese OoB as well as the Span-AM war OoB in 1/2400. I have done all the Russo-Japanese battles at conventions in the past and they are a bit big for this group to accomplish in a day. The historical battles for the SPAN-AM war are so one sided they really do not make for much of a game. This lead me to explore what-if scenarios I have wanted to try.
I own several Avalanche Press Naval games including 1898 which includes several what-if scenarios. one of which if the hypothetical scenario of the Spanish Cruiser Squadron intercepting the lone USS Oregon as she made her way from the west coast around South America to join the fleet in the Caribbean
This is a scenario I have wanted to try for some time, but I was not sure how well it would play out using Naval Thunder Rise of the Battleship. I was able to give it a test play today and was surprised by the results.
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Spanish Squadron
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Spanish intended to intercept USS Oregon South of Cuba before she could join the remainder of the Atlantic Squadron off the coast of Cuba. Apparently this was a real concern for the American at the time.
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USS Oregon
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At daylight on the morning of May 24th 1898 the USS Oregon spots the Spanish squadron closing fast on her position as she steams North Easterly across the calm Caribbean seas. Initial contact is made at a range of about 24,000 yards. Oregon makes a slight course change northward in hopes of keeping the lighter guns for the Spanish at range as long as possible.
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| The outnumbered Americans open at maximum range and land the first blow |
Once sighted Cervera knows he must close the range with the American Battleship as quickly as possible and attempt to cross the T in order to bring all his slightly lighter 11" main guns to bear over the American's 13" and 8" guns.
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| The faster Spanish close the distance |
USS Oregon opens fire with her forward guns and scores a hit on the lead ship Infanta Maria Teresa scoring a hit and starting a fire which immediately begins to spread. The lead two Spanish ships return fire with their 11" main battery, but fail to find the range.
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| Oregon's gunners are deadly accurate with the 2nd salvo |
As the Spaniards continue to close the distance Oregon turns to bring her full broadsides of 13" and 8" main guns to bear on the Spanish Column. In an amazing feat of gunnery all four 13" shells find their mark on the Spanish Flagship starting more fires, flooding and knocking out secondary battery guns. Spanish damage control is struggles and manages to put out one fire while the original one rages and the Maria Teresa starts to take on water.
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| Armored Cruisers unleash full broadside |
The Spanish column starts to find the distance and hit the Oregon multiple times, but the 11" shells fail to penetrate the heavier American Battleships armor and only cause light damage. Meanwhile the Marie Teresa is visible in distress an fires rage and if they do not contain the flooding the fire problem will take care of itself. As a result, the American gunners shift fire to the second undamaged Spanish cruiser Vizcaya. A combination of 13" and 8" shells find their mark causing serious damage to the Spanish Armored Cruiser including a major flood.
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| Spanish Flagship Succumbs to fire and flooding Fires start on Oregon |
The Spanish flagship unable to bring the fire and flooding under control slips under the waves as Cervera prepares to move his flag to the undamaged Cruiser Alimrante Oquendo. The highly motivated gunners aboard Oregon shift fire to the undamaged cruiser with a full broadside causing damage and a fire before Cervera can transfer his flag. At the same time the two Spanish destroyers have managed to significantly close the distance well withing the secondary battery range of Oregon's gunners who quickly send the Pluton to the bottom.
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With the flagship gone the Spanish decide they lack the nerve to continue the fight
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With the flagship gone and two of the three remaining cruisers damaged, on fire or flooding the Spanish decided they have had enough for the day and decide to withdraw. The Commander of the USS Oregon who is now busy fighting fires of his own is more than happy to oblige and allow them to leave as he does not have the speed to maintain a long pursuit.
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| Spanish still need to deal with ongoing damage before they withdraw |
As the Spanish make their run away they must still deal with the on going damage. It would not be a good day for Spain. The Vizcaya soon developed a severe list and then turned turtle and capsized while Oquendo could not gain control of the fires of flooding and soon vanished below the waves.
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| Spanish damage control is overwhelmed by fires |
This left the lone armored cruiser Cristobol Colon (lacking main guns) and destroyer Furor to retreat North back toward Cuba. Despite the major victory at hand over the Spanish Squadron USS Oregon still had a fight on its hands against the on going fires that still raged. It would not be a easy battle as fires initially spread igniting ready ammo. Eventually the Americans were able to prevail and the badly damaged Oregon continue her voyage and limp north.
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| In the end only the undamaged Cristobol Colon and Furor escape |
USS Oregon will require major repairs and a refit and will not be available to the intended blockade of Cuba. As a result of her stunning victory over Cervera's Squadron taking out the three strongest ships that blockade may no longer be required and easily handled by the American Atlantic Squadron.
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Span-AM Collection plus Germans for future What-ifs
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Some of the Atlantic Squadron including USS Maine
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US Asiatic Squadron
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Spanish Cruisers
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The results of this battle surprised me a bit. Based on points in Naval Thunder the Spanish outnumbered and were stronger on paper than the lone American battleship. Clearly the superior gunnery (Lucky die rolls) early on by the Americans played a huge part in the outcome. The Spanish failing to make command checks after the flagship went down were just the nail in the coffin. Even then the outcome was not clear as it took awile for the Americans to control the fires while the Spanish dice again continued to fail them causing the loss of two more cruisers one of which was still in fair condition except for the on going fire.
I look forward to giving this scenario another trail again soon and it seems very playable and not as lopsided as I initially suspected.
