The Hunt for Shchuka Two Fourteen

-

The Hunt for Shchuka Two Fourteen. 1939.
Players: TBA
Referee: moif

After the battle of Tobago, Shchuka 214 sneaks into the Gulf of Paria and docks at the Guiria temporary harbour for minor repairs. During the next day, a PBY Catalina passes over Guiria and notes the presence of the Soviet submarine. Seeing the American spotter plane, Captain Ilyushin immediately orders the submarine back to sea again. Leaving Guiria under the cover of darkness, Shchuka 214 sails south and hides upstream of Isla Cotorra in the Orinoco delta. Covering their boat with camouflage netting, the crew immedately sets about finishing their interupted repairs.

Having set the men to work, Captain Ilyushin establishes radio contact with the local Milicia Rojo commander to find out what is going on in the world and whether or not High Command has any new orders. The Venezuelan communists connect him to General Mosolov who informs him that since Great Britain has joined the embargo Moscow has ordered all British vessels to be war targets. Ilyushin informs Mosolov that Shchuka 214 will be sea worthy within the new 24 hours and he is carrying ten torpedoes. He proposes to strike against the British at Port-of-Spain and if possible, sink the battleship HMS Revenge. Mosolov agrees to this plan and promises to direct a small squadron of Venezuelan motor torpedo boats from Cumana, as well as numerous aircraft. The two men decide to wait four days before launching the attack, in order that the forces needed can be prepared, and for spies on Trinidad to report on the British ship's latest positions.

Meanwhile, in Port-of-Spain, Governor Winthrop meets with Admiral James and Captain Coleridge. Informed by the Americans, they debate what to do about the submarine seen at Guiria. Given the recent fate of USS Hunter, they decide they cannot ignore such a blatent threat and James orders his destroyers to find and eliminate the Soviet vessel. 


Admiralty Rules
Note - Subject to revision whilst I work out the numbers.

Element type         Attack     Defence     Hardpoints
Battleship                   +4           +3                 4
Cruiser                        +2          +2                  3
Destroyer                    +1          +1                  2
Submarine                  +2           +2                 1
Spotter plane                -           +2                  -
Torpedo bomber         +1           0                   1*
* Torpedo bombers can only attack once, but they can support each other.

Element Quality
(O)  0
(S)  +1
Flagship +1

Speed is measured by squares per round. Each square in this game is roughly 5 x 5km.  A damaged ship can only move at one square per round. Each ship can move once per round, unless damaged, at which point, speed is reduced to one square per round. Submarines which dive also reduce speed to one square per round. Otherwise, speed is based on the historical data of the ships involved. Generally; Slow: 1. Regular: 2. Fast: 3. Aircraft: 5.

Example;

HMS Revenge. Battleship (S). Attack: +5. Defence: +4. Hard Points: 4. Speed: 6.
Commanded by Captain Grantham Coleridge. A Revenge-class battleship with a displacement of 30,450 tons and a complement of 940 officers and men. Armaments are eight 15-inch guns, fourteen 6 inch guns, two 3 inch AA guns, four 3-pdr guns and 21 inch torpedo tubes. Docked at Port of Spain.

Combat occurs when an enemy ship is spotted and within range. An initiative roll determines who fires first, unless one side has used a spotter plane to gain the advantage. Spotter planes grant the chance to fire first, and a +1 surprise combat factor for the first combat round. Spotter planes have no direct combat capabilities against surface war ships, but if armed with depth charges, then they can attack submarines, and they can also engage other aircraft.

Torpedo bombers and torpedo boats can only attack once, but they can support each other with up to three additional elements.

Combat outcome is determined in the same manner as the Bayonet rules. When a combat round ends with one side doubling the other then the loser has been destroyed. When a combat round ends with one side having more then the other, but not doubling them, then the loser loses a hard point. If all hardpoints have been lost, then the losing element is obliged to withdraw due to battle damage, and this also counts as a defeat.

Each round represents 30 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

British forces

HMS Revenge Battleship (S). Attack: +5. Defence: +4. Hard Points: 4. Speed: 3.Status; Fully operational. 
Commanded by Captain Grantham Coleridge. A Revenge-class super dreadnought with a displacement of 1,726 tons and a complement of officers and men. Armaments are eight 15-inch guns, fourteen 6-inch guns, two 3-inch AA guns, four 3-pdr guns and four 21 inch torpedo tubes.

HMS Sussex Cruiser (S). Attack: +3. Defence: +3. Hard Points: 3. Speed: 3. Status; Fully operational. 
Commanded by Captain Arthur Johns-Lowe. A County-class heavy cruiser with a displacement of 13,315 tons and a complement of 820 officers and men. Armaments are eight 8 inch guns, four 4 inch AA guns, four 2 pdr single pom-poms, two 2 pdr quad pom-poms, two .5 inch quadruple mount machine guns and two quadruple 21 inch torpedo tubes. HMS Sussex carries one Supermarine Walrus spotter plane. (VIDEO)

HMS Liverpool Cruiser (S). Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 3. Speed: 3.Status; Fully operational. 
Commanded by Captain Jackson Russell. A Town-class light cruiser with a displacement of  11,650 tons and a complement of 850 officers and men. Armaments are; twelve 6-inch guns, eight 4-inch guns, eight 2-pdr quad-mounted AA guns, eight .5-inch AA machine guns and six 21-inch torpedo tubes. HMS Liverpool carries three Supermarine Walrus spotter planes. (VIDEO)

HMS Ajax Cruiser (S). Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 3. Speed: 3.Status; Fully operational.  
Commanded by Captain Cecil Harrington. A Leander-class light cruiser with a displacement of 9,740 tons and a complement of 680 men and officers. Armaments are eight 6 inch guns, four 4 inch guns, twelve .50 AA machine guns and eight 21 inch torpedo tubes. Seconded to HMS Revenge from the 8th Cruiser Squadron at Bermuda. 

HMS Hostile Destroyer (S) Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 2. Speed: 3. Status; Fully operational.
Commanded by Captain Percival Bantham. An H-class destroyer with a displacement of 1,883 tons and a complement of 146 officers and men. Armaments are four 4.7-inch guns, two quadruple .5-inch machine guns, two quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes and twenty depth charges (amounts to five attacks). HMS Hostile is equipped with ASDIC.

HMS Boreas Destroyer (S). Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 2. Speed: 3. Status; Fully operational.
Commanded by Captain Archimedes Bell. A B-class destroyer with a displacement of 1,790 tons and a complement of 142 officers and men. Armaments are Four 4.7-inch guns, two 2-pounder AA guns, two quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes and twenty depth charges (amounts to five attacks). HMS Boreas is equipped with ASDIC.

HMS Ivanhoe Destroyer (S). Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 2. Speed: 3. Status; Fully operational.
Commanded by Captain Thomas Charles. An I-class destroyer with a displacement of 1,888 tons and a complement of 145 officers and men. Armaments are four 4.7-inch guns, two quadruple .5-inch machine guns, two quintuple 21-inch torpedo tubes, sixteen depth charges (amounts to four attacks) and 60 mines. HMS Ivanhoe is equipped with ASDIC.

HMT Kirby Trawler (O) Attack: +1. Defence: +1. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 2. Status; Fully operational.  
Commanded by Lt Frederick Overton. An anti-submarine trawler with a displacement of 445 tons and a complement of 33 officers and men. Armaments are One 4-inch gun, two 20 mm Oerlikon auto-cannons and 14 depth charges (amounts to three attacks). Stationed at San Fernando, HMT Kirby is responsible for patroling the Columbus Channel and keeping it clear of mines. KMT Kirby is equipped with a hydrophone.

Short Singapore RT-223. Long-range maritime patrol flying boat x 1. (O). Attack: +1. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 5. Status; Fully operational. 
Commanded by Fl Lt Armstrong. ​Armaments are three machine guns and 500kg of wing mounted depth charges (amounts to one attack). Endurance: 12 rounds. Based at Port of Spain.

Saro London BN-143. Long-range maritime patrol flying boat x 1. (O). Attack: +1. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 5. Status; Fully operational. 
Commanded by Fl Lt Dobson. ​Armaments are three machine guns and 900kg of wing mounted depth charges (amounts to one attack). Endurance: 12 rounds. Based at San Fernando. 

Supermarine Walrus Spotter plane x 4.  (O). Attack: 0. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 5.
Endurance: 6 rounds. Armaments are two machine guns and two 250 lb depth charges (amounting to one attack)


Intelligence Reports:
_A Soviet Shchuka-class submarine (see attached image a.) was sighted at Guiria by American reconnaisance aircraft. A second flight noted the submarine had slipped away during the night. This type carries ten torpedoes and is considered to be a threat to the warships in Port-of-Spain. All RN assets in the region are to be placed on high alert.
_Radio communication intercepts indicate the submarine is Shchuka-214. Formerly attached to Admiral Soloviev's fleet. Intelligence indicates she is still in the Gulf of Paria and may be planning an attack on Port-of-Spain.
_Radio communications intercepts show the Milicia Rojo has ordered three Motor Torpedo Boats into the Gulf Of Paria. The Soviet commander in Venezuela, General Mosolov has ordered these vessels to assist the submarine. 
_The steam packet SS Santísima Trinidad (see attached image b.) is approaching the Columbus Channel, en route to Port-of-Spain. She is carrying numerous diplomats from Brazil and Argentina and has been granted safe passage through the Exclusion Zone. There is a possibility that she might be targetted by Shchuka-214 in an effort to destabilize the forth coming peace talks.

a.b.

Your Orders:
Find and destroy Shchuka-214. 
Protect the fleet ships at Port-of-Spain.
Protect SS Santísima Trinidad.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 

Soviet Force

 

Shch-214 Submarine (O). Attack: +2. Defence: +2. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 3/1. Status; Fully operational.
Commanded by Kapitan Pyotr Ilyushin. A Shchuka-class submarine with a displacement of 704 tons (submerged) and a complement of 38 officers and men. Armaments are four bow torpedo tubes, two stern torpedo tubes (ten torpedoes carried, range:2,000m) and two 1.8 inch semi-automatic guns. Submarines can move submerged, rendering them invisible unless they attack first. They can be used to find enemy ships, attack or support the attack of another vessel.


6th Bomber Squadron Ilyushin Il-4 torpedo bombers x 6 (S). Attack: +2. Defence: +1. Hard Points: 1. Speed: 5. Status; Fully operational.
Commanded by Podpolkovnik Alexander Timoshin. ​Armaments are one Type 45/36 torpedo per bomber. Comprised of six Ilyushin Il-4 bombers, which can be deployed against multiple targets, but with only one attack per aircraft. Torpedo bombers can support each other, with a maximum of three aircraft in the supporting role, as according to the Bayonet rules. Based at Guiria.

Intelligence Reports: 
_GRU agents in Port-of-Spain report the presence of four British fleet vessels; HMS Revenge (battleship), HMS Sussex (cruiser), HMS Liverpool (cruiser), HMS Ajax (cruiser).  All four ships are protected by patrol boats and torpedo netting. Also present in the harbour are three destroyers; HMS Hostile, HMS Boreas & HMS Ivanhoe. All three destroyers are equipped for anti-submarine warfare.
_HMS Revenge (See image a.) is a Revenge-class super dreadnought. Fully loaded she has a displacement of 31,130t. Complement : 940 officers and men. Commanding officer: Captain Grantham Coleridge. Armament: eight 15-inch (381 mm) guns. Fourteen 6-inch (152 mm) guns. Two 3-inch (76 mm) AA guns. Four 47 mm guns. Four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Armour: Waterline belt: 330 mm. Deck: 25–102 mm. Barbettes: 152–254 mm. Gun turrets: 279–330 mm. Conning tower: 76–279 mm. Bulkheads: 102 to 152 mm.
_There are two British anti-submarine capable aircraft permanantly stationed on Trinidad. One has been identified as a Saro London, capable of carrying four underwing depth charges. The other aircraft has yet to be identified.
_There is a British Naval Trawler (Kirby) based at San Fernando. It is primarily tasked with maintaining the Columbus Channel, but it is also equipped for anti-submarine warfare. 

a.

Your Orders:
Sink HMS Revenge.