More Little Boats (and other things) at Tring

Keiron wanted another try at Cruel Seas, so I put together a simple scenario for a game at the club last Friday. A British frigate had suffered engine damage from an air attack and was try to return to base, escorted by two Fairmile B motor launches. A steam gunboat had been dispatched in support. In the meantime German raiders were closing in, in the shape of a pair of S-boats and a Type 34 torpedo boat.

The Fairmiles veer off to engage the S-boats while the frigate plods on.

The steam gunboat rushes forward at full speed.

The Type 34 torpedo boat closes in from one side....

...while the S-boats attack from the other.

The first S-boats launches her torpedoes, not a moment too soon as she take heavy damage from the combined fire of the Fairmiles (2 crits, a rudder hit and an engine hit, not good!).

The Steam gunboat throws two fish at the Type 34, whilst blasting her with the forward 6 pounder.

One of the SGB's torpedoes lines up on the Type 34, but it misses!

The SGB gets in even closer, now she is under minimum range for the torpedo boat's 4" guns, but at point blank range for her own rear mounted 3" gun! The German's 20mm guns do some damage, but nothing compared with the direct hits from both the 3" and 6 pounder guns (including a critical crew hit which means the Type 34 cannot fire in the next activation).

The combined fire from the two Fairmiles add up and one of the S-boats sinks beneath the waves.

Unable to respond, the Type 34 takes another devastating short range volley form the SGB and starts to sink....time to abandon ship!

In the next turn, taking fire from three sides from the Frigate's escorts, the last S-boat just manages to launch torpedoes before blowing up. Unfortunately all the German torpedoes missed the Frigate, so an east win for my Royal Navy.

We had time to replay the scenario, this time Keiron tried different tactics, including trying to made use of the 6 (yes 6!) torpedoes his Type 34 was carrying.

But he only managed to get the first salvo of three off before he was hit by one of the Frigate's 4" guns and took a torpedo hit from the SGB. It was still afloat after all that but left taking on water and with a rubber and engine damaged, so it vessel sank at the start of it's next activation.

Collision time! A crash was only avoided by the S-boat being blown out of the water by the combined British guns.

Despite losing two of his ships Keiron managed to score several hits on the frigate and catch her in a

lovely criss-cross of torpedoes which she couldn't avoid. Game two to the Germans.

A lot of fun playing both games.

Also on offer at the club:

A superb Black Powder game set in the 2nd Afghan War.

Two different Warhammer 40K games on adjoining tables.

And a Sharp Practice game pitting a RN landing party against the Revolutionary French.