North American Campaign - Game 1 - opening shots

 

Scenario 1

May, 190? 

With war looming, and negotiations stalled, the Navy Red/White/Blue fleet has sent an Armoured Cruiser, the USS Swank, to assess the situation off Halifax, and to be in place to enforce a blockade of this British North American citadel.

On patrol is the Navy Red/Maple Leaf Naval Service scout cruiser, Languid, which is looking out for intruding Yankees,

in the fog…

Languid sights Swank

Swank sights Languid 

both ships stumble across one another, and with tensions high, it is not sure who fired first?

Turn 1

Using the Wellsian spongy dart firing method

Movement in turn – firing in turn results applied at the end of the turn.

 

Languid – 2 x shots from the 6”, 4 x shots from the 4" = 1 hit,  = 2 points of damage, but as it directly struck the aft casemate that gun is considered destroyed.

Hits 1 out of 6

Swank – 2 x shots from the 8”, and 4 x shots from the 6” – 2 heavy hits/1 x medium = 21 points of damage = effect

Hits 3 out of 6

 on Languid

Lose 3” speed

Languid taking hits and loosing a funnel!

Special effect rolls

1 = Engine room hit.  Loss of steam – speed reduced by 50%

14 =  Fire control hit.  Only Secondary and QF armament can fire

16 = Raging fire started - Roll 1 D6 to locate: 1,2=Forward; 3,4=Amidships; 5,6=Aft. See Fire Fighting Rules.  Fired located forward

17  = Searchlights destroyed + 2 extra Damage Points

 

 

Languid fires torpedoes 

Turn 2

Languid turns to starboard at half – speed, and fires torpedoes.  Swank turns to port and fires.  One hit = 8 points.

1 hit out of 4

One extra special effect hit

 

13    = The Officers Mess wine cellar destroyed!  Consternation ensues – the ship ceases fire for a turn

 

Turn 3

Languid's torpedoes miss!

Languid attempts to fight the fire.  A 1 = explosion.  Languid sinks.

 

Summary  - accurate fire from the Swank overwhelmed the Languid - but it was never going to be an equal fight.

The scene will now move to a sortie from Red/White/Blue against the harbour defences...

Summary - in testing the rules there is a need to assess the special effect hits and the hit rates,  This scenario will be replayed with two other firing methods - a ranging method and traditional D6.  It will then be replayed with two other rules sets, but it is difficult to simulate the outdoor sea state, indoors.

 

 

 

 

 

North American Campaign 190? - the background

At FLW HQ the Spring campaign begins ...

190?  GREAT WHITE FLEET – THE HALIFAX CAMPAIGN

The coming campaign is a typically Wellsian imaginary scenario, set around the coastal waters of Nova Scotia.  It will be played with Edwardian style toy ships, and proper toys soldiers. 

Situation

The British Empire is reeling following the Martian Invasion of 1898 and the German Invasion of 190?.  Following an unfortunate tariff war, the  United States has decided to attempt to annex Canada and make it the 47^th state.  Gosh.

Such a ridiculous scenario is indeed beyond our wildest imagination today.

 With the Empire stretched to breaking point, the United States has decided to attack the city and citadel of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The Great White Fleet is going to war ...

the reality - a 1911 election poster raising the threat of annexation.  Sir Wilfred Laurier would lose to Sir Robert Borden.  Tariffs would be the key issue in this most hotly contested election.

Campaign Map

Map of Halifax, NS

The American (Navy/Red/White/Blue) pre dreadnought, USS Bluster 

The American ships (Red/White/Blue) have been given suitably ‘bullish’ Gilded Age names.  The Royal Navy and Canadian Naval Service ships (Red)  have more ‘whimsical’ names, that reflect this recessional moment in Britain’s Imperial fortunes – lest we forget ...

Navy Red

Barbette battleship – HMS Uncertain

Breastwork Battleship – HMS Torpid – Guard Ship Ironclad

Light Cruiser – HMS Languid

1 x TB Ram – HMS Thunderchild - the second

1 x TB

Armed trawler – the Doris

 

Navy Red/White/Blue

 Battleship – USS Bluster

Armoured Cruiser – USS Swank

Ram/Monitor – USS Queasy

2 x TB

1 x armed yacht – USS Plutocrat

Minelayer – USS Boom

Balloon barge

Land Forces

Red

HQ

Citadel – Garrison Artillery

Cyclists, Militia, Sappers, MG Coy

MT

 

Red White Blue

 HQ

Naval Battalion, Marines, MG Coy, Engineers

 

Campaign readiness - the Canadian Naval Service - stand to!

 There is much excitement in the 'true north' as the Canadian Naval Service prepares for action.  Following much debate, Prime Minister Laurier has launched his fleet.

For Canada and the Empire, from the Toronto Globe - PM Laurier at the helm.

Hearty chaps needed ...

they stand on guard, for thee!  Note the light cruiser in the background.

The Funny Little Fleets Canadian scout cruiser is cleared for action.

HMCS Niobe in dry dock

Campaign readiness - armoured cruiser

 The spring weather has arrived at FLW HQ, and the fleets are ready. The armoured cruiser has been rebuilt over the winter in a very rough homage to the New York, and is now ready to go  ...

The ship's company have now joined, and are set for the first encounter ...

The armoured cruiser can also be deployed with higher funnels - making it more like the Brooklyn.

North American Station - the refitted Barbette battleship

 Spring has arrived at FLW HQ, and the restored battleship is completed.  This ship is designed as an Edwardian Colonial coastal battleship - and again produced in comic scale, for use with 25mm figures.  The fleets are now nearly ready; just one more turret ship to be completed - and a balloon barge. It will then be time to go on campaign again.

Types of barbette ship

The ship is finished in the black hull, white superstructure and canary funnel.

The fleet at Halifax, Nova Scotia

North American Station - battleship - on the slipway

 The British/Canadian fleet needs a battleship for the eventual campaign, so a little rebuilding has been required.  The former Swedish (imaginary) turret ship the Gustav 4th has been refitted ...

here she is in action, sinking, in her last outing of the Herring War against JW's Norwegians.

Abandon ship!

Prior to her Swedish service, she was under the Danish flag as a Torpedo Ram - the weapon of the future.  Pictured here at the top of the photo, in 2013.

Again, she would be sunk, by the Norwegians under the command of TG!

Pictured here, at dusk as the Danes made a desperate attempt to break the blockade.

The latest version of this long serving ship will be as a Colonial coastal battleship.  There are high hopes of success this time, as the American accuracy - in their last outing at Santiago Bay - was rated at 1 - 3% of shots on target!

North American Station - British Squadron - scout cruiser

 The newly built Canadian Naval Service scout cruiser is launched and ready for action.  She is pictured here on her first outing.  The aim is to create an Edwardian toy ship effect, and the fittings' and fixtures are 28mm - the hull is considerably smaller.

The British squadron will be on the defensive, and the flagship will be a Colonial style barbette ship - based on HMVS Cerberus. The turrets have been swapped for the heavy Armstrong cannon.

Two torpedo boats and a couple of smaller axillaries make up the squadron.