Dutch AVP Arend: Scenario 1 Exploits

[WEXF]

The results of the repair process for O23 needs some discussion. No repairs were actually made last turn.

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O23 was at and still is at 0-5-0 23 (41%)=56.1. Notice that the number of days remained at 3. So what happened? Looking at this screen you can see that O23 is listed in Gray and shows that "O23 will be available in 2 days) despite the screen having the number of days needed to complete the repairs as 3. At first this confused me. I had seen the "grayed out" listings before when a ship that was not completely repaired was moved from "stood down" to "ready". What happened here is that when O23 was moved from the SY to "repair ship mode" a delay was incurred.

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Here is the same screen from the previous day showing the delay as 3 days.

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I would expect that the next day's results will show a delay of 1 day. The lesson learned for me was that once a ship is placed in the SY it should not be moved out unless it really makes sense. In this case O23 would have been fully repaired in the SY in just 3 days but now it will take 3 days to move it out of the SY and then the AR will tale 3 more days to complete the repairs. Of course LCDR Gorek is not totally unhappy with what happened as it made the repairs on Arend move quicker.

[BBfanboy]

In most cases if a ship only has System damage left to repair, it can be removed from the SY to pierside repair without delay. I just had 7 Bristol DDs start their August 1942 upgrade which calls for a SY size 5. They started the repair in SY mode but I was able to simply use the manage repair screen to change them to pierside mode. There was no change in the time required to complete the upgrade.

If in doubt, save the turn before changing the repair mode.

[WEXF]

In most cases if a ship only has System damage left to repair, it can be removed from the SY to pierside repair without delay. I just had 7 Bristol DDs start their August 1942 upgrade which calls for a SY size 5. They started the repair in SY mode but I was able to simply use the manage repair screen to change them to pierside mode. There was no change in the time required to complete the upgrade.

Makes sense.
Thanks
WEXF

[WEXF]

Repairs at Perth on 15May were exactly as expected.
O23 was still in process of being moved from the SY to "repair ship" mode and showed no additional repairs. She remains at 0-5-0 23(41)=56.1 and now shows that she will be available in 1 day.

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Arend is now at 0-36-0 8(19%)=42.1. She was at 0-38-0 34(82%)=41.5. On this day Arend received a total of 56 repair points. Last turn she received 56. That is roughly 1.8 times the number of repair points a SY3 can deliver making it clear that the "repair manager" has more to work with than just the size of the SY.

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Good news was received on the training of the pilots of No. 700 Squadron. PO Caruthers ASW skill has improved from 19>20. Training continues while the aircraft is stored as cargo on xAK Clan Macinness. TF236 is now just 37 hexes from Perth. The TF should reach port in about a week.

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[WEXF]

Information was received from HQ updating the results of the bombing attacks in Burma. During the past two days Mandalay had been bombed by multiple squadrons of bombers from a variety of bases. While some of the attacks were directed at enemy troops the bulk of the attention was given to the airfield and resource industry in Mandalay. The bombers were assisted by several recon squadrons to maximize detection.
The first day's attacks the following was reported by returning pilots:
Air Base Hits: 41
Air Base Supply Hits: 18
Runway Hits: 85
A "mouse over" of Mandalay showed Detection 9/10 and Airfield Damage of 84. This value is actually the average of "Airfield Service" and "Runway" damage, so it is not possible to know exactly what happened during the attack even if FOW is ignored. What is clear is that the AF2 at Mandalay was in bad shape after the attack.

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The attacks on the second day were directed at the "resource" centers. Pilot reports were that 30 hits were made on the target. A "mouse over" shows that 18 "resource centers" were damaged.
Detection levels are shown as 9/13. DL and MDL both have a limit of 10 so seeing "13" was a bit confusing. A check of "What's New: Game Play Change" mentions that although the max is 10 the numbers can be somewhat higher temporarily.

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In the above screen there are 2 things that are interesting. The first is that the "Airfield Damage" has gone from 84>67. Again, this is an average of "Service" and "Runway" damage. In the attacks on the ground units at Mandalay no unit that contained engineers was detected. Nevertheless, significant repairs appear to have been made.
Also interesting is that Rangoon has fallen. This is a major blow to the Allies, although holding out to the 14th of May is a bit of a plus as I believe in RL Mandalay fell on 10May and Rangoon fell on 8March.

[WEXF]

More reports were received on the status of previous bombing runs in Burma as well as new attacks on the airfield at Magwe.
Recon reports over Rangoon show that there are 24 damaged refinery and 4 damaged light industry points at Rangoon. These were not reported previously so it does look like our engineers had some ability to damage this important base. Detection levels are 8/11 so while FOW is always in play the numbers are likely pretty close to reality. The enemy will have to spend some time and supply to repair the damage.

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Mandalay is now showing Airfield Damage of 74. Original reports had the damage at 84 as reported by the pilots 2 days ago. That was refined to 67 yesterday as more recon was done. It looks like the current report is likely close to reality. Detection is still very good and weather is decent. No repairs have been done to the resource centers.

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Details of the latest bombing runs on Magwe's airfield are showing "Airfield Damage" of 62. This is likely a bit high as it represents the pilots estimates. Bombers scored 68 hits on the runway as well as 22 on the base and 7 on the base supply dump. The next few days will refine the numbers. The screen is showing 8 fighters. During the attacks the bombers encountered significant CAP that had survived a sweep by some P-38 fighters. The CAP totaled 27 Oscars. Reports are that 5 of the enemy fighters were shot down by the P-38s. Our bomber losses were very high with more than a dozen planes of various types being shot down. High command is currently looking over the situation and deciding on what should be done next. No repiars have been done to the refinery or oil fields at Magwe.

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[WEXF]

Results of the day's repairs on Arend and O23 were pretty close to what was expected.
O23 was finished moving out of the SY and was receiving attention from the AR to the tune of the equivalent of 90 repair points. O23 had been at 23(41%)=56 0-5-0 and is now at 0-3-0 1(1%). It looks like 2 more days will do the trick and O23 will be able to rejoin the rest of the Dutch subs that have been doing excellent work against the enemy.

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Arend is now at 0-35-0 7(17%)=41 and had been at 0-36-0 8(19%)=42. This turn she received the equivalent of 41 RP, somewhat lower than she had received the previous two turns. It looks like three more weeks in the SY will finally get Arend back!

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More good news was received from TF238. The ships are now only 31 hexes from Perth and no enemy contact has been made. Both ships have not incurred any additional damage and WO Hazard has improved his ASW skill rating from 38>39.

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[WEXF]

Results of the repairs done on May 17 were reviewed and pretty much were as expected.
Arend is now at 0-34-0 6(14)=42.9. She had been at 0-35-0 7(17%)=41.2. That means that Arend received the equivalent of 40 repair points from the Perth SY. The time estimate for her repairs at "normal" now stands at 19 days.

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O23 is now at 0-2-0 31(56%)=55.4. She had been at 0-3-0 1(1%). This day she had received about 85 repair points from the AR. The time required to get her back in service is now showing only 1 day.

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Since Arend is alone in the SY a test was run to see what would happen if the priority for Arend was changed from "Normal" to "High". The results were very interesting as it reduced the time needed from 19 days to 16 days. However, there was an unexpected price to pay. The timing on the repair of O23 changed from 1 day to 2 days. I can not explain why a change in the priority in the SY caused a change in the work of the AR repair ship and or the port of Perth. There must be an interaction that is not clear to me. Any Ideas? Going forward Arend will remain at "Normal" until O23 is back in service.

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Good news was again received from TF236 that is now only 25 hexes from Perth. The ASW skill for PO Caruthers has improved from 20>21.

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[WEXF]

High command decided that the cost of continuing bombing runs against Mandalay and Magwe were too high so the decision was made to rest the pilots and perform maintenance on the planes but to keep up recon flights to see what if any repairs were being made to the bases and also monitor events at Rangoon.
Results of the recon flights showed that no repairs have been made to the refinery and oil fields at Magwe. Airfield damage has been reduced from 62>57. Could be just FOW. In any case the runways are clearly not in great shape.

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Mandalay is showing no improvements. Detection levels are a bit lower but it is safe to assume that the airfield and resource center are still in bad shape.

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The detection level at Rangoon is now only 6/11, down from 8/11. The numbers are a bit different than the previous day. The refinery is about 13% damaged. Recon has reported the presence of 22 fighters at Rangoon. Not much the Allies can do about events at Rangoon except monitor the repairs.

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[WEXF]

Results of the repairs done on 18May were not unexpected.
O23 is now at 0-1-0 29(52%)=55.8. She was at 0-2-0 31(56%)=55.4. This day she received 53 repair points from the AR and from what the screen shows it looks like )23 should be rejoining the fleet in just 1 more day. We will hope for the best.

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Arend is now at 0-34-0 39(95%)=41.1. She was at 0-34-0 6(14%)=42.9. This day she received 33 repair point equivalents from the Perth SY and is showing 19 more days needed to complete work at normal priority.

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No improvements were made by the pilots this turn and TF 236 is on schedule and only 19 hexes from Perth.

[WEXF]

As the results of the repairs accomplished at the Perth SY on 19May became known it was clear that there was going to be a celebration at the officer's club. O23 was officially returned to the active fleet and was being assigned new orders that would bring her back into action against the enemy. It had been a long haul!
AVP Arend also made excellent progress. She was now at 0-32-0 6(14%)=42.9. She had been at 0-34-0 39(95%)=41.1. That meant that Arend had received a total of 49 equivalent repair points in one day. As pointed out several times in this AAR, clearly something is happening in the "repair manager" that refines the 30 repair points that the Perth SY can produce each day into the number that is calculated using the data provided in the data box on the upper right of the ship's screen.
Said another way-the SY is delivering the repair points that the "rules" say (daily max of 10x the SY size) but factors that are unclear are then applied by the repair manager to determine what actually happens to the repair process for a given ship on any given day.

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Now that Arend is the only ship being repaired at Perth the decision was made to shift the priority in the SY from "normal" to "high". The data screens show that this will reduce the time needed to complete repairs from18>14 days. There does not appear to be any downside to this action. The data screen shows that with the priority adjusted the SY will operate as though there was a ship of 2,040 tons being worked, well within the capacity of the Perth SY.
A message from TF236 reported that they were now only 12 hexes from Perth. No further improvement has been reported on the skills of the pilots.

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[WEXF]

The results of the repair process on Arend during the first day when priority in the Perth SY was set at "high" shows the AVP at 0-31-0 35(85%)=41.2. She had been at 0-32-0 6(14%)=42.9. Arend received the equivalent of 71 repair points. That means that the repair manager took the 30 points produced by the SY and adjusted them to more than double. The previous day, when set at "normal" Arend received 49 equivalent repair points.
Interestingly, Arend is being treated as a 2,040 ton ship at "high". At this rate repairs will be completed in less then 2 weeks.
News from TF 236 has it only 5 hexes from Perth. No additional improvement in pilot skills has been reported. When TF236 arrives tomorrow there is sure to be a happy day at the officer's club!

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[WEXF]

The repair process on Arend continues at excellent speed.
She had been at 0-31-0 35(85%)=42.9 and now on 21May she is at 0-29-0 21(51%)=41.2. That means Arend once again received 70 equivalent repair points from the Perth SY. Yesterday she received 71. In 12 days Arend will be good to go!

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LCDR Goerk was especially happy that TF236 had made it safely to Perth after its long voyage and that is was about to dock to facilitate the unloading of the Walrus II floatplane that will be stationed on Arend.

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Looking over the pilots skill ratings for WO Hazard and PO Caruthers the final day of the trip was very productive with WO Hazard's Def skill going from 54>55 and PO Caruther's exp from 44>46 and his ASW skill from 21>25!

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[WEXF]

Another day has passed and as orders for 22May are being written Arend is at 0-27-0 25(60%)=41.7. She had been at 0-29-0 21 (51%)= 41.2. This day Arend received 78 equivalent repair points from the Perth SY. Yesterday she received 70. Set at "high" priority, Arend is now just 12 days from being good to go!

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No. 700 Squadron has now been unloaded and is being unpacked at Perth. PO Caruthers advanced his ASW skill from 25>26.
As soon as the Walrus III is ready to fly it will continue on ASW training while Arend completes its repairs.
Discussions are taking place to decide if a change in HQ is desirable for either Arend or No. 700 Squadron?

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[WEXF]

Another day of repairs has been completed on AVP Arend in the Perth SY on "high" priority. Results continue to be excellent and are showing signs of proceeding at a more rapid pace than had been anticipated.
Arend had been at 0-27-0 25(60%)=41.7 and is now at 0-25-0 30(73%)=41.1. This means that Arend received 87 equivalent repair points this turn. Last turn she received 78. It now looks like Arend will be ready in only 10 days.

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In the above screen you can see that Arend has been transferred from KNIL Army Command to ABDA Command. The change did not cost any PP. This decision was made because the situation in Java has really deteriorated and it is looking like Soerabaja will be falling shortly. A meeting of officers is scheduled later this day to update the situation. ABDA HQ is currently located in northern Australia and the only ship assigned to it is Arend. The change is likely to be temporary.
No decision has been made on whether to change the HQ of 700 Squadron. It currently is "Independent". A second Walrus II was transferred to 700 Squadron as a reserve plane. There are more than 20 Walrus II float planes in the pool. Training continues for the pilots but no additional improved numbers have been reported on their skill levels.

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[BBfanboy]

The main reason to assign squadrons to a specific HQ is to improve strike coordination. If all the aircraft involved in a strike are assigned to the same HQ and within its range, strikes are more likely to arrive on target together. Since Patrol aircraft rarely have to coordinate with other squadrons there should be no hurry to assign them to a specific HQ. Any Air HQ within range will look after administrative stuff like upgrades and replacements.

[WEXF]

The main reason to assign squadrons to a specific HQ is to improve strike coordination. If all the aircraft involved in a strike are assigned to the same HQ and within its range, strikes are more likely to arrive on target together. Since Patrol aircraft rarely have to coordinate with other squadrons there should be no hurry to assign them to a specific HQ. Any Air HQ within range will look after administrative stuff like upgrades and replacements.

Understood. Thanks for the comments.

[WEXF]

As the officers at Perth gathered to hear the update on the situation in Java, they had little expectations that the news would be good. They were not disappointed. The Japanese had arrived in Soerabaja and were bombarding the city. While there were numerous Dutch defending the base, most of them were remnants of larger forces. It wasn't going to take the Japanese long to take the base. The question was really what kind of a base would the Japanese actually get? How much of the oil, supply and resources will they capture. What condition will the refinery be in? It will all be up to the engineers as they work feverishly to set their demolition charges.

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[WEXF]

Another day of repairs on Arend is in the books and results are consistent with recent activity.
Arend had been at 0-25-0 30(73%)=41.1 and is now at 0-23-0 38(92%)=41.3. That means that Arend received 90 equivalent repair points from the Perth SY. Last turn she received 87. Little by little the effect calculated by the Repair Manager of the repair process at the level 3 shipyard in Perth has been increasing.

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Good news on the training process of the two pilots in 700 Squadron. WO Hazard has improved his ASW skill from 39>40 and PO Caruthers has improved from 26>27.
One interesting event did take place. Last turn a second Walrus II float plane was added to 700 Squadron and showed as being in reserve. Today no extra plane is shown in reserve and the ability to add reserve aircraft no longer is available.

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[WEXF]

When LCDR Goerk checked on the repairs of Arend on 26May42 he again was quite happy.
Arend was now at 0-20-0 6(14%)=42.9. She had been at 0-23-0 38(92%)=41.3. That means that Arend had received 91 equivalent repair points this turn from the Perth SY. She had received 90 last turn. It was now anticipated that Arend would be ready in just 8 days. No additional improvement had been recorded in the training of the pilots that were assigned to 700 squadron.

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