AAR Boomer Bastion Raid

[Flankerk]

AAR Boomer Bastion Raid.

This scenario is part of Ragnar’s World War 3 in 1985 Battleset for DB2000.
The usual spoiler warning applies.

I tested this scenario out with 3.7 version of ANW as follows :-

The scenario starts at 1.00 on 14/9/85 with a raid on SSBN’s operating in the heavily patrolled Barents sea. You have an area assigned to reach and patrol with four submarines, these being S 46 Churchill ( A Conqueror class ), SSN 673 Flying Fish ( Narwhal Class) and SSN 705 , City of Corpus Cristi and 689 Baton Rouge, both Los Angeles class.

At game start all subs were sent in the direction of the patrol zone at creep speed.

1.11 With no contacts Corpus Cristi changed to cruise speed at 20 knots. A Krivak 1 detected and classed some way away from Flying Fish.

1.19 Initial contact by Corpus Cristi on a Victor III somewhere SE of its position, probably in a convergence zone some way off.

1.33 Victor III now looking to be in the area SE of Flying Fish and closing at 30 knots. Flying Fish moves to intercept at creep.

1.37 Victor III slows to 5 knots, some way away from Flying Fish. Contact is lost and never reacquired.

1.52 Kanin classified to NE of Corpus Cristi , again some distance away.

2.09 Second Kanin appears to be operating in the same general area as the other.

2.10 Baton Rouge detects a submerged contact to West of its position.

2.11 Uset-80 detected but contact is very poor, entirely unclear where the torpedo is or which submarine might be the closest.

2.11 Western submarine classed as a Delta 2

2.12 The Uset mystery is clarified as a Victor III is detected near Churchill. A Tigerfish is fired.

2.20 Churchill is lost

3.50 Baton Rouge Fires on the Delta 2 at a range of about 4NM.

3.55 Delta sunk

6.39 Flying Fish has no nearby contacts, and has not detected any for a considerable time. Speed set to cruise therefore.

6.48 Probably a mistake as an unclassified torpedo contact is picked up.

6.51 Torpedo contact fades and we breath a sigh of relief.

6.56 Another torpedo contact detected……..

7.00 Flying Fish is lost without detecting her attacker.

7.24 A Delta 1 is detected NW of Corpus Cristi, unclear on range.

7.27 Range to Delta classed as 7 NM , vectored to intercept.

7.33 Corpus Cristi fires on the Delta 1 at a range of 5NM

7.40 Delta 1 sunk

7.45 Baton Rouge sets speed to 20 knots cruise to cover a greater area.

9.24 Submarine contact to NE of Corpus Cristi

9.37 Classed as a Delta 1 probably 10NM out. Still unclear on the exact position. A bearing only shot taken on it.

9.48 Suddenly the Delta proves to be far closer than initially indicated. Worse the submarine has evaded the BOL torpedo by heading at flank speed directly towards Corpus Cristi. At a close range of 3NM the Delta fires. Corpus Cristi heads off at flank speed and a 90 degree course from the line of attack.

9.49 Initial torpedo has clearly missed, fired again.

9.51 Celebrations as the Delta is sunk.

9.52 Complete disaster as Corpus Cristi is also sunk. The sole surviving submarine has a huge area to patrol alone and no actual way to win the scenario.

11.40 Baton Rouge detects a Delta 1 to its South.

12.37 After some manoeuvring a torpedo is fired into the baffles of the Delta.

12.43 No reaction from the sub contact and it is sunk.

14.53 Delta 2 detected to NE.

15.08 Torpedo fired at about 5NM range.

15.20 After a lengthy tail chase the torpedo fails to hit, another fired.

15.37 Another miss ! However we are now in the baffles of the contact and the third torpedo is not detected and kills the contact.

22.35 After a considerable time searching a larger area than a sole submarine can deal with a delta 1 is detected to the South. Again we set up for a baffles attack.

23.10 Rear shot taken at 4NM.

23.16 Which promptly fails.

23.24 Follow up shot sinks the Delta.


The scenario ended in failure for me to trigger the Victory Conditions, well with that performance what did you expect !
Checking the report afterwards it was clear that each unit was correctly recorded in the Victory Conditions, had I not lost so many submarines it would have been a win.

It looks to me from this test that ASW scenarios are working as intended. Its nice to see that the AI can be set up to catch out most of us. I have played this particular scenario many times before and this was the worst performance by some margin.

Still you wouldn’t want to always read AAR’s of easy victories now would you ?

[Fishbed]

Yes, tears and blood make it so "nicer" to read in a certain way if I can say so. French says "winning with no danger, you triumph with no glory" [;)]
 
Apparently anyway the passive sensors of the soviet SSN don't look that dumb...