AAR-Polaris Hunters

[Flankerk]

This is a scenario written by Klaus Behrmann, its part of the World War III in 1989 Battleset, including some monster scenarios its a large scale project.
Polaris Hunters is centred around the hunt for SSBN's operating in the Eastern Mediterranean and in essence tests the practicality of hunting for these with a Moskva as a centre to a Task Force.

The game was played through in 3.7 partially as a test. Database being DB2000 naturally enough.

I chose to play as Russia side, not an easy scenario to win....

Game start is 3.00 on 25/9/89

In terms of ORBAT I had a useful Task force centred on Moskva itself. This was supported by Admiral Zozulya ( Kresta I), Grozny ( Kydna),Vladivostock ( Kara), Sposobnyy ( Kashin) and Zharky and Svirepy both being useful enough Krivak I's.

Essentially the Task Force started roughly in the area between Crete and Libya, with various submarines further East.
These included two Juliett types J-01 and J-02, K-469 and K-462
( VictorI ), K-513 and K-517 ( Victor II) and a more useful Victor III K-524.

Generally speaking most of my submarines were noisy, my helicopter loadout on Moskva was also Hormone A exclusively with a corresponding short range.

At game start bases at Napoli and Sigonella for NATO were noted, dipping sonar patrols were set up with the Hormone A. ( using those at ready 30 ) The Task Force headed generally East on active sonar while submarines headed Westerly at creep speed. One Hormone A launched as a recon mission.

3.12 J-01 detects a Heavy lift vessel close to Crete.

3.38 A three ship group detected by Hormone A North of Crete, helicopter closes.

4.16 Classed as hostile Grozny fires two SS-N-3 Shaddock at each target.

4.22 Hormone is RTB on Bingo fuel, no hits detected. Grozny fires again.

4.30 Another Hormone A reaches the area, one target appears to have been sunk, one a probable kill and stationery. Vessels not retargetted in the hope that one at least will sink.

7.05 The relieving Hormone A now only detects one ship. Grozny out of long range missiles, Admiral Zozulya fires two SS-N-3 Shaddock at target.

7.24 Missile strike detected and vessel sinks.

7.58 J-01 detects sonar contact to East, classed as Comattante III types. Hormone A sets off in that direction but soon hits Bingo fuel, a recurring theme.

9.44 Hormone A finally gets close enough to localise the group,classed as a four ship group about 200NM from the Task Force, however speed is 36 knots so they are closing fast. Last two SS-N-3 Shaddock from the Task Force fired at one target, now out of long range missiles from the surface units.

10.07 Missile strike and ship sinks.

10.10 J-01 ordered to surface to fire missiles.

10.11 Two SS-N-3 Shaddock at lead ship, one at each of the others.

10.16 Strikes on all three ships and all sunk, something of a lucky shot that.

13.54 J-02 operating near Cyprus at creep speed detects Alcitepe a destroyer to the North.

14.08 Second contact picked up.

14.12 Classed as Berk.

14.28 Third contact detected and classed as Yavuz.

15.05 J-02 surfaces, sets course along the sonar bearing to the group detected. Cruise speed selected, contacts believed to be 60NM away.

15.22 Hormone A detects a 16 knot approximately six ship group heading towards the Task Force and only some 230 NM away. Task force moves away and sets to cruise speed.

15.24 J-02 after some debate goes to active radar, Berk immediately located and much closer than expected, two SS-N-3 Shaddock fired.

15.26 One hit, target sinking.

15.48 Yavuz localised, again two SS-N-3 fired.

15.50 Target sinking. J-02 set to creep at shallow depth, intending to perhaps get run over by Alcitepe at some stage. ( Which of course never did happen)

22.27 K-469 detects a faint submerged contact to the South, turns into the contact.

22.30 All things happening at once, Hormone screen detects on dipping sonar a submarine. Meanwhile K-469 makes contact to be very close indeed.

22.31 Hormone A drops torpedo in the wake of the submerged contact, which is struck and sinking.
The contact near K-469 is classed as a Sturgeon. Victor I is now in baffles, fires one torpedo which misses, but second doesn't, submarine sinking.

Day two the 26th

00.46 K-513 set to cruise speed to intercept the Task Force closing to Moskva Groups position.

7.32 By now the Task force has taken up the position originally held by the Moskva Group, and is patrolling between Libya and Crete. Moskva Group now about 200NM away and headed Easterly.

13.52 K-513 is now 70 NM from the Task Force, slows to creep. At creep speed great difficulty predicting the course of the group and attempts to gain a firing position generally fail.

20.56 Task Force 60NM from K-513 and headed directly for it.........only not for very long and soon turns about. This pattern continues for some time.

27th Day three.

3.30 Task Force now 21NM out from K-513 and headed directly towards.

4.27 Again a course change takes them past just out of range.

21.04 Finally its J-01 that manages to reposition in path of the Task Force. Range 12NM. J-01 at 3 knots creep speed was lucky to get any shot in at all.

21.43 J-01 now in the centre of the formation and detects a torpedo contact. Full spread of six torpedoes fired.

21.45 Garibaldi struck by 53-65 Wake Homing torpedo, classed as probable kill.

21.46 Short lived celebrations, Neartip strikes J-01,sinking. No further torpedos strike,very disappointing all told.

23.07 K-513 is now 19NM out from Task Force and at creep.

23.26 Torpedo detected, still out of range so picked up by a helicopter.

23.29 Neartip misses but second dropped almost immediately. Two 65-76 fired in return, speed set to full.

23.35 K-513 struck and suffers an engineering fire. Sub lost. No hits by torpedoes detected, a poor return.

Attacks on the Task Force clearly unprofitable, Moskva Group moves further East and steers clear of the area.

28 th Day four. All submarines and the Task Group now patrolling only the Eastern area of the Mediterranean. Task Force if anything hugging the coastline.

21.00 At long last, Zharky runs into a submerged contact with active sonar that has evaded the helicopter patrols. Target at 7nm, SS-N-14 Silex fired.

21.03 Torpedo strike and contact sinking.

21.33 Victory Conditions trigger.

This was something of an unusual turn round, I usually lose this scenario yet do much better in my attacks on the Task Force. Oddly enough having lost so badly against the group, the repositioning took me into the path of a target.

Overall I lost a Juliett and a Victor II. I manged to sink two Elli class, a Kimon,two Laskos,two Simeoforos Kavaloudis,one Berk,one Yavuz,one Los Angeles, a Sturgeon a Garibaldi and a Benjamin Franklin.

Nice to test another scenario and find it working fine.

[mikmykWS]

Klaus by the way has written more scenarios then anybody! Fact think he's got more written than on some entire Harpoon webpages. Nice guy to boot!

Really nice AAR Steve! Always nice to see somebody talk about what they've learned! Klaus's always seem to be that way.

Keep up the good work guys!