ORIGINAL: Ron Saueracker
I'm all for your approach on reducing airfield and port size maximums to manipulate the game engine treespider. The stock game was extremely generous to begin with. This should help immensely regarding the add water and stir availability of torpedoes which strategically upsets the entire air/naval model. Moreover, reducing port sizes drastically so that major commercial ports like San Francisco are no longer all over the place is crucial, a line must be drawn between what is a port and what is merely an anchorage. Seriously, major Atolls like Ulithi and Truk and places like Camrahn Bay, while large natural anchorages, were not on a par with real ports like San Fancisco, Tokyo, Bombay etc. Size 3 allows a TF to disband...this should be enough. Support ships were key in these large natural anchorages.
I generally agree. The problem is the functionality that the the port size entails. With that in mind I was thinking of Truk in terms of a Size 8 (SPS 5) at statrt depending on when the torpedo facilities there had been completed. In any event because the Japanese had topredo assembly facilities at Truk merits it receiving an SPS of at least 5 to allow it to be expanded to 8 which is the magic number allowing ships to rearm with torpedos.
Ulithi - from what you'll read below seems way over rated in the game...and perhaps should rate as an SPS 1 or possible 2. If it is a 2 it can be expanded to a 5 which would allow for ship systems to repair.?
"
Ulithi, in the Western Carolines
The naval base at Ulithi was established to pro-
vide a fleet anchorage and an air base to support
half of a night fighter squadron, a light inshore
patrol squadron, pool for a maximum of 150 car-
rier replacement aircraft, a utility squadron, and
staging facilities for transport aircraft. The basic
plan also called for maintaining shore facilities to
support the garrison and the fleet. ~
This atoll, 93 miles northeast of Yap, 370 miles
southwest of Guam, and 370 miles northeast of
Peleliu, consists of four elements: the main atoll,
in the west; the island of Falalop off the northeast
point; a small detached reef with several islets,
lying east of the main atoll; and Zohhoiiyonu
Bank, an incomplete atoll, in the extreme east.
All the islets of the group are of typical atoll
structure, with low level land, wooded in spots,
and swamp areas, generally covered with thick
vegetation. The rainfall is heavy and the climate
tropical. Mogmog Island, in the north, is the prin-
cipal islet; others which were most used by our
forces are Falalop, Asor, Potangeras, and Sorlen.
Ulithi Atoll was occupied on September 20,
1944, with no ground opposition by Japanese
forces. There were numerous aid raids in the early
days of the operation, but no damage to Seabees
or equipment resulted. j~
The 18th Special Battalion arrived on October
1, 1944. This unit, consisting of 17 officers and 514
men, was quartered on a barracks barge. The bat-
talion was to stevedore for the fleet rather than to
handle straight ship-to-shore stevedoring opera-
tions: This type of work was then highly essential
at illithi, where all supplies, fuel, ammunition,
and spare parts were stored afloat. The 18th Spe-
cial worked at this task until May 25, 1945, when
it was detached and ordered to Leyte Gulf. During
that period, the battalion handled an average of
20,000 tons of cargo month}y.
On October 10, 1944, a detachment of the 6th
Special Battalion arrived at Ulithi to operate as a
ship-to-shore stevedoring unit. During its service
there, the 6th handled a monthly average of 12,000
tons of cargo. This battalion was detached in June
1945 and returned to Pearl Harbor, where it was
inactivated.
The 51st Battalion disembarked on October 8,
1944, with 797 enlisted men and 28 officers, and
was assigned the task of widening, lengthening,
and improving the Japanese airfield on Falalop
the same time, a 500-seat chapel was built. A simi.
lar theatre, seating 1600, was constructed on Sorlen
Island in 19 days.
The construction of faciJities for a standard land-
ing-craft unit on Sorlen Island was another major
project. This development involved grading the
entire island and covering it with quonset huts for
storage, shops, mess halls, offices, and living quar.
ters, and building roads, supply dumps, and neces-
sary facilities to supply water and electricity to all
parts of the island. Eleven distillation units, draw.
ing water from the sea, and nine 5,000-gallon stor.
age tanks were set up to provide drinking water.
The Sorlen Island hospital, constructed between
November 24,1944, and January 17, 1945, included
quonset huts and supplementary facilities to house
and operate a 100-bed unit.
Other construction included the erection of 42
quonset huts for use as a receiving station, and a
1600-man mess hall, complete with galley, ware.
houses, and refrigeration units. Three strips for
light plane operations between islands of the atoll
were built between December 12, 1944, and Januarv
27, 1945. Additional facilities included the atoll
commander's headquarters, a dispensary, an ad-
ministration building, a shop, and Marine aviation
camp.
All construction was performed by the 88th Bat-
talion between October 10, 1944, and February 7,
1945, at which time the battalion left for Samar.
On November 8, 1944, CBMU 603 arrived, and in
addition to general maintenance of the airstrip and
taxiways, constructed a sewage-disposal system for
the Marines and for the Seabees galleys. Construc-
tion of a 3,000-man galley, a refrigeration storage
building; a butcher shop, an issue room, a bakery,
an officers' mess, and shops for a landing craft,
unit was another important task. Other construc-
tion included enlarging and improving a finger
pier and the removal of 10,000 cubic yards of
coral to improve beaching facilities for landing
craft. With the departure of the other battalions,
CBMU 603 took over all duties of construction,
maintenance, and stevedoring.
On V-J Day, this base was still operating at
capacity, with CBMU 603 still attached."
