Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Feinder]

Thanks CF!
 
And because I've read Toland's book, I know where Gadarukanaru is.
 
-F-

[alaviner]

[&o][&o][&o] One quick question - how far is the war ahead of the AAR now??

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: NCSUforest

One quick question - how far is the war ahead of the AAR now??

Despite the fact that I have been fairly diligent about posting new entries the game continues to get ahead of me. The game is now about six months ahead.

[tocaff]

Well at least we know that you're managing to hang in against growing Allied strength.  I wonder if the boys are still around or floating in lifeboats.

[BrucePowers]

We don't want to know until it happens.

I do have 1 question. What is the experience level of the ship?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers

We don't want to know until it happens.

I do have 1 question. What is the experience level of the ship?

Good timing, since this was going to be the subject of this morning's post anyway! See below. Daytime experience seems to be easier to come by than nighttime experience for ship's crews.

[Cuttlefish]

May 9, 1944

Location: 475 miles west-southwest of Iwo Jima
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 235

Orders: Return to Osaka

---

At some point in the operation around Ulithi Hibiki picks up another point of day experience. Overall experience is now 81/69 (started war at 72/66).

[tocaff]

So Hibiki might have some port time for upgrading and shore leave for the crew in the very near future....

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Dixie

EDIT: Although delivering 80% of the supplies would be a victory of sorts [8D]

Same sort of victory as Dunkirk. But if you define it by objectives achieved as opposed to pound for pound losses taken, I'll agree that it is a victory.

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

So Hibiki might have some port time for upgrading and shore leave for the crew in the very near future....

Are they going to take off another turret or just slap some more AA guns in unlikely places?

[DuckofTindalos]

A few more 25mm guns and a radar suite.

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

A few more 25mm guns and a radar suite.

Ooooh......radaaaaaar. This should give us days of hilarious dialog. [:D]

[BrucePowers]

Upgrades are always good.

[thegreatwent]

Upgrades are good unless your talking about the poor Ise Class hybrid conversion. Yech, has anyone actually gotten much use out of them post "upgrade"?

[John 3rd]

ANYTHING that packs nearly 1,000 AA strength is useful!
 

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

ANYTHING that packs nearly 1,000 AA strength is useful!

Perhaps, but you ruin a perfectly good BB to get it. And the trouble is that rediculous little flight deck on the back of Ise is nothing more than a nuisance. Given the total lack of effectiveness of the Japanese Naval Air arm at the time you do get this mod, the 4 guns that were back there would be much more usefull, IMO.

The AA upgrade is nice, I'm just not sure giving up the naval guns for it is a good trade off.

[Nemo121]

They should just have removed the guns ( big naval rifles are fairly useless at that stage ) and put in lots of FlAK ( 3.9 inch DP turrets with a smattering of 40mm Bofors would have been wonderful ) instead of the dinky little flight deck. You would get a LOT of 3.9 inch turrets onto the ship if you cleared the back deck for them and had a pyramidal-type structure with FlAK guns on each level of the pyramid. Stability wouldn't have been a problem on a BB.
 
I did a few calculations along this line for the CVA Yamato and Designer class CAAAs in my mod and ripping out 8 inch gun turrets and staggering lots of 3.9 inch turrets in barbettes along the hull ( a la secondary guns ) lets one cram an awful lot of AAA onto CAs and BBs. Sure, you give up ANY surface combat capability they might have had but you end up with a wonderful anti-aircraft ship which is hellaciously survivable when compared to anti-air DDs and CLs.
 
 
OOC: I think it is going to be pretty sad when Hibiki eventually, inevitably, sinks.

[Capt. Harlock]

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

They should just have removed the guns ( big naval rifles are fairly useless at that stage ) and put in lots of FlAK ( 3.9 inch DP turrets with a smattering of 40mm Bofors would have been wonderful )

Just how many 40mm Bofors were available to the IJN?

OOC: I think it is going to be pretty sad when Hibiki eventually, inevitably, sinks.

Don't underestimate Benzaiten![:D]

[Nemo121]

40mm Bofors: Well 40mm equivalents.

[tocaff]

...with proximity fuses....