ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus
Humm, I think you sort of convinced me to use these channels [:)]
Anyway, there's a flaw in your theory. The WC -> Australia (or Ceylon -> Perth) routes are risky? Are you sure? Keep in mind the convoys sail south of Bora Bora... If, despite this, the Japanese manage to raid them, then I AFFIRM they can raid any convoy west and northwest of Perth too = your "safe" route. The convoys will be caught once they leave their heaven [;)]
As I have said, I think I am going to follow your advice though.
An addendum after I looked at the manual, in my annual "take a Saturday night bath and re-read the rules" ritual (even though it's Wednesday here.) There is some fuel consumption, and the damage can accrue in the off-map movement cases where the ship must move in the first phase to the "transit box." (See manual for details.) EC is one of these cases. It's a minor fuel consumption, but a little. True off-map-to-off-map base moves don't use fuel.
I have been hit by the AI on a WC to Sydney route by subs, CVs, LBA, and surface raiders all four. I didn't route south of Bora Bora. More on the latitude of Suva, with doglegs around Tarawa once needed, as well as Baker/Canton when the AI had one or both. Going very far south is of course possible, but adds time if Sydney is the destination. If one is using NZ as a dump a southern route makes sense. I don't like to use NZ personally. To get the fuel where it's needed is another unload/load cycle, and the transit to Oz has to happen regardless. I'd rather do it with good escorts I brought on the trans-Pacific. I did some WC to Oz routing in my first game, but in the second I used CT exclusively and did fine.
I have seen, five times in two games and there may have been more I did not see, CV raids into the IO, usually from Java as a best guess. Different make-ups. One very late war one had only Akagi and one lone DD, as that was about all that was left, but it got to the height of Port Blair, to the west about half way to the map edge. The others swung more towards Diego and did not go as far north. Two that I recall caught tanker convoys, and were the reason I stopped doing a N-S route to Oz from the Mideast. I recall in my first game losing six tankers in one attack by CV raiders in the IO. Not fun. These raids took place after 1942 in total I believe. In 1942 the CVs raided the E-W routes at least to east of Pago Pago. I caught that one retiring and sank, I think, Shoho near Noumea as it retired to refuel.
I've had good luck on a straight shot from the CT wormhole to Perth. Haven't been attacked. Not to say there aren't scripts to raid there, but I haven't drawn any.
