Friendly AMs clearing Friendly Minefields

[afspret]

Could have sworn I read in a post not to long ago that said friendly AMs will not clear a friendly minefield. Here's what happened to me recently; I had the Keokuk lay a minefield in the hex to the left of the Victoria hex 'cause I was getting reports IJN subs were there. Now prior to the Keokuks arrival I sent an ASW TF, composed of a RCN KV & 3 RCN AMs , into the hex but it had no success locating the subs. Within a couple of turns of laying the minefield I found out two subs had apparently been sunk on the same day by mines in the hex, but I left the ASW TF there just to be sure. However, it seems durning the next two turns the ASW TF was sweeping the minefield as it patrolled.

Is what I read true and was the sweeping of the mines a bug or does the rule only apply to friendly forces not sweeping defensive minefields in a hex containing a friendly port?

[HansBolter]

Perhaps it wasn't your minefield they were sweeping.

It's possible the subs you were after left behind some mines of their own and that is what you are seeing your sweepers work to clear.

[afspret]

Forgot about that, and maybe you're right, but if the IJN subs laid mines, shouldn't there have been a red mine symbol in the hex, especially if it had been detected?

[wdolson]

The symbol doesn't show up until detected and if they were detected and all swept the same turn you will see no icon.

Bill

[afspret]

That makes sense, but every time I've run the first few turns of Ironman, a single IJN sub lays mines in the Bataan hex & it normally takes three or four turns using a US MSW TF, with 3-4 MSWs, to sweep them clear. In this case it would seem 3 MSWs cleared all the mines laid by 2 IJN subs in two turns, but hey, anything's possible.