Laying Mines

[101Man]

It is Dec '43 and a fair amount of Japanese subs are routinely making their way into Sydney and San Francisco. My ASW assets are not cutting it. I want to place minefields in the port hex and maintain them but I've never done it before and so I hesitate. Will my ships sail into my own mines? If so, why have them? I've seen the damage they can do.

[btd64]

There is always a chance that your ships will hit a friendly mine. But you will be laying a defensive mine field. Always a good idea against enemy subs. You should have a couple ACM's to maintian it....GP

[crsutton]

The odds are low. In fact most West Coast ports should have large minefields at game start. But if you do not have ACMs in the hex or base they will slowly degrade. However, December 43 and you should be sinking a lot of Japanese subs. Do some searches here on the forum for some ASW tips. You should have plenty of DEs on hand by now. They are the best ASW ships. Use them with aggressive TF leaders and heavy air search and you should murder Japanese submarines.

[dr.hal]

As for ACMs, if you have not done so already, a number of relatively useless yard craft convert to ACMs so that is a good source of ACMs to maintain your minefields. I usually start converting such craft on 7 Dec '41 so as to ensure I can keep the west coast minefields in good shape.

[biggins89]

I use ACMs right from the beginning. My West Coast ports get one "real" minelayer (ACM with 4700 endurance and mines onboard) and 3 converted YPs (2600 endurance no mines onboard). The large ports, L.A., San Fran, and San Diego, will have somewhere around 400 defensive mines and the others will have around 50. I keep an eye on the ACMs as they become available and spread them out along the West Coast. All you have to remember is to re-fuel/arm them every once in a while.

[dr.hal]

I would argue there is no point in keeping the "real" ones on the west coast as you won't need to renew the minefields at any point if you keep converted ACMs there. I would move them forward so that they can plant their mines and get "reload" for another mission. This can be defensive minefields (around your forward bases) or harassment minefields (in the path of Jap advances). But due to speed the original ACMs are best to establish and then maintain forward defensive minefields (leave the offensive ones to the subs).

[biggins89]

Actually, I do move any extra ones forward. I keep one for every port, with support, behind, to maintain the mine fields. I have been under the assumption that mine fields deteriorate over time. Anyway, the most important ports for me are the West Coast ones. Over the course of the war, no other supply resource is as important-to the Allied armies-as the US West Coast ports.

[biggins89]

Back to the original OP. As far as Australia, I use what the game gives you. I will move the few minelayers that I have from port to port and build up their defenses. The supply of mines is the problem. It seems the mines run out for the minelayer and there is no more. This is where the "stockpiling" option can be very important.

Fred

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: biggins89

Back to the original OP. As far as Australia, I use what the game gives you. I will move the few minelayers that I have from port to port and build up their defenses. The supply of mines is the problem. It seems the mines run out for the minelayer and there is no more. This is where the "stockpiling" option can be very important.

Fred

You will find that defensive minefields for the Allies are not as important as they seem. They have importance in the first year of the war but once the Allies get enough ASW assets and the real threat of major Japanese moves diminishes the need decreases. It is my experience that defensive minefields really have little effect once discovered. I really try to save my mines for offensive purposes. Offensive minefields dissipate quickly but I find that they sink more ships. Lay them at points where you expect Japanese warships to pass. My experience is that a minefield is much more likely to trigger a hit when a TF passes through it rather than just into it. And of course, if it is unknown.

[rustysi]

I use ACMs right from the beginning.

FYI. Each ACM will support and maintain 150 mines. They will expend fuel from their own bunkers (if using the beta patch, otherwise they suck fuel from your port [:-]) to do so, so refuel them every so often. If within those parameters, no mines will dissipate.

[geofflambert]

Mine!

[geofflambert]

Before it's too late, just do a Google Images search on "Pamela David". Then change your underwear and repeat.

[geofflambert]

this mine appears to have been laid. I have no further instructions.

[Anthropoid]

Shotgun!

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Mine!

[szmike]

apparently laying mines is NSFW [:'(]

[Anthropoid]

ORIGINAL: szmike

apparently laying mines is NSFW [:'(]

Whatta you work in a Women's Studies department or a convent or something?

[geofflambert]

I want to say something political (I suppose) about someone whose name starts with T, but I don't want to get in trouble with Bill.