Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Sept 18, 1943

I guess IJN is pulling back...probably setting up CAP traps...our subs score several merchant ships and at least one tanker....

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[Lowpe]

IJN is pulling back here as well...

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Mutsu spotted:

ASW attack near Singapore at 51,84

Japanese Ships
DD Yukikaze
BB Mutsu
DD Satsuki
DD Shikinami
DD Isokaze
DD Kyukaze
DD Hakaze
DD Hatakaze
DD Fumizuki

Allied Ships
SS Bowfin

[Lowpe]

A skirmish...

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[Lowpe]

followed by a surprise...guess Shoho went down yesterday. 2 torp hits for heavy damage....

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[Lowpe]

Interesting...

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[Lowpe]

Lots a few search planes over Hainan...Japan likes their cap traps.

Pakhoi taken...

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[CaptBeefheart]

I'd say you are doing well with the supply aspect. It's great you have the Aden to Malaya supply route set up. Also, how's Cape Town? I haven't done the math on the distances involved, but I also like East Coast to Cape Town to Bombay, and then use Madras as a forwarding port, although UK to Aden to Karachi is no doubt more efficient if the UK base produces enough.

Of all the oil centers you've taken, have any had large stocks of fuel, or are you simply taking advantage of real-time production?

Cheers,
CB

[Lowpe]

Lot of action going on around here...

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[Lowpe]

Got a fair sized tanker today...our subs are working hard but we really want to get a torpedo into a cruiser or battleship. Taiyo is at Balikpapen...and didn't sink.

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[Lowpe]

Lots of activity down here too...

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[Lowpe]

I'd say you are doing well with the supply aspect. It's great you have the Aden to Malaya supply route set up. Also, how's Cape Town? I haven't done the math on the distances involved, but I also like East Coast to Cape Town to Bombay, and then use Madras as a forwarding port, although UK to Aden to Karachi is no doubt more efficient if the UK base produces enough.

Of all the oil centers you've taken, have any had large stocks of fuel, or are you simply taking advantage of real-time production?

Cheers,
CB

Canada to Capetown is about 1 day shorter each way than East Coast to Capetown. UK to Aden is about 10 days quicker one way. And of course Aden to India is faster than Capetown to India.

1.7 million supply in UK....

No large fuel or oil stocks liberated...Magwe is almost fully repaired. I also repaired the manpower in Burma to aid in replacemnts....

[traskott]

So many supply… so few xaks. Are u keeping tabs with a couple of excels?

[Lowpe]

So many supply… so few xaks. Are u keeping tabs with a couple of excels?

Nope, kind of winging it. I definitely can see the drain from not having 80-90 liberty ships here, as they got converted to transports.....but I am very use to low supply play and management from being a JFB so even constrained, I feel I have more than enough supplies.

When I started the offensive, I moved all xaks forward...and relied upon new builds to keep the first hubs fed (Pearl, Canton/Christmas). That first wave has made their initial deliveries to Indochina, and are now heading back to our 2nd and 3rd line hubs (Sorong, Shortlands, Tabby, Ndeni). I am also now creating 8-10 liberty ship groups that leave West Coast/Pearl all the way to Indochina.

I set them to not unload, destination Pearl, home port Tabby. From Tabby they get set to coastal -- destination Shortlands, home port Sorong. From Sorong, they get destination Morotai, Home Port Soc Trang. Then to Singora area for refueling. Hopefully the return trip for supplies might be only to Shortlands or better Sorong. Some might go up the Straits of Malacca...

Fuel was and is a bigger concern...note to all JFBs....never ever give up a fuel source without a fight.

[Lowpe]

I also sent about 20 liberty ships to UK prior to Aden opening up. These xaks could go transport conversion....but then I would need to replace them with new liberty ships. I am not sure it is worth it at this point.

Also have the 17 knot cargo ships making the UK to Aden run...

[Lowpe]

AFBs: How large a convoy of liberty ships do you guys run....say from West Coast to Pearl?

I am tending to run larger and larger convoys, especially to the front lines, and simply disband the cargo ship in port and activate it when I need the supply....perhaps that is a function of my exposed Sorong to Soc Trang line?

[RangerJoe]

Against the computer, I never did get this far but my suggestion is to have the largest convoy that can load and/or unload while docked. Then you can set them to be CS convoys. But instead of taking the time to unload those and then load other ships, why not just send as many as can be loaded on the West Coast and send them to the major jump off point(s) for the combat areas to either unload at a major supply dump or to be escorted to where the supplies are needed?

[traskott]

Yeah, fuel always main issue… like real life.

[BBfanboy]

I also sent about 20 liberty ships to UK prior to Aden opening up. These xaks could go transport conversion....but then I would need to replace them with new liberty ships. I am not sure it is worth it at this point.

Also have the 17 knot cargo ships making the UK to Aden run...

Now that you have substantial troops on the continent of Asia, there will be less need for xAPs to move them to their next objective - i.e. more overland travel. That should take some of the pressure off xAPs and allow you to keep your xAK Liberty ships.

[JanSako]

At this point for him it is about saving clicks.
Probably having large convoys on CS duty from west coast to NZ or Suva, with 3 waypoints to go around the Line islands, then another leg up to say Darwin (is he raiding your rear supply routes at all?). The second leg can also be served with large convoys on CS setting with waypoints to go up the coast of AU.

This way you can micro/on demand from Darwin going North. I would still run larger convoys now that you have ports to handle them up there. Easier to escort.

The eastern side since you cannot run CS from off-map locations again large convoys are more efficient on clicks (the largest a destination port can accommodate). If he is not raiding there then you can CS even Rangoon convoys which leaves you to micro anything going further South & across Malaya.

[BBfanboy]

AFBs: How large a convoy of liberty ships do you guys run....say from West Coast to Pearl?

I am tending to run larger and larger convoys, especially to the front lines, and simply disband the cargo ship in port and activate it when I need the supply....perhaps that is a function of my exposed Sorong to Soc Trang line?

RJ is right - every time you unload and then reload your cargo or passengers it is time lost. The pipeline delivers best capacity if it goes from start to finish without substantial pause (refueling only). Of course you may not want to expose your longest range/best capacity ships to attack so transferring supply to smaller ships close to the front may be necessary. And having rail lines to automatically move the goods closer to the front is golden!
As for size of convoys, I tend to keep the number of ships around 10-12 to reduce collisions, but others swear 100 ships plus is the way to go (if you can go that high - I thought the limit was 99). I think the gigantic convoy advocates just have so much to manage that they accept collision losses to save clicks! And I guess they would break up the convoy close to destination for docking reasons.