Surface combat tips

[Spain Maru]

Hi friends,please help me with your comments about surface combat against AI, because playing with USA its very difficult win a combat, ¿how many ships in a Surface TF?, ¿What type of DD are the best?, ¿the best commander is Lee?, ¿how to get a surprise action?...
thanks and sorry for my spanglish [;)]

[AmiralLaurent]

For surface TF, 15 ships is the best number to engage enemy ships. But if you chase submarines, use 25 ships surface TF.

What type of DD.... good question. The more radars you have the more you should use. But the DD with the best AA ratings will be more useful in CV TF. On Japanese side you have really old almost useless DD but Allied DD are more on the same level... or at least they will be if you routinely send them back for upgrades, increasing their AA, ASW and radar.

Yes, Lee is your best surface TF commander but sometimes a less agressive commander could be a good idea, like Scott for example. Using a cautious commander could be a ggod idea if you are likely to engage superior forces. An agressive one may continue to attack while being outnumbered. Cautious commanders tend to have shorter surface battles, so less damage to both sides.

Surprise... the commander rating, the experience of your ships, presence of radar and size of both TFs count, as do the level of detection.
AFAIK :

_ 'Very competents' admirals will surprise more and be less surprised than 'competent'.

_ TF with radar are more likely to detect the enemy before it does.

_ smaller TF are more likely to surprise the enemy as they are harder to detect. That is especially true for PT boats. Large PT TF are almost always surprised by the IJN while small PT TF will sometimes surprise them with good results.

_ the fact that the enemy TFs were seen the day before will decrease the chance they will surprise you and increase the chance you will surprise them.

_ last but not least, surface combat TF have more chance to surprise and less to be surprised than fast transport and bombardment TF.

As for surface actions with the USN, in 1942, I will only engage if I have tremendous superiority in night battles (for example a surface TF hitting a transport TF) or if I hit a TF allready badly hit by planes the day before. Or in a defensive position, that is off an Allied base where damaged ships can be docked, that may be defended by PT boats and minefields and from where planes can hit and sink damaged Japanese ships.

In 1943, USN torpedoes are almost as good, Allied gunnery (with radar) is far better and Japanese will not get much reinforcements while Allied may replace almost all ships lost.

So don't waste your surface ships in 1942 in surface actions if you can avoid them.