What's wrong with the Eastern Fleet?

Ranger-75 · Post by **Ranger-75** » Thu Sep 13, 2001 6:05 am

To the more learned players out there:

What is up with the Eastern Fleet withdrawls! I know full well Whitehall's reluctance to risk Capital ships in the japanese controlled seas following the loss of the Prince of Wales, Repulse , & Hermes and the subsequent loss of Singapore, but in this game I've got going on now, I held on to Singapore, have recaptures all of Burma, Malaya (some mopping up to do still, but I own all the bases) and Thailand and am now in Cambodia with the ground army. I control the air around everything except Saigon.

Yet, if I so much as put a light cruiser in the escort for a troop or cargo TF, the cruiser will "withdraw" as soon as it reaches a friendly port.

Does anybody know the "boundary" that triggers this? Does the boundary "move" with sucess in the air and on the ground??

I don't want to experiment by losing the Eastern Fleet to "withdrawls" but right now they are sitting in two giant TFs in Ceylon on 15 hex react moves providing absolutely NO USE to me, except that the carrier air groups are at about 95 experience from all the training.

I understand that in 1944 they will no longer "withdraw". Is this correct and does anyone have the exact date upon which I can use the British Fleet for more than rear guard defence of Ceylon??
<img src="mad.gif" border="0">

Major Tom · Post by **Major Tom** » Thu Sep 13, 2001 6:08 am

If a ship is in a TF that arrives at a Home Base on the FIRST turn of the month, then there is a chance that it is removed from the fleet. If it is in port, or at sea (ie. returning or going to a TARGET base) then it will not leave the fleet.

Ranger-75 · Post by **Ranger-75** » Thu Sep 13, 2001 6:22 pm

Ok Tom, but that's a little difficult to maintain, always having a TF not at its home port. It will eventually become useless because it will be drained of PPs, never being able to "rest" at its home port.

When does all this nonesense end? Does anybody have an exact date? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Major Tom · Post by **Major Tom** » Thu Sep 13, 2001 10:13 pm

Actually, only as long as a TF does not RETURN TO BASE on the 1st turn of every month you do not have to worry about them leaving. You can create a TF at a port, and have it on a 'reaction' without fear of ships leaving the fleet, even if they are engaged on that turn, unless they arrive back at their home port at the 1st of the month, then just use the "Remain On Station" command.

Sorry, cannot give you an exact date, but possibly on January 1944? The game seems to work at the beginning of months (ie. 1.1" AA turn to 40mm AA at the beginning of a month, etc...)

andrewmv · Post by **andrewmv** » Sat Sep 15, 2001 6:56 am

Originally posted by Mike Santos:
To the more learned players out there:

Does anybody know the "boundary" that triggers this? Does the boundary "move" with sucess in the air and on the ground??

The "boundary" is a line running from Port Blair to Rangoon. Base the fleet in Port Blair or Rangoon and they're safe. I guess it represents the need for the British to keep a strong fleet near Suez. The main trick is to make sure the fleet isn't in port past this line on the 1st turn of a month.

The cut off date for Eastern Fleet withdrawals is 31st December 1944. The fleet can deploy freely in 1945.

Ranger-75 · Post by **Ranger-75** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 7:07 am

Andrew,
Are you sure that 1945 is the end of the "withdrawl restriction"? PWHINTS says that withdrawls can occur any time before 1944 not 1945 <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

Tom,
Does the conputer "keep track" of "boundary violations" so that if I use the fleet in week 2,3,4 and then keep it "on station" in week 1, then say return it to Ceylon for a month (or have to park a ship for damage repair for 6-8 weeks), on the next "week 1" will it remember my "violation" from 2 months ago and withdraw on me??
<img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Major Tom · Post by **Major Tom** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 10:03 am

The game does not have a memory. Only ships that return to base on the 1st turn of the month will be sent away. However, the chance of a ship leaving is drastically increased the more you use it. So if you use the HMS Renown a lot and accidentally have it return to home base on turn 1 of the month then there is a higher chance that it will leave the fleet than if you did not use it at all.

Major Tom · Post by **Major Tom** » Sun Sep 16, 2001 10:05 am

Actually, presently the British Eastern Fleet is MUCH more of a potential threat than in the individual version. At least a human player knows that if they send out ships in the 2nd-4th turns of the month that they will be guaranteed that no ship will leave the fleet.

Ranger-75 · Post by **Ranger-75** » Wed Oct 03, 2001 12:03 am

Things seem to be going better. I have been able to make use of the Eastern Fleet. Of course I managed to screw up and have the entire Battle fleet return to home port accidently and lost 4BB, 4CA 4CL in a single mass exodus. But That's OK, I still had the carrier fleet and was able to form another surface fleet around remaining CAs and the 1BB that was still in the carrier fleet (Warspite). I"m still pissed because all my "county class" heavies were in that surface TF

Now I'm a little more careful. I was confused by the 1st turn of the month concept. I had been keeping the fleet at ses during the turn when the month crossed over (any turn that states on 26-31st day). But now know better.

The RAF with help from Dutch and Australian air units) is doing a better job on enemy shipping then the carrier TF.

Jeremy / Tom,

What is the CV rating of RN CVs? The rule book says Allied CVs 3 carrier points. If that's the case then I need make 2 TFs (or move the Hermes to the surface TF and I don't think that is possible) because Sommerville will never get off even a half strike with a TF total 10 (3CV 1CVL). Either that or wait for Sir Philip Vian, RN to arrive on the scene. <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

Jeremy Pritchard · Post by **Jeremy Pritchard** » Wed Oct 03, 2001 1:07 am

Yes, the RN CV's are 3 points, in fact, if you change a CVE to be a CV (for whatever reason) it will require 3. Yes, two carriers per group tend to work the best for the RN, like the USN they have to wait until CVL's (or in the case of the Hermes not at all) until you get 3+ CV TF's.

By the way, in the 2.3 version the Hermes has a fighter group. The ship is the equal to the Hosho. I had an interesting computer vs. computer test, where the AI sent the Hosho vs. the Hermes. The Hermes was the definite winner with the Hosho retreating in flames.